"..."
Samui looked at Mabui, who had suddenly pushed her aside and taken the lead all for herself. Even though she knew it was because of her own provocation, she still felt a little dissatisfied.
She knew Mabui was anxious, but couldn't she at least wait until she finished before coming over to shove her away? Being interrupted halfway like this felt really frustrating.
Still, considering that this might be the most important moment of Mabui's life so far, she decided to endure it for now.
"A-Aoba-sama, I'm sorry, I-I just got too angry."
"Wh-what should we do now?"
The courage Mabui had finally managed to gather earlier completely disappeared after she pushed Samui away.
Mainly because Samui had been blocking her before, so she hadn't seen things clearly. But now that she was seeing it with her own eyes, a sudden sense of fear rose in her heart.
'This… this can kill someone, right?'
"..."
Seeing Mabui like this, Aoba couldn't help feeling both amused and helpless.
"Don't think too much about it first. Relax a little. Otherwise the one who'll suffer later will still be you."
"But… but I can't relax at all."
"..."
Samui had originally wanted to lie down for a while and catch her breath, but when she saw Mabui looking so nervous that she didn't even know what to do, she was also speechless.
Now she had no choice but to sit back up and go over to guide Mabui, who understood absolutely nothing, step by step.
"Mabui, I'll help you."
Samui spoke rather calmly, "Don't worry, nothing will happen."
Mabui didn't reply. She just felt her face growing warm.
Samui didn't mind. She first checked Mabui's current condition.
Seeing how Mabui's body was somewhat stiff from nervousness, she could only help her relax a little first.
Then, the next moment, Mabui's face turned slightly pale.
"Pay attention to your breathing," Samui reminded her.
"Mmm~"
Mabui obediently listened.
It really did ease things a lot.
And Aoba, watching the deep sisterly affection between them, couldn't help but…
He also felt Mabui's breathing.
Although Mabui had been nervous at first, the qualities of a ninja were ultimately far beyond ordinary people.
Gradually, she entered the rhythm.
Looking at Mabui now, Samui suddenly felt a strange sensation.
Why did it feel like their roles had suddenly switched compared to just now?
Feeling something odd in her heart, Samui simply stood up and walked toward the dining table.
Since things had already reached this point, and she was getting a little hungry, she might as well eat first.
———
"Does it feel okay?"
Aoba gently stroked the hair of the girl currently resting in his arms.
Although Mabui's skin tone was darker, it wasn't the kind of dark seen in darkness seen in natives. It was more like a sun-tanned shade, giving her a unique exotic charm.
Together with her delicate face and her gentle, soft temperament, she was truly a very good girl.
Not to mention the rare white hair on her head, something seldom seen in the ninja world.
At this moment, Mabui was like a drowning fish.
Although logically it would make more sense to compare her to a fish that had just come ashore, considering the current situation, "a drowning fish" was clearly the more fitting description.
"Very… very good. I've never felt this good before."
Mabui spoke while breathing lightly between her lips and teeth. She couldn't help shaking her head slightly and rubbing against Aoba's palm.
For some reason, she just liked the feeling of him stroking her hair.
In a situation like this, being touched on the head by him gave her a drifting, weightless sensation.
As for how things felt earlier, although it had been a bit hard to accept at first, later on it clearly started to feel different.
And when Mabui finally lost all her strength and went limp in Aoba's arms, she listened to his heartbeat, which was faster than usual because of her, felt the warmth from his body, and enjoyed the lingering quiet after everything settled down.
"Aoba-sama, fr-from now on…"
"From now on, huh?"
Aoba interrupted her and joked with a smile.
"Originally, Mabui, you only needed to be my secretary for twenty years. But from now on, you'll have to be my secretary for the rest of your life."
"Mhm."
Mabui pursed her lips, "Then from now on, Aoba-sama… can you come to see me every night the way you go to see Samui every night?"
"I just want you to treat me the same way you treat Samui."
"Of course I'll come see you in the future."
Aoba naturally wouldn't play favorites. Still, he said half-jokingly, "But if you want me to treat you the same way I treat Samui, you'll still need to work a bit harder."
"Wh-why?"
Mabui raised her head and looked at Aoba with a somewhat aggrieved expression.
'Shouldn't everyone be treated equally?'
'Is he trying to con me?'
But she quickly realized something.
She struggled to prop herself up with her hands, then lowered her head with a red face and glanced at her own size.
'Could it be because of this?'
That made sense. In this aspect, the difference between her and Samui could be described as the gap between heaven and earth.
It was very likely a distance she would never catch up to in her entire life.
Thinking of this, Mabui could only sigh helplessly and slump back down softly.
'Forget it. Being a little worse than Samui is fine.'
"?"
Seeing Mabui suddenly choose to give up like that, Aoba felt a little puzzled.
"Why did you suddenly sigh? Aren't you going to try a bit harder?"
"Because even if I try for my whole life, I'll never catch up to Samui," Mabui said somewhat self-destructively.
Aoba blinked, "You don't actually think I was talking about size, do you?"
"Isn't it?", Mabui asked in return.
"Of course not."
The one who answered her wasn't Aoba, but Samui.
Mabui raised her head and saw that Samui had not only finished dinner, but had also brushed her teeth and taken a shower. She was now standing in front of her with her arms supporting her chest.
"Then what is it?"
"Of course it's because you're too weak."
On Samui's cold face, Mabui seemed to see a trace of disdain.
Before Mabui could speak, Samui continued, "I was even thinking about leaving you a little more time. But looking at it now, Mabui, your stamina really is unexpectedly poor. Since that's the case, don't just occupy the spot without using it. Step aside yourself."
"Ah?"
Mabui looked completely confused.
Then this time, she was the one who got pushed aside.
Although she hadn't cared much at first, after listening from the side for so long, Samui had already become somewhat irritated.
What happened next was hard to describe in detail.
In short, Mabui truly witnessed the absolute gap in strength.
From her initial disbelief, to silent acceptance of reality, and finally to gathering her courage and trying to catch up with determination.
In order to prove she wasn't inferior to others, Mabui used every trick she could.
Their competition left marks in almost every corner of the room.
However, even though Mabui squeezed out every bit of stamina she had, unfortunately, in the face of an absolute gap in strength and sufficient experience, she ultimately suffered a crushing defeat.
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