Chapter 272

"Hah... Hah..."

Resting my hand against the wall of the house, I gasped for breath. I had barely run at all, but I was already exhausted. This was exactly why I couldn't afford to skip my workouts. I needed to run consistently, at least once every couple of days.

Wiping away sweat that was rapidly cooling in the brisk wind, I unlocked the Main Gate. Just as I was about to head inside—

"Matsuda-kun? What are you doing out there?"

Miyuki's lovely voice rang out from behind me. I turned to see her straddling a bicycle, one foot planted on the ground for balance as she stared right at me.

Riding her bike all the way here at this hour... wasn't her complete disregard for safety taking things a little too far?

"I was out exercising."

"Exercising? What kind of exercise?"

"Running."

"Oh, really? I rode my bike over to get some exercise, too... We're on the same wavelength, aren't we?"

"Sure, let's go with that... Do you know what time it is?"

"Eleven."

"Then why did you come here all alone this late? Didn't I tell you to call before you came over?"

"You did."

"If you wanted to come over, you should have called or texted. Did you really have to ride your bike all the way here? It's cold outside. Aren't your hands freezing?"

"Nope."

She answered so confidently that it left me speechless. As she hopped off the bicycle with a brazen look on her face, I let out a sigh. "Call me next time."

"Okay."

"I don't even know how many times I've told you that. Give me the bike. I'll walk it inside."

"Okay."

With a bright smile, Miyuki obediently handed the bicycle over. She clearly loved it when I took care of her.

One look at that smile was enough to melt away any harsh thoughts. I felt the exact same way whenever Renka offered a rare smile, or when Chinami beamed with innocent joy. What would it be like if all three of them smiled at me at the exact same time? Just imagining it brought me pure bliss—and sent all the blood rushing straight to my crotch.

I parked the bicycle under the eaves and headed inside the house with Miyuki. I left her to take off her coat and was just about to step into the bathroom when—

"Wait."

I stopped in my tracks at the sudden drop in Miyuki's tone. Turning around, I found her staring at me with a dead-serious expression. What was going on? Why was she looking at me like that?

Since I had a guilty conscience about quite a few things when it came to her, I broke into a cold sweat as I waited for her to approach. Her face was completely rigid. A wave of anxiety washed over me for a split second, but... my fears turned out to be completely unfounded.

"Smells good..."

Miyuki's face instantly melted into a goofy, wide grin. Wrapping her arms tightly around my waist, she buried her face in my stomach and muttered those words.

"Wh-what's with you all of a sudden?"

"Stay still!"

Sealing away my free will with the stern tone of a queen, she rubbed her face all over my torso like a puppy marking its territory. Wait, wouldn't it be more accurate to say she was the one getting marked here? After all, my scent was rubbing off all over her face.

I'd heard that if you found someone's natural scent appealing, it meant your genes were vastly different from theirs. Any child born from such a pairing would inherit the immune systems of both sets of genes, making them incredibly resilient. That meant Miyuki's and my child would be healthy and strong. What wonderful news.

Feeling a wave of relief, I playfully ruffled Miyuki's hair.

"Do you like it?"

"Yeah."

Seeing Miyuki act so cheerful like this only weakened my resolve. Out of fear, I couldn't bring myself to confess my relationship with Renka, pushing it off time and time again... It was a vicious cycle.

I was supposed to act like a piece of trash, but it was easier said than done. Still, since I had absolutely no intention of giving up on Renka and Chinami, let alone Hiyori, I just had to work harder.

"What are you going to do now that my sweat's all over you?"

"I can just wash up... dummy."

"Didn't you already wash up before you came? I can smell your shampoo."

"I didn't. I showered this morning."

"You said you hung out with a friend today. The scent is still this strong even after you've been out all day?"

"I guess so."

It was a blatantly obvious lie. She was clearly just waiting for me to be the first one to suggest we shower together.

Chuckling at Miyuki's sly, fox-like behavior, I headed for the bathroom, dragging her along as she remained firmly clinging to my waist. If we got into the tub together, it was obvious what would happen next, and Miyuki definitely knew it, too. The fact that she wasn't backing down and was actively coming onto me meant she wanted it just as much as I did.

Lately, it felt like Miyuki's sex drive was growing day by day. At this rate, I was worried my balls were going to be drained completely dry. Overworking them wouldn't leave me shooting blanks, would it?

"Hey..."

The next day. Renka, who had been busy working, took advantage of a lull in the cafe's crowd to call out to me.

"What's up?"

"...Well... never mind."

She trailed off, glancing down at the pocket of my apron. Wondering if I had spilled something on it, I looked down to check, but it was perfectly clean.

"Why are you acting so fidgety?"

"Who's acting fidgety...?"

"Then what is it?"

"I said it's nothing..."

"You're acting weird..."

"Whatever..."

Why was Renka acting like a puppy that desperately needed to pee? It looked like there was something she wanted... Watching her hesitantly brush past me to start washing the blender, I thought long and hard about what could be bothering her.

We had already exchanged morning greetings. I had even complimented her on wearing a skirt today while mercilessly fondling her bare legs. I had left a deep hickey on her neck as she grumbled and tried to resist, engraving my greatness as her master... well, no, but we had certainly gotten physical.

