At night, under the clear starry sky, in the spacious courtyard of Su Rui Castle, the maidens held a bonfire party, enjoying barbecue and savoring the drinks prepared for them, feeling very content.
Although it wasn't a classic beach barbecue party, this barbecue was enough to capture everyone's attention.
However, at this moment, this attention was perhaps too intense, or perhaps the coming and going figures of the maidens obstructed the view, to the extent that almost no one noticed that two people were missing from the barbecue party.
At this moment, in Su Rui's own room, the maidens below were enjoying the barbecue surrounded by maidens, and the light of the flames shone through the window onto Shizuka Hiratsuka's cheeks, adding a few more hints of shyness to her already flushed face.
“Su Rui, let’s go down and eat barbecue first. What if we get caught?”
“There are many maidens downstairs, no one will notice. They’ll just assume the corner where you and I are staying is a bit secluded, and the others can’t see us.”
Su Rui said calmly, his arm tightly wrapped around Shizuka Hiratsuka's waist, not letting go of her. Instead, he pulled her closer, so close that Shizuka Hiratsuka could feel Su Rui's breath.
Now, it was Su Rui's turn to retaliate. He stared intently into Shizuka Hiratsuka's eyes, so much so that she didn't dare to meet his gaze and had to lower her head, avoiding Su Rui's sight:
“Why are you looking at me like that? What do you want to do… Why don’t we just start?”
“There’s one thing I’m very curious about. You always say I’m slow-witted. Am I really that slow-witted?”
“You sent the maiden who cares about you so much and wants to stay by your side to rest, isn’t that right?”
“I was concerned about her. Does Hayasaka, who didn't realize this concern, count as slow-witted?”
“I won’t argue about these things with you.”
Shizuka Hiratsuka saw Su Rui getting closer and closer, making it difficult to speak, so she immediately turned her face away, trying to slip away.
But at this moment, how could Su Rui possibly let her go?
Gently blocking all of Shizuka Hiratsuka’s escape routes, Su Rui blocked Shizuka Hiratsuka’s lips, causing her eyes to widen instantly.
The struggle to escape from Su Rui's embrace immediately stopped, and her hands were at a loss, not knowing where to put them.
Finally, as if she had finally overcome her inner shyness, Shizuka Hiratsuka reached out and embraced Su Rui's waist.
After a long while, Su Rui finally separated from Shizuka Hiratsuka, looking at their flushed faces, both breathing heavily.
“Don’t you know what I want? Why do you keep avoiding me?”
“I don’t know either, I just feel like the time isn’t right yet?”
Su Rui answered casually, but Shizuka Hiratsuka was clearly dissatisfied with this answer and immediately blocked Su Rui’s mouth again:
“So you’ll only get close to me when I provoke you? Then if I were to make a move on you, would you just…?”
Su Rui stopped Shizuka Hiratsuka from continuing her thought, picked her up, and walked towards the soft bed:
“Let me show you. My feelings for you… I’m not good at expressing my emotions directly. Perhaps you can feel it?”
“So you are slow-witted.”
“At least I can tell what everyone thinks of me and understand their moods.”
Seeing that Shizuka Hiratsuka was still clinging to the matter, Su Rui’s tone became a bit displeased, and he casually tossed Shizuka Hiratsuka, who was in his arms, onto the soft bed.
Although there was a soft bed to cushion her fall, Shizuka Hiratsuka still couldn't help but let out a gasp.
Subsequently, in this unlit room, only the ceiling could be seen, illuminated with a reddish hue by the bonfire light from outside.
A contest began, and Shizuka Hiratsuka tightly gripped Su Rui's wrist:
“Don’t underestimate me! No spiritual power allowed. The one who wins between us gets to be in charge!”
“Even without spiritual power, you’re no match for me.”
Su Rui expressionlessly reached out and grabbed Shizuka Hiratsuka's wrist, trying to make her submit, but this older woman, who loved watching hot-blooded anime, still didn't give up, even though Su Rui had the complete upper hand in terms of strength, she didn't give up.
“I’m not easy to deal with either. Take this!”
“No using those attack moves. Although they’re useless against me, you’re cheating.”
“Just let me ~ How about you show some gentlemanly conduct at a time like this?”
“...Alright, but you have to listen to me later.”
Su Rui hesitated for a moment and nodded, handing over the initiative of this 'climbing' session to Shizuka Hiratsuka. Shizuka Hiratsuka then let out a cheer and, acting like a hooligan, leaned close to Su Rui's face:
“Heh heh ~ Little beauty, let me see ~”
“See what, your hammer.”
Although Su Rui found Shizuka Hiratsuka's behavior unreliable, he still followed the agreement and did not stop her actions.
Halfway through their 'climbing' exercise, the two heard their own somewhat strange breathing, and only then did Shizuka Hiratsuka suddenly realize:
“No wonder I thought Yukinoshita Haruno was a bit strange back then. You two must have been 'climbing' behind my back!”
Stared at directly by Shizuka Hiratsuka with a questioning gaze, Su Rui did not answer, silently shifting his gaze away.
But silence was also a great misfortune. Having understood the whole story, Shizuka Hiratsuka immediately slapped Su Rui’s arm in annoyance.
Originally, she wanted to punch his chest, but seeing how Su Rui avoided her gaze, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
“Why did Yukinoshita Haruno get there before me?”
After her outburst, Shizuka Hiratsuka continued to 'climb' with Su Rui while gnashing her teeth and questioning him.
“...I don’t know, probably because the dice rolled a critical success.”
“What dice? At least come up with a good excuse, won’t you?”
Su Rui sighed. He couldn't possibly say that he was actually happy about the exclusive hot spring inn Yukinoshita Haruno had prepared for him, and so he decided to reward Yukinoshita Haruno, could he?
“Actually, it’s because I’m quite casual in my approach. At the time, I had a die in my hand, and I noticed Yukinoshita Haruno’s thoughts, so I thought if I rolled a 6, I’d agree to her.”
At least this reason, though casual and unreliable, wouldn't make Shizuka Hiratsuka unhappy like the real reason would.
“You really are… I’m going to get back at Yukinoshita Haruno too!”
Shizuka Hiratsuka bit her lip in dissatisfaction and reached out to pinch Su Rui's arm: “Give me my phone.”
“It’s right here.”
There was no need to guess. After Su Rui handed the phone to Shizuka Hiratsuka, he saw her pick it up and dial a number.
Soon, Yukinoshita Haruno's voice came from the other end of the line, which Shizuka Hiratsuka had put on speaker:
“Hello? What do you need me for, Shizuka?”
“What do you think? I asked you for help before, and you were secretly eating with Su Rui!”