Girl Band, Gravity Capture

Page 76

To be able to stay by my side all this time, to be my family, to do so many things for me...

I never imagined that I would one day rely on and trust someone so much.

And then... I was finally certain.

"I like you, Xu Dou."

She gently stroked the boy's profile, the undulating water rippling over his fine black hair and moistening the girl's delicate fingertips.

A destined soulmate, a special connection, an understanding that belongs only to us... all of these were just to cover up the shame in my heart when I was still hesitant, and to avoid facing my true feelings.

Saying that "it can't be described as just liking" is only because once I admit it, the longing in my heart might swell to the point of completely engulfing me; thinking about "a relationship closer than husband and wife" is only because I dare not imagine how dazzling and perfect it would be to spend the rest of my life with you.

But now, there's no need to suppress this heart that you've already captured.

There are no fancy or complicated rhetoric, no more layers of packaging to test each other's feelings.

"I like you"—such simple words, yet they convey all my feelings.

Unveiling all concealment, under the softly illuminated moonlight, the girl's clear and passionate love resonates so clearly and directly.

There's a saying: a confession shouldn't be a battle cry to signal the charge, but rather a banner to secure victory.

That's right, she had already received an absolute response before she even blurted out her confession.

We've confirmed countless times the feelings buried deep in our hearts; they are an unwavering conviction, a place that belongs only to you and me.

But... I still want to hear you say it yourself.

Say that sentence—

"...I like you too."

The deep blue sea and the light blue long hair cascaded down the boy's body like water.

His face was cupped in her hands, and all the doubt in his clear, bright eyes had vanished. His eyes were once again filled with a gentle, deep color, which, mixed with the adoration in her radiant golden eyes, drew out a similar tender light of affection from the depths of his being.

The rushing sound of the tide evoked his soft reply.

The same confession, delivered without hesitation, reached her ears, and a surge of joy coursed through her body, causing a blissful smile to bloom on the girl's beautiful face.

She lowered her body.

"Does it hurt?"

She slowly reached a hand down the boy's back, feeling the redness and swelling caused by the impact, and asked with some concern.

"Fortunately."

"Pretending to be strong."

Sensing the other person's thoughts, Toyokawa Shoko shook her head slightly in dissatisfaction with his habitual excuses.

Moreover, in order to protect himself, he slammed into the ground with the weight of two people without holding back at all... It's impossible that it didn't hurt.

I hurt him because I was trying to create an opportunity to confess my feelings and confirm our mutual feelings... so I have to make it up to him.

She reached out her hands again, this time hooking them around the back of Yuan Xudou's neck.

They pulled themselves closer, then embraced gently, their lips touching.

The ebb and flow of the water gently enveloped and lifted the two people who were tightly embracing.

Submerged and wandering in this endless blue, only the warmth between us remains deeply imprinted in our minds.

Soft and sweet, like melted syrup.

Peace of mind and happiness, like a leaping spring.

I want to freeze this moment forever...

—Perhaps, I will do something similar that plunges me into an abyss.

Perhaps, such beauty is only fleeting.

Perhaps, perhaps... I am not as strong and cheerful as I appear on the surface.

But... you will never leave me.

This is the only point that cannot be denied.

Chapter 108 Marking Ownership

"...Xu Dou, I never expected you to have such a fetish..."

"Seriously, how am I supposed to explain this when I'm taking a bath with everyone...?"

A distressed whisper came from beside me.

Pretending not to hear Toyokawa Shoko's grumbling, Gen Xudou maintained a straight-eyed posture, refusing to look at the innocent girl whose face was burning with an uncontrollable flush of heat after he had left a bright red mark on her snow-white skin.

In the heat of passion, between kisses and breaths, he couldn't resist making a possessive gesture towards the panting girl in his arms.

However, Toyokawa Shoko was neither the submissive Nagasaki Motoyo nor the passive Wakaba Mutsumi. After feeling a slight but noticeable sting, which aroused her sadistic desires and domineering urges, the girl retaliated fiercely, leaving many teeth marks and kisses on his shoulder.

It can only be said that the two are truly kindred spirits, and they are surprisingly compatible in this regard.

But when the two calmed down and prepared to end their rendezvous and return to the mansion, this became a huge problem—the marks they had forcefully etched on each other could not fade overnight; it would take at least a whole day before they were reduced to a level that would not be noticed by anyone at a glance.

Not only do I have to be careful to cover myself up when I take a bath, trying not to be discovered by my friends in the bath, but it's also impossible for me to wear a swimsuit that exposes my abdomen and limbs to play at the beach anymore.

Another option was to tell everyone about it openly... but that was absolutely, positively impossible. Toyokawa Shoko's sense of shame wouldn't allow her to do such a thing.

...Moreover, the mark left by Xu Dou belongs only to her. She also doesn't want anyone else to share this forbidden and exciting secret.

Having confirmed their relationship, she acknowledged her genuine love for the boy and her desire to be his lifelong partner. No longer wavering between the ambiguous relationship of "family" and "companion," the possessiveness that only exists between "lovers" naturally began to emerge.

