Chapter 122: The Beginning of the School Term

The conversation between Tachibana Masami and the Amamiya sisters did not last very long. Half an hour later, the former took her leave. An He returned to the front courtyard with Tachibana Eri. The two sisters were still sitting on their yoga mats, though neither looked particularly pleased.

Before An He could even sit down upon his arrival, Amamiya Sagiri suddenly stood up, grabbed his hand, and walked toward the room without a word. An He was left baffled by her sudden action, and Tachibana Eri quickly spoke up in confusion.

"Eh? What’s wrong, Sagiri-oneechan?"

"Don't worry about her." Amamiya Saori pulled Tachibana Eri into her arms, pinching the girl's cheeks while pouting in annoyance. "She’s just had her jealousy jar tipped over; she needs to vent."

"Huh?" Tachibana Eri let out a puzzled sound, though her attention was quickly drawn away by the stinging sensation in her cheeks.

Meanwhile, inside the room, the door had barely clicked shut before An He felt the sensation of warm, soft lips against his own before he had even found his footing. Seeing Amamiya Sagiri’s eyes so close to his, he was momentarily stunned, but subconsciously wrapped his arms around her slender waist.

A long while later, they parted. As Sagiri caught her breath, An He quickly asked the question on his mind: "Did something happen?"

She shook her head, then wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head against his chest before whispering an explanation. "No, I just got a bit fired up by what that woman said."

"That woman?" An He paused, realizing she must mean Tachibana Masami, and asked curiously, "What did she say that could make our Sagiri this angry?"

Amamiya Sagiri looked up, her large, expressive eyes fixed on An He as she spoke with great seriousness. "That woman said you want to sleep with her."

"Uh..." An He was momentarily speechless. The image of Tachibana Masami lying on the bed in her yukata, revealing a large expanse of snow-white skin, flickered through his mind. He felt inexplicably guilty, but he kept his expression neutral, feigning an air of righteous indignation. "That woman is talking pure nonsense. You know me, Sagiri; I’m only interested in you."

"Oh?" Amamiya Sagiri’s beautiful eyes curved into crescents, a signature gentle smile blooming on her face. She stood on her tiptoes, her nose brushing against his neck as she moved up until she reached his ear. Then, a warm, bewitching voice spilled from her red lips. "Is that really what you think, An He-kun?"

"Of course!" An He nodded without hesitation.

Hearing this, Sagiri’s smile deepened. She playfully darted her tongue out, teasing the inside of his ear like a kitten, and whispered softly, "Then please, prove it to me, An He-kun."

"Hisss—" The stimulating sensation inside his ear made An He gasp.

[This is the first time in two lifetimes you’ve encountered a request like this. Since she is so insistent on courting death, why not satisfy her? Besides, didn’t Amamiya Sagiri just learn some yoga poses with Amamiya Saori? You can take this opportunity to verify whether she is performing them correctly.]

With the narrator putting it that way, An He could no longer hold back. He immediately scooped Amamiya Sagiri up in his arms and, amidst her sudden gasp, hurried toward the second floor.

...

In the front courtyard, Tachibana Eri looked up in confusion at the sudden commotion, her gaze drifting toward a room on the second floor. Although the curtains were drawn, one could vaguely make out the silhouette of someone pressing against the window, and the curtains themselves were shaking incessantly.

Amamiya Saori heard the noise as well and looked up. Being experienced in these matters, she realized immediately what was happening, and her face turned a bright, fiery red. Noticing that Tachibana Eri was also watching, she quickly reached out to cover the girl's eyes, warning her, "Eri, you shouldn't look. It will make you act strangely."

...

At 7:00 PM, An He stretched his back and stepped out of the room feeling refreshed. As for Amamiya Sagiri, she was still in bed, repenting for her recklessness and unable to move for the moment. In truth, An He could have kept going for another hour, but considering that both he and Sagiri were occupied, and that idiot Saori wouldn't know how to cook, he worried that Eri would go hungry and cut the battle short.

"I really am a living bodhisattva," An He thought to himself, a smile tugging at his lips.

He wandered down to the first floor and immediately spotted two figures—one large, one small—in the kitchen: Amamiya Saori and Tachibana Eri. An He didn't make a sound, sneaking closer, but as he reached the doorway, a thick, burnt smell hit his nose.

At the same time, two voices reached his ears.

"Saori-oneechan, is this... really edible?"

"It should... be? How about you let An He try it later, Eri-chan?"

"Ugh! Eri doesn't want to! An He-niichan is so scary; I'm afraid he’ll hit Eri. I heard him make Sagiri-oneechan cry earlier, and she was crying really, really hard."

"Uh..." Amamiya Saori was at a loss for words. Seeing Tachibana Eri’s innocent expression, she didn't know how to explain the misunderstanding.

While she was fretting, Amamiya Saori noticed the figure at the doorway. Her eyes lit up, and she exclaimed, "Brother-in-law!"

Her voice caused Tachibana Eri to look toward the door. The moment she saw An He, the little girl instinctively shrank behind Amamiya Saori, wearing an embarrassed expression as if she’d been caught doing something wrong. Her voice was soft and timid. "Good evening, An He-niichan."

"Good evening, Eri-chan." An He smiled, walked into the kitchen, and crouched down. Looking at Tachibana Eri hiding behind Saori’s legs, he explained gently, "Eri-chan, you’ve misunderstood. An He-niichan isn't scary at all. I wasn't hitting Sagiri-oneechan earlier; we were just playing a game. But Sagiri-oneechan is a bit clumsy and kept losing, so she cried because she was frustrated."

Hearing this, Tachibana Eri sniffled. After a moment of hesitation, she let go of Saori’s skirt, stepped out from behind her, and nodded at An He. "Eri understands now. It was Eri who wronged An He-niichan."

As she spoke, the little girl held her hem and gave a formal ninety-degree bow. Seeing how sensible she was, An He’s smile widened. He placed his large hand on her head, ruffled her hair, and said softly, "Eri-chan is such a good girl. You must be starving after waiting so long, right? Go sit in the living room for a bit; I’ll make you something delicious shortly."

The little girl nodded shyly, gave a soft "un," and left the kitchen.

After Tachibana Eri left, An He didn't rush to stand up. Instead, he tilted his head back, looking up at the view beneath Amamiya Saori’s skirt with an inscrutable smile. Although she knew she was wearing leggings, being stared at so directly made Amamiya Saori feel uncomfortable. She pressed her knees together, held down her skirt, and muttered with a flushed face, "An