The proud girl stopped grabbing the chocolate.
She stared blankly at Yuzuru's eyes, which were filled with a sincere smile, and heard him say "my favorite." A flicker of emotion flashed in her icy blue eyes, and the feigned annoyance and awkwardness from before vanished without a trace.
She lowered her head slightly, her long eyelashes drooping, concealing the emotions in her eyes, and her voice became very soft:
"...Idiot, chocolate is made to be eaten, so why are you saying you can't bear to part with it... It will oxidize if left too long, and the taste will deteriorate..."
Yu Sheng Nan gently lifted her chin and saw a hint of tears welling up in her eyes, which softened her heart completely.
Shiho leaned into his arms, her cheek against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat, and her voice came in a muffled tone: "...Thank you, Yuzuru."
"Huh? What are you thanking me for?"
"Thank you... for allowing my sister and me to live like this now."
She spoke softly, wrapping her arms around his waist.
"Being able to stay in a safe laboratory, doing the research I like, without worrying about being hunted down by the organization, without being afraid of tomorrow... and still... and still having the mind to make this kind of boring chocolate."
Given her extremely proud and aloof personality, she would never normally say such things, and she wouldn't even think about them carefully.
Perhaps it was the special atmosphere of Valentine's Day, or perhaps it was the impact of Yuzuru's words "my absolute favorite" and his undisguised affection that made her let down her guard and reveal her softer side.
Yuzuru tightened his arms around her, rubbing his chin against the top of her head: "Nonsense, I should thank you all too. Thank you Akemi for taking such good care of me, she spoiled me so much that I lost all my pitiful self-care abilities... And thank you even more to our little princess Ai-chan..."
He paused, deliberately drawing out his words, his tone becoming playful:
"Hmm... Although sometimes I have a bad temper, a sharp tongue, and my experiments are a bit scary... I always manage to give you the most special and heartfelt surprises."
Shiho Miyano: "..."
My initial feeling of being touched was instantly and completely ruined.
She pinched his side hard, clearly annoyed: "...That last sentence is unnecessary! Besides, I was collecting valuable research data!"
"Ouch...it hurts! This is domestic violence!"
Yuzuru gasped in agreement, but his smile grew even wider, as if pinching him was a reward. "See? You still say you're not a spoiled little princess? You resort to violence at the drop of a hat. The evidence is conclusive."
"Serves you right."
Shiho snorted and turned her face away, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but secretly turn up slightly, like a cat that had been stroked and petted comfortably.
The two embraced quietly for a while.
After a while, Yuzuru's gaze inadvertently fell on Shiho's fair, slender, well-defined, yet exceptionally soft hands resting on his waist.
Because these hands work in a strictly sterile environment for a long time and are carefully cared for by their owner, they appear exceptionally smooth and soft, with rounded fingertips and a healthy pink hue.
The science girl's hands are dexterous, steady, and precise, while also possessing a unique, ascetic beauty.
It seems as if they were born to perform the most precise operations.
A bold idea, tinged with a strong sense of wickedness, bubbled up from the depths of Yuzuru Hanyu's mind.
He lowered his head, leaned close to Shiho's ear, and whispered, his voice carrying a hint of ambiguous warmth: "...Shiho, I have... um... a rather immature request, I don't know if I should say it?"
Shiho Miyano knew him well and almost instantly sensed something was wrong from the change in his tone.
She tried to break free from his embrace, glaring at him with a mixture of shame and anger: "...Don't talk like that! Shut up! Don't even think about it! Put away your lewd thoughts!"
This pervert has nothing but lewd thoughts!
They immediately revealed their true colors as soon as a warm atmosphere was formed!
Yu Shengnan, however, grinned wickedly and tightened his arms, preventing her from escaping, instead pressing her even closer to himself.
"But... what should we do?"
He deliberately used a wronged tone to say shameless things, "Besides... Shiho, your hands are so skillful... isn't it a bit of a waste to only use them for experiments and carving chocolates..."
"...What a waste of your time!" Shiho was both embarrassed and angry, nudging him with her elbow. "Let go of me! I'm going to call you 'older sister'!"
"Mingmei-nee specially gave us some private space, didn't she?"
Yuzuru smiled like a cat that had just stolen some cream, easily grabbing her wrist as she tried to resist, and guiding her: "Screaming won't help... Today is Valentine's Day, doesn't my chief scientist want to... put aside those boring data and collect some more unique experimental data by hand? It's a rare opportunity, isn't it?"
His words had a seductive power.
Shiho's struggles gradually weakened, her breathing became somewhat rapid, and her icy blue eyes became misty as she glared at him with shame and indignation, yet also with a hint of curiosity and... eagerness.
That bastard... he always manages to mislead her with these fallacies and heresies!
Last time, she was tricked into "helping" in the same way. Afterwards, her hands were so sore that she couldn't even hold a pen, and he even mocked her for "lacking exercise".
"You...you dare..."
Her protest was weak and feeble, more like a tantrum.
"Hmm... I dare." Yuzuru chuckled softly, kissing her burning earlobe...
...
The laboratory lights seemed to have become ambiguous.
The precision instruments continue to operate silently, data flowing across the screen, recording objective scientific laws.
"...Is that enough?"
The complaint, tinged with tears, sounded more like an invitation.
"...Science requires patience and perseverance...just a little more persistence..."
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