Invincible Me Only Wants to Slack Off

A heavy snort came from the podium. Rin quickly sat up straight, forcing her attention toward the blackboard, though the tips of her ears remained blood-red. The chaotic images and thoughts in her mind simply wouldn't settle. She pressed her lips together, forcing herself to stare at the math formulas and sit obediently.

"Whew... What did Marin-nee mean by that?"

Tokyo Musashi University, Faculty of Economics.

Shinomiya Kaguya sat in the last row of the tiered lecture hall, the pen in her hand nearly snapping in two. Her gaze was fixed on the scrawled notes in her notebook, but she hadn't taken in a single word.

"Damn it... damn it..."

Her mind kept replaying the scene from this morning—that shameless woman Tohsaka Rin, brazenly throwing herself into Chen Tian Jun's arms in front of everyone!

The way she acted was practically like staking a claim!

"Kitagawa Marin isn't dealt with yet... and there are other girls still eyeing him covetously... Why! Why! Another rival has appeared!"

Kaguya's fingertips trembled slightly, the pen gouging a deep line into the paper.

A shadow seemed to envelop her. If this were an anime, others would surely see that dark aura writhing like a tangible mass of resentment.

On the podium, the professor was lecturing on macroeconomic models, his voice steady and monotonous.

But Kaguya couldn't focus at all. Her mind was filled only with Chen Tian's face—the way he smiled at Tohsaka Rin, the way he gently stroked her own head, the way he shone brilliantly on stage...

"It should have been me first..."

Her lips moved soundlessly, her nails digging deep into her palms.

Suddenly, her phone vibrated.

The glow of the screen jolted Kaguya awake, and the nearly tangible dark aura slowly dissipated.

She blinked, her long lashes fluttering gently.

In just a single breath, the dangerous figure shrouded in shadow vanished, replaced by the elegant and composed Young Miss of the Shiongo Family.

Kaguya calmly returned her pen to its case, her movements so fluid it was as if the person who had nearly snapped it moments ago wasn't her.

She turned slightly, using her textbook to block the professor's line of sight, and slid her slender finger across the phone's lock screen.

[Yukino Yukinoshita: Last time, about the picnic Chen Tian Jun mentioned—has a time been set?]

Seeing that name, Kaguya's pupils contracted slightly.

A cold glint veiled the complex emotions swirling in her eyes.

"Yukino..." she silently mouthed the name, a thoughtful curve tugging at her lips.

The faint glow of the screen illuminated her delicate face as Kaguya's gaze lingered on the three characters "Chen Tian Jun" for a moment. Her thumb lightly traced the edge of the phone, her mind rapidly running through various possibilities.

"Tohsaka Rin is Kitagawa's cousin? Hah, an ally?" A flicker of cunning flashed in Kaguya's eyes. "Then I can't fall behind her either."

She let out a soft laugh, so quiet only she could hear it: "Yukino... might be a very good ally indeed."

Her slender fingers danced lightly across the screen. Kaguya's expression returned to its usual composure, even carrying a hint of the sweet smile characteristic of a Young Miss. But if one looked closely, they could see the glint of calculation in her eyes.

[Shinomiya Kaguya: Lately, with school affairs and Tian-kun's concert, I haven't had a chance to contact him yet. (._.)ノ So, Yukino-san, why don't you ask Tian-kun directly?]

After sending it, Kaguya gazed at her carefully crafted reply with satisfaction. The tone was warm yet maintained a certain distance, showing her close relationship with Chen Tian while cleverly pushing Yukino to take the initiative to contact him.

"This way..." She gently closed her phone, picked up her pen again, and drew a perfect heart in her notebook, "I can try to pull Yukino over to my side."

On the podium, the professor's voice remained monotonous.

But by now, Kaguya had fully regained her usual elegant demeanor, even cheerfully doodling decorative patterns in the margins of her notes.

Only the slight upward curl of her lips betrayed her inner smugness.

"The game has only just begun..." she murmured inwardly, her eyes gleaming with a dangerous yet captivating light.

Yukino Yukinoshita read Kaguya's reply, her cool gaze sweeping toward the elegant back in the front row.

"Not contacted?" She tapped her fingertip absently against the edge of her phone. "This morning, Chen Tian's leave slip was personally handed in by you."

A faint, almost imperceptible smile tugged at Yukino's lips.

Her fingers flew across the screen as she replied directly to Kaguya:

[Yukino Yukinoshita: Oh, forget it then.]

The message sent, she flipped her phone screen-down on the desk without another glance.

