Oh no! They all seem a bit off!

Chapter 174 Akizuki Makoto Makes His Choice
"Really...do we have to do it?"

Looking at Ji Yexue, who was pinned beneath him, with her eyes moist and affectionate, and her fair cheeks flushed, Qiu Yuecheng couldn't help but swallow hard. His heart pounded so hard that he felt a pain in his chest.

No one could have imagined that Ji Yexue, who was so aloof, proud, and superior, would one day reveal such a womanly side of herself.

She bit her cherry-red lips, which shone with a moist sheen, and said softly, "Now that things have come to this, are you still going to back down? Don't make me look down on you."

Just as Ji Yexue said, Qiu Yuecheng had already pushed her down and pinned her down. If he were to run away in the face of danger, how could he be considered a man?
"Gudong..."

Qiu Yuecheng swallowed hard again. He had to admit that he did indeed have those kinds of thoughts, wanting to seek Ji Yexue's warmth and be intimate with her, otherwise he wouldn't have pushed her down.

But wouldn't it be a bit too hasty to do it like this? It's not his first time, but it's Ji Yexue's first time.

The first time was because I wanted to soothe his heart and eliminate the presence of other women, but it always felt too hasty.

"Never mind, things have come to this point, there's no turning back!"

Qiu Yuecheng shook his head violently, banishing all distracting thoughts, and with a determined heart, decided to take action against Ji Yexue!
If he makes a move now, he'll be a beast; but if he doesn't, he'll be worse than a beast.
"Xue, let me make this clear beforehand, I have no experience either. If I hurt you... I apologize in advance."

As Qiuyue Cheng spoke softly, he placed his two hands, which were supporting him on the bed, on Ji Yexue's shoulders, seemingly preparing to take off her clothes.

"Don't underestimate me, it's just a little pain, nothing serious, do whatever you like."

Although Ji Yexue said this, she was actually extremely nervous inside. She didn't even dare to meet Qiu Yuecheng's gaze anymore and turned her head to the side.

Seeing this, Akizuki Makoto reached out a hand to hold her shoulder, cupped her face, and turned her face back to face him.

"Well... how should I put it? Would it really be better to start with a kiss?"

Akizuki Makoto's voice trembled. Based on his limited experience, he knew that to get both of them excited, they had to start with a kiss.

After kissing, even if you touch each other, it won't seem too abrupt.

"...Don't ask me. If you're a man, you'll do it without saying a word. Didn't I say it's up to you? Do whatever you like."

Ji Yexue muttered to herself, but didn't turn her head away or look away again.

Furthermore, she proactively closed her eyes and tilted her head slightly, signaling that a kiss was possible.

"..."

At this point, Akizuki Makoto no longer hesitated. He took a deep breath, said nothing, and slowly lowered his head, bringing it close to Ji Yexue's face.

As their faces drew closer, they could clearly feel each other's slightly tense breathing.

"Um……"

In just a moment, Akizuki Makoto and Hime Yuki's lips touched, and they both felt a warm, soft touch spreading across their lips.

At the same time, a slightly sweet feeling welled up in my heart.

In a sense, this was Makoto Akizuki's first kiss, a kiss that was given willingly by him.

The kisses with Himeyasu and Shiina Maki before were just one-sided forced kisses.

"Well……?!"

During the kiss, Ji Yexue suddenly felt a warm, thick hand placed on her abdomen, and that hand moved upwards aggressively.

Finally, the giant hand stopped on the solitary, towering mountain peak, a place that no one but herself had ever set foot on.

The unusual feeling of unease made Ji Yexue shift her body uncomfortably, her body involuntarily resisting.

But this isn't out of disgust; it's simply a matter of not being used to it, a normal reaction that every girl would have for the first time.

"This guy... is surprisingly tough."

Ji Yexue slightly opened her eyes and, through the slit of her eyelids, looked at Qiuyue Cheng, who was pressing down on her with great interest. A strange sense of excitement welled up in her heart.

"elder brother……"

Just as the two were caught up in the moment and about to become entangled in an uncontrollable embrace, a sudden, faint call brought their embrace to an abrupt halt.

At that moment, it was as if an invisible bucket of ice water had drenched Ji Yexue and Qiuyue Cheng from head to toe.

