Oh no! They all seem a bit off!

Chapter 208 The Arrival of Ji Yexue
at dusk.

After finishing her club activities and returning home, Fuyuko entered the bedroom and saw Akizuki Makoto sleeping peacefully on the bed. She then quietly approached the bedside.

She crouched down, reached out, and stroked Qiuyue Cheng's face, her slender, warm fingertips tracing the contours of his face as if drawing a picture.

"Brother looks really tired."

Dongzi gently patted Qiuyue Cheng's head and said softly, "Brother, hang in there a little longer, everything will get better soon."

As she spoke, she quietly lifted the blanket, and still in her uniform, she slipped into bed and lay down next to Akizuki Makoto.

Akizuki Makoto slept on his side, facing the outer side of the bed, which is next to his pillow.

Normally, he sleeps on his back, but today, because Ji Yexue sent him a message that he was very concerned about, he subconsciously lay on his side next to the pillow to sleep.

Dongzi lay down next to Qiuyue Cheng, pressing her body against his back, and reached out to hug him.

Then, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and savored the scent in the air that belonged only to her brother.

“Even though the spell has been broken, my brother still hasn’t distanced himself from Touko…”

She murmured softly, enjoying being enveloped in the blankets filled with her brother's scent, feeling content and happy.

Gradually, she felt a wave of drowsiness wash over her, and she surrendered her consciousness to sleepiness, drifting off into a light slumber.

After she fell asleep, a while later, Akizuki Makoto seemed to sense something and turned his body over.

He unconsciously hugged Dongzi, letting her petite body curl up in his arms.

Now, he's gotten used to having someone sleeping next to him every day, and he always instinctively hugs something.

Every time I wake up, the first thing I feel is warmth and softness, along with a faint fragrance filling the air.

Dongzi smelled like gardenias, a sweet and innocent fragrance.

……

7:30 p.m.

After finishing making dinner, Shiina Maki rang the doorbell of Akizuki's house.

Although she already had a key to Akizuki Makoto's house and had been granted permission to enter and leave freely without asking permission, she still maintained a certain degree of reserve.

After all, Akizuki Makoto isn't the only one living in his house.

Her relationship with Dongzi was good, but it couldn't be described as intimate.

The reason why Fuyuko became friends with her was because of Akizuki Makoto.

If Akizuki Makoto distances himself from her, then Fuyuko will follow suit.

She had already experienced this firsthand.

When Akizuki Mako discovered that she had superpowers, causing their relationship to become distant, she thought she had a good relationship with Fuyuko. So she mustered up the courage to ask Fuyuko about things related to Akizuki Mako, but was ruthlessly rejected, which left her with some psychological trauma.

Moreover, for some reason, she subconsciously felt a little afraid of Fuyuko after that.

This fear was not obvious, not as intense as Ji Yexue's, but it was profound.

Dongzi is very gentle, like a harmless kitten. I have never seen her get angry or lose her temper.

Previously, when she was having a private conversation with Akizuki Makoto, she had asked him about Fuyuko.

Even Akizuki Makoto had never seen Touko get angry or throw a tantrum.

Dongzi is like a delicate porcelain doll, beautiful yet distant, lacking vitality.

When she was with Akizuki Makoto, she always seemed very happy and carefree, like an innocent and adorable puppy.

But without Akizuki Makoto, her emotional fluctuations are almost nonexistent.

It feels neither happy nor sad, like a soulless doll devoid of emotion.

But Dongzi is not without feelings; she can be sad or happy.

She is happy when her brother is happy, and sad when her brother is sad.

She is not a doll, nor is she without a soul; she simply has no interest in anyone other than her brother.

Because there is no interest, there will be no emotional fluctuations.

Perhaps it was this point that made Shiina Maki feel terrified.

Are you still sleeping?

After waiting for a while, Shiina Maki still hadn't seen Akizuki Makoto come to open the door, and she couldn't help but think to herself.

But what's strange is that at this time, Dongzi should also be back.

If she were home, she would have come to open the door, so even though she had anticipated that Akizuki Makoto was still sleeping, she didn't bring her key.

Shiina Maki thought she hadn't heard, so she pressed the button three more times, but still no one came to open the door, whether it was Akizuki Mako or Fuyuko.

Helpless, she could only return to her own home, take out the key that Akizuki Makoto had given her, and unlock Akizuki Makoto's house door herself.

