Invincible Me Only Wants to Slack Off

Then, he decisively flipped the covers and got out of bed.

His muscular, shirtless upper body crashed into Kaguya's sight without any cover, sharply defined muscles shifting in the morning light. The memories of last night's scorching, tangled moments instantly became crystal clear...

"Ah!" Kaguya yelped, yanking the blanket over her head and curling into a ball.

Chen Tian watched Kaguya, now a ball of blanket, and let out a soft laugh.

He swiftly pulled on his clothes and walked to the bedside.

"I'll get breakfast," he said, his voice carrying a morning rasp. "What do you want?"

The little mound under the blanket shifted, and a small gap cautiously opened at the top.

Kaguya revealed a pair of watery, big eyes, quickly glanced at the fully dressed Chen Tian, and mumbled almost inaudibly:

"Strawberry... cream cake..."

The corner of Chen Tian's mouth curved up. "Alright."

The door gently clicked shut.

Inside the covers, Kaguya suddenly popped her whole head out, taking deep breaths of fresh air.

Her cheeks still burning, she pressed her right hand against her left cheek to cool down, desperately trying to shake those lingering, sensual images from her mind.

Carefully, she shuffled out of bed. The moment her feet touched the floor, a hidden soreness in her thighs made her suck in a breath.

Blushing, she held onto the wall and slowly hobbled into the bathroom to wash up.

By the time Kaguya emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a bathrobe, her hair damp, moving step by step, Chen Tian had already returned.

A delicate breakfast was laid out on the small round table.

Seeing her struggle to walk, he stepped forward in two strides and scooped her up horizontally!

"Eep!" Kaguya let out a short shriek and instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.

Chen Tian steadily settled her into a chair padded with a soft cushion.

He sat down across from her and pushed a cake adorned with bright strawberries and snowy cream, along with a warm glass of milk, in front of her.

Kaguya picked up a small fork and ate the cake in tiny bites. The sweet taste melted on her tongue, and the lingering shyness in her heart gradually gave way to satisfaction.

Chen Tian watched her, content like a kitten, and a smile rippled in his eyes. "Kaguya."

"Hmm?" She looked up, a bit of cream on the corner of her mouth.

"Starting tomorrow," Chen Tian's voice was gentle, "breakfast can't be this sweet, okay?"

Kaguya paused mid-bite, and her face instantly flushed red again. She knew it wasn't appropriate.

In the strict, rule-bound Shionji Mansion, such indulgence was absolutely forbidden.

But now... this was the first time since she'd broken out of her cage that she could willfully ask for a little sweetness.

She poked at the cake with her fork, let out a small grumble as a silent acknowledgment, but the corner of her mouth secretly curled up.

At the Shionji Mansion, in the head of the household's study.

Sunlight streamed through the window lattice, illuminating Siongo Gaan's deathly pale face.

His eyes were bloodshot, with heavy dark circles underneath, as he glared at the clock on the wall.

The hands pointed mercilessly to—

Eight twenty-four!

"Eight... eight... twenty-four?!!" His voice was hoarse, as if squeezed from his throat.

Didn't come back by two last night... and now... eight twenty-four!!!

Countless unspeakable images flashed through his mind in an instant, each one testing his frayed nerves.

"AAAAHHHH!!!"

A violent roar, as if from the depths of hell, suddenly exploded!

Siongo Gaan, like an enraged lion, slammed his palm onto the heavy rosewood desk!

The entire study shook!

Expensive tea sets leaped up, crashing to the floor and shattering into pieces. Gold pens from the brush pot clattered everywhere.

Documents, paperweights, even the heavy brass ashtray, all bounced wildly across the desktop!

"You—damn—brat—!!!" He gritted out each word, his face twisted and ferocious, practically spitting fire, "I—will—kill—you—!!!"

He shot to his feet, frantically tugging at the hair on both sides of his head, his expensive kimono collar pulled askew.

