Chapter 136: Sayu Amamiya’s Scheme

Due to the addition of Kuroi and her daughter, tonight's dinner was exceptionally grand. After setting all the dishes on the table, An He went to wake the two little girls in the bedroom. Once everyone was gathered, the meal officially began.

The television was broadcasting local news, and interestingly, An He saw Ito Nobue among the reports. Specifically, it was about the official handover of the Fukuen Shrine. As the shrine's appointed miko, Ito Nobue, dressed in traditional red and white robes, was being interviewed by a reporter. The segment was short; aside from a brief history of the shrine, Ito appeared for only about a minute. However, what bothered An He was that his former, usually vibrant homeroom teacher looked rather haggard.

Amamiya Sagiri, sitting nearby, noticed An He’s mood. She gently set down her chopsticks, took his hand, and said softly, "If you're concerned, why not find some time to go visit her?"

The warm, soft sensation of her touch warmed his heart, and a subconscious smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

Dinner ended quickly. Afterward, Amamiya Saori pulled Hoshino Chie along to the bathroom. It might have been his imagination, but An He felt as though Chie had looked at him for help before she left. Shaking his head, he didn't dwell on it and led the two little girls up to the third floor. Since Kuroi Nadako would definitely be staying the night, An He needed to prepare a clean bedroom for her, and he had dragged the two little girls along to help.

The poor things had gone upstairs happily, thinking An He intended to play games with them, but when brooms and rags were thrust into their hands, their expressions turned instantly gloomy. An He paid no mind to their thoughts and continued cleaning the room. Fortunately, because Tachibana Shin-i often had professional cleaners come by, his workload wasn't too heavy.

In less than an hour, the room was spotless. The two little girls couldn't wait to rush downstairs to Eiri Tachibana’s room and lock the door, as if terrified that if they were a second late, they would be pressed into service again.

An He shook his head with a wry smile and headed to the first floor. As expected, Amamiya Saori and Hoshino Chie were still in the bathroom. The sound of running water mixed with the playful chatter of the young women made him curious. "Is that girl Saori trying to cheat on me in there?" he wondered, sitting down on the sofa.

Just then, the bathroom door finally opened. The two girls walked out, wrapped in bathrobes, their hair damp and water droplets clinging to their calves. Seeing this, Kuroi Nadako, who had been lying on the sofa, stood up and tapped Amamiya Sagiri, reminding her, "Let's go, it's our turn."

"Yes." Amamiya Sagiri nodded gently, stood up, and followed Kuroi to the bathroom.

An He wanted to say, "I’ll come too," but knowing he would likely be rejected, he kept his mouth shut.

"Stop staring, the door is already closed." Amamiya Saori, who had approached at some point, spoke casually. She sat down next to An He, propping her legs onto his lap without any concern for her image. She didn't even bother adjusting her bath towel, which was split up to the top of her thighs, and instead picked up an apple from the table to snack on.

"I still miss the polite, ladylike Saori from before," An He remarked with a sigh, taking her small, fair feet into his hands to give her a foot massage. Saori’s feet were tiny, her five toes tinged with a soft pink. Her soles felt soft and had no unpleasant scent; in fact, they carried a faint, milky fragrance.

As he massaged, a voice suddenly echoed in his mind:
*Such a piece of fine jade—why not taste it slowly? It surely has a unique flavor. But before that, perhaps you should look up.*

"Look up?" An He was startled. He instinctively glanced up and saw a deep, unseen valley of snow-white skin. Perhaps because they had just bathed, the mountains on either side of the valley were unencumbered by clothing, and from his angle, he could faintly catch a glimpse of the two pink peaks.

"Hey, hey, hey! Your eyes are going to fall in if you keep looking," Amamiya Saori said, using her foot to nudge his cheek.

At her reminder, Hoshino Chie, who had been bending over to grab some fruit, realized what was happening. Her face turned bright red. She didn't even grab the fruit, instead straightening up, clutching her collar, and retreating a few steps.

As the beautiful sight vanished, An He sighed in disappointment. He turned his gaze to Saori and raised an eyebrow in warning. "If you keep doing that, I’m going to do something about it!"

"Go ahead!" The girl clearly didn't know the meaning of fear. She challenged him, attempting to press her other foot against his face, but before she could succeed, both her ankles were clamped by his hands, leaving her unable to move.

"Do you know you were wrong?" An He asked with a chuckle. Saori simply tilted her chin, wearing an expression that seemed to say, "What are you going to do about it?"

Seeing this, An He stopped holding back. His large hand moved up along her smooth, tender calf, past her thigh, and slipped inside her bathrobe, stopping only when it reached her waist.

"What are you doing?" Sensing things were taking a turn, Saori’s voice became tinged with panic. She struggled, warning him, "Don't you dare mess around! Chie-chan is still here. If you dare to bully me, the two of us will..."

Before she could finish, her eyes widened. She began to twist her waist violently, letting out a series of giggles that sounded like a mermaid, mixed with warnings that quickly turned into pleas for mercy.

"I'm sorry, I know I was wrong! Ahahahaha, I admit I was speaking a bit too loudly just now! Ahahaha, please, brother-in-law, spare me! Hahahahaha..."

The sounds continued, but An He didn't stop. Instead, finding her constant kicking and squirming troublesome, he simply sat on top of her. Saori tried to resist with her hands, but they were easily captured by one of his.

Completely subdued, Saori had to pin her hopes on Hoshino Chie, who was standing nearby. She winked at her and said intermittently, "Chie... Chie-chan, why are you just standing there? Help me... hahaha..."

