I'm in a crossover anime world, and I've been transported to Hogwarts twice.

Strictly speaking, from the time they met until now, excluding the time he was unconscious, the time they spent conscious, acquainted, talking, and spending time together was only a few hours!

Several hours!

For an ordinary girl, a few hours isn't even enough to be considered friendship, let alone love, bond, or even a child.

This is an extremely absurd and surreal thing!

Yet, Genichi Hanyu, a man standing at the pinnacle of power, so swiftly and undeniably drew her into the heart of his emotional vortex because of a chance encounter on the brink of life and death, and a touch deep within his soul.

His pace is too fast!

It was so fast that she couldn't adapt at all; it was so fast that she felt suffocated and terrified!

And this is precisely the source of her humiliation and anger.

It was precisely because Genichi Hanyu subconsciously regarded her as the kind of woman who could be easily moved, conquered, or even willing to quickly give herself to him because of his special nature that he so naturally proposed the child and so forcefully tried to advance the relationship!

This is the core reason why she was so angry and felt deeply offended!

Silence enveloped the two of them once again.

The air seemed to freeze, with only the faint rumble of the city outside the window.

Just when Genichi Hanyu thought that Mahiru Shiina would turn away completely and shut him out of her heart.

Shiina Mahiru spoke again.

Her voice was soft, carrying a deep weariness, yet also a subtle hint of weakness.

Looking at the powerful yet emotionally clumsy man before her, and at the genuine regret and pleading on his pale face, the wall of ice in her heart finally cracked open.

Genichi Hanyu keenly sensed this slight shift in the situation!

Like a drowning man seeing the last piece of driftwood, he suddenly raised his head, and the light of hope rekindled in his eyes!

He stopped trying to explain and analyze, and instead, with utmost sincerity and determination, took a step forward, looked deeply into Shiina Mahiru's eyes, and pleaded, "Shiina Mahiru, give me a chance!"

His voice carried a desperate plea, "Give me a chance to make it up to you! A chance to relearn how to respect you, how to get close to you, how to love you!"

138 Shiina Mahiru's request, reflection

In the living room, time seemed to stretch out.

After Genichi Hanyu's plea ended, a suffocating silence fell.

He held his breath, his deep eyes fixed on Shiina Mahiru's face with undisguised tension and pleading, awaiting the final verdict.

Every passing second felt like a heavy hammer blow to his nerves, which were already taut from weakness.

Shiina Mahiru stood quietly in front of him, her eyelids lowered, her long eyelashes casting a small, trembling shadow beneath her eyes.

My heart felt as if it were experiencing a silent storm.

The embers of her anger had not yet completely cooled, the humiliation of being violated was still vivid, and reason kept reminding her of the domineering and unpredictable nature of the man in front of her.

However...

She eventually softened.

Or perhaps that soft spot for her had already quietly begun much earlier, when Genichi Hanyu opened up his vast and real spiritual world to her, allowing her to truly touch the burning, chaotic, yet incredibly sincere love that was directed towards her from the depths of his heart.

That love was like lava thrown into the depths of an icy lake; though it brought burning pain and chaos, it also dispelled the deep cold and brought an unprecedented sense of being intensely needed and cherished.

It was like a key, and without her realizing it, it had loosened the ice that had been built up in her heart by anger.

Even before she felt that torrent of sincere love, the anger Shiina Mahiru felt towards Hanyu Genichi had already begun to dissipate.

She could no longer simply see him as an ungrateful bastard.

He is more like a child with devastating power, yet clumsy and lost in the world of emotions, even recklessly rushing around, bearing many scars and a burning heart that doesn't know how to express itself.

However, the girl's reserve and the hurt of being slighted prevented her from immediately and easily saying the word "forgiveness".

She needs a way out, a guarantee, a promise that will reassure her and make her believe that something like this will never happen again.

She slowly raised her head, her clear eyes filled with a complex mix of emotions.

There was lingering fear, deep weariness, a tenderness that had been touched, and also a persistence that belonged to her alone and could not be trampled upon.

Her gaze met Genichi Hanyu's tense yet expectant eyes. Her voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable clarity and weight: "I can forgive your behavior just now."

