I endured the humiliation and humiliation while being besieged by the ghost story elder sister.

"I won't blame you~"

As she spoke, the exceptionally tall girl standing behind Xi Ling leaned down and gently touched his fair forehead with her unadorned thin lips.

Then, as if nothing had happened, she let go of her arm, turned around, and went back to the living room, quietly waiting for Xi Ling to finish preparing dinner.

……

That night.

Shower time.

Just as Ami packed her things and was about to take a bath with a towel to relax her body, she was...

A voice that surprised her suddenly rang out beside her.

In the corridor, Xi Ling, also holding a clean bath towel, appeared beside her at some point.

"Um... Aunt Ashi, may I come in with you?"

He asked somewhat uncertainly.

Ami, who hadn't expected Nozomi to come and bathe with her, was stunned for a moment. After calming down, she nodded in agreement.

Then, the two of them went into the bathroom together.

As she took off her clothes, she couldn't resist her curiosity and asked Himo a question.

"Why do you suddenly want to take a bath with me? Haven't I already told you all the ways to run a good shop?"

Since there's no benefit to be gained, shouldn't Ximiao stop trying to come over and please her?

This is Ami's thought process at this moment. No matter how she thinks, she can't understand why Nozomi did this.

But soon, in the bathtub, Himiko would tell Ami her motives in detail.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: What are you two doing?

The next morning.

All I could see was that Xi Ling seemed extremely tired, yawning as she staggered down the stairs.

You see, what happened in the bathroom last night was something he intended to keep a secret for the rest of his life.

I just don't know if Aunt Ami can keep her mouth shut. If it gets out to Arisa and the girl finds out about this, he'll be in big trouble, if not dead.

The complete lack of boundaries between him and his girlfriend's mother in the bathroom only intensified Mio's guilt towards Arisa.

"Mio? Why do you look so tired?"

Arisa's voice suddenly rang out behind him, which made Himiko, who was already feeling a little guilty, freeze in place and dare not move.

It wasn't until the somewhat suspicious Arisa stepped forward and patted Nozomi on the shoulder that the boy came back to his senses.

"Hmm? What's wrong, Arisa?"

Hiyo forced a smile and asked Arisa, who was looking at her with concern.

"I said...you don't seem very energetic. Did you not sleep well last night?"

"Huh? How could that be? It's just that my back and waist are aching. It's probably because I've been soaking in the water these past few days. I went too far with the games before."

Somewhat embarrassed, he tried to gloss over the matter, so after speaking, he gently shook off Arisa's small hand, walked into the living room, and sat on the cushion.

Because he woke up a little late, the task of making breakfast today naturally fell to Sister Ba.

Seeing that there was still some time before breakfast was ready, Ximiao silently slumped onto the table, sighing and groaning, which puzzled Fanxia and Aunt Ami, who were also waiting for breakfast.

But Ximiao didn't intend to explain to them. She simply closed her eyes, intending to take a nap during this short break.

Seeing this, Fanxia and Arisa, who were sitting on the other side, did not disturb Nozomi, who seemed a little uncomfortable, and instead discussed in hushed tones what they should do today.

"Hey~ that inflatable swimming pool from before, it should still be inflated, right?"

Arisa asked Honoka, who was standing next to her, with a hint of curiosity, as if she wanted to play in the inflatable pool all day.

After all, they had already seen the situation on the beach when they were walking yesterday; the advance team of tourists had already arrived at this coast.

The number of tourists on the beach today will not decrease, but will only increase. She doesn't want to expose Ximiao to strangers' eyes without any protection because of the large number of people.

That would only add to her troubles; she might as well stay comfortably in the courtyard of the Ximiao family's house and soak in the inflatable pool for a while in cold water.

After hearing Arisa ask her that question, Honoka tried hard to recall the current state of the inflatable swimming pool that she had casually left in the courtyard.

After thinking for a while, Fanxia, ​​who couldn't recall the specifics no matter what, said quietly.

"We'll know once we go check outside in the yard, won't we? What's the rush? At most, we'll just have to pump the tires up again before going back in."

Before the two could continue their conversation, Sister Ba, who had already prepared breakfast, placed the steaming hot breakfasts on the table.

"What's wrong with Mio?"

It was only then that Yashiro noticed something strange about Nozomi and couldn't help but ask.

"I don't know, maybe it's because I'm too tired..."

Arisa shrugged, indicating that she wasn't quite sure what was wrong with Nozomi today. It was probably because Asami, the culprit, was also feeling a bit guilty, just like Nozomi, and hadn't said a word.

then.

Unable to bear watching any longer, Hachi reached out and patted Himiko on the shoulder.

