Chapter 44: Sasuko: Sleep? I'm Pulling an All-Nighter
After bathing,
Yu quietly pushed open the bedroom door.
Warm orange light immediately flowed out from the crack—that small bedside lamp was still on.
A small lump bulged in the center of the blanket, rising and falling gently with breathing.
Yu shook his head helplessly and carefully lifted the corner of the blanket: "Sasuko?"
"Yu~ You're finally here!"
A soft voice suddenly rang out as a fuzzy little head popped out from under the covers.
Yu's hand trembled. He glanced at the small alarm clock on the nightstand—the hour hand was already pointing to 1 AM. He said helplessly: "Sasuko, didn't I tell you to sleep first?"
Sasuko scooted over in the blanket, her small hand patting the freshly warmed spot: "I'm not tired at all!"
She looked up, trying hard to keep those eyes that were already watery wide open.
However, just as she finished speaking, an unexpected little yawn betrayed her.
Her pink lips opened in a perfect circle, with a teardrop squeezed from the corner of her eye. Sasuko hurriedly covered her mouth, but it was too late.
Yu looked at Sasuko struggling against sleepiness and felt both heartache and amusement.
He didn't expose her stubbornness, only gently ruffling her soft hair before lying down beside her.
"Sleep." He said quietly, reaching out to turn off the small lamp.
The room immediately fell into gentle darkness.
Sasuko immediately scooted over, tightly hugging Yu's arm.
Remembering their last co-sleeping experience, Yu simply pulled Sasuko into his embrace this time to prevent her from moving around all night.
Sasuko's petite body stiffened slightly at first, then gradually relaxed, obediently nestling against his chest.
Meanwhile, Yu, having studied jutsu scrolls all evening, was already exhausted. With the faint fragrance from Sasuko's hair at his nose, his breathing quickly became long and steady.
"Good night, Sasuko." In his drowsy state, Yu unconsciously placed a light kiss on her hair.
Sasuko: !!!
This sudden intimacy made Sasuko's heartbeat suddenly accelerate.
Her sleepiness vanished instantly. She could clearly hear her own "thump thump" heartbeat, particularly loud in the quiet night.
In the darkness, Sasuko kept her round eyes wide open, feeling Yu's even breathing by her ear as her small face burned terribly.
Sasuko felt like there was a little deer in her heart, about to knock her to death.
She thought maybe she should do something!
After a long while, she finally couldn't help calling softly: "Yu?"
Only Yu's steady breathing answered her.
Sasuko bit her lower lip as her small hand began to wander restlessly.
She carefully explored upward along Yu's pajamas, her fingertips feeling warm touch, finally stopping at Yu's cheek.
Moonlight filtered through the curtain gaps, coating Yu's handsome sleeping face with a silver edge.
Sasuko's fingertip gently traced his features, finally landing inexplicably on those thin lips.
The moment she touched them, Yu's nose wrinkled slightly, as if about to wake up.
(Just to clarify, Yu does have magnetic field perception, but he doesn't guard against Sasuko)
Sasuko was so frightened she immediately pulled back her hand and held her breath.
In the darkness, only her violent heartbeat thundered in her ears.
After quite a while, confirming Yu hadn't awakened, Sasuko quietly sighed in relief but no longer dared to move.
The next morning, when sunlight filtered through the gauze curtains into the room, Yu naturally woke up.
He felt refreshed—Sasuko had been surprisingly well-behaved last night, neither kicking off blankets nor moving around, letting him sleep peacefully.
Looking down, Sasuko was still curled in his arms sleeping sweetly, her black hair cascading like a waterfall across the pillow, long lashes casting small shadows below her eyes, with some lingering blush on her small face.
Yu carefully withdrew his arm, afraid of disturbing her sweet dreams.
Two hours later, when breakfast aromas had filled the entire room, Sasuko still showed no signs of waking.
Yu gently pushed open the bedroom door: "Sasuko, time to get up for breakfast."
The small lump on the bed didn't move at all.
Yu approached for a look—Sasuko had buried half her face in the blanket.
"Seems she really did sleep too late last night..." Yu shook his head helplessly, thinking it was just a child being sleepy.
He gently drew back the curtains, letting more sunlight in: "If you don't get up soon, breakfast will get cold."
The early summer morning sun was particularly intense, golden rays streaming directly through the curtains, making Sasuko's eyelids burn.
She drowsily wrinkled her small face, instinctively burying her entire head deeper into the covers.
Heaven knew she'd tossed and turned until what hour before falling asleep last night—now she was too tired to even lift her eyelids.
Yu stood by the bed, looking at this bed-refusing little lazy cat, his brow slightly furrowed.
It was already mid-morning and she still wouldn't get up—what would happen when school started in a few days?
"Sasuko," he reached out to gently tug the blanket, "time to get up."
A muffled whimper came from under the covers as Sasuko wrapped herself even tighter.
Yu sighed and suddenly pulled away the entire blanket.
"Ah!" Sasuko cried out, frantically trying to catch the flying blanket. Sunlight poured over her without reservation, revealing a sleepy and blushing face through her disheveled black hair.
She squinted pitifully: "Yu, just let me sleep a little longer..."
Only then did Yu notice the obvious dark circles under Sasuko's pale face, particularly striking against her porcelain-white skin.
"Didn't sleep well last night?"
Sasuko drowsily nodded, her little head heavily falling back onto the pillow. Her black hair cascaded like a waterfall, making her appear even more haggard.
She closed her eyes, her voice heavy with sleepiness, mumbling: "Mm... had lots of dreams..."
Yu shook his head helplessly and casually pulled the curtains closed.
"Then sleep a bit more. I'll keep your breakfast warm."
"Okay..." Sasuko responded drowsily and immediately fell back into dreams.
The shadows outside gradually lengthened until midday sun warmed the entire room, and only then did Sasuko slowly emerge from her blanket cocoon.
She rubbed her sleepy eyes, her messy hair like an exploded little black cat, her pajama collar askew revealing half a shoulder.
"Mm..." She gave a tiny yawn, stepping barefoot on the wooden floor. The wood panels, warmed by sunlight, felt comfortable under her feet.
Aromas drifted from the kitchen. Sasuko followed the scent, seeing Yu's busy figure at the stove.
"Yu~ Morning~" Sasuko drew out her tone, her voice still carrying post-sleep softness.
"Awake?" Yu responded without turning, his spatula flipping golden fried eggs. "Perfect timing—lunch is almost ready."
"Go wash up now, little sleepyhead."
Sasuko pouted but obediently turned toward the bathroom.
Halfway there, she suddenly returned, hugging Yu's waist from behind and nuzzling her small face against his back:
"Yu is the best~"
"Stop being spoiled and go."
"I know~"
***
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