Ch 116. Haruno is On Her Way With a Knife

"Please, have a seat."

In apartment 1507, Hoshimi sat on the living room sofa while Yukino placed a steaming cup of black tea on the coffee table in front of him.

"Thanks~"

After taking a sip of the tea, Hoshimi turned his head to look at Yukino, who had seated herself about thirty centimeters away from him.

"Hmm? Is something wrong?" Noticing Hoshimi's gaze, Yukino, holding the tea cup, turned her head to meet his eyes.

Hoshimi's gaze shifted, and with a smile, he asked, "Want to go out for a stroll?"

"..." Yukino wiggled her small, pale feet.

"Ah~~ I forgot." Seizing the opportunity, Hoshimi moved closer and sat beside Yukino, bending down to hold her right ankle. "Yukino, has your sprain gotten better?"

"Aren't you seeing it yourself?" Yukino countered.

"The bruising has faded, and it looks better on the surface. How about inside?" Hoshimi's hand continued to move upward, kneading Yukino's soft calf.

"There's still a bit of internal pain from time to time. It should be completely fine in a day or two." Yukino put down her tea cup and brushed Hoshimi's hand away.

"Hmm?" Hoshimi turned his head to meet Yukino's gaze.

Yukino said reproachfully, "Be careful with your hands. Don't touch randomly. Letting you in is already my limit. You wouldn't want me to throw you out, would you?"

Hoshimi raised his eyebrows and released Yukino's calf.

He straightened up, leaned closer to Yukino's side, and smiled, "Yukino, hasn't anyone come to check on your ankle injury?"

"No."

Hoshimi's eyes flashed with a strange color upon hearing Yukino's answer.

Yukino wasn't lying, so that means Miss Haruno did not visit Yukino's apartment on Saturday to cause trouble.

So what's up with Yukino's suddenly softened attitude today? Did she come to terms with something? Or did she learn something?

Hoshimi's gaze shifted, and with a cheerful tone, he took Yukino's hand, "Oh~~ Little Yukino is so pitiful~ She doesn't even have a friend. Only I care about you~"

Yukino gave Hoshimi a disdainful look and ignored him.

It was just an ankle sprain, not a serious injury. She didn't need anyone's concern.

"Little Yukino, where's your phone?" Hoshimi asked as his hands reached into Yukino's pants pocket.

Yukino was wearing loose casual clothes at home. The top was a long sleeve without pockets, and the bottom was three-quarter pants with pockets on each side.

"What do you need my phone for?" Yukino asked, pressing Hoshimi's hand that had already entered her pocket.

"For contact information~ We've known each other for so long, and it's too much to not have each other's contact info."

Yukino shot a sidelong glance at Hoshimi and got up to walk to the bedroom. "The phone is in the bedroom. I'll go get it."

Soon, Yukino returned with her phone. She glanced at Hoshimi and deliberately chose to sit down about thirty centimeters away from him.

However, this little move was ineffective. As soon as she sat down, Hoshimi naturally closed the distance between them.

"Hmm..." Yukino sighed silently and said nothing, as if she had tacitly agreed.

"Yukino, give me your phone. I'll add you to my contacts."

"Here~" Yukino casually handed the phone to Hoshimi.

"Hmm?" After taking the phone, Hoshimi hesitated for a moment and looked at Yukino with a strange expression.

Yukino, who was about to drink her tea, glanced at Hoshimi, "What's wrong? Is there a problem with the phone?"

"There's no problem with the phone."

The issue is with your attitude. You handed over your phone so casually.

Either Little Yukino feels no guilt and is confident there's nothing shameful on her phone, or she has completely trusted me.

"Hmm~~" Yukino blew on her tea, took a sip, and then turned to look at Hoshimi. "Why are you still looking at me? Can't you operate a phone?"

Hoshimi picked up the phone and quickly added each other's contact information.

During this process, he noticed two noteworthy things:

1. Yukino's phone didn't have a password lock; it could be swiped open directly.

2. Yukino's phone contacts only included her sister and parents, and her emails only included her sister and Yuigihama. Her social circle was surprisingly narrow.

After adding the contact information, Hoshimi looked at Yukino, "Little Yukino, why don't you have a password lock on your phone?"

"I don't."

"Huh? Don't?"

"Is there a problem?" Yukino stared at Hoshimi.

"No problem. I'll teach you how to set a lock. Watch carefully." Hoshimi placed the phone in Yukino's view and showed her step by step where to set a password lock.

Options for fingerprint lock, password lock, and pattern lock were displayed.

Without asking Yukino, Hoshimi chose the fingerprint lock.

"Register your fingerprint." Hoshimi pointed to the fingerprint area at the bottom of the phone, signaling Yukino to place her finger.

"Okay..." Yukino extended her index finger, pressed a few times, and registered her fingerprint.

Next, Hoshimi fiddled with Yukino's phone and registered his own thumbprint as well.

Throughout the process, Yukino watched silently, sipping her tea, with a barely noticeable flicker of emotion in her eyes.

"We also need to set a backup password. I'll use a combination lock. When's your birthday, Yukino?"

"January 3rd."

"January 3rd? My birthday is April 1st. I'll set the password to 1341."

Hoshimi set the password lock to 1341 at a rapid speed.

"By the way, Yukino, do you use Line? I'll add you."

"I don't have a Line account."

"Alright, I'll register one for you. Line is sometimes more convenient than email. You can share locations and use stickers…"

Hoshimi chattered about the benefits of Line over email, while Yukino, seated beside him, gazed absently at Hoshimi's profile.

Hoshimi's birthday is April 1st. Hoshimi's parents died on March 27th of last year...

Yukino held her tea cup, sipping her tea, and through the steam, she suddenly realized that Hoshimi might not be as resilient as she had thought...

"Yukino, do you use Instagram?"

"No."

"I'll register one for you."

Without further ado, Hoshimi registered Yukino for Instagram.

Afterward, Hoshimi wrapped his arm around Yukino's shoulders, leaned his face close to hers, held up the phone, and smiled, "Say cheese~"

"Hmm?" Yukino, holding her tea, hadn't yet understood what was happening.

Click. The photo was taken.

Immediately after, Hoshimi posted this photo as Yukino's first Instagram update.

"It's a bit silly..."

After posting, Hoshimi commented on Yukino's silly expression.

"...What are you doing?" Yukino, who was completely unfamiliar with social platforms, frowned slightly at Hoshimi.

"Nothing much." Hoshimi returned the phone to Yukino and picked up his own phone, continuing, "Yukino, I'm sending you a message on Line. Try to reply."

"Ding dong~"

The phone rang with a notification. Yukino put down her tea cup and picked up her phone to check.

'Little Yukino, give me a kiss~'

Yukino's face turned cold, and she looked at Hoshimi, "Don't even think about it... mmm~"

Before she could finish, Hoshimi's sudden kiss had already reached her.

===

Enjoying the novel? If you'd like to read additional chapters, visit my Patreon page at - patreon.com/cherryblooming.

There are already more than 30 extra chapters available.