Chapter 143: Love in the Gale

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The wind roared outside the house, as if to sweep everything on the earth clean.

After dinner, Shirako and Little Butterfly eagerly followed the blond princess and hid in the room to play the games they had bought during the day.

At this time, it was late at night, and the living room was once again left with only Minamoto Kiyomoto and Kamibayashi Miko.

Minamoto Kiyomoto held a book titled “The Psychology of Subjects under Despotic Rule,” his gaze on Kamibayashi Miko.

She had just finished her hot spring bath, her black hair tied up behind her head. She had a bit more of an ordinary person’s elegant laziness than usual, and a little less of a celestial being’s pure and otherworldly air.

His gaze slowly moved down, sliding over her fair and elegant neck, her rounded and undulating chest, her slender and firm waist, and the section of her calf exposed under her white yukata, as beautiful as ice and snow.

She sat with her legs bent on the tatami chair, flipping through Stendhal’s “The Red and the Black.”

“A novel that spends a page or two describing a living room, and you can still read it with rapt attention. It’s truly amazing,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said.

“That’s not so bad. The most boring part is the protagonist’s endless thoughts, feelings, and emotions,” Kamibayashi Miko turned a page back, then turned another page.

“Two pages of the protagonist’s endless thoughts, feelings, and emotions?”

“It’s describing the foyer tapestry.”

“Haha,” Minamoto Kiyomoto laughed a couple of times. The next moment, his voice became as gentle as a cloud, “Stop reading. It’s so boring. Let’s do something else.”

Kamibayashi Miko looked up from her book, her clear eyes glancing at him.

Minamoto Kiyomoto sighed, looked at the “The Psychology of Subjects under Despotic Rule” in his hand, and read:

“‘Today I love you, and I don’t want you to leave my side for a moment; tomorrow I hate you, and I drive you a thousand miles away.'”

Kamibayashi Miko also sighed.

“If you want to hug, then hurry up,” she said as if resigned to her fate.

“The Psychology of Subjects under Despotic Rule” was instantly closed and abandoned. Minamoto Kiyomoto moved to Kamibayashi Miko’s side.

Looking at the Divine Medium who was still sitting with her legs bent and reading, Minamoto Kiyomoto didn’t know how to begin.

“Miss Kamibayashi.”

“Mhm.”

“Can you adjust a little? I can’t… it’s not comfortable to hug like this.”

Kamibayashi Miko sighed again and looked at him helplessly.

“Don’t trouble yourself too much,” a smile was all over Minamoto Kiyomoto’s face. He adjusted his posture slightly, “Just treat me as a chair.”

He opened his arms and looked at Kamibayashi Miko expectantly, “Come… ahem, come on.”

Minamoto Kiyomoto’s voice was a little hoarse. He was nervous, excited, and happy.

Kamibayashi Miko sighed for the third time and stood up with an impatient expression.

Before she sat in Minamoto Kiyomoto’s lap, she said, “Don’t mess…”

As soon as she spoke, Minamoto Kiyomoto immediately laughed—Kamibayashi Miko’s voice was also a little hoarse.

Kamibayashi Miko stopped talking, as if she were angry. With a cold face, she sat expressionlessly in his lap and continued to read “The Red and the Black.”

Minamoto Kiyomoto gently wrapped his arms around her slender waist from behind, sniffing the faint fragrance in her hair.

His love for her burned like a flame, consuming his heart.

In his arms, where he couldn’t see, Kamibayashi Miko’s eyelashes trembled slightly, her eyes as hazy and distant as a lake in the morning mist.

The heat from Minamoto Kiyomoto’s palm, like a raging fire, penetrated her yukata and burned her skin.

She remembered that morning, when Minamoto Kiyomoto was sitting on the veranda of the courtyard, the morning sun shining on his face, his spirited and childish appearance, arousing the maternal tenderness deep in her heart.

She remembered that night when the sky was full of fireworks;
She remembered the feeling of sitting on his lap, her hand stroking his hair;
She remembered his face, always with a smile, when he said “Miss Kamibayashi”;

Now, sitting in his lap, her nose was full of his scent, as warm as the spring breeze, as the winter sun, warming her entire body.

Her stiff body, like a floating ice floe from the polar regions, melted in the warm ocean.