Her gaze returned to Kaguya in the front row. She noticed that the hand holding Kaguya's pen paused for an infinitesimal fraction of a second the moment Yukino's message arrived, leaving a tiny, nearly invisible ink dot on the paper.

Then, Kaguya continued writing smoothly, her posture flawless, still the perfect Young Miss of the Shiongo Family.

Watching Kaguya's utterly unruffled reaction, Yukino propped her cheek on her hand, her fingertip lightly tapping her temple. The faint smile on her cool, delicate face deepened by a fraction.

She pulled out her phone again, unlocked the screen, and directly opened that familiar number, skipping all pleasantries:

[Yukino Yukinoshita: Chen Tian, feed the cat. You already stood me up once, so today at three, the usual place.]

She hit send, tucked the phone neatly back into her bag, and propped her cheek on her hand once more. Her cool gaze rested on Kaguya's back as she silently thought:

"Trying to use me as a pawn? Young Miss Shiongo, your calculations aren't sharp enough yet. I won't become your tool to deal with others."

Sunlight streamed through the car window, spilling onto the passenger seat. Kitagawa Marin curled up in the seat like a lazy cat, her flushed cheek pressed against the leather upholstery, strands of her hair still carrying a trace of sweat-dampened moisture.

"Still... still going to buy a car?" she asked weakly, her fingers unconsciously tugging at the hem of Chen Tian's clothes.

Chen Tian bent down to fasten her seatbelt and let out a soft chuckle at her words.

His lips brushed lightly against the girl's burning forehead, the scent of shampoo lingering around the tip of his nose.

"No," he said, reaching out to brush away the strands of hair stuck to her neck, "I'll take you home to rest first."

The vibration of the engine starting made Kitagawa frown slightly.

"But..." she protested weakly, "we were supposed to pick out a new car..."

"Compared to a car," Chen Tian said, turning the steering wheel as he pulled out of the parking lot, his smiling eyes reflected in the rearview mirror, "a certain stubborn little one needs maintenance more."

Kitagawa immediately buried her face in her jacket. The bold "product performance tests" from the morning flashed through her mind, turning the tips of her ears red, almost translucent.

In the gentle swaying of the car, she felt Chen Tian's fingers thread through her hair, massaging her scalp tenderly.

"Get some sleep," his voice was like honey-dipped feathers, "I'll wake you when we get to your place."

Kitagawa nodded drowsily, but just as she was about to drift off, she suddenly grabbed his wrist: "You... do you have plans later?"

Chen Tian's fingers paused.

"Yeah, I'm going to feed Yukinoshita's cat," he said, his tone as usual, "I promised last time."

"I see..." Kitagawa's voice gradually faded, her eyelashes fluttering gently like resting butterfly wings.

Just before falling into deep sleep, she mumbled vaguely, "Then... next time I'll go test drive with you again..."

Chen Tian looked at her sleeping profile, the smile at the corners of his mouth gradually growing softer.

He gently pressed the accelerator and drove toward the small house.

Chapter 44: Second Madam of the Chen Family?

Chen Tian gently carried the sleeping Kitagawa into the room, laid her on the bed, and tucked the blanket around her.

After a soft kiss on her smooth forehead, he quietly slipped out of the room and started the car again.

His destination wasn't Yukino's house, but a secluded corner of a greenbelt near her home.

The Yukinoshita household had a special situation—her mother was extremely domineering, imposing strict demands on both her daughters. Keeping cats or dogs was not allowed. That was why Yukino had been forced to rent a small place of her own nearby.

And so, for various reasons, Big Orange had been living as a stray in the area.

As soon as the car stopped, Chen Tian spotted his target. The usually aloof Yukino Yukinoshita was crouched on the ground right now.

Sunlight cast a warm glow over her as she held cat food in her hand, a rare, pure, soft smile curving her lips as she focused on feeding a fat orange cat in front of her. The cat was eating happily, its tail swaying contentedly.

Chen Tian walked over quietly, but Yukino was completely absorbed in the joy of petting the cat, her fingers gently combing through Big Orange's thick back fur.

"Tsk tsk," Chen Tian suddenly reached out, quickly grabbing the scruff of Big Orange's neck and effortlessly lifting it off the ground, "No wonder they say 'the orange cat is the heaviest,' Yukino."

"Meow!" Big Orange shrieked at the sudden lift, its chubby legs flailing uselessly.

Yukino startled, jerking her head up, instinctively opening her arms to snatch the cat back: "Let go!"