The fire in their hearts was extinguished by this bucket of ice water.

"Dong, Dongzi?!"

Qiu Yuecheng was startled and hurriedly got up from Ji Yexue, straightening his disheveled clothes, looking exactly like someone caught cheating.

"Brother, are you inside?"

Dongzi's voice came from outside the door, carrying a hint of unease.

"W-What's wrong, Fuyuko? I'm talking to Yuki about something. If it's not urgent, can you go back to your room and wait for me?"

Akizuki Makoto tried to remain calm and deceive Fuyuko into returning to her room.

Although his enthusiasm had been dampened by this sudden disruption, he was now in a state where he had no choice but to act.

If he could, he wanted to continue; he didn't want it to end like this.

"For some reason, Dongzi suddenly felt uneasy and wanted to see her brother."

"This……"

Qiu Yuecheng was immediately at a loss. He looked at Ji Yexue lying beneath him, then at the tightly closed door, and didn't know what to do.

“Go ahead, it’s really not the right time to do these things. Even if we manage to fool Dongzi, someone else might suddenly come looking for us.”

Just as he was caught in a dilemma, Ji Yexue, after calming down, took a step back and resolved his predicament.

She was already very satisfied to be accepted by Akizuki Makoto; all she wanted to confirm was Akizuki Makoto's feelings.

As long as the intention is there, what happened tonight can be done again anytime in the future.

"Okay, I'll be going now, sorry..."

Qiu Yuecheng scratched his head, apologized to Ji Yexue with deep remorse, got off the bed, and walked towards the door.

When he reached the door, he opened it, and Dongzi immediately rushed over and hugged him.

"Okay, let's go back. Your brother is here, don't be afraid."

Akizuki smiled helplessly, stroked Fuyuko's head, and took her away.

"Dongzi, what are you thinking, and what are you planning to do?"

At this moment, Ji Yexue had already sat up from the bed. She watched Qiuyue Cheng lead Dongzi away, and after Qiuyue Cheng closed the open door, she murmured to herself.

She thought back to the day more than a month ago, when Akizuki Makoto went to Shimizu Rei to try to reconcile, and the other side of Fuyuko that she showed.

That is……

It even made her feel a sense of fear.

Humans are such creatures; they harbor fear and awe towards the unknown. Even before Akizuki Makoto was aware of the deception, Fuyuko already knew that Shimizu Rei had lied to him, and seemed to foresee what would happen next.

From that day on, Ji Yexue became certain that Dongzi also possessed superpowers, and that the power of those powers was no less than hers!
……

at the same time.

After Akizuki Mako brought Fuyuko back to her room, Fuyuko seemed to calm down, and the unease that lingered on her little face gradually subsided.

"Alright, Dongzi, you must be feeling a little reluctant, that's why you're uneasy."

Akizuki Makoto sat on the bed, gently stroking Touko's little head, and said in a gentle tone, "We'll come back again in the future, we just won't see your parents for a while. Don't be so lonely, you still have friends in Tokyo, don't you?"

"Yes, Dongzi understands..."

Dongzi responded softly, holding onto Qiuyue Cheng's arm and leaning against him.

"Go take a shower first. You must be all sweaty from walking back today. After you shower, get some rest. I'll stay with you."

"Sure."

Dongzi nodded obediently and, as Qiuyue Cheng had instructed, packed her change of clothes and went to the shower room to take a bath.

Akizuki Makoto also took a shower. As the cool water washed over him in the shower, he realized that neither of them had showered when they had pushed Himeyasu down, and they might have smelled of sweat.

Thinking of this, he secretly thought how close he had come to disaster, almost leaving a bad taste in their first experience together.

After taking a shower, he returned to his room. At this time, Dongzi had already returned, wearing a sky-blue yukata.

Dongzi sat obediently in front of the dressing table, using a towel to dry the water stains from her hair.

Seeing this, Akizuki Makoto came up behind her, picked up the hair dryer, and then held up her smooth and shiny black hair, patiently drying it for her.

While blow-drying his hair, his thoughts drifted away, and he imagined the black hair he was holding as Ji Yexue's hair.

