dmims Page 85
Page 85
"I want to be with him."
"Because I can no longer imagine a future life without Gu Chuan."
Looking at her daughter's finally grown-up and determined appearance, Xiaobaihe's face showed a gratified and gentle smile.
She knew that her daughter had finally made a choice that belonged to her and that she would not regret.
She was proud of her daughter's deep affection.
At the same time, a faint, almost imperceptible bitterness, a feeling that only she could understand, called "the passing of youth," quietly welled up in her heart.
Perhaps, all I can do now is remain a bystander, silently watching over them and offering my blessings.
1y:%Cage Wife Dad & Strange Things Siwu 53 Nights and Dawn Prelude
Just as the ambiguous atmosphere in the next room was about to reach its peak.
The warm yet melancholic atmosphere that had just been established in Eriri's room was completely shattered by a sudden, suppressed, and intermittent "strange" sound.
The voice sounded like it was trying its best to endure something, or like it was helplessly begging for mercy. It was also mixed with bursts of sweet, uncontrolled giggles, as if it were being tickled by feathers.
"Ah...no...hahahaha...bastard...Gu Chuan..."
Although the sound was not loud, it was so clear and audible in the quiet of the night.
Sayuri's gentle embrace of her daughter suddenly froze.
Her usually gentle face, radiating maternal warmth, was uncontrollably flushed at this moment with an awkward, helpless blush mixed with a strange emotion she herself was unaware of.
As someone who's been through it all, how could she not understand what's happening next door?
She recognized from the voice almost immediately that the "suffering" heroine was none other than the proud young lady in red who had just moved in today—Rin Tohsaka.
omg...
On my side, I had just finished patiently comforting a young girl who was hurt by jealousy. 957
As it turns out, the culprit was actually having a very... passionate time with another girl in another room, just a wall away?
An unprecedented, absurd, and helpless feeling welled up in Xiaobaihe's heart.
Instinctively, she wanted to cover her daughter's ears, to shield her from the unhealthy, decadent music that was full of "adult" connotations.
However, she felt a sudden unease. The intimate atmosphere emanating from next door, filled with the primal pulse of life, seemed to penetrate the walls and relentlessly tug at the heartstrings of a mature woman who had long lived alone.
"Um... Eriri... the neighbors... are probably... just watching some weird comedy show... hehe..."
In a tone that even she found incredibly stiff and awkward, she tried to find a flimsy excuse for the chaotic scene.
However, Eriri in her arms remained unusually calm.
"……Um."
She simply responded softly, in a voice that was almost a whisper and devoid of any emotion.
But immediately after that response, Xiaobaihe clearly felt that her daughter's body in her arms suddenly became incredibly stiff, and the little hands that were tightly gripping her pajamas turned white from the force.
A tremendous pang of heartache and helplessness struck her mind like a bolt from the blue!
Her own daughter... this fifteen-year-old girl who was crying sadly because of jealousy just a second ago... is now using all her strength to suppress the pain and sorrow in her heart.
At that moment, all of Sayuri's psychological defenses as a "mother," an "elder," and a "moral exemplar" completely collapsed.
She looked at the ceiling, a self-deprecating, resigned, and somewhat resolute smile on her face.
To hell with morality.
To hell with his pretenses.
To hell with ethics.
From the very beginning, this home was not a normal place that could be measured by "common sense".
Since even her most precious daughter is already struggling painfully in this sweet vortex called "Gu Chuan," why should she continue to cling to that ridiculous, "loser" mentality of an older person?
Perhaps, I should also, for the sake of my equally chaotic heart, "let myself go" a little.
This night is destined to be a sleepless one.
The three women in the apartment are all, in their own different ways, being moved by the one and only man they all deeply love.
Love and jealousy, like the finest wine, fermented and intensified in this small apartment, eventually transforming into a silent yet incredibly fierce storm within their own hearts.
……
The next morning.
The first rays of sunlight shone through the gaps in the curtains, illuminating the room.
Gu Chuan sat up from the soft bed, feeling quite satisfied.
He glanced at the empty seat beside him, a wry, mischievous smile playing on his lips.
Last night, the proud young lady Tohsaka finally succumbed to his "pranks" and gentle advances, completely letting down her guard. She was exhausted both mentally and physically.
Before dawn, she no longer had the strength to maintain her physical form. In the end, she transformed into a soft, red spiritual light, and willingly merged into Gu Chuan's body, falling into a deep, restorative slumber.
"Sigh, they say no, but their bodies are very honest."
Gu Chuan felt the gentle, docile magical energy fluctuations belonging to Lin within his body and couldn't help but tease her in a low voice.
"However, to be fair..."
"—Rin Tohsaka, forever a god!"
He gave a thumbs-up to the air, a satisfied smile on his face that only men could understand.
He tidied up the messy room with a refreshed expression, then went into the kitchen and began preparing a sumptuous breakfast for the family.
He even prepared an extra one.
Although he knew that Rin was currently inside him, replenishing her energy by absorbing his magic, theoretically, she didn't need to eat.
However, Gu Chuan forcefully severed her convenient channel for "spiritual power conversion" with an unquestionable and domineering command.
He wanted her to feel hunger and experience the beauty of food, just like a real, ordinary mortal.
He wanted her to eat, with her own mouth, the breakfast he had prepared for her, filled with "love," after she woke up.
This small sense of accomplishment, full of wicked humor, gave him immense pleasure.
Once everything was in place, Gu Chuan glanced at the clock on the wall.
