Standing beside her mother, Haruno Yukinoshita remained silent.
When had she started pretending...
She couldn't remember clearly anymore.
For Haruno, pretending to be happy wasn't particularly difficult.
It wasn't that her acting was good, nor that Mrs Yukinoshita's perception was poor.
Instead, if a person has never truly felt happy in their entire life, even their own mother wouldn't know the difference between their daughter's feigned expression of happiness and their genuine one, and thus would have no way to distinguish between them.
However...
Haruno Yukinoshita lowered her head, stealing only a glance at Ye Xing standing there, her eyes unusually showing traces of nervousness.
She knew he probably wouldn't agree.
After all, the very reason Haruno had been drawn to Ye Xing in the first place was his freedom from all constraints - something she had always desperately yearned for but could never touch... or rather, didn't dare to touch.
Whether for her mother's sake or for her younger sister Yukino's, becoming the successor to the Yukinoshita company and living that unfulfilling life was the most correct choice.
Haruno knew Ye Xing didn't lack money. Even setting aside his extraordinary abilities beyond ordinary people's reach, just his talent for placing first in Japan's unified exams and overwhelmingly defeating all first-year students at Shuchi'in Academy...
While Yukinoshita Construction was indeed large-scale and considered wealthy by ordinary standards, it ultimately couldn't compare to such exceptional talent.
So would Ye Xing, who always proclaimed his principle of acting without restraint according to his own will, agree to her mother's request?
That was impossible...
Just as Haruno reached this thought, she suddenly heard Ye Xing say something completely unexpected.
"I can consider it."
"Eh?"
Hearing this, Haruno couldn't help but freeze.
Was he just being evasive?
No...
In Haruno's impression, Ye Xing had always been straightforward - if he didn't want to do something, he would definitely refuse outright.
If he said he would consider it, he truly meant it.
But... why?
"Good, since you're only in your first year of high school anyway, there's no need for an immediate answer."
Mrs Yukinoshita also knew she shouldn't pressure Ye Xing too much, and merely nodded slightly.
However, she then turned to her daughter, Haruno, with a complicated expression.
"Then what about the child in Haruno's womb...? Should we have it and let our Yukinoshita family raise it first..."
"You've misunderstood."
Only then did Ye Xing wave his hand dismissively, explaining with a laugh.
"Haruno isn't pregnant."
"Eh? Not pregnant?"
Mrs Yukinoshita froze at these words, her brow furrowing tightly.
"Then what did you mean earlier about three people?"
"What!?"
To Mrs Yukinoshita's surprise, after she said this, Ye Xing appeared utterly shocked, even showing genuine indignation. Righteously, as if emanating holy light, he sternly rebuked:
"Mrs Yukinoshita, do you only have Haruno as a daughter!? I know you might prefer Haruno over the wilful Yukino, but as your daughter, too, are you completely disregarding Yukino? Can this truly be considered being a proper mother!?"
Hearing this, Mrs Yukinoshita instinctively showed a guilty expression, murmuring:
"Sorry, I'm not..."
Halfway through speaking, Mrs Yukinoshita belatedly realised.
Wait a moment.
She hadn't actually done anything wrong.
Mainly because this moral coercion from Ye Xing came far too abruptly, catching Mrs Yukinoshita completely off guard and making her instinctively want to apologise.
Come to think of it...
Yukino had nothing to do with this matter from the start!
"You little brat..."
Mrs Yukinoshita glared at Ye Xing with gritted teeth, her voice already carrying a hint of murderous intent.
"Don't tell me you actually want to marry both Haruno and Yukino, these two sisters, all by yourself!?"
"Hmm?"
Ye Xing first pretended to be taken aback, then responded with righteous indignation.
"Mrs Yukinoshita, your thoughts are truly despicable! I merely meant that this matter shouldn't only require approval from Haruno and myself. As your daughter, Yukino also holds inheritance rights to Yukinoshita Construction Company, so her consent should be sought as well. When I mentioned three people, that's what I meant. I never expected you to have such an outrageous idea - it truly shocks me!"
Mrs Yukinoshita: "..."
Watching her usually dominant mother, who always maintained control, being rendered speechless by Ye Xing's repeated reversals, Haruno couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle softly beside them.
Only you could pull this off.
"I... understand."
Mrs Yukinoshita took a deep breath, suppressing the stifling emotions in her chest, and slowly spoke.
"I'll ask Yukino for her opinion too, though, based on my understanding of her as her mother, she'll definitely reply with something like 'it doesn't matter' or 'whatever'. She's always been this wilful, and I don't know when she'll truly grow up."
"That might not necessarily be true."
Haruno said meaningfully.
"It's been over half a year since Yukino left Chiba. Perhaps if you really have a proper conversation with her, you'll discover she's no longer the same Yukino Yukinoshita she used to be."
"Is that so..."
Mrs Yukinoshita tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, giving Ye Xing a deep look as she spoke in a calm tone.
"I won't disturb you young people's activities any longer. Contact me again after you've made your decision."
With that, Mrs Yukinoshita turned and left.
