232: Kasumigaoka's Request

"You're back."

Seeing the two of them walking into the Butterfly Mansion together, Kanae's tone was as calm as ever, a gentle smile hanging on her lips. Her hands didn't stop grinding the medicine. However, to Shinobu's ears, these words sounded like teasing that saw through everything, making her heart, which hadn't yet settled, skip another beat.

"Ugh..."

She let out a tiny, almost coquettish whimper and took a few quick steps, diving into her sister's soft, fragrant embrace. She buried her burning cheeks deep inside, like a child seeking shelter.

Kanae put down the pestle and gently embraced her younger sister, one hand lightly patting her back while her smiling gaze turned toward Lin Luo standing at the door. "Did you bully our little Shinobu again?"

Lin Luo licked the corner of his mouth, where a hint of sweet fragrance seemed to remain. He smiled like a cat that had successfully stolen a treat. "It's because Shinobu is too cute; I couldn't help... teasing her a little."

"Hmph," Kanae puffed out her cheeks in a rare display of annoyance, "I'm jealous, you know. Luo-kun only teases Shinobu."

Lin Luo immediately leaned over and gave her puffed-up cheek a quick kiss, his tone soft enough to melt ice. "Don't be angry, don't be angry. Kanae is the best."

This public display of affection caused Shinobu, who was buried in Kanae's arms, to stiffen slightly. The tips of her ears visible on the outside turned so red they looked like they might bleed.

Lin Luo saw it and thought it was incredibly cute. He couldn't resist reaching out his finger to lightly tap the bright red ear tip.

"Eek!" Shinobu sat bolt upright like a startled rabbit, covering her ears and glaring at him with flushed cheeks. "W-what are you doing!"

"Acting like an ostrich," Lin Luo chuckled, reaching out to ruffle the top of her hair. "What's there to be shy about in front of the two of us?"

"I... I'm not! I don't want to talk to you anymore..." Shinobu's eyes darted around, her watery gaze looking everywhere but at the person in front of her. The memory of the kiss just now and her sister's knowing look made her feel completely uneasy.

"Mhm," Kanae nodded at the right time, gently holding her sister's hand and issuing an 'eviction notice' to Lin Luo. "I don't want to talk to Luo-kun right now either. We sisters have secrets to share, so... hurry up and go?"

She tilted her head, her smile gentle but carrying an unquestionable meaning.

"Kanae..." Lin Luo drawled out her name, trying to act spoiled to win her over.

Kanae just looked at him quietly. Her purple eyes were filled with a gentle smile, but also a hint of insistence that 'now is the time to leave us alone.'

Lin Luo met her gaze. After a moment, he had no choice but to submissively raise both hands in a gesture of surrender. "Alright, alright, then I'll head back first."

"Be careful on the way," Kanae smiled and reminded him.

Lin Luo turned and walked to the door. Just as he was about to step out of the room, he suddenly stopped and looked back.

The afternoon sunlight shone into the room from behind him, outlining him in a warm halo. He looked at the two sisters snuggled together in the room, his gaze lingering on Kanae's gentle face and Shinobu's still-flushed profile. A bright and sincere smile curved his lips, and his voice was clear and tender:

"Kanae, Shinobu..."

He paused, his smile deepening.

"I love you guys."

After saying that, without waiting for a reaction, he turned with a laugh, his figure blending into the brilliant sunlight and the shadows of the wisteria flowers outside.

Inside the room, the sisters were quiet for a moment because of this sudden and blunt confession.

Then, Kanae burst into a giggle, pulling Shinobu—whose face was so red it was almost steaming—even tighter into her arms. She lightly rubbed her chin against the top of Shinobu's head, her voice full of soft warmth:

"What an... idiot."

Shinobu didn't speak; she just buried her face deeper into her sister's shoulder. However, the corner of her mouth secretly curled up into a tiny smile that she couldn't suppress no matter what.

"The old man just left like that? He didn't even eat a meal. What's the rush?" Lin Luo returned to Ye Nianyao's side from the Butterfly Mansion. Upon learning that Lin Zhenyue had already set off to return to the country, he muttered a casual comment.

Ye Nianyao was flipping through the documents in her hand, not even looking up. "Grandpa Lin specifically instructed me before leaving to 'discipline' you properly." Her voice was flat, but it carried a hint of imperceptible scrutiny. Her nose seemed to catch the faint, lingering scent of an elegant floral fragrance from another woman on him.

"I'll definitely be good! I promise to follow the organization's arrangements!" Lin Luo immediately stood up straight, putting on a well-behaved look, his tone so sincere it was practically dripping.

Only then did Ye Nianyao look up, glancing at him sideways as she slowly put down the documents. "Oh? You'll be good? Fine then. First thing: cut off all those relationships with the 'flowers and grass' you have outside."

"Ah!" Lin Luo immediately looked up at the sky, exaggeratedly checking a non-existent watch. "It's getting late! Sister Nianyao, shouldn't we go home and eat? I'm hungry!" As he spoke, he stood up, stretching his limbs with great ceremony. The whole sequence was fluid, but he turned a deaf ear to Ye Nianyao's previous sentence, acting as if he hadn't heard it at all.

Ye Nianyao's eye twitched slightly, and she was just about to lose her temper when—

Bang!

