Chapter 329, Heartbeat

After arriving at the lattice door with Zero, who always made him uneasy, Zhuo stood in front of the door, then turned his head to look at Zero next to him.

"So...what should we do?"

"What do you mean by what to do?"

"Well, I suddenly remembered something. I don't think I can swim either... Although the hot spring pool is definitely not very deep."

"That's right. But the word 'also' you used really bothered me. I forgot something important last time."

"Don't worry, don't worry..."

Zhuo knew that Ling was probably a super swimmer, and his ability was probably enough to easily win an Olympic gold medal... In Kassel Academy, no one would take you to participate in such muscle-based activities, and everyone looked down on them. And Ling happened to be the one who stood out among these monsters.

Zhuo thought that since this was a rare opportunity, it would be a good idea to take the opportunity to learn how to swim.

But now, Ling's petite but delicate body is hidden under Zhuo's bathrobe. If he wants to swim, the bathrobe will be a hindrance and must be taken off. In this way, Zhuo may not be able to concentrate on learning, and the contact during the teaching will inevitably distract him.

After all, the pool in the hot spring pool is more about bathing than swimming seriously. If you really want to swim, you shouldn't go to such a place, but go to the swimming pool... It's winter now, and Zhuo doesn't want to share what Ling looks like in a swimsuit, so this path is also not feasible for him.

"Well, hot springs are not suitable for serious swimming lessons, and you wouldn't be able to swim if you were asked to do so all at once."

"That's right."

"Why do you suddenly want to learn how to swim?"

"Well..."

Zhuo dragged out the words, and recalled the last time he set out from Tokyo and plunged into the Black Sea to meet Lu Mingze... Although no one saw it, Zhuo's journey to the beach was not so cool - he climbed up, like climbing a mountain. The water was pushed away, and he could only walk on the soles of his feet, even though he was walking on the seabed.

"……That's it."

"wash."

"what happened?"

"You don't always tell me what's in your heart. You didn't say anything just now."

"Oh."

"..."

"..."

Ling observed Zhuo with an expressionless face for a few seconds, and confirmed that he had no intention of explaining, so he stopped forcing him, skipped the topic, and spoke.

"If you're sure you want to learn how to swim, then that's fine. But I'm afraid this isn't the right place... I'd like to spend some time with you, since this is a rare opportunity."

"...Oh, oh...Me too. Then let's take a relaxing bath together."

Ling said as she leaned closer to him... Ever since the two confessed their feelings, Ling would always unconsciously lean closer to him. She didn't do it on purpose, it was probably a subconscious action, because once when Ling was walking on the road, she almost squeezed together with Zhuo, and Zhuo made the judgment that "she subconsciously stuck to him." This behavior is a bit like a kitten or a puppy seeking a sense of security, and they stick to him without any consciousness. Zhuo was of course happy and proud that Ling was willing to stick to him.

But the situation now is not optimistic. When she gets close to him, a gap appears in the front of his robe. However, Zero himself does not react at all and looks up at her.

Zhuo realized Zero's destructive power, stroked his lovely lover's head, and gradually regained his composure.

"Then I'll just soak leisurely until noon... By the way, don't we need to rinse before taking a bath here? I don't see any relevant facilities."

"No, this place basically maintains the basic building complex left over from the middle of the Edo Shogunate, and the hot springs were left over from that time. This is also the reason why I said this place is not suitable. The Shogun built it on the edge of a cliff so that he could sit on the mountain and watch the sea while taking a hot spring bath. It's very dangerous."

"So...Zero is still so calm, that's amazing~"

Zhuo was in crisis many times because of Ling's swimsuit. Every little move of Ling made him flustered. Zhuo was not a child who had never seen the world. The reason why he was like this was all because the other party was Ling.

Judging from his own experience, Zhuo thought that even if Ling would not be as shy as he was, he would still be somewhat moved after seeing him. But today, Ling was only entangled in dressing up, and was not moved by Zhuo's body.

Even though it was a bit unreasonable, and he himself didn't think there was anything moving about a boy's body, but Zhuo's hope that both parties cared about everything about each other was well-intentioned. Of course, it didn't matter if they didn't, and Zhuo wouldn't blame Ling for these.

After hearing Zhuo point this out, Ling, who had been looking around, looked up at him again and blinked as if he was thinking.

