Thanks to Rae stepping up and easing the situation for us, the next few minutes we were inside their home were spent just expanding on the common ground that we reached.
Despite my girl getting very embarrassed at our sudden team-up of showering her with our praises, she still managed to one-up us by pulling us both to the living room where the girl asked us to hug her as if we were her parents.
Alright. That was pretty weird. Nonetheless, I could tell that Rae was simply expressing her joy in finally clearing up the blunder that I made last week. Although Yoko-san would probably continue to be wary of my presence and keep her distance, at least the disdain in her eyes lessened considerably. I still needed to be careful around her though, lest I draw her ire. She was pretty spooked last week, after all.
Anyway, while we're still huddled up, I also didn't miss this chance to let the woman understand that… I am basically aware of everything regarding her relationship with Rae. I opened up about being aware of their connection that started from that party and pretty much everything Rae was thinking.
For example, how the girl wanted to reconnect with her and restore the friendship or closeness they shared back then when Rae looked up to her as an older sister, find out what exactly happened to the woman more than two years ago, and lastly, the exact reason why she showed up again as a maid in this mansion.
She stared at me with narrowed eyes again, perhaps trying to discern my intention.
Obviously, that didn't yield us any new information regarding her half a year of disappearance or the status of her adopted parents that were said to have disappeared without a trace. Nonetheless, maybe for the sake of sparing Rae from investigating it and digging into things that she shouldn't know, Yoko-san assured her that one of the prevalent reasons why she's with Rae now is her wish to be by the girl's side.
With how tightlipped she is, I guess that's more than enough at the moment. She has her reasons why she's keeping her silence. And even after two years, she's probably still not confident to get Rae involved in whatever situation she has gotten herself into.
After a while, seeing that the tension had already disappeared around us, Rae reiterated that her choice to come home with me tonight hasn't changed, causing a small, expected reaction from Yoko-san.
Although she looked like she wanted to oppose that decision, Yoko-san eventually closed her eyes and took a deep breath as though she was trying to accept that she wouldn't be able to change Rae's mind no matter what she says.
And once that's done, she nodded at Rae before throwing a reminder to me, "Please take care of Hon-chan…"
"Mhm. I will. We'll also update you once we arrive home."
"Yes! Yoko-neesan can rest easy. This guy is so considerate that he doesn't even hesitate to vilify himself for my sake. I trust and believe in him."
Rae also chimed in, most likely to give further reassurance to the woman.
Without saying anything else, Yoko-san escorted us back to their front gate.
Before leaving, Rae hugged and thanked Yoko-san one last time. She'll be left behind alone in that mansion and since the girl's parents might call and ask for Rae, she'll also deal with making an excuse why the girl cannot attend to them.
There's only a small chance for that to happen anyway. Rae has already taken measures so that her parents won't call her tonight. For example, informing them that she's busy with her studies as well as her new book. It's not a secret to them that she loves stuffing her head with more knowledge.
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We took a bus home and the same as before, we got ourselves a little private corner at the back. Well, since we're going to do it at home, Rae and I limited our intimacy to just kisses and hugs as we talked about a lot of things. Starting from our first meeting at the Literature Club leading up to today.
Our relationship would be leveling up tonight. Although one could say that it's already at its highest point even without going through with our first time making love with each other, it's undeniable that there's a difference in it.
She wouldn't feel envious of the other girls anymore. She admitted to feeling that way, after all.
In any case, more than the call for the carnal desire we have for each other, it would also feel like stepping up to adulthood for her…
Both of us experienced a lot of change in our mindset over these past few months. The girl gave up completely relying only on her knowledge while I pushed down my insatiable desire and started making an effort to be responsible for the women in my life.
We still have a long journey ahead but tonight would definitely be a milestone for us.
"Ruki… I know we haven't fought yet but from some of the books I've read, they said that getting into disagreement is normal for people in a relationship… Will we also experience that?"
"Maybe? Life is not always as colorful as most people paint them to be. I'm sure somewhere down this road we're taking, we might have a clash in our opinion. However, I doubt it will have an impact on us. You see, I won't be able to sleep at night knowing that you or any of the girls are upset with me. While I won't always cave in, I will make sure to set aside our differences and work towards a common ground. Much like today with Yoko-san. We both care for you so the strained atmosphere cleared up once we agreed on that point."
Getting into this topic was a little unexpected but thinking about it, it's a valid concern. And so, my answer also considered it, and my words almost magically formed but it's all in line with what I think about it.
"I see. That's easy to understand because of that example… I think I also won't be able to sleep knowing that you're mad at me over something, Ruki… Uhm. I believe I will be calling you at night to try and fix that. Then by the end of it, I'll ask for your smile as you wish me good night. If that's not enough… I'll come to your house and sleep in the same bed as you."
"Well, I'll probably beat you on that. Before you knew it, I'm already at your house, ringing your doorbell. Yoko-san will be mad at me but she'll let me in nonetheless. And if need be, I'll be sleeping in your bed, cuddling you."
"Pfft. I knew you'd say that. You're always the type to not yield, after all. The only time you're doing that is when your considerate trait is at its highest. Uhm. I really love this. I'm glad I picked our school instead of the one my parents recommended."
"Oh. You mean the elite high school in Tokyo, huh?"
Right. She only mentioned it in passing but there was that possibility for her to enroll in another high school away from this city. With her parents' connections, they also wanted her to get the best education. Or so they thought.
"Elite, yet but more than that, it's a school for privileged children. It's all about connection there. Bullying is more rampant with many spoiled brats vying for their egotistic supremacy. My siblings all went there and they couldn't stop warning me from making the same choice. Glad I've done my research on it."
"I'd say that's where your knowledge shone the most. It helped you a lot with your decision. Sometimes, it also makes me wonder if I'm correct in changing the way your mind works."
Not liking what I said, Rae pouted and reached for my cheeks, pinching them as hard as she could. And while doing so, she opened her mouth, enlightening me with what was in her head, "You're correct. Don't doubt that again, idiot Ruki. I owe it to you. My friends started understanding me more and vice versa. And it's the same with Yoko-neesan. If I'm the same Hon-chan as before, I'll still believe that she just simply stopped caring for me and there's no way for us to return to our past relationship."
I raised my arm in surrender and retracted that last part of what I said. Following that, I returned to embracing her as I lightheartedly chuckled, "There we go. See how our disagreement went? It's resolved right away."
"Un. But even if I didn't act like that, I doubt you'll stand by what you said. You're very good at reading my mind."
"Well, at this point, you're all catching up on that ability of mine. I'm always an open book when it comes to you."
"Because Ruki, you're very expressive when you're with us or those you favored. It's too different from your usual cold facet that the public can see. Maybe you should work more on your poker face when around us?"
"Nah. I'm good. I can't have you all worry about me and leave you guessing. I also love being scolded and spoiled by you."
"Pfft. That sounds weird, idiot Ruki. Beware if the others misinterpret that as you being an M."
With a burst of hearty laughter, Rae slapped my shoulder as she expressed the silliness she picked up from my words.
Anyway, as our conversation continued like this, time swiftly passed. Before we knew it, the close to an hour trip to the nearest bus stop to our house ended and we reached our destination.
