As Yukinoshita Yukino boarded the train, Lin Xi turned and left.
Yukinoshita Yukino silently watched him go, her emotions complicated.
She naturally recognized Lin Xi.
On the day of the school opening, she had been sitting in that private car.
However, it was her mother and older sister who had stepped in to resolve the situation.
At that time, Lin Xi had punched Hachiman away and performed an impressive dodge from the car; she had been stunned.
Today, they had officially met.
This person again displayed a charm that attracted animals, and interacting with him felt different from other boys who wouldn’t even dare to look at her.
The whole process felt very natural.
This indicated that he was not only a gentle boy but also very confident.
Such a person is incredibly charming.
At least, that’s how she felt.
He was much more reliable than Hayama Hayato.
But was he pursuing Shiina Mashiro?
Thinking of all the coincidences between the two…
Living in the same house.
Going to school together.
They were classmates and desk mates.
They even collaborated, serving as the class representatives for the boys and girls respectively.
It would be utterly unreasonable for these two not to be together!
However, judging by Shiina Mashiro's demeanor, it seemed she didn’t have any romantic feelings for Lin Xi.
Wait, why am I even thinking about whether they are dating or not?
Touching her flushed cheeks, Yukinoshita Yukino shook her head vigorously, trying to push Lin Xi out of her mind.
But she still felt envious.
She also wanted to be adored by a little cat.
The cat food in her pocket had finally been delivered just now.
She wanted to continue giving it in the future.
Not to mention Yukinoshita's feelings, Lin Xi arrived at a convenience store.
After all, he wasn't short on money, so sometimes he wanted to buy some snacks to satisfy his cravings.
Soda, instant noodles—these were the favorites of someone who stayed at home.
Of course.
Actually, he had another purpose for buying snacks.
Ogihara Sayu seemed reluctant to spend money, after all, all her money came from him.
This girl was very sensitive.
Although Lin Xi spoiled her, she was currently confused and hadn’t figured things out, so she wouldn’t go out to work.
But solutions are found by people.
Ogihara Sayu would eventually find her own goal.
Before that, all he needed to do was provide her with a warm home, to warm her heart that had been hurt by her family.
While selecting ingredients.
He saw a frozen food item labeled with the name of the Dihara company.
As expected.
This should be a product from the company owned by Ogihara Sayu's family; her brother was the CEO there.
He didn’t expect it to be distributed even in Kyoto.
It seemed that in Hokkaido, Ogihara Sayu was also a young lady of a wealthy family.
But unfortunately.
Her brother didn’t care about her at all, and her mother didn’t like her either.
This led to Ogihara Sayu’s unwillingness to return to that home.
Fortunately, Lin Xi had intercepted her in time, taking her back home.
Otherwise, who knows what would have become of this girl who felt lost in life.
“Dihara Food Company?”
Looking at the label, Lin Xi showed a mocking expression.
The company is so big.
Yet they don’t even care about their own sister; what kind of brother is that?
Well.
He was just standing in Ogihara Sayu's shoes, feeling heartbroken for her situation.
His girl had to be cherished by him.
In any case, if Ogihara Sayu's brother came looking for her, he wouldn’t let Sayu go back.
After buying snacks and some fresh ingredients, Lin Xi went to the checkout counter to pay.
“Hello, that will be 88,563 yen. Will that be cash or card?”
A girl’s clear and pleasant voice reached his ears, and he instinctively glanced over, his eyes lighting up.
The girl was in a convenience store uniform.
With a neat high ponytail and a cute face, paired with a slender figure, she had a gentle aura.
Her expression, however, was quite determined, and she smiled, making people feel good.
What attracted Lin Xi the most was the name tag on her chest, which read “Aoyama.”
Clearly.
She was Aoyama Nanami, the girl from “Sakura-sou no Pet na Kanojo” whom he hadn’t met yet, working hard to become a famous voice actress.
“I’ll pay by card.”
Lin Xi took a glance, then withdrew his gaze and pulled out his bank card.
After completing his shopping, he left the store.
Now wasn’t the time to interact with Nanami.
He already knew one of the stores where she worked.
He could come back later for a “chance encounter.”
Back at Sakura-sou, Lin Xi put the ingredients in the fridge.
The snacks were casually placed on the counter.
Suddenly, the door was pushed open.
Before he could react.
A soft body leaned in.
She hugged him from behind.
“Is that you, Sayu?”
Lin Xi held her small hand, gently playing with it.
He turned around and embraced her.
“What’s going on? Did you miss me after just one day?”
Ogihara Sayu pouted, answering with a non sequitur:
“That Yukinoshita classmate who came today is really beautiful.”
“So?”
“Do you have feelings for her?”
The girl pouted, full of jealousy.
Lin Xi smirked, “What if I do?”
“……”
Ogihara Sayu fell silent.
She didn’t know what to say.
After all.
She was the one he had picked up.
If it weren’t for him taking her in, who knows what she would have become due to lack of money and a place to stay.
She didn’t have the right to interfere with him dating other girls.
Seeing him silent, Lin Xi sighed and gently stroked her hair.
“Sayu, if I were to get a girlfriend, would you leave?”
Hearing this, she finally couldn’t help but express her opinion.
“I don’t want to leave.”
“Then isn’t that fine? I wouldn’t want you to leave.”
“If you keep worrying about it, I’ll have to be unreasonable and make sure you don’t have time to think!”
As Lin Xi spoke, his hand began to move irregularly down her calf.
The girl finally broke into a smile and hugged his neck tightly.
“I’m sticking to you now; even if you push me away, I won’t leave.”
“Besides… you’ve already gotten close to Misaki-senpai, and I didn’t stop you, did I?”
“Lin Xi, I do need some time to accept this, but one thing is for sure… I don’t want to leave you.”
Lin Xi tightened his embrace slightly.
“Do you know about Dihara Foods?”
The girl shivered slightly.
Then she looked up with tearful eyes, gazing at him with hurt.
“Are you investigating this because you want to send me away? Am I getting in the way of your pursuit of Shiina-san?”
“Idiot, what are you thinking! Do you see me as that kind of irresponsible person?”
“I’m investigating you because I want to understand you better, to know your past, to know your family, so that I can figure out how to deal with your family if they come looking for you.”
“Otherwise, if someone accuses me of human trafficking, what am I supposed to say?”
Ogihara Sayu burst into laughter through her tears, throwing herself at him, leaning in his embrace and playfully saying:
“I’ll just say I’m doing it willingly.”
Well, whether it’s voluntary or not.
In any case, Lin Xi could no longer hold back.
The skill had already been activated.