"excuse me."

When Shiina Maki entered the entrance hall, she felt awkward for trespassing and greeted the air.

Then, she turned on the living room lights and walked to the bedroom, which had its door closed.

When she gently pushed open the bedroom door, she saw Qiuyue and her brother sleeping together in each other's arms.

Dongzi hugged Qiuyuecheng tightly, curled up into a ball, and snuggled into his arms.

Seeing this, Shiina Maki hesitated, wondering whether she should wake them up.

Akizuki Mako and Fuyuko were both sleeping soundly, showing no signs of waking up even after she pushed the door open and came in.

Logically speaking, she shouldn't have disturbed them, but seeing Akizuki Mako holding Touko so intimately, and Touko so dependent on Akizuki Mako, she had an urge to wake them up.

She didn't know why she thought that way; the feeling was strange and made her feel inexplicably uncomfortable.

She wondered if Fuyuko, who was so attached to Akizuki Makoto, would never be able to graduate from her brother's school.

After hesitating for a while, Shiina Maki finally decided to wake the two of them up.

After all, dinner is already prepared. It's okay to eat dinner first and then go back to sleep, right?

"Chengjun, Chengjun, wake up..."

She came to the bedside, softly called out to Akizuki Makoto, and placed her hand on his shoulder, gently shaking him.

"Um……"

After being shaken for a short while, Akizuki Makoto frowned and slowly opened his eyes.

"Maki?"

He turned around, looked at Shiina Maki standing by the bed, and then at Fuyuko huddled in his arms, still in a daze for a moment.

He still couldn't understand what was going on, such as why Fuyuko was sleeping next to him, and why Shiina Maki was by the bedside.

"It's already evening. I've made dinner. Do you want some?"

"Ah... um."

After catching his breath, Qiuyue Cheng nodded in agreement and said, "Since you've already prepared it, I definitely want to eat it. I can't let your good intentions go to waste."

"It's okay. If you don't want to get up to eat and want to continue sleeping, I can wrap it in plastic wrap and you can eat it when you wake up."

"This won't do. You went through so much trouble to do it."

"Then I'll go and bring the food over. Cheng-kun, you can get up and wash up first."

After agreeing to this, Shiina Maki left the bedroom.

She knew all of this; she knew that as long as she woke Qiu Yuecheng up and told him that dinner was ready, he wouldn't go to sleep no matter how tired he was.

Putting everything else aside, there's absolutely no doubt that Akizuki Makoto is someone who doesn't let others down. Especially since he felt guilty towards Shiina Maki today.

If Shiina Maki finally manages to prepare dinner and calls him to get up and eat together, but he refuses because he wants to sleep, then he's really not a man.

"Dongzi, wake up."

After Shiina Maki left, Akizuki Makoto woke up Fuyuko, who was lying next to him, and asked her to come and have dinner with him.

"Honestly, I have to sleep in my uniform, and it's getting all wrinkled."

When Akizuki Makoto saw the clothes that Touko was wearing, he sighed helplessly.

After that, he would have to give Dongzi a good talking-to, telling her not to be so carefree and to be more disciplined.

……

By the time Shiina Maki brought all the food over from next door, Akizuki Makoto and Fuyuko had already gotten up and were washing up in the bathroom.

Dongzi handed the toothbrush to Qiuyue Cheng and said softly, "Brother, help Dongzi brush her teeth."

"Don't be so clingy, you even need your brother to help you with washing up..."

Although Akizuki Makoto said that, he still took the toothbrush and squeezed toothpaste onto it.

"Ah~"

Dongzi stood in front of him, opened her mouth, revealing two rows of white teeth, and the pink oral cavity walls were faintly visible.

Akizuki Makoto half-squatted down, put the toothbrush in her mouth, and moved it up and down.

"You can't sleep in your uniform anymore, understand?"

While brushing his teeth, Akizuki Makoto began to lecture her, as he still had the responsibility of being Fuyuko's guardian.

"Um..."

Dongzi mumbled incoherently and nodded, indicating that she understood.

After that, until she finished brushing her teeth, Akizuki Makoto kept lecturing her, and Fuyuko just kept nodding in agreement, appearing extremely obedient.

After brushing their teeth, they washed their faces one last time, and that was considered their grooming routine complete.

