I'm a magical girl in the future

Chapter 34 Hearts Gradually Drawing Closer

It was evening.

He Yuran and Noah continued to tacitly abide by their agreement—"one person, one night"—taking turns sleeping with each other.

Tonight is He Yuran's time.

After Noah got the key to He Yuran's house, she left Shen Zixin's house.

It has to be said that the tension between the two at dinner was much less intense tonight. It even gave Shen Zixin the illusion that "their relationship might have improved."

In a sense, the relationship between the three seems to have entered a strange and unusual phase—

He Yuran and Noah appear to be "love rivals," but their "competition" seems to be only superficial.

Although Noah showed affection towards Shen Zixin, she never truly expressed any feelings of "liking" or anything else. Even Shen Zixin herself couldn't figure out what this "future self" was thinking. Was Noah's affection more like a form of self-affirmation? Or some kind of compensation for the past?

However, He Yuran's attitude was clear.

Since the confession the night before last, He Yuran has officially expressed her feelings.

So at night, after the bedroom lights were turned off, she and Shen Zixin lay in bed to sleep again, and the atmosphere became somewhat ambiguous.

"Ah Xin," He Yuran spoke in the darkness, "can we hold hands and sleep together like last time?"

"You," Shen Zixin said, feeling somewhat helpless. They had slept hand-in-hand the night before last, and He Yuran had made the same request again. "You want more?"

"Because... lying like this, I feel like I have to do something. I want to... feel A-Xin's warmth... so, at least... at least let me hold your hand."

He Yuran's voice was tinged with caution and shyness. She wanted to confirm that the sudden courage she had felt last night was not an illusion, and she also wanted to confirm that Shen Zixin's response was not perfunctory.

"...Then come on."

Shen Zixin certainly wouldn't refuse. After He Yuran's confession and the revelation of her feelings for him last time, he definitely couldn't bear to reject such a simple response.

Even in the darkness, their hands seemed drawn together by an invisible force, searching for each other in perfect harmony. The touch of their fingertips was followed by the warmth of their palms pressed together.

He Yuran's hands were cooler than I had imagined. However, Shen Zixin's palms provided a reassuring warmth.

"Hehe..." He Yuran let out a relieved chuckle, her joy barely concealed. "We used to sleep together when we were little. We would always hug each other back then, but now we've become so reserved."

"How old were we back then...it's completely different from how we are now."

Back then it was pure childhood affection, but now it's a feeling called "love".

"So, can we take it a step further?" He Yuran moved slightly closer to Shen Zixin. "We're two adults, and we're actually starting by holding hands..."

Although Shen Zixin politely rejected He Yuran's confession that night, he did not actually reject He Yuran's subsequent requests to get closer to him.

Indeed, Shen Zixin's refusal was not a complete break, but rather a delay.

So, in response to He Yuran's feelings, he moved a little closer to her.

"Ah Xin... could you... say that again?"

He Yuran's voice rang out again. Shen Zixin turned to look and found that He Yuran was also looking at her from the side. With the help of the moonlight, the two were face to face at a very close distance.

"...Huh? Which one are you referring to?" This closeness made Shen Zixin a little embarrassed, and he looked away.

"It's... that... promise we made when we were kids... didn't we promise to be together forever?"

"...That was when we were little..."

"But, I guess that can be considered a kind of confession."

He Yuran smiled.

Yes, that was perhaps the beginning of everything. A promise made in the naivety of youth, seemingly a joke yet incredibly sincere, the initial pact that tightly bound the fates of two people together.

Even in the darkness, she could almost clearly sense Shen Zixin's shyness and wavering.

But being able to sleep with A-Xin like this... also gave him the courage to confess his feelings...

It all feels like a dream.

Should we thank Noah?

This thought crossed He Yuran's mind. If it weren't for that woman's appearance, she might never have had the courage to take this decisive step.

Are you kidding me!

She immediately dismissed this absurd idea in her mind.

He didn't want to thank that woman at all! After all, it was that woman who tried to steal A-Xin away first! If it weren't for her, his relationship with A-Xin… even if it progressed slowly, A-Xin would have been his sooner or later. Why would he be facing the risk of losing A-Xin now?

Shen Zixin has many people she cares about, but for He Yuran, Shen Zixin is the only one she longs for.

Thinking of this, a pang of regret welled up in He Yuran's heart—

"I am a timid person."

Caught off guard, He Yuran spoke again.

"Hmm?" Shen Zixin didn't reply, but just listened quietly.

"I have feelings for A-Xin, but I don't dare to express them. I just want things to happen naturally, and I think that as long as there is enough time, as long as I stay by your side, one day we will naturally be together."

"However... when the crisis actually arrived... I realized that my so-called 'letting nature take its course' was nothing but a cowardly excuse. I just... impulsively expressed my love and then sought comfort from you."

"If only I could have understood my feelings sooner... sooner, and been brave enough to tell you like I am now... how wonderful that would have been..."

Her voice was filled with regret.

"I remember when we were both children, we were so innocent and naive that we only saw each other as 'good friends.' We just had the feeling that 'the other person is a very important person.'"

"However, after that incident..." Her voice trailed off, as if she were talking about a wound she didn't want to mention, "...I realized that you have become the light in my life that I can never lose."

"When you rescued me... I can never forget the promise you made to be with me forever..."

"Even if those were just words you said when you were a child, Ah Xin, it makes it impossible for me to let go of anyone else in my heart."

"If only Ah Xin could belong to me alone..."

"Because...I...like...Ah Xin the most..."

Her voice gradually faded, and finally, it seemed to turn into a murmur, disappearing into the darkness.

Shen Zixin listened silently, but he had no idea how to respond.

He instinctively tightened his grip on He Yuran's hand.