"Mio, wake up and have breakfast~ Are you feeling unwell?"

She asked softly, and when Xi Ling raised her head, she could see the worried look on Hachi's face, and she couldn't help but be stunned.

Then he couldn't help but laugh and say it.

"I'm fine, Sister Ba. I'll just go back to my room and sleep for a while, and I should be alright."

After hearing what Ximiao said, although she was still a little worried, she could only silently sit down in the empty seat next to Ximiao and steal glances at the boy's face out of the corner of her eye.

Breakfast time ended very quickly.

Although she was not very worried about Xi Ling's condition, with the shop opening time approaching and three other people at home taking care of Xi Ling, she had no choice but to turn around and walk towards the corridor, hoping that nothing would go wrong today.

After watching Hachiko-nee leave from the entrance hall, Himiko turned around, went up the stairs, returned to her room, and suddenly collapsed onto the soft bed.

Before long, his breathing became even and regular, and the sound of his breathing could be heard in the room.

……

"Kyoko, are you really planning to go to that haunted house?"

In the cafe.

The girls, who were probably gathered together doing their homework, were startled when they heard what the dark-skinned girl, Kyoko Nishiyama, said.

It seemed to express incomprehension and fear regarding her idea.

"I've told you so many times, Himiko-kun lives there. Please stop calling it a haunted house. It's so rude if people hear that."

Kyoko Nishiyama glared reproachfully at her group of best friends, completely ignoring the rumors about Mio's family.

After saying goodbye to her friends, she finished her iced coffee, picked up her things, and resolutely walked towards the coffee shop door.

however.

Shortly after Kyoko Nishiyama left, her group of friends who were still sitting in their seats stared at each other, seemingly waiting for a definite answer.

a long time.

I don't know who said it, but I heard someone say, "Why don't we follow them and take a look?"

"Yeah, if there are a lot of people, we won't be afraid even if there are ghosts!"

They were probably waiting for this sentence. Upon hearing it, everyone stood up abruptly, called the clerk to pay, grabbed their belongings, and headed towards the door, closely following Nishiyama Kyoko who was not far away.

After an unknown amount of time, they arrived at the haunted house in the school that was rumored to be inhabited by a man-eating monster.

In front of Nozomi's house, despite saying she wasn't afraid, Kyoko Nishiyama couldn't help but slow down as she got closer to the gate.

Unaware of the uninvited guest, Nozomi, who was about to arrive, had no idea how long she had been sleeping on the soft bed.

I just felt that my body suddenly became much heavier, as if something was pressing down on me.

When he opened his eyes, he saw that Fanxia, ​​who had changed into a swimsuit, was sitting arrogantly on his stomach, her eyes fixed on the buttons of his shirt, her hands helping to unbutton them.

Although his view was blocked by Fanxia in front of him, he could still feel that another person was pulling at his pants.

This left Ximiao somewhat bewildered, and she stared blankly at Fanxia-nee in front of her, asking...

What are you two doing?

Chapter Thirty: The Visit

"Seriously... If you're going to swim, why do you have to wear this damn white swimsuit?!"

Because it was while he was asleep, Arisa and Honoka teamed up to subdue him and change him into a swimsuit.

Nozomi had absolutely no room to resist. After the two of them finished, she could only stand in front of the smooth mirror that reflected her image and examine her own appearance.

Yes, as always, she's lost all dignity...

After quickly applying some sunscreen, Nozomi reluctantly followed the urging of Arisa and Honoka as she slowly walked down the stairs, her bare feet stepping onto the slightly cool wooden floor.

"Where's Aunt Ashi? Isn't she coming to play too?"

Looking around, but not seeing the beautiful woman, Xi Miao couldn't help but become a little curious.

Arisa, who had already eagerly stepped into the inflatable pool and whose knees were submerged in the cool water, turned around and spoke after hearing Nozomi's question.

"Mom seems to have gone out just now, saying she wanted to walk around the neighborhood by herself."

"That's it..."

He had originally planned to ask Aunt Ashi some more detailed questions about the shop so that he could be prepared to talk to Sister Ba.

But now it seems that Ximiao can only find a better time to tell Hachiko about her decision.

Thinking this, Ximiao also walked into the inflatable pool used to help them escape the heat. She seemed to have gotten used to the swimsuit that Arisa and Honoka had forced her to wear.

Fortunately, he wouldn't be seen by any strangers, which was within his acceptable range.

Afterwards, Ximiao lay in the inflatable pool and inadvertently turned her head to glance at Arisa beside her, only to see the girl's slender arms stretched out, taking a selfie with her phone.