Chapter 174

'But aren't our tastes exactly the same? At this point, maybe I should be a little suspicious...?'

'No... There's no way.'

Brushing the thought aside and clearing her head, Renka grabbed the bag of gummy bears from her desk and brought it over to her bed.

She lay back down and killed time scrolling through info on new releases.

The next day.

After leaving the Parking Lot with Miyuki and cutting across the schoolyard, I spotted Renka and Tetsuya up to something by the Drinking Fountain next to the cafeteria.

Renka was in a Kendo stance, swinging her bare hands through the air, while Tetsuya watched her every move with an intense, serious gaze.

It was obvious at a glance: the overly passionate Tetsuya must have asked her for some technique tips to prepare for the upcoming tournament.

Honestly, manufacturing an excuse to interact with her like that was a talent in itself.

Anyway, Renka had ignored my message yesterday and instead posted a question about new releases on AnyShare...

She'd probably head to Akihabara today to buy the related merch, so I figured I should make my move there.

Tracking her down at anime-related events every single time was getting a bit stale, but I didn't have much of a choice.

In my current position, capitalizing on these limited scenarios was the only way forward.

"Oh? Isn't that Tetsuya-kun? And Inoo-sunbae is there too... Is he learning about Kendo?"

Miyuki asked, having spotted the pair.

I shrugged and replied.

"Probably."

"Aren't you going to prepare for the tournament, Matsuda-kun?"

"I am."

"It doesn't look like it at all. Are you actually practicing?"

"I practiced on my own after dropping you off yesterday. Stop nagging."

"I'm not nagging... I'm just saying it because I'm worried about you."

"Worried about what?"

"You said you were the vanguard, right? What if your opponent is really good and you lose? Even if you don't care, it might kill the rest of the team's morale... Wouldn't you feel terrible then?"

She should have been cheering for me to win, yet here she was, saying things like that.

Just wait until the tournament was over. She'd better prepare herself for a light spanking.

Having some fun with her during the school trip didn't sound too bad, either.

I could sneak into Miyuki's room at night, and while we were going at it, that clueless Tetsuya would come knocking. I'd leave the door cracked open—or just keep it shut—and make her talk to him...

Miyuki gasping as I drove deep inside her, desperately stammering out excuses to a confused Tetsuya on the other side of the door...

I liked the sound of that.

It was a cliché setup you'd find in most NTR or BSS stories, but those scenes were ubiquitous for a reason—they were incredibly hot.

Sticking to the classics didn't seem like a bad idea.

"Stop cursing me and try cheering for me instead."

"I'll cheer for you, of course. Should we go say hi to Inoo-sunbae?"

"If you want."

Displeased by my nonchalant tone, Miyuki gave me a sullen pout.

I chuckled, looking down at her, before following close behind as she briskly marched over to Tetsuya and Renka.

"Inoo-sunbae!"

Renka turned our way at the sound of Miyuki's bright voice.

She beamed and waved back at her, but her expression instantly soured the moment she spotted me strolling up behind Miyuki.

Such a fierce glare. I wondered if she could still make a face like that while getting spanked.

Now that I thought about it, hadn't she blocked me on AnyShare?

I hadn't gotten a reply after she read my message, so I tried sending another one, only for it to bounce back as a failed delivery. If she really had blocked me, it was an unbearably cheeky move on her part.

Naughty girls like her were in desperate need of the rod.

I would make her beg. I'd make her cry out in pain, plead for me to stop, and whine for me to be gentle with her.

Renka always stood out.

Her stylish outfits aside, her incredibly long ponytail cascaded all the way down past her hips, making her ridiculously easy to spot even in a packed room.

Today was no exception.

The moment I stepped into the subculture section of this crowded shopping mall, I immediately spotted Renka browsing the merchandise.

Renka was intensely focused on combing through the merch aisles.

Even with a mask covering everything but her eyes, I could see her gaze was filled with happiness.

Her outfit today was... pretty plain, at least for Renka. Had our last run-in made her more cautious?

It made sense. If she wanted to hide her hardcore otaku tendencies, she'd have to pay attention to her outfit too.

Thinking that those black ankle boots and the skin-tight black jeans she wore with them were incredibly sexy, I casually approached her.

I stepped up to her while she was still totally lost in the merchandise and offered a greeting.

"Hello, President."

"Gasp...!"

Renka shuddered violently as if she'd been electrocuted, frantically turning her head to face me.

"Ma—Matsuda...?"

"Yeah. It's me."

"..."

Renka's eyes darted wildly in panic.

Of course she was panicking. To run into me not once, but twice, and specifically in a place crawling with anime and manga merch...

I could practically hear the gears turning in her head... Or was it just my imagination?

Taking in her utterly dumbfounded expression, I spoke up.

"We sure seem to run into each other a lot."

Snapping back to reality, Renka cleared her throat.

"W-Why are you here...?"

"I came to buy some manga. What about you, President?"

"I... My nephew told me there were new manga keychains and mini-stands coming out... He asked if I could get them for him..."

"The same nephew from last time? The one you bought that figure for?"

"...Yeah."

"You really love your nephew, huh? He must adore you, President."

"W-Well, who knows...? He might just be pretending to like me so I keep buying him things like this... You know how kids are."

She was actually layering in some pretty specific details for a nephew she'd conjured up on the spot. Hilarious.

