Chapter Forty-Two: To Satisfy the Former Self
In the heavenly mansion of the Tenjōin family.
Night had deepened.
Zongyue regained his consciousness from a sea of darkness, awakening dully.
He opened his eyes, scanning the surroundings with a slightly confused expression.
He was in a bedroom of the mansion, and there were no lights on.
The moonlight outside illuminated Zongyue’s haggard face.
“…Meizi, where are you?”
Zongyue mumbled to himself at once.
At this moment, there was no trace of the imposing dignity of the Tenjōin family head about him.
Instead, he seemed like a lost and bewildered child.
“Master.” A shadow formed in the corner of the room and gradually took a human shape.
The red light in its eyes stood out prominently in the dim room.
Though the shadow faced Zongyue, its gaze seemed completely distant from him.
Its respect was not directed at Zongyue, but rather at its “Master.”
“You are… ah, I remember.” Zongyue looked at the figure that suddenly appeared in the room, his expression flustered.
But soon, it seemed that he remembered something, and calmed down a little.
However, the next moment, his expression grew anxious and restless: “Where is Meizi? You said you could bring her back…”
“There’s no need to rush; the offering is almost ready.” The shadow replied.
“Your beloved wife will soon be reborn in the vessel, returning to your side.”
“That’s good, that’s good…” Zongyue repeated, his words tumbling over each other.
After a moment, he suddenly raised his head, revealing fear: “Vessel? What is the vessel…”
At this moment, he noticed a sleeping girl lying on the large bed beside him.
The girl was dressed in a white long dress, evoking thoughts of an ancient ritual offering to the gods.
Her silver hair spread across the bed, appearing dreamy and beautiful.
“Xiaoyu? Why is she here—”
“She is our vessel.”
The shadow’s response rendered Zongyue speechless.
His gray eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at the shadow before him.
“No, no! You didn’t say anything about this…”
“To gain something, one must pay an equivalent price.” The shadow slowly approached the panicked Zongyue and reached out its hand.
Its right hand swished past in front of Zongyue’s eyes.
“May the stars be with you.”
In the center of Zongyue’s gray eyes, a crimson star rose.
But this star shattered within less than half a second.
The shards of the star spilled into the clear waters of Zongyue’s vision, slowly dissolving and spreading, tinting his eyes red.
In an instant, Zongyue transformed back into the cold and ruthless head of the family.
“As expected, if we want to resurrect the stars, we must perform the ritual…”
Both the shadow and Zongyue turned to look at the sleeping Tianyu beside them.
“Although we did not obtain the ‘masterpiece’, if it is this vessel, it should also allow the stars to return—”
Zongyue caressed his daughter’s silver hair.
This was their imitation of the “masterpiece” to cultivate their “vessel.”
…..
…..
At the Hoshigaki household.
Nagi sat at the table, a serious expression on her face as she flipped through a diary placed before her.
In her recollection, the diary mentioned something about “swimwear.”
Tomorrow, the group at Chaoziren planned to go shopping at the largest mall in Kawano City.
The girls intended to take this opportunity to purchase new swimwear. After all, no one wanted to wear the school’s standardized swimsuit on the beach.
Nagi was no exception.
It wasn’t that she found the school’s standard swimsuit uncool.
Rather, she remembered reading about the wishes of her “former self” in the diary.
From the dates, it was noted around last summer.
It mentioned that “she” hoped to have the chance to wear “bold” swimwear in front of “Kaname-kun” and show herself off.
But last year’s “self” felt self-conscious about being “a bit chubby” compared to other girls.
Worried that “Kaname-kun” wouldn’t like it.
Nagi lowered her gaze to her own “chubby” chest…
She wanted to correct the diary’s content; it wasn’t just “a bit.”
Moreover, it wasn’t chubby, but rather generous.
Simultaneously, she felt that the worries of her “former self” were unnecessary.
After a day of observation at school today, Nagi felt that Kaname should prefer the more ample figure.
“Bold swimwear, huh…” Nagi’s cheeks flushed slightly.
She felt extremely shy about it, but if she were to back out, wouldn’t that betray her wish from last year?
Even though she had lost her memory, this was a rare opportunity, and she had to seize it well…
With that thought, Nagi got up from her chair and walked to the full-length mirror in her room, assessing her curvy figure, which totally did not resemble what a typical middle school student should have.
Objectively speaking.
With this body, no matter how bold the swimwear, she should be able to pull it off.
—So, tomorrow, I’m really going to buy the bikini mentioned in the diary?
—Will Kaname and the others think I’m an indecent girl?
Nagi shyly covered her face, which was burning hot.
