Chapter 146

Do you want to be a magical girl? Or a maid?

The next evening.

After dropping Miyuki off as usual and heading to Renka's place, I found her waiting quietly in front of the Main Gate under an umbrella.

Renka was wearing a faded tracksuit.

She must have thrown on something casual since she had no other plans today besides seeing me, but it still stung a little.

I pulled up slowly so I wouldn't splash her with rainwater. The moment she heard the doors unlock, she pulled the passenger door open.

She shook out her umbrella and slid into the car without even a hello.

"Hello, President."

"..."

"Aren't you going to say hello back?"

"Just drive."

"Say hello..."

"..."

"Say hello..."

"Hello! Happy now!?"

At my continued prompting, Renka snapped at me, playing the part of someone forced against her will.

Chuckling at her full-blown tsundere attitude, I started the car.

Arriving at the love hotel, we picked up our key card and stood side by side in front of the elevator.

Right then, the elevator doors slid open quietly, and a man and a woman stepped out.

It was a couple who had clearly just finished doing the deed.

The moment she saw them, Renka subtly tried to hide behind my back.

She must have felt a bit self-conscious.

To be fair, there really was nothing more awkward than running into another couple in a place like this.

"Are you okay?"

At my question as we stepped into the elevator, Renka snapped back to reality and put a little distance between us.

"What do you mean..."

"Nothing. Going up."

"...Annoying..."

As we headed into the same room as last time, the grumbling Renka let out a deep sigh, probably feeling bitter about being back here.

I pointed to the small side room fitted with iron bars.

"The sooner we finish, the better for you too, right, President? Let's start right away. Go change in there."

"Haa... We only have to do this for thirty minutes, right?"

"Yes."

"Got it."

Shortly after Renka trudged into the side room with her shoulders slumped—"Hey!! You son of a bitch!"

A thunderous stream of curses erupted from within.

I knew this would happen. I'd have to act even more shamelessly from here on out.

It was the only way I could get her to wear it.

"Why? Is there a problem?"

"A problem...? Look for yourself! See if there's no problem!"

Stomping across the floor, Renka marched up to me and shoved the cosplay outfit in my face.

It was a maid outfit.

A highly revealing maid outfit with a short skirt, designed to expose about half her breasts.

"Last time you said it would be a mainstream cosplay! Is this maid outfit mainstream?"

She argued with me, fists clenched tight.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, I replied.

"Isn't this mainstream enough? A lot of people cosplay as maids for Halloween. There are plenty of maid cafes, too."

"Bunny girls and nurses are the mainstream choices for Halloween! Not maids! And the outfits at maid cafes aren't revealing! But this..."

Trailing off, Renka simply opened and closed her mouth wordlessly.

Unable to continue for a moment, she pointed her long, slender finger at the chest of the costume.

"You said the outfit wouldn't expose my breasts or genitals! This exposes my breasts!"

"By breasts, I meant... that specific point, not the whole thing."

"What the hell does that..."

Renka, who had been glaring and arguing with me, snapped her mouth shut.

She realized I was talking about her nipples.

Seizing the opportunity, I looked straight into her reddening face and spoke.

"Given the nature of this kind of cosplay, you have to accept a little upper cleavage showing. It's not like any other sensitive areas are exposed."

"Don't give me that...! This outfit is entirely meant to be revealing...! I won't accept this. To me, it's far too slutty, so I'm not wearing it. And now, I'm going to beat you up."

"Alright. It's not like I didn't expect this reaction from you, President... We'll go with another cosplay."

"...You brought two?"

"Yes. Hold on a second."

I stood up, took out another outfit and its accessories from the corner closet, and spread them out on the bed.

And Renka... "..."

...was left completely speechless at the sight of the new outfit.

She merely squeezed her eyes shut, expressing the absolute despair she felt in that moment.

The outfit I had just shown her was the transformation costume of the protagonist from a recently popular magical girl anime.

A long dress with a ribbon and an oval crystal on the chest, paired with a skirt that flared out widely on both sides.

White long boots, opera gloves, and a magic wand with a golden star on the tip.

Adulthood aside, it was an outfit so incredibly childish that even Renka, who loved anime, felt repulsed by it.

"If you don't like the maid outfit, put this on."

"..."

"You have to say the lines, too. 'Power of the stars, grant me the strength to protect justice...'"

"Shut up... That's creepy..."

"But there's no skin exposure with this one, right? It perfectly fits the conditions."