"…It's not like that. I've been focusing on the face."

"oh oh……"

"Actually, my heart beat fast when I saw you in your swimsuit today. Zhuo is much stronger than before, and his muscles are gradually growing stronger. He is very charming." As he spoke, Ling secretly lowered his gaze, glanced at Zhuo's upper body, and then swam away in a flash.

Zhuo was totally unprepared and was a little dumbfounded.

Before? Does it mean the first time when Ling took care of Zhuo who had a fever and entered his house? Indeed, compared with that time, Zhuo had completely changed in everything from his living habits to his worldview. At that time, Zhuo had never thought about striving for self-improvement. He was the type of person who could not refute even if people ridiculed him for being gloomy and introverted.

...This also shows that he is making progress.

Of course, in the eyes of those who often go to the gym or keep exercising all year round, Zhuo's current exercise results are just as insignificant; but compared with Zhuo's previous performance, he probably has developed a pretty good body shape.

Hmm——My competitive spirit suddenly rose, so I set the goal of comparing my pectoral muscles with Caesar in three years... I was just kidding. Even if Zero's confession made Zhuo's heart swell and his nose grow longer, he would not be so arrogant.

"You are already in good shape now, there is no need to build muscle for me. Not too fat, not too thin, giving people a sense of softness and strength. This feeling is good."

"Soft yet strong? I'm a man, so shouldn't I be strong yet soft?"

“Hard but gentle.”

"..." Zhuo paused for a moment because Ling suddenly changed his words without any interval, and then continued, "Isn't it a little late? Forget it, let's not talk about this. It turns out that Ling and I feel the same way. I'm so happy... Although being praised by you makes me feel embarrassed and happy..."

"why?"

"That is to say, Zero, who always says "I'm a killer, I don't have any feelings", would also pay attention to other people's bodies..."

"Are you kidding me? Even I...will pay attention to the person I like."

As Ling said this, he moved his gaze to Zhuo's body, but then quickly moved away. It didn't feel like the shyness between lovers, but rather like a spy stalking, afraid of being discovered by the target of surveillance.

It really has Zero's style.

Ling seemed to have discovered that Zhuo was secretly laughing at him, so he turned his head and looked up at Zhuo, his eyebrows raised.

"Zhuo has no right to criticize me. Your heart is beating so fast!"

"Well……"

Zhuo forgot that Ling had extraordinary hearing. At such a close distance, no matter how well he concealed his feelings, she could still hear the sound of his heart. This was Zhuo's mistake.

And Ling didn't care about anything and simply wanted to put his hand directly on Zhuo's flat chest to feel his heartbeat... Zhuo subconsciously retreated as if he had been electrocuted at the moment of physical contact, which showed that he cared about Ling very much.

But Ling is his girlfriend, so there is nothing to hide, so Zhuo nodded frankly.

If you don't feel moved when you see Zero in a swimsuit for the first time, you are not a man. This is a normal reaction. It is better to say that just controlling half of your body is worthy of praise.

"...How can I not be moved when I see the person I like wearing a swimsuit?"

"That's the truth, then my situation is also normal."

"Well, actually I'm glad to see your heart beating faster because of me."

Zhuo has always believed in one sentence: For some things and some words, it is useless for both parties to know it in their hearts, or it is not so effective. They must be spoken out.

So even though it was embarrassing, Zhuo still spoke out his feelings. After all, Ling's words showed how much she cared about him, and Zhuo had to respond. So even if it was embarrassing, he had to speak out.

After Zhuo admitted it generously, Ling seemed to want to say something, but he swallowed the words back when they came to his lips, as if he had given up the verbal argument, and closed his mouth tightly, instead holding Zhuo's arm tightly.

Actually, the two of them are really similar, at least in terms of self-awareness.

Ling probably realized that he couldn't win against Zhuo in a verbal battle, so he wanted to use this method to force a victory.

So Zhuo also shut his mouth, but this time he let Ling hold him tightly, and did not let Ling see his wavering as he wished.

"It won't work if it's not a surprise attack~"

"…Well, even though Zhuo said that, his heart is beating faster than before."

"Long-winded."

The result was that the truth was revealed in the heartbeat.

Zhuo turned his head to look away, while Ling looked up and looked at his profile quietly for a few seconds, then put his face on Zhuo's arm.

(End of this chapter)