Chapter 226

If I said no now, the fish I'd already caught would slip away. How could I let that happen?

I pointed at the rubber gloves on Renka's trembling hands.

"I'll handle the rest, so hurry up and go eat, President."

"Why are you pretending to be nice again?"

"Or maybe you're just being negative about everything, President?"

"Forget it. You might use this as an excuse to make me do something weird later, so I'm finishing it myself."

"Come on, what kind of weird thing could I possibly make you do just over some dishes?"

"Knowing you, you're more than capable of it."

Our Renka... what a conspiracy theorist.

Not that she was completely wrong.

"Then can I go eat first?"

"Who do you think you are, trying to eat before someone older than you? I'm eating first, so wait."

"What's that about? Are you picking a fight?"

"Picking a fight...? Watch your mouth...!"

"I'd say my mouth is cleaner than yours, President, considering how you swear all the time. We're still leaving work together today, right?"

"No."

"Got it. I'll be waiting for you."

Still unable to adapt to my pushy conversational style, an offended Renka tried to flick the dishwater from her rubber gloves at me.

But she must have realized that was going a bit too far, because she quickly stopped herself.

Say what you want, but Renka was a good person.

I'd have to give her a nice pat on the butt later.

No, wait. For Renka, a smack was more fitting than a pat.

"...Have you picked out the outfit?"

I curled up the corner of my mouth at Renka, who had paused her dishwashing to ask.

"Yes."

"What is it?"

"You'll have to see for yourself."

"I'm not doing it if it's slutty or a magical girl."

"The exposure is about the same as a maid outfit. And it's not a magical girl."

"...Really...?"

It was funny how she accepted it just because I said the exposure was similar to a maid outfit.

Was that her baseline for an acceptable range? What a pervert.

"You're not going to put a leash on me again, are you? Then I'm out."

I let out a dry chuckle at her words and looked down at her.

"If you say you'll do it, you should just do it instead of tacking on conditions... This time isn't like that. But there is something else it'd be nice if you did."

"What is it?"

"You just have to strike the pose I tell you to."

"Are you crazy? That wasn't in the conditions."

"I just said it would be nice. If you do it, I won't bother you, and I'll treat you even better than I do now, President."

"You're treating me well? You?"

"Am I not?"

"All you like to do is torment me! What do you mean 'treat me well'...! If you had a conscience, you wouldn't say that...!"

"Then just do the pose. It's my wish."

"Don't make me laugh. I wouldn't do it even if I died."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah."

Hearing Renka's firm answer, I glanced around the café.

Did she feel anxious seeing me look around to check if there were customers?

Renka's eyes darted around, following my gaze, before she frantically asked,

"Wh-what are you planning to do now...?"

"Can't I even look around?"

"You're trying to scheme up something weird because I said I wouldn't do the pose...!"

What a mind reader. She could have set up a fortune-telling mat.

"Stop talking nonsense and go eat."

"Can't you see I'm doing the dishes?"

"Then I'll eat first?"

"I told you no. I'm eating first."

"You told me to eat first last time, so why are you being like this?"

"I changed my mind. From now on, I'm absolutely eating first. Show some respect. I'm your sunbae-nim, and your President."

"If you're going to be that forceful..."

"What if I am?"

"Hmm..."

When I let out the sigh Renka was so sensitive to with a displeased expression, she flinched and glared up at me.

"Wh-what...!"

She was trying not to lose her momentum, but her face completely gave away how scared she was.

I gave the rebellious Renka a patronizing look and said, "It's nothing."

"...I'm going to get something to eat. Keep working hard."

Renka said this as she finished the dishes and neatly hung the rubber gloves on the sink.

Hearing her say that, she sounded like a wife running a business with her husband.

"Okay."

*

I spent some time in the car talking on the phone with Miyuki and Chinami, then flashed a grin when Renka finished her shift and opened the passenger door.

"All done?"

"Yeah."

She replied in a cold tone and fastened her seatbelt.

I stared right at her and asked, "When should we do the cosplay? To match your next day off?"

"No. Let's do it today. You already have the outfit ready."

"Your drive is amazing. You must have been secretly looking forward to it, huh?"

"What are you talking about...! Anyone can tell I'm just trying to get it over with quickly...!"

"I understand. But doing it today is a bit difficult."

"Why?"

"I have things to prepare. I need to leave the outfit in the Hotel, too..."

At the word 'Hotel,' Renka had a minor fit.

"H-Hotel...? We're doing it in a Hotel?"

"Yeah. Where else would we do it? Your place, President? My place? Or on the street?"

"W-Well, no, but..."

"We did it at a Hotel last time, too. Why are you so panicked?"

"...Well... I wasn't panicking. And why don't we just do it today...?"

There had been a lot of progress between us since then, so the way she felt about accepting a Hotel seemed to have changed.

I had a feeling Renka was thinking about something dirty, but was I mistaken?

"Let me check if we can book a short stay, then."

"A short stay...?"

"You don't want a short stay? Should we do an overnight one?"

"A-Are you crazy? Make it a short stay...!"

"Got it."

I let out a chuckle at Renka, who was secretly embarrassed, and opened the Hotel app.

I went to our regular love hotel on it and was searching for the concept room I wanted when Renka spoke in a somewhat sharp tone.

