Seele: To Capture a Man's Heart, You Must First Capture His Stomach!

"Mm... all right." Seele was a little disappointed, but she didn't insist.

The two of them then returned to the Orphanage. Ishiu walked Seele back to her room, said goodnight, and headed to the bathroom.

Since he was going straight to bed after showering, Ishiu hadn't brought any clothes to change into. After taking a quick shower, he wrapped himself in a towel and went back.

When he opened the door to his room and was about to turn on the light, his hand froze in midair.

Because he heard someone else's breathing and heartbeat in the room.

"Who?" Ishiu turned on the light and looked toward his bed in confusion. The blanket was raised into a round, plump caterpillar shape. There was obviously someone lying underneath.

"Ishiu-gege, it's me..." The person under the blanket trembled slightly at his question, then lifted a corner of it to reveal half a little face.

"Seele? Why are you here? Didn't I just take you back? Is there something else you wanted to tell me?" Seeing that it was Seele, Ishiu immediately relaxed, then asked in puzzlement.

Why had this girl come to his room instead of sleeping in the middle of the night, and why was she lying in his bed? She couldn't possibly be here to warm his bed for him, could she?

"I... I want to sleep with Ishiu-gege tonight. Is that okay?" Seele buried herself back under the blanket like a little white rabbit retreating into its burrow, speaking so softly that her voice was barely louder than a mosquito's.

"Huh? Th-that doesn't seem appropriate, does it?" Ishiu froze. Back when Seele had first arrived, he had slept beside her for a few nights to take care of the little girl. But once she had gradually settled into the Orphanage, he had stopped doing that. And now, they weren't children anymore.

"Does Ishiu-gege dislike Seele now? Yingyingying..." Seele's voice came from beneath the blanket, sounding as if she might burst into tears at any moment.

"Of course not. How could I dislike Seele? It's just..." Ishiu hurriedly denied it. Just as he was about to explain, Seele continued.

"Seele is scared. Scared that when she wakes up, Ishiu-gege will disappear again. Scared that everything tonight is just a dream... So Seele doesn't want to leave Ishiu-gege... Is that... not okay?"

Well, damn...

Those words completely shut down every excuse Ishiu had for refusing.

He scratched his head, hesitation flashing across his face. Finally, he asked tentatively, "Then... how about I call Bronya over, and you sleep with her?"

"Um... that wouldn't be good. Bronya-jie must already be asleep, and it wouldn't be right to wake her." Seele hurriedly said. She liked sleeping with Bronya too, but Bronya would always be there. Ishiu, on the other hand, wouldn't be. Today was a rare opportunity. If she missed it, who knew how long she would have to wait for another?

So tonight, she was going to sleep with Ishiu!

Of course, only sleep in the literal sense. Nothing inappropriate was going to happen.

"That's true." Ishiu gave an awkward smile. Seeing that even his last move had failed, he turned off the light and took out a set of shorts and a shirt from the wardrobe to change into.

He didn't even own pajamas. Normally, he liked sleeping in boxer briefs, but he definitely couldn't do that now. He could only reluctantly put on a shirt and shorts and make do.

Like a young maiden on her wedding night, Ishiu hesitantly sat at the edge of the bed. After several seconds of mental struggle, he lifted a corner of the blanket and whispered,

"Seele... I'm coming in."

"Mm... Ishiu-gege, come in."

"..."

"Ah~~..."

"What's wrong? Did I hurt you?"

"N-no, Seele is just too happy."

"Oh..."

After Ishiu slipped under the blanket, a faint fragrance immediately filled his nose. It was entirely Seele's scent.

The blankets were warm too, seemingly already heated by Seele's body temperature, making him feel very comfortable.

Ishiu had originally planned to stay near the edge of the bed. Even if she was like a little sister to him, she was no longer that young, and he should keep some distance.

But Seele apparently didn't care at all. She directly hugged him, her little hands wrapping around his arm like boneless, flexible snakes.

And Ishiu felt that his arm seemed to have entered an exceptionally soft and warm place.

Everyone knew that girls generally took off their bras when sleeping, so... ahem.

"Mm... Ishiu-gege's body is so warm." Seele rested her head against Ishiu's shoulder and smiled. Though it was dark, Ishiu could still see her flushed little face and adorable smile.

"Um... Seele, don't press so close..." To be fair, Ishiu felt that Seele was right. Wasn't his body hot right now?

"Why?" Seele asked in confusion. Ishiu couldn't tell whether it was his imagination, but he vaguely felt that her tone was full of teasing, as though she was deliberately making fun of him.