Shiina Maki was already sitting at the table waiting for them. Dinner was as plentiful as ever, consisting of three dishes and a soup, and everything was delicious. It was clear that time and effort had been put into making it.

This made Akizuki Makoto feel even more embarrassed, as she had always been very enthusiastic about giving since he started dating Shiina Maki.

Whether it's cooking, housework, or anything else, it's as if they're raising him like a useless person.

Akizuki Makoto was afraid that he would succumb to this gentleness and become a lazy, useless person.

After dinner, as usual, Akizuki Makoto helped wash the dishes, while Fuyuko went back to her bedroom to do her homework or read comics.

After washing the dishes, Shiina Maki parted ways with Akizuki Makoto and went home to take a shower.

On Akizuki Makoto's side, he also started boiling water and took turns bathing with Fuyuko.

By the time everything was finished, it was almost ten o'clock. Usually at this time, Akizuki Mako would lie in bed and chat with Fuyuko until they were sleepy, and then they would go to sleep together.

But not tonight, because Akizuki Makoto promised Shiina Maki that he would sleep at her place.

and……

He was also concerned about the message Ji Yexue sent in the afternoon.

Tonight, he kept checking his phone, keeping it with him at all times, even taking it with him when he took a shower.

But Ji Yexue never sent a message, which made him very restless.

This made him begin to suspect that Ji Yexue was playing a trick on him, or that it was a form of punishment.

Perhaps in the end, Ji Yexue will send a message, but it will be an insignificant message.

He hoped that Ji Yexue could meet with him and make some requests that would ease the tension between them.

"Dongzi, you go to sleep first. I'm going to the next room."

"okay."

Dongzi nodded obediently, without trying to stop him, and simply watched Qiuyue Cheng leave.

Then, she hugged the black rabbit plush toy, collapsed onto the bed, and buried her face in Akizuki Makoto's pillow.

……

When Makoto Akizuki arrived next door, Maki Shiina was sitting in the living room, anxiously waiting for him.

Upon seeing him arrive, Shiina Maki immediately went to the entrance to greet him, her face beaming with joy as she said, "Makoto-kun, you've come!"

"We made a promise."

Akizuki Makoto smiled. Although he was somewhat reluctant to come because of Ji Yexue, as he felt it might cause some trouble, he had no choice since he had already made the appointment.

He didn't want to stand Shiina Maki up, afraid she would be upset.

The thought of Shiina Maki's smiling face that afternoon, and the undisguised anticipation in her eyes, made it impossible for him to break his promise.

“Cheng-kun… really.”

Shiina Maki laughed somewhat embarrassedly, then naturally snuggled up to Akizuki Makoto and hugged him.

Then, she tilted her head back, stood on tiptoe, and closed her eyes.

Akizuki Makoto understood and closed his eyes, then embraced and kissed her.

And that kiss, like a fuse, ignited them.

After that, they moved from the entryway to the sofa in the living room, then slowly moved to the bedroom, and finally lay down on the bed, entangled and reluctant to part.

Midway through, Akizuki Makoto became somewhat intoxicated by the enchanting scene, and started to feel lightheaded, even leaving his phone in the living room.

Just as Akizuki Makoto was making love with Shiina Maki in the bedroom, the screen of his cell phone, which was placed in the living room, suddenly lit up.

The message notification box on the screen showed that he had a new LINE message.

Akizuki Makoto was completely unaware of this, having already devoted himself entirely to Shiina Maki.

"..."

Meanwhile, downstairs in the apartment building, Ji Yexue stared at her phone screen, which remained unread for a long time, her expression chillingly cold.

She didn't know what Akizuki Makoto was doing, but she had a bad feeling about it.

Because ten minutes earlier, she saw Akizuki Makoto leave his house and enter Shiina Maki's house.

"Hehe, you're really disobedient."

As if laughing in exasperation, Ji Yexue couldn't help but laugh. Her heart, which had been filled with anger, suddenly became calm at this moment.

Anyway, it will all be over soon.

Then, she should forgive Akizuki Makoto one last time.

Ji Yexue thought this, but she kept staring at her phone screen.

She wanted to see just how long it would take Akizuki Makoto to reply to her message.

And this will determine how she treats Akizuki Makoto next.

"Cheng, you'd better hurry up, don't let my heart be exhausted..."

Ji Yexue muttered to herself expressionlessly as time passed by.

An hour later, the message she sent finally showed as read in the chat box.

(End of this chapter)