He turned swiftly, the sound of running water still audible from the bathroom, but unbeknownst to him, Otome Mizuko had already stepped out, draped in a bath towel.
A gleaming fruit knife was in her delicate little hand.
"Yumeko, what are you doing with the knife?"
Haruka Yuzan backed away, his attention focused entirely on the blade in her hand.
At this moment, Otome Mizuko licked her crimson lips. She stood regal and graceful as if she were a delicate flower blooming in rotten soil, stained by the darkness of night.
Her skin, pale as snow, glowed with a sickly pallor, a few stray locks of hair falling across her forehead, not quite concealing those enchantingly soul-capturing eyes.
"Haruka, why are you nervous?" ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel·fıre·net
Her voice was soft, with an underlying streak of madness.
"I'm not nervous, it's just that holding a knife in the middle of the night is quite frightening."
Haruka Yuzan calmed his inner turmoil and stepped off the bed to approach the young lady.
"Slicing fruit, would you like some?"
Otome Mizuko's tone was emotionless.
"Didn't we just have fruit?" Haruka Yuzan quietly asked, fearful of inadvertently angering the young lady.
Even with resurrection armor, who would want to die without reason?
"Why won't you eat mine?"
Otome Mizuko lifted her head, her piercing and chilly gaze more startling than the fruit knife beside her.
"I will, I'll eat your fruit."
Otome Mizuko went to the table on her own, picked up an apple from the fruit plate, and truly began to peel it.
Yet, Haruka Yuzan couldn't shake the feeling that each slice was being carved off him.
"Here, Haruka, the apple is peeled."
Otome Mizuko handed the apple to Haruka.
He accepted it and, after one more glance at the girl's cold gaze, slowly began to eat.
The crisp sound in the quiet bedroom was especially jarring, the apple's sweet and sour taste refreshingly palatable, and with the juice bursting forth, Haruka Yuzan's spirits lifted.
Upon seeing Otome Mizuko clean the fruit knife and place it back on the table, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Haruka, go take a bath."
Otome Mizuko sat beside the desk, smiling sweetly at Haruka Yuzan.
After Haruka Yuzan finished the apple, he tossed the core into the trash can.
He entered the bathroom.
The bathtub was already filled with water, topped with a layer of rose petals, with misty steam rising softly like a delicate veil.
Haruka Yuzan stepped in, the water spilling over, embracing a total relaxation.
"It seems like Yumeko's state is still somewhat unstable..."
"I need to be cautious while sleeping tonight."
"What a headache... if only I were in the world of fiction, I wouldn't have to worry about the future, just head straight to the big finale."
After soaking in the bath, Haruka Yuzan got up slowly and rinsed himself with the shower.
After bathing, when he emerged from the bathroom, he discovered that the bedroom was lit with a warm yellow light, and Otome Mizuko was sitting at the vanity quietly applying makeup in front of the mirror.
Her fingers delicately twirled a lipstick, her eyes reflecting an unruffled stillness like a bride before her wedding, and then she slowly applied the lipstick to her lips, her movements gentle yet with a hint of madness, the deep red color looking especially enchanting in the dim light.
"Yumeko, why are you putting on makeup?"
Haruka Yuzan felt a shiver of unease; everyone else was ready to take off their makeup late at night, why were you applying it alone?
"I'm going to sleep soon, a bit of makeup will make you happier."
Is she really thinking of my happiness?
Haruka Yuzan still found everything very strange, but when he saw the fruit knife still lying on the table, he also let out a sigh of relief.
The knife hasn't been touched, so everything should be okay, right?
[One-time special item: Brother Cheng's Confession!]
[Passive item usage: Activates after the landlord dies from a crime of passion, allowing the player to resurrect once!]
[Evaluation: Brother Cheng will only regret not having another chance to do it all over again!]
It's okay, I have a Resurrection Coin, I can do it all over again.
Haruka Yuzan took a deep breath.
He felt that he couldn't just sit around waiting for death; he had to take real action to influence Yumeko.
Approaching the young lady, Haruka Yuzan gently rested his hand on Otome Mizuko's shoulder, feeling the tenderness of her skin, he whispered, "Yumeko, you are truly beautiful."
"Thank you, Haruka, I will always keep in this state, in the future, forever, it will always be ."
The atmosphere got a bit peculiar, Haruka Yuzan just felt a tingling sensation on his scalp.
"Yumeko, I love you."
"I love you too, Haruka."
Otome Mizuko's fingers gently touched the back of his hand, "Alright, Haruka, go back to bed first, I will be ready soon."
"Do you have other relationships with anyone besides Kaori and Mai? Like... Ogata Yuriko?"
The girl's voice wasn't loud but it clearly reached everyone's ears.
"No, there's really nothing between Yuriko and me."
Haruka Yuzan spoke with sincerity, indeed, there was nothing between him and Ogata Yuriko, as for relationships with others? He cleverly didn't answer that.
But who would have thought, the typically dull and silly little delinquent girl would sharply catch the loophole in the boy's response: "If there's nothing between you and Ogata Yuriko, then what about the others?"
Kiyotaka Sayaka's tone was very firm, so firm that it seemed like she held undeniable evidence in her hands.
What on earth could it be that gives the young lady such confidence?
"Should be, might be, perhaps, probably... there's nothing else... I guess..."
This scene, simply suffocating.
Hanai Mai and Teraoka Kaori both wanted to disappear on the spot!!
It was truly unbearable.
Kiyotaka Sayaka crossed her arms and just kept staring at him.
Haruno Haruka felt a bit uneasy being stared at and finally let out a helpless sigh, "Alright, alright, actually, Mai, Kaori..."
"Nonsense, nonsense!!"
Teraoka Kaori quickly stood up to retort, her pale cheeks visibly reddened, "I, I did not!!"
Her voice got weaker and weaker, already looking guilty...
Please, big sis, we've been caught red-handed, won't you admit it?
Under everyone's gaze, Teraoka Kaori had no choice but to lower her head, "Alright, alright, there's a little bit..."
Kiyotaka Sayaka gave her a disdainful glance but didn't speak.
She continued staring at Haruno Haruka, "Go on."
Haruno Haruka took in a sharp breath, he suddenly realized, the young lady had known everything from the start!!
"What's the deal with Aunt Momodani and Aunt Uehara?"
Kiyotaka Sayaka countered.