Even if it's impossible to completely possess him and get the boy to abandon his connections with others to be with her, at the very least, she should make him focus most of his attention on her.

Now, she and Yuan Xudou need to worry about how to cover this up.

"Don't ignore me... Xu Dou, what do you think we should do?"

Shoko Toyokawa, in a cute yet willful tone, tugged at the culprit who had caused their current predicament.

With his other free hand, Yuan Xudou rubbed his temples, his expression becoming somewhat conflicted as he pondered deeply.

Now, both of them share the consensus that they don't want to expose this matter in broad daylight. They are accomplices in committing adultery, sharing both glory and ruin, and he has no choice but to ponder this deeply.

...If I had known, I wouldn't have impulsively marked it in a conspicuous place, but instead did what Mu did and marked it in a place that could be covered by clothing.

However, despite thinking this way, he didn't regret his unusually irrational behavior.

After all, this is indeed what he wanted to do.

"...I guess I'll just have to find an excuse not to go to the beach tomorrow."

While showering, you can use a towel and your hands to cover yourself as much as possible, but once you're on the beach and changing into your swimsuit, there's really no room for error. You can't exactly cover up all those areas with band-aids and then lie and say you accidentally got hurt, can you?

How can I ensure that all the wounds are concentrated on my abdomen and around my collarbone, without any redness or swelling in other areas?

However, injury does seem like a plausible reason...

"How about I cut myself and say I hurt myself without noticing, so I can't go into the sea..."

"no!"

Without even a moment's hesitation, Toyokawa Shoko immediately raised her pretty eyebrows and firmly rejected his suggestion in her voice.

"You are not allowed to hurt yourself!"

"……okay, I get it."

I'm very touched that you care about me so much... I wish you could think that way when you bite someone.

A glimmer of joy mixed with helplessness flickered in Yuan Xudou's eyes as he softly agreed.

Sensing his vague thoughts, Toyokawa Shoko's face flushed even more. She turned her head away hesitantly, offering a broken explanation.

"Well, wasn't it you who started it first..."

Who would have thought that Xu Dou, who is so calm and peaceful, would have such a perverse hobby... She was quite startled when she was attacked.

Moreover, I didn't resist this kind of play at all. It was as if I had awakened some hobby that I had never discovered before. I accepted that feeling all at once and even did the same thing in return. As a result, I felt excited and my heart was racing. I was too ashamed to say it.

Even if he didn't say it, Xu Dou must have figured it out... Sometimes, being in sync isn't entirely a good thing.

Speaking of which... he probably hasn't done this to anyone else, has he?

If they did that, even if the clothes could cover it, their expressions would definitely look strange. Everyone's behavior today was fairly normal, no different from usual. (6. 衣起一W侕扒罒斯虾)

Hmm—no, no, even Su Shi couldn't possibly maintain a composed expression all day while wearing a mark. Rather, if it really were Su Shi, she would have been discovered long ago.

Convincing herself to set aside the doubts that suddenly welled up in her heart, Toyokawa Shoko refocused her thoughts on how to solve the current troubles.

"Anyway, let's think of a better reason... If you get hurt, everyone will be very sad."

"……Too."

After all, they are companions who are like family. Deliberately hurting oneself to deceive each other would not only ruin their mood for the whole day, but it would also be hard for him to feel guilty.

The reason they came up with this clumsy method was probably because their minds hadn't completely calmed down yet.

As he walked hand-in-hand with the girl on the path home, he closed his eyes, letting the cool sea breeze blowing from behind clear his head.

A moment later, when he opened his eyes again, the ripples in his deep, tranquil starry eyes had subsided.

"Phew... Let's think of a solution."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

'...Nothing was exposed.'

'What Xu Dou gave me, what belongs to me...'

The door was locked, the curtains were drawn, and the room was pitch black.

Hiding under the covers, Wakaba Mutsu turned on her phone and, using the dim light, slowly placed her hand on her pajamas.

One button, two buttons, she unbuttoned her blouse.

"Um..."

Gently lift the collar slightly, and the crystal-clear skin is illuminated in the dim light, revealing a lustrous, jade-white complexion.

An unnatural flush rose on her face, and her small mouth unconsciously opened slightly.

With a dazed and entranced expression, Wakaba Mutsu stared at the scene reflected on the screen.

Then, he reached out and gently touched the dark red mark on his chest.

"call……"

It was as if I could still feel the touch of the branding, and a wave of joyful shiver ran down my spine.

Below the collarbone, above the protrusion...

The moisture from my breath dampened the screen, and my eyes became misty with a trembling, watery light.

She carefully checked every detail before turning off her phone.

'...I endured it...'

In front of everyone, even with her clothes constantly rubbing against her skin and the lingering feeling... she endured it all with great effort, her doll-like expressionless facade remaining intact.

But now, I can't hold back anymore.

'Xu Dou…'

Chapter 109 The Great Seal *Seven Introduction (2) Eight Like IV Ba} Rain, Feeding, and Watching Movies (Two-in-One)

Perhaps even the heavens were looking out for the two of them—the next day, gloomy rain clouds shrouded the once clear blue sky, and the air was so humid it seemed to drip water, symbolizing the impending downpour.