Chapter 143

Suspicious Laptop

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"I'm home..."

Announcing her return in an exhausted voice, Renka remembered her family was out and headed for the bathroom.

After a thorough shower, she went into her room.

A smile bloomed on her lips as she carefully wiped down the precious limited-edition figure from her shopping bag and placed it in her display case.

Time had been a little tight, but because the manufacturer hadn't advertised it heavily and it was from a fairly obscure anime, she had managed to snag one while a bit of stock remained.

Honestly, when Matsuda used his wish, she had half given up and resigned herself to paying a premium for a secondhand copy, so it was a relief to score a brand-new one.

If she had missed out on this one too, she would have deeply regretted accepting Matsuda's proposal.

Satisfied to have completed yet another anime collection, Renka sprawled out on her bed.

She had only spent a short time with Matsuda, but it felt as if two whole days had passed.

The mental drain was just that severe. This wish, that is.

Anyway, she was worried about the cosplay.

What would be considered more mainstream than an anime character?

Something like a bunny girl you'd see on Halloween?

'Before we left the Hotel, he thanked me for indulging his fetish...'

'To think he has a taste for BDSM... He doesn't look the part, so it's a surprise.'

'Surely he doesn't want me to put on a torn police uniform and roleplay a cop defeated by a vicious robber, or tie me up in tortoiseshell bondage or something, right?'

'No, he told me I could beat him up and report him if things went too far... so he won't go to those lengths.'

"What an absolute pervert...!"

Cursing Matsuda as her imagination ran wild under the covers, Renka decided to accept her inescapable reality.

Since things had turned out this way, she would do it without complaint so the bastard couldn't find fault with her.

After that, it would be time for revenge.

She still hadn't decided how to use her remaining wish, but she was going to completely exhaust Matsuda in mind and body.

With that thought, Renka pulled the covers over her head.

Just then, buzz—!

Her Cell Phone vibrated.

Reaching an arm up, Renka blindly groped for the Cell Phone, brought it under the covers, and turned on the screen.

[Matsuda Ken has sent you a mobile gift voucher.]

'...What is this?'

A gift voucher out of nowhere?

Tilting her head, she tapped the notification, her eyes widening when she saw a thirty-percent shopping mall discount coupon.

It was a widely known discount coupon within the anime and gaming subculture.

Since its affiliated stores included quite a few well-known figure shops, it was an incredibly useful gift for Renka.

But wasn't this a little too coincidental? Of all the gifts he could have sent, why this one?

Did Matsuda know her secret?

As anxiety sprouted and Renka tried to figure out the true intent behind the gift, buzz—!

[It's left over from when I was buying figure-related stuff last time. You use it, President.]

Matsuda's message arrived.

Seeing this, Renka moistened her lips and tapped away on her Cell Phone.

[Why are you giving this to me? Where would I even use it...]

[Your nephew likes figures, doesn't he? It has a lot of time left until it expires, so I thought it'd be good to use when you buy another gift.]

Ah... Matsuda remembered the excuse she had made the last time she bought a limited-edition figure.

If that was the case, she could probably rest easy... but she still needed to be careful going forward, just in case.

Harboring a sliver of doubt, Renka relaxed her guard somewhat and sent a reply.

[I'll put it to good use, Trash.]

[Thanks for the compliment.]

How could someone be so shameless?

Was he always this easygoing?

Still, considering he had let her rest, he wasn't completely without consideration... Should she take it easy on him with her last wish...?

Having that thought, Renka furiously shook her head.

'N-No... How is that considerate?'

She had only earned her break time through a fair trade—agreeing to put up with Matsuda's bizarre fetish.

So she shouldn't let herself be deceived.

Trying to pull herself together with that thought, Renka—

"Arghh!"

She screamed wildly and furiously kicked the blankets.

The thought of buying her break time with her body to avoid immense suffering left her feeling incredibly mortified.

She had completely made a fool of herself today.

But what else could she do? Her first experience inside a cage had been the absolute worst.

'This is driving me crazy...'

Continuously heaving deep sighs, she tried to erase the day's events from her mind, only to snort when she checked Matsuda's next text.

[By the way, what are you doing right now?]

[Mind your own business.]

[Understood. Keep up the good work.]

With that text, Matsuda didn't bother her anymore.

Staring blankly at her silent Cell Phone, Renka closed her eyes to soothe her exhausted mind.

However... what was this vague feeling of regret?

She was probably just mistaking it for relief, right?

That must be it.

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Sunday afternoon.

Returning from her relative's house, Miyuki immediately helped Midori unpack and subtly hinted at wanting to sleep over somewhere.

"Mom. Can I go over to a friend's house today?"

"Not if you're planning to spend the night."

"Aw, why... I've been coming home properly lately..."

"What are you even going to do at a friend's house?"

"I have to study... Finals aren't..."

