Minami''s appearance was undoubtedly beyond Inomata Naoki''s expectations, throwing him into an awkward state of not knowing what to do.


    After greeting Minami with a slightly nervous demeanor and watching her bypass him to sit next to Jounouchi Hiromi, Inomata Naoki hurriedly whispered to Chen Yu, "Brother Yu, why is Minamiing along?"


    "I''m not sure either, most likely Hiromi invited her?" Chen Yu feigned ignorance, even craning his neck to nce at Minami sitting beside Jounouchi Hiromi, then deliberately saying, "Since when did they get so close?"


    Hearing Chen Yu say this, Inomata Naoki felt helpless. He turned around to nce at Minami again and happened to meet her eyes, which only heightened his awkwardness and prompted him to quickly avert his gaze, unsure of what to do next in his state of nervousness and difort.


    Watching Inomata Naoki''s tense manner, Chen Yu couldn''t help but chuckle, but still consoled him, "Don''t be so nervous. You''re acting like you have a lover outside and now someone''sing to confront you."


    "Brother Yu!" Inomata Naoki protested loudly, feeling wronged by Chen Yu joking at his expense at a time like this, "Is this really the time to joke like that?"


    "Alright, rx a little. Minami won''t eat you." Chen Yu was quite satisfied with Inomata Naoki''s reaction; if there had been no reaction at all, Chen Yu would''ve found it problematic: "The more attention you give to this, the more tense you''ll be. Just treat it like you''ve joined a tour group, and it''s only natural for a familiar face to show up in the group."


    Although Chen Yu''s words were meant as a joke, Inomata Naoki could only ept the sentiment.


    ————————————————————


    The Maldives is located in the Indian Ocean, quite a distance from Japan. Even though Chen Yu and his group were traveling on a private jet arranged specifically for him, flying to the Maldives still took considerable time.


    Thus, once the ne reached cruising altitude, Chen Yu left his seat, exchanged ces with Minami beside Jounouchi Hiromi, and started entertaining Little Yixi, who had just woken up.


    This was Little Yixi''s first time flying, and Chen Yu was quite worried whether such a small child could handle the pressure during the ne''s ascent.


    For that reason, as soon as the ne stabilized, his first instinct was to sit beside his daughter to see how she was doing.


    The awakened Little Yixi, on seeing her father, waved her arms and legs excitedly in Hiromi''s embrace, kicking her chubby little legs without showing any difort at all.


    "Whoa~ whoa~ Little Yixi! Daddy''s here~!" Seeing Little Yixi so happy, Chen Yu didn''t reach out to hold her. Instead, he sat next to Jounouchi Hiromi and simply yed with the child.


    Little Yixi could now recognize Chen Yu. Facing her joking father, she stared at him with sparkling ck eyes and giggled, asionally uttering "Aba aba" sounds.


    Though unclear, these attempts at vocalization delighted both Chen Yu and Jounouchi Hiromi, coaxing her to call them "Daddy" or "Mommy."


    While Chen Yu and Jounouchi Hiromi were focused on entertaining the child, an entirely different form of awkwardness enveloped Inomata Naoki. Because Chen Yu had changed seats, the person sitting beside him had now be Minami.


    What made things even more ufortable was that the private jet, although morefortable and luxurious than amercial ne, was considerably smaller in size. The interior had been modified with plush leather seats, but seating capacity was limited. Even if Naoki wanted to change his seat, there were no options avable.


    "Why are you so tense today, Mr. Zhishu? Are you afraid of flying?" Minami had naturally discerned that Naoki''s nervousness stemmed from her presence. Normally, she wouldn''t have paid it much attention since Naoki had a girlfriend.


    But for some unknown reason—perhaps it was the altitude of thirty thousand feet—Minami had grown bolder today. With feigned curiosity, she pressed him further: "Am I really that scary?"


    "Minami, I…" Naoki didn''t know what to say.


    If he were still in the blissfully unaware state he was in prior, all he''d need to do was maintain the natural rapport he and Minami had always shared.


    But now that Chen Yu had deliberately enlightened him about what had transpired, Naoki found himself increasingly awkward around Minami, unsure how to interact with her.


    Minami''s teasing only served to amplify these feelings, causing an overwhelming sense of guilt toward Minami and an even stronger feeling of shame toward his girlfriend, Tokairin Yuko.


    Caught between these conflicting emotions, Naoki looked at Minami, wanting to say something, but ultimately unable to articte anything.


    Seeing Naoki''s apologetic expression and his silence, Minami herself grew silently angry.


    "You haven''t done anything to betray me, so why do you look like you''re hiding a guilty conscience?"


    "I''m not going to hurt you, so why are you acting like you''re scared of me?"


    Minami silently fumed at Naoki''s behavior, her gaze toward him turning more sorrowful.


    To Minami, she had no intention of causing trouble for Naoki or bing his lover. His awkward behavior toward her seemed entirely unwarranted.


    Especially given how delightfully harmonious their interactions used to be, the sense of unspoken connection between them had sparked a sentimental fondness in Minami.


    But now, Naoki''s demeanor had drastically diminished her favorable impression of him.


    Still, for reasons she couldn''t fully grasp—perhaps the lingering emotional depth from their intertwined fates across three lifetimes in dreamscapes—Minami refrained from giving him a hard time. After snorting softly, she turned her back toward him, choosing not to engage any further.


    Watching Minami''s sulking expression, Naoki felt engulfed by helplessness. He regretted agreeing to Chen Yu''s invitation and, more importantly, knowing what he had done in his dreams.


    Yet amidst his regret, Naoki couldn''t deny the faint sense of joy stirring within him. It seemed that traveling to the Maldives with Minami might not be such a bad thing after all.


    Meanwhile, at the back of the ne, though Chen Yu and Jounouchi Hiromi were absorbed in ying with their daughter, they remained aware of everything happening onboard. The subtle exchanges between Naoki and Minami hadn''t escaped their notice.


    Perceiving the dynamic between the two, Chen Yu and Jounouchi Hiromi exchanged knowing smiles.