Chapter Fifty-Seven: Snowfield, the Wild Cat Appears Again

Just moments ago, the glowing screen and the narrator had remarked that Jun Amemiya would not live much longer, and now Saori Amemiya was saying he was about to leave for a distant place.

An He felt there was a certain connection between the two, but recalling what Jun Amemiya had done to Sayo Amemiya, he had no intention of getting involved.

After hanging up, he returned the phone to Sayo Amemiya, and under her expectant gaze, nodded with a smile. “If your sister wants to visit, how could I, as her husband’s elder brother, refuse?”

At his response, Sayo Amemiya was first delighted, but soon lowered her head in silence. After a long pause, she suddenly stepped forward, wrapped her arms around An He’s neck, and looked straight into his eyes, softly asking, “If I am your wife, then what about Lady Heilai?”

Her direct question sent a jolt through An He’s heart.

He had just opened his mouth to speak when Sayo Amemiya suddenly rose on tiptoe, closing the distance between them.

Seeing her so close, her eyes shut tight, lashes trembling, An He was stunned for two seconds before responding.

But what he never expected was what happened next.

Sayo Amemiya, like a cunning huntress, had lured the serpent from its den, and then, without hesitation, snapped the trap shut.

A sudden sting on the tip of his tongue made An He suck in a sharp breath, but instead of letting go, he drew her closer, his arm circling her slender waist as he fell back, pulling her atop him.

Seven or eight minutes slipped by before they finally parted, though Sayo Amemiya did not rise. She simply sat astride his waist.

“Are you feeling any better?” An He asked, his voice muffled, as his tongue was still stinging from the bite.

She didn’t answer right away. Instead, Sayo Amemiya reached out, caressing his cheek, her voice gentle. “Does it hurt?”

“It does,” An He replied honestly.

At his response, Sayo Amemiya nodded ever so slightly.

“That’s how it should be.”

With that, she turned her head to gaze at the neon-lit city in the distance. After a long silence, her voice drifted softly through the air.

“I’m not good with words. I don’t know how to make people happy. I can’t draw manga, I’m timid, and I’m not very bright. There’s nothing good about me at all, and I can’t help anyone.”

“Before I met you, my teacher once asked me a question: What color is the world?”

“I answered: black. Suffocating black. Predictably, the whole class laughed at me.”

“The servants in the Amemiya household all say I’m a wanton girl. Father always compares me to Mother, saying that even if I marry, I’ll only bring shame to the family. At school, people point at me, saying I seduced their boyfriends.”

“At that time, I was already prepared to die. That’s why, after seeing my mother one last time, I took sleeping pills on a deserted street in the dead of night.”

As she spoke, Sayo Amemiya turned to face An He. Her eyes, brimming with tears, fixed on him.

Droplets fell, one after another, onto An He’s chest, but she seemed oblivious, continuing her confession.

“I meant to fulfill their wishes, but afterward, I planned to end my life, so all the scorn and shame would fall on the Amemiya family.”

“But then, I met you.”

“When I was asleep, you didn’t touch me. When I offered myself to you, I saw desire in your eyes, but you still refused.”

“When you told me, ‘My door is always open for you,’ and wrapped that red scarf around my neck, color returned to my world.”

Sayo Amemiya went on, recounting the memories she shared with An He.

He listened intently, and when she finally fell silent, he cupped her delicate face in his hands, making her look into his eyes, and said, word by word:

“My world may hold many colors, but only one is unique—my favorite—the color of Amemiya.”

Hearing this, Sayo Amemiya’s sobs gradually faded. Her eyes, still misty, gazed at An He, and after a brief pause she whispered, “Does it still hurt?”

“Uh…” Her sudden question left An He a little flustered, but he nodded.

Seeing this, Sayo Amemiya wiped away her tears, then bent low, leaning close and whispered, “Let me see. Stick out your tongue.”

“Huh~” Obediently, An He extended his tongue, but in the next moment, a warm, moist sensation brushed over it, and he instantly understood what she meant by “let me see.”

In the snowy field, a petite stray cat watched this scene, rolled its eyes in exasperation, and lowered its head to groom its slightly disheveled fur.

Cats are such clean creatures. If a patch of fur is out of place, they’ll lick it for ten minutes or more, only stopping when every strand is perfectly smooth.

After a while, the two finally separated.

With a flushed face, Sayo Amemiya rose from An He, straightening her slightly rumpled blouse and wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth.

[If you seize the moment now, you’ll not only taste the pleasures of adulthood but also leave a crimson plum blossom in the snow.]

Ignoring the narrator’s voice in his mind, An He wiped the blood from his own lips and got to his feet.

“It’s late. Let’s go home,” he suggested, brushing the snow from Sayo Amemiya’s hair.

She nodded softly, offering no objection.

Hand in hand, fingers entwined, the two walked slowly back the way they had come.