The Gemini Princess wants me to confess my feelings!

Chapter 74, Part 1: Xiu Ni

Kirihara Akira blamed himself for being too careless.

After this little incident, billiards could not be played, and Kirihara Akira suggested switching to the next activity.

They went bowling.

This project is one of Mori Kiyoha's strengths, so Kirihara Akira can just sit in the rest area at the back and watch her perform.

Kirihara Akira sipped her drink through the straw, lost in thought.

Kiyoha Mori is full of energy when she's exercising; that's part of her charm.

She played by herself for a while, and finally, whether she calmed down or got tired of playing, she walked back lightly.

She sat there, gulping down her iced drink.

Kirihara Akira propped her chin on her hand and said, "My birthday is just around the corner, and all I've done is eat, drink, and have fun. I haven't done anything important at all."

"What are you worried about?" Mori Kiyoha asked.

"I'm worried about what to give as a gift."

"Hmph, you've already given me your gift," Mori Kiyoha said indifferently.

"Oh?" Kirihara Akira asked, puzzled.

Mori Kiyoha interlaced her fingers, clasped her hands together, and stretched. She made a nasal sound: "Hmm...you know, I don't want to be a despicable person."

"Um."

"I don't want to, because I'm already that kind of person. To be precise, it should be 'I don't want to anymore'," Mori Kiyoha said.

Kirihara Akatsuki glanced at her and said, "You have a very low opinion of yourself."

"Because I'm inherently despicable and difficult to please."

"Hmm... they're really hard to please."

*Smack*—Mori Kiyoha kicked him.

"You said it yourself..." Kirihara Akira clutched her calf, looking very aggrieved.

"So..." Mori Kiyoha opened her mouth, but the words stuck in her throat, and she couldn't say them. She took a deep breath and said with difficulty, "Thank you for being willing to stay with me."

Kirihara Akira laughed.

Then he got kicked again.

Kirihara Akira said, "If you're going to thank me, then I'll have to find a way to get you to give me money."

Mori Kiyoshi asked curiously, "What money?"

"I'm not a rich girl's tutor. Normal interpersonal relationships are about give and take. If you think I've gained nothing from our relationship and you still thank me, shouldn't you be paying me?"

"..." Mori Kiyoha was speechless.

Kirihara Akatsuki shook her head, sighed, and said, "You're so awkward... Well, let's leave it at that. Now, can you tell me what your sister wants?"

"Okay," Mori Kiyoha said, "I want you to promise me one thing."

"you say."

"I want you and my sister to play all the things we've played these past few days."

"what?"

......

......

How to invite Shizue Mori is an ultimate problem that has many of her suitors racking their brains.

You can tell this by looking at the boys who hang around the detective agency every day.

Has Shizue Mori ever developed an interest in the world outside of books?

Nobody knows, not even Kirihara Akira.

Despite spending so much time together, Kirihara Akira couldn't break through the girl's emotional barriers, and the two rarely went out together.

How should I invite her?

Even if the invitation is successful, how do I get past Madam's hurdle?

Shizue Mori is the successor on whom the lady has placed high hopes. Perhaps the two of them will be turned back before they even step out the door for a trip together.

After much deliberation, Kirihara Akira decided to first consult Mori Shizue's opinion.

The two arranged to meet at the library, but Kirihara Akira didn't explicitly mention the invitation, treating it as just an ordinary, unrelated book club meeting.

The girl, holding a book, sat on the scaffolding where she usually sat, leaning against the sturdy bookshelf, and instantly became immersed in the world of the book.

Today, of course, Mori Kiyoha was also there, wanting to be his wingman.

Kirihara Akira scoffed at this. Who was he? Couldn't he handle a little girl?

Then the three of them were reading there. Mori Kiyoha looked at Kirihara Akira, and Kirihara Akira looked at her too. The two stared at each other.

Mori Kiyoha's expression seemed to say: What are you doing? Move around a bit, do you still want to ask my sister out?

Mori Kiyoha thought the same thing, but then felt awkward and decided to say "please" instead of "appointment."

Kirihara Akira ignored her and calmly flipped through her book.

This little girl certainly doesn't understand what "Jiang Taigong fishing" means.

After a while, Shizue Mori's eyes started to ache from reading, so she finally took a break, put down the book, and stretched.

She saw her younger sister lounging beside her, doing nothing, and was furious: "What are you doing here?"

Mori Kiyoha rolled her eyes, completely unfazed: "I'll come keep you company, is that not allowed?"

"You're just...you clearly want to...you...!" Mori Shizue was furious and wanted to say something, but her good upbringing prevented her from uttering those unpleasant words.

Although she didn't say the words out loud, she conveyed her meaning, which made Sen Qingye feel wronged. She had indeed had ulterior motives before, but today she was clearly doing it for her sister's good.

Mori Shizue rolled her eyes in response, too lazy to argue with this brat.

She looked at Kirihara Akira and asked, "Kirihara-kun, when will you finish writing your novel, *The Devotion of Suspect X*?"

Kirihara Akira chuckled inwardly. He had already said that only those who were willing would take the bait, and here came the fish.

He deliberately feigned difficulty and said, "Hmm... I haven't thought about how to finish the book; I'm lacking inspiration."

"Do you ever have moments when you're not inspired?" Mori Shizue covered her mouth and laughed. "This book may not have many words, but its structure is very ingenious. I thought you had already figured out how to end it."

"I copied the book, so of course I know the ending..." Kirihara Akira said with a smile. "After all, it involves the final fate of the characters, Yukawa and Ishigami, and the heroine's final choice. Where they end up can change the tone of the book."

"So what do we do next?"

"This is something we just have to endure; we can't force it." Kirihara Akira shrugged, then glanced at Mori Kiyoha without leaving a trace.

Wingman, hurry up and make your move! Now is the perfect time to step in.

Sen Kiyoha understood immediately and muttered seemingly casually, "Why don't we go gather some material and do some research?"

"Oh." Mori Shizue looked at her meaningfully and said, "He went outside with you to 'gather information,' right?"

"Me?" Sen Qingye rolled her eyes, saying with a hundred percent reluctance, "I'm not going. I'm not one of you stinky bookworms, and I don't write books. What would I do there?"

Mori Shizue was somewhat surprised. What's wrong with this brat? She's acting so strangely today.

However, she didn't think much of it and said, "Then how about I recommend some places to Kirihara-kun? Although I haven't actually been there myself, they are all places with excellent reputations."

"Okay." Kirihara Akatsuki seemed to be thinking, then paused for a moment.

After going through ten places, he made a natural turn: "Well, I'm not familiar with this place, so going alone is a bit awkward."

"Why don't you come with me, Miss Shizue?"