Page 209
Page 209
Banai was slightly taken aback.
"I won't make things difficult for you," Maki said softly.
Banami's heart seemed to be tormented by something, but thinking of his wife in the bathroom, he didn't even dare to think about what he was feeling at that moment, and hurriedly cleaned up the dishes and went to the kitchen.
Maki just stared at the back of the man in the house wearing an apron, her eyes somewhat unfocused.
***
The night grew deeper, but Banami, lying alone on the bed in the study, tossed and turned, unable to shake off the image of Maki's slender yet fair skin and her lively yet unfathomable eyes.
The saying "the mind is like a monkey and the will is like a horse" suggests that if people could control all their thoughts, then there would be no such thing as depression.
Thought and brain are actually two completely different things, but most people confuse them.
Human thought is beyond our control.
I don't know how much time passed, but in a hazy state, I was startled to find something sitting on me.
He suddenly opened his eyes, only to see a pair of bright, lively eyes in the darkness.
"Li...Lixi, what happened to you..."
But Lixi gently pressed her finger against his lips and said, "This wall isn't very thick, and the soundproofing isn't very good. I sneaked over while my sister was asleep."
At this moment, Banami was surprised to find that Riki was wearing a sexy little nightgown, which was a rare sight. His wife was usually quite conservative, and he had to coax her to wear such sexy clothes only occasionally.
Banami's breathing became slightly rapid; Riki's purpose in sneaking over was quite obvious.
“I’m so happy you waited for me to come home for dinner tonight. Consider this a reward for you.” Li hope gently licked his earlobe with her tongue.
The next moment, Banami rolled over and pinned Ritsuhi down.
Li hope lowered her voice and said, "Don't let my sister hear this, or I don't know how she'll laugh at me."
But the more she said that, the redder Banami's eyes became, as if he wanted to devour his wife.
After a long, long time, Lixi, drenched in sweat, gently embraced her husband, as if she didn't want to move a finger, and whispered, "Why are you so excited today...? Could it be that you knew my sister was here, so..."
Banai didn't speak, but felt a pang of sadness in his heart. He couldn't tell his wife that when he was holding her tenderly just now, his mind was filled with the image of Maki's fair and graceful figure in the daytime.
Because she is as fragile as a flower bud, she evokes a feeling of tenderness and affection, not to mention her plumpness that seems disproportionate to her slender body.
He actually vented all his desire for Maki on Riki.
After the storm subsided, Banami felt only deep guilt, but he was completely unable to tell his wife the truth.
Even though he should have had no strength left, Riki flipped onto the horse and rode on top of Banami, making the man's eyes widen.
Li hope doesn't usually have that many needs; he's more likely to be the one pestering the other person.
Li hope narrowed her eyes slightly and said, "Since my sister is at home now, it's not very convenient, so... let's eat smaller meals more often."
Lixi closed her eyes, her breathing rapid, as if she were wholeheartedly enjoying the moment. However, what came to her mind was the outfit that Maki had worn that morning, which had a faint stain on it, when she had inadvertently glanced at it while running water in the bathroom earlier...
Thinking this, Lixi couldn't help but let out an ambiguous sound, which Banai couldn't stop even if she wanted to.
However, the couple, who were enjoying their time together, seemed unaware that, just a wall away in the master bedroom, a woman was slightly opening her eyes and gently biting her lip.
Her legs rubbed together slowly, listening to her sister's voice coming from the next room, and her fingers gently slipped under the covers.
Chapter Sixty-Eight Li hope: I Believe in You
The rain on the banana leaves will eventually stop. As Banami gently stroked his wife's smooth back, watching the lingering blush on her face as she enjoyed the afterglow of their intimacy, he was still filled with remorse for his earlier impure thoughts.
“Hey… Xi.” Li hope said in a soft, charming voice that no one but him had ever heard before.
"Ok?"
"I think I'll be very busy in the coming days. I probably won't have much time to take care of Maki except when I get home at night to bathe and change her clothes."
Banami recalled Riki's schedule for the day and thought, "That's true, but why is she like this...?"
