Chapter 173

Did my loaded tone hit the mark?

Renka flinched, her eyes darting around.

She looked anxious, as if wondering what fault I'd find with her next.

"D-did I do something wrong...?"

You did. Touching Tetsuya's filthy body right in front of me was wrong.

Smiling at him was wrong. Talking to him was wrong, and treating him kindly was wrong too.

All of it was wrong.

"Plenty."

"L-like what? Is it because I called you a liar?"

"Just hurry up and fold these with me."

I gently coaxed her with a smile. The corners of my mouth lifted when she gnawed her lower lip and reached for the top towel on the pile.

"Are you forcing yourself?"

"Because you threatened me...!"

"I didn't threaten you."

"Shut up...! Just let me fold in peace...!"

"Got it."

Originally, I had planned to focus on Renka after the threesome, but the timing felt a bit too awkward to ask the shy Chinami about our next encounter...

I figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to trigger one of Renka's exclusive events in the meantime.

It wouldn't take long anyway, so I might as well get things done in my spare time.

I had thought about this before—to capture multiple heroines simultaneously, running all over the place was the right approach.

What kind of event would trigger if I met her outside the Academy in winter?

The first things that came to mind were subculture-related.

It was a bit stale since I'd already used that angle a couple of times, but it had the highest probability of triggering an event.

And the biggest event of them all was undoubtedly Comiket.

However, the date for that was fixed for late December, making it impossible to push forward.

Before then, I wanted to train Renka's body and mind to a certain degree, but what would be the best way?

I also wanted to give her just enough hints to make her suspect I was the one messaging her on AnyShare.

I needed to find a method that carefully played on her deep otaku tendencies.

"Hey."

Lost in thought, I turned to look at Renka when she called out.

"What is it?"

"Fold the towels properly. They're all crooked and look completely half-hearted. Just what are you thinking about that you can't even focus?"

"The ones you folded are just as crooked, President."

"Is something wrong with your eyes? Where do they look crooked?"

"The corner is sticking out right here."

"Are you seriously comparing them to the ones you folded? Don't be ridiculous."

"Isn't the President the one being ridiculous?"

"No, I'm not."

Renka put on a haughty front.

Deciding I wanted to change that dissatisfied expression of hers, I looked around.

All the club members were focused on their own tasks.

Tetsuya... was receiving instructions from a senior participating in the tournament.

Practically no one was paying attention to Renka and me.

Confirming this, I called out to her.

"President."

"Don't call me that."

"Are you going to interrupt us if the Master and I are alone again today?"

"What are you talking about...? When did I ever interrupt? I was just trying to help with the managerial work."

"Let's just say that's true. But... President."

"I told you not to call me that! Do your work. Work...!"

"Don't act kindly toward anyone else."

".... Huh?"

"It pisses me off."

".... What did you say?"

Renka blinked two or three times.

Judging by her dumbfounded expression, she hadn't understood me.

Should I have been direct and said I was jealous instead of pissed off?

No, unless she was an idiot, she wouldn't fail to understand at least this much.

She might not realize it now, but she'd probably figure it out later while eating dinner or lying in bed, mulling over the context of our conversation.

I decided to add another line to leave a lasting impact.

Just so she could really chew on it later.

With that in mind, I glanced into Renka's innocent eyes and said casually in passing.

"It's nothing. But you look pretty today."

"W-what...? What did you say...?"

At my blatant compliment, Renka's jaw dropped.

Her face turned beet-red all the way to her ears in an instant.

Satisfied with her reaction, I flashed a toothy grin and silently went back to folding towels.

@@

"I'll get going, Chinami. I had fun today."

"I had fun too. Get home safely."

Chinami politely clasped her hands together and gave a bow.

Renka smiled warmly at her ever-polite friend and waved goodbye.

After parting ways with Chinami, she took the train home and formally greeted her parents.

After her shower, she meticulously dried her long hair.

Finally, she inspected the figure display cabinet in her room.

An appreciation ritual that marked the end of her daily routine.

With that done, Renka lay down in bed and pulled up a thick blanket.

"Haa..."

Feeling the chilly blanket gradually warm up from her body heat made her realize that winter had truly arrived.

In the summer, she hated warm blankets and would toss and turn looking for a cool spot, but now she didn't want to move an inch.

She already felt like never going outside again. It also made her want to peel and eat some tangerines.

"....."

Staring blankly into the quiet room, her thoughts drifted back to what happened in the Club Room today.

Actually, it would be more accurate to say those thoughts had been popping up intermittently ever since she'd been hanging out with Chinami.

Matsuda's words telling her not to act kindly toward anyone else.

At first, she had thought he was just picking a weird fight, but after his follow-up compliment that she 'looked pretty today,' she couldn't help but feel his words held some deeper meaning.

'What in the world...?'

Why would he suddenly say something like that?

Didn't Matsuda have a good relationship with Chinami?

They seemed incredibly close...

And yet, in the middle of all that, he was telling her she was pretty and that she shouldn't act kindly toward other people?

'Is he crazy...?'

He was either a crazy playboy, or he had only said it to tease her, knowing full well she would react this way.

It had to be one of the two.