"You used midterms as an excuse last time, and it's the exact same now?"

"Ah... did I?"

Miyuki scratched the back of her head, looking embarrassed.

Chuckling at her immature daughter, Midori shook her head.

Then, looking around as if searching for Wataru, she asked, "Are you really going to a friend's house? Just a friend?"

'Just a friend'...

It was a meaningful question.

To the point that Miyuki's heart suddenly sank.

"Huh...? Well, who else would it be but a friend..."

"Really?"

"...I told you they are, didn't I...?"

"Is that so? You can go, as long as you come back today."

"Why can't I sleep over?"

"Because it's a nuisance to your friend's parents."

The way she kept emphasizing 'friend' while raising her voice made it seem like she had picked up on something.

No, not just picked up on it; Mom had definitely noticed her relationship with Matsuda.

Then again, she hadn't given any proper information about this unidentified friend, she had snuck out a few household items to move them to Matsuda's house, and the number of times she mentioned Matsuda had increased recently. It would be stranger if her mother didn't know.

Perhaps her mother had noticed a long time ago but had pretended not to know for her sake.

Because parents know everything just by looking into their child's eyes.

'This is driving me crazy...'

She had always thought this day would come, and that she would be incredibly embarrassed when it did... but surprisingly, she felt calm.

Why was that? Was it because her mother was speaking quietly instead of scolding her?

She didn't know. Since things had come to this, she decided to just go for it.

Squeezing her eyes shut and opening them again, Miyuki spoke.

"Can I go to Matsuda-kun's house?"

At those words, the corners of Midori's mouth curled up slightly before dropping back down.

Not missing that reaction, Miyuki blushed, realizing her prediction had been spot on.

"Can I go...?"

"When will you be back?"

A question asked as if she knew everything.

Resigning herself to it, Miyuki asked back, "When should I be back...?"

"Come back before it gets late. Tomorrow's a weekday, after all."

Tomorrow is a weekday... That too was a meaningful statement.

Relieved of the burden in her heart by Midori's gentle reply, Miyuki nodded.

"Got it... I'm heading out...?"

"Alright."

Having received tacit permission, Miyuki left the house with a light heart and took public transit to Matsuda's home.

Opening the gate with her key, she crossed the familiar stone path, stepped up onto the engawa, opened the tightly shut window, and went inside.

Matsuda's distinct, refreshing scent immediately wafted into her nose.

Put in a good mood, Miyuki was about to slip right into the arms of Matsuda, who was lying under a blanket on his futon, when—

"Huh...?"

She tilted her head after spotting an electronic device sitting on a folded-out table next to the futon.

'A Laptop?'

It looked brand new. Had Matsuda bought it?

If he had bought one, he could have at least told her.

Thinking that, Miyuki was about to wake Matsuda up when her curiosity was piqued by the open Laptop.

It looked like he had fallen asleep while watching something... When they had texted that morning, Matsuda said he was just watching TV at home.

That meant he had lied to her.

Of course, he could watch TV on a Laptop, but it was highly unlikely when he had a massive TV sitting right in front of him.

And if he had, Matsuda would have mentioned it to her.

Had he perhaps been watching adult videos?

Friends with boyfriends had told her before. That regardless of whether they had a girlfriend or a wife, there wasn't a single man who didn't watch porn.

And that if they said they didn't, they were lying.

That was why she had thought at the time that she should ask Matsuda about it someday.

She had planned to tease him about this topic, and it felt like the perfect opportunity had just presented itself.

Glancing at Matsuda, who remained motionless, Miyuki giggled softly and sat down in front of the table.

Then, as her eyes darted around looking for the Laptop's power button—"Miyuki...?"

Her shoulders jumped at the sleep-drenched voice coming from behind her.

"H-Huh...?"

Instinctively looking back, Miyuki flashed an awkward smile at Matsuda, who had propped his upper body up and was staring intently at her.

"Y-You're awake...?"

"Yeah."

"Since when...?"

"Just now, at the rustling sound."

He hadn't even noticed her coming in earlier, but now he was a light sleeper.

What an unpredictable man.

"What are you doing, anyway?"

"Ah... It looked like you bought a Laptop, so I was going to take a look..."

At those words, Matsuda's eyebrows twitched faintly.

Reaching past Miyuki's waist with feigned indifference, he closed the Laptop and set it aside in the corner.

He then grabbed Miyuki's wrist, pulled her into his embrace, and lay back down.

"Let's sleep a little longer... We'll talk when I wake up."

Didn't it seem like Matsuda was trying to hide something just now?

His movements had been rather fast for someone who had just woken up... The feeling that adult videos were hidden inside that Pandora's box was growing into a certainty.

That... She would definitely look at it someday. And she was going to tease him relentlessly for it.

Making that silent vow, Miyuki wrapped her arms around Matsuda's waist and enjoyed their reunion.