Chapter 141

Buying Time with Her Body

Renka stepped out of the shower, her hair hanging down well past her waist.

I had always seen her with a ponytail, or with a headscarf covering her hair to put on her Men. Seeing her long, slightly damp, straight hair was a completely new experience.

"What are you staring at?"

She covered herself with a long towel that reached down to her knees.

I would get to see plenty of that later anyway. She was misunderstanding my intentions for no reason.

Still, she had turned aggressive again the moment she stepped out of the cage, huh?

She must have accumulated a lot of pent-up frustration.

I couldn't blame her; I'd be annoyed too if I were stuffed inside that cramped space.

"Staring?"

"...I'm going to get something to eat first."

I chuckled at Renka's attempt to change the subject.

"You aren't trying to run away, are you?"

"I told you I wasn't leaving..."

"Got it. Don't be angry. Let's eat together."

"Do we really have to...?"

"Honestly, President, I can't tell if you want to leave quickly or if you want to drag this out for the entire day."

"Ah, seriously...! What are we going to eat?!"

I stared silently at the grumbling Renka. Her momentum immediately fizzled out as she continued.

"W-what are we eating..."

"Do you have a favorite food?"

"I... like Sushi. Salmon Sushi..."

I had expected her to just say "anything," so it was funny that she specifically asked for salmon Sushi.

I nodded and looked through the room service menu.

There was an assorted Sushi platter available, but a love hotel wouldn't exactly have a specialist on hand, so it was best not to expect much in terms of taste.

"Shall I order delivery?"

"Do whatever you want... Can I dry my hair?"

"You don't need to get permission for every little thing. Do you want me to help you dry it?"

"I'm fine."

Renka answered coldly and went to sit at the vanity.

Her hair was so long that it took quite a while to dry. Doing that every day would be a real hassle.

After what felt like ages, Renka finished drying her hair and stood up awkwardly.

I glanced back and forth between her and the time on my Cell Phone, then spoke.

"Thirty-five minutes left."

"For what...?"

"What else? Your break time."

Renka bristled at that.

"T-the time it takes for the food to arrive and the time we spend eating should be excluded from the break time! That's only fair!"

"You really ask for a lot. Excluding your shower time was generous enough. Why are you demanding so much?"

"Don't you think you're being too harsh?"

"Was it really that stifling in there?"

"It was incredibly stifling! Try going in there yourself...!"

"Is there any reason I should?"

I shrugged playfully. Renka glared at me with eyes full of resentment.

In times like this, all I needed to do was take a big step forward and get close enough to press right up against her.

Step.

"So, do you have a complaint?"

Taking a long stride to stand tall in front of Renka, I feigned surprise when she flinched slightly but refused to stop glaring at me.

She seemed determined not to let herself be overwhelmed by my presence. Not bad.

"...I do. Let me rest for an hour after the meal."

Knock, knock.

We had barely exchanged those few words and were still continuing our staring contest when a knock came from the front door.

The Sushi delivery had arrived.

"Shall we eat?"

"Don't change the subject."

"The delivery guy is waiting."

"If you turn your back on me now, I'll take it as a yes."

Our Renka was extremely stubborn.

I wondered if she would feel a twinge of shame later when she went home and was left alone.

Thinking about what she had been doing with me just to earn some break time...

Since I had never intended to include the meal in her break time to begin with, I decided to show mercy in the face of Renka's strong will.

"Do you really have to rest for a full hour?"

"Yeah."

"I'll yield to your stubbornness just this once, President."

"...Thanks."

Yes, yes. How could I refuse when she acted like that?

Keep being a good girl from now on.

Sitting across from each other at the small two-person table, we ate the Sushi without saying a word.

Renka chewed her food while stealing glances at me, as if she were sitting on a bed of nails.

I didn't know how the food was even going down her throat.

"Matsuda."

Renka, who had been eating quite quietly, called out to me.

I lightly dipped the end of a piece of Sushi into my wasabi soy sauce and looked at her.

"What is it?"

"I have something to ask."

"Go ahead."

"You just want to torment me, don't you?"

"No."

"Then why did you use your first wish, your second wish, and now your last wish for something like this?"

"Because you're pretty, President."

"Hey...! Don't try to brush the situation off with nonsense..."

She seemed secretly pleased, yet she called it nonsense.

So dishonest... what a feisty thing.

I scoffed and replied.

"I mean it sincerely. Besides, you seem to be misunderstanding something, President."

"What?"

"I was planning to use the last wish next time."

"What are you talking about...? Once this is over, only my wish will be left. You've used all three. Are you an idiot?"

"That's strange. I only told you to clear your schedule and come here on Saturday, President. I never even mentioned the wish."

"...What...?"

Renka briefly wore an expression of complete incomprehension.

With her mouth hanging wide open in deep thought, her pupils suddenly dilated.

She seemed to have realized it—that when I set up the appointment, I hadn't said a single word about a wish.

"You... you..."

Unable to continue speaking, she began to tremble.

From head to toe, she shook like a leaf, as if an earthquake had just struck her. It was the most intense reaction Renka had shown so far.

What a sight. Truly a sight to behold.

After letting the rage build up in her body for a while, she prepared to open her pretty mouth and hurl insults at me. "You son of a—"

Timing it with her opening her mouth, I casually raised a hand.