Genichi Hanyu's eyes lit up instantly, as if a dying traveler had seen an oasis!

Overwhelmed with joy and relief, he almost blurted out words of gratitude.

But Shiina Mahiru immediately raised a slender finger, interrupting him before he could speak, her eyes becoming even more serious: "But you have to promise me one thing! One thing you must do!"

"you say!"

Genichi Hanyu responded almost without hesitation and with unwavering resolve, his tone carrying an almost reverent solemnity.

"Whatever it is, as long as I can do it, I will definitely agree!"

His eagerness and sincerity were not feigned.

After the spiritual storm and Shiina Mahiru's insightful and penetrating analysis, Genichi Hanyu is now in a state of unprecedented self-reflection.

He suddenly realized that perhaps it was because Yukino Yukinoshita, Haruno Yukinoshita, and even the other women around him were too tolerant of him!

They tolerated his domineering nature, his willfulness, his cold-blooded decisions based on efficiency and results, and even his assertiveness and dominance in intimate relationships.

Although Yukino Yukinoshita is aloof and cold, she ultimately chose to acquiesce and endure at certain crucial moments.

Yukinoshita Haruno, on the other hand, had an almost indulgent, spectator-like attitude, and even actively cooperated.

This long-term, unconditional tolerance was like a gentle swamp, which made him sink into it, gradually blurring his sense of boundaries and causing him to completely ignore the need to feel and respect a girl's delicate emotions and independent desires!

He was used to giving orders, controlling the pace, and having others follow his will.

He naturally brought this pattern to his interactions with Shiina Mahiru.

even!

Genichi Hanyu clearly recalled that before he forcibly kissed Mahiru Shiina, he was not unaware of how short their acquaintance was, but at that moment he thought, "I want to do this, she shouldn't resist too much, and I can make it up to her later."

He was completely dominated by his own desires and the self-logic he used to create a bond with her, utterly disregarding her feelings and wishes!

This is essentially a form of arrogance and contempt for the dignity of others!

This belated and profound self-reflection filled Genichi Hanyu with a sense of lingering fear and intense guilt.

He desperately needed an opportunity to correct his mistakes and prove that he was not beyond redemption.

Shiina Mahiru felt a slight stirring in her heart as she looked at Yuu Genichi's eyes, which suddenly became incredibly serious and introspective.

She took a deep breath and said what she considered to be the most important and core request: "Hanyu-kun, I don't want you to do what you did to me today to any other girl."

Her voice carried a teaching-like seriousness, as well as deep expectations.

"That kind of intimacy that is forced upon the other person regardless of their wishes, that kind of presumptuous arrangement that is for the other person's good, that kind of behavior that uses the oppressive feeling brought by power or status to advance the relationship!"

She paused, her icy blue eyes staring directly at him, as if trying to see into the depths of his soul: "I hope you can truly learn to respect girls."

She spoke each word clearly and distinctly.

"Respect their right to think, feel, and choose as independent individuals; respect their right to say no; respect their right to need time and space to build emotional connections, rather than..."

"Just because you think or feel, you shouldn't act unilaterally, seize, or make decisions for them. Love is not plunder, not charity, and certainly not a unilateral declaration. It should be equal, a cautious approach, and heartfelt respect and cherishing."

These words struck Genichi Hanyu's heart like a resounding bell.

Every word precisely points to the core flaw in his past behavior patterns: a lack of genuine, equal respect.

Genichi Hanyu remained silent.

This silence was not hesitation, but rather a result of deep reflection and profound agreement.

He recalled his coming-of-age ceremony with Yukino, and the forceful kiss he had just given Mahiru.

Shiina Mahiru's words were like a mirror, reflecting the inherent disrespect in his behavior that was concealed by the aura of power and the indulgence of others.

A moment later, he raised his head, his eyes no longer filled with the urgency and pleading of before, but instead with a calm and solemn awareness.

He looked at Shiina Mahiru and nodded slowly and very seriously: "Okay."

"I promise you. Shiina Mahiru, I promise you this."

