Chapter 263

‘Is she not here...?’

After driving Renka home so she could change clothes, I returned to the city center, parked my car in a public Parking Lot, and wandered the streets. I just had a feeling I might be able to find Hiyori.

But that expectation completely missed the mark. No matter where I roamed, she was nowhere to be seen. I had hoped for a fateful encounter, and a lingering sense of attachment kept me searching, but instead of her refreshing lemon scent, all I caught was the musty odor typical of the city center.

Someone as relentlessly cheerful and oblivious to what others thought would stand out anywhere. I felt a strong urge to vent my disappointment. Right now, she was probably surrounded by friends, giggling away. She was popular, after all. I wanted to see her soon.

Eventually, I returned home empty-handed. I took a shower and turned on the TV. Nothing but boring programs were on. It was enough to make me yawn on the spot.

Miyuki had mentioned she was hanging out with Nanase, who shared a last name with Chinami, so calling her now would just be a nuisance. Whenever I was left completely alone like this, it annoyed me. It really annoyed me.

If Takashi were here at a time like this, I wouldn't be bored. Should I reach out to him since it's been a while? No. He had finally settled down and was learning his father's business; I shouldn't bother him for no reason.

I skipped the boring programs and put on an adult movie, killing time by skipping straight to the good parts. Then, my Cell Phone vibrated, and I instantly snatched it up.

[MK.]

It was a message from Ino-chan. The current time was eight o'clock. It seemed she had returned from eating dinner and hanging out with Chinami.

What kind of conversation did those two have today? Did Chinami notice Renka's restless expression and ask her what was wrong? I was incredibly curious, but that was something I needed to ask the real Renka in person, not Ino-chan.

Pulling a thick blanket over myself, I rolled onto my side and tapped the screen of my Cell Phone.

[It's been a while.]

[Yes, it has.]

[How have you been?]

[None of your business. I have something to ask, so just answer me.]

[You're a bit more abrasive than usual today.]

[(ﾒﾟ皿ﾟ) Shut up.]

What a terrifying emoticon. Was I supposed to be scared? I just found it cute.

[Fair enough. What do you want to ask?]

[I want to know about men's sexual fantasies. What is your fantasy, MK?]

[I've said it time and time again, but it's SM play.]

[Explain it in detail.]

Did she want to know what was going to happen to her in advance? I wasn't sure if I should tell her or not. Both options had their pros and cons.

The former would give Renka time to mentally prepare herself, but it was a shame that her intense reactions might be dampened. The latter would guarantee spectacular reactions, but it could get a bit tedious since she would undoubtedly put up a stubborn fight and refuse for a long time.

‘Hmm...’

After mulling it over, I decided to just do whatever I felt like. Both reactions sounded delicious, so why not aim to see them both? Giving her a subtle hint should do the trick.

[Should I explain without holding back?]

[What do you mean, without holding back?]

[I mean, should I be blunt about it?]

[Ah, yes. Please do.]

[What kind of scenario should we set for the play?]

[Do we even have to set up something like that?]

[It helps.]

[Then... tell me what you would do if the play involved a girl you were seeing or your girlfriend. Assume the woman has absolutely no experience.]

A girl I was seeing or a girlfriend... That was a very loaded scenario. Well, I suppose that covered the majority of cases anyway. The corners of my mouth lifted into an involuntary smirk as I quickly fired off a reply to reward Renka for creating such a specific situation.

[I can't give you all the fine details, but for starters, I'd have her perform a sumata.]

[What is a sumata?]

It was hilarious how she asked even though she already knew. Playing innocent wasn't going to get her anywhere... My little slave was so hypocritical.

[It's when the woman climbs on top of the man and rubs her genitals against his. The key to the position is that there's no penetration; she just grinds against him like foreplay.]

Even though the read indicator appeared, there was no reply from Renka. Surely she wasn't getting off and masturbating to my explanation... She was probably just stunned by the bluntness of the description. Though, considering what a pervert she was, she was probably at least a little bit turned on.

