Chapter 182

He placed his head next to hers and whispered in her ear, "Mischievous Rumin-jie, who loves to play pranks on me, needs to be properly punished~"

"Ugh~!" Startled by the electric current surging through her sensitive ear, she let out a soft, faint gasp.

Her movements were completely absorbed by Sakurakoji Talent, who was suppressing her, which only fueled his desire to tease her further.

He restrained her arms, intertwined them beneath her, and rotated her exquisitely beautiful legs in brown silk stockings. Then, he stood up to admire his masterpiece, and couldn't resist taking a picture with his phone to save it.

"Rumin-jie is so cute even like this!"

The sight of a mature, office-lady-like virgin girl, her long black hair casually draped over the carpet, suppressing her shyness and being manipulated at will, was so exciting it almost made his nose bleed!

The feeling of touching her skin—flawless, poreless, smooth, and pure—at its most beautiful state, still lingers in my mind.

The pursuit of beauty, the desire to break taboos, the indulgence of desire, bodily instincts, the wish to reciprocate her feelings... everything was urging him to take action as soon as possible.

But after briefly venting his evil energy, he suppressed it all.

After a deliberately slowed blink, his eyes instantly regained their clarity as they opened and closed.

Now is not the time. For her sake and for my own, I cannot make a move against her now.

Damn it, I need to find a solution to this problem as soon as possible.

He wasn't stupid; he was naturally aware of how people around him viewed him. But knowing was one thing, and responding was another.

Before returning to Japan this time, he only regarded her as an ordinary childhood friend, just like Yamabuki Kuyachiyo, without any other extra feelings mixed in.

The reason for this was that he simply didn't have the energy to think about these things at the time; the struggle against the fear of not knowing when he would die had exhausted him.

--Besides, they were all still young then, he wouldn't be that beastly.

However, recently, the change in his mindset sparked by the hope of life has gradually affected his physical health.

And perhaps it was because he had been in close contact with so many beautiful women that he finally regained some interest in this area.

Low emotional intelligence: Are you sure?

High emotional intelligence: Right?

But no matter what, he is ultimately not qualified, nor can he bear the consequences of doing so.

He doesn't even qualify as a scumbag yet, despite his impressive stats.

If he's now certain about his relationship with Rumin, what excuse will he use to continue juggling so many girls?

Even if she uses physical reasons as a shield, there is a limit to her tolerance. Rather than letting her live in constant fear and anger, it's better to maintain the status quo for now.

After all, she can allow him to have three, five, or even ten... but could she really allow him to have thirty or fifty ambiguous relationships?

No matter how skilled he is, he's still just a mortal. He can't stop bullets, let alone a sneak attack with a wood-chopping knife.

It's terrifying to even think about.

Chapter 231 Sound illumination

Sigh, the future looks bleak.

Even if he solves this major problem later, what should he do next?

Thinking back to that time, he even considered giving up on treatment altogether (literally giving up on treatment).

Fortunately, I haven't attacked or given any special signals to anyone yet, so there should still be hope... probably.

Suddenly, he remembered what had happened less than an hour earlier, and his eyes widened in doubt.

Hmm, my interactions with Aoyama Nanami, Kasumigaoka Utaha, and the others were probably just normal daily interactions and friendships... I guess?

Furthermore, even if Crystal Palace does eventually open, this number is simply too much...

Forget it, let it be destroyed. His eyes are a bit dead; this isn't something he can figure out right now.

Giving up on this problem, which might be even more difficult than his physical issues, he pulled the shy Okura Rumin up from the ground.

This time, she didn't dare to try anything funny.

"Speaking of which, Rumin-jie hasn't changed into her indoor clothes yet?" He suddenly thought, looking at the suit she was still wearing.

"Because I just got back, Talent-kun came right away."

"But can't I change my clothes while I'm going upstairs?"

"Who knows how long it will take Talent-kun to change his clothes? What if you arrive halfway through?" She stared at him coldly, signaling that he would be dead if he dared to say another word.

"Yes, I understand, I fully understand," he nodded to himself.

Also, although it's a bit late to say this now, I'll mention it anyway: her name, Lumine, is Latin for "[moonlight] illuminated," and like the "Saku" in Yōkadō Sakuri's name, it's related to the moon.

Therefore, the etiquette for Kinzuki Girl is also...

And the Irish Sow downstairs... ah, I'll talk about that next time I run into her.

"But that makes sense, wearing this for a long time isn't comfortable either," the wine-red color on Okura Rumin's skin gradually faded, and she moved her numb legs and wrists that he had just restrained with a sense of unease.

"I'm going to change my clothes, wait here for me."

"I see."

She nodded, then turned and walked towards her room.

I'm not worried at all about him peeking, or rather... never mind, don't try to guess what's on a girl's mind.

He straightened his clothes, which were a little disheveled from his earlier movements, and then sat back down on the sofa.

Since he had already decided to hold back for the time being, he naturally wouldn't do anything pointless.

Even if you were to actually do it, would you be satisfied just looking at boring clothes? How pathetic!

If you're going to do something, you should definitely see it through to the end!

--Although he doesn't have that ambition or courage now.

Ten minutes later,

Okura Rumin walked leisurely out of the room with light, cat-like steps.

This time, she didn't sit in the boss's chair, but instead sat next to him.

"Huh, wearing a school uniform?" He looked at her with a puzzled expression.

I thought she would change into casual clothes or a yukata, but instead she changed into Filia's off-white school uniform.

"Well, because I have something I want to do before taking a shower."

"What are Rumin-jie's plans for the future?" he asked casually.