"You must use this a lot...? Seeing how skillfully you're searching..."

"Not often. Why?"

"Nothing... Are you booking the same Hotel we went to last time?"

"That's right."

"T-Then get a normal room. Not a weird concept room..."

"The normal rooms are fully booked."

"Really...? I don't want that prison-like place. It's suffocating."

"Understood. I'll try to find the most normal room possible."

Having this kind of conversation made us sound like a couple exchanging opinions right before doing it.

Renka must have had the same thought, because she clamped her mouth shut with flushed cheeks, as if she didn't want to speak anymore.

Chuckling inwardly at her reaction, I nodded when I saw an available room with the concept I wanted.

Should I make a long reservation here too?

No, there probably isn't a need for that.

I could just make her do the reverse bunny cosplay in the prison next time.

Deciding to think easily about it, I booked the room for an overnight stay instead of a short stay and released the parking brake.

Then I looked at Renka, who had a look in her eyes asking me to let her know the outcome.

"I'll drop you off at home first. Let's meet in two hours."

"Two hours...? Isn't that too awkward? What are you going to do until then?"

"I'm going to wash up and drop off the outfit."

"Can't we just drop it off together...?"

"Then you'd see the outfit, President."

"W-When you put it like that, it makes me really anxious...! Suddenly I don't want to do it..."

Did Renka know?

That her current attitude had changed into that of a lady, with her usual fierce demeanor nowhere to be found.

She was like a heavily nervous girlfriend right before her first night with her boyfriend.

"I already told you the level of exposure wasn't what you're thinking, President. Wash up when you get home and change into comfortable clothes. I'll come pick you up."

"Do we really have to go out of our way to make it this bothersome...? If it's going to be like this, let's just do it next time..."

"I already booked the room."

"...Fine. Let's do it today."

"Are you really not going to do the pose?"

"No."

"Then it ruins the fun of cosplaying."

"If you want to see that kind of thing, there are professional cosplay teams, so go subscribe and check them out. Don't force me."

"It's not forcing."

"It is forci— Heek...? Go away!?"

Renka stopped grumbling and freaked out.

Because I had shoved my upper body right in front of her nose.

Was my face slowly approaching her side incredibly overwhelming?

Renka's breathing gradually grew heavy.

"What are you doing...! Hey...!"

She was much more flustered than she had been at the café in the morning.

With me clinging to her in a completely enclosed space where she couldn't even move properly, she seemed unable to gather her senses.

I looked at the face of the girl gripping her seatbelt tightly, as if needing something to rely on, and spoke.

"Do the pose."

"W-Why do I have to do the pose too...! We agreed I'd just wear it...!"

"I think just wearing it will be too plain."

"That's your problem...! I don't care at all if it's plain or not... Back off! I said back off...!"

As my body drew closer, she pressed herself so hard against the seat backrest that she almost became one with it.

Thinking her folded chin fat was cute, I firmly shook my head.

"Say you'll do it, and I'll back off."

"Th-This is completely forcing me...! I won't do it...!"

Frowning at Renka, who was adamantly showing her refusal, I planted my hand on the outside of the backrest and narrowed my eyes.

Then, I slowly thrust my face toward her lips.

Renka made an almost horrified expression and shouted urgently, "Wait...! Wait a second...! Stop right there...!! I'll report you...!"

"You'll do it, right?"

"I said no...! I'll kill you if you come closer...!"

"If you just do it for five seconds, I won't do things like this in the future."

"Why do conditions keep getting attached...! I said I don't want to...!"

"Just five seconds. Then you can be comfortable."

"What's there to be comfortable about...! In the first place..."

Tap.

While Renka was arguing against the unreasonable proposal, the tip of her nose and the tip of mine brushed together ever so slightly.

At the same time, Renka's eyes instantly relaxed.

She seemed to feel that touching sensation.

As if unable to withstand the pressure any longer, Renka's face trembled.

Then she spoke in an incredibly urgent tone.

"I-I'll do it...! I'll do it! Five seconds...! I just have to do it for five seconds, right...!?"

To see the always-prickly Renka change like this... it felt incredibly refreshing.

The changes hadn't ended yet either, making me look forward to the future even more.

Having gotten what I wanted like that, I flashed a refreshing smile and pulled away from Renka.

"Haa... Haa..."

Glancing sideways at Renka, who was taking deep breaths like someone who had just run a full sprint, I put the gear in drive and started the car.

Was it because I imagined what was about to happen?

The weather was clearly cold, but it felt incredibly warm to me.

Leaving my pleasant feelings behind for a moment, I brought the bunny girl outfit from home, went into the booked room, and hung the outfit in the Changing Room.

I also didn't forget to neatly arrange all the accessories that would complete the bunny girl look, starting with the shoes, right next to it.

Having finished all the preparations like that, I came straight out of the Hotel.

When I made it through the darkening weather and arrived at Renka's house, there were still about forty minutes left.

It was an incredibly awkward amount of time... I would have to wait quietly so Renka could finish mentally preparing herself.

I pulled the backrest all the way down and was about to close my eyes for a moment, but I raised my head when the passenger door opened not long after.

I saw Renka wearing sweatpants and a jumper. Why did she come out so early?

She resolved that question herself.