Anime Girls are Moist

Chapter 1177 1,176: Sleeping Face of Yukinoshita's Madam

The warm amber glow of the wall lamp spread across the cashmere carpet in the Yukinoshita family's master bedroom. The light was absorbed and reflected by the fine fibers, casting a hazy halo through the air.

It wasn't harsh. It carried the lazy softness of a twilight not yet fully gone, like a gentle hand brushing over every corner of the room.

A faint gardenia fragrance lingered in the air, not the kind of heavy scent that made your head swim, but something light and elusive.

It felt as if it had drifted in from far away, or risen up from the depths of memory, wrapping around the senses in thin, delicate strands.

The silk bedding gleamed with a subtle pearly sheen, soft and smooth against the skin, like being wrapped in clouds.

Rei Ao lay on his side.

One hand was tucked beneath his head.

The other arm rested around Miyuki Yukinoshita beside him.

His movements were light, as though he was afraid of disturbing some fragile dream.

Her long hair was exactly the way he liked it.

Black as the deepest night, yet shining with a healthy luster, like the darkest brushstroke in an ink painting.

It spread across the pillow in silence, winding like a dark river.

He could feel the warmth of the woman in front of him.

Miyuki Yukinoshita's breathing still carried a faint unsteady tremor, like the surface of a lake after the wind had passed over it, ripples widening and widening, refusing to settle.

There was a soft red tint at the corners of her eyes.

A trace left behind from earlier.

Like rouge bleeding gently into rice paper, spreading into a lovely blush.

The long hair she usually kept impeccably neat now lay loose across the pillow, the ends slightly curled.

She had lost a little of the distant dignity and composure of a noblewoman, and gained a touch of softness, a touch of languid charm.

Like a flower that had quietly bloomed in the middle of the night, still carrying dew on its petals.

She edged a little closer into Rei Ao's arms, moving carefully, as though testing the distance.

Like a cat that wanted to get close to the fire, but was still afraid of being burned.

Her fingers hooked into the corner of his clothes, clutching tightly enough that her knuckles turned pale, as if she feared he might disappear the very next second.

Rei Ao's fingers left her hair and slowly traced down the side of her face, brushing along her jaw.

Her skin was warm and smooth beneath his palm, fine and soft like the finest white jade, but alive with warmth and elasticity.

His gaze rested on her face, focused and intent, as though he wanted to carve every detail of her into memory.

He had seen many sides of her.

The head of the Yukinoshita family, calm and commanding at family meetings.

The elegant society wife who moved through social circles with effortless ease.

The mother who could be both gentle and strict in front of her daughters.

The chat group member who occasionally revealed a girlish spark of curiosity.

But this version of her, right now, was one only he had ever seen.

With all her armor and disguises set aside, she was soft as spring water, her every glance and expression full of unhidden affection.

In front of others, she was always poised, cold, and decisive.

There was probably no one else in the world who could make her reveal such a defenseless side.

At that thought, the corner of Rei Ao's lips lifted slightly, and there was a touch of pride in his eyes, along with warmth—and a kind of tenderness even he himself hadn't noticed.

Miyuki Yukinoshita's lashes trembled faintly, and she slowly opened her eyes.

They were a deep black, like an ancient pool that had lain still for a thousand years, usually so calm that no one could see the bottom.

But now there were ripples on that dark surface, a lingering mist still clinging to them, making them shimmer.

Her gaze slowly focused and came to rest on Rei Ao's face.

From his brow to the corners of his eyes, from the bridge of his nose to his lips, she traced him inch by inch with her eyes.

As though she wanted to carve his features into her bones.

Her lips parted slightly, and when she spoke, her voice carried the husky softness of someone who had only just woken, along with a lingering tenderness.

"I thought it was all just a dream…"

But Rei Ao could hear everything hidden underneath that sentence—how much hope, how much unease, how much longing she didn't dare put into words.

Her fingers tightened again on the corner of his clothes, as though to make sure he was real, and not just part of some dream she had imagined alone.

Rei Ao let out a low laugh.

His fingers pinched her cheek lightly, teasing.

"This isn't a dream, Mrs. Yukinoshita."

He stressed those four words on purpose, full of playful mischief.

He knew she didn't like being called that.

At least not right now, not in this moment, not in a space where there were only the two of them. She didn't want to be addressed through that formal identity.

Sure enough, a faint blush spread across Miyuki Yukinoshita's cheeks.

It traveled from her cheekbones all the way to her ears, like the first peach blossom of spring.

She lifted a hand and gave his arm a light slap, more a complaint than a reprimand.

"And at a time like this, you're still calling me Mrs. Yukinoshita?"

There was a trace of annoyance in her voice.

But beneath that annoyance was a smile she couldn't hide, like someone trying to keep a straight face while being tickled.

Her eyes shifted away from his face and landed elsewhere, but the tips of her ears had turned even redder.

Rei Ao raised a brow, the amusement in his eyes deepening.

"Then what should I call you? Miyuki?"

He deliberately dragged out the last syllable, as if savoring the taste of her name.

Her two daughters called her "Mother," with affection and respect.

But when Rei Ao said "Miyuki," it was different from anyone else.

Those two syllables rolled off his tongue with a kind of intimacy and quiet possessiveness that was impossible to mistake, as if he were saying, my Miyuki.

A small smile curved Miyuki Yukinoshita's lips. It was faint, but real.

Not the flawless, careful smile she wore in social settings.

But something from the heart, touched with a hint of girlish shyness.

She nestled more tightly into his arms, burying her face in the hollow of his neck, breathing in the cool cedar scent that clung to him.

"Whatever you like."

Her voice came out muffled against his neck, full of quiet tenderness.

The room fell silent again.

Only the sound of their breathing remained, along with the faint hum of electricity from the wall lamp.

Now and then, the chirping of insects drifted in from outside. Summer insects always sounded especially earnest, as if they were competing for something.

Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the gauze curtains, casting patches of silver-white light onto the carpet, trembling gently in the breeze.

After a long while, Miyuki Yukinoshita spoke again, her voice touched with hesitation and curiosity.

"Have you been wondering why I came to your room?"

She had barely begun to ask it when Rei Ao answered first—