The door was pushed open violently from the outside, the force so great that the door panel hit the wall with a dull thud.

Standing at the doorway was a tall girl with black hair and red eyes. Her chest was heaving slightly from running fast. It was Kasumigaoka Utaha, the newcomer Ye Nianyao had recently taken a liking to.

"Mentor!!"

Her voice carried a rare panic. When her gaze swept over Lin Luo in the room, she paused visibly, a flash of complex and indecipherable emotion crossing her eyes before she urgently focused back on Ye Nianyao.

Ye Nianyao's brow furrowed, instinctively displeased by such a reckless interruption. But after seeing it was Kasumigaoka, she suppressed her dissatisfaction. This child was usually calm and clever; for her to lose her composure like this, there must be something important.

"What is it? Why are you in such a panic?" Ye Nianyao's voice returned to its usual coldness.

Kasumigaoka Utaha stepped forward quickly, ignoring Lin Luo beside her. She leaned over to Ye Nianyao's desk and whispered in a low, pleading voice, "Mentor, please... there's something I want to ask for your help with." She spoke very fast, her eyes a mix of anxiety, determination, and a hint of hard-to-mention embarrassment.

Lin Luo raised an eyebrow and tactfully shrugged. He mouthed "I'm out" to Ye Nianyao and turned to slip out the door—perfect, he didn't have to face that deadly question from just now.

"I'll wait for you at home," he whispered quickly as he passed by Ye Nianyao.

Ye Nianyao waved him off irritably, signaling for him to get lost.

The door was gently closed, leaving only Ye Nianyao and the urgent-looking Kasumigaoka Utaha in the room. The air seemed to tighten because of this sudden interruption and Kasumigaoka's solemn expression.

Ye Nianyao leaned back in her chair, her finger tapping the desk. "Tell me, what is it?"

"Aki Tomoya... was taken away by Kibutsuji Muzan's people." Kasumigaoka Utaha's voice tightened slightly as she suppressed her emotions. "Mentor, I want to ask you to..."

"Is that so?" Ye Nianyao interrupted her, leaning forward slightly, her gaze as sharp as a blade. "Are you sure... it wasn't his own choice to go?"

"Absolutely not!" Kasumigaoka Utaha snapped her head up, her red eyes under her black hair flashing with conviction and urgency. "I know my Junior! He might be naive, he might be stubborn, but he could never agree with the ideals of those man-eating demons, let alone follow them willingly! He must have been forced, or... he was deceived!"

Ye Nianyao leaned back in her chair, her fingertips tapping lightly on the desk, letting out a short sneer. "It seems you haven't truly seen through this 'Junior' of yours. Kasumigaoka, what I'm more curious about is—" she looked directly at her with a piercing gaze, "Why did you choose him?"

This question was like a needle, accurately piercing one of Kasumigaoka Utaha's old wounds. Her face turned slightly pale, and her fingers unconsciously gripped the hem of her clothes. She fell silent for a few seconds before speaking in a low voice, her tone carrying an unshakeable persistence:

"Because... when I was at my most difficult time, almost about to give up everything, it was my Junior who reached out and gave me a hand. He might not be strong enough, or mature enough, but he gave me hope. Now that he's in trouble, I can't... and shouldn't give up on him."

"Heh," Ye Nianyao clicked her tongue softly, her tone unreadable—it could have been mockery or sentiment. "I thought you liked him."

Kasumigaoka Utaha's eyelashes fluttered, and the light in her eyes dimmed a bit. Past hazy feelings and present helplessness intertwined into a complex backdrop. She didn't deny it directly, but said in a tone that was almost a sigh:

"In the past... maybe there were feelings. But Mentor, not everyone..." she paused, her gaze seemingly wandering unconsciously over the spot where Lin Luo had just stood before quickly withdrawing, "...can be like Lin Luo."

Ye Nianyao's brow furrowed even tighter. She keenly caught this subtle comparison. Was it because Lin Luo was just here that he was subconsciously used as a reference? Or did Kasumigaoka Utaha mean something else?

Before she could think further, Kasumigaoka Utaha continued urgently, her voice carrying a plea and a hint of imperceptible self-deprecation. "What I mean is... I understand that if I'm not strong enough, I don't even have the right to choose who to protect, and I might even become a burden. So, Mentor..."

She took a deep breath and bowed deeply to Ye Nianyao.

"Please, could you... go with me to bring my Junior back? I know this is presumptuous, and I know the risks involved, but I really have no other way. At least, let me do what I can... to repay that favor."

"Troublesome."

Ye Nianyao spat out those two words succinctly and stood up from her seat. She walked to Kasumigaoka Utaha's side, offering no extra comfort or encouragement, only giving her a look with those calm eyes.

This flat reaction actually made the tension in Kasumigaoka Utaha's shoulders relax a bit—she knew this Mentor too well. Not directly rejecting or reprimanding her meant there was room for maneuver, and even... it was already a form of tacit consent.

"Mentor, then..." she began tentatively.

Ye Nianyao didn't give her a chance to follow up, walking straight to the door. Only when her hand was on the handle did she turn her head and drop a casual sentence: "I'm going back now. Coming?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha pursed her lips, her fingertips curling unconsciously. "...No thanks."