“Wh… what? Lin Ze, you have a sister?” Her nervousness made her voice a bit louder. She hadn’t heard of Lin Ze having a sister! Could this be a meeting with his parents?
“Yes, but she’s not a biological sister. She’s my mother’s cousin’s daughter, and she’s settled in Tokyo now. I only met her a couple of days ago,” Lin Ze used the excuse he’d planned with Koto, then pointed to the car a few steps away.
Kayako secretly peeked into the car, but the tinted windows blocked her view. Even though it was just Lin Ze’s distant relative, she still felt nervous. What should she do? Should she go back and change clothes? I… I don’t have any nice clothes. How should I greet her? What should I call her?
Countless questions flooded her mind. Kayako felt dizzy and helpless. She looked at Lin Ze, her voice trailing off, “I… I…”
Her helpless demeanor made Lin Ze laugh. “Hahaha, don’t be nervous, don’t be nervous. You have me. I’ll introduce you. Just say ‘Hello, Koto-san’ politely. Koto-san is a nice person. You don’t have to feel pressured.”
Koto, inside the car, was already numb. When she saw Kayako, she saw a thick, oppressive curse, like cobwebs wrapped around prey, enveloping the other woman. The overflowing resentment soared towards the sky, making her scalp tingle.
She had seen the curse, but it was a brief glimpse across countless worlds! Despite this, the scene, far beyond her imagination, filled her with despair. Seeing Kayako up close now, directly sensing that power, she felt powerless.
But Lin Ze said something, and the aura around Kayako began to recede, shrinking back. This gave her a glimmer of hope. “Yes! Lin Ze is definitely the key. Only he can influence Kayako!”
Before Lin Ze and Kayako got in the car, Koto put on a brave face, turning to the two behind her.
To the naked eye, Kayako was indeed a beauty, but her beauty was overshadowed by the gloomy aura around her. Her cautious demeanor made her appear pitiable, and her pale skin seemed like the result of prolonged malnutrition.
While Koto was sizing Kayako up, Kayako was also secretly watching her. The aura of authority, confidence, and generosity emanating from the other woman made her shrink back, then she quickly straightened, feeling like her actions were inappropriate.
Lin Ze gently patted her hand, but Kayako flinched as if she’d been electrocuted, retracting her hand quickly.
Being patted by Lin Ze in front of his sister made Kayako tense up, unable to breathe. The intended comfort backfired.
Lin Ze could only say with a wry smile, “Koto-san, this is Kawauchi Kayako. She’s a little shy.”
“Hello, Koto-san!” Kayako tried to bow, but her head slammed into the front seat, making her cry out in pain. She quickly covered her mouth, looking at Lin Ze with teary eyes.
Oh no, oh no… I messed up! Lin Ze’s sister must think I’m an idiot. She’ll go back and tell Lin Ze’s parents, and they’ll have a bad impression of me. A bad impression will make Lin Ze stay away from me, and then I’ll never see him again, waaaa!
“Hello, Kayako. I’m Lin Ze’s sister. Just call me Koto-san, like Lin Ze does. Don’t be nervous. Lin Ze has mentioned you quite a few times these past few days. No wonder he suddenly said he wanted me to drive out and treat me to dinner today. It seems I was just the driver.”
There are many ways to ease awkwardness, but for Kayako, Lin Ze was the most effective. Koto subtly grasped this point.
Sure enough, hearing Koto say Lin Ze had been mentioning her and wanted to take her out to eat, her attention shifted. She shyly glanced at Lin Ze, then softly explained, “No… Lin Ze… he… he definitely wanted… wanted to treat Koto-san to dinner, not use her as a driver.”
“Ha, I’ll take his word for it then.” Koto drove to the entrance of a restaurant. As they got out of the car, Kayako looked at the magnificent building, feeling uneasy, following Lin Ze. She’d never been to a place like this and was afraid of making a fool of herself in front of Lin Ze.
Only after they entered the private room and sat down, and Koto went out to answer a call, did Kayako relax a little.
“Don’t be nervous, Kayako. Like I said, Koto-san is a nice person.”
“I… it’s not because of Koto-san. Koto-san is a very good person, and she’s very kind. It’s… it’s because… I’ve never been to a place like this.” Even though Koto had a scar over her eye, in Kayako’s eyes, it didn’t mean she was scary. In fact, she assumed the best of anyone who was related to Lin Ze.
Lin Ze thought for a moment, then leaned close to Kayako’s ear and whispered, “Actually, this is my first time coming to a place like this too. Koto-san tricked me. She heard I was treating her to dinner and wanted to take advantage of me.”
Kayako burst into laughter, amusedly looking at Lin Ze. “Then Lin Ze, you’re too pitiful.”
“Yeah, I’m afraid I can’t afford it.” Lin Ze pretended to look worried.
“Ah? I still have the money you gave me last time, you can take it back.”
“How can that be enough? I estimate I’ll need ten times that amount.”
“Then what should we do?” Kayako took it seriously and was genuinely worried for Lin Ze.
“We should sneak away later and let Koto-san pay. She has money.”
Upon hearing this, Kayako was conflicted. She nervously said, “Th… that’s not good. Or maybe… maybe we should tell Koto-san the truth later.”
Lin Ze couldn’t hold back, bursting into laughter. “Hahaha, our Kayako is such an honest and kind child.”
Realizing Lin Ze was teasing her, she was relieved but turned away from him in displeasure.
Seeing her turn away, Lin Ze felt relieved. He’d always wanted Kayako to express more emotions, instead of holding them in and always appearing meekly submissive.
“Okay, I was wrong, I’m sorry. Can Kayako forgive me?” Lin Ze poked her shoulder with his finger. Just then, Koto came back.
“What’s going on? Did Lin Ze upset Kayako?” She heard some commotion outside. Lin Ze was doing well! Rich emotions would make Kayako more human! And being able to express these emotions would only benefit her, as long as she didn’t do anything reckless that made her want to give up and destroy herself.
“No, no, Lin Ze was just joking.”
“Heh, if this kid really dares to upset you or bully you, tell me, and I’ll beat the living daylights out of him.”
Though she was talking to Kayako jokingly, Lin Ze felt like she was serious.
The food arrived quickly. Kayako thought this was the second happiest day of her life. With each dish, Koto-san gently served her the first bowl, and Lin Ze peeled things for her and poured her water. It was the first time she had been cared for like this. If she were to be with Lin Ze, would she be this happy all the time?
Lin Ze suddenly felt a foot nudge his, and he saw Kayako whispering, “I forgive you.”