Mm... no, that couldn't be right. Seele was such a well-behaved girl. She wouldn't intentionally tease him.

"Because... because Seele has grown up. You're a young lady now. If other people found out you were still clinging to your brother, they'd laugh at you." Ishiu forced himself to speak in a tone like he was coaxing a child.

"Let them laugh. Seele likes Ishiu-gege the most, after all." Seele let out a soft, playful laugh and hugged Ishiu even tighter.

Well, that didn't work either.

Ishiu sighed. Fine, if that was how it was going to be, then he wouldn't keep pretending to be some upright gentleman.

Ishiu directly turned over and pulled Seele into his arms.

"I-Ishiu-gege?!" Seele, who had been happily teasing Ishiu, was startled by his sudden counterattack.

"Ha, what? You're allowed to hug me, but I'm not allowed to hug you?" Ishiu lowered his head until his forehead rested against Seele's, asking with a grin.

"N-no..." Feeling Ishiu's masculine scent wash over her, Seele's little face instantly burned red, heating up like a boiled crab. She nearly bit her tongue from nervousness.

"Heh, there we go. Today, you'll obediently be this master's body pillow~" Ishiu spoke in the tone of a bully, blew a breath into Seele's ear, then closed his eyes and went to sleep without caring what she thought.

"..."

Ten percent off?

Seele's mouth twitched as she looked at Ishiu, who had closed his eyes and was already drifting off. She didn't know whether to feel happy or worried.

For a moment just now, she had thought Ishiu's wild side was about to come out. But this was all there was?

He had made her nervous for nothing.

Forget it. Being able to sleep with Ishiu-gege was already wonderful enough. There was plenty of time ahead. She had to take things one step at a time.

Hah, what do you mean, one step at a time? You're obviously just timid, you useless idiot.

Just as Seele was about to close her eyes and sleep, a mocking voice suddenly rang out in her mind.

Seele wasn't surprised by the sudden voice. Instead, she silently replied in her heart,

(Seele isn't timid. Seele is just afraid Ishiu-gege won't be able to accept it.)

Tch, stop dressing it up in such grand words. We're this cute. We'd win if we just went for it. Why be afraid of rejection? The voice remained full of disdain, seemingly disappointed in Seele.

(No! Seele... Seele doesn't want Ishiu-gege to think she's that kind of bad girl.)

If you don't want to, let me do it. Tonight, I'll push him down. Once it's done, could he really refuse to take responsibility?

(Um...)

Seele immediately covered her blushing face, too embarrassed to respond.

The voice in her mind had appeared several months ago, on the night Bronya was pushed down the stairs by An.

It seemed to be another personality of hers. Back then, it had even taken control of her body and given An a vicious beating.

At first, Seele had been very uneasy and had no idea what to do. But as time passed, she gradually got used to the other's existence. When she was quantumized, it was also because she had that voice in her mind to talk to that she hadn't broken down.

Hey! Stop playing dead, you idiot. Are you really going to let such a perfect opportunity slip away? Don't you like him? If you don't even dare to sleep with him, what right do you have to say you like him?

If you ask me, men are creatures ruled by their lower halves. Once you make him feel good, he'll want it a second and third time, and then he'll never be able to leave your body again...

(Stop talking!)

The voice in her head kept chattering away. It was like a demon from legend that could bewitch people's hearts, slowly luring them step by step into the abyss.

Seele covered her ears, not wanting to hear her other self anymore. But the voice went directly into her mind, so covering her ears was useless.

Tch, how long are you going to keep up this innocent little flower act? Don't say I didn't warn you. If you wait too long and your Ishiu-gege gets snatched away by someone else, don't come crying to me later.

(Ishiu-gege won't be taken away by anyone...) Seele wanted to say that, but she had no confidence in the words at all.

Because she knew very well how charming Ishiu was. Leaving aside everywhere else, even in the Orphanage, probably every girl except An liked him.

But those girls were still young, so they weren't much of a problem. The only three who truly threatened her were—

Rosaliya, Liliya, and Bronya-jie.

Rosaliya and Liliya were both close to Ishiu-gege too, but Rosaliya was rather slow. She probably hadn't even considered him in that kind of way yet, so her threat level was zero.

Liliya, meanwhile, didn't speak much, but she was very perceptive.

And Bronya... To be honest, Seele could tell that although Bronya always looked like she wanted to beat Ishiu to death, she actually liked him very much. If Bronya wanted to compete with her too, then sharing... wasn't entirely unacceptable...

And so, Seele spent the night tangled up in the little drama playing out inside her head.

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the window into the room, and Ishiu slowly opened his eyes.