Tracing back my steps to see if I had forgotten anything, I finally realized that I hadn't given Renka her candy today. I had changed into my uniform and started working the moment I arrived at the cafe. I had burned through so much stamina yesterday that my brain must have been fried, causing me to forget completely.

That was why she was acting like that—she was wondering why I hadn't given her a piece of candy. It explained why she kept glancing at my apron, too. I normally pulled the candy out of my coat pocket, so she probably thought I might have slipped one into my apron instead.

First Miyuki yesterday, and now Renka today... why were they both acting so damn adorable? I just wanted to bite them.

I slipped into the Changing Room and quickly rummaged through my coat pockets. Sure enough, there was a piece of candy there. To think I had skipped out on our morning routine... that was my mistake.

Stepping out of the Changing Room, I headed to a blind spot in the corner where the security cameras couldn't reach. Once there, I called out to Renka.

"President."

"What."

"Come here."

"What now...?"

Even as she grumbled, her feet were already moving toward me. I chuckled at the stark contrast between her attitude and her actions. When she was close enough, I peeled the wrapper off the candy.

"Sorry. I completely forgot about this."

"...What are you talking about? What do you want me to do with that...?"

She tried to act like it was no big deal, but it was obvious she was happy. Well, 'happy' might have been a bit of an exaggeration—she just seemed rather satisfied.

"Say ahh."

"No..."

"Hurry."

"I said I don't want to!"

"So you're not going to eat it? Want me to give you two tomorrow instead?"

"..."

Unable to resist my constant urging, Renka put on a show of reluctance and parted her lips slightly. Since I had hurt my poor little slave's feelings, I decided to give her a special reward today.

I slipped the candy between Renka's glossy, cherry-red lips, shoving my thumb in right along with it. My finger slid deep inside, brushing against her bottom teeth. Startled, Renka clamped her mouth shut by reflex.

"Mmph...!?"

It had been a while since I last did this, so she was completely caught off guard. As she grabbed my wrist with both hands in an attempt to pull it out, I spoke in a low, gentle voice.

"Swirl it around in there."

"...Mmph...?"

"That's right. Just like that."

Smiling warmly like a father cooing at a kitten, I was just starting to enjoy the wet sensation of my thumb swirling around inside her mouth when—

"Mmngh...!"

Renka pushed me away with all her might, forcing my thumb out of her mouth. She glared at me fiercely. Her pride had clearly taken a hit from the fact that she had instinctively followed my order to swirl it around.

Staring right back into her eyes, I popped my wet thumb right into my own mouth and sucked on it. Renka, who had just grabbed a nearby napkin to wipe her lips, stared at me in sheer horror.

"C-can you please not do that...?"

"Do what?"

"...Why are you sucking on a finger covered in someone else's spit?! It's disgusting..."

"Are we just 'someone else' to each other? Besides, what's so disgusting about it? If this is gross, you must think kissing is gross, too."

"Th-that's...!"

"How's the candy? Tastes good, right?"

"..."

"Don't like it? Want me to stop giving them to you?"

"Y-yeah, stop giving them..."

She didn't mean a word of that. Hearing the complete lack of sincerity in her voice, I gave an exaggerated shrug.

"No way. I'm going to give you one tomorrow, too."

"Why are you acting so childish...? What are you, an elementary schooler?"

"Are you going to talk back to me?"

"...Hah... just go wash your hands already. And stop sucking on that! You're seriously annoying me...!"

"Alright."

"Ugh, don't just stand there answering me, actually wash them!"

Perhaps feeling embarrassed by my blatant, suggestive behavior, Renka turned her head away and shoved me toward the sink.

"Why are you pushing? I told you I was going."

"Cut the crap...! You weren't going to move an inch!"

Spending time with Renka felt like a rather unique, flirtatious game. Still, it was fun because it felt so fresh.

Chuckling to myself, I went about my shift, enjoying my time with her. I was in a fantastic mood. But the moment an uninvited guest showed up to ruin the vibe, my soaring spirits plummeted straight into the ground.

"Uh... hello?"

Tetsuya—whose face I couldn't stand the sight of—had walked into the cafe. My eyebrows twitched mid-conversation with the coyly acting Renka. I turned toward Tetsuya, who was standing idly in the doorway and blankly scanning the room, and spoke up.

"Hey, step aside. You're blocking the entrance."

"Ah, sorry. Do you work part-time here?"

Couldn't he tell just by looking, the little shit? That bastard had a real knack for pissing people off by asking stupidly obvious questions.

I gave a dismissive nod, then frowned as I watched Renka greet Tetsuya with a welcoming expression. She was going to have to pay for showing that bastard a smile she rarely ever showed me.

"Welcome."

"Hello, President. I dropped by."

"Glad you came. What do you want to drink? It's on me today."

"Huh? No, it's fine. I brought money."

"Don't worry about it. It wouldn't be polite to make you pay when I'm the one who invited you. Take your time looking over the menu."

I was forced to watch the two of them chat in a disgustingly warm atmosphere. But my annoyance was quickly replaced by sheer surprise when a very familiar—and deeply missed—face pushed open the cafe door.

"I have to use my coupon here. Three more stamps, and I get a free drink."

Hiyori had just walked in, accompanied by her friends.