"It's invalid...! It's not mainstream..."

It was hilarious seeing her desperately argue about what was mainstream.

"I heard a lot of adults watch this anime these days. Even you recognized it right away, President, and you supposedly hate anime. I think it's safe to say it has mainstream appeal."

"W-Who said I hated it...? I just said I don't watch it often..."

"Didn't you say you didn't like it last time? Anyway, let's just go with that, and put this on. I have a picture of the pose, but to explain it first: you lift one foot backward, make a peace sign with your fingers, and then wink..."

"Stop! I don't want to hear anymore...! I'm absolutely not doing that..."

She shook her head wildly; it seemed she would rather die than wear it.

No, it was more accurate to say she hated the idea of wearing it in front of me.

"A promise is a promise, so you have to do it."

"Did you always like this kind of stuff?"

"Yes. It's a secret that only you know, President."

"...It's obvious you just brought this to force me into choosing the maid outfit. Aren't you laying it on a bit thick?"

"I'm serious, though."

"Fucking otaku..."

You're a fucking otaku too.

Was this what they called fratricide? How sad.

"Thanks for the compliment. If you really don't like these, I'll consider a bunny girl or a nurse for the next cosplay, just like you wanted. A cat wouldn't be bad either, right?"

"What do you mean, 'next'?! There is no next time!"

"Alright. Just put it on."

"...This is driving me crazy, seriously...!"

Renka stomped her foot wildly.

Her near-insane frustration was clearly showing.

After venting her dissatisfaction like that for a while, her gaze shifted to the maid outfit instead of the magical girl costume.

"I just have to wear that...?"

It seemed she was going to bite the bullet and choose the maid outfit... It was definitely less humiliating than the magical girl costume, wasn't it? Good choice.

Beaming, I replied.

"You just need to wear that and two accessories."

"Accessories...? What are they...?"

"They were on the shelf next to the hangers, didn't you see them?"

At that, Renka's eyes shifted toward the ceiling.

Remaining perfectly still with a thoughtful expression, she breathed, "D-Don't tell me..."

She brought a hand to her mouth in shock.

She had remembered. What was sitting on that shelf.

"Yes. That's it."

"You crazy bastard...! You said I only had to wear the maid outfit!"

"No, I didn't. Cosplay has to have a concept, doesn't it? This time, the concept is a forcefully captured slave... so it's only right that you wear those, too."

"You fucking psycho! Die!"

"I plan on living a long time. So, are you going to be a magical girl? Or a maid?"

At my question, accompanied by a sly smile, Renka trembled with clenched fists, as if she were about to hit me at any second.

I understood how she felt. Being forced to choose between two things she hated must have been infuriating.

But endure it. A slave's mindset is meant to grow little by little like this.

"Haa... Your taste is absolute garbage..."

A breath full of utter frustration leaked from Renka's lips.

As she agonized for a long, very long time, I offered, "Then let's do this. It's partly my fault for not telling you about the accessories, so if you put them on too, I'll finish this in twenty minutes."

She raised her head at the tempting compromise.

Then, as if seizing an opportunity, she made a new counteroffer.

"Fifteen minutes."

A five-minute difference from the compromise. I could have accepted it, but I wasn't going to.

It was to instill in her the mindset that I was the only one who could grant mercy or negotiate.

"Twenty minutes. If you don't even want to do that, we'll schedule another date."

When I made the remark about pushing it to another day, Renka bit her lower lip hard.

You want to just get it over with since we already met today, right?

And you're only making yourself angrier the more we argue... aren't you?

So be satisfied with twenty minutes. I even shaved ten whole minutes off for you.

"...Twenty minutes from the moment I step out wearing it?"

As expected, Renka took a step back in yielding.

I answered by showing her the timer app on my Cell Phone. "..."

She accepted my offer with an utterly fed-up expression.

"Fine. I'll wear the maid outfit. But no more changing the rules."

"Of course. I'll start the stopwatch the moment you step out."

"Got it... I'm putting it on now... okay?"

"Yes. I'll be waiting."

Renka dragged her feet as she moved to the side room.

As a bonus, she glared at me several times on her way in.

After confirming she had gone inside—slamming the door shut with a loud bang—I quickly began to tidy up the bed.

It was a long time later when Renka finally emerged from the side room.

And as she sluggishly walked out, I couldn't help but widen my eyes.

Because she was wearing the maid outfit completely naked underneath.