"My Kaguya!!!" The voice was filled with despair and the anguish of "his precious cabbage being thoroughly taken," echoing mournfully through the luxurious yet dead silent study.

The heavy study door was cautiously pushed open a crack.

The old butler's aged face appeared in the gap, carrying an expression mixed with sympathy and helplessness.

He spoke respectfully, in the most steady tone, delivering the most gut-wrenching words:

"Head of the household... it seems Young Miss Kaguya... still shows no signs of returning..."

Siongo Gaan's hand, clutching his hair, froze mid-tug.

Then, a thin strand of hair—once meticulously groomed—was yanked clean out by his own fingers.

Chapter 48: Follow Your Own Heart

? Shionji Mansion, Head's Study. ?

Sunlight crept over the antique desk, illuminating Siongo Gaan's pallid face.

His eyes were shut tight, dark circles heavy beneath them, his chin resting on the edge of the mahogany desk as he slept, dead to the world.

A thin strand of hair stubbornly clung to his forehead—the very "trophy" he'd torn out in his grief and fury moments ago.

The old butler let out a silent sigh, gently draping a thin blanket over him.

The heavy study was left with only the head of the household's faint, resentful snoring.

? Meanwhile, at Chen Tian's Home. ?

Rin, sporting faint dark circles, set the last steaming plate of scallion pancakes on the table with a blank expression.

The table was laden with a lavish Huaxia breakfast: golden soup dumplings, emerald-green cucumber salad, fragrant century egg and lean pork congee, and the scallion pancakes she'd just fried, their edges crisp and browned.

She untied her apron, her gaze drifting for the umpteenth time toward the closed master bedroom door.

Yesterday morning, her cousin Marin's ambiguous words had burrowed into her mind like little bugs all day. She'd barely mustered the courage to rush home after school, hoping to corner Marin for answers.

Her cousin's door was shut tight. She'd knocked for ages, only to hear a groggy, sleepy voice: "Stop it... so tired... talk tomorrow..."

As for Chen Tian? No sign of him! Calls? No answer! Texts? Vanished into the void!

Rin had waited from dusk till late night, and from late night till this morning.

She'd barely slept a wink, crawling out of bed before dawn to dive into the kitchen. With some inexplicable, tangled mix of anxiety and anticipation, she'd painstakingly prepared this feast.

As if that might make the "night-staying-out" guy feel a pang of guilt.

The lock on the master bedroom door finally clicked.

Rin's eyes snapped into focus, her heart skipping a beat.

But it wasn't Chen Tian who emerged.

Kitagawa Marin shuffled out, her golden hair a wild mess, wearing an oversized cartoon T-shirt that could double as a dress. She rubbed her sleepy eyes, yawning as she wandered over.

"Mornin', Rin-chan... yawn~~~" She plopped down at the table, eyes still half-closed, but her nose twitched first. "Whoa! Smells amazing! Rin-chan, you're awesome!"

Without a hint of restraint, she grabbed a soup dumpling and stuffed it into her mouth, completely ignoring the "I have questions" written all over Rin's face.

Rin's mouth twitched.

She took a deep breath, staring at Marin, who was eating with gusto, and forced her voice to stay calm. "Marin-nee."

"Hmm?" Marin mumbled, snagging another scallion pancake.

"Brother-in-law," Rin's tone strained, "he... didn't come back last night?"

Artoria and Tohsaka Sakura, who had just stepped into the dining room, both froze.

Their eyes met midair, a silent conversation unfolding instantly.

Sakura blinked: 'Saber, we still haven't cleared up yesterday's business, have we?'

Artoria gave a slight shake of her head: 'I don't know either.'

Sakura glanced at Marin, who was wolfing down food: 'Judging by Marin-nee's state, she doesn't seem bothered by yesterday.'

Artoria shook her head again: 'I don't know either.'

Sakura's gaze drifted toward the door: 'Should we leave first?'