Watching her mother gradually disappear into the distance and leave the small grove of trees, Haruno Yukinoshita finally let out a relieved sigh.
She looked at Ye Xing beside her with a complicated expression, murmuring.
"I didn't expect... you'd tell her you'd consider taking over the Yukinoshita company."
Ye Xing shrugged and chuckled lightly.
"I don't know the exact value of Yukinoshita Construction Company, but judging by how your mother always carries herself with such haughty dignity, it must be quite valuable. If I refused when someone's giving it to me for free, wouldn't I be a fool?"
"Stop with that act."
Haruno Yukinoshita snorted lightly. Though she usually appeared extremely mature and steady, she now showed a petulant expression like a young girl.
"Don't forget, Yukino's a tsundere. I've watched her grow up since childhood - I can tell at a glance what's genuine and what's just tsundere posturing. Even you can't hide it from me."
Haruno took two steps closer, tilting her head up slightly to face him directly, looking straight into Ye Xing's eyes with an unusually serious expression.
"Why, really?"
"What else could it be for?"
Ye Xing chuckled and ruffled Haruno's short black hair.
"It's for you, of course. With my help, while I can't say you'll be completely liberated from the daily operations of Yukinoshita Company, at least you won't have to work as hard as you do now."
This sudden direct attack made Haruno Yukinoshita unconsciously drop all her defences, her eyes revealing evident emotion.
Just as her pink lips parted to say something, she seemed to remember something, her brow slightly furrowing as she asked softly with a complicated expression.
"But... you said before... You didn't want to be bound by anyone or anything, that you only wanted to act according to your own will... Yet now, for me..."
"I'm still following that principle."
Ye Xing interrupted Haruno Yukinoshita, unusually serious as he explained.
"It's precisely because I want to make things easier for you that I'm doing this. As for the reason? Of course it's because I want the person close to me - my lover, Haruno Yukinoshita - to have more time to spend by my side. That's only natural."
"Perhaps you're right about this - in this matter, you've become a shackle that binds me."
"But if one merely emphasises principles yet fails to act when they truly want to, then those so-called principles themselves become the most unbearable restraint."
"Excessive pursuit of freedom ultimately makes one a slave to freedom."
"Simply put..."
Ye Xing spoke with a smile.
"Doing whatever I want without overthinking the reasons - that's true freedom."
Haruno Yukinoshita remained silent for quite a while after hearing this, before finally curling her lips into a faint smile that seemed both resigned and somewhat pleased.
"As expected, in meeting you, my luck has finally turned good for once."
Haruno Yukinoshita rose on her pale, delicate toes and gave Ye Xing a lingering, passionate kiss, her arms wrapped around his neck. Her wide kimono sleeves slipped down slightly, revealing jade-like, smooth forearms.
The kiss lasted nearly half a minute, only ending when Haruno felt she was about to run out of breath, though she seemed reluctant to stop.
"Speaking of which..."
Haruno Yukinoshita gazed at Ye Xing with an ambiguous smile, speaking softly.
"You have... improper thoughts about little Yukino, don't you?"
"Hey, you can't put it that way."
Ye Xing spoke with complete seriousness.
"You're the one who said you wanted Yukinoshita to touch what you call the 'genuine article'. After joining the Supernatural Society, she's made real friends, gained friendship, and even developed that special relationship with someone like Kazusa Touma - where they don't get along but still understand each other."
"But this doesn't seem to be the 'genuine article' she's seeking."
"So next... I need to consider my sister-in-law's future prospects!"
Haruno Yukinoshita couldn't help but laugh, though she sounded somewhat exasperated.
"A pervert is still a pervert, no matter how many excuses you make. I really don't know what to do with you."
Ye Xing was utterly sincere.
"So can we unlock the limited edition kimono CG now?"
Kyoto's number one eroge player, always staying true to his roots.
"What are you thinking about?"
Haruno's pretty face flushed slightly as she lightly patted Ye Xing's shoulder, sounding annoyed.
"This kimono of mine is very troublesome to put on."
However, she then changed the subject and gently knelt on the grass.
"But... I can reward you in other ways. After all, your performance was quite good."
"Aren't you worried about dripping on your kimono? That outfit of yours is black."
"Don't worry."
Haruno showed a succubus-like smile, parting her lips slightly.
"Not a single drop will be wasted."
...
Meanwhile, with the trio of Yui Yuigahama, Yukino Yukinoshita, and Kazusa Touma.
"Ooh, candy apples!"
Seeing the street vendor, Yui Yuigahama looked excitedly at Kazusa Touma and Yukino Yukinoshita.
"Yukino, Touma, do you want some? Touma, I remember you really like sweet things."
"No thanks."
Both Yukino Yukinoshita and Kazusa Touma declined, though for completely different reasons.
"I'm not hungry right now."
Though Yukino Yukinoshita said this, her actual thoughts were...
If her elder sister, Haruno, and Ye Xing were to see her holding an apple candy, nibbling at it in small bites like a kitten, they would surely tease her.
Rather than that, it would be better not to eat it at all. At worst, she could secretly come back to buy one after the fireworks ended and everyone dispersed, then finish it in some secluded corner before rejoining the others.