He first looked at the ceiling, sorting through his memories for a moment. Then he lowered his head and looked at Seele, who was still sound asleep. After a brief silence, he shifted his hips and moved his lower body away from her.

Everyone understood. For a man, that morning reaction was a perfectly normal physiological phenomenon. It couldn't be controlled, so creating a little distance would save them both some embarrassment.

Then Ishiu thought about it. After hesitating between getting up and going back to sleep, he chose to take another nap.

It was rare to have a fragrant, soft, top-tier body pillow like Seele to hold while sleeping. If he didn't sleep a little longer, Ishiu would feel like he was wasting a wonderful opportunity.

So Ishiu closed his eyes again.

Who knew how long passed? When he woke again, the girl in his arms was already gone. Only the faint lingering fragrance in the air proved that she had once been there.

"Ah, time to get up."

Now that Seele was gone, Ishiu had no reason to stay in bed. He had just thrown back the blanket and was about to get up when he felt something wet at the corner of his mouth. He touched it with his hand and found it damp and slick.

"Damn, don't tell me I drooled in my sleep?" Ishiu jumped in fright and quickly checked the pillow. Seeing that it was still dry, he finally relaxed.

Had Kiana infected him? Idiocy really was contagious. It looked like he couldn't share a room with Kiana anymore.

Thinking that, Ishiu quickly changed clothes, tidied his hair, and headed out the door.

He first went to the washroom, greeting the children he passed. After taking care of his personal hygiene, he planned to check the kitchen for any leftover food.

Since he had slept in, normal breakfast time had long since passed. He could only see whether there was any breakfast left in the kitchen.

But before he reached the kitchen, he ran into Bronya. She looked somewhat exhausted, perhaps because she hadn't slept well last night, and there were faint dark circles under her eyes.

(P.S.: Some people said my update pace hasn't changed. That's because I used to write two-thousand-word chapters, two updates a day for four thousand words. Now each chapter is four thousand words, and I'm doing eight thousand words a day, nearly ten thousand words daily.

And right now, I still owe 39,000 words from the reward goals. Thank you all for the monthly passes, donations, and blades. I won't say much else. Tomorrow, I'll post three updates totaling twelve thousand words and try to let everyone enjoy themselves.

Now I'm going to sleep. Goodnight~)

Chapter 87: Seele: To Capture a Man's Heart, You Must First Capture His Stomach!

(Sub-title: Mei: Exactly. That's me!)

"Bronya, good morning. What's wrong? Didn't sleep well last night?" Ishiu greeted her naturally, then asked curiously.

"...It's nothing. I just had a nightmare." Bronya glanced at him and opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something. But after hesitating, she changed her words at the last second.

This morning, she had "happened" to see Seele coming out of Ishiu's room with a flushed face. Bronya had been completely dumbfounded. If Seele hadn't been walking normally, Bronya would have thought the two had secretly entered the adult world while she wasn't paying attention.

She wanted Seele to find happiness and be with Ishiu, but wasn't this moving way too fast?

Cece, that cece was fast!

"Oh, is that so? It's fine. Dreams are the opposite of reality. Since you had a nightmare, something good will definitely happen in real life." Ishiu casually comforted her.

But after hearing that, Bronya showed a somewhat strange expression.

Her claim about having a nightmare wasn't actually a lie. Last night, she had dreamed that Ishiu, Seele, Kiana, and Mei were all happily together, while she could only hide in the shadows of a corner and silently watch.

If dreams were the opposite of reality, then wouldn't that mean she...

Bronya, whose thoughts were speeding along at breakneck pace, quickly imagined many inappropriate scenes. Her little face immediately reddened, and she shook her head hard, trying to throw those messy thoughts out of it.

"You haven't eaten breakfast yet, right? Here, take this." Bronya took out a piece of bread from her pocket and stuffed it into Ishiu's hand. As if trying to change the subject, she added, "Oh, right. Mom came back yesterday too..."

"Mom..." Ishiu clenched the bread, his expression turning complicated. "Mm, I understand. I'll go see her in a while."

"Ishiu... Mom, she was actually doing it for Seele, you..."

"Bronya, you don't need to say anything. I understand." Ishiu stopped Bronya before she could try to persuade him. "Oh, and you don't know this yet, do you? I've already solved Seele's problem. She'll never lose control and become quantumized again."

"Y-you're telling the truth?" Bronya blanked out. She clearly hadn't expected Ishiu to suddenly drop such wonderful news. The surprise was so great that she couldn't react for a moment.

"It's true. May I be a puppy if I'm lying." Ishiu smiled. "If Mom learns about it, she won't keep carrying out that plan, right?"