Chapter 113: Playing Games

As soon as the two returned to the living room, they were met with scrutinizing gazes. After all, Anhe and Masaki had lingered outside the door for nearly half an hour, making it hard not to spark speculation. However, considering the presence of children, the women refrained from asking too many questions.

The meal had already been laid out on the table, and the rich aroma filled the entire room. Everyone gathered around the dining table. As soon as Anhe arrived, Sakuri eagerly patted the empty chair beside her and excitedly said, “Sit here, sit here!”

Anhe smiled lightly and sat down next to Sakuri, gently ruffling her hair as he teased, “It seems Sakuri-chan is still the kindest to me.”

“That’s obvious!” Sakuri said proudly, hands on her hips and chin raised high.

Seeing the women all looking at him expectantly, and with Masaki finding a vacant seat opposite him, Anhe declared the start of dinner.

“I’m digging in!”

After a few prayers, everyone began to eat. Tonight’s dinner was particularly sumptuous; besides Japanese dishes, Anhe had specially prepared several authentic Chinese dishes: sweet and sour pork ribs, braised pork, mapo tofu, Kung Pao chicken...

As they ate, they chatted about amusing things they’d encountered recently or news they’d read online. For example, Reina Serizawa, having just learned to talk, had sung all night at home a few days ago. It wouldn’t be so bad if she had a pleasant voice, but Anhe had only given her permission to use her voice—not an instruction manual.

As a result, according to Yui Serizawa, Reina’s singing was “hard to bear and caused sleepless nights.”

“That’s an exaggeration!” Reina blushed slightly at her sister’s public teasing and retaliated by revealing Yui’s embarrassing stories. For instance, when Yui got her first period, she thought she had a fatal illness and even wrote a farewell letter, causing everyone to burst into laughter.

Of course, not everyone was absorbed in such lighthearted tales. Take Sakuri Kurozai, for example. From the start of the meal, she hadn’t taken her eyes off the food, her cheeks stuffed and mouth never still. In contrast, Eri Tachibana, also a child, barely touched her food, seemingly shy and uneasy in this unfamiliar setting.

Anhe noticed Eri’s unusual behavior. After a moment’s thought, he stood, walked over to Yui Serizawa who sat beside Eri, and whispered something. Yui looked at Eri, then at Anhe, nodded, stood up, and switched seats with Anhe, who sat where Yui had been.

“Try this; it’s really good,” Anhe said, using the communal chopsticks to place a piece of braised pork into Eri’s bowl.

Eri hesitated, then nodded, lowering her head and awkwardly trying to grasp the meat with her chopsticks. The first attempt failed; the second as well. On the third try, she managed to grab it but the meat slipped off as soon as she lifted the chopsticks.

As if aware she was being watched, Eri’s face flushed, and her movements grew hurried. Still, the meat slipped away like an eel between her chopsticks. Finally, growing frustrated, she stabbed down hard, skewering the meat like kebab, and brought it to her mouth.

The burst of savory sauce made her close her eyes in delight. Clearly, she didn’t dislike Chinese cuisine; she just hadn’t eaten much earlier because she didn’t know how to use chopsticks.

“She’s a stubborn and strong-willed little one,” Anhe thought with a secret smile, though his expression remained composed as he continued to feed her various delicacies. Across from them, Sakuri looked on enviously.

The dinner ended amid Anhe’s attentive feeding and the women’s playful banter. Afterwards, Anhe had everyone introduce themselves briefly to get acquainted.

However, when Masaki introduced himself with the surname Anhe instead of Tachibana, everyone’s gaze shifted back to Anhe Yusheng, who could only smile awkwardly.

After dinner, as originally planned, Anhe intended to take everyone out to watch fireworks, but misfortune struck—the night was drenched in a torrential downpour.

The wind howled, raindrops clattered crisply on the ground, and street trees swayed wildly, their leaves tumbling in the rain. Under such conditions, not only were fireworks out of the question, but even stepping outside was troublesome.

To make matters worse, due to the neighborhood’s aging infrastructure, the power was routinely cut during heavy rain to protect the electrical circuits, only to be restored after the storm passed.

So, shortly after the rain began, Anhe’s room was plunged into darkness.

The power was out.

Without light, everything around was shrouded in pitch black. Anhe felt a small hand gripping his clothing tightly. Through the faint glow from outside, he could just make out the little girl’s attire—it was Eri Tachibana, clearly nervous as if experiencing this for the first time.

In contrast, Sakuri Kurozai remained unfazed, even sneaking some snacks from the table into her mouth, confident in the darkness.

Anhe didn’t expose Sakuri’s little trick but instead placed a hand on Eri’s head, gently rubbing it as he whispered comfortingly, “Don’t worry, everyone’s here.”

“Mm…” The little girl responded softly but didn’t let go of his clothing.

Anhe smiled wryly. He pulled out his phone and turned on the screen’s dim light, guiding Eri toward the TV cabinet.

Having lived here for months, Anhe knew the neighborhood well and that they often kept flashlights handy. He rummaged through the cabinet and found an old long flashlight. Instead of shining it around, he pointed it upward at the ceiling.

