“Ring ring ring!” Shirakawa Natsu answered the phone, a smile spreading across her face: “Kanna, I’m preparing your mom’s birthday cake, is there something you need?”

　　”Thank you, Natsu.” Kanna Hojo’s voice was still timid, but noticeably lighter.

　　She is clearly adapting very well to Yan Country.

　　”I don’t know how to thank you enough.” Kanna Hojo’s voice was filled with gratitude: “My dad used to help my mom with her business trips, then it was me, and now she’s all alone, and I’m really worried about her. Thank you, Natsu, for helping me with all this.”

　　”No need, no need, we’re just friends.” Shirakawa Natsu smiled. Although he and Hojo Kanna weren’t in love.

　　But he was the one who took the girl’s virginity, and the two were just friends.

　　”Thank you. I wish I had met Natsu sooner,” Kanna Hojo suddenly remarked, but quickly changed the subject, “How is Nao? Is she alright?”

　　“Yes, she’s great.” Shirakawa Natsumi said without any hesitation, “We plan to get our marriage certificate when we reach the legal age.”

　　He decided he would not develop a romantic relationship with Kanna Hojo. Even a white lie could not give her any hope, and any possible signs had to be nipped in the bud.

　　”Congratulations! I’m so envious of you guys.” Kanna Hojo was also in a good mood.

　　The two exchanged a few more pleasantries before hanging up the phone.

　　Shirakawa Natsu looked at his phone. He went to lick Aunt Maki’s lips not without preparation, but just out of sheer passion.

　　He used his relationship with Kanna to make it appear as if Hojo Maki would be visiting Yan Kingdom.

　　Thoroughly understand Aunt Mafei’s habits.

　　Kanna heard that Shirakawa Natsu had been receiving help from her mother in her manga career recently, and that they were friends.

　　She had no doubts whatsoever; she could never have imagined that Shirakawa Natsumi’s true intentions were to betray her own mother.

　　She was also worried that her mother might encounter difficulties coming to a foreign country alone.

　　Even though Hojo Maki is a police officer, she is stronger than the average person in terms of both skill and courage.

　　But with such an outrageous physique, one always feels that something strange is bound to happen to him.

　　Upon hearing that Shirakawa Natsu was willing to help, he revealed all the information about his mother to her.

　　”We’ve done everything we could.” Shirakawa Natsu put away his phone. He and Mukai Yu were at opposite ends of the spectrum.

　　Yu Mukai is a naturally gifted player, and Maki Hojo already had a crush on him. This was evident from the fact that she bought them both medicine to cool them down, indicating that this affection had been brewing for a long time.

　　He belongs to the type who goes to great lengths and uses every means to pursue his goddess.

　　Do everything you can to the best of your ability in these next few days.

　　Hiroshi Mukai, you absolutely mustn’t let me down.

　　After Shirakawa Natsu finished praying, she looked at the cake.

　　”Sir, would you like your cake packed up?” the waitress asked with a smile as she approached.

　　”Uh.” Shirakawa Natsu looked at the cake, then at the waitress, admiring how she managed not to smile.

　　”Can you provide professional repair services?” Shirakawa Natsu asked earnestly.

　　The waiter looked at the cake for a while before saying, “I suggest you buy another one. Our pastry chefs have never made a cake with this shape before.”

　　Shirakawa Natsumi’s lips twitched. He had clearly followed the instructions. After thinking for a long time, he said, “I’ll pay extra.”

　　The cake shop assigned two pastry chefs to salvage his cake.

　　Shirakawa Natsu was satisfied with the final result; it looked acceptable, and you could tell it was handmade.

　　After paying, we carefully loaded the cake into the car and drove towards Ma Fei’s house.

　　Meanwhile, Yu Mukai meets Ryoko Arishima on the University of Tokyo campus.

　　Today, Ryoko Arishima wore a white dress, and the evening breeze blew through her long hair, making her look pure and charming.

　　For a moment, Yu Mukai was stunned. It felt like he was back in college, when Ryoko Arishima would always be waiting for him on the playground.

　　Then she smiled and said to him, “You’ve come.” Ryoko Arishima smiled and greeted him.

　　Yu Mukai snapped back to reality. For a moment, reality and memory overlapped, as if he had traveled back to his university days: “I… I’m sorry, I was a little distracted.”

　　”Does Yu think back to the past?” Ryoko Arishima smiled and said, “Back then, we would walk on the playground every day as the sun set, and we did that for three years. I always thought we would continue walking like that forever.”

　　”I…” Yu Mukai opened his mouth, wanting to say that the two of them were not suitable.

　　”Yu, can you stay with me for a little while? Just for a little while.” Ryoko Arishima looked up, her eyes seemingly filled with tears, her smile still forced.

　　Mukai Yu checked the time; it was 5:30. There was still time until 8:00. He nodded.

　　The two walked together on the playground.

　　Ryoko Arishima put her hands behind her back and said softly, “Yu, do you know, after graduating from university, I haven’t gotten close to any boys.”

　　Yu Mukai was taken aback. Hearing that his ex-girlfriend wasn’t getting close to any boys, he couldn’t help but feel a secret delight: “Why?”

　　Ryoko Arishima glanced at him, her voice forlorn: “I just want to live a good life on my own. I’ll never dare to love again, besides…”

　　She paused here before continuing, “Besides, he did such a terrible thing to Yu.”

