A reversal of fortune and victory in a world hated by all girls!

Chapter 112 An Active Embrace

"I even suspect you've installed a surveillance camera on me. Every time I run into trouble, you always arrive on time." Aoi Natsuki clung to the door frame, then stepped aside. She was already here; how could she be driven away?

Upon hearing this, Anne Sakurajima's cheeks lit up with a playful smile. She then brought in the plastic bag she was carrying in her right hand, bringing herself to within ten centimeters of Natsuki Aoi. Pointing her left index finger at his heart, she said, "It's probably right here."

Aoi Natsuki grabbed her left wrist and looked into the transparent plastic bag she had brought.

Is this a cantaloupe?

“Bingo, it’s a cantaloupe.” The next second, Sakurajima Anne felt Natsuki let go of her hand, so she held up a cantaloupe that weighed about seven or eight pounds and presented it to him.

"Why do you also like to eat out-of-season fruits? Is this a luxury among the rich?"

Fruit prices in Japan are exceptionally high. Families often don't buy whole fruits; instead, they ask the salesperson to cut them in half or a quarter. This is especially true in major cities like Tokyo, where prices for everything are significantly higher than in other areas. Many housewives linger in the fruit section when shopping at large supermarkets, eventually even buying strawberries by the number of people.

And this huge cantaloupe, being an off-season fruit, would easily cost over 10,000 yen, which is certainly a luxury.

"The living room seems to be quite lively."

Anne Sakurajima noticed that the glass windows of the balcony were covered with a layer of white, hot steam, which clearly indicated that there were other people in the house.

"Yes, today is the first day my parents are back from their business trip, and we're having lunch right now," Aoi Natsuki explained truthfully. When Sakurajima Anne heard that his parents were home, she was immediately startled, but her expression gave Aoi a bad feeling.

"So it's Uncle and Aunt who's back. Then I should definitely pay them a visit." Sakurajima Anne's originally slow movements suddenly became agile. She dodged and slipped through the gap below Aoi Natsuki's right hand, heading straight for the entrance hallway.

Aoi Natsuki's heart sank, and she quickly turned around to follow, but she was still a step too late.

The two arrived at the dining room entrance one after the other.

Sakurajima Anne's gaze swept over everyone at the table. The appearance of Ryuzakura, Hayakawa, and Ayano did not surprise her. After all, Aoi was currently very popular with women, so it was perfectly normal for her to have two or three girls around her. The middle-aged couple sitting at the head of the table must be Aoi's parents.

Hmm? Aoi really looks like her dad.

"Oh, everyone, I seem to be late." Sakurajima An smiled with narrowed eyes.

Aoi Natsuki, standing behind him, looked at the crowd in front of her with a slightly embarrassed expression, then glanced at her parents, her expression becoming strange.

what……

"Mom and Dad, this is also my classmate."

“My name is Sakurajima Anne. You can just call me Anne, Uncle and Aunt.” Sakurajima Anne’s voice was sweet at this moment, and she looked particularly well-behaved. Coupled with her stunning appearance, Aoi Ryuya stopped in his tracks.

If he were to encounter such a beautiful high school girl on the street, even at forty years old, he wouldn't be able to help but exclaim, "What a beauty..."

As a woman, Aoi Ikuko also felt envious of girls with outstanding looks, but her reaction was not as exaggerated as that of the child's father. Her gaze slowly moved down and finally saw the other person's feet, wearing black cotton socks, on the wooden floor of the corridor.

"Natsuki, find your friend a pair of slippers first."

After hearing this, Natsuki Aoi finally opened up and nodded repeatedly. She took Sakurajima's arm and walked backward. This action, which seemed innocuous to others, was too ambiguous to Tatsuya Aoi. What was the relationship between the two of them?

Having seen so many beautiful girls in one day, Aoi Tatsuya's brain was almost spinning.

The sound of hushed conversation drifted down the corridor. Then, Anne Sakurajima returned to the dining room and handed the prepared cantaloupe to Tatsuya Aoi.

"Are you Uncle? I heard from Cangjing that you and Aunt were coming back, so I specially prepared a small token of my appreciation today. Please accept it."