[How vulgar.]

The message arrived after a pause of several minutes. Was it just my imagination, or could I literally picture the frown on her face through that single sentence?

[You asked me to be specific and blunt, so why are you complaining?]

[I'm sorry. But what do you expect when it's so vulgar?]

[I haven't even started yet. What are you going to do if you're this embarrassed already?]

[But can you really call just that SM play?]

[It changes the story if the woman is wearing a collar and leash.]

[A leash...?]

[Yes. I want to put a collar on my girlfriend and tug on the leash from below while enjoying her reactions.]

[(⚆_⚆) You truly are an insufferable human being. I'm done. I'll only listen up to here.]

I didn't plan on telling her anything beyond that anyway. Imagining Renka trembling with excitement, I tapped away at the screen.

[Don't you like the training genre too, Ino-chan?]

[I don't like it. Some crazy bastard just kept whining about it, so I reluctantly humored him.]

[Who could that crazy bastard be, I wonder?]

[I couldn't say. But he's definitely completely clueless.]

Even the way she threw shade was adorable.

[By the way, why do you change your story every time, Ino-chan?]

[What are you talking about?]

[Last time you said you developed a taste for the training genre, but now you're saying you don't actually like it. Why are you so wishy-washy?]

[People can change their minds.]

[That's charming.]

[That puts me in a bad mood, so don't compliment me.]

[It wasn't a compliment.]

[Go screw yourself.]

The power of anonymity was truly a terrifying thing. To think it could make Renka, who was nothing but prickly in front of me, act this bold.

[I read a study saying that the uglier someone is, the more aggressive they act.]

[You must be talking about yourself.]

[There's just no getting through to you.]

[I was just thinking the exact same thing. Have a terrible day. I'm leaving.]

[You call me when you need me, and the second you get what you want, you just leave? Isn't that a little too rude?]

No further replies came. She must have logged out. I would have to book a room at the Hotel again, if only to discipline a slave who dared to unilaterally end a conversation with her owner. Still, I had fun chatting with her and lost track of time. I'll give her a pass for that.

With that thought in mind, I accessed the Raffia Hotel homepage and began browsing the rooms one by one. What kind of theme should we go with this time? Should I have her wear a cosplay outfit? A nurse's uniform sounded good, but a police officer uniform might be even better. A cop who catches a criminal only to have the tables turned on her... The mere thought of it sounded incredibly hot.

Renka's outfit for the day was surprisingly ordinary. I hadn't explicitly told her what to wear, but she knew exactly what kind of fashion I liked. Judging by the fact that she had shown up in jeans, it seemed she was in a rebellious mood.

Clack.

“Hey.”

Renka tossed out a blunt greeting the second she slid into the passenger seat. I let out a soft smirk at her attitude and started the car, asking a question.

“Did you have fun hanging out with Master yesterday?”

“Yeah.”

“What did you do?”

“None of your busi— Eep...! We... we a-ate, and then we took sticker photos...! Don't touch me there...!”

Renka, who had been fully prepared to give me a cold shoulder, gasped in shock as my hand nonchalantly slipped between her thighs. She immediately caved and confessed everything they had done the day before.

If she was going to have such a fragile, sensitive reaction, why did she talk so much trash as Ino-chan? The fallout would be massive if her identity was ever exposed. I genuinely wondered if she was prepared for that.

On a related note, when the day finally came that Renka's secret identity was dragged into the light, should I pretend I didn't know, or completely humiliate her by revealing I knew all along? I would have to give it some serious thought.

“Why are you acting up like this so early in the morning...!”

I brushed off her complaints as if they were nothing and casually threw out some bait, steering the conversation toward my chat with Ino-chan.

“I was dealing with some stress yesterday.”

“So if you're stressed, that gives you the right to just grope someone's thighs whenever you want...?”

“It's the only way I can relieve it.”

“You're a total lunatic... What stress could you possibly have...? Were you sulking because Chinami and I hung out yesterday...?”