　　Upon hearing this, Yu Mukai shuddered, as if recalling something terrifying, and covered his forehead with his hand.

　　”Yu, are you alright?” Ryoko Arishima came up and asked hurriedly.

　　”No…it’s nothing.” Yu Mukai waved his hand. “It’s not your fault.”

　　The two had now reached the back of a teaching building, a place where no one usually came.

　　There were only two people at that moment.

　　Ryoko Arishima took a thick envelope from her small backpack and handed it to Yu Mukai.

　　Yu Mukai was taken aback. He took the envelope, his hands seemingly trembling. He seemed to guess what was inside, but he didn’t open it.

　　“I know I can no longer have Yu’s love.” Ryoko Arishima said sadly, “Because after that incident, I am no longer the person I used to be. Yu’s love for me no longer exists.”

　　She looked at Jing Yu: “It’s already stained, Yu must think so.”

　　“No.” Yu Mukai looked away from the thick envelope in his hand, looked up at Ryoko Arishima, and said seriously, “How could you be tainted? To me, you are still the object of my unchanging love.”

　　“Yu.” Ryoko Arishima’s eyes were slightly red.

　　“You are not corrupted at all.” After saying this, Yu Mukai suddenly opened the envelope, which contained more than a dozen photos, the subject of which was Ryoko Arishima.

　　She was wearing a sexy swimsuit, and she and a muscular male model were posing in various seductive poses with their skin pressed together.

　　Ryoko Arishima’s porcelain doll-like face had an indescribable blush, and her eyes were glazed over, clearly indicating that she was in a state of sexual arousal.

　　Yu Mukai held up the photos and flipped through them one by one: “These were all taken normally, and there was nothing out of line.”

　　”Yu, stop lying to yourself.” Ryoko Arishima gently interrupted him, looking into Yu Mukai’s eyes: “If Yu thinks there was nothing wrong with that photoshoot, why can’t Yu take any more photos after that?”

　　”I…” Yu Mukai was stunned and couldn’t speak for a long time.

　　“I don’t want to run away anymore.” Ryoko Arishima looked at Yu Mukai: “When I was wearing that swimsuit and being photographed, I got aroused. It was an experience I had never had before. My mind went blank, and the seniors’ gazes on me felt like they were caressing my skin.”

　　Yu Mukai’s expression changed several times. He lowered his head and said nothing.

　　”I admit it, I got wet.” Ryoko Arishima, with her porcelain doll-like innocent face, uttered the most vulgar words: “Yu too, right? I saw you bending over, and you even left halfway through. Where did Yu go?”

　　”No…don’t say anymore.” Yu Mukai held his head.

　　“I’m a virgin.” Ryoko Arishima suddenly reached out and hugged Yu Mukai from behind. “I’ve only ever loved Yu. After that time, I never worked as a model again. Why can’t Yu take photos anymore? Is it because of me?”

　　“I…” Yu Mukai gave a bitter smile, nodded, his eyes filled with complex emotions. He stretched out his hands, his voice trembling, “Every time I pick up a camera, all I see in my mind is Ryoko’s expression. I can no longer take pictures.”

　　”So that’s how it is?” Tears finally streamed down Ryoko Arishima’s face. “Actually, I guessed it too, but I never had the courage to face Yu.”

　　Yu Mukai lowered his head and stopped speaking.

　　“Let’s say goodbye to the past together.” Ryoko Arishima suddenly smiled, took out a lighter, and handed it to Yu Mukai: “Burn these photos, say goodbye to the past us. I will no longer use our past feelings to bind Yu. Let everything disappear.”

　　Yu Mukai took the lighter blankly, looking at the photo in his other hand. He saw Ryoko Shima’s dreamy eyes in the photo, panting heavily. It was the same eyes that had appeared in his dreams countless times.

　　That was the look in his eyes that made him doubt himself and give up photography.

　　That was his inner demon.

　　Now it’s right here in his hands; all he needs to do is light a flame and go say goodbye.

　　But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get the lighter close to the photo.

　　On the other side, Shirakawa Natsu parked the jeep in front of Maki’s house, picked up the cake, and rang the doorbell.

　　When Ryoko Arishima told him the whole truth, Natsumi Shirakawa was completely dumbfounded.

　　He cannot use the thinking of a normal person to comprehend the logic behind abnormal behavior.

　　He was quite surprised to learn that Yu Mukai, that handsome guy, had this side to him.

　　Or perhaps it’s someone who’s good at art, whose thinking differs somewhat from that of a normal person.

　　Without a doubt, Yu Mukai is a kind and gentle person, and he himself believes so, and has always acted accordingly.

　　One day, I found myself sexually aroused because of my girlfriend.

　　He broke down after discovering that he might be a psychopath.

　　In this situation, there are two choices: one is to admit that you are a pervert and then continue to create art.

　　Another option is to hide everything and become a good person again.

　　Yutaka Mukai undoubtedly chose the latter.

　　”Human nature is so complicated,” Shirakawa Natsu remarked as the door opened.

　　Aunt Mafei bent down to get him slippers: “Xia, come in.”

　　”Thank you, Aunt Mafei.” As she bent over, Shirakawa Natsumi’s eyes peeked inside her collar—a black, openwork design that revealed her fair skin.