Listening to her best friend’s plea and seeing the intimate scene, Hoshino Chie was at a loss. She stood there, hesitating for a long time, until finally, she gritted her teeth, covered her ears, and hurried toward the stairs.

*As long as I can't hear, I won't feel guilty.*

Thinking this, Chie instinctively looked back at the sofa. As luck would have it, she locked eyes with Saori’s large, dark green ones. Even though she couldn't hear what Saori was saying, she could clearly see the plea in her eyes. Chie paused, but soon, as if she had made a firm decision, she simply closed her eyes.

"I... I'm sorry, Saori-chan. It's very cruel, but I know this is exactly the result you wanted, so please don't blame me. I'm blind!"

Repeating this to herself, she ran upward. However, having lost her vision, she tripped after only a few steps. Even then, she didn't open her eyes, scrambling up and stumbling away until she vanished around the corner of the staircase.

An He turned his gaze back to the girl beneath him and grinned wickedly. "Nobody is coming to save you now."

He expected Saori to look terrified or flustered, but to his surprise, she didn't show the slightest panic. Instead, she flashed a cunning smile.

"So, now that you've sent everyone away, do you intend to just keep tickling me?"

Her voice was soft and seductive. As she spoke, she sat up with a fluid motion. Their faces were only two fingers apart, and An He could feel her warm breath on his skin. His Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily. He loosened his grip on her hands, and she easily broke free. However, she didn't run; instead, she swiveled her hips and pushed An He back onto the sofa.

Her damp, golden hair fell to both sides, and a moment later, she leaned in. Although surprised by her change in demeanor, An He quickly adapted, wrapping his arms around her waist to respond.

Time passed slowly. Eventually, her loose sleeping robe fell to the floor, and she lay on top of him. After a long while, they parted. Saori, face flushed and panting, rested her head on his chest and murmured, "That wasn't bad..."

"I feel like it was far from enough."

The sudden appearance of a woman’s voice startled Saori. Like a frightened kitten, she leaped off him, looking at the source with shame and anger. "Sister! Do you have to walk without making a sound?"

"Eh?" Amamiya Sagiri blinked, looking playful. "But you two seemed so engrossed, I didn't want to disturb you. Besides, An He-kun saw me a long time ago."

Hearing this, Saori froze. She looked down at An He in disbelief, only to see him nodding. Her face turned scarlet, and she clenched her small fists tightly.

"You... you jerks! You teamed up to bully me!" With that, she gave him a hard kick to the thigh, jumped off the sofa, and bolted toward the stairs.

"Hey, you forgot your clothes! Even if we're at home, a girl should still mind her image~~" Sagiri called out, holding a white bathrobe in her hand. But hearing this, Saori only ran faster, disappearing upstairs in a flash.

"Tsk tsk, how unruly," Sagiri muttered, tossing the robe aside. She turned to look at An He, who was still lying on the sofa, and raised an eyebrow. "Tell me, what does it feel like to kiss Saori?"

"Why don't you try it and find out?" An He quipped, then looked at Kuroi Nadako, who was standing behind Sagiri holding a phone. "How much longer are you going to record?"

"Huh? Sagiri asked me to record this." Kuroi Nadako put on an innocent expression, shrugged, handed the phone back to Sagiri, and walked over to sit beside An He.

"Come to think of it, I haven't kissed An He-kun in a while, either~" she added out of the blue. Seeing An He look at her, she waved her hands and chuckled, "Just kidding, Sagiri is still right here~"

To her surprise, as soon as she finished speaking, Sagiri turned around. "Don't mind me."

As she spoke, Sagiri fiddled with the phone, emailing the video she had just taken to Saori. Sure enough, within ten seconds, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from upstairs.

"Hmph~" Sagiri let out a light hum, a triumphant smile on her face. She turned around and, seeing that An He and Kuroi were still sitting there, asked curiously, "Didn't you want to experience kissing, Kuroi-san?"

"How could I possibly do that!" Kuroi said, feeling helpless. Although she was quite open in private, it was too embarrassing for her to be intimate with An He in front of someone else.

Noticing the blush rising on Kuroi’s face, Sagiri nodded, having guessed as much. She simply walked over to the sofa, didn't say a word, and in front of Kuroi, leaned over and sealed An He's lips with her own.

After a long while, they parted. Sagiri wiped her mouth and shrugged at the stunned Kuroi. "See? It's very simple."

Kuroi’s expression stiffened, and An He couldn't help but laugh bitterly. "Don't you have to consider the feelings of the person involved?"

"Aren't you enjoying it?" Sagiri squinted at him. Hearing this, An He wisely shut his mouth.

Seeing the atmosphere turn silent, Kuroi quickly suggested, "Alright, it's getting late. Let's all get some sleep."

"Agreed." Sagiri accepted readily and headed upstairs first.

Watching her graceful figure disappear around the corner, An He turned his gaze to Kuroi and asked curiously, "What are you two plotting? Why does Sagiri seem so strange?"

"Plotting?" Kuroi tilted her head in thought, then bit her finger playfully. "No."

"Really?" An He was skeptical.

Seeing this, Kuroi suddenly leaned in close. She traced patterns on his chest with her finger and whispered into his ear, "Really, we have no plot at all. It's just that Sagiri said I get the first half of the night, and she gets the second half~~"

At the same time, on the second floor, a stealthy figure sneaked into the room where An He was staying. Outside, a gentle breeze rustled the new leaves, creating a soft, whispering sound. Accompanied by the chirping of frogs and birds, it formed a natural symphony. Moonlight spilled over the fields, casting a silver glow that covered the earth like a soft, translucent veil.

Damp with the mist of the night...