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NTR Countdown Kaoru Hoshitani
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Seventy-four days
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Since she didn’t have to catch the early Train today, Aina Saiten had deliberately adjusted her Mobile Phone Alarm Clock from the usual 7:30 to a more leisurely 9:00 before going to sleep last night.
However, her stubborn biological clock did not compromise easily.
When the noisy sounds of the City waking up outside began to rise and the Morning Light became more distinct, she naturally opened her eyes at around 8:20.
Her consciousness slowly surfaced from the deep sea of sleep, carrying a trace of lazy haziness.
The Bedroom was very quiet, with only the sound of their two breathing patterns slowly intertwining.
The Morning Light, which was not yet strong, squeezed diagonally through the gap in the beige Curtains that were not fully closed, forming a bright and soft pillar of light.
In the light pillar, countless tiny dust motes danced silently like golden spirits.
This light fell precisely onto the Bed where they lay embracing each other, coating this Bedroom—which, although small, was filled with the traces of their life together and kept neat and cozy—in a warm, pale golden halo.
The air was permeated with the familiar scent of Home—the smell of clean bedding, a faint sweetness of hair conditioner, and the slightly intoxicating warmth generated by their mingled body temperatures.
Aina Saiten blinked her slightly loose eyes, her gaze subconsciously focusing on the presence right in front of her.
That face was resting in the crook of her arm, no more than ten centimeters away from her own.
Under the perfect rendering of the Morning Light, Akane’s sleeping profile seemed to be shrouded in a holy and soft halo.
His skin was so fair it was almost transparent, so delicate that no pores could be seen.
His long, thick eyelashes were like two small fans, hanging quietly and casting shallow, arched shadows beneath his eyelids.
The bridge of his nose was elegant, and his lip shape was beautiful.
Even in his defenseless slumber, he naturally exuded a heart-stopping sense of refinement and purity.
A few strands of soft black hair clung obediently to his temples and cheeks, fluttering slightly with his shallow breath.
Aina Saiten, whose brain had not yet fully begun to function, was struck by this exquisite scene so close at hand and lost herself for a moment.
The Morning Light, the silence, and her lover sleeping peacefully in her arms like an angel…
For a second, she dazed out, wondering if she was already in a carefree heaven.
A nearly devout, overflowing The Prophecy of Happiness soaked into her entire body like warm spring water.
But soon, a sense of reality returned.
She was certainly not in heaven; she was in the little The Nest she and Akane had built together, the one that belonged to them.
And the Man before her was indeed her very own angel, her most precious treasure in this bustling world.
Just being able to see Akane’s sleeping face so closely and unreservedly every morning upon waking up, realizing he was within her reach, made Aina Saiten feel that she was already luckier and richer than the vast majority of women in this world.
To her, this ordinary companionship was priceless.
She could not bear to look away, silently and greedily tracing every exquisite line of her Boyfriend’s features with her eyes, as if wanting to engrave this picture deeper into her Heart.
The Morning Light moved slowly across his face, and every minute change in light and shadow fascinated her.
After watching for a while, a thought suddenly popped up:
[Did Akane set an Alarm Clock today?]
There was no need for him to wake up early as usual to prepare breakfast and a Bento for her; he could sleep a little longer, peacefully and without worry.
After all… thinking about everything that happened last night, Aina Saiten’s face heated up slightly, and a trace of pity rose in her Heart.
Yesterday, he really seemed to be exhausted, both physically and emotionally.
She gently moved her arm, which was a bit numb from being slept on, and with extreme care, fearing she might disturb his sleep, she reached across his body and grabbed the Mobile Phone resting on the nightstand on his side.
The touch of the cold metal casing made her fingertips shrink slightly. She skillfully entered the unlock code—
Their Mobile Phone passwords were the same, both being Kaoru Hoshitani’s birthday. This sweet little Secret symbolized the unreserved Trust between them.
She clicked on the Alarm Clock interface in the Clock application.
As expected, it was empty, with no set Alarm Clock.
The corners of her mouth curved slightly; good, he could continue to sleep peacefully.
Just as she was about to put the Mobile Phone back in its place, her movement suddenly paused.
For some reason, a thought flashed into her mind without warning, bringing with it a subtle impulse she couldn’t quite explain.
She hesitated.
Her fingertips rubbed unconsciously against the smooth edge of the screen, and a brief tug-of-war took place in her mind.
