"Reika? Aunt?"
Frowning, Sasaki thought for a moment and then shook his head:
"I don't remember her."
"Hmm."
Not surprised by his lack of recollection, she continued:
"Back then, Reika, your mother, and I were very close classmates."
"Your mother went back to the countryside with your father, while Reika and I had to make ends meet with small businesses because we needed to support our children."
"So, your Aunt Reika and I were partners and also good friends with your mom. You also have a close relationship with them," Tachibana Kyouka explained her connections very briefly and vaguely.
Sasaki did not press further.
After all, it seemed unimportant, and if she didn't want to elaborate, prying might seem a bit rude.
So, he followed her lead and asked:
"Is there something concerning Aunt Reika?"
"Um~" Kyouka responded with a languid, muffled voice and began, "As you now know, 'White Lily' company was founded by your Aunt Reika and me, and our shares will eventually go to our children."
"Reika and her daughter have a strained relationship. She's worried that if her daughter takes over the company, she might not manage it well, so..."
"So she's looking for someone to tie our two families together?"
Understanding Aunt Kyouka's implications, Sasaki's hands moved to her back, kneading and pressing as he asked:
"That person is me?"
The pure white fabric of the cushion bulged from the sides under his pressure.
Tachibana Kyoka tried to lift herself slightly to avoid Sasaki's occasionally wandering fingers.
But his pressing was too firm, and realizing she couldn't get up and that he seemed oblivious to this, she lay back down and simply responded:
"Um..."
Without delving too deep into her reasons for fear of him overthinking, she asked again:
"What do you think about this?"
"I, well..." Knowing why they chose him, Sasaki didn't mind.
So, when she asked for his thoughts, hw replied with a laugh:
"If Aunt Reika's daughter is a beautiful girl, I'll agree."
It's normal for boys to like pretty girls.
Tachibana Kyoyka wasn't surprised by this straightforward answer but found it both helpless and amusing:
"You, huh~"
"Don't worry. When your Aunt Reika was in school, she was known as a distant flower."
"Her daughter is just as beautiful as her mother, though you might need to be a bit more tolerant of her personality..."
Unlocking her phone charging by the bed, Kyouka opened her photo album.
Then showe photos of Reika and her daughter, Reina to the boy.
Handing over the phone, Sasaki adjusted Kyouka's positioning, placing light pressure on her soft thighs as he examined the photograph of the blonde beauty.
From the angle, the photo seemed to be taken sneakily, so the woman's full appearance wasn't completely visible.
But some people, just with their profile, are captivating enough to steal the scene.
The blonde beauty in the photo was just such a person.
Her soft, wavy golden hair cascaded naturally to her waist, adorned simply, perhaps just out of preference, with no jewelry.
She wore a high-end burgundy blazer over a plain white shirt.
Her long, shapely legs were enclosed in black tights, extending into a tightly stretched burgundy skirt due to her crossed legs.
On her feet were white fluffy slippers.
Due to her legs being crossed, Sasaki could see her small feet in the tights, the arches stressed from pointing her toes, causing wrinkles in the tights between the toes curled upward.
Though the slippers didn't match her glamorous attire and mature charm, they made her look less intimidating while she browsed through documents.
After looking at this photo that was even better than the game illustration, Sasaki praised:
"Aunt Reika is very pretty, though she looks a bit cold."
"She's like that when she's working. Normally, she's a bit tough and strict when speaking, but that can't be helped; there always needs to be someone tough in the company."
"When you talk to her in the future, no matter what you think of what she says, don't directly contradict her. It's not only useless, but it will also make her angry, you know?"
"Understood."
Sasaki nodded and swiped to view the next photo.
The girl in the photo also had waist-length golden hair and bore a strong resemblance to Aunt Reika.
However, the differences were clear; the girl in the photo appeared more youthful and her demeanor was distinct from Reika's.
Both had a habit of arching their eyebrows, projecting a sense of authority.
But Aunt Reika exuded the aura of a dominant and unyielding sovereign, cold and intolerant of dissent.
Any 'animal' that dared enter her territory had to behave according to her whims.
The daughter, by contrast, lacked some of her mother's charisma.
Dressed in a white blouse with a jacket tied around her waist, she resembled a fiery young woman but seemed more like a proud and aloof cat who disdained everyone.
Consequently, she appeared more 'adorable' than her mother.
After all, not everyone can handle a big cat, but managing a big cat can be more thrilling than handling a small one...
With these observations, Sasaki remarked:
"She definitely deserves to be called Aunt Reika's daughter, huh? Yes, she's a very attractive beauty."
