I, the spiritual mentor of beautiful girls from all over the world

"You seem to be able to do everything. That makes people feel very insecure."

This seemingly complaining remark, which was actually full of subtle tension, made Lynn pause in her chopping.

He turned his head and looked at the mature beauty in front of him, whose cheeks were flushed, whose eyes were darting around, yet who was trying to maintain her curiosity. A helpless smile appeared on his lips.

He stopped what he was doing and said in a lazy tone:

"The more you know, the more trouble you have to do. I guess that's what you call an equal exchange, Mrs. Yuihama."

Mrs. Yuihama was slightly taken aback.

Looking at Lynn's nonchalant demeanor, as if he were spouting some philosophical philosophies, she was not fooled by his words. Instead, she burst out laughing.

That laughter was like a lily quietly blooming in the heart, carrying a touch of mature woman's knowing and charming allure.

She shook her head, and in those gentle eyes, a light that was unprecedented and bold was now shining.

"Oh dear, teacher, you're saying that again."

Her voice was soft and gentle, yet like a feather, precisely and gently tickling Lynn's eardrums.

She leaned forward slightly and lowered her voice, as if sharing a secret that only the two of them knew.

"But I think it's precisely because you always think about 'saving effort' that you inadvertently handle everything so perfectly..."

She paused, looking into Lynn's eyes, her gaze sharp and incisive, as she spoke each word with deliberation.

"...and it has also disturbed other people's hearts."

...

A sumptuous dinner was finally served.

The steamed sea bass was delicious, the tempura shrimp was golden, the stewed potatoes and meat were fragrant, and there was also a pot of steaming miso soup.

Mrs. Yuihama greeted them warmly, as if the heart-pounding scene in the kitchen had never happened.

Perhaps, it is precisely because she cannot forget that she needs a safe topic to dilute the panic and excitement that almost overflows from her eyes.

So, as if grasping at a straw, she immediately launched into a "fancy praise of Lynn" mode.

"Yui, let me tell you, you have no idea how amazing Teacher Lynn was at the market today!"

She vividly described how Lynn used her professional knowledge to win over the cunning fishmonger;

How did they use their amazing "weight sensing" skills to crack the old lady's scale?

She then embellished her story of how she could identify artificially ripened strawberries by their aroma.

In the end, she didn't forget to mention the "hero saves the damsel in distress" scene.

"When that shopping cart came rushing towards me, I was terrified! Luckily, Ms. Lynn reacted quickly and pulled me away, otherwise..."

As she spoke, her cheeks began to flush, and she quickly picked up her cup and took a sip of water to hide her embarrassment.

Yui Yuigahama listened in a daze, her little face filled with pride and joy.

But this pride was soon replaced by a sour feeling that even she herself felt ashamed of.

If only I were the one standing beside my teacher today, witnessing all of this...

However, just as Yuihama and her daughter were immersed in this complex emotion.

Kasugano Sora, sitting across the table, seemed oblivious to everything.

She simply sat there quietly and silently picked up her chopsticks.

Before anyone could react, she picked up a piece of steamed sea bass, the freshest and most tender fish that Mrs. Yuihama had just praised.

Then, in front of everyone, with a skillful yet startlingly elegant and almost instinctive motion, she meticulously removed every tiny bone from the fish.

Finally, she gently placed the flawless, snow-white, translucent piece of fish into Lynn's bowl.

The entire process was smooth and effortless, without a trace of fuss.

That naturalness, ingrained in one's very being, cannot be described by the word "considerate."

The air at the dining table seemed to freeze instantly.

Mrs. Yuihama's endless praise came to an abrupt halt.

The smile on her face froze, and for the first time, her gentle eyes revealed undisguised shock.

This...this doesn't look like a younger sister taking care of her older brother at all.

That matter-of-fact attitude, that atmosphere that doesn't allow anyone to interfere, clearly shows... a wife taking care of her husband!

A thunderbolt exploded in her mind, instantly connecting all the previous doubts!

She looked at the calm silver-haired girl, then at her daughter who had frozen in shock, and an absurd yet clear thought surfaced in her mind.

—In this war, Yui's opponent is not a hypothetical enemy at all, but rather the younger sister of teacher Lynn, who has been sitting in front of her from the very beginning!

No wonder... she felt the atmosphere between Yui and Sora was so strange as soon as she walked in!

My gaze moved laboriously across the frozen table, finally settling on the only man who could still manage a composed smile.

In the end, Mrs. Yuihama could only let out a sigh in her heart that no one could hear, a mixture of admiration and headache.

"Teacher Lynn... he really is a sinful man who can easily stir up other people's hearts."

Across from Yui Yuigahama, on that calm, doll-like profile, what I saw was no longer mere provocation, but a defense!

A girl, using the only way she knows, is desperately trying to defend her small, remaining world called "Lynn and Her".

This clear and cruel realization left her feeling frustrated, yet also stirred a sharp pang of heartache within her.

My heart felt like it was being gripped by an icy hand, and even breathing was excruciating, like the pain of shattered glass.