Feeling Kamibayashi Miko’s waist gradually soften, Minamoto Kiyomoto’s heart was filled with infinite love, and he couldn’t help but gently caress her with his fingertips.

Kamibayashi Miko’s abdomen tensed again, then gradually melted again.

“Miko,” Minamoto Kiyomoto’s lips left her hair, and he whispered in her ear.

Kamibayashi Miko’s body trembled slightly. It was hard to say if it was an itch, or a numbness, or a pleasure.

“Miko,” Minamoto Kiyomoto whispered again, his love as gentle as the spring breeze turning the pages of a book.

“Miko… Miko… Miko…”

One after another, the book on the corner of the table was blown away by the wind, forgetting where it had been.

Kamibayashi Miko rested her head on his shoulder, her whole body soft in his arms.

The warmth and softness of the girl in his arms, and the heart-pounding emotion, made Minamoto Kiyomoto forget everything.

“How wonderful it would be if the world ended at this moment,” he said softly, his face against Kamibayashi Miko’s.

Kamibayashi Miko’s gaze was on “The Red and the Black.” She still recognized every word, but she could no longer string them together, unable to read even the shortest sentence.

“That’s not good either,” Minamoto Kiyomoto gently rubbed his cheek against hers. “I still want to hug you, to hold your hand, to walk with you in the cherry blossom forest, the sunflower field, the maple leaves, the fine snow. There are so many things I want to do with you.”

“Miko… Miko…” he couldn’t control his emotions and could only call her name over and over again.

“I like you so much,” he said.

“Do you still remember the first time we met? The air was full of the scent of books. You, in a white dress, were like you had walked out of a book. The magnolia flowers on your sleeves were so beautiful. From that moment on, I fell in love with magnolia flowers.”

“In late spring, I noticed the magnolia flowers blooming on the trees, but why weren’t they as beautiful as I had imagined? It’s you who is beautiful, Miko.”

His warm breath, his hot palms, the softness of his face, warm and itchy, went straight to the bottom of Kamibayashi Miko’s heart.

In his one after another murmur, she leaned softly against his chest, listening to her own sometimes frantic, sometimes gentle heartbeat.

The two of them didn’t know how long they had been hugging, until the fierce wind outside broke a branch of the plum tree, and they were startled awake.

“What a strong wind,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said, holding Kamibayashi Miko with longing, like a child who didn’t want to get out of bed, hugging his blanket.

“How long are you going to hug me?” Kamibayashi Miko finally turned a page back in her book.

“I’ll read with you,” Minamoto Kiyomoto pressed himself even closer to her, his gaze on “The Red and the Black.”

The world was once again left with only the sound of the wind.

“Haven’t you finished reading yet?” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked softly.

“…If you think it’s slow, then let go,” Kamibayashi Miko replied faintly.

She didn’t expect that Minamoto Kiyomoto was actually reading, and that she had been distracted just now, just enjoying being close to him.

She deliberately took a long time to turn a page, pretending that she wanted to end the hug early.

This time, she read seriously—line by line, but she didn’t know what it was saying at all.

When she was about to turn the page, her hand was held down by Minamoto Kiyomoto.

“I haven’t finished reading yet.”

This time, she was the one who read too fast.

She insisted on turning a page and said, “If you think it’s fast, go buy a copy yourself.”

“This kind of book, I only have the mood to read it when I’m with you.”

Kamibayashi Miko didn’t say anything, just pulled her hand back from his.

Minamoto Kiyomoto laughed, and his hand went back to her waist, greedily sniffing the scent of her neck.

The two of them, page by page, continued to read.

“This Julien’s initial feelings for Madame de Rênal and Mademoiselle de la Mole are not love at all,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said.

“If it’s not love, what is it?”

“A cold calculation, a trophy to mark his intelligence. Look here,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said in a low voice, his fingertips gently sliding between the lines. “He’s smug in his heart, not the kind of joy of finding happiness.”

Kamibayashi Miko looked at his finger.

The slender index finger slowly slid down the page. Just now, this finger had gently caressed her abdomen.

At this moment, Kamibayashi Miko understood her own heart—she loved Minamoto Kiyomoto.

She wanted every book she read in the future to be like the “The Red and the Black” in her hand.

