Chapter Five: Kisses, Cuddles, and Being Lifted High

The tethered helium balloon platform had already ascended to an altitude of over twenty thousand meters. Not only were the clouds now far below, but the spherical silhouette of the planet Takamagahara began to emerge faintly from the edge of the horizon. Gazing at the magnificent and awe-inspiring scenery outside the window, Chen Zi'ang could not help but feel a sense of grandeur, as if his very spirit had expanded. Though he lived in the era of interstellar travel, he had rarely ventured far from North Pole City throughout his life. Now, he finally felt the marvelous realization that he was truly living in the age of the galaxy.

Beside him, Suzuna Tsukimiya was trying her best to appear excited, though in truth, she felt rather bored. *Ah, the vast and majestic planetary horizon... I’ve seen this until I’m sick of it.* Of course, at this point in time, she was supposed to be experiencing space for the first time, so she feigned enthusiasm and asked Chen Zi'ang and Chen Xiaozhu to join her for a group photo with the view as their backdrop.

"Xiaozhu, you sit in the middle," Chen Zi'ang directed. "I’ll be on your left, and you take the right."

"Sounds good!" Suzuna then called out to a passerby, "Could you please take a photo for us?"

The passerby was a woman in her forties, clearly an enthusiastic and proactive type. She immediately smiled and said, "Of course! Let me hold your phone."

Suzuna moved to Chen Xiaozhu’s right, tilted her upper body toward the left, wrapped her left arm around Chen Zi'ang’s arm, and poked her cheek with her index finger, flashing an incredibly sweet and cute smile. Chen Zi'ang found his arm once again under siege, feeling slightly embarrassed, only to hear the woman call out, "Young man, get closer to your girlfriend! Yes, lean in!"

At a time like this, explaining that "she isn't my girlfriend" would surely be a mood-killer that invited a scolding. Chen Zi'ang could only remain silent and lean to the right. Their upper bodies were nearly pressed together, perfectly sandwiching Chen Xiaozhu in the middle.

The woman clicked the shutter a few times, and to his dismay, she seemed to get even more spirited, taking charge of the scene: "Alright, let’s try a different pose! Young lady, you stand in the middle. Put your hands on your sister’s shoulders, and boyfriend, you go behind her and hold her!"

Suzuna was overjoyed. This kind of assist was far more reliable than anything that trashy Mimi-chan could ever manage. Chen Zi'ang was somewhat bewildered, but Suzuna had already stepped behind Chen Xiaozhu, crouching slightly with her hands resting on Xiaozhu’s shoulders, the two of them looking as intimate as real sisters. Without needing a front-facing perspective, he knew the photo would turn out beautifully; after all, both his sister and Suzuna were top-tier beauties.

Overcoming his shyness, Chen Zi'ang moved behind Suzuna and placed his hands on her shoulders as well.

"Oh my, young man, hug your wife!" The woman clearly wouldn't let him get away with a half-hearted attempt. Dissatisfied, she urged, "Wrap your arms around her waist! Yes, exactly, hold her tight! Don't move, smile!"

Suzuna’s waist felt incredibly slender from the outside, almost giving the illusion that it might snap under pressure, but when he actually encircled it with his hands, he could feel the vibrant, healthy, and surprising elasticity beneath. Chen Zi'ang didn't know if he was blushing, but as he held her from behind, he felt a heat rising from his cheeks to his neck—it must have been because of the stranger’s presence!

Once the woman finished the set and began checking the quality, he quickly spoke up, "Maybe we should stop here..."

But Suzuna didn't wait for him to finish; she darted over to the woman to look at the photos. "Wow, you’re so good at this! I love this one!"

"Right?" The woman’s face wrinkled with a wide smile. "When my husband and daughter go traveling, I’m always the one taking the pictures."

"Let’s take a few more, then," Suzuna said promptly. "Thank you so much."

The woman hesitated for a moment. "Is your sister blind?"

"Yes," Suzuna nodded candidly. "My boyfriend takes care of her."

"How about this?" the woman suggested with a sly wink. "I’ll take some photos of your sister in a moment, but for now, let’s get some sweet, lovey-dovey ones of you two."

Suzuna, who lived for the words "lovey-dovey," was absolutely delighted. As long as the phone had battery, she would let this woman snap away to her heart's content!

Chen Zi'ang, standing behind them, was dumbfounded, but he reminded himself that he was the one who had taken the job arranged by Xia Qingyu, ruining the space trip Suzuna had been looking forward to. *Forget it, let her do whatever she likes.*

"Alright!" The woman rolled up her sleeves, full of vigor and fighting spirit. "Young man, pick up your girlfriend first and have her sit on your lap!"

Chen Zi'ang: "???"

*Wait, is it too late to back out now?*

...

As it turned out, when your girlfriend has defected to the enemy, reasoning with a middle-aged aunt is impossible. No matter how many suggestions, resistances, or protests Chen Zi'ang offered, the woman simply brushed them all aside with a "you're already here," completely ignoring his input.

In the end, they didn't just take photos of them embracing, hugging, and being lifted high; Suzuna even launched a surprise attack, kissing him on the cheek. The woman, being a seasoned photographer, captured that precious, critical moment like lightning.

Afterward, Suzuna enthusiastically exchanged contact information with the woman—she needed to keep the details of every high-level wingman she encountered. Meanwhile, Chen Zi'ang silently reviewed the photos, wondering if he should Photoshop a mosaic over his own face. Especially in the one where Suzuna kissed his cheek—he looked exactly like one of those oblivious protagonists in an anime who suddenly discovers a beautiful girl likes him, wearing a classic, idiotic expression. He really didn't want to admit that was him.

"What are you doing, Senior?" Suzuna, having sent the woman off, snatched the phone back and said guardedly, "These are our photos together!"

Chen Zi'ang, feeling like a husband caught trying to secretly transfer assets, quickly defended himself: "I wasn't planning on deleting them! I was just..."

"Oh~" Suzuna drawled in a cute, playful tone. "So, Senior was thinking about deleting the photos..."

Chen Zi'ang was too embarrassed to reply. Suddenly, a stroke of inspiration hit, and mimicking Xia Qingyu’s tone, he said coolly, "I believe I used the words 'wasn't planning'."

Suzuna: !

If this were an anime, a vein shaped like a '#' would surely be pulsing on her forehead. But since she had committed to the persona of an energetic and lively sweet girl, she simply clasped her hands behind her back, leaned forward, and swayed her body with a girlish pout, smiling as she said, "Say that again."

"Uh." Chen Zi'ang’s survival instincts began screaming. He didn't dare continue imitating Xia Qingyu and laughed awkwardly, "I was just checking how the photos turned out. Besides, these are precious memories of the two of us, how could I possibly delete them?"

Suzuna thought, *that’s true.* Although he was very traditional, very dense, and completely oblivious to romance in this regard, he truly wasn't the type to do something as strange as secretly deleting photos.

"Hmph!" She pouted, puffing out her cheeks in a mock-angry expression, and said, "Once we get to the starport, I’m going to invite her over to take a few more."

*...I think I’ll just throw myself into work the moment we arrive at the starport.*