“Do I look that petty to you?”

“Yeah. You look incredibly petty.”

“I'll admit to that. But that wasn't the reason yesterday. It was because I had an annoying conversation with someone who had zero manners.”

The jab about having ‘zero manners’ was a direct reference to the last message I had sent to Ino-chan. And Renka had definitely seen it. The way her eyes instantly shifted gave it away. She must have secretly logged on in the middle of the night to check her inbox.

“I-is that so...? Who was it...?”

I could detect the faint tremor of anxiety hiding in her voice. It seemed she was slightly intimidated. At the same time, she was clearly curious. She obviously wanted to know exactly what I thought of Ino-chan.

“Just someone. Their personality actually reminds me a bit of you, President...”

“...There are plenty of people with personalities like mine...”

“I wouldn't say it's that common. The way you both act all prickly and snap at people is identical.”

“...”

I couldn't help but find it absurd how she immediately shut her mouth, clearly realizing I had hit the nail right on the head. With acting skills like that, I honestly worried how she was going to survive in this harsh world. Gently stroking the upper thigh of the flustered Renka, I continued.

“Still, you're much better than that person, President.”

“W-who on earth is this person you keep comparing me to... It's so annoying... If you aren't going to tell me, then don't bring them up at all...!”

“Alright. I'm sorry.”

With our morning bickering concluded, we headed to the café. Before she went to change, I popped a piece of candy into Renka's mouth, and she emerged a few moments later, her face flushed red as she wore her uniform...

It felt like any other ordinary day. At least, up until that point... Or rather, that was what I thought until the morning passed.

“Thank you, have a good day.”

The café suddenly became swamped as the lunchtime rush approached. After greeting and sending off a wave of customers, I was about to send Renka ahead to the Gyudon Restaurant for her break. But just then—

“Why here of all places? It's pretty far from the restaurant we're heading to.”

“A blog I read all the time said that their chocolate chip frappuccino is absolutely amazing.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah. Misaki really loves anything with chocolate chips in it.”

“That's true, but for me...”

“I know. You like Strawberry Latte, right, Yukino? Apparently, that's really good here too.”

“Really?”

“I'm telling you! Do you not trust me?”

The chatter of the customers stepping into the café drifted over to me.

‘Huh?’

I couldn't help but perk up my ears. One of the voices sounded incredibly familiar.

At the exact same moment, a thick, potent scent of lemons wafted through the air. After only ever catching faint, fleeting wisps of it, inhaling such a rich concentration of the fragrance almost made me dizzy.

I whipped my head toward the door and spotted a very familiar face standing at the forefront of a group of six guys and girls around my age.

Flowing, bright blonde hair and large, expressive eyes. Sparkling, perfectly round pupils that shared the exact same hue as her hair. A distinct, tomboyish, little-devil aura radiating from her face that she couldn't have hidden even if she tried. And finally, a mischievous, playful smile completely devoid of malice...

‘It's Hiyori.’

It was unmistakably the Hiyori that I knew. Wasn't it just yesterday that I was hoping she would randomly drop by the café?

To think that wish would actually come true... I had visited the Shrine recently to pay my respects for the New Year; had the gods actually listened to my prayers? I was utterly dumbfounded. Doki-Aka... Maybe it wasn't a trash game after all.

Acting like a teacher herding a flock of elementary schoolers, Hiyori ushered her friends into a corner booth, firmly scolding them not to be too loud in a public space, before striding over to the counter. The fact that she came straight up without even consulting them meant she likely knew exactly what everyone wanted to order.

Now that I thought about it, this would be my first time actually speaking to Hiyori since I came to Doki-Aka. The timing was incredibly sudden, but the signs had been there. I just needed to stay calm and greet her normally.

I had only seen her from a distance last time... Today, I was going to burn that tomboyish face perfectly into my memory. With that thought in mind, I offered a welcoming smile in return as Hiyori approached with her own beaming grin.

“Welcome. Are you ready to order?”