Ye Ming was practically crying from grievance.
"Do you know how badly I was hurt back then? During that time afterward, you couldn't even wait for me to recover before running into the hospital and..."
"Cough cough! That isn't important!"
Himeko, her whole body flushed a charming red, hurriedly cut off Ye Ming's accusation.
Though she felt ashamed, the thought that she had no memory of it made her feel regretful as well.
"Then what is important...?"
"When we were doing motion capture before, I wasn't the only girl who became sensitive from your touch, was I?"
Himeko asked, her voice brimming with jealousy:
"So, in that original world, how many people were deeply in love with you?"
"Um, well..."
Ye Ming had not expected such a small motion-capture session to cause so many incidents.
Having been switched from the aggressor to the defender, sweat poured down his face.
"Let me count. A-Tzu, Keqing, Ganyu, Mei... no, come to think of it, it'd be easier to count the ones who didn't feel anything."
After thinking back, Himeko spoke with a resentful expression:
"Other than Bronya and Kiana, it seemed like everyone had a rather deep connection with you."
·
One update for today. The book cover was messed up, so the recommendation kept getting delayed.
It couldn't be delayed any longer this week, but the review still wasn't going live. I'm trying to figure something out now.
Kiana Takes the Blame
"Other than Bronya and Kiana, it seemed like everyone had a rather deep connection with you."
"I-I can't deny it..."
"There must have been a reason for it, right?"
Although Himeko's jealousy was practically bursting out of the top of her head, she understood the man before her very well.
What Ye Ming had gone through, endured, and given... had to be far more shocking than she could imagine.
Even if people fell for him, there was nothing he could do about it. Wasn't she one of them herself?
"Don't let the fact that I shattered fate and reversed tragedies make me seem impressive. In reality, every situation was terrible."
Ye Ming scratched his head and said helplessly:
"I treated my feelings for them like last words, and their confessions like farewell gifts. I never thought I'd come back alive, and that was how things ended up like this."
"What a... idiot..."
Though Himeko still did not spare him with her words, hearing Ye Ming speak of his resolve to die made her heart ache so badly that she wanted to pull him into her arms.
After all, Himeko had personally seen Ye Ming break down in body and mind. At that moment, even she had thought Ye Ming was dead.
"Wait, I admit that they have feelings for you, but what about the H stuff?"
Himeko had originally intended to stop pursuing the matter, but when she remembered that other girls could also become sensitive from Ye Ming's touch, her possessiveness surged up again.
"You people had the nerve to bring that up..."
Who would have thought that when this topic came up, Ye Ming not only did not look guilty, but pursed his lips, tears of anger nearly falling from his eyes.
"When I was injured, unconscious, and without my powers... you did everything you should and shouldn't have done."
"I wanted to resist, but did any of you give me the chance?"
"Huh?"
Himeko had not expected herself to be the one at fault. Blushing, she could only change the subject:
"Compared to that, I'm more curious why Kiana, Bronya, and Mei were involved, but only Mei reacted."
"Don't you think that subject change was a little forced?"
"Alright, alright, hurry up and tell me. It can't really be just because Mei has a good figure, can it?"
She really was changing the subject, but Himeko truly was curious too. The three of them were so close that it was impossible for only Mei to have a story with Ye Ming.
"Actually, Bronya did something excessive to me too. But her body hasn't fully developed yet, so maybe that's why she didn't feel anything?"
"Huh? Then doesn't that mean... Kiana is the only one who's never gotten intimate with you?"
At that point, Himeko, who had just been jealous, unexpectedly felt a sort of frustration that Kiana had failed to live up to expectations.
It was as though everyone else's daughter had gotten married while only her own was still single. She felt somewhat indignant on Kiana's behalf.
"It really did seem that way. The two of us never, even until the end..."
"Could it be that Kiana was too shy and missed her chance?"
"She's your student, Murata Himeko. What do you think?"
"Never mind, then."
Shyness was definitely not a possibility.
"So, what exactly happened between you two?"
"This..."
The moment Ye Ming thought back slightly, memories poured out like a mountain flood and a tsunami.
--
"Why did you hide yourself away?"
"The one who should accept these feelings was clearly you."
"As long as you're here, I can do anything!"
"What exactly is it that you wish for?"
"Even at the very end, can't you stay by my side?"
"Time... if only it could stop."
"What do I have to do to forget you?"
"I'm not strong enough to... bring this sword down."
"Why can you still smile even now?!"
"That obviously... hurts so much..."
"Ah... I know..."
"I'll take your place... and become..."
--
"Hiss! Hoo!"
To prevent his CPU from overloading, Ye Ming abruptly stopped remembering and let out a long breath.
"Sorry. It's better not to bring up those old matters. They hit too hard."
Ye Ming now felt as though he had eaten icy mint; even the flames of desire had been chilled out.
"I'm a little tired. I'm going to sleep first."
"Huh? B-but..."
"You were the one who brought up Kiana first, right? This time, it's your fault."
"Ugh..."
Himeko had not expected things to turn out this way. She had wanted to force the issue, but when she remembered the "atrocities" she had once committed against Ye Ming, her heart softened again.
This was clearly not the right choice for Ye Ming. He seemed to have forgotten an old saying:
--The later the rain comes, the heavier it falls.
················
That night, Ye Ming dreamed of Kiana again, dreamed of those past memories. Summed up, their contents could be described with only two words: blood and tears.
"Strange. I slept all night, so why do my eyes still feel so sore?"
The next morning, when Ye Ming opened his eyes, they felt sticky, as though he had used eye drops before bed and they had crusted over.
"Himeko, time to get up. You'll be late for work."
As he washed his face with a towel, he shook Himeko beside the bed. This sort of morning was not unfamiliar to Ye Ming.
"Hm? Why is my pillow wet?"
Seeing the damp pillow, Ye Ming's first reaction was to cover his mouth.
"Has my drooling in my sleep gotten this bad?"
"Wah! I'm late, I'm late!"
Just as Ye Ming stood there in shock, Himeko also climbed up. Upon seeing the time on the alarm clock, she hurried into the bathroom to wash up.
"Right, this is your house..."
Only after realizing she could not find her own toiletries did Himeko relax.
"It's fine if you're the boss."
"If you really think that, then get ready to live on dirt by the end of the month."
It wasn't as though this was the first time he had seen her and Theresa living on dirt anyway.
On their way to the studio, the two maintained an extremely intimate distance.
Only after arriving at the entrance to the studio did they gradually separate, putting on the distance of ordinary friends.
Ye Ming did not want to create unnecessary confusion for anyone else, while Himeko thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of having Ye Ming all to herself...
Thus, the two quickly reached an unspoken agreement to keep it secret from the others.
"Sis Himeko! Boss!"
Before they had even stepped through the doors, the two ran into Kiana, who had arrived right on time for work.
"..."
At that moment, both Ye Ming and Himeko wore expressions that were difficult to put into words.
"Huh? What's wrong with you two? Why do you look so troubled?"
"Kiana, you left early yesterday. Your bonus is being docked."
"Huh?! Sis Himeko! Put in a good word for me! Didn't we leave early together yesterday?"
Kiana placed her hopes on Himeko, but what she received was Himeko's resentful expression:
"Kiana, this is all your fault."
"????"
Fu Hua: Down on Her Luck, Everyone
"What do you mean it's all my fault?!"
Kiana had wanted to lose her temper as usual, but before she could even raise her voice, her anger was suppressed.
She scratched her head with a wronged expression and muttered softly:
"Why do I feel like someone has said that to me before, and said it in my ear all the time?"
Before you continue