Chen Tian didn't let go. Instead, he lifted the hefty orange cat higher, gave it a shake, and teased, "A stray cat, and you've fed it this round—that's not a good thing."

He looked at Yukino's cheeks, flushed with urgency, and found it much more pleasant than her usual icy demeanor.

Yukino missed grabbing the cat and glared at Chen Tian, the tenderness from moments ago vanishing without a trace as she returned to her cool tone: "Mind your own business! Put it down!"

Big Orange recognized the man holding its scruff, squinted its small eyes with a look that said "It's you again, you two-legged beast," and stopped struggling altogether, putting on an arrogant air of "Hurry up and put His Majesty down."

Chen Tian laughed, set Big Orange on the ground, and crouched down like Yukino.

As soon as it landed, Big Orange turned around, pointed its chubby rear at Chen Tian, and buried its head back in the cat food, its tail flicking smugly.

"Pfft." Yukino couldn't help but laugh.

Chen Tian gently bumped her with his shoulder: "If you're going to feed it like this, you might as well take it home."

Yukino swayed from the bump and shot him a glare: "I'm not a big star with my own house. My small apartment's landlord strictly forbids pets."

Chen Tian reached out and touched Big Orange's raised tail: "Then aren't you afraid your mom will find out you're feeding it here? It's so close to your house."

Yukino's expression instantly turned cold. She reached out and gently stroked Big Orange's head, her voice flat: "She never comes to places like this."

Big Orange seemed to sense the shift in mood, rubbing against Yukino's palm and purring.

Chen Tian noticed Yukino's low spirits and suddenly extended his hand toward her, palm up, fingers spread.

Yukino looked up at him in confusion, and when she met his smiling eyes, her face flushed: "Womanizer." But she still placed her hand lightly in his.

Chen Tian laughed, holding her cool little hand: "A secret relationship won't last long, you know."

"Who told me to be a step too slow..." Yukino sighed, her tone turning indignant, "I let Kitagawa confess first! And the key thing is, you womanizer actually said yes!"

Chen Tian took the opportunity to pull her into his shoulder: "Yes, yes, I'm a womanizer. I just want to be your support."

"Excuses." Yukino pouted. "A womanizer is a womanizer."

The two fell into a brief silence. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, dappling the ground. Big Orange, full and content, was leisurely licking its paws.

Chen Tian suddenly spoke: "Yukino, both you and Kitagawa will be mine."

Yukino whipped her head around, brows furrowed: "Do you know what you're saying?" Her voice carried suppressed anger.

Chen Tian nodded calmly: "I do."

"How can you still say something like that?!" Yukino shook off Chen Tian's hand and stood up. Big Orange was startled, perking its ears alertly.

Chen Tian rose to his feet, hands in his pockets. "Because I won't give up on any of you."

Yukino's chest heaved violently, too furious to speak. Chen Tian suddenly reached out and pulled her into his arms.

"Let go!" Yukino struggled hard, her fists pounding against his chest. Chen Tian didn't budge; instead, he tightened his hold.

"You... jerk..." Yukino's voice was muffled against his chest, her struggles gradually weakening.

Chen Tian lowered his head, his chin resting on the top of her hair. "I know I'm greedy," he said softly. "But seeing any of you upset breaks my heart."

Yukino's fists slowly unclenched, crumpling his shirt. Big Orange tilted its head at them and meowed.

"My family won't agree to this." Yukino's voice was muffled against his chest. "Society's judgment will drown us."

Chen Tian looked down, his voice very quiet. "No, your family will agree, and society won't see us."

He paused. "You've seen what I can do. You know I'm no ordinary man. Even if I have all of you, there are people who can help us argue our case."

Yukino was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly spoke. "No, I won't agree."

Chen Tian chuckled softly, rubbing his chin against her hair. "You already have."

Yukino jerked her head up, glaring at him with grievance. "When did I agree?"

"Right after Marin confessed," Chen Tian said, bending down to quickly press a kiss to her smooth forehead. "When you insisted on keeping our relationship a secret."

Yukino instantly fell silent, her face burning crimson. She had indeed thought that, but having it called out to her face was a whole different matter.

"Jerk!" she growled in shame and anger, burying her flushed face back into his chest, punching him once in frustration.

A muffled voice came from his embrace. "It's all your fault..."

Chen Tian smiled and tightened his arms. Big Orange yawned widely at their feet, its tail lazily brushing against Yukino's calf.

Chen Tian gently twirled a strand of her hair around his finger. "Want to move in with us?"