In the end, curiosity—or perhaps a long-hidden, faint uneasiness that she hadn’t even clearly realized herself—triumphed over her respect for privacy, even though she rarely checked Akane’s Mobile Phone in her daily life.
She took a deep breath and clicked on the green icon of the social Software—Line.
In Neon City, Line is almost a must-have communication tool for everyone.
The application interface loaded.
The first thing that leaped into her eyes was, without a doubt, her own avatar and nickname pinned at the very top.
This position made her Heart feel sweet, like eating a soothing pill.
Scrolling down, the next few chat records were with people he had talked to a day or two ago. The avatars and nicknames showed them to be several male Classmates from Akane’s High School days.
Aina Saiten had some impression of these few names; they were friends Akane had a decent relationship with during his Student years, and they would occasionally exchange simple greetings or share internet news.
But further down, her gaze stopped. Two female avatars and nicknames appeared.
Aina Saiten frowned and thought back carefully; she only had a very vague impression of these two names.
They seemed to be Akane’s High School Classmates as well, but they didn’t seem to be in the same class, and there shouldn’t have been much interaction.
She clicked on one of their chat records.
The latest message was from two days ago, a lively message from the other party:
“Hoshitani, how have you been lately? A few of our old Classmates in Tokyo wanted to have a small get-together this weekend. There aren’t many people, just those we used to hang out with. Do you want to come along? (^â–½^)”
Aina Saiten’s frown deepened. She continued to scroll up and found that similar messages appeared every month or two. The content was more or less the same—asking about his current situation, sharing some life information about Tokyo, and then tentatively inviting him to a gathering.
And Kaoru Hoshitani’s replies were polite and distant, usually along the lines of “Thank you for the concern, I am fine,” “Sorry, I might already have plans for the weekend,” or “A party? Are there many people? If I am not familiar with them, I might not feel comfortable…”
In the most recent invitation, he directly refused with the excuse: “I’ve been quite busy lately, and if there are few people, I might feel uneasy. Let’s talk about it next time when there are more people, sorry.”
“Hmph…”
Aina Saiten let out a soft snort from her nose, filled with understanding and disdain.
How could she not see the hidden intentions between the lines of these women?
That affectedly familiar tone and those frequent “coincidental” invitations all revealed their designs on Akane.
However, seeing Akane’s firm refusal replies that clearly drew a line, the slight displeasure in her Heart was quickly replaced by comfort and satisfaction.
Her Akane was always so trustworthy.
She exited this chat box and clicked on the other woman’s. The content was similar, and Akane’s way of handling it was much the same.
After confirming there was nothing wrong, she continued to slide down.
The remaining chat records were mostly daily greetings between Akane and his Mother and family, as well as some messages in relative groups.
The content was trivial and ordinary, full of the breath of life.
The browsing seemed ready to end.
Aina Saiten’s finger hovered over the screen, but she did not exit the application for a long time.
A deeper impulse, one that even she felt was somewhat inexplicable, was driving her.
For some reason, her Heart began to beat slightly faster.
She pursed her dry lips, her fingertips pausing on the search bar for several seconds, as if she were engaged in a silent internal struggle.
Finally, she slowly typed that name into the search bar, one character at a time—
“Rika Kawasaki.”
The moment this name appeared, her breathing seemed to stall.
Even though she kept telling herself that The Video she had seen on Chinatsu Ayase’s Mobile Phone that day was likely forged or had some ulterior motive, the image of that blonde Woman forcibly kissing Akane—and the expression Akane had at that time, which was… indescribable—was like a tiny thorn that had somehow pierced deep into her consciousness, bringing a sudden ache from time to time.
The search results jumped onto the screen.
An avatar appeared prominently—
It was a Heavy Motorcycle with cold, hard lines and an entirely black body. The background seemed to be a deserted mountain road, exuding a rebellious and powerful aura.
Below the avatar, the name displayed was indeed “Rika Kawasaki.”
Aina Saiten’s fingertips turned slightly cold.
Looking at this aggressive avatar, which was the complete opposite of her Boyfriend’s style, the inexplicable tension and trepidation in her Heart grew stronger.
She couldn’t be blamed for overthinking. After any Woman saw her Boyfriend being that intimate with another Woman—even if she knew it was fake—it would probably be very difficult to face that Woman with a completely normal mindset, even if it was just a name in a contact list.
She took a deep breath, as if to gather courage, and finally clicked on the chat box with the Motorcycle avatar with a slightly trembling finger.
The chat record loaded.
In the next second, Aina Saiten’s eyes widened involuntarily…
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