In this pose, her slender arms pressed against her full bosom, making her appear even more substantial, as if highlighting her striking presence.
—Before that! What is this indecent, sultry body?! Am I really just a middle school student?!
Nagi slightly imagined herself changing into a bikini in front of her classmates… would that be too bold?
Even just imagining it.
Nagi felt her face grow hot, throwing herself onto her soft bed, grabbing a fluffy stuffed toy tightly in her arms.
Her heart raced fast.
But the “self” in the diary—
“Waaah~~~”
Nagi felt like she was in a great crisis, struggling internally.
…..
…..
The next morning.
Kaname arrived at the agreed location early with Yukino.
With Yukino supervising beside him, today Kaname wouldn’t be going out in his school uniform like last year.
However, the psychological shadow from the day he went on a date with Nagi still lingered, so today he wore grays.
Yukino wore a light blue knitted sweater paired with a white pleated mini skirt, which reached just above the knee, giving her a fresh and lively look.
Yukino’s cute appearance attracted the gazes of many passersby.
While waiting for the others, the bored Yukino wanted to tease Kaname, perhaps remarking on whether they looked like a couple on a date.
But since Kaname had a bit of PTSD regarding the word “date,” she decided against it.
“By the way, Yukino…” Surprisingly, Kaname initiated the topic.
This made Yukino perk her ears up in curiosity.
“Have you seen Tenjōin lately?” Kaname felt a faint unease in his heart; he hadn’t seen Tenjōin since that incident in the courtyard.
“Well… is it a case of someone seeing someone else?”
“No way! After all, it was Tenjōin who gave us the tickets; I’ve been meaning to thank her…” and apologize, Kaname added internally, especially since that well-intentioned ticket ended in such a tragedy.
“Speaking of which, it has been a while since Tenjōin has come to school…” Yukino raised her head and thought for a moment.
“However, Tenjōin didn’t often come to school before either; after all, she is a wealthy young lady~”
Yukino shrugged. “She’s probably quite busy lately; it seems she even took leave for the school trip.”
“Is that so…”
Upon hearing this, Kaname planned to find some time today to contact Maki.
To see if Maki had already started making moves.
So that was why Tenjōin hadn’t come to school.
Thinking this, Kaname suddenly saw a car stop in front of him.
“Good morning~ Kaname~ and Yukino~” Sayaka lowered the car window to greet them.
It seemed that Sayaka was assigned as Nagi’s driver again today.
After all, Nagi was in a state of amnesia, and it would be too dangerous for her to go out alone.
But Kaname couldn’t help but worry about Sayaka’s university coursework. Could taking so many days off really be okay?
—But if it’s that sis-con Sayaka, she probably wouldn’t return to university as long as Nagi hasn’t recovered her memory, right?
“Well, um, good morning.” As the back door of the car opened.
Nagi shyly peeked her head out and carefully got out of the car.
Today’s outfit for Nagi was also coordinated by Sayaka.
Was this to consider Kaname’s psychological shadow from that day? Nagi this time swapped her usual pure white style for a more mature black sleeveless dress.
The black fabric contrasted sharply with Nagi’s fair skin, making her figure appear slimmer and more graceful, which also highlighted her full presence in the chest area.
The combination made Nagi’s bosom appear even more generous and visually striking.
The slightly fitted design of the dress accentuated Nagi’s curves perfectly, making her look more mature and charming in the steadiness of the black.
The moment Nagi stepped out of the car, whether it was Kaname, Yukino, or the passersby, they were all captivated by the sight of this stunningly beautiful girl with a mature and alluring figure.
Especially her fair, stunning face, slightly flushed from shyness, added an undeniable allure.
However, it was Kaname who first regained his senses from the beauty before him.
Though it was through a PTSD lens.
Looking at such a beautiful and captivating Nagi reminded Kaname of Nagi from their date.
So he quickly regained his composure.
And told himself that he could not let Nagi get hurt again this time.
“Good morning, Nagi.” Kaname replied.
If it were the old Nagi, she would likely ask for his thoughts on her outfit today, Kaname mused.
But the current Nagi merely shyly nodded, then turned to bid Sayaka farewell.
In these little details, one could sense that Nagi had indeed lost her memory.
“I’ll be wandering around nearby; if anything comes up, feel free to contact me.” After saying this, Sayaka drove away.
In fact, Sayaka had suggested joining them for shopping today.
But Nagi shyly declined.
After all, she planned to buy “bold” swimwear today, and just the thought of trying it on in front of her older sister—
Nagi felt so embarrassed that she wanted to find a hole to hide in.