He wasn't just agreeing to a request from Shiina Mahiru; it was more like a complete rejection and correction of his past behavioral patterns.

He understood that power can conquer the world, but it cannot conquer a heart that truly deserves respect. Yukino and Haruno may never have explicitly expressed strong resistance, but that absolutely did not mean they weren't filled with the slightest reluctance!

Just like that coming-of-age ceremony, didn't Yukino feel any resistance or resentment in her heart?

She simply chose to be tolerant, or, in that situation, chose to compromise.

But I took this tolerance for granted!

He looked at Shiina Mahiru with a complex expression, filled with gratitude, apology, and a newfound, awe-inspiring determination.

Seeing the change in his eyes, Shiina Mahiru's tense heartstrings finally began to relax.

She knew this promise meant a great deal to him.

Although the future remains to be seen, at least this is a sincere beginning.

She nodded slightly, accepting his promise.

The heavy, tense atmosphere in the living room finally eased quietly at this moment.

139. Minor changes don't make one a true citizen of the motherland.

The tense atmosphere in the living room finally eased, like the sky after a storm, with lingering dampness in the air, but the sunlight was already trying to penetrate the clouds.

Shiina Mahiru accepted Genichi Hanyu's solemn promise to learn respect, and the invisible ice wall cracked, allowing a glimmer of trust to shine through again.

The heavy weight in Genichi Hanyu's heart finally lifted, followed by a sense of relief at surviving a disaster and a hint of restless anticipation.

He looked at Shiina Mahiru, whose eyelids were lowered and whose profile appeared particularly soft in the dim light from the window. The burning emotion in his heart had not been extinguished by the conflict just now. On the contrary, after being honest with each other, it became clearer and he longed to get closer.

He hesitated for a moment, then asked with unprecedented caution, "So, Mahiru, what will our relationship be from now on?"

This question carries a hint of probing, as well as a subtle, almost imperceptible, male possessiveness and expectation.

Having experienced a heartfelt spiritual exchange and a journey from conflict to initial reconciliation, he desperately wanted a sense of direction, an anchor point that would give him peace of mind and guide his efforts.

When Shiina Mahiru heard this question, her body stiffened almost imperceptibly.

She slowly raised her head, her clear eyes meeting Genichi Hanyu's gaze.

At this moment, Genichi Hanyu's eyes held a hint of cautious anticipation, creating a huge and endearing contrast with his usual image of being in control of everything and as powerful as a god.

This contrast stirred something within Shiina Mahiru, a strange feeling creeping through her heart.

But she immediately regained her composure, and almost subconsciously, with a touch of girlish shyness and reserve, she turned her head to the side, avoiding his overly direct and intense gaze.

Looking out at the city lights twinkling in the window, she gave her answer in a soft but crystal-clear voice: "Now..."

She paused, as if emphasizing this point in time: "We are just friends."

"friend"!

These two words were like a bucket of cold water, poured over Genichi Hanyu's heart, which had just begun to burn with hope!

moment!

A strong sense of resentment rose up in his chest like wildfire!

friend?

Just friends?

He had just revealed the deepest, most secret love of his soul to her, had just experienced such a storm of soul-to-soul connection, and had just made a vow to change himself. In the end, they were just friends.

He almost blurted out, "No! This isn't enough! Far from enough!"

That instinctive impulse, stemming from power and possessiveness, once again tried to break free from the shackles of reason.

He could even feel the dormant power within him stirring slightly because of this huge sense of disparity.

However, just as this resentment and impulse were about to burst from his throat, Shiina Mahiru's words, which had cut open his inner flaws like a sharp blade, "You don't know how to love others at all" and "You need to learn to respect" clearly echoed in his mind!

That heavy promise, that profound self-reflection, acted like the strongest shackles, firmly binding his instinct to declare and demand again.

He forced back the words that were on the tip of his tongue, his clenched fist turned white from the force, and then slowly loosened.

His disappointment and dejection were undisguised, and even his shoulders seemed to slump slightly.

He finally took a deep breath, nodded with difficulty and extreme slowness, his voice slightly hoarse with suppressed emotion: "Okay."