Chapter 248

"Thank you, have a good day!"

When I returned from lunch, Renka was seeing off customers with a bright smile. I approached her with a neatly packed lunchbox.

"I brought you some food. Eat."

Her expression hardened in a complete reversal from a moment ago, and she furrowed her brow.

"I told you I don't have an appetite."

"Isn't it actually because you're too embarrassed to let anyone see you in a skirt?"

"..."

Renka flinched. I smirked and continued.

"I like that attitude."

"Attitude...?"

"The attitude of refraining from exposing yourself to anyone but your owner."

"W-what...! Stop having delusions...! I wasn't thinking about you at all, not even a little bit...!"

"Let's just say that's true. Eat. You're hungry, aren't you?"

"..."

Wearing a sullen expression, Renka reached out to take the lunchbox from my hand. I pulled it back slightly and shook my head.

"What are you supposed to say in a situation like this?"

"...T-thank you."

She was actually thanking me obediently this time, without any grumbling. It was nice to see her training progressing so visibly.

"There you go."

I handed the lunchbox to Renka. When she hesitantly headed toward the back door, I asked her a question.

"What are you doing?"

"...What do you mean? I'm going to eat."

"Where are you going to eat?"

"The Changing Room."

"Why the Changing Room? That's pitiful. Go eat at a corner table. There aren't many customers yet anyway."

"B-but, if the smell lingers in the cafe..."

"I'll move a table for you, so sit down and eat."

"You don't need to go to all that trouble..."

"Listen to me. Don't annoy me."

"W-who is the one being annoying right now...! And are you the Boss...!?"

"I'm not the Boss, but I am the President's owner."

"Ugh...!"

Renka clenched her teeth, her eyes and head darting around. My voice had been pretty loud, so she was checking to see if any of the customers had overheard.

Fortunately for Renka, the customers in the cafe were all absorbed in their own affairs. Relieved, she let out a long sigh and muttered in a voice that was barely audible.

"I'm seriously going to go crazy..."

"Why?"

"...You heard that too?"

"I have good ears. Anyway, I'll move a table, so eat up and come out."

Declaring it like an ultimatum, I moved a single-person table and chair from the hall into the Changing Room. Then I gestured for Renka, who was standing blankly behind the counter, to go in.

"..."

Her expression softened a bit, perhaps grateful for my consideration. Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but she quickly reverted to her signature icy expression, let out a snort, and opened the Changing Room door.

She was trying to act haughty, but she just looked cute. I stared intently at Renka, who was purposely putting on a coy attitude. When she flinched like someone whose inner thoughts had just been caught, then quickly slammed the door shut, I burst into laughter.

"Thanks for the ride."

"Yeah."

Did she hate the sight of me acting arrogant, as if I were doing her a huge favor? After getting out of the car, Renka looked back at me, closed her eyes, and said her goodbyes.

"See you."

"Why are your eyes closed?"

"Because I don't want to look at your face."

"Then you can just turn your head."

"No, I'm showing you this so you can feel it too."

"Feel what?"

"That I absolutely hate you."

They were just empty words, considering she had acted like a tsundere today, yesterday, and the day before, claiming she didn't dislike me.

"Those are some pretty harsh words. Are you sure you can handle the consequences?"

"...Don't threaten me."

"Open your eyes."

When I rebuked her in a coercive tone, Renka's eyes slowly opened. She always listened to me like this, yet she still insisted on being stubborn every once in a while.

"Can I go now...?"

She acted as if she would leave immediately, but now she was even asking for permission. This was part of Renka's charm.

"Yeah. Wear a skirt again tomorrow."

"What...? No...!"

"That wasn't a request."

"I said no...!"

"Go inside."

"I said it clearly, so don't try to find fault with me...! I'll kill you if you do...!"

"Say it again, nicely."

"..."

"Again."

"...I-if you find fault, I'll hit... Ugh, whatever...!"

Yielding to the pressure, Renka corrected her words, then flared up in anger and shut the passenger door. Seeing her close the door carefully despite her temper made my affection for her grow even stronger.

After returning home, I found Miyuki fast asleep, the blanket pulled all the way over her head. She had said she was going out to the outskirts to hang out with Bread Girl and Vice Representative today, but she had come back quite early. Had she told Midori she was sleeping over?

I quietly entered the bathroom, finished my shower, then took some water from the fridge and gulped it down. After that, I lay down next to Miyuki and watched her as she let out soft, rhythmic breaths.

"Mmn..."

Even while sleeping, she must have noticed my arrival as she wiggled like a caterpillar and snuggled right into my arms. I chuckled at the adorable sight of her instinctively seeking out a familiar warmth. Lying on the mattress, I gently embraced Miyuki.