"So during this time, I might need to ask you to take care of Maki and accompany her during her rehabilitation. Also... I think my sister is feeling quite lost right now, since the world has become completely different since she woke up."
If possible, I hope you can help her cheer up and lift her spirits.
Li hope earnestly asked him to do this, and although it was something he should do, he found it very strange that Li hope himself had brought it up.
"Lixi, although it might sound strange for me to say this, is it really okay for me to take care of Maki-nee? After all, she and I were once..." Banami decided to be open and honest, no longer hiding anything.
Li hope suddenly burst out laughing: "Look how nervous you are. So what if you secretly dated my sister? Well, I secretly dated you too."
Ultimately, our so-called secret relationship with you was nothing more than a game of make-believe.
Moreover, she had personally verified her sister's purity, even though it was her sister who had shown it to her voluntarily.
Then, the woman who had cut off her long black hair said with some annoyance, "If it weren't for the fact that I'm really too busy, do you think I would want you to spend all your time with my sister?"
Banami couldn't help but gently stroke her back; Riki loved it when the two of them were being affectionate, and he would do this afterward.
“Things are different now than they were eight years ago. We’re married now. It’s no longer a childish relationship; it’s a lifelong commitment. I… believe you.”
Li hope spoke in a very serious tone, which deeply moved Banami.
This is his wife, Shiina Tatsuki, whose great character needs no further explanation.
"Compared to me, I actually believe more that you, Banami, can bring my sister out of the shadows. This applies to me, Xiangzi, and Suze as well."
The image of that blue twin tails appeared in Banami's mind, but then it faded away.
Because his wife pinched him.
"Why did you pinch me?" the man asked innocently.
"Of course it's because you're thinking about other girls."
"Wasn't that because you brought it up yourself?"
"Stop nagging, let me pinch you a few more times, you succubus who's always having affairs."
"But... my first time was with you."
The couple's constant chatter actually calmed down Banami's emotions quite a bit.
Although he wavers when he's with Maki, once he's alone with Riki, Banami is certain that he deeply loves his wife.
"So, I'm leaving Maki in your care. Please, please make sure she gets better."
Lixi said that getting better is not just about physical health, but also about mental health.
Saying she'd be a wet nurse for her and Hanami's child is completely unlike the proud and arrogant Shiina Maki. This is the kind of thing the Shiina Maki she knows would say.
As if remembering something, Li hope chuckled and said, "Besides, do you even have the energy to do bad things now?"
She has squeezed every last drop out of me.
These words made Banami blush.
Or perhaps, this is Lixi's real purpose for coming here tonight?
Although she verbally assured her husband that he was confident, she still bought him an insurance policy to ensure he had no ability to do anything wrong before she felt comfortable letting him be alone with her sister.
Shiina Tatsuki, you're despicable now.
After teasing her husband, Lixi slowly stood up, which puzzled Banami: "Do you want to take a bath?"
"Yeah, I need to go back to the next room to sleep, otherwise Maki will laugh me to death when I wake up in the morning."
Banami felt a void in her heart and said, "I really never thought that one day I would be competing with Maki for you. You'll be very lonely tonight without me like this."
Lixi was so angry she laughed, and said, "Fine, I'll stay even if Maki laughs at me. Let's do it a few more times."
This immediately startled Banami, who had only been joking, and she said, "I don't think that's necessary, is it?"
Li hope rolled her eyes at him and said coquettishly, "You're such a jerk."
Banai smiled awkwardly as he watched his wife leave, the guilt he felt towards her earlier completely gone.
In his heart, there is only one sun: Lixi.
loyalty!
At this moment, he began to seriously consider Lixi's request.
As she said, Maki does indeed look rather lost and dejected right now, although she hides it very well.
Banami didn't want her to continue like this, but what should she do?
Just as Banami was worrying about how to help her aunt, Riki quietly returned to her room to get some clothes to take a bath.
To his surprise, Riki was shocked to see Maki sitting on the bed.
"Maki, you..."
Maki, however, said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Riki. When I woke up, I wanted a drink of water, but you weren't there, so I went to get some myself, but I didn't expect..."
Riki saw an overturned glass next to Maki, and then Maki's lower body got wet.
