After Hōjō Suzune finished speaking, she closed the car door without waiting for Shiratori Seiya to respond and quickly walked into the hotel. Normally, Suzune would probably look back every few steps, but at this moment, she seemed to be chased by something. She walked faster and faster, not wanting to look back again—afraid that if she did, the tears she'd been holding back would spill over and betray her completely.
Shiratori Seiya watched her enter the hotel, recalling their argument just now, and knew that even a 'fool' like Saori was probably upset. He was about to turn and explain to Saori when he heard a 'click', and Saori opened the car door, moving from the back seat to the front passenger seat.
Saori closed the car door, not rushing to fasten her seatbelt. Instead, she propped her hands on the armrest, arched her back, and leaned close to Shiratori Seiya, staring into his eyes. The girl's eyes flowed with a thick, syrupy liquid—an emotion so pure and direct it made his breath catch. Saori seemed to have just showered, and a clean scent of soap wafted from her, mingling with the faint sweetness of her skin.
Shiratori Seiya subconsciously swallowed, feeling his throat burn even more painfully. "Saori..."
As his hoarse voice just left his lips, Saori's elegant and lovely face suddenly moved closer.
Tap.
The girl's moist lips lightly touched Shiratori Seiya's mouth, like a dragonfly skimming the water, touching and then leaving. The contact was brief, featherlight, but it sent a shiver through his already feverish body.
Shiratori Seiya froze. His cold had already slowed his thoughts, and now he was in a state of shutdown. He looked at Saori with a somewhat bewildered gaze. He found that her face was now flushed with a peach-like red, her tender eyes were tinged with a hazy glow, and the breath exhaled from her lips became increasingly rapid and hot.
Before Shiratori Seiya could fully recover, she lifted her face and kissed him again. A pair of jade-like arms, white as lotus roots, wrapped around Shiratori Seiya's shoulders, entwining his neck. She slowly lifted her plump hips, seemingly wanting to press completely against him...
She was like a patient who had been thirsty for a long time, her throat constantly moving, sucking, swallowing. Still not enough, she, like a playful child, gently bit his lips with her teeth.
Waves of electric current shot up Shiratori Seiya's spine. His hands subconsciously supported the girl's slender waist, sliding upwards, touching Saori's smooth back, his palms gently caressing it...
The warmth of her skin seeped through the thin fabric of her clothes, grounding him in the moment.
Hoo...
Seven or eight minutes later, Hasegawa Saori seemed to finally run out of breath, her arms falling lightly onto Shiratori Seiya's shoulders as if exhausted. A few seconds later, as her breathing gradually returned to normal, she slowly lifted her face, her dark, moist eyes seemingly capable of dripping water, and stared at him affectionately, whispering, "If Saori does this, will Seiya feel better?"
Hearing this, Shiratori Seiya blinked, realizing she was talking about his cold. The sweetness of her gesture washed over him, unexpected and profound.
Seeing his silence, Saori pouted, tears welling in her eyes, and a look of guilt appeared on her face. She reached out to caress Shiratori Seiya's face, her words coming out with a slight tremor, "Saori is a fool, only now realizing Seiya is sick. I'm sorry..."
Saying this, she lowered her head and rubbed her fair face against Shiratori Seiya again, like a kitten seeking comfort.
When people are sick, they are much more vulnerable than usual. Hearing Saori's words at this moment, Shiratori Seiya felt his heart drop like a lead ball on a string. He hadn't told her, and there was no way she could have known he was sick, yet she blamed herself for it...
She probably saw the medicine Suzune bought for him in the front passenger seat just now, knew that buying more medicine would be too late, so she used this clumsy method to comfort him.
In an instant, Shiratori Seiya's eyes felt a little sore. He suddenly felt his throat didn't hurt as much. He reached out and patted her shoulder, hugged Saori tightly, and comforted her, "How could that be? Saori is so smart. Saori's medicine is more effective than anything."
"Really?" Hearing this, Hasegawa Saori's eyes showed delight, and she 'pffft'ed out a laugh, as happy as a child who had received candy. "Seiya is the best!"
"Alright, let's go home." After the emotional moment, Shiratori Seiya took a deep breath, patted her shoulder, and motioned for her to sit properly.
Once Saori obediently fastened her seatbelt, he drove home. However, he hadn't driven far when, while waiting at a traffic light, he suddenly noticed Saori looking up at the car roof.
"Eh? What's this?" Hasegawa Saori muttered to herself, then reached her finger towards the car roof. He heard a 'rip' sound. The sticky note Suzune had just put up was directly torn off by her.
Saori stared at the sticky note for a couple of glances, then took out a gel pen from her bag and wrote a string of words directly on the car roof. Shiratori Seiya couldn't clearly see what she wrote in the car's light, but a little thought suggested it was probably similar to Suzune's message—something possessive and sweet, claiming her territory in her own quiet way.
After writing, Hasegawa Saori capped the pen and turned to Shiratori Seiya, asking, "Um, Seiya, was that child just now Hōjō's sister?"
"Yes."
Seeing him nod, Saori blinked, her face immediately showing an expectant expression as she asked, "I know Hōjō Shione's cooking is delicious..."
Her eyes clearly conveyed this meaning: 'Her sister wouldn't be bad either, right?'
Shiratori Seiya understood and couldn't help but laugh, "Suzune can't cook."
"Ah..." Hearing this, Hasegawa Saori let out a long sigh, her brows filled with disappointment. She pouted, seemingly sad that she wouldn't be able to eat Hōjō Shione's cooking, and sighed with downcast eyes, "Well, alright then."
She seemed to think of something else and turned her head to Shiratori Seiya, asking, "Then, then... will Hōjō Shione also cook for us in the future?"
"..."
Why does she make Shione sound like a maid?
"What, Saori, are you tired of my cooking?" He glanced at Hasegawa Saori, frowned, and coughed, saying deliberately, "I thought Saori really liked my cooking. Turns out you were just fooling me before. But that's normal, I can't compare to Shione..."
Saori froze, then her face immediately showed an anxious expression. She quickly waved her hands, saying, "No, no, Saori likes Seiya's cooking the most."
Seeing how easily she took the bait, Shiratori Seiya looked at her and laughed, "Then if I go back and cook for you, will you eat it?"
"Eat!"
"..."
All the way home, perhaps worried about Shiratori Seiya's cold, Saori no longer talked about things in the Kendo Club as she had before. She sat obediently like a large stuffed animal, seemingly a little bored, and played with her fingers to entertain herself. The silence was comfortable, filled with the quiet intimacy of two people who didn't need constant words to fill the space between them.
Driving to the doorstep, Shiratori Seiya got out and casually picked up her backpack for her. Taking advantage of the moment, he looked up at the car's ceiling, somewhat curious about what Saori had written.
A line of extremely serious regular script met his eyes:
"Will this be Saori's wedding car?"