"Yukino..." Seeing Yukino bow her head as if awaiting a doomsday judgment, Hoshimi's eyes flashed with a strange light.
"Yes..." Yukino's voice trembled, her fingers interlocked, looking extremely nervous.
"Sigh~"
Hoshimi's sigh felt like a mountain falling onto Yukino's heart.
For some reason, Yukino's chest tightened, and her mood began to sink.
"Yukino..." Hoshimi, with a playful look in his eyes, said helplessly, "Yukino, tell your family to prepare for a marriage proposal."
"?!!!" Yukino's beautiful eyes widened in shock as she looked up at Hoshimi.
A marriage proposal?! What's going on?!!
The mountain in Yukino's heart instantly vanished into thin air. She looked at Hoshimi, who appeared helpless, feeling a mix of dissatisfaction, excitement, and anticipation.
Dissatisfaction stemmed from the helplessness on Hoshimi's face.
What's this? Does marrying me make you feel helpless? Hoshimi, you jerk!
Excitement and anticipation didn't need much explanation—the former arose from the relief of a misunderstanding, and the latter from...
Yukino's face turned red as she stared at Hoshimi, pressing him for an answer: "Hoshimi! What on earth is going on? Just tell me already!"
Hoshimi spread his hands and said, "It's exactly what I said. My aunt asked me to take responsibility, and after inquiring about your background, she decided we were a good match. So, she ordered the old butler to arrange the proposal."
"If nothing unexpected happens, you will be my fiancée by tomorrow noon at the earliest, or the day after tomorrow at the latest."
"And once we're of age, we'll get married. My aunt also set a goal for us... to have enough children to form a basketball team."
"..." Yukino blushed and lightly punched Hoshimi's chest.
She softly spat, then looked at Hoshimi with bright eyes and asked, "Hoshimi, what should we do now? Are we really going to..."
Yukino's lips opened and closed several times, but she couldn't bring herself to say the word "marriage."
Things were moving too fast, and she was struggling to keep up.
And if they do get engaged, Hoshimi would surely move in with her, and then...
"Ugh~" Yukino's legs weakened, and she felt as if all the strength in her body was being drained away like silk being unraveled.
"Yeah..." Hoshimi lifted his head, sighing with emotion: "We're really going to get married..."
"..." Yukino's breath quickened, and she lowered her head, her face flushed with embarrassment.
She leaned forward, resting her head against Hoshimi's chest, and softly responded: "Yes..."
"..." Hoshimi's eye twitched.
Something was off—Yukino's reaction wasn't what he had expected.
He had imagined she would be flustered, asking him what to do. But instead, she agreed all of a sudden?
Uh-oh, there's been a slight hiccup in the plan—how should I wrap this up now?
Hoshimi's eyes darted around, and he quickly came up with a solution.
He placed his hands on Yukino's delicate shoulders, bent his knees, and lowered himself to meet her gaze.
"Yukino, since we're going to get engaged, does that mean we can..." Hoshimi teased with a mischievous smile, his meaning clear.
Blushing deeply, Yukino turned her head away and softly murmured: "...No, we have to wait until... um~"
Yukino wanted to say "until we're married," but she couldn't get the words out when it came to "marriage."
It felt like a playful kitten, its soft paw resting on her heart, and whenever she thought about "marriage," the paw would scratch her, making her heart race to the point where she couldn't speak.
"Yukino, after we get engaged, we should be able to live together, right?" Hoshimi's eyes sparkled as if he was plotting something.
"..." Yukino, who had turned away, remained silent, taking it as her way of agreeing with Hoshimi's suggestion.
She knew that if they really got engaged, there wouldn't be any issue with them living together.
Her parents wouldn't have any objections, and it would be acceptable in name...
But if they did live together, given Hoshimi's tendency to push his luck, they'd probably end up...
"Yukino, if you don't say anything, I'll take it as your agreement, okay?" Hoshimi's eyes gleamed with mischief, but deep down, a hint of relief flickered.
"..." Yukino's lips parted, then closed again, and she eventually acquiesced.
"That's great." Hoshimi stood up straight and hugged the now soft Yukino in his arms, whispering, "In a few years, we'll be able to live together. Isn't that wonderful..."
At first, Yukino, immersed in the warmth of Hoshimi's embrace, didn't realize what was wrong.
But two seconds later, Yukino suddenly felt something was off.
She carefully replayed Hoshimi's words in her mind.
"Engaged, then living together."
"In a few years, we'll be living together..."
A flash of insight hit Yukino, and she seemed to understand something. She gently placed her hands on Hoshimi's waist and quietly asked, "Hoshimi, why did you say 'a few years later'?"
"Ahahaha~" Hoshimi laughed heartily, subtly tightening his hold on Yukino.
He couldn't let go now—if he did, he might have to face 'Demon Yukino.'
Realizing the truth, Yukino used both hands to pinch the soft flesh at Hoshimi's waist, angrily muttering, "Hoshimi! You jerk! Idiot! Fool! Today, I won't rest until I defeat you! Let go of me!"
"Ouch, ouch~~ it hurts~" Hoshimi, having numbed the pain in his waist, convincingly cried out in pain, "Yukino-chan, it hurts~~ be gentle~~"
"Hoshimi! Kiyokawa!"
The more Yukino thought about her embarrassed state earlier, the more her anger grew.
She struggled vigorously in Hoshimi's arms, still pinching the soft flesh at his waist.
"Hoshimi! Kiyokawa! Let go of me!"
"I'm not letting go. Yukino-chan is so soft and smells so nice. Why should I let go?"
"Hoshimi!!"
Having struggled in vain, Yukino suddenly bit Hoshimi's shoulder.
She bit down hard, and it wasn't until the fabric of Hoshimi's clothes showed hints of red that she let go, feeling both heartache and helplessness.
Filled with pent-up frustration, she pressed her head against Hoshimi's chin, rubbing back and forth to vent her emotions, before gradually calming down.
"Yukino-chan..." Hoshimi softly called in her ear.
"Hmph!" Yukino coldly snorted, refusing to respond to this wicked man.
"Yukino-chan, my aunt knows your name, but she didn't ask too many questions. She trusts me to handle my personal matters..." Hoshimi gently explained.
"Hmph!" Knowing she had been tricked, Yukino coldly replied, "Hoshimi, if you ever dare to mess with me like this again, don't expect it to end easily!"
"Hmm." Hoshimi responded.
Indeed, there won't be a next time—now that he knows Yukino's attitude, the next time will have to be the real deal...
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