Chapter 237

Renka hesitated as she looked at the store sitting right in the middle of Akihabara.

“Why on earth did we come here...?”

She looked like she'd been dragged here against her will. If she had come alone, she would have been grinning from ear to ear, but with me hovering right next to her, she couldn't geek out in peace. I flashed her a smirk.

“You've already been caught, so why not drop the act?”

“It's not an act... There's just no reason for us to be here...”

“I came because there's a figure I want to buy.”

“Whatever... let's just go in.”

“Aren't you going to ask what kind of figure?”

“There's no reason to... I'll find out anyway...”

“True enough. Let's go.”

Stepping inside with Renka, I browsed the various characters in the SD figure section. I soon spotted a famous character from a manga I had recently read sitting in the middle of a display. I was about to call a clerk over to ask for a brand-new box, but Renka stopped me, her tone reluctant.

“You shouldn't buy that one...”

“Why not?”

“The manufacturer is a bit... That company is notorious for terrible build quality and sloppy paint jobs...”

“Oh, really? Like something might snap off if I buy it?”

“There are quite a few victims. Things sit on the shelf for a reason. It's not like there are no alternatives, so you'd be better off looking at figures from other companies...”

She really knew her stuff, given her area of expertise. I had almost blown my hard-earned cash.

“Then recommend one for me, President.”

“...Isn't it normal to say thank you first? Why are you so twisted?”

“You never thank me either, President.”

“So what, is this your way of getting revenge or something?”

“I'm just kidding. Thanks.”

I patted her back as if coaxing a child, making her eyes flare with anger.

“Do you want to die...!? Stop that...!”

“Why? I'm just praising you.”

“I said stop it...!”

Renka twisted this way and that to shake off my touch. She looked just like a girlfriend sulking after an argument, refusing all physical contact.

Perhaps wanting to avoid causing a scene in the crowded store, she dodged my hand with as much restraint as possible. But as I kept pressing the issue, she eventually let out a sigh and just let her body go limp. I shot the resigned Renka a satisfied smile.

“Wouldn't it have been better if you just stayed still from the start?”

“Trash.”

“Aren't you hungry?”

“Yeah.”

“Aren't you going to buy a figure, President?”

“I'm broke.”

“Should I buy one for you?”

“Shut up.”

“Suit yourself.”

Stroking the grumbling Renka's back, I browsed the various figures with her. Before I knew it, she had dropped her annoyed facade and was happily inspecting the display shelves. She looked like she had a lot on her wishlist. She would probably come running straight here the moment she got her part-time paycheck.

“Which manga is that robot from?”

“It's not from a manga. It's a mecha from an original TV anime.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. The show isn't very good, but the mecha design is sleek, so there's a bit of demand for it.”

“Then what about that robot?”

“That's from a sci-fi mecha series based on a light novel. It's a classic, but it's still incredibly popular today. Aside from a manga and anime adaptation, it's also been made into movies and games.”

It was amusing to see her answer my questions so diligently and without a hint of hesitation. Had she let go of some of her burden? Or had she unintentionally dropped her closet otaku guard because she was so focused on the figures? Whatever it was, it was a good look on her.

“Are you done looking? Shall we head to the adult manga section?”

“...Do I have to go too? Can't you just go by yourself?”

“Is it proper for a slave to be separated from her master?”

“I'd appreciate it if you kept your bullshit to yourself.”

She snorted, acting as though she had built up an immunity to the word ‘master.’ Together, we headed up to the floor lined with adult manga.

“What are you going to buy? Asagao's stuff doesn't have a volume two yet.”

Renka asked, having followed me silently. She clearly felt embarrassed, unable to bring herself to look at any of the explicit covers.

“I'm just browsing.”

“What genre do you want to look at...?”

“The training genre.”

“...The training genre?”

“Yep.”

“Didn't you say you were looking for the training genre last time, too...? You have very consistent tastes...”

“I do.”

“What are you going to do after reading it...?”

What else? I'm going to practice the various plays shown in there on you. I watched Renka dart her eyes around as she sensed a strange vibe, then answered.

“What do you mean, ‘do’? I'm reading it because it's to my taste.”

Did she have a premonition? Renka squeezed her eyes shut, and when she opened them, her expression had turned fierce. She looked absolutely determined never to yield, but we would see if things went her way.

Baring my teeth in a grin at her, I pointed to a book in a corner section.

“This looks interesting.”

It was a book titled How an Imperial Princess-Turned-Slave Survives. On the cover, a pretty, blue-eyed blonde in a dress had her tongue sticking out. Renka gulped hard at the explicit illustration.

“Are you going to buy it...?”

“I plan to. Want me to lend it to you when I'm done?”

“No...?”

“Then should we read it together?”

“W-What are you saying...! How on earth did you interpret my words to come up with that...?”

“If not, then never mind.”

Shrugging casually, I grabbed the book and headed for the checkout counter. Meanwhile, Renka was getting ready to head down the stairs. It seemed she absolutely couldn't handle standing with me at the register.

Chuckling at her bashful attitude, I finished paying and grabbed her wrist just as she tried to put some distance between us. I half-forced the startled girl to step right beside me.

“I-I'll match your pace myself, so let go...!”

