The commotion in the living room lasted for some time.
Approaching noon, Haruno prepared to leave. She showed no sign of the expected Spoiled Attitude After a Brief Farewell That Felt Like Newlyweds, and quickly and deftly packed her things before heading to the front door.
Yuu escorted her out from the entrance in surprise, while also rubbing the mark on his neck—this woman had secretly bitten him hard when he wasn't paying attention.
Such habits were truly intolerable. If it were him, he wouldn't do it... At least not when others could see.
"Don't you want to have lunch here? My cooking skills are far better than you imagine, guaranteed to make you eat until your Face is Flushed Red, Floating Like a God."
"Is what you make medicine or food?" Haruno looked at him with a mysterious smile: "Besides, I've already eaten your cooking during the Autumn Festival. Do you think I've forgotten?"
"Not really... Well, whatever, you'll eat tonight anyway."
Yuu didn't tell her that since he had upgraded Learning to the Perfect level, his originally unupgradable Perfect Cooking Skill now seemed to have opened a new door, allowing him to glimpse scenery at a higher level.
This proved that the Perfect level wasn't the end. As long as it was used together with other skills, whether acting, swordsmanship, or Bedroom Techniques, all had the potential to break through limits to a higher realm.
For example, the famous technique in the world of dark cuisine, the Eight Demon Destroyers Formation. Although he lacked internal energy to alter the nature of ingredients, he could use various knowledge and abilities provided by the system to realize a series of Poisonous Dishes almost similar to Heart-Captivating ones, truly terrifying.
...Although such terrifying skills, their greatest use for him was to satisfy the girls' appetites.
Thinking of tonight's event, Yuu secretly resolved to make dishes that would leave them speechless from eating, their bodies limp until they could only Submit to His Will.
Everyone could only obey him, and even if they reacted strongly, they couldn't resist at all—thus, he could better control the situation when Sharing Information.
"But..."
Haruno folded her arms across her chest, supporting the Sacred Mound Several Cups Fuller than her sister's, and tapped her elbow. She spoke with a slight sigh:
"This development is completely different from what I thought... I intercepted you at your front door this morning, originally just wanting to invite you to celebrate Christmas. I had even thought of various ways to deal with Yukino-chan and Dango-chan, while looking for opportunities to attack you and test if your feelings had truly returned..."
However, as soon as she saw Yuu's figure, all those plans naturally vanished from her mind. What remained was only her in front of him, and the warmth so close, making her unconsciously forget her original purpose.
Fortunately, the result was far better than imagined, even exceeding expectations entirely, leaving no room for even the slightest complaint.
"What a coincidence, huh?"
However, after Haruno finished speaking, Yuu said in surprise.
Haruno looked at him in confusion: "What coincidence?"
Yuu said with slight emotion: "Honestly, I also planned to look for you today to tell you that my feelings have returned."
Was this what was called Soulmate Compatibility?
The one who loved her, and the one who loved him, always unintentionally thinking of the same things in matters related to each other.
The overflowing warmth in his heart made Yuu unable to help but gaze at the mature woman before him with affectionate eyes, as if wanting to share that suddenly arisen touching feeling with her.
Then, he was immediately met with a gaze full of doubt.
"You looked for me? No way."
Haruno examined him from top to bottom, her face showing clear disbelief: "With Dango-chan and the others, plus the current tasks, you'd take the initiative to Be Frank with me? Especially on Christmas Day, a very important day for couples?"
"If you really wanted to Be Frank, why didn't you call me the night after the Cultural Festival ended?"
She spread her hands, as if shaking her head at a feeling deceiver, shattering the touching feeling in Yuu's heart.
"I wanted to too, but as you said, I had to consider their feelings and the current tasks, so I didn't dare act rashly."
Realizing his mistake, Yuu spoke with less confidence, but still tried to explain his thoughts at the time:
"After confirming that the series of dreams during that period returned all my feelings, I kept thinking about when to meet you and tell you this directly... It's just that I couldn't find the right time."
The reason he chose Christmas Day was because both high school and college students had started winter break, so his time would be more free.
Additionally, if he spent Christmas Eve with Yuigahama and Yukino as a trio, then his guilt when sneaking out to find another woman on Christmas Day would be less. However, Yuu didn't expect the situation to develop completely differently from what he anticipated...
In short, they were various reasons that sounded very reasonable, but somehow emitted a Scoundrel Aura.