It's still early before the time I'm supposed to go to the anime convention with Kaimu Kitagawa.
After thinking about it, he finally decided to go to the home of the blonde twin-tailed young lady who had been on his mind for a while.
He changed his clothes, went next door, and gently rang the doorbell.
154. A mother and daughter who fell into enemy hands and a painter bursting with inspiration.
Ding-dong-
The crisp sound of the doorbell broke the tranquility of the Sawamura family home.
Gu Chuan stood at the door, waiting patiently. He thought it would be that arrogant young lady with blonde pigtails who would storm in, open the door, and then question him about why he hadn't come to find her immediately last night.
However, when the door was slowly opened, what appeared behind it was a familiar face that he had never expected, one that was full of exhaustion and haggardness.
It's a little lily.
She was wearing loose pajamas, her hair was a little messy, and her eyes, which were always full of gentleness and maternal glow, were now bloodshot, with faint, undeniable dark circles under her eyes.
What puzzled Gu Chuan the most was her reaction when she saw him.
It wasn't the joy of a long-awaited reunion, nor the loving gaze of an elder upon seeing a younger generation. Rather, it was an extremely complex emotion, a mixture of horror, fear, embarrassment, and... a trace of instinctive urge to escape!
The moment she saw Gu Chuan, her body trembled uncontrollably! Her eyes, like those of a frightened deer, instinctively wanted to look away!
"Good morning, A-Chuan."
With a dry, even slightly trembling voice, she forced out a smile that was uglier than crying.
"Good morning, Aunt Lily." Gu Chuan was completely bewildered by her strange attitude. "Are you... are you alright? You look terrible."
"N-nothing!" Sayuri reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, instantly becoming agitated. "I...I just...didn't sleep well last night! Yes! Didn't sleep well!"
As she spoke, she instinctively covered her cheek with her hand, as if afraid that Gu Chuan would notice something amiss.
"Really..." Gu Chuan felt increasingly confused. "Um... where's Eriri? Is she home?"
“Eri…she’s very tired! She’s still sleeping!” Sayuri blurted out almost before anyone else. “So…you shouldn’t disturb her today! Let her rest!”
"……All right."
Seeing Xiaobaihe's "Go away! Don't come any closer!" attitude, Gu Chuan was filled with confusion, but he didn't say anything more.
He nodded, then turned and left.
"Then I'll come over later tonight."
Only after Gu Chuan's figure completely disappeared at the end of the corridor did Xiao Baihe feel as if she had collapsed. She leaned against the door and let out a long sigh of relief.
She slowly closed the door, and the whole world seemed to quiet down.
She leaned against the cold door, her body slumping limply to the ground.
Last night's "memories," filled with complex emotions, surged into her mind once again like a tide.
She remembered the faint, suppressed laughter of a young girl and the gentle whispers of another man coming from the next room. The intimacy and trust in those voices made her feel a strange unease.
She remembered her daughter's body, frozen and cold, instantly stiffening upon hearing the same sound, nestled in her arms. She could feel her daughter's inner pain and struggle, the vulnerability of a young girl experiencing first love, which broke her heart.
She remembered that in the latter half of the night, mother and daughter lay in the same bed, both tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. A complex atmosphere of silence, awkwardness, yet mutual understanding filled the air. At one point, she even shamefully felt a faint, unspoken, feminine resentment and curiosity towards the man who had stolen her daughter's heart.
"...What am I thinking...?"
A tremendous, indescribable sense of powerlessness and self-blame overwhelmed her completely.
Not only did she fail to fulfill her responsibility as a mother to guide her daughter, but she herself also became so confused and disoriented...
What kind of expression should she use when facing Eriri from now on?
How should we approach the gentle "culprit" who has put both us and our daughter in this predicament?
Just as she was sinking into deep self-doubt and confusion, a slightly hoarse, just-woke-up voice rang out from behind her.
"……Mother?"
Eriri had woken up sometime earlier. She was standing in the bedroom doorway, still in her pajamas, her blue eyes looking at her mother, who was slumped on the floor, with a complicated expression.
Eyes facing each other.
The air seemed to freeze.
An indescribable, extreme awkwardness spread rapidly between the mother and daughter.
Ultimately, it was Eriri who broke the silence.
She didn't speak, but slowly walked to her mother, squatted down, and then opened her arms to tightly embrace this vulnerable woman who was in a state of confusion and self-doubt.
“…Mom,” her voice was soft, yet it carried a gentle open-mindedness beyond her years, “It’s okay.”
"I've figured out what happened last night."
Xiaobaihe's body trembled violently in her daughter's embrace. In disbelief, she looked up at her daughter's face, which, though slightly haggard, was unusually calm.
"Eriri...you..."
"I know." Eriri's face showed a helpless yet relieved bitter smile. "I know, Mom, you're worried about me. But I also know that you're not entirely indifferent to him, right?"
"I..." Xiaobaihe's lips trembled slightly, but she couldn't utter a single word.
“So,” Eriri looked at her mother’s shocked and bewildered face, and suddenly burst out laughing.
She reached out and, just like when she was a child, gently pinched her mother's smooth and delicate cheek, which was still well-maintained. In a half-joking, half-serious tone, she said something that would move any normal mother.
"Since neither of us can let go of that big idiot, let's stop making things difficult for each other and stop torturing ourselves, okay?"
"!!!!!!"
Little Lily was completely petrified.
Looking at her daughter's face, which was full of "open-mindedness" and "sincerity," and even a hint of "understanding," she felt that her worldview had been completely overturned at that moment.