Nijika was slightly confused when she heard this. "I can understand being shaken up... but didn't I give you the necklace? Can't you just wear it to sleep?"
Fumiya Jin stood up, took out the Necklace of Serenity, and placed it around the girl's neck.
"Only you can wear this. I can't use it."
"Eh?" Nijika was stunned. "Why not?"
"I just can't," Fumiya Jin repeated.
"But... this item isn't supposed to have that kind of restriction, is it?" Nijika scratched her head. "Does it recognize its owner or something?"
Fumiya Jin shook his head. "I can use all the other items, just not this one. Maybe it's because of some force majeure, like a solar storm, a volcanic eruption, a heavenly omen, a planetary alignment... Anyway, I just can't use it."
"But none of the things you just mentioned have happened recently!" Nijika couldn't help but retort.
"Then I don't know. Anyway, I just... can't use it," Fumiya Jin said, staring straight at Nijika. "So you're the only one who can help me, Nijika."
Nijika froze for a moment.
She looked at Fumiya Jin's unwavering gaze...
And she suddenly seemed to understand something.
Her little face turned slightly red.
She gave Fumiya Jin a slightly mischievous look. "You really can't use it?"
"It's the absolute truth!" Fumiya Jin said without blushing or his heart skipping a beat. "So, is Nijika willing to help me? I'm in desperate need of some quality sleep, you know."
"Umm..." Nijika hesitated a little.
Although she could already tell that his claim of "can't use it" was utter nonsense.
But the second half of his sentence was right...
He really did have a tough day today.
"Then... what should I do?"
"Wash them tonight."
"Won't they start to smell if you leave them that long..."
"Then just throw them all out and get new ones."
"Ehhh? Isn't that too extravagant and wasteful!"
"But I really want to sleep," Fumiya Jin said earnestly. "Can I?"
Nijika lowered her head.
Her fair hands were behind her back, fingers intertwined and tangled like a messy knot of rope.
Her pearly white teeth gently bit her soft lips.
"Since you can't use the necklace... then... then I guess there's no other way..." Nijika turned her head away, looking at the floor to the side. "I'll... I'll indulge you just this once... This is the last time, you hear!"
"Alrighty," Fumiya Jin immediately took off his outer jacket, lay down on the bed, and then pulled the girl down to lie with him.
Nijika had wanted to be a bit more reserved, but as soon as she was on the bed, Fumiya Jin pulled her under the covers and into his arms.
"This is just to help you sleep well, okay? No funny business!" The girl raised a fist and lightly punched Fumiya Jin's chest.
"Okay, okay, I promise we'll just be sleeping innocently, with absolutely no improper thoughts," Fumiya Jin guaranteed with a straight face, even as his hands held the girl's slender, soft body a little tighter.
Hearing this, Nijika was almost too exasperated to retort...
Sleeping innocently...
A boy and a girl sleeping under the same covers, their bodies pressed together, breathing in each other's scent, constantly feeling each other's warmth and touch... Could that really be considered innocent?
As Nijika thought this, her mind was a mess, as if a wild deer were running rampant inside, completely unable to calm down.
And just then...
Fumiya Jin seemed to have thought of something.
He suddenly shifted his body downward.
Then... he buried his head right into the girl's bosom, nuzzling gently.
[+1]
[+1]
[+1]
"Eh... Ehhhhh? What are you doing all of a sudden?!" Nijika was stunned and hurriedly tried to push him away.
But she was too weak; she couldn't push him off at all.
Fumiya Jin kept his head buried for another two or three seconds before giving up on his own.
He lifted his head, looked at Nijika nonchalantly, and said, "Nothing, I just remembered a scientific test and decided to try it... It's actually quite breathable."
"Huh? Breathable?" Nijika had no idea what he meant. "I don't really get it, but I have a feeling you're saying something incredibly rude!!!"
"It's nothing, it's nothing. Anyway... let's sleep," Fumiya Jin said with a perfunctory smile, hugging the girl and planting a kiss on her blushing cheek. "Oyasumi, Nijika."
"Ugh—"
Nijika froze as if she'd been hit by a paralyzing spell.
Several seconds passed before she came back to her senses.
She looked gloomily at Fumiya Jin, only to find he had already closed his eyes, looking as if he were sound asleep.
"Why does he always do things on his own like this... damn it..."
The girl bit her lip and muttered.
"Oyasumi."
...
...
Although the Necklace of Serenity was only a blue item, its effect in the domain of sleep was quite powerful.
Being held so tightly by Fumiya Jin, Nijika would normally have been too embarrassed to fall asleep for a while. But this time, she managed to drift off soon after he did.
However, Nijika had already rested in the morning.
Even though she hadn't rested peacefully after Fumiya Jin left, she had been resting nonetheless.
So, when she opened her eyes, Fumiya Jin was still fast asleep, and the sky outside hadn't darkened yet. It was just beginning to shift to an orange-red, so she roughly estimated it was a little after five o'clock.
Nijika was fully rested and didn't want to sleep anymore.
But Fumiya Jin's hands—one under her neck, cradling her shoulder, and the other wrapped around her waist, holding her back—made it clearly impossible for her to escape without waking him.
Realizing this, Nijika couldn't help but recall the situation when she woke up this morning... Last night, she'd been too scared and had clung to his hand, causing him to have a bad night's sleep. That was definitely her fault.
But now... wasn't this guy holding her just as unwilling to let go?
So, I guess this makes us even.
As Nijika thought this, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.
She lowered her head and looked at Fumiya Jin's still-sleeping face.
After gazing at him quietly for a while, she leaned in for a closer look.
How strange...
This guy, why is it that no matter how you look at him... he's so handsome?
It even made her want to, secretly...
"Ding-dong, ding-dong..." Her phone, which she had placed on the bedside table before sleeping, suddenly rang.
Nijika was startled and cursed inwardly—she forgot to put it on silent. At this rate, Fumiya-san would be woken up.
So she quickly turned on her side, reached out, and managed to grab her phone with some difficulty.
Just as she was about to swipe to decline the call, she suddenly noticed the caller ID read: Sister.
A call from my sister?
Nijika's heart skipped a beat.
Her hand trembled, and she accidentally swiped the wrong way.
"Beep—" The call connected!
"Hello? Nijika?" Even with the receiver far from her ear, she could faintly hear her sister's voice coming from the phone.
It's over, it's over, I'm so doomed!
For a moment, Nijika's mind was in chaos.
Hanging up now was definitely not an option; it would be too suspicious.
But if she took the call...
Nijika glanced at Fumiya Jin, who didn't seem to have woken up yet.
If she kept her voice down, maybe it would be okay?
Nijika hesitated for a few seconds before finally making a decision.
She carefully shifted her body, turning around in his arms without breaking his hold. From facing him, she was now facing away.
Then she picked up the phone and answered in a hushed voice, "Hello? Sis?"
"What are you doing? Why'd it take you so long to answer?" Seika sounded a little puzzled.
______
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