Considering how he had ordered her to stand perfectly still, locked her in an iron cage, and made her cosplay in a maid outfit, the latter seemed more likely...

But the peculiar look in his eyes every time he used a wish still bothered her.

Even when the last wish was fulfilled, right before leaving, he had gone as far as to say he was starting to like her too much.

'He was probably just teasing me then too, right...?'

As far as she knew, his relationship with Chinami had been good back then as well, so if that compliment had come from the bottom of his heart, Matsuda really was a lunatic.

It meant he was just a piece of trash who relied on his face to hit on multiple women.

Of course, there were other good things about him besides his face. Specifically, his voice.

His deep, resonant baritone. Whenever he spoke quietly, it felt like her ears were being tickled.

"No...!"

Renka fiercely shook her head as her thoughts suddenly drifted to useless details.

Regardless, if Matsuda showed even the slightest sign of exploiting the innocent Chinami, she was going to rip her away from his evil clutches immediately.

Resolving herself inwardly, Renka pulled the blanket all the way up over her head, but then—

Bzzzt—!

When the Cell Phone she had left next to her pillow vibrated, she picked up the device.

[President. I have a question about blocking a head strike and countering to the waist. Do you happen to have a moment? I apologize for bothering you.]

It was a text from Miura. With the tournament approaching, he had been asking a lot of questions lately, and she was glad to have a junior with so much talent and passion.

[It's no bother at all. What did you want to know?]

[Thank you. My arms just aren't moving the way I want them to, making my movements feel stiff. I wanted to ask how I can transition smoothly into a counterattack.]

[That's a bit hard to explain via text... Are you practicing right now?]

[I was just looking up the theory.]

[Then, how about we meet up separately tomorrow morning so I can show you?]

[Ah, I would really appreciate that.]

[Do you have any other questions?]

[I'd like to ask them all at once tomorrow.]

[That works for me.]

[Thank you, President. Get some rest.]

Ending her conversation with Miura, Renka let out a soft chuckle.

So very polite. Unlike a certain someone.

The moment that thought crossed her mind, her Cell Phone vibrated again.

Bzzzt—!

[What are you doing.]

This time, it was a text from Matsuda.

Unlike Miura, his absolute lack of manners was glaringly obvious right from the text itself.

Renka snorted. She originally intended to ignore him, but worried that Matsuda might use her silence as an excuse to nitpick, she tapped the screen.

[Why are you bothering me?]

[I'm bored. I tried contacting the Master, but there's no reply.]

Wait, so if he couldn't reach Chinami, was she just a fallback option to entertain him when he was bored?

She hated thinking like that, but coupling this text with what Matsuda had said in the Club Room made her view everything in a negative light.

Just as she was about to snap back with an irritable reply, Renka caught herself and wondered why she was getting so worked up over a single text from Matsuda...

Reacting like this made her seem like some girl agonizing over an unrequited crush.

She didn't harbor any feelings for Matsuda whatsoever... Yet it still pissed her off. It really pissed her off.

[She's probably taking a shower. I'm going to sleep, so stop messaging me.]

[It's only eight in the evening.]

[What does that matter? I'm sleepy, so I'm going to sleep. If you're bored, go practice Kendo. I even picked out the equipment for you. Don't let it just sit there collecting dust.]

[I already practiced for about 30 minutes.]

[Do more.]

After sending the reply, Renka stared blankly at the screen, tilting her head when no further messages came through.

Had he just given up on the conversation? He wasn't exactly the type to be deterred by her cold attitude...

Still, it was a relief. Now she could finally rest in peace.

Feeling relieved, Renka opened the [AnyShare] app installed on her Cell Phone.

She was about to look up merchandise for a new anime she was interested in, but upon noticing a new message, she tapped on her inbox.

[Did you read what I recommended? Girlfriend Training Journal. Don't tell me you haven't read it yet.]

It was a message from MK, an exceptionally rude and mannerless user.

He had initially left malicious comments on one of her reviews, so she had tried treating him kindly to guide him onto the right path, but he was just as impolite as ever.

She had, in fact, read 'Girlfriend Training Journal'.

It was a manga that was far more explicit than 'The Master's Secret', targeting readers who were heavily into that specific fetish.

Honestly, she had found it quite entertaining to read, and for some reason, it had even made her heart race.

While she wouldn't go as far as calling it a masterpiece, it was certainly well-made enough to be considered a solid work.

Debating whether or not to reply, Renka ultimately tapped on MK's profile and blocked him.

This guy was a malicious user.

She had gone out of her way to read a work this particular user had recommended and even left a review for it... yet he was the type of person to complain that her star rating was too low.

Since his existence offered absolutely no benefit to her, it was far better for her peace of mind to simply block and ignore him rather than stress herself out over his messages.

Because he was someone who clearly read a lot of BDSM material, there were a few things she was curious to ask him about, but it didn't matter since she could just look them up herself.

'But this person's nickname is...'

MK... The initials matched Matsuda Ken's exactly.

Even so, the chances of this person actually being Matsuda converged on absolute zero.

While it was true that he had been taking an interest in anime lately, he wasn't the type of guy who would go as far as participating in an online community.

His mannerless tone and selfish attitude simply gave off a similar vibe, and the matching initials just happened to make her think of him.