Ji Yexue's hair, like Dongzi's, was jet black and shiny, reaching her waist in length.

Compared to them, Shiina Maki's hair is slightly shorter, only reaching her back, and it's not as shiny.

Ji Yexue pays great attention to hair care, while Dongzi probably has naturally good hair quality, which allows her to maintain her hair even without special care.

"Brother, what are you thinking about?"

Just as Akizuki was absent-minded and lost in thought, Touko's sudden words brought him back to reality.

He immediately snapped out of it and smiled, "It's nothing, I just spaced out for a second."

Tonight, he became somewhat strange, constantly thinking about Ji Yexue.

But there's nothing we can do about it, since they were just one step away from getting together not long ago.

He needed a little time to recover from that strange sense of stimulation and excitement.

"I always felt that my brother had become strange after he went back to his hometown."

"Is Dongzi lonely? Is she blaming her brother for not spending enough time with her?"

Looking back, it's true that after returning to his hometown, Akizuki Makoto did spend less time caring for and spending time with Fuyuko.

When they were in Tokyo, they lived under the same roof and spent almost all their time together except when they were at school.

But after leaving Tokyo and returning to his hometown, he had to spend time with his parents and take care of the other guests. After all, he was the host and they were the guests, so he had to spend more time with them and make them happy.

In addition, the high-intensity daily training camps also took up a considerable amount of time.

Dongzi liked to listen to Qiuyue Cheng play the guitar, but that was when she rested her head on his lap and listened to him play and sing on his acoustic guitar, not when she was part of a band.

She rarely comes to listen to the band's performances; she mostly stays in her room reading comics.

I haven't been doing the handicrafts that I used to take for granted lately.

Akizuki Makoto was unaware of these changes, or rather, even if he had, he probably wouldn't have thought much of them.

People always change. After Dongzi came to Tokyo and lived with him, her personality also changed.

In the past, when she was studying in her hometown, she was a loner who kept to herself, but now she has good friends and knows how to socialize and get along with others.

"Dongzi will not be lonely, because her brother will eventually come back to Dongzi."

Dongzi turned her head, looked into Qiuyue Cheng's eyes, and revealed a gentle smile.

"Oh, yes."

Akizuki nodded. What Dongzi said made sense. They were family, blood relatives, and in the end, they would be together.

No need for excessive companionship; simply seeing each other every day and exchanging good morning and good night greetings is enough.

Afterwards, Akizuki dried Fuyuko's hair, then lay down with her on the bed, telling her stories to lull her to sleep.

Although it's still early, since there's nothing else to do, it's best to get some rest, especially since we have a long journey back to Tokyo tomorrow.

Makoto Akizuki also felt somewhat tired, mainly on a mental level.

All sorts of things happened today, leaving him feeling a little tired.

The complete break with Shimizu Rei left him feeling somewhat lost, but he had no choice but to do it.

Presumably, Shimizu Rei was mentally prepared before making his move against him.

Akizuki Makoto may never be able to forgive Shimizu Rei in his lifetime, because she undoubtedly trampled on the relationship they had built up over the years.

From the very beginning, with the deception and pretense, everything had already become irreversible.

"Snow……"

Akizuki Makoto lay on the bed, staring at the dark ceiling, muttering to himself, the image of Ji Yexue's expression when he pushed her down resurfaced in his mind.

Now, it seems he can choose Ji Yexue. He has figured it out. Ji Yexue is indeed the most suitable person for him, even though they had many unpleasant experiences and hated each other at the beginning.

But now, what was once unbearable to recall has become a precious memory.

only……

The moment he thought of choosing Ji Yexue, he couldn't help but think of Shiina Maki.

If Himeyasuki is chosen, then Shiina Maki is undoubtedly "abandoned".

Just as Shiina's mother had said, one day, Shiina Maki would be abandoned by him and left with nothing.

The reason Shiina Maki was able to break away from her mother was because she believed that Akizuki Makoto would take responsibility for her and would not abandon her, and that she could win in this battle.

"...Thinking so much only adds to the trouble. How could there be a choice where no one gets hurt?"

After letting out a long, soft sigh, Qiu Yuecheng closed his eyes, cleared his mind, and drifted off to sleep.
(End of this chapter)