SCT-Novel Chapter 1176 1,175: I leave my mother to you...
Chapter 1176 1,175: I leave my mother to you...
Rei Ao's brow lifted slightly, confusion spreading through his eyes.
Just now, Haruno had been holding tightly to his wrist the entire way, leading him through the Yukinoshita family's carved hallway lined with thick cashmere carpet, straight to the master bedroom door.
And the whole time, she hadn't explained a single thing.
Every now and then, she would only glance back at him and flash that mysterious little look.
She looked exactly like a fox that had just stolen the finest candied treat.
He genuinely had no idea what this girl was plotting.
Haruno raised a pale finger and lightly pressed it to her rosy lips.
A sly curve appeared at the corner of her eyes.
Even her breathing grew carefully hushed.
She tipped up her chin, signaling for Rei Ao not to make a sound.
Then she wrapped her fingers around the cool brass doorknob.
With the slightest bit of pressure from her fingertips, she slowly turned it, suppressing the sound of the latch until it was nearly inaudible.
She opened the door only enough to leave a gap barely wide enough to see through.
Then she motioned toward the crack with her chin, telling him to look inside.
His gaze slipped through the narrow opening.
Inside the master bedroom, the heavy dark-gray silk blackout curtains were drawn shut so tightly that not a hint of daylight should have gotten through.
Only a few faint strands of morning light managed to slip in along the edges of the curtains, scattering thin ribbons of light across the cream-colored cashmere carpet.
The whole room was dim, and the silence inside it felt even deeper.
Only the faint scent of gardenia drifted through the air.
On the wide, soft bed, Miyuki Yukinoshita was fast asleep.
She wore a moon-white silk nightgown that clung softly to her figure, the neckline trimmed with delicate lace.
Her long black hair spread across the pillow like silk, trailing down along her neck and shoulders.
All the sharp authority and cutting presence she carried while ruling the Yukinoshita family had vanished completely in sleep.
What remained was only gentleness and softness in her features.
She looked utterly unguarded, as though she had set down every last defense.
Her breathing was slow and even. She was clearly sleeping deeply, with no awareness at all of the tiny disturbance at the door.
Rei Ao withdrew his gaze and turned to Haruno beside him.
His brows drew together even more tightly, and the confusion in his eyes was almost spilling over.
He mouthed silently, "What exactly are you trying to do?"
Haruno rubbed her forehead in exasperation.
She leaned in slightly, her warm breath brushing the edge of his ear, then began whispering her endless complaint in a hushed voice.
"Ever since you left the Yukinoshita house last time, my mother has acted like you fed her some kind of love potion!"
"At breakfast, lunch, and dinner, she can't go three sentences at the table without bringing you up."
"She takes one sip of miso soup in the morning and sighs that no one controls the heat quite like Rei Ao does."
"In the afternoon, she makes tea, drinks tea, and can spend half an hour talking to the teacup itself."
"Saying you understand the nature of tea better than Yukino and I ever could, and that we don't even come close."
"Even during flower arrangement class, which usually takes the most energy from her, she'll look at a freshly cut late-blooming cherry branch and somehow bring the conversation back to you."
"She says you understand the spirit of flowers better than either Yukino or me."
"She keeps repeating the same thing every day—that in this entire world, you're the only one who truly understands what she's thinking."
Her tone carried a trace of grievance, mixed with a kind of helpless amusement.
Miyuki Yukinoshita brought Rei Ao up every single day.
No matter what she was doing, somehow she always found a way to steer the conversation back to him.
Even at the family gathering last week, when her own younger sister came by to visit, she still dragged the poor woman into listening to thirty minutes of praise about you.
She kept saying that despite your young age, your insight was incredibly mature, that your vision and perspective far surpassed anyone your age.
At this rate, even my aunt was starting to think you were Mother's long-lost son, and that Yukino and I were the ones who got picked up off the street!
"For the past half month, your name has been in my ears every single day. I'm about to grow calluses from hearing it so much!"
Haruno pouted, full of resentment.
"Yukino couldn't take the nonstop brainwashing anymore, so she ran off to stay in the school dorms."
"She calls it preparing for finals, but really she's just fleeing disaster."
"I'm the only one left at home suffering through this every day. Don't you think I'm pitiful?"
Then, suddenly, her tone shifted.
A mischievous smile curled over her lips.
Her eyes sparkled with playful anticipation.
"So today, after putting in a ridiculous amount of effort and coming up with the most far-fetched excuse possible to lure you here…"
"I wanted you to come in person and deal with the woman who can't stop talking about you."
"The one who started this should be the one to end it."
"There's no way Yukino and I can keep living under your shadow forever, right?"
Before Rei Ao could even react, Haruno's palm pressed against his back.
With a light shove, she pushed him forward.
His footing faltered, and after stumbling two steps, he crossed into the bedroom.
He nearly bumped into the solid wood vanity at the side.
Just as he barely managed to steady himself, the door behind him was gently closed.
Then came a soft click.
The lock fell firmly into place.
Haruno had actually locked the bedroom door from the outside.
Her laughter came muffled from beyond the door, her voice full of unconcealed delight at his misfortune.
"I've delivered him to you, Mother!"
"The person you've been talking about every day—I've brought him to you exactly as requested!"
"Rei Ao, I'm leaving the rest to you!"
"Take good care of our dear family head who's been thinking about you all day long."
"Don't disappoint her. Good luck!"
As soon as she finished speaking, a series of light footsteps sounded from outside the door.
They quickly grew more distant.
That girl had actually run off just like that.
She hadn't left him even the slightest room to retreat.
The bedroom fell silent enough to hear a pin drop.
Only Miyuki Yukinoshita's slow, steady breathing filled the dim room.
Rei Ao stood where he was, the corner of his lips curving into an amused, helpless smile.
Even he hadn't expected Haruno to be this bold.
She had actually pulled something like this—
shoving him straight into the Yukinoshita family head's bedroom and locking the door behind him.
If word of this ever got out, the entire upper-class circle of Chiba would explode.
The spotless reputation Miyuki Yukinoshita had built up over so many years would probably be turned upside down by her own daughter.
His gaze fell on the sleeping woman on the bed.
In sleep, Miyuki Yukinoshita had none of the decisive, iron-willed presence she carried in the business world.
Her long lashes rested meekly over her eyes, concealing the sharp, scrutinizing gaze she usually wore.
Her lips, so often pressed into a firm line, were slightly parted now, her breathing calm and even.
Her black hair lay scattered across the pillow.
The moon-white silk nightgown traced the graceful curves of her mature figure.
A gentle warmth seemed to linger around her whole body.
She looked nothing like the woman who ruled over a vast business empire.
Just then, the person on the bed shifted lightly in her sleep.
She turned onto her side, now facing exactly where he stood.
Her long lashes trembled faintly.
The tip of her nose twitched just a little, as though she had caught some unfamiliar scent in the air.
Her brows drew together slightly.
She looked as though she was on the verge of waking.
Rei Ao remained where he was, without moving even half a step.
The smile on his lips only deepened.
In the dim bedroom, the faint morning light slowly spread farther through the crack in the curtains.
A pale ribbon of light stretched quietly between them.
The air was filled with the subtle scent of gardenia.
It was Miyuki Yukinoshita's usual fragrance.
Cool and gentle, exactly like her.
He could even make out the fine soft hairs along her lashes,
and the slight crease in her brows as she slept,
as if she were caught in a dream that was not an especially pleasant one.