Tsubakihara Yuji was the adopted son of the Tsubakihara family.
Orphaned young, he'd been taken in by Tsubakihara Mira. He shared no blood with the two sisters, Tsubakihara Yuna and Tsubakihara Nina. They'd grown up together—childhood sweethearts.
He was close with both sisters and with Mrs. Mira.
If nothing had gone wrong, this Yuji Tsubakihara should have been a winner in life. A pair of beautiful sisters, and perhaps even bringing Mrs. Mira into the fold.
If nothing had gone wrong...
Unfortunately, things had gone very wrong.
Not just the accident. More importantly... Mu Xiaoxiao. Once Mu Xiaoxiao targeted prey, none escaped. The Tsubakihara family was destined to face this.
Now, Tsubakihara Mira rushed to the hospital. She found her two daughters crying, their faces streaked with tears.
"Yuna! Nina!"
"Mother—"
Seeing her, the twin girls threw themselves into the woman's arms. Grief etched their faces. Tears still wet, eyes red, they sobbed softly.
Tsubakihara Mira was a woman of extreme charm. Her delicate, perfect face rivaled a succubus queen. Her red lips parted slightly as she gasped for breath.
The mole beneath her lip added enchantment. But worry for her adopted son had left her haggard.
Pale and worn, she possessed a fragile beauty.
Her widow's figure was curvy, plump, hot—full of mature charm.
'As expected of Tsubakihara Mira. Beautiful as I imagined.' In a distant corner, Mu Xiaoxiao watched the three women, his eyes gleaming.
The look of a predator eyeing prey.
"I know what happened." Tsubakihara Mira bit her lip, hands on her daughters' heads, comforting them. "It's okay. Yuji will be fine."
"Mm..."
Words felt weak, but they had little else. They could only pray silently that Tsubakihara Yuji would survive.
If Yuji couldn't be saved... The Tsubakihara sisters, on the verge of love, couldn't imagine it. They cared deeply for Yuji.
Not just family. Love.
Anxious waiting made the air heavy. Unease spread. You could hear hearts beating. Time crawled.
Finally, the emergency room doors opened.
"Doctor! How is Yuji?!"
"Family? He's out of danger for now, but..."
"But?"
---
In the ward, Tsubakihara Yuji lay bandaged, connected to machines. Eyes closed. Alive, as the doctor said. Rescued.
Good news.
The bad news: Yuji was now a vegetable.
The women stood by, wiping tears. Tsubakihara Mira had resources—she could arrange better care, even send him abroad. But no guarantees for vegetative patients.
Even abroad, nothing was certain.
Even if a miracle happened, the doctor said Yuji would never walk again. Paralyzed.
The weight of it crushed them. Tears flowed, hearts broke—until the door opened.
Mu Xiaoxiao and Mrs. Natsumi entered. The mourning paused.
"Who are you?"
The stranger caught Tsubakihara Mira's attention immediately. Not medical staff. A mysterious boy in a hat with a beautiful woman in black beside him.
The odd pair felt wrong.
Mu Xiaoxiao said nothing. Mrs. Natsumi stayed silent too. She looked at the unfortunate boy in the bed, then at the three haggard women. Her expression strange.
'Mu-kun is going to...'
Mu Xiaoxiao focused entirely on the women. Under his hat, his eyes flickered, studying them with amusement. Boldly.
Mrs. Mira's brow furrowed.
"Tsk, tsk. Looks rough." His gaze shifted to Yuji. That collision had destroyed him. Might as well be dead.
"Who are you?!"
Tsubakihara Mira's anger flared. Her stunning face, those narrow peach-blossom eyes—she had presence. Power.
Mu Xiaoxiao wasn't intimidated.
"Madam, who I am doesn't matter. What matters is I can solve your problem." He tugged his hat brim and smiled. "What do you think?"
'Solve the problem?'
The twin sisters exchanged glances. Could he mean saving Yuji? Hope flickered in their innocent eyes. But Mrs. Mira's expression stayed cold.
She didn't trust strangers.
"If you keep this up..." Tsubakihara Mira pulled out her phone, expression icy—ready to call someone. Mrs. Natsumi tensed. Mu Xiaoxiao just spread his hands.
"Not convincing? But Miss Mira... haven't you noticed your surroundings?"
'What?'
Before she could react, the twin sisters gasped, eyes wide. "Mom, look—"
Yuji's heart monitor spiked. But it wasn't just that. Outside, the world seemed to slow. Noise faded. Time itself... slowed.
The three Tsubakihara women stared out the window at the frozen world, then at the strange boy under the hat. Their pupils shook.
Even Mrs. Natsumi gasped at the scene.
'Is this... Mu-kun's power?'
Remembering the youth he'd given her, the frozen time now—seeing those women's shock—Mrs. Natsumi smiled faintly.
A little proud.
'As expected of master. So powerful.'
"You... what is this?"
Heh.
Mu Xiaoxiao smiled. Said nothing.
Tsubakihara Mira, veteran of society's storms, couldn't calm her racing heart. She put away her phone. Hope filled her voice. "Can you... really save Yuji?"
"Of course." Mu Xiaoxiao grinned, just as the three women's hope surged. Like a devil baring fangs. "The question is... what price are you willing to pay?"
"..."
The words froze Tsubakihara Mira's surging hope.