Almost as soon as the doorbell was pressed, the door swung open.

Before Dubian Che could get a clear look, Mayi Asuka threw herself at him.

In the hallway, the two embraced tightly.

Perhaps because she had been tidying up the furniture, Mayi Asuka had taken off her school blazer, tucking her white shirt into her pleated skirt.

The breathing of the two began to grow rapid as their faces pressed close, cheeks slightly caving in from the pressure.

Dubian Che, cradling her in his arms, stepped into room 602.

The room was eerily quiet.

Outside the window, occasionally a bird from the Shengong Outer Garden would swoop past, its wing flaps resonating faintly.

"Starting tomorrow, will you live here all the time?" Dubian Che gently asked near Mayi Asuka's ear.

"Mm."

"A day, a month, a year—suddenly there's so much time. How should we plan it all?"

"I'll listen to Che."

"Then... in the morning, we'll go to the Outer Garden together; you practice the oboe, and I'll go for a run. During the day, I'll hold you in my arms, and we'll play games together. In the evening, we'll go have dinner, take a walk, watch a movie; and later on..."

Dubian Che held Mayi Asuka even tighter: "I'll torment you all through the night."

"That's wonderful." Mayi Asuka lovingly pressed her face against his neck.

They both affirmed each other's breathing and body heat.

Once it had gotten completely dark outside, Dubian Che patted Mayi Asuka's lower back: "Get up."

Without a word, Mayi Asuka moved her body, fully lying on top of Dubian Che, her arms tightly circling his neck.

Her actions seemed to say, 'You're not allowed to go anywhere.'

"We need to eat." Dubian Che chuckled.

Mayi Asuka, with her head buried in his collarbone, shook her head, causing her hair to tickle Dubian Che's face.

"You need to eat well so you'll have the energy for later," he whispered softly, "For our first night together, I won't be holding back. Are you ready?"

Suddenly, Mayi Asuka propped herself up, looking down at Dubian Che.

Her soft, long hair cascaded down between the two of them.

Gazing into her clear, steady eyes, Dubian Che couldn't resist asking:

"What's wrong?"

"I'm happy."

Saying this, she slipped out of bed and, naked, entered the bedroom's bathroom.

Out of inertia, Dubian Che remained lying in bed for a while longer. After Mayi Asuka finished washing up, he then went to take a shower.

As he got out of bed, he casually threw a pillow that had somehow ended up on the floor back onto the bed.

By the time he finished washing up and came out, Mayi Asuka had already changed into her regular clothes.

A pale pink sweater with a loosely fitting high collar, elegant; a white high-waisted long skirt; and a white short down jacket that looked both cute and stylish.

As Dubian Che picked up his clothes from the floor to dress, she approached holding her school uniform.

"Che, I'll give you the button."

"Don't tear it off!"

"Huh?"

As Dubian Che was pulling on his pants, he said, "Keep the uniform safely; in the future, I'll occasionally ask you to wear it for me, you know what I mean?"

"I'll keep my figure." Mayi Asuka showed an expectant look.

Once Dubian Che was dressed, the two left the apartment.

They had originally planned to go to Shinbashi, but with Mayi Asuka joining, they had to change their route to Nakano instead.

When going downstairs, they did not come across Xiaoquan Aonai and the others.

Dubian Che thought about finding an opportunity to tell Xiaoquan Aonai about Mayi Asuka, as she would surely keep his secret.

As for Akiko and Miyazaki Miyuki, he was still hesitating, but it would be quite difficult to hide it from those two perceptive and gossipy girls, since they lived in the same apartment building.

Upon reaching the ground floor, Dubian Che hailed a taxi.

In the cab, Mayi Asuka held onto his arm and leaned against him.

Behaving like this outside was dangerous, but Dubian Che didn't say a word.

If it were about loving someone more, it was doubtless Miyuki Saeki, and if it wasn't for Mayi Asuka's insistence on being with him no matter what, he would not have done anything to betray Miyuki Saeki.

But by this point, none of it mattered anymore.

Now that they were together, he must treat them well and then make sure not to entangle himself with any other girls.

"Senior, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Why do you like me?"

"Is there any girl who doesn't like Che?"

"Kui Ichiki and Haomei Yuzao?"

Mayi Asuka looked up, gazing at Dubian Che's handsome, lax face.

"Even if someone acts like they hate Che or didn't like you at first, if Che takes the initiative to approach her, she will definitely fall for you. Che, you're special."

She lowered her head again, resting her face on Dubian Che's arm.

"From when I was young till now, no one has ever mattered to me, only Che. I long to be with you, to be together at any cost. In my lifetime, I only want Che."

Dubian Che kept holding, touching, and pinching Mayi Asuka's small hand, hoping to give her enough reassurance with this gesture, to tell her: he is right here.

After having French cuisine in Nakano District, he accompanied Mayi Asuka as they strolled through the mall, each buying some clothes for spring.

"Senior, you don't get along very well with your mother?"

"Right."

"Can you tell me about it?"

"My parents divorced, each found a new family, had children. I lived with my father for a while, then with my mother."

Mayi Asuka rested with her eyes closed, her tone flat, without any hint of sadness or heartache.

Dubian Che didn't say a word.

He wondered, what kind of expression did Mayi Asuka have when she saw her parents doting on the children of their new families? Was it indifference? And what did she feel inside?

He thought back to that night in Capital City, Mayi Asuka being choked by him, advising him to use amber alkaline.

She was redundant in her family, unwanted by the person she liked, wanted dead. How pitiful.

Why was I given this fate—beneath that expressionless facade, did she ever ask this question in tears during the deep of night?

"Senior."

"Yes?"

"If you don't like it, it's okay to leave your parents. In the future, I will support you."

Mayi Asuka opened her eyes, staring at Dubian Che's hand entwined with hers.

"Because of me, Che has done something he shouldn't to his girlfriend, and I'm already satisfied with that. As for money, I will work hard. I plan to support myself with music in the future."

Dubian Che's face rested against Mayi Asuka's smooth, delicate back.

"I have my own money. Tomorrow, I will buy this apartment for you, and then give you half of my money."

"No need."

"I must give it to you," Dubian Che said firmly, "You made me betray Meiji, but I also made you my lover, incapable of being with the person you love in an open and dignified manner."

"Without Che, all the money in the world is useless to me."

"Even if you take the money, it won't give you a sense of security, but I still hope you will accept it." Dubian Che buried his face in her hair. "I'm giving you money not to compensate for my guilt, not to make it easier to sever ties with you in the future, but because I hope that from now on, whether you want to work hard or not, whether you want to study music or not, I just want you to be happy."

"I..."

"Listen to me."

Mayi Asuka raised Dubian Che's hand and pressed it against her own flushed, slightly sweaty cheek.

"Okay, I'll listen to Che."

"Senior, I won't leave you. From now on, we're family."

Mayi Asuka moved to turn around, Dubian Che stood up to clear the way, and their intimately locked bodies separated as a result.

Dubian Che felt surprised.

Since they got back from earlier, even if it was just getting out of bed for water, Mayi Asuka didn't want him to leave her. What was happening now?

Mayi Asuka tilted her head, staring at him, hesitated for a moment, then said:

"...Daddy?"

Dubian Che couldn't help but laugh. "We don't have kids yet, isn't that title a bit early?"

"Let's make one now," she said.

"This kind of thing, at least wait until you've graduated from university, right?" Dubian Che's hands steadied her slender waist.

"I won't go to university anymore."

"Che, you should drop out too."

"My mom and K-san would kill me."

"Oh." In Mayi Asuka's flat tone, a hint of dissatisfaction and loss surfaced.

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