Chapter 713 - 713: Don't look back, Hikari-kun... Auntie is Natsuha...

Only then did Hisato open the door and come out, handing the money to Norihiko to pay off the debt.

Norihiko's face showed signs of emotion, and he thanked Hisato again.

Hisato smiled but didn't say much more.

Because she could tell.

Even though Norihiko said those words, he still had doubts about what she had told him.

He probably still trusted Kamezo Gozou.

But she couldn't be bothered to say any more.

Because even if she said more, Norihiko probably wouldn't believe her.

And she couldn't tell Norihiko about her and Hikari's plan either.

She'd have to wait until they found evidence against Kamezo Gozou before letting him know.

Otherwise, given how Norihiko was acting now, if they told him, Kamezo Gozou would know by tomorrow.

Then everything would fall apart.

For now, she still had to play along with Kamezo Gozou.

Thinking this, Hisato said to Norihiko, "How about this, tomorrow, if I have time, I'll go with you to your company and take a look. I'm a bit curious about your work environment."

"And show me your work records from before too. I really don't get how you managed to cause such a big loss to the company."

Hearing this, Norihiko wasn't angry at all. Instead, his face lit up with surprise and delight.

Because in his view, this meant Hisato was softening her stance, she might soon agree to become Kamezo Gozou's secretary.

Happy, he naturally agreed to Hisato's request right away.

"No problem! If you want to go, Hisato-chan, I'll take you to my company tomorrow! Come here, give me a hug!"

Delighted, Norihiko opened his arms, wanting to embrace Hisato.

But Hisato stepped back and shook her head, "No, I'm really tired today. I want to sleep early. You should get some rest too."

With that, she turned and went back into her room.

Watching the door close again, the smile on Norihiko's face froze.

But looking at the money in his hand, he still couldn't help grinning.

At least things were starting to get resolved.

As long as Hisato agreed to become President Kamezo's secretary, his debt would be wiped clean.

Their little family could return to a happy, harmonious life.

Then they could finally go through with the wedding and become a loving married couple.

Norihiko was full of anticipation for their future life together.

———

But inside the room, Hisato sat alone hugging a pillow, her expression not particularly happy.

She suddenly thought of Hikari, the unhurried tone of his voice when he spoke, the clear logic with which he analyzed situations, the way he never showed even a hint of disdain or suspicion toward her, even when he noticed she'd been drinking.

"Sigh... if only Norihiko was even half as reliable as Hikari-kun..."

In her relationship with Norihiko, Hisato, being slightly older, had always played the older sister role.

The two were indeed like an older sister and younger brother, with Norihiko mostly relying on her.

Since she was older, Hisato had never thought there was any problem with that.

But after comparing him to Hikari, Hisato suddenly realized that