"Huh, fine, I'll believe you this time... After all, everything has passed, and there's no need to chase it anymore."
Shaking her head as if helpless, Haruno suddenly remembered something and asked like a barrage of bullets: "By the way, next you're going to meet Dango-chan, and talk about me and Yukino-chan. And the Christmas party, with your personality, after inviting me, you surely won't forget to invite the others... So, Natsukawa Masuzu will also come? Have her memories and your feelings toward her returned?"
"Wait a moment, let me digest that..."
Gazed at by her relaxed yet hidden serious eyes, Yuu scratched his forehead in a daze. After quickly organizing her questions in his mind, he answered one by one.
"Not just Yui, I want to reveal everything I once told you all in the last task, regardless of whether they can accept it or not... I might also need your and Sora's help to explain beside me. I don't know if the parts that can be said have changed."
"As for Masuzu... I don't know if her memories have returned. Clearly, I haven't recalled the liking feelings I once had for her, and I don't know what the conditions are..."
"Besides, it's not just Masuzu, I'll also invite Asuna to this Christmas party, but I don't know if she'll come... That girl, although she seems to have transferred to Sobu High just for me, she always avoids me at school, and she's rejected several of my requests to talk directly."
Gently rubbing the corner of her lips, Haruno pondered and analyzed calmly:
"She might be at the stage where her memories haven't recovered, but she already knows you're the culprit? She's just held back by various worries and doubts, so she decides to keep her distance from you and observe the situation first."
"In any case, smart people will choose to gather information before acting, especially when you still had Dango-chan back then, the girlfriend recognized by the whole school... Wait a minute. What did you say?"
In the midst of her lengthy analysis, Haruno suddenly realized. She unconsciously raised her voice, widening her ruby-red eyes toward Yuu.
"The second girlfriend after me, and above that Masuzu and Yukino, is the Young Lady of the Yuuki family?!"
"Yes."
Yuu nodded honestly. His attitude was already different from before. He wouldn't run from the past, nor deny the things he had done.
Moreover, that girl had pursued him from Kuroyuri Academy to Sobu High. If Yuu still wanted to treat her as an ordinary friend, that would be worse than a Scoundrel.
Seeing his so open and honest attitude, Haruno's hands folded across her chest unconsciously fell to her sides. She was filled with confusion and surprise, and continued asking in a disbelieving tone:
"You really seduced that Yuuki's little sister? Do you really want to become her brother-in-law that badly?"
"That..."
(If you didn't say it, I wouldn't even have thought of that!)
Suddenly realizing, Yuu immediately pulled out his phone, his eyes emitting a cold and resolute killing intent.
"Fine, right now I'll send the Funeral Organization to eliminate him. That way, there won't be any Brother-in-Law problem!"
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
At the same time,
Far away in the university dormitory, Kouichirou suddenly sneezed. He put down his PS5 controller, rubbed his goosebumped arms, and looked around with a strange chill.
"Weird, I've been hiding at home playing games for several days, there shouldn't be anyone secretly thinking about me."
Finding no conclusion, he quickly forgot about it and continued playing the first-person shooter game happily.
"By the way, Asuna is fine. She went to the trouble of transferring to Sobu High for Yuu. It's impossible for her to just become a Stone Statue Waiting for Husband, just watching him all day without doing anything, right?... Haah, I really hope she can quickly snatch Yuu."
Suddenly an image flashed in his mind, Kouichirou narrowed his eyes, and chuckled evilly softly like a villain.
"That way, I can reasonably ask Yuu to call me Brother-in-Law, and recruit him to fill the shortage in the raiding team!"
"Hehehe, it feels like a warlord daimyo marrying relatives to an enemy general to increase his own strength. A good strategy! No matter how strong you are, Yuu, you'll eventually Switch Sides, Remove Your Armor, and Surrender Respectfully to me!"
Imagining such a future, he hummed softly, and his enthusiasm for gaming burned even more.
Sometimes, a male college student's happiness is so simple.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Back to the front of Yuu's house entrance.
Without asking for further explanations or details of their relationship, Haruno quickly calmed herself from the shock. She held her forehead and let out a long sigh:
"Now that I think about it, your reactions back then were indeed suspicious... I wondered why that Yuuki's little sister didn't want to be the top student at a good noble academy, and instead desperately begged her mother to transfer her to Sobu High, making Mrs. Yuuki always complain about it at the Socialite Salon."
"If it's for you, then nothing seems strange anymore..."