"I'm joking. Calm down."

Renka clamped her mouth shut, and her face, which had turned as red as a ripe apple, slowly lost some of its furious color.

"R-really...? You were just joking, right...?"

"I originally planned to insist it didn't count, but you looked so miserable today that I decided to just use the wish on this."

"That's... true, right...? Are you sure?"

I flashed a benevolent smile, playing the part of a generous benefactor.

"I just said yes."

"...Fine then..."

"But you were about to curse just now, weren't you?"

"No..."

"You totally were."

"Hey...! Who wouldn't swear in this situation...?"

Why did she always try to deny it first? How nice would it be if she just obediently admitted it?

Of course, I understood that she might be worried I'd treat her more harshly if she were honest.

Tossing the last few pieces of Sushi into my mouth, I cleared away my empty container and stood up.

"Rest comfortably when you're done. It's obvious you're eating slowly on purpose, so don't overdo it."

Flinching at the sharp remark, Renka let out a deep sigh.

"Got it..."

Renka remained in the same chair she had sat in while eating her Sushi.

She seemed to be walking on eggshells because I had claimed the bed... If it were me, I would have brazenly lain down anyway.

I decided to do Renka a favor—while satisfying my own selfish desires in the process.

"President."

"What..."

"Come lie down next to me. You look really uncomfortable right now."

"I'm... fine."

"Your back is going to hurt sitting on a backless chair. Don't be stubborn, just lie down."

"......"

Hesitantly standing up, Renka approached the bed and carefully lay down.

For all her reluctance, she must have been really uncomfortable, seeing how she came over without putting up a fuss.

Lying flat on her back and staring at the ceiling, she tried to cover her stomach with her hands. Finding that insufficient, she tried to pull the blanket over herself.

But since I was already using it, she could only leave her hands awkwardly resting there, unsure of what to do.

Seeing that, I let out a small snicker.

Before Renka could complain, I draped the blanket over her, turned on my side, and looked at her.

Finding my gaze too intense, Renka tucked her chin slightly and shifted her hips to put some distance between us.

I moved closer to her, taking in the sweet scent of blueberries wafting up to my nose, and asked in a tender voice.

"Are you comfortable?"

"It's uncomfortable because you're staring at me..."

"How honest. But President."

"What..."

"Can I touch your chin just once?"

"Please stop spouting nonsense..."

"Why? I'm letting this count as the final wish; shouldn't I be allowed to do at least this much?"

"W-what kind of ridiculous logic is that...!"

"Then how about this? If you let me touch your chin, I'll give you an extra hour of rest."

"What...?"

Renka, who had been shifting to turn her back to me, froze.

I could almost see her ears perk up. She looked tempted.

"An hour...? Are you serious...?"

Hearing the heavy suspicion in Renka's voice, I smirked.

"Yes, I'm serious. Honestly, you don't want to go back in there either, President. It's uncomfortable, and it feels like your human dignity is being completely stripped away... right?"

"......"

She maintained her silence.

Which meant I was right.

"See? Giving up your chin once for an extra hour of rest is a win-win for both you and me, isn't it?"

At my nonchalant proposal, Renka's eyes darted around.

Her expression showed she was genuinely contemplating the offer.

Unable to keep her gaze steady for a while, she soon twitched her eyebrows as if she had made up her mind.

Then she spoke in a barely audible voice.

"...Give me two hours. Let me rest for three hours total."

"Are you joking?"

"I'm not joking...! You have to offer that much to make it worth it..."

"Never mind then."

I snorted, feigning disinterest, and started to turn away, prompting Renka to hurriedly correct herself.

"O-one and a half hours...!"

Cheering inwardly, I immediately placed my hand on Renka's chin and gently scratched underneath it.

"Hieek!"

Renka recoiled, her body jerking on the bed as if she had been electrocuted.

She probably hadn't expected me to reach for her without any warning.

"It's okay. Good girl."

Renka flared up at the remark, which sounded exactly like I was treating her like a puppy.

But she didn't show any particularly violent reaction.

She simply wore a displeased expression and meekly accepted my touch.

Flashing a grin at the slightly calmer Renka, I complimented her out of nowhere. "You're pretty. Really."

Renka, who had offered her chin to me, scrunched her face even more.

"Shut up... Just touch it. Talking wasn't part of the deal..."

"I'm just saying what's on my mind. You can stay quiet, President."

"...Perverted bastard..."

"Thanks for the compliment."

Had she felt a sense of relief from my consistently calm tone?

Renka's chin lowered slightly.

She was unconsciously accepting my touch.

I chuckled at how she looked just like a well-trained puppy. Unaware of what she was doing, Renka asked bluntly.

"H-how long are you going to touch me...?"

"I'm letting you rest for an hour and a half, so a minute and a half of this should be fair, right?"

"...Fine."

Having concluded her deal with me, the tension in her jaw slowly faded as the seconds ticked by.

And without even realizing that her body was growing drowsy and her eyes were losing their sharpness, Renka simply counted the time.

Would she replay what happened today once she went back home later?

If that happened, she would probably scream at the top of her lungs and kick her blankets, right?

Just imagining it made me want to burst out laughing.