Chapter 328

[A coupon has arrived for our regular customers!]

It was an unexpected text message.

I chuckled when I saw it was from Raffia Hotel, my usual spot.

Did the Hotel know exactly what day I was coming?

The timing was incredibly convenient.

The coupon offered a 30 percent discount on all room types.

I had plenty of money, but it felt wrong to ignore a discount that arrived at such a perfect moment.

I tapped the link in the message to make a reservation, only to frown when a prompt demanded I agree to receive promotional materials.

To think I had to hand over my personal information just to get a discount in this day and age.

Nothing was truly free, not even a coupon. How lamentable.

Regardless, on second thought, starting her off with a tail plug seemed a bit harsh.

Going straight from spanking to a plug carried a 100 percent guarantee of making her genuinely furious.

I decided to start with a clip-on tail that attached to the back of her clothes, slowly whittling away at Renka's resistance.

However, I refused to compromise on the outfit.

I was going to see it. I absolutely had to see Renka wearing that outfit.

"What are you doing...?"

As I finalized the Hotel reservation and sketched out my little blueprint for the future, I turned toward the weak voice calling from behind.

Hiyori was staring at me, leaning forward and rubbing her eyes. Two buttons on her blouse were undone.

She must have just woken up.

A slight shift of my gaze revealed the faint outline of her bra peeking through. She was entirely too careless.

I clicked my tongue.

"Button your shirt."

"Why...?"

"Your chest is showing."

"So conservative..."

Even as she complained, Hiyori obediently fastened her buttons.

She seemed secretly pleased to be taken care of.

I watched as she neatly buttoned up her uniform jacket, then asked,

"Did you sleep through class?"

"Yeah..."

"You need to study harder."

"Why do you sound like my grandpa...?"

Subtly calling me old. That stung.

"You'll get a warning if you slack off. And do something about that bedhead."

"My hair...?"

She pressed her hair down with minimal effort, looking incredibly cute as she did so.

Once she finished grooming herself like a cat washing its face, she beamed.

"Is that better...?"

"Close enough. Why did you come out here instead of sleeping some more?"

"To get some fresh air. Why are you nagging me?"

"I'm not nagging."

"You totally were."

"You're imagining things. Here, eat this."

I fished a Suichu out of my pocket and handed it to Hiyori. Her sleepy eyes suddenly went wide.

"When did you buy this?"

"A little while ago."

"Did you go to the School Store?"

"Yeah."

"For me?"

"No. I was buying some for the rest of the class and picked one up for you on the side."

"Doesn't that mean you bought it for me?"

"You weren't the main reason. It was just an afterthought."

"What the... Are you a tsundere?"

"If you don't want it, I'll eat it."

Hiyori quickly shot her hand out and snatched the Suichu away.

That wrist snap was no joke. She'd probably make a great pickpocket.

"Why did you run away this morning?"

She asked out of nowhere as she tore open the Suichu wrapper.

I tilted my head, standing up and stretching.

"Run away?"

"You ran off while Miho and I were saying hi."

Had she been thinking about that?

She had a surprisingly delicate side.

"I didn't run away. Stop talking nonsense and fix your jacket button."

"I already did."

"You missed a hole. It's misaligned."

"Oh, you're right."

Hiyori nonchalantly reached down to fix the button and kept talking.

"They said we're starting swimming lessons once the weather warms up."

Was it already that time of year?

The heroines in their swimsuits... an absolute staple scene in any romantic comedy.

It was a shame that Miyuki had developed an aversion to swimming after the incident at the beach, but I would definitely make sure to see Hiyori's.

"Do you like swimming?"

"I just like the idea of it."

"But you aren't actually good at it?"

"Exactly. Are you good at swimming, sunbae-nim?"

"What do you think?"

"I bet you sink like a rock."

It was obviously a joke, but she had such an arrogant, mocking expression that I instinctively tucked my middle finger under my thumb and aimed it at Hiyori's broad forehead.

I was winding up to flick her.

Hiyori immediately slapped both hands over her forehead, acting like a shy little kitten confronting a stranger.

"I'm sorry...!"

Seeing her uniform sleeves draping over her hands as she cowered with her head tucked instantly melted away my irritation.

In truth, I hadn't even been angry to begin with, so I simply flicked the back of her hand lightly with my curled finger and left it at that.

"Ow...!"

Her entire body jolted the moment my fingernail tapped her.

I shook my head at her dramatic act and spoke.

"Head back inside. Class is starting."

".... Okay."

Lowering her hands just enough to peek over them, Hiyori dragged her feet and shuffled backward.

What was I going to do with that energetic girl?

It was obvious that we were steadily growing closer. I wondered if I should pretend to pounce on her sometime soon.

The highly anticipated day arrived.

Having dropped the prepared items off at the Hotel room in advance, I drove to Renka's house right on time.

She was already waiting in front of the Main Gate. As soon as she saw my car, she let out a heavy sigh.

She looked burdened by a million worries.

