The story begins with an eight-foot-tall lady surrounded by ghost story ladies.

Lady Hachi-chi bent down, reached out from behind, and wrapped her arms around Natsume Fan-yu's shoulders.

The collar of the white shirt opened wide due to this action, and from Jinguji Rin's angle, one could see the deep brow.

And the obvious deformed curves on both sides, created by the shirt fabric, resemble the soft bulges of ripe fruit held in a net.

Lady Hachisho rested her chin on Natsume Bon's head, her cool eyes looking down at Jinguji Rin from above.

No expression.

It's not because of indifference.

It's because this gesture itself says everything that needs to be said.

He's here, in my arms.

Did you see that?

Did you see where his hands were?

Did you see where his back was pressed against mine?

Do you see how I was wrapped up in his shirt?

Did you see it clearly?

Rin Jinguji saw it clearly.

She also clearly saw Natsume Fanyu's expression.

He neither pushed away nor dodged.

She didn't show the slightest discomfort at all because of her gaze.

He sat there, his shoulders slightly tilted back, the back of his head nestled in the curve, like someone used to being held like that.

"Miss Jinguji".

Natsume Fanyu spoke, breaking the subtle silence in the room.

"You just said that your mother asked you to come and thank her in person."

"But you didn't come here just for this, did you?"

Rin Jinguji withdrew her gaze from Lady Yasha and returned it to Natsume Bon's face.

Her expression returned to calm, at least outwardly.

"There's one more thing."

"Please speak."

"She came here yesterday evening."

Natsume Sangoku naturally knew who Jinguji Rin was referring to, and so he said:

"The 'she' you're referring to, is it your adoptive mother, Lady Jinguji Saya?"

"That's right..." Rin Jinguji nodded slightly, and without beating around the bush, went straight to the point:

"She discussed a business deal with you."

"Yes."

"Regarding taking over the Jinguji family."

"Yes."

Every time Natsume Fanyu said "yes," Lady Hachikami would slightly adjust her posture.

She tightened her arms around his shoulders, moved her chin slightly above his head, and her shirt collar opened a few centimeters more because of her movement.

The curves were increasingly distorted by the shirt fabric, and from the side, they looked like two water bags being gently pressed against glass.

"Mr. Natsume."

Rin Jinguji raised her eyes and looked straight at him.

"I want to know what you're thinking."

Natsume Fanyu leaned back on the sofa, with Madam Yachi's arm still around his shoulder.

The weight pressed down on the back of his head, and even through the shirt fabric, the sensation was so clear it was distracting.

"Miss Jinguji..."

"Are you asking me if I intend to become your fiancé?"

When these words came out of Natsume Fanyu's mouth.

Rin Jinguji felt as if something deep inside her was being gently tugged.

It wasn't pain, but rather a feeling like being hooked by something and then slowly pulled.

The bluntness of the question exceeded her expectations.

He directly pierced through that thin layer of paper, then held the hole up in front of her and asked, "Do you want to take a look inside?"

"Yes."

Rin Jinguji remained silent for a moment, but did not deny it.

Natsume Fanyu smiled slightly: "Then let me ask Miss Jinguji a question first."

"Excuse me."

"Do you... want me to say yes?"

The room fell silent.

The morning light outside the window grew brighter and brighter, making the eight-foot-tall lady's white shirt appear even more transparent.

The teardrop-shaped curve beneath the fabric became a black silhouette in the backlight.

Broad shoulders, a suddenly narrowing waist, and then a wide, expansive hip, like a fully drawn bow.

Rin Jinguji didn't look at the silhouette.

Her gaze remained fixed on Natsume Fanyu's face.

"I..."

She spoke, then stopped.

Natsume Fanyu was waiting for her.

The eight-foot-tall lady was also waiting for him, and the arm around his shoulder tightened even more, its curve pressing more closely against the back of his head.

If snow had a temperature, this is probably what it would feel like to be pressed down by two warm clumps of snow.

"I don't know," Jinguji Rin said.

When she uttered those four words, a tiny crack appeared in the aloofness typical of a yakuza heiress.

What's leaking out of the crack is something only a twenty-year-old girl would have.

confused.

It's not confusion about the situation, but confusion about oneself.

Natsume Fanyu saw through her confusion, a meaningful glint in his eyes, and then continued:

"Mrs. Saya told me that this is the family rule of the Jinguji family."

"Whoever can resolve the predicament of the fetal spirit can become the head of the Jinguji family."

"Regardless of status, origin, or means."

"Yes," Jinguji Rin said.

"She's not lying to you; this is indeed a rule established by successive heads of the family."

She also said that this was your father's dying wish.

Rin Jinguji's body trembled slightly.

Because the word "father" touched a nerve that she thought she was no longer sensitive to.

"Yes." Her voice lowered.

"My father did indeed give her that instruction before he passed away."

Natsume Fanyu looked at her trembling body and continued to speak frankly:

"So you came to see me this time to confirm whether I will really take over your Jinguji family as she said?"

"Yes."

"What if I agree?"

"If you agree..." Jinguji Rin's voice returned to its usual cool and steady tone.

"All members, businesses, and influence of the Jinguji Group will be transferred to your name."

"Including you?"

Rin Jinguji's breath hitched.

It's not just because of the content of the sentence, but also because of the tone with which Natsume Fanyu said it.

That wasn't frivolous, it wasn't a test, and it wasn't serious either.

Rather, it's a blandness somewhere between "stating the facts" and "confirming the details."

It's like asking her, "Is this clause included in the contract?"

"Including me," Jinguji Rin said.

He spoke those three words with great composure.

But after she finished speaking, her body betrayed her.

Her ear tips were the first to betray her.

That touch of red started from the lowest point of the earlobe, like a drop of red ink falling into clear water.

Then, what betrayed her was her sitting posture.

Jinguji Rin's knees remained together, and the collar of her kimono was still neatly folded, covering her completely.

But her center of gravity shifted slightly backward.

This caused her to unconsciously change her sitting posture from "sitting upright" to "sitting upright with herself tucked in".

It was as if that sentence had touched a spot that needed protection.

Natsume Fanyu witnessed all of this.

The eight-foot-tall lady also saw it, and the arm around his shoulder tightened even more.

This time the force was greater than before, so great that the back of his head was completely enveloped by that curve.

It's not a sticker, it's a trap.

The entire head is covered from both sides.