After finishing his review, and placing the phone beside Kyouka's pillow, he sat up and continued the massage he had started earlier, saying:
"But compared to you, Aunt Kyouka, and Sister Koharu and Sister Yuuka, they still fall a bit short."
"Aunt Reika and her daughter, they look very strong-willed."
Feeling a little pleased with Sasaki's favoritism, Kyouka said:
"That's true, so it won't be easy for Fuyumi to take her down~."
The boy chuckled quietly, but did not respond, instead focused on massaging Tachibana Kyouka.
She had talked about the two families becoming one.
But she never asked him to choose between Sister Yuuka and Sister Koharu.
And given their desire to 'become one family,' they wouldn't make him choose between the two on her side.
After all, to forsake someone would contradict their goal of 'becoming one family.'
So, Aunt Kyouka almost made it clear that he could 'have it all.'
She hadn't stated any strict conditions for his wanting 'everything,' only that he needed to work hard.
Facing this beautiful aunt, who was handing him the keys to a crystal palace, Sasaki had no way to repay her, so he could only...
With silent joy and gratitude filling his heart,
Seizing the moment, Sasaki leaned down and gently pressed a kiss on Kyouka's smooth back.
"Eh!?"
Being attacked suddenly, her panic as sudden as her body jolting upward, spiked to its peak.
Before Tachibana Kyouka could articulate her flustered questions,
Without waiting for Kyouka to ask in a panic, Sasaki, who was not surprised by her reaction, gently stroked her back, coaxing her lie down on the bed again, and assured her:
"Aunt Kyouka, I'll take good care of Sister Koharu and Sister Koharu!"
"But I prefer…"
The second half of his sentence, which was interrupted abruptly, was like a bunch of weeds randomly stuffed into her heart, making her feel suffocated and uncomfortable.
Tachibana Kyouka wasn't sure what he wanted to say next, but the rough thumb rubbing against her waist represented, to a large extent, what he wanted to say.
His smooth action easily broke through her supposedly impregnable excuse.
She wanted to say something scolding to dispel his presumptuous notions.
But her throat felt as if it was stuffed with cotton, and no matter how hard she tried, she could only silently open and close her mouth like a fish stranded on shore.
She found a legitimate explanation for her desire to reveal something but her inability to say it out loud.
That was because she was afraid that Fuyumi would do something stupid after hearing his rejection.
'After all, he just recovered not long ago... He can't be stimulated...'
'If I decisively reject him, something bad will happen...'
So it was better to act as if she hadn't heard his next words.
With that thought, Tachibana Kyouka lay on the pillow, slowly closing her trembling eyelashes, pretending to be asleep.
Sasaki, meanwhile, was only making a feint, poking at the window paper lightly, with no intention of breaking it.
He needed to let Aunt Kyouka know, but not explicitly state his love for her.
Otherwise, her appearance of agreeing with him opening the Crystal Palace would make him feel a little uneasy.
Regardless of whether you are a man or a woman, you will only feel jealous when facing someone you like.
Perhaps she considered Yuka Koharu and Reina as her own family and felt there was no need to be jealous.
But Sasaki didn't want to take the risk.
What if it's not?
What if she had prepared herself mentally, such as treating him as a junior, family member, or child?
He was sure that Aunt Kyouka had feelings for him.
But if you want these good feelings to take root and sprout, apart from spending years together, the only way is to get rid of the panic in her heart.
When she is sure that you like her, keep doing small things to increase your affection for her and break down the psychological defenses she has built up.
After all, there is a big gap between the two...
The more her fondness increased, the more fearful she became inside.
After all, gap between them wasn't so easily bridged.
After indicating his intentions, Sasaki did not engage in any further inappropriate behavior.
Just like the previous night, he massaged her for over half an hour, then quietly got off the bed.
Then he walked slowly to the bed, looked at her peaceful face lying on the pillow pretending to be asleep, gently put his arms around her neck, and laid her flat on the bed.
He pulled the thin blanket from the end of the bed and covered her with it.
Then gently touched her smooth forehead, slowly lowering his head.
"Goodnight, Kyouka."
Turning off the lamp on the bedside table with a cluck, Sasaki walked out of the room in the dark quietly closing the door behind him.
Click——
The moment the door closed, Kyouka slowly opened her eyes, which sparkled with complex emotions.
Staring at the pitch-black ceiling, where nothing could be seen, slightly parted her lips, and responded softly:
"Goodnight, Fuyumi."
.
.
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