A voice belonging to "good girl Yui Yuigahama" was screaming in her head: Give up! You can't win! Sora is so pitiful, don't hurt her anymore!

···Requesting flowers··· ···

However, another, deeper voice emerged from her soul, asking a question in return.

Give up? Can you do that?

His voice, his scent, the tender eyes he casts when he looks at you… all of this, like the sweetest poison, has seeped into every part of your body.

You've been addicted for a long time.

—If you quit, you'll die.

This thought, like a black lightning bolt, instantly shattered all her pretense!

I'm sorry, Xiaoqiong.

This silent apology was filled with guilt.

But if there is a hell, I can go alone.

before this--

He has to be mine!

The instinct to fight was ignited—no, it wasn't an instinct, it was a dark desire that burst forth from the ground after being driven to the brink of despair!

Her mind went blank, leaving only this one obsession, which drove her body to make that action that even she found frightening!

She suddenly stretched out her chopsticks, imitating Qiong, picked up a piece of golden and crispy tempura shrimp, and held it towards Lynn's bowl.

However, just a second before the fried shrimp was about to reach its destination.

She was so nervous that her hand trembled violently.

"Clap."

The fried shrimp that carried all her courage traced a sorrowful parabola and landed precisely on the table.

"... "

The air was eerily quiet.

Yui Yuigahama felt that her social life had come to a complete end at this moment.

Mrs. Yuihama let out a soft laugh, a mixture of helplessness and indulgence, breaking the suffocating awkwardness.

"Oh dear, Yui gets so clumsy when she's nervous,"

She scolded her daughter playfully, but looked at Lynn with tender eyes, a hint of apology in her voice, "I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Teacher Lynn."

As she spoke, she naturally added a piece of stewed meat to Lynn's bowl, her movements skillful and elegant, as if this was the composure a host should show when entertaining guests.

"Teacher, please don't mind, try this. I've been stewing it for a long time."

Her intention was to resolve her daughter's predicament and bring the focus of the meal back to "entertaining guests."

However, the gentleness and thoughtfulness that she unconsciously exuded, belonging to a mature woman, acted like a spotlight, mercilessly illuminating her daughter's clumsiness and failure even more clearly.

No! Mom, whose side are you on?!

Yui Yuigahama was overwhelmed by the shame of this double blow and wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into right now.

Just then, a pair of chopsticks reached out.

Lynn smiled and took the piece of stew that Mrs. Yui had just put on his plate, then put it into Yui's bowl.

"Yuihama-san, you've worked hard too. You take good care of Sora at school."

That gentle voice, like a warm hand, precisely held her heart from the brink of despair.

boom--!

In an instant, it was as if light shone into Yui Yuigahama's world.

The teacher... he saw my efforts!

This thought transformed into a surge of warmth, instantly washing away all the grievances.

She quickly lowered her head, frantically shoveling rice into her bowl, using the act of chewing to resist the tears that were about to spill from her eyes.

Qiong, sitting opposite, watched this scene quietly. A complex emotion flickered in her gray eyes.

…Yui looks…happy.

Are you really that happy just because of Onii-chan's occasional kindness?

A strong sense of guilt flashed through her mind, but it was quickly overwhelmed by a stronger possessive desire to protect her world.

Just as Yui Yuigahama was still immersed in the happiness of being saved,

Qiong put down her chopsticks.

She picked up a napkin and, amidst everyone's puzzled gazes, suddenly leaned forward.

Then, with an incredibly natural and intimate gesture, as if he had done it a thousand times before, he reached out and gently and carefully wiped away a nearly invisible grain of rice from the corner of Lynn's mouth.

This action is extremely ambiguous.

This action is filled with an overwhelming possessiveness.

It struck like a silent hammer blow, slamming into the psychological defenses of the other two women present.

Mrs. Yuihama's gentle smile froze completely.

Yui Yuigahama, who had just been rescued, had her heart, which was still bubbling with happiness, instantly frozen into a block of ice.

In Lynn's "Emotional Perception," the entire emotional spectrum at the dining table exploded violently at this moment.

The warm orange light that Yui Yuigahama had just received was instantly swallowed up by the icy blue despair and the gray stillness.

Mrs. Yuihama's gentle pink aura was mixed with a hint of deep purple, representing shock and vigilance.

The instigator, Kasugano Sora, also possessed an aura that was not pure—an icy blue, a assertive assertion of dominance, and a deep gray guilt for hurting her "friends."

Lynn sighed silently to himself. He knew that this war without gunpowder, which took place at the dinner table, had been decided in the most thorough way that he least wanted to see.

The scales have tipped; it seems that simple 'isolation' and 'appeasement' are no longer sufficient.

Chapter 67: Before I completely break down, prove to me that I am an indispensable part of you.

Qiong Na's seemingly casual yet overwhelmingly possessive gesture of wiping her mouth was like a deep-sea bomb dropped into a calm lake.

After the loud explosion, the entire dining table fell into an absolute silence that lasted for several seconds.

Mrs. Yuihama's mouth hung open, her gentle and polite smile completely frozen, her eyes filled with undisguised shock and helplessness.