She longed for his scent, didn’t want to be alone anymore, and wanted to keep him by her side.

But in an instant, another thought flashed through her mind—

She couldn’t let Minamoto Kiyomoto go on an adventure with her. He still had his mother, the people he liked and who liked him, and the dream he had to fulfill.

Smack! “The Red and the Black” was slammed shut, almost catching Minamoto Kiyomoto’s finger.

“What’s wrong?” Minamoto Kiyomoto asked strangely.

“It’s over,” Kamibayashi Miko stood up.

Minamoto Kiyomoto was not discouraged and said with a leisurely smile, “Then what about next time? That’s the ‘Coral Demon Moth’. If we eliminate it, what’s the reward?”

Kamibayashi Miko looked at him and didn’t speak.

“Alright, alright,” Minamoto Kiyomoto stood up, his body still carrying Kamibayashi Miko’s warm scent. “‘The Coral Demon Moth’ still doesn’t know when it will appear. We’ll talk about it then.”

He stretched contentedly and picked up “The Psychology of Subjects under Despotic Rule.”

“Good night, Miko,” he hummed “Christmas Eve” as he left the living room.

Left alone, the sound of the wind suddenly rushed into her ears. Kamibayashi Miko was still thinking about the thought she had just now.

If Minamoto Kiyomoto had no relatives and only liked her, then it would be fine to live and die together.

But he had a mother who regarded him as her life, a Himegami Izayoi whom he also liked, and the dream of becoming the number one in the world.

Kamibayashi Miko’s body went cold. She was both sad and heartbroken.

Minamoto Kiyomoto didn’t owe her anything. What right did she have to let him die with her?
Whether it was her responsibility as the Divine Medium, or Kamibayashi Miko’s love for him, leaving him might be what she should do now.

To make Minamoto Kiyomoto leave her…
A feeling she had never had before suddenly welled up, almost tearing her apart.

“The Red and the Black” fell on the tatami. Kamibayashi Miko clutched her chest and took a deep breath.

‘It’s still early… the Coral Demon Moth still doesn’t know when it will appear… facing a ‘prefecture-level’ yokai, we’re safer together.’

‘Just like the red-gold dragon, it was because I and Izayoi went to save him and bought him time that we survived.’

Kamibayashi Miko constantly comforted herself.

The sharp, knife-like pain gradually receded. She bent down and picked up “The Red and the Black.”

However, all things would have to be decided sooner or later.

She had never hated her father so much.

Why did he make her the Divine Medium?

Why did he not allow her to participate in the battle at the beginning, but now he had to tell her about the ‘Coral Demon Moth’?
If she weren’t the Divine Medium, she might have been with Minamoto Kiyomoto long ago. There would be no Himegami Izayoi, and she wouldn’t have to face the choice of having to leave Minamoto Kiyomoto.

Kamibayashi Miko sat down again on the tatami chair.

The originally comfortable chair, after experiencing Minamoto Kiyomoto’s embrace, was as cold as a coffin.

If she weren’t the Divine Medium, or if she didn’t know about the ‘Coral Demon Moth’, or if she didn’t like Minamoto Kiyomoto so much and didn’t care about his life or death…
Countless “ifs,” “ors,” and “if onlys.” The fierce wind messed up her thoughts.

Autumn had passed, and winter was approaching.

◇

“The rain will turn to snow after midnight~”

Minamoto Kiyomoto repeatedly hummed the one line he remembered from “Christmas Eve” and pushed open the bedroom door.

“You seem happy,” Himegami Izayoi was lying on his bed, her right hand supporting her head, her left hand flipping through Minamoto Kiyomoto’s notes.

She was wearing a yukata, and her slender legs, without a trace of fat, extended from it.

“Just now, I discovered that Miss Kamibayashi loves me even more,” Minamoto Kiyomoto walked in with light steps and closed the door behind him.

He threw the book on the table, sighed, and said happily:
“She loves me a little, you love me a little. The three of us will be together sooner or later, happily ever after.”

“Sooner or later?” Himegami Izayoi sneered, “Wait until you’ve eliminated the ‘Coral Demon Moth’.”

“Is the ‘Coral Demon Moth’ that powerful?” Minamoto Kiyomoto sat on the edge of the bed and asked, stroking her leg.