Depend on!

Lying again!

But in this situation, how could Natsuki Aoi point that out? She could only look at Anne Sakurajima with a strange expression.

Aoi Ryuya was so surprised that his mouth opened slightly. He turned to look at his wife and then took the heavy cantaloupe. He knew the value of the cantaloupe. Where would a high school girl get so much money?

"This... is too valuable..."

"It's alright. I often work part-time to earn money. This gift is something I've been thinking about for a long time. I hope you won't refuse, Uncle and Aunt." Sakurajima Anne's sweet voice immediately captured Aoi Tatsuya's heart. Even though they had only met for less than five minutes, she must be a good girl!

Even Aoi Natsuki couldn't bear to watch. She doesn't even blush when she lies. It's truly as she should be.

"Apricot Jam, you probably haven't had lunch yet, right? Why don't you sit down and eat with us?"

"Yes! Okay, Uncle!"

Sakurajima Anne pretended to be a well-behaved girl and sat in the furthest seat, looking completely indifferent to the world.

Aoi Natsuki could easily imagine that if she could see her father's level of affection for other girls, they would probably all be over 40 by now.

The group continued their meal. As the saying goes, one should not speak while eating or sleeping, and the Aoi couple did not seem to have the habit of chatting at the dinner table, which at least avoided some more awkward situations.

"Huh?" Ayano, sitting next to Aoi, suddenly picked up her chopsticks and looked blankly.

At the beginning, she felt like she had forgotten something, but she just couldn't remember it. It wasn't until now, when she put the fried shrimp in front of her into her mouth, that she suddenly remembered everything.

what……

elder sister……

I almost forgot that I came here today to hand over my manuscript to Xia Shu. This is a draft. Before drawing a comic, the artist will roughly draw a draft to arrange the panels, set the key points, and reasonably limit the number of pages, etc.

Unexpectedly, they ran into Xia Shu's parents on their way there, and for a moment they forgot about going back for dinner.

“Ugh…” Ayano frowned, slowly lowered her head under the table, took out her phone, and sure enough, there were four unread text messages.

This is going to be a headache...

The last question from the older sister, with nearly twenty question marks, fully expressed her feelings at the time.

Why haven't you replied yet? Why are you lingering for so long? What are you talking about with that Aoi guy again?

All these meanings are contained within this long string of question marks.

Ayano felt a chill run down her spine.

After hovering two fingers over the phone screen in the air for about ten seconds, she immediately typed "Reply soon," sent the message, and then pressed and held the power button to turn off the phone.

She knew that once she started talking to her sister, it would be a barrage of words, so the easiest option was to simply reply briefly and quickly turn off her phone.

She breathed a sigh of relief, and only after dinner did she nervously check her phone. There were already twenty-four unread messages and five missed calls.

what……

Ayano stared at the text message, falling into a long silence.

Aoi Natsuki went into the kitchen to wash the dishes. Hayakawa originally wanted to help, but Ryuzakura beat her to it.

Aoi Ryuya also said she was a little sleepy and needed to take a nap.

"Yuko, why don't you go and rest for a while? You didn't seem to be sleeping very well on the plane."

"No, I have something to do this afternoon. I need to take Rina to buy some clothes. You go to sleep first." Aoi Ikuko's words attracted the attention of several girls.

"Okay, don't overwork yourself. I'm going to take a nap." Aoi Ryu also felt very stiff. He was sleepy after eating and kept yawning as he walked out of the dining room.

Aoi Ikuko exhaled and waved to Rina, who obediently ran over and took her hand.

Then, turning his gaze to Hayakawa, he said, "Hayakawa, why don't you come with us?"

This sudden invitation not only shocked Hayakawa, but also drew the attention of the others.

Going out with Natsuki's mother...

Keiko Hayakawa was more than willing, of course. This time she had to be brave. She stood up, holding onto the table, and said, "Okay, okay!"

"How about I take you there? It'll be more convenient since I have a car," Long Ying said as she came out of the kitchen.