Lixi stared blankly at her sister. Although the reason was very reasonable, she still felt something was strange, after all, it was too coincidental.
She and Hanami were doing *that* kind of thing sitting next to each other, and then her older sister got up to drink water, getting her body wet...
"What's wrong?" Maki asked, seemingly slightly puzzled.
Lixi simply shook her head and said, "It's nothing. Let me carry you to the bathroom to wash up. I also need to..."
"You too?" Maki asked.
"N-nothing...nothing?" Li hope shook her head gently.
I always felt that it was a bit strange to take a bath with Maki right after doing that with Hanami.
But she couldn't just leave Maki there.
***
The next day, Hanami woke up yawning and opened the study door, only to find Maki sitting in a wheelchair.
He asked with slight doubt, "Where's your sister?"
"Your wife went to work a long time ago. She said she'd be up in the sun by the time you woke up, and she'd already prepared breakfast," Maki teased.
Banami couldn't help but chuckle awkwardly.
His schedule was indeed quite different from Li hope's. Compared to his wife, who often had to perform, he had much more free time.
Remembering what happened yesterday, Banami paused for a moment and said, "Maki-nee, after I finish helping you with your rehabilitation today, let's go somewhere together."
"Where?" Maki asked curiously.
"Haneoka," was the only answer Hachina gave.
This answer surprised Maki somewhat; it was about her alma mater.
Chapter Sixty-Nine: A Belated Graduation Ceremony
Although Maki didn't know why Hanami wanted to take her back to her alma mater, recalling her memories of her teenage years, Maki, now a semi-mature woman, couldn't help but feel a little lost.
The eight years she lost were not just about growing older; she also missed out on many coming-of-age ceremonies that an ordinary person rooted in this society must experience.
It seems that Banami was preparing something for her, so he, who usually accompanies her diligently during her rehabilitation, was nowhere to be seen this time. He simply handed her over to the nurse, which made Maki somewhat expectant, but she pretended not to know.
What Hanami didn't know was that Maki didn't actually care what Hanami did for her; the fact that he did something for her was enough to make her happy.
After a while, when Maki was already drenched in sweat on the armrest, Hanami hurriedly returned.
As a result, he was scolded by the nurse: "Honestly, the rehabilitation process requires a lot of encouragement and support from family members. Mr. Banami, your girlfriend is only having her second rehabilitation session. You have no patience and are slacking off elsewhere. This is very bad for the patient, do you know that?"
When asked about the kind-hearted nurse, Banami opened her mouth as if to explain that she was not her boyfriend, but her brother-in-law.
Seeing Maki secretly covering her mouth and laughing, Banami helplessly shut her mouth and said sincerely, "I'm sorry, I won't do it again next time."
“Miss Komura, please don’t blame Yuuki. He… he had to work and take care of me at the same time, which was already very hard for him. He didn’t abandon me during the eight years I was asleep. I am really, really grateful.” Maki’s voice trembled slightly, and she looked very excited, which left Banami speechless.
Seeing Maki's pleading, the nurse seemed to have a slightly different opinion of the man in front of her, and said in a slightly gentler tone, "In any case, this is a crucial time for Ms. Shiina. Once she gets through this, she can return to being a normal person. We still need to put in a lot of effort."
After saying that, the nurse turned around and went to organize the rehabilitation equipment. Maki looked at the man who was being lectured like a grandson and said with some pride, "Did you hear that? You'll have to take extra care of me."
Banami couldn't help but laugh. She couldn't come up with any reason, but looking at Maki's charming smile, it was like a gentle breeze, making her completely unable to get angry.
A moment later, the nurse who had finished tidying up the equipment came over, and Banami immediately asked, "Ms. Komura, could you please help Maki-nee change into this outfit?"
Then, Maki was somewhat surprised to see the Haneoka uniform that had moved her so much in Hanami's hand, and also the familiar disciplinary committee armband...
"This is... the uniform I wore back then?" Maki said in surprise.
Banami nodded gently: "After your accident, your aunt and uncle kept your things very well, just in case you woke up one day and couldn't find them."
novelraw