Chapter 221: Under the Pillow

“Akane, just now… I was too nervous.”

“Huh? What is Aina Onee-san saying?”

Kaoru Hoshitani was stunned for a moment, holding that bowl of steaming light rice porridge, standing by the table looking somewhat at a loss.

He had thought that the suffocating silence just now would turn into an argument, like a thunderbolt exploding from flat ground, catching him off guard.

“Hmm… you still look like you blame yourself.”

Aina Saiten lowered her head and gently stirred the thick rice porridge in the bowl with a spoon, steam rising and blurring her brows and eyes.

She quietly changed her tone, as if shedding all defenses and sharpness, turning into a pool of gentle spring water:

“These things really helped a lot, I shouldn’t have pressed you like that. Maybe… she really meant well.”

Kaoru Hoshitani was speechless, he stared blankly at Aina Saiten, unable to give an answer.

He knew he had actually done something wrong; between hiding the address and accepting the gift, he simply couldn’t give a perfect answer.

He was never someone good at handling complex emotions, but Aina didn’t continue to pursue the matter, instead she took the initiative to take a step back.

She didn’t continue to dwell on the source and details of those packages, sitting quietly like a piece of white paper that had been smoothed out again, so clean it made one’s heart ache, making one unable to bear splashing even a drop of black ink on such paper.

“Aina Onee-san…” Kaoru Hoshitani put down the porridge, a layer of moisture welling up in his eyes, “Are you not angry at me anymore?”

“Eat something, I just said it casually, it’s okay.” Aina Saiten smiled, though her complexion still had the paleness of just recovering from a serious illness, her clear eyes were full of comfort.

“Actually…” Aina lowered her somewhat weak eyes, “When Akane is willing to tell me, it’s okay to tell me then. The porridge Akane made is very fragrant… She could send these, it must be because you asked her, right?”

Kaoru Hoshitani watched Aina Saiten sip the porridge, the warm sweet fragrance seemed to dispel the chill on his body.

But when his gaze swept over the ingredients of that bowl of porridge, his heart suddenly felt as if it had been stung by something.

The temperature of this bowl of porridge, the ratio of rice to water, even the light side dishes for the meal… were all prepared by him ten minutes ago, exactly as the few lines of text on the screen instructed.

The few clumsy words used to soothe Aina Onee-san just now were also taught by Chika.

He was clearly sitting right here, sitting beside Aina Onee-san, but for some reason, he always felt as if there was something between them.

The air was filled with an indescribable Dislocation Sensation. This bowl of porridge that he had personally brought over, yet he felt like a clumsy marionette.

Aina Saiten picked up the bowl containing the rice porridge, the warm ceramic outer wall soothing her palm.

She took a small sip, the fragrance of rice lingering on her tongue, but the moment she swallowed, she inexplicably felt cold.

The tiny abnormality was like a whisper by her ear with no source, it murmured, instigated, sometimes patiently guiding, sometimes harsh and sharp.

‘Is this just an Incident? Did Akane really just ask a few casual questions in desperation?’

In her mind, which had never been good at pretending, so many secret thoughts swirled for the first time.

She didn’t dare look at The Boy beside her, only deeply tucked her hands into the pockets of her trench coat, her fingertips touching the crumpled delivery slip, feeling the string of cold time printed on it.

If it were before, she would have without hesitation slapped that paper on the table, loudly asking all her doubts. But now, she just quietly drank the porridge.

She even smiled at The Boy, a flawless smile.

When a person wants to hide something, even she herself feels afraid.

‘How could she lie to him? He was clearly the person she most wanted to protect.’

But at this very moment, she learned to swallow all her sharpness.

After clearing the dishes, Kaoru Hoshitani hid in the narrow Restroom.

The cold water from the faucet ran with a “splash”, he stared at his tired yet relieved face in the Mirror, and took out that black Mobile Phone from his pocket.

The screen lit up, a new message from Chika lay quietly there.

He had thought Chika would explain to him, like how she found this short-term rental Apartment in Hokkaido through his few words, or ask him for credit whether the supplies helped.

He had even already found excuses for Chika in his heart, prepared that even if the other party slightly overstepped, he would try to accept it.

But on the screen, there was no lengthy explanation, only two light short sentences:

[Don’t rush to tell her. She can’t handle any more right now.]

[Xun Jun, being able to hold these back for her is already very impressive.]

Kaoru Hoshitani’s breath suddenly caught.

He stood frozen in place, in The Bathroom there was only the “splash” of water hitting the sink.

He had originally prepared to be questioned, but these few lines seemed to suddenly drain all his strength.

He should have felt afraid—the other party had found this place without permission.

But why… when seeing these few sentences, did his shoulders uncontrollably relax?

He even let out a long breath.

That feeling of relief spread like poison.

‘Is this considered praise?’

‘Or just simple comfort?’

‘Why did Chika use this tone with him?’

‘That’s betrayal…’

But in his heart, he couldn’t muster the slightest resistance.

Those guilt feelings that had originally suffocated him were gently held up in these few words.

He leaned against the cold tiles, letting this terrifying sense of relief completely engulf him.

The night deepened, the cold wind outside howled past the dark Street of Hokkaido.

The heater in the room still emitted a low hum, Kaoru Hoshitani lay on the outer side of the Bed, his breathing gradually becoming even.

Aina Saiten faced the wall, not asleep.

The weakness of just recovering from a serious illness was still there, but her nerves were as clear as a taut bowstring.

From behind came an extremely faint sound of fabric rubbing.

Aina didn’t turn around, only slightly opened her eyes by the faint halo of streetlight coming through the window.

At the edge of her blurred vision, she saw Kaoru Hoshitani carefully turn on his side, stuffing a black rectangular object back under his own pillow.

Just at the moment that object was about to be completely hidden, the screen was accidentally touched and lit up for an instant.

The glaring fluorescent light flickered briefly in the dim room, illuminating The Boy’s brows and eyes full of complexity and guilt.

And at the top of the lit screen, a new message was clearly displayed:

[You’ve worked hard today too, Xun Jun. Don’t let Miss Aina find out, she’ll be scared.]

Just then, Aina Saiten seemed to feel a little cold in her sleep, and gently moved a little closer to him.

The warm breath almost brushed against his shoulder.

Kaoru Hoshitani’s body suddenly stiffened, his fingers as if electrified, first desperately pressed the black Mobile Phone under the pillow.

He didn’t go to embrace the body beside him that was seeking warmth due to weakness, he just held his breath, his whole body tense like a fully drawn bowstring, the veins on the back of his hand slightly bulging from the effort, afraid that the cold screen would leak even a trace of light.

The light vanished in an instant, the room plunged back into bottomless darkness.

Aina Saiten still had her back to him, her eyes tightly closed, but under the thick quilt, her fingers clenched the bedsheet tightly.