Giving up would make things so much easier for her.

Clack.

Renka immediately scanned the backseat the moment she climbed in.

She was clearly dying to know what I had brought.

I chuckled inwardly and spoke to her as she craned her neck to peek toward the trunk.

"I already left it at the Hotel."

"W-What did you leave at the Hotel? Stop talking nonsense..."

She sat there feigning utter ignorance.

She could have at least tried to manage her expression. I almost burst out laughing.

Renka's effort was commendable, so I decided to give her a little hint.

"You know. The things I'm going to make you wear today, President."

"Make me wear...? Wear what...? Is it another maid or bunny girl outfit...? Wait, 'things'? Are there more than one?!"

"One question at a time, please."

"Shut up! Just answer me."

"You'll see them in twenty minutes anyway. Is there really any point in telling you now?"

"I need time to mentally prepare myself...!"

"Haven't you been doing that for the past few days?"

".... You piece of trash."

Ah, yes. The same old repertoire of insults. It never got old.

I ignored Renka as she cursed me to die and drove on. We soon arrived at the Hotel Parking Lot.

I smirked when Renka, on extremely high alert, immediately scanned the room the moment we entered.

"T-This is the same room as last time...?"

A prison-like interior that made it feel like she was about to be interrogated.

It was the concept room I usually booked whenever I brought Renka here.

"Yes."

Did the sudden drop in my voice make her nervous?

Renka glanced toward the bed and swallowed hard.

"That stuff...? Where is it?"

"In the other room. It's just like last time, isn't it?"

"Last time...?"

"When you wore the bunny girl outfit."

"W-Why would you bring that up...!"

"You seemed curious, President, so I answered. Let's go in together and take a look, shall we?"

"Together...? If you're going to make me do another cosplay... shouldn't I just look at it and change by myself...?"

If she saw it alone, she would definitely throw a fit.

Still, I found it hilarious that she had already braced herself for cosplay and brought it up first.

"We're going in together."

".... If you think you're going to make me change in front of you..."

"I'm not going to do that."

I patted Renka's back as she glared at me, her head spinning with all sorts of fears. I led her toward the corner room while she swatted at my hand, telling me not to touch her.

I stopped her from turning on the light and jutted my chin toward the bed, where the clothes and accessories were laid out.

"Take a look. See what you think."

"....."

Renka's head turned as stiffly as a rusty hinge.

She crept hesitantly toward the bed. Relying solely on the faint light spilling from the entryway, she narrowed her eyes and peered closely at the items I had prepared.

"I-I can't see..."

Giving up on trying to identify them visually, she gingerly reached out and grabbed the object furthest to the right.

".... What is this...? Ears...?"

Renka muttered to herself as she fumbled with the fluffy cat ear headband.

I debated whether or not to explain, but decided to just keep my mouth shut.

Renka picked up the items one by one, voicing her thoughts on each.

"A tail...? Is this a blindfold...?"

Surprisingly, against all expectations, Renka didn't seem to be violently opposed.

I had expected her to rain curses upon me and storm out of the Hotel the moment she saw the ears, tail, and blindfold. Was this really her only reaction?

Why was she taking it so well? It wasn't like her inner masochist had suddenly awakened.

Had she conjured up every terrifying scenario imaginable before falling asleep last night?

Maybe seeing the actual items made her realize they weren't nearly as bad as she had feared, leading her to think this might actually be bearable.

One thing was certain, though. Renka still hadn't grasped the true gravity of the situation.

"Well? Not too bad, right?"

"Not too bad, my foot... You only bought stupid trash... This is so annoying... Is this it? Do I just... clip this tail onto my clothes or something?"

As expected from someone well-versed in subculture, she figured it out immediately.

It would have been a different story entirely if it were a plug, so this was a relief.

"That's not everything."

"It's not? There's more?"

"Right next to the blindfold. Feel around a bit."

"....."

Catching the ominous tone in my voice, Renka tentatively reached over to the spot beside the blindfold.

A distinct crinkling sound echoed in the quiet room.

Flinching at the noise, Renka picked up a palm-sized object.

"It's plastic packaging. What's inside this?"

"There's still more."

"More...?"

"Next to that one."

".... You are a genuine psychopath..."

She let out a deep, heartfelt sigh and reached for the spot I pointed out. In the shadows, her expression instantly shattered.

"W-What the...?"

It happened right after her fingers brushed against an object made entirely of gaping holes.

Her initial confusion vanished, and her voice skyrocketed the instant she realized she was holding a highly revealing, full-body fishnet suit.

"Hey...! You son of a bitch!!!"

Ah, wonderful. Now that was the reaction I had come to expect from Renka.

What kind of face would she make when she realized the plastic package she touched earlier contained heart-shaped Nipple Patches?

I was practically trembling with anticipation.

As Renka stood there huffing and puffing, looking like a volcano on the verge of erupting, I delivered my final blow.

"I'm not letting you go home today until you put on every single piece."