It was only then that Aoi Ikuko remembered that Ryuzakura had a car. In such cold weather, having a car would definitely be more convenient with Rina.

A look of hesitation crossed her face.

Upon seeing this, Keiko Hayakawa suddenly felt nervous. No, hadn't they already chosen me?

Aoi Natsuki stopped washing the dishes and looked back out of the kitchen. What was going on? It was so lively just now, and suddenly everyone had fallen silent.

In the living room, Sakurajima Anne sat on the armrest of the sofa with her left hand on Ayano's shoulder, her gaze fixed on the dining room. But judging from the situation, Hayakawa seemed to be about to lose. Her hands were clenched tightly in tension.

She smiled slightly, then stood up, breaking the current awkward silence: "It would indeed be more convenient to take a car, but Hayakawa has a good eye for clothes. How about this, let's bring them all along. Anyway, shopping at the mall is no big deal for us girls."

“Sakurajima…” Hayakawa’s gratitude was almost overflowing from her small eyes, but Sakurajima An remained calm, thinking it was no big deal.

Aoi Ikuko agreed, nodding, "Alright, then I'll trouble Ryuzakura to be our driver again, and Hayakawa, you can come with us too."

"It's nothing, just a small favor." Long Ying's expression showed no sign of anything amiss. It seemed that when she made the suggestion, she genuinely thought it would be more convenient, rather than for any other reason.

"Mmm!" Hayakawa Keiko pursed her lips so tightly that they were almost invisible. She was so nervous that her chest was rising and falling involuntarily.

"The situation is resolved, isn't it?" Aoi Natsuki realized that it was Sakurajima An who had stepped in to help. He didn't expect that this girl would also be helpful. He glanced at her through the glass door, but she caught him instantly.

Anne Sakurajima raised an eyebrow at him.

This person really does have some special abilities; even when I look at her, she can detect it immediately.

Natsuki Aoi shook her head, clearing her mind of distractions, and continued scrubbing the dishes in the sink with a cleaning sponge.

Twenty minutes passed, and Aoi Natsuki heard the slightly hurried footsteps of several people, much like the scene in an RPG game where recruited companions automatically follow. Two minutes later, the entrance door closed, and the room suddenly became quiet.

Aoi Natsuki finished cleaning the kitchen and walked into the dining room, which was now completely empty.

Eh?

How come they're all exposed?

Natsuki Aoi pulled out a tissue from the table, looked around, and then saw Ayano sitting on the wooden porch outside the balcony window.

Holding the slightly chubby Shiba Inu in her arms, she let it lie freely on her lap. She kept stroking its black paw with her right index finger, its honest eyes staring straight at her. Ayano, who is also honest, returned the same look. It's unknown whether this will lead to a connection between the two of them.

Aoi Natsuki opened the glass door: "Aren't you cold sitting outside? Be careful not to catch a cold."

Ayano Takahashi turned her head and grinned, "It's okay, I'm in great shape. Oh, right, I haven't shown you my manuscript yet. Do you want to see it now?"

"Hmm, look, where did you put it?"

"On the living room table."

"Okay, I'll get it." Aoi Natsuki turned around to retrieve the manuscript, picked up a yellow folder from the coffee table in the living room, and then turned back to the wooden hallway. "By the way, where's Sakurajima?"

"I just saw Sakurajima say a few words to them and then they went out together."

"Hmm...that's quite like her style." Aoi Natsuki remarked. How could she miss out on such an amusing incident? She was simply there to watch the fun.

Aoi Natsuki exhaled a breath, opened the folder, pulled out the manuscript inside, and then sat down with Ayano on the wooden corridor next to them. It was so stuffy inside, and it felt really good to be outside for a few minutes in the cool breeze.

Ayano shifted her position, leaning slightly closer to him: "This is a draft based on my previous ideas. Take a look and see if you have any comments?"

Aoi Natsuki carefully read through the entire piece and was surprised. Such great progress in such a short time was like a sudden enlightenment. This level of skill might actually win an award.

"It can do it! Let's do it this way! I think it can do it! Ayano, you're amazing now, you've grown so fast, tell me, what's the reason?"