Chapter 123 CH 119: WHAT IF...?

*Ugh*

"...dam… Ada..."

Adam felt that his mind had become heavy. He could feel someone shaking him. Feel that someone was calling him. But…

"Adam!"

———

The sun was rising high in the sky and the happy song of birds greeting the morning sun was ringing all around.

Adam snapped his eyes open and looked at the ceiling above. His head was still hazy and felt rather heavy.

"Adam, you finally woke up? Still, feeling a headache? I would have never thought that you would handle alcohol so badly."

"Wha…"

Adam looked up to gaze at the person talking to him. His mind was still a bit groggy and he was feeling shaky but he was starting to piece things together.

"Aunt… Shuri?"

"Oh… You still want to call me aunt after what happened last night? Then again, I guess we do need to ease Cecilia into this new situation we have between ourselves. Can't let her have a breakdown now, can you?"

'What the hell?'

Adam was not able to follow the conversation between them. He looked at the surroundings and was greeted with the sight of a familiar room. It was undoubtedly his own room.

But why…. Why was Shuri only clad in a white and unbuttoned shirt while standing in front of him?

'This.'

Adam grabbed his head and groaned out loud.

"Adam? Are you alright? Wait for a little while. I will go and bring some medicine for your headache."

She hurriedly walked toward the door but once she reached it, she stopped and sent him a grin, "By the way, I did not have the time to speak with you with how busy we were during the night but… Happy Birthday, Adam."

Adam could not listen to Shuri. Information filled his mind as he tried to remember whatever the hell he had been doing prior to his awakening.

He was… He was… Ahhh!

Pictures of what happened the night before flashed in his mind and Adam groaned while cupping his face as he leaned back on his bed in shame and embarrassment.

'Holy shit. I made love with Shuri while drunk.'

He immediately took out his phone and looked at the time and date on the lock screen.

[31/10/2030 || 8:45 am]

It was indeed his birthday.

Yesterday, he… Cecilia was… Images started forming in his head trying to remind him of something important but the door was suddenly opened, distracting him from his reminiscence.

When Shuri came back to the room with a coffee cup in her hand and medicine for his headache, she placed everything next to the bed and slipped into bed with him.

Her hot breath tickled his ears as she hugged him tightly into her round and full bosom.

"Yesterday was simply wonderful. I would have never thought that our relationship would change like that in just one day. But still, I don't regret any of it. I wish I could stay like this… forever, with you. What about you?"

Adam felt conflicted, bewildered, and lost, "I… I…"

He wanted to answer but his mouth refused to reciprocate the words.

In the end, he shook his head to chase away the stray thoughts that were constantly trying to gnaw at his mind.

"Sorry. Still feeling a little groggy."

The disappointed glance Shuri sent his way made him feel slightly guilty. He knew what this looked like to her. It was akin to him discarding her after having his way with her last night, but his mind was still in the clouds and he needed some time to get his bearings before he could reply to that question of hers.

"Where is mom, by the way?"

"Hah… Your mother is still at the hospital."

Adam shivered with fright and a growing sense of despair, "Is she…Is her heart, alright?"

"Heart?" Shuri gave him a weird glance, "The doctor already said she was just suffering from stress. So they decided to keep her for one more day."

Something was wrong. Something felt wrong. But… did it really matter?

"I… I see."

His mother was alright. He was alright. In fact, he was more than just alright. He had lost his virginity to his aunt, Shuri. Though should he say lover Shuri now? He idly wondered.

Adam wanted to ask her how this came to be. But he also felt slightly shy about this incident. After all, it wouldn't really be manly of him to pose such a question.

"You were great, you know? I would have never thought you would last so long and do it for as long as you did. Honestly, my back hurts a little after that wild night. Is this the power of youth?"

Adam blushed and coughed. He did not know why Shuri suddenly guessed what he was thinking but he liked what he was hearing.

"Well. I have a class today. What about you?"

What about him indeed?

———

A few hours later, Adam found himself at University. He remembered that today was supposed to be the Halloween party.

Sae had called him, asking for his help in organizing the party, and he thought that since he had nothing to do and Cecilia would be discharged soon, he had nothing to lose in accepting her call for help.

The party preparation was quite enjoyable, and Sae was a great organizer, ensuring everyone had fun even while working.

When the job finally ended, Adam sat on a chair after a tiring day of helping out and Sae approached him with a cold drink in hand.

"Interested?"

"Thanks."

"Hehe. Thank you. We were able to end this faster than intended due to your help."

The two drank in silence before Adam spoke up, "So today is the big day? You are finally going to confess to Steven?"

"Hmm… Nah… I have decided to give up on him."

"Hmm?"

"I mean. It's useless, right? Man. I really regret the time I spent chasing after that bastard. I should have given up even sooner."

This… Adam's brow furrowed a little. He could feel a greater dissonance with that statement. Was Sae… The kind of person to insult someone behind their back? To project her own faults on someone else?

"Adam?"

"You… No, nothing. I am just not feeling right."

"Heh… Understandable. Yesterday was your birthday, right? You must have been happy."

"*Ahem* Yeah. It was pretty great."

He didn't remember much but making love with Shuri was an S-grade gift in his mind.

'S-grade… Why suddenly? Did I plan some interesting games lately?'

He thought about it for a while but finding no answer he simply ignored it,

"Don't you think… The current atmosphere is really great?"

"What?"

"I mean. Today is your birthday. It's a special day. The day you were born. Go on… You can ask me anything~ I will give it to you, no matter what it is~"

"...Anything?"

Sae brushed his hand and gave him a meaningful smile, "Anything."

Adam felt tempted. Adam felt well and truly tempted. He could feel the emotion dripping in Sae's voice and knew it was an invitation to a series of delightful and fun activities.

But… He took his hand away from her grasp.

"Well. The day is still long. If you have nothing else to do for me. I think I will go to the hospital."

He walked away, ignoring the way Sae stared fixedly at his back. Her eyes— unblinking.

———

The ride to the hospital was short. When Adam finally reached his mother's room, he couldn't help but stop as nervousness took hold of him. His heartbeat couldn't help but accelerate slightly. Shuri said that the earlier diagnosis of the doctor was a mistake and that Cecilia was perfectly healthy.

But was it really the case?

When Adam hesitated more and more, the voice he longed to hear registered in his ears.

"Whoever is on the other side. Either enter or leave."

Adam laughed at himself and pushed the door open.

"How are you, mom?"

A beautiful red-haired woman with a healthy complexion gave him a lopsided grin as she directed a V for victory sign with her two fingers toward him.

"Never been better."

Adam could feel himself sigh in relief. There was indeed nothing wrong with her. His birthday had gone well, he ended up with Shuri, and Sae was making a pass at him.

All of those were unbelievable events that excited him greatly. But… More than anything else, knowing that his mother was alright and healthy was what mattered the most.

Adam approached Cecilia and hugged her tightly. "I am happy. Really happy."

Cecilia's face stretched to form a wide grin at her son's show of affection. "This is great, right? You wouldn't believe how relieved I was when the doctor made sure of the final tests and gave me the green light… I feel like I could bask at this moment forever… What about you…?"

Adam closed his eyes. Before muttering with an ambiguous voice… "Well… Perhaps for a little while?"

Cecilia's grin only grew wider at those words. "A little while is good, isn't it?"