Anime Crossover: About How I Spoiled an Angel

Page 187

Taking a few steps back, Su Qing questioned.

"Um... um... actually, I forgot, I just remembered!"

Her smile faltered for a moment, then Yui quickly began to offer a pretext for rebuttal.

When did you forget someone at home?

Su Qing made a sarcastic remark, her gaze intentionally or unintentionally glancing at Yukino's scarf.

[What do you mean? Are you checking if my scarf is wrapped properly?]

Noticing Su Qing's gaze, Yukino frowned slightly and unconsciously looked down.

Ok……

Besides the scarf, she also saw the floor.

[What a strange guy... Is he actually concerned about me?]

A strange thought made Yukino glance at Su Qing, only to notice that his neck and fingers were clearly exposed to the air.

Isn't he cold?

"Aren't you cold like this?"

Yukino asked curiously.

"Ok?"

Seemingly surprised by Yukino's sudden question, Su Qing exclaimed in surprise, then added, "No, this kind of weather is nothing to me."

"Really? You should still be careful to keep warm."

Yukino only offered a reminder and then didn't say anything more.

Yui, however, seemed quite dissatisfied:

"No, Qing, colds and such will always sneak up on you when you think it's 'no big deal'!"

After saying that, she generously offered her gloves to Su Qing, saying, "Here, you can use them!"

"Put it on properly yourself. When you touch my hand, do you think I'm putting on a brave face?"

Su Qing smiled gently and pushed the gloves back.

"OK then."

Yui touched Su Qing's hand with concern—it was surprisingly warm—and then she didn't say anything more.

"So... Xiaoqing doesn't have a scarf?" Yui suddenly asked.

"Well, I didn't buy one because I don't need it. What, are you going to buy one for me?" Su Qing asked with a smile.

Guess!

The girl's voice sounded unusually lively and cheerful in the cold wind.

"No guessing."

Su Qing said without any mercy.

"Fine, I won't guess then, yay!"

Yui playfully stuck out her tongue at Su Qing, then hugged Yukino as if she were cold.

The latter simply smiled indulgently, without saying a word.

call--

call--

A cold wind swept in.

Slightly——

Slightly——

and many more.

It seems that more than just the cold wind is coming.

……

Chapter 243 The Shackles of Responsibility

?

Amidst the whistling sound, the clatter of some hard object colliding seemed unusually abrupt.

Ka—

That sounds like the sound of heels hitting asphalt.

The footsteps drew closer and grew louder until they reached a peak and then stopped.

Instead, a cheerful female voice said, "Yukino, I've come to pick you up."

Su Qing and the others stopped in their tracks simultaneously. Yukino also noticed who it was and whispered:

"elder sister……"

Yang Nai, wearing his boots again, came to the group.

She put her hands in her pockets, not looking at Su Qing and Yui, but just smiling slightly at Yukino.

"I don't recall anything that absolutely required you to pick me up..."

Yukino calmed herself and looked directly into her older sister's eyes.

"My mother sent me here. She asked me to stay with you temporarily. There should be a spare room in your house, right?"

The luggage will be delivered tomorrow. I'll be home tomorrow morning, but I need to go out in the afternoon, so I'll have to trouble you then.

Yang Nai started talking non-stop, but it was really just about her older sister wanting to live with her younger sister, which was a perfectly normal thing.

However, the other party emphasized from the beginning that it was [the mother's] instruction.

It was almost as if the emperor had specifically emphasized "By the mandate of Heaven, the emperor decrees" before reading out the imperial edict.

The person delivering the decree was only responsible for reading it aloud, leaving no room for anyone else to refuse.

All we can do is buffer and then accept it.

Just by looking at Yukino's bewildered expression, one can get a glimpse of what's going on—her mother must not have discussed it with her or informed her beforehand.

"Wait...wait a minute, why did it suddenly turn out like this?"

Yukino's tone was a mixture of reproach and confusion.

—Even if she didn't earn the rent herself.

But she is, after all, an adult.

Shouldn't we discuss this with her beforehand to see if it's convenient?

What's more.

With the Yukino family's financial resources, it wouldn't be difficult for them to buy a house in Tokyo specifically for Haruno, right?

Not to mention that the family's influence had already spread to Tokyo in recent years.

unless--

The mother's goal was to have her older sister keep an eye on her.

"I thought...you should know."

Yang Nai spoke gently with a hint of regret, but her smile had already faded without anyone noticing.

How could I know anything if I wasn't consulted?

Clenching her fists tightly, Yukino's voice was unusually calm.

Indifference is also a form of coldness.

"Hey... how long are you going to keep playing around with the freedom I've given you?"

After letting out a soft sigh, Yukino tilted her head slightly and stared at Yukino with a questioning and accusatory look.

Su Qing and Yui stood beside Yukino, but they seemed to have been forgotten by the two of them.

"……Play?"

An incredulous expression appeared on Yukino's face, and her shoulders visibly trembled.

"Huh? Weren't you just playing?"

Yang Nai spoke in a puzzled tone, then looked at his younger sister, who seemed as childish as ever, and couldn't help but chuckle:

"Never mind, maybe you don't see it as a joke."

In short, you just need to know that the freedom your mother gives you is limited. Before college, she could turn a blind eye, but now you are a sophomore and an adult, and everything comes with its own rules.

The same applies to freedom.

So you need to start learning to take on some of the responsibilities of the family, understand?

Yukino gripped one of the straps of her schoolbag tightly. "So Mother sent you to teach me?"

“Teach? If Yukino is willing to humbly ask for my guidance, I, as her older sister, will naturally not be so heartless as to ignore her.”

As Yang Nai spoke, he reached out to Yukino, seemingly wanting to pat her head after a long time.

Upon realizing this, the latter quickly dodged to the other side—Yono missed her target.

[Yukino was cuter when she was little and always clung to me....]

Yang sighed inwardly, just as expected, and quietly waited for Yukino to continue.

Yukino bit her lip lightly and said, "...We can talk about that later. Shouldn't you tell me exactly what 'responsibility' means first?"

[There's no denial of taking responsibility or...the possibility that they'll seek my help...]

Thinking of this, Yang Nai couldn't help but smile.

"Specifically? It's really hard to explain to you in a simple way... It's an abstract concept to begin with." After thinking for a moment, Yang Nai finally answered, "Well... let's start by attending family gatherings or blind dates, shall we?"

"Blind date?"

Yui exclaimed in disbelief.

Yukino didn't reply immediately. She first gave Yui a "it's okay" look before frowning and questioning Haruno:

"Is this what they call 'family responsibility'?"

“You don’t seem to understand the purpose of this arrangement?” Yang Nai shook his head. “Even if you are exceptionally capable, even if you are exceptionally talented, the resources will always be controlled by those at the top. No matter what you do in the future, you will always need this network of connections.”

After a pause, Yang Nai seemed to be explaining the good intentions behind the term "family":

"Sending you on blind dates isn't really about wanting you to marry someone else. Of course, if you find someone you like, your mother and I will be happy for you."

Even if you don't find someone you like, it's always good to get to know more people, isn't it?

"..."

Yukino listened quietly, remaining silent.

No one would tell her how much was "too much," just as no one would tell her what a family was.

All she had to do was wait for instructions and follow orders like a puppet.

Yes.

Isn't that how her mother always behaves?

After a while.

She then asked in a slightly trembling voice:

"Was it the family's doing, or... Mother's arrangement?"

"Is there a difference?" Yang asked, bewildered.

We are all smart people.

That being the case.

Why bother saying everything so bluntly?