Listening to her flustered complaints—which weren't really complaints at all—I walked out of the store with her. Afterward, we wandered the streets looking for a place to satisfy our hunger, eventually spotting a modern Sandwich Shop and heading inside.

“What do you want to eat?”

“...A ham and cheese panini.”

“And to drink?”

“A Strawberry Latte.”

She must have been starved. I fully expected her to stubbornly refuse to eat out of pride, yet she answered so obediently. Her menu choices were incredibly cute, too.

Rather than picking something with a chic image like coffee or black tea, she asked for the kind of things Chinami would order, making it seem like she had a child's palate. Renka must have realized the same thing, because a blush crept over her face.

Bursting into a chuckle at Renka for feeling self-conscious when she had absolutely no need to be, I held back on teasing her and ordered my food to go. As I finished paying, Renka, who had been waiting, asked in confusion.

“Why are you getting takeout? Are you not eating here?”

“I'm going to eat while walking around.”

“Oh, really...?”

“Why? You don't like that?”

“I never said I didn't like it...”

“Then that's that.”

With that, I reached out to grab Renka's wrist like I had earlier. However, as if anticipating my move, Renka swiftly yanked her arm up, leaving me grasping at thin air.

She was needlessly sharp when it came to things like this. Smacking my lips in regret, I gritted my teeth as I watched the successfully evasive Renka let out a scoff. I did it to keep myself from laughing at how proud she looked over such a trivial victory.

At this rate, I might just end up falling head over heels for Renka.

“Give me a bite of your panini.”

As we walked, I pointed at the panini Renka was eating. She willingly moved to tear off a piece that her lips hadn't touched. I frowned slightly and continued.

“Don't go through the trouble; just hand me the whole thing. I just want a bite.”

“...No.”

“Why? You hate the idea of my spit getting on it?”

“That's part of it, but I feel like you'll say ‘one bite’ and then pig out on more than half of it.”

“What do you mean ‘pig out’ to your master? Can't you watch your language?”

“...”

Ignoring my words with a sullen face, Renka tore off a bite-sized piece of the panini and handed it to me. She was prickly on the outside, but truly sweet on the inside.

Bickering with Renka like that, roaming the streets, window-shopping, and just enjoying ourselves, I eventually headed back to the car once it got pretty late.

“Today was fun.”

“Yeah.”

“How about you, President?”

“For me... it was alright.”

“I'll finish that manga I bought today by the day after tomorrow, then I'll lend it to you.”

“Y-You don't have to lend it to me...?”

“But you want to read it.”

“No...! I don't want to read it...!”

“Is that so? Then I'll just read it by myself, yeah?”

“Do whatever you want...”

Even her grumbling was cute. It made me want to kiss her. Chuckling, I wiped my hands clean with a wet wipe from the car, pulled a Blueberry Candy out of the glove box, unwrapped it, and brought it right up to Renka's lips.

“Here, your candy for today.”

“...I don't want to eat it...”

“Eat it.”

“Then just give it to me. I'll eat it myself...”

“My arm is getting tired, so hurry up and eat.”

“...”

Hesitating, she glanced back and forth between the candy and me. Seemingly not wanting to give me an excuse to pick on her, she carefully opened her mouth and took the candy. Then, she clamped her lips shut as fast as she could so I wouldn't be able to slip my fingers inside.

There were plenty of ways to force some physical intimacy even if she did that... What a useless struggle. Flashing a smirk at Renka's timid rebellion, I pressed my thumb firmly against her lips and swept it sideways.

“Mmph...!?”

Renka's eyes went wide at the unexpected move. Feeling the soft, plump texture of her lips against my thumb, I spoke.

“You listened well and looked very pretty today, President. Good job.”

Offering the gentle praise, I pulled my thumb away and softly cupped Renka's jaw. Because her face was so small, her slender jaw fit almost perfectly in the palm of my hand. Holding her like that, I lightly stroked up and down where her neck met her jawline, prompting her to curse at me in a trembling voice.

“Y-You crazy bastard...! What are you doing all of a sudden...!”

“Your lip tint didn't smudge.”

“That's not the issue...! Why are you touching me...”

“Keep it down, and let's go see a movie together after work tomorrow.”

“N-No...! I won't...!”

“This isn't a request.”

“...”

“Clear your schedule for tomorrow. Got it?”

Lowering my voice as much as I could and putting on a deadpan expression as I pressed her again, I saw Renka's eyes darting around in their sockets. It felt like I only needed to push a tiny bit more.

“Got it?”

“...”

“Answer me.”

“A-Alright... I'll keep it clear... I just need to keep it clear, right... So please, your hand...”

She could have easily pushed my hand away herself, yet she didn't.

I couldn't tell if she actually liked the touch, or if she was just staying still out of fear of retaliation—maybe it was both. But seeing how she barely resisted even such a sudden touch, I knew one thing for certain: she was fully ripe.

I would have to cause a little trouble at the movie theater tomorrow. I made a mental note to book tickets for a movie that wouldn't have many viewers.

Making that promise to myself, I gave her long neck one final stroke before pulling my hand away. I took one last look at Renka as she let out a ragged exhale to catch her breath, then started the car.