Meaning, she had no bra on.

'Would you look at that...?'

No matter how revealing the maid outfit was, I had planned to let it slide if she wore underwear.

From Renka's perspective, she'd feel better having at least some minimal protection, and from my perspective, I'd enjoy it because it would look even sluttier.

So I was going to let it go even if she wore the maid outfit over her lingerie... but I truly hadn't expected this.

Had she reached the point where she was actually enjoying it too?

Or was she going all the way so I wouldn't be able to nitpick or find any faults?

Just as those thoughts crossed my mind, Renka gestured toward the stopwatch with her chin, her voice dripping with sheer embarrassment.

"S-Start the timer already..."

Snapping back to reality, I started the stopwatch, placed my Cell Phone on the nightstand I had moved earlier, and examined Renka again.

She was gripping one of her wrists and squeezing her arms inward to stop me from staring at her body, but did she know that it only made her cleavage pop out even more?

She didn't skip panties too, did she...?

There was no way that could be the case.

"You look so beautiful."

Flinching at the genuine compliment, Renka gritted her teeth.

"...Shut up..."

"Yes, ma'am."

Letting it slide, I went into the side room and brought out the accessories.

Leather cuffs and a collar.

Seeing them, Renka glared at me, her eyes filled with disgust.

"You perverted freak..."

"I can just laugh off that level of insult by now. Why don't you get on the bed and sit down? I'll put these on you myself."

"I-I can put them on myself..."

"It'll be hard to fasten them alone, won't it? Just get up there and take a seat."

Perhaps deciding to obediently follow my words for the next twenty minutes, Renka let out a long breath through her nose and walked to the bed.

Then, she sat back on her heels, splaying her legs outward in a W-sit.

She probably took that pose because sitting normally would expose her lower half... but it only made her look even more seductive.

You really are naturally slutty. And I absolutely love that about you.

"Tell me immediately if it hurts."

"W-Will it actually hurt...?"

"No. I just meant it might pinch if I accidentally catch your skin."

"..."

"Put your hands together and hold them out... Right. Good job."

"A-Am I a dog...? Just put them on and shut up..."

"The cuffs are on. Does it feel too tight or restricting?"

"It doesn't... But why are you suddenly pretending to be nice...!"

Could she not feel even a shred of gratitude for her master, who was trying to relieve some of the pressure on his slave?

How ungrateful. I guess I'll have to punish her with my dick later.

"Haa... How did I end up like this..."

Renka grumbled as she raised and lowered her bound arms.

When I flashed a soft smile at her, she flinched and cast her eyes downward.

"I'm putting the collar on now, okay?"

"...Do whatever you want... I don't have a choice anyway..."

That attitude—I like it a lot.

Make sure you keep it up from now on.

Nodding in satisfaction, I slipped my hands behind Renka's neck, gently lifted the hair at the back of her head, and began to fasten the collar.

"Hup..."

As she sharply inhaled, a strong scent of blueberries wafted out and tickled my nose.

Was this the first time our faces had gotten so close they were practically touching? My heart was pounding, and I hoped hers was, too.

After carefully fastening the collar around Renka's slender neck, I gently tugged the red leash as I straightened my bent knees.

At the same time, Renka's eyes, which had been following me, naturally tracked upward until our gazes locked.

Her expression had calmed down slightly, but a rosy flush lingered under her eyes, as if she were embarrassed by how close we had just been.

The fierce glare still fading from her eyes, the slightly dissatisfied tilt of her head, and the shoulder straps threatening to slip down... it was an absolutely perfect combination.

I was especially turned on by that strangely erotic expression, a mix of sheer embarrassment and deep reluctance.

Perhaps finding my intense, downward stare incredibly burdensome, she subtly turned her head away and began to complain bluntly, "W-What the hell are you staring at... Why are you pulling on the leash... It's annoying... Hup!"

She abruptly gasped and tensed up.

Because my hand had suddenly reached out toward her shoulder.

Before Renka could misunderstand, I carefully pulled up her half-slipped dress strap and settled it back onto her shoulder.

Then, I crouched down in front of her.

"It was about to slide completely off. Aren't you going to say thank you?"

"..."

"Alright, alright. So fierce..."

Grinning at Renka, who was making a coy expression, I let the long leash trail down and sat down on the sofa I had moved in front of the bed.

After that, I spent the time staring intently, incredibly intently, at Renka, who sat glued to the bed like a stone statue.