Kazusa Touma's reason, however, was far more straightforward.
"I've never been to a place like this before, nor have I ever worn a kimono."
"Ye Xing brought me here, and Ye Xing helped me put on the kimono. So the apple candy, watching the fireworks—every memory from tonight, I want it all to be connected to him."
Yui Yuigahama gave an awkward laugh.
"I see..."
She had initially wanted to tease her, saying, "Aren't you being a bit too loyal?"
But then she thought about her own behaviour during the time Ye Xing was missing...
It seemed she and Kazusa Touma were practically two peas in a pod.
Meanwhile, Yukino Yukinoshita, standing nearby, was utterly dumbfounded.
Wait...
Ye Xing helped her put on the kimono?
This...
What Yukino Yukinoshita found most unacceptable wasn't the fact that Ye Xing had directly touched Kazusa Touma's body.
Logically speaking, she had already formed a cooperative relationship with Kazusa Touma, intending to help her resolve her emotional difficulties.
If Kazusa Touma was making progress with Ye Xing, she should be happy about it.
So why...
Did she feel her eyes growing moist and her heart aching so much?
This should be... a victory...
Noticing Yukino Yukinoshita bowing her head in silence, Kazusa Touma frowned slightly as if she wanted to say something, but Yui Yuigahama stopped her.
Yui Yuigahama let out a soft sigh, her expression saying everything without words.
She had seen through it long ago.
At first, Yukino Yukinoshita wanted to compete with Ye Xing to determine a "winner."
Now, Yukino Yukinoshita wanted to compete with "Ye Xing" to determine a winner.
The focus had shifted entirely.
"Well... let's have him buy them for us later then,"
Yui Yuigahama tried her best to lighten the mood, feeling the weight of her responsibility heavily.
Without her, this club would have fallen apart long ago.
Deed done, robes brushed, withdrawing unnoticed—concealing both achievement and name.
The great Yui Yuigahama was more than just cute.
...
Twenty minutes later.
"It's finally about to start."
The Supernatural Society members, following their assigned groups, had each spread cloths on the ground and were quietly awaiting the moment when fireworks would bloom in the night sky.
To ordinary people, Hina Amano's group seemed incredibly strange.
Even though only she and Shoko Makinohara were sitting, they had laid out an oversized cloth over two metres wide.
There was no other choice.
Although ordinary people couldn't observe Hachishaku-sama and Menma, they couldn't just let these two... these two spirits sit on the ground.
Besides, Hachishaku-sama's stature was so enormous—even in her usual form, she stood over two metres tall.
"Where on earth has that guy Ye Xing run off to..."
Just as Mai Sakurajima was growing puzzled by Ye Xing's absence, she heard his amused voice from behind.
"I'm here."
The girls turned around and, upon seeing the object Ye Xing and Haruno Yukinoshita were pushing together, they all froze for a moment.
The thing was entirely white, about half a metre tall, made of foam, with the lower part being a small cart equipped with wheels.
And inserted into the foam's holes were...
A dozen bright red candy apples.
"Come on, everyone gets one."
"No, that's not..."
Mai Sakurajima stood up and noticed that the surrounding spectators watching the fireworks were looking at her with astonished expressions. She smiled wryly and said,
"You bought so many candy apples?"
"Well, there are a lot of people here."
"Hmph, so you do know there are many people. I thought you didn't."
"Mai-senpai, you're being rather aggressive today."
"Tch, you only call me senpai when you're deliberately trying to sweet-talk me."
"That's not important."
Ye Xing directly changed the subject, waving towards the seated members of the Supernatural Society with a smile.
"Come and get them."
As the natural enemy of love triangles and the destroyer of faction wars, Ye Xing once again made a wise choice.
Either buy none at all.
Or buy for everyone.
And there was one crucial detail.
Instead of taking them out and handing them to everyone, he let each person come and take one themselves.
If he were to actively hand them out, there would be an order to it, which could easily cause problems.
This was the detail of the Harem God!
While the girls were still hesitating, the warrior Kazusa Touma was the first to stand up, walk over and take a candy apple.
But then she did something unexpected.
"Here."
Kazusa Touma held up the bright red candy apple, bringing it close to Ye Xing's lips as she whispered.
"Take a bite."
"Alright."
Without much hesitation, Ye Xing smiled and took a bite from Kazusa Touma's candy apple. She then unhesitatingly took another bite from the same spot he had bitten.
If that were all, it would have been fine.
But the key was that Kazusa Touma had done this...
Could Rio Futaba and the others, who were already confirmed lovers, not do the same?
"Take a bite."
"Mine too, take a bite."
"And mine."
The people around were stunned, especially the men, whose gazes towards Ye Xing now held genuine admiration, even awe.
Damn, bro.
You're way too hardcore!
You've taken bites from eight different candy apples alone?
Forget about whether your cheeks are sore or not.
You're dating eight girls at once and brought them all to watch the fireworks festival together?
In this situation, all the men shared that supreme, unspoken evaluation that men would never easily voice aloud.
You're something else.