Artoria's eyes swept over the table full of food, suddenly turning rock-solid, as if she were back in the final battle of the Holy Grail War. She shook her head firmly: 'No. This King will eat.'

Sakura's mouth twitched, and she resigned herself with a sigh. The next second, she put on a sweet, innocent smile. "Good morning~ Rin-nee, Marin-nee."

Marin, her mouth stuffed full, waved vaguely. "Mornin', Sakura~ Saber, come eat! Rin-chan's breakfast is suuuper delicious!"

Rin's temples throbbed. She stared at her carefree cousin, then at Artoria and Sakura, who had sat down as if nothing was wrong, and suddenly felt her dark circles growing heavier.

Rin's forehead was lined with black streaks as she watched the three heartless women devour the meal. She took a deep breath, slammed her hands on the table with a smack, and shot upright.

"Marin-nee, I..."

"I know what you want to say, Rin." Marin suddenly put down her chopsticks, her face turning serious as she cut her off, nodding solemnly.

Sakura immediately turned to exchange a look with Artoria, but—

The signal wave dissipated midair before it could connect.

Because the receiving end, Artoria, was holding a big bowl in one hand and a scallion pancake in the other, sweeping through the food on the table like a whirlwind.

Her golden ahoge bobbed with every chew, completely lost in her own culinary world.

"Signal link failed..." A look of black lines identical to Rin's appeared on Sakura's small face.

'You're not the King of Knights! You should be called the King of Devouring!' Sakura screamed internally, finally resigning herself to burying her face in her bowl, pretending she didn't exist.

Rin's mouth twitched even harder.

She looked at Marin's knowing "I get you" expression, then at Artoria, who was completely lost, and Sakura, who was playing ostrich, and let out a soft sigh.

Marin watched Rin sigh and put on a sunny smile. "Rin, what I said yesterday, I thought it through. I know what's on your mind."

Her gaze swept over Sakura and Artoria, heads buried in their food, before settling on Rin's face. "I understand all of your feelings."

Sakura's bowed head froze stiff. Artoria's cheeks were stuffed full, her ahoge snapping into a question mark with a pop. "What feelings? Is it that I'm eating too much?" She tilted her head in confusion.

Marin's tone was as light as if she were divvying up a slice of cake. "I won't keep Tian Jun to myself. I'll share him with all of you."

"Pfft—!"

Sakura sprayed congee half across the table, choking until her little face turned red, coughing nonstop.

Rin took a deep breath, her head buzzing with a whir, her face instantly flushed crimson, steam practically hissing from the top of her skull. "So... so that's it..."

Artoria swallowed the food in her mouth, her ahoge still bent in a big question mark, her eyes clear and bewildered. "Share? Share what? Snacks?" She didn't get it at all, lowering her head to pick up another piece of scallion pancake and stuff it in.

Eating was what mattered most.

Marin stood up and wrapped her arms around the stiff Rin. "Rin, I already told Chen Tian about this yesterday."

A flash of the scene after Rin left yesterday morning crossed her mind: in the car, Chen Tian's domineering, world-disdaining posture as if life were a game, and then, after he'd confessed his feelings, how she'd dizzily followed him to the hotel for a wild tangle... Marin's cheeks instantly flushed with two patches of red.

She shook her head, tightened her hold on Rin, and spoke with utmost gravity. "Rin, we'll always be together. We'll stay by Tian Jun's side together."

Rin was completely stunned, her little mouth slightly open, her brain short-circuited, unable to utter a single word.

Marin let her go, patted her shoulder with a smile. "Yesterday, Tian Jun couldn't go car shopping with me. Rin, Sakura," she looked at Sakura, who had just wiped her mouth clean and was still in shock, and—

"And you too, Artoria!"

Artoria, called out, jerked her head up, her cheeks still bulging, her ahoge wobbling in confusion.

She hadn't understood any of the convoluted talk before, only catching the last bit about "car shopping" and her name.

She blinked her bright eyes and nodded firmly without hesitation. "Mm!"