The reflected light dispersed the darkness in the living room. Though faint, it was enough to see by.

With vision restored, Eri finally released her grip on his clothes and shifted aside, acting as if nothing had happened. Sakuri, too, now sat quietly on the sofa, her cheeks still puffed out and crumbs lingering at the corners of her mouth—a stark contrast to her earlier antics.

Anhe shook his head with a smile and didn’t dwell on it. Seeing it was still early and the storm showed no sign of abating, he clapped his hands to attract everyone’s attention and suggested, “Sitting around is boring. How about we play a game?”

“A game?!” Reina perked up, and Yui along with the Amemiya sisters nodded in agreement.

Anhe looked to the rest. The two children naturally agreed, but the three adults seemed hesitant, reluctant to lose face and remained silent.

Seeing this, Anhe made the decision for them. “Let’s play hide and seek.”

He then looked at Fusako Kurozai and asked, “Do you have a blindfold or something like that?”

Why me?! Fusako was startled, her expression uneasy. She did have a black lace blindfold, but it was hardly appropriate for the game.

Just as she was about to deny it, a childish voice piped up, “Yes, yes! Mom has a black blindfold—I remember where it is!”

Sakuri raised her hand excitedly, clearly unaware of what the blindfold truly meant.

With her daughter’s declaration, Fusako reluctantly nodded. “There is one, but it hasn’t been used in a long time. I don’t know if it still works.”

“No worries, as long as it blocks vision,” Anhe said cheerfully.

Though unwilling, Fusako agreed. “I’ll go get it.”

She left the room and returned with a piece of black lace cloth. Many present exchanged awkward glances, their eyes carrying subtle implications as they looked at Fusako.

Feeling their strange stares, Fusako blushed deeply and quickly changed the subject by asking Anhe, “So, how do we play?”

Anhe explained with a smile, “It’s simple. One person closes their eyes in the living room and counts to sixty. Once everyone else has hidden, the seeker removes the blindfold and starts looking. The first person found is out and takes the next turn to count and seek.”

“Isn’t that too easy?” Reina suddenly suggested. “How about we turn off the lights when searching?”

“Sounds good!” Anhe agreed, and no one objected.

The game began.

The first seeker was Sagiri Amemiya, who had lost at rock-paper-scissors. While she counted down, Anhe slipped into the bedroom and hid in the corner closet.

Being at home, he knew it well; this closet in the corner, partially blocked by a clothes rack, was usually overlooked.

However, he overlooked one person.

Not long after he hid, footsteps entered the bedroom and headed straight for the closet. The seeker entering the closet coincided with Sagiri's voice in the living room announcing the start of the hunt.

Silence fell.

Though shrouded in darkness, Anhe recognized the faint fragrance of the person in front of him and was surprised, “Saori?”

“It’s me!” Saori Amemiya signaled to be quiet. “Shh, big sister has started looking.”

Anhe nodded and shifted back slightly to make room. The closet was small, but two could squeeze in.

To his surprise, whenever he moved back, Saori edged closer, clearly deliberate.

Accepting this, Anhe stopped trying to avoid her and wrapped a hand around her slender waist, pulling her to sit on his lap.

The softness of her thighs sent a thrill through him. The air was filled with the unique scent of youth, and with their close proximity, he could feel her warm breath on his face.

Before he could dwell on it, her lips suddenly pressed against his in a soft kiss.

The opponent’s playful provocation was met without hesitation.

Soon, soft muffled sounds came from the cramped closet.

But footsteps approached the bedroom door, causing them to abruptly stop.

It was Sagiri, closing in.

Pressed close together, Anhe felt Saori’s heartbeat quicken.

Before he could soothe her, she pressed her lips to his again, eagerly parting his defenses and exploring without restraint.

Anhe was taken aback, hastily defending but inwardly admiring her boldness.

“Truly a mischievous little enchantress,” he mused.

Meanwhile, footsteps and the sound of closet doors opening and closing echoed as Sagiri searched room to room for hidden players.

At this pace, she would find their closet within a minute—exposure was inevitable.

Saori seemed aware and released him, wiping her lips, then kissed his cheek fiercely and whispered, “Wait here for me.”

Without waiting for a reply, she opened the closet door and left, complaining, “How can big sister play like this? I’m bound to get caught sooner or later!”

Sagiri, opening another closet, heard her and turned with a smile. “You lost.”

“Yeah, yeah, hurry and hide, big sister. Don’t let me find you,” Saori said dismissively as she hurried out.

After she left, Sagiri glanced at the empty closet, then followed suit.

Inside, Anhe exhaled deeply.

“I wonder if Saori will use the time she has to find others to come after me,” he pondered.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, hurried footsteps approached the closet again.

“Just as I thought.”

Anhe smiled wryly.

When the door opened and someone squeezed inside, this time he didn’t wait for Saori to make the first move but pulled her into his embrace.

“Better to take care of Saori first; no one can be left waiting forever,” he thought, pressing his lips to hers.

But oddly, the texture felt off, and she struggled more than before.

(The chapter ends here.)