If I ever ended up helping out her uncle at his shop again, I'd definitely bring it up just to tease her.

I'd ask him if she really had a young nephew who was obsessed with manga and anime.

"True enough. So, did you buy the keychains and mini-stands?"

"Not yet... They aren't on sale just yet..."

"Then do you want to pick out some manga with me?"

"Manga...? Why would I...?"

"Aren't you happy to see me?"

"Not particularly..."

"We bumped into each other by coincidence, so walking around together wouldn't hurt. Come on, let's go."

When I asked nicely with a friendly smile, Renka hesitated for a moment before giving a reluctant nod.

"...Fine... I didn't have anything better to do anyway..."

"Glad to hear it."

"But what kind of manga are you trying to buy?"

"Adult manga. The dirty kind."

"Ah... Adult ones..."

Renka nodded with a blank, dumbfounded look on her face.

Roaring with laughter on the inside, I asked her a question.

"I expected you to look at me like I was a bug, but you're surprisingly calm."

"Well, I mean... reading that kind of stuff isn't a crime... I read them sometimes too... As long as it's not super hardcore, I don't think it matters..."

"What do you consider hardcore?"

"Everyone has a different standard, so I can't really single anything out."

"Hmm... Doujins with tentacles... Would that be on the hardcore side?"

"...T-There are doujins like that...?"

Playing dumb when she absolutely knew there were mountains of them.

She should have at least tried to control her facial expression before asking that.

"There are."

"I haven't read that genre, so I wouldn't know, but by my standards, yes, that's definitely hardcore... It's not a common taste... But I think I could still respect it... Though forcing it on someone else would be an issue..."

"I see. But you mentioned you read adult stuff sometimes?"

"...When I visit my relative's house and get bored."

"Relative? Are you talking about your uncles?"

"No. A different relative..."

"Was the manga you read at that relative's house any good, by the way?"

"W-Why are you asking me that...?"

"I figured if you enjoyed it, I might want to check it out myself."

"I have no idea. It was a long time ago, and I can't remember the title or the plot, so pick something out yourself..."

"Understood. Do you happen to know where the adult section is?"

"I think... I saw it over there."

She pointed off to one side with a long finger.

It was tucked away in such an obscure corner that you'd never notice it unless you were specifically looking for it. The fact that she knew exactly where it was meant... she had already scouted the area before bumping into me.

I headed over to the adult manga section with Renka in tow, and picked out a relatively tame book from among the sea of explicit covers.

The cover featured a voluptuous woman drenched in cold sweat, wearing an embarrassed expression as she lifted her breasts to expose her underboob.

Renka flinched as she checked the title and the artwork, then asked a question.

"Do you even know what kind of manga that is before buying it...? Doesn't the title seem a bit suggestive?"

"Ms. Asagao's Household Circumstances? What's so suggestive about this?"

"I mean... well... is it just normal?"

The manga I had chosen was a mix of NTR and the training genre.

It was a doujin drawn by an incredibly popular artist in that specific circle.

Renka had asked because she had at least a rough idea of what the book was actually about.

To an ignorant third party, the title gave absolutely no hints about the plot, yet she still couldn't resist being nosy.

If she really wanted to fool me, she needed to act the part properly... From knowing exactly where the adult section was to dropping hints about the plot, she'd been acting incredibly sloppy this whole time.

"Isn't it much tamer than 'A Married Woman Corrupted After Being Stolen by Her Son's Friend'?"

"..."

As I read the explicit title of the book next to it out loud, Renka's face flushed beet red, her eyes darting frantically in every direction.

She was clearly terrified that someone had overheard me.

Fortunately for her, the adult section was practically deserted compared to the rest of the store.

Seeing that, Renka let out a long, heavy sigh of relief.

"Right... It's tamer than that one..."

Still, that other one looked pretty interesting too.

Substituting Tetsuya as the son and me as the friend... Just imagining it was incredibly hot.

"Anyway, why have you been looking so down since earlier?"

"I have...?"

"Yeah. Are you not?"

"I'm not? It must be your imagination. Why would I..."

Scrambling to come up with an excuse, Renka quickly changed the subject the moment a store employee's booming voice rang out in the distance, ordering the customers looking to buy the new manga merch to form a line.

"You're done picking, right? I need to go wait in line now, so you can go on ahead."

Nice try, trying to chase me off.

She was never getting away from me. She needed to learn that.

"Can't I wait in line with you, President? Does my being here make you that uncomfortable?"

"It's not that..."

"It shouldn't be an issue if I pay for this book and your merch at the same time, right?"

"Paying together doesn't matter..."

"Then let's line up together. Let's go now. People are already swarming."

Feigning complete innocence, I grabbed Renka by the wrist. "Huh...? Hey...!"

By the time she managed to spit out a protest, startled by the sudden physical contact, I had already dragged her over to the back of the merch line.

I released her wrist and casually turned my head to look at her.

"What is it? Did you say something?"

"...Never mind."

Renka readjusted her mask and stared at the massive line stretching out in front of us.

She must have concluded that I'd only grabbed her to get us into the line faster, deciding to just let the incident slide.

Sometimes she seemed incredibly petty, but other times she could be surprisingly chill like this.

If this were the past, she would have judged me instantly for reading adult manga. The fact that she hadn't was a massive improvement in itself.

Our Renka... had grown a lot.

Though she still had a long way to go.

"...Hey, Matsuda."