"Hmm... I didn't have enough practice time at school today, and I've been busy since after school, so I was thinking of continuing to practice the Piano." Her expression was slightly troubled.

"They're really serious about it."

"After all, to become a performer, you can't do it without practicing for more than 8 hours a day... I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have said that to Mr. Talent!"

She glared at him resentfully, feeling frustrated by her arrogant younger brother whose extraordinary talent was hardly a testament to his abilities.

She clearly put in much more effort, but the results were completely opposite, and this wasn't even her main job!

This is infuriating!

Even if her feelings for him were deep and complex, she would still feel a dark and gloomy negativity when she felt envious and jealous.

She had long known that art and music were the most irrational fields, where people interacted as if they were from different species.

Some people achieve what they do at the age of seven or eight, but those with less talent can never reach that level even with a lifetime of practice.

But! She prided herself on her talent and hard work, so why was he better than her?!

This has gone beyond being unreasonable!

Even those extraordinary talents had never struck her as so exaggerated; at least they could still look up to them.

She was furious! So furious! So furious that this pampered young lady wanted to punch him!

Eight hours...

Meanwhile, Sakurakoji Talent was thinking about something else.

If he remembered correctly, Touma Kazusa seemed to have said something like, "If you don't practice the Piano for 10 hours a day, you'll quickly become rusty." Could it be that the gap between them was accumulated from those two hours of practice?

Should he remind her? He glanced at Okura Rumin.

"Speaking of which, a friend I recently met mentioned that she practices Piano for 10 hours every day, otherwise she'll quickly become rusty."

"Like Rumin-jie, she aspires to become a professional musician."

Although she is currently in a state of self-abandonment, having wasted more than two years of her life... he didn't say this aloud.

"Her?" Okura Rumin's focus was somewhat different from what he expected; her voice was a little cold. "Where did Talent-kun meet this Piano girl? She doesn't seem to be one of the previous three..."

Oh no!

A sudden, inexplicable unease crept into his mind: should he have brought this up?

"Hmm~ It was just a coincidence, a coincidence, we met by chance outside!" A few beads of sweat appeared on his forehead as he stared straight ahead.

"You won't believe it, but one day I was walking down the street and I just bumped into her out of nowhere!"

He wasn't lying, although judging from the sequence of events, it seemed that he had first met Shiina Mahiru and Hoshino Ai separately that day, and then they bumped into each other while taking a walk on the street...

"Wow~ What a coincidence, stare..." Her suspicious gaze was fixed on his profile, clearly showing disbelief.

Sakurakoji Talent didn't dare to move. Although he wanted to say that he seemed to have no reason to be treated like he had been caught in the act of adultery, he wasn't very confident after what had just happened.

"Hmph, forget it." She stared at him for a moment, then looked away, saying somewhat resentfully:

"Anyway, what Mr. Talent wants to do is none of my business."

He felt a warmth in his heart at her adorable jealousy, and with a gentle smile, he turned around and held her slender fingers, characteristic of a Piano, in his palm.

"No, that's not true. Thank you for your concern."

Startled by his sudden action, the distance between her clearly curved eyelashes seemed to shorten slightly, and her profile, which had returned to normal, became slightly flushed again. She looked away without saying a word.

"Don't worry about me, Rumin-jie, go practice."

He used a few of his "bad boy" tricks to defuse the crisis, then touched her soft little hand, kissed it, and offered a gentle suggestion.

Her intoxication intensified, and she could no longer recall her earlier feelings; her eyes were almost completely closed.

"Is that alright?" she asked Kokoro.

"Yes, I'd also like to hear Rumin-jie play again after so long."

"Compared to you, there's really nothing good to listen to... Which song would you like to hear?"

His good-for-nothing sister readily agreed to his request.

"I think you think the same way I do." He didn't answer directly, but released her hand, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Okura Rumin had no doubts. Instead, she smiled knowingly, like Blue Enchantress, nodded, and walked towards the grand Piano in the room.

After pulling up the stool and settling in, she took a deep breath and lightly pressed her fingers on the black and white world.

Soon, simple, smooth, soothing, and tranquil slow-paced Piano, as if capable of calming the soul, gently flowed through the living room like a clear spring.

Unlike classical music pieces that are difficult, have complex scores, and take a long time to perform, this piece is so simple that even a beginner who has only recently learned to play the Piano can play it, albeit haltingly.

But the rich emotions and memories contained in this simple and innocent melody are her favorite and most precious treasures.

Song name: Sound illumination

Also known as: lumine (Rumin)

It was the first Piano that Sakurakoji Talent wrote for her when she was a child and had just started learning the Piano.

Whenever she feels lost or confused, she would pull herself out of the crazy and complicated classical techniques and the hustle and bustle of her surroundings, and quietly play this piece several times.

In this way, she can find the motivation to move forward again and her initial love for music, allowing her to re-add memories and feelings for him to the boring performance that focuses on rules and techniques.

Time has passed, and her skills are no longer comparable to what they were back then, nor is her mood the same as the joy she felt when she first played the instrument.

The emotions she pours into her playing have not diminished over the years. On the contrary, through countless self-cultivation and refinement over the years, they have gradually been sublimated and accumulated, becoming more and more rich and mellow, captivating the listener.

Sakurakoji Talent closed his eyes, enjoying the heartfelt performance she had prepared just for him, his body swaying slightly with the notes.

He had to revise his previous assessment of her. He had thought that her rigid, technique-focused playing style was destined to limit her Mirai, but now she was showing him with her unparalleled live performance that she was no longer the same person she used to be.