“Even I feel it’s dangerous, and I even quarreled with you. What do you think?” Himegami Izayoi closed the notebook and threw it on the table.

She patted the spot where the notebook had been, telling Minamoto Kiyomoto to lie down.

Minamoto Kiyomoto took off his clothes, got into the bed, and reached out to hug her.

The world suddenly became quiet, and the bed was warm.

“Koyako, thank you,” Minamoto Kiyomoto said softly.

“Thank me for what?” Himegami Izayoi also whispered back.

The two of them seemed to be whispering secrets.

“Back then, with the Noi incident, you gave me that thing. Although I don’t know what it is, you didn’t even tell me. It must be very important. And,”

Minamoto Kiyomoto’s voice softened, and he continued:
“The matter of the ‘Coral Demon Moth’, you were willing to sacrifice the practitioners of Kansai, and your own safety, to come and help me.”

“Helping you is one thing. I was angry because you were doing it for another woman, and I still had to help you,” Himegami Izayoi said irritably.

“Mhm,” Minamoto Kiyomoto replied obediently, hugging her a little tighter. “I owe you.”

“Owe me? Do I need you to owe me?”

“Isn’t it good to owe me? Faye Wong’s songs are often played at the school’s Starbucks. She has a line, ‘We have to owe each other, we have to be connected even after we break up.’ Although we won’t break up, it’s also good to owe each other.”

“I don’t need you to owe me. Now you promise me one thing.”

“Ten things are also fine.”

“Then ten things,” Himegami Izayoi propped herself up, her elbow pressing on Minamoto Kiyomoto’s chest.

“You’re too cunning. Usually, people say ‘I only want one thing’.”

“You want to go back on your word?”

Minamoto Kiyomoto laughed and wrapped his arms around her waist.

“I said, I have no principles for you. Ten things are ten things. As long as it’s not leaving Miss Kamibayashi, I’ll promise you anything else.”

“If I win one day, you can’t be connected to Miko even after you break up,” Himegami Izayoi looked down at him and said quietly.

After a moment of silence, Minamoto Kiyomoto said confidently, “There’s no way…”

“Promise me.”

“…Alright, alright, I promise you, although I don’t think that day will come.”

“That’s none of your business. We’ll see. Big sister is sure to win,” Himegami Izayoi lay down with satisfaction.

“Wait,” this time it was Minamoto Kiyomoto’s turn to sit up, his hand on her chest. “You’re not going to find her and say something like, ‘If you really care about Minamoto Kiyomoto, then go and die alone. Don’t drag him down,’ right?”

“Do I need to do that? I’m going to conquer you with my open and honest charm. Mmm~, a little heavier is also fine.”

“Big sister,” Minamoto Kiyomoto swallowed, his breath hot. “I’ve already been conquered by you.”

“Then why aren’t you kissing me yet,” Himegami Izayoi wrapped her arms around Minamoto Kiyomoto’s neck. “You haven’t kissed me in so long.”

Before Minamoto Kiyomoto could kiss her, she had already bitten his lip.

“Ah!” Minamoto Kiyomoto cried out in pain.

He could faintly hear Himegami Izayoi’s sweet laughter.

“Be good. Let big sister take a look,” like a small beast, she licked the wound.

Minamoto Kiyomoto could no longer control himself and began to move his mouth.

After eating his fill, he was still not satisfied and licked her lips like he was licking a plate.

The two of them lay in bed, their skin touching, feeling each other’s body temperature.

“The wind is so strong tonight,” Himegami Izayoi said softly.

“Thank you for your hard work. I should have gone to find you,” Minamoto Kiyomoto replied softly.

“You fool,” in the wind and the night, Himegami Izayoi’s laughter could be heard. “The wind is strong. It’s warm to squeeze into a small bed. My bed is too big.”

“When I get the two of you, the three of us will have to sleep in a bigger one—”

“Second thing, shut up.”

“Oh.”

“Humph.”

Himegami Izayoi hugged him tightly, her long, snow-white legs crossing over his, wanting to possess him completely.

Minamoto Kiyomoto had never been so happy. He could clearly feel Kamibayashi Miko’s love and Himegami Izayoi’s love tonight.

The wind still blew.