I should spend some time with Miyuki this holiday, for the first time in a while.

Ding—!

An alert tone rang by my pillow at dawn. Sleeping beside Miyuki, I felt relieved that she hadn't woken up. Groping around, I picked up my Cell Phone.

A notification had arrived on AnyShare. A plain message reading: [Hey.] The sender was Renka's alter ego, Run Ino-chan.

It was past two in the morning. Was she still awake? Feeling needlessly worried, I minimized the light from the Cell Phone and sent a reply.

[What's with the message this late? Are you not asleep? Are you nocturnal?]

[I woke up in the middle of the night. What about you, MK?]

[I was just about to go to sleep.]

[Then try not to sleep. I have something to ask you.]

[What is it?]

[Do you think you are handsome, MK?]

Why was she suddenly asking a question like that?

[I'm very curious about the intent behind that question. Are you interested in me?]

[Not at all. ( -᷅_-᷄) Just answer the question.]

[I think I look average.]

[Really? Then what's your real-life personality like, MK? Is it the same as what I'm thinking of?]

[What do you think my personality is like, Ino-chan?]

[Stubborn and overbearing. You also have no manners.]

[Are you talking about yourself?]

[凸(｀0´)凸]

Seeing Renka's angry emoticon, I clamped a hand tightly over my mouth. If I didn't, I felt like a burst of laughter would slip out. Miyuki was in a deep sleep; I couldn't wake her up.

Anyway, it seemed Renka was bored. To contact me at this hour, even if she was borrowing Ino-chan's persona. Regardless, I should play along.

I snickered silently until my cheekbones ached, then barely managed to compose myself before tapping away on the Cell Phone.

[Didn't you tell me before to enjoy the community with good manners? Yet you're doing the exact opposite.]

[That was a mistake. Now answer me. What's your real-life personality like, MK?]

[I'm very considerate and quite quiet.]

Renka's messages stopped for a brief moment. She definitely hadn't fallen asleep; she was clearly dumbfounded by my shameless reply.

I could almost see Renka letting out a scoff of disbelief right in front of my eyes. What kind of expression was she making right now? It made me want to give her a video call.

[There's no way that's true.]

Renka's reply finally arrived. It felt like an incredibly angry tone, or was I just imagining it? No, it was probably true. By now, Renka would be cursing my hypocritical act.

[Why are you so sure about that?]

[The answer is obvious just by looking at how you treated me the first time we met.]

[How did I treat you, Ino-chan?]

[You left malicious comments on my review post. Even though we had never met before.]

[That's why I apologized, and I'm being nice to you now.]

[You only apologized reluctantly because I confronted you. And leaving those malicious comments in the first place is the issue. Do you have any idea how much it hurt my feelings when I saw them? Please, try to have some consideration.]

She was denouncing all her accumulated grievances. No, rather than grievances, it was closer to her trying to get her usual petty revenge... Whatever it was, it was cute.

[But you're hurting my feelings right now too, Ino-chan.]

[I'm dealing out punishment on behalf of all the people who have suffered at your hands so far.]

[That's sophistry.]

[You can think whatever you want, but I'd like you to take my sincere advice to heart.]

[I'm reading it, not hearing it. How do you 'listen' to a message?]

[Stop talking back to me. Just answer that you understand.]

It seemed that Renka on the internet was starting to resemble me. Our way of speaking was similar.

[I understand.]

[You've suddenly gotten obedient? You're just playing along to gloss over the situation, aren't you?]

[As expected of a delusional patient, you're good at coming up with weird thoughts. But why did you ask about my appearance and personality?]

[I was just bored and wanted to make small talk. I'm going to go to sleep now.]

[Suit yourself.]

[Fuck you]

I chuckled after reading Renka's petty curse. I contemplated calling her for a moment, but quickly decided against it. We would be seeing each other again in a few hours, so there was no need to cause unnecessary tension and chase her sleep away.

I also felt relieved. The fact that she was trying to get revenge on AnyShare, even after experiencing something today that couldn't even compare to her first kiss, meant that Renka's mentality was perfectly fine. She would just end up stuttering again tomorrow anyway.

How should I spend my sweet time with Renka tomorrow? It would only be right to repay her with a higher level of intensity as the price for pretending to be someone else and cursing at her owner today, wouldn't it? As I was having those thoughts—"Matsuda-kun... I'm cold..."

I snapped out of it upon hearing Miyuki's affectionate sleep-talking. She was probably planning to have fun going out all throughout the vacation, so she couldn't afford to catch a cold. Putting down my Cell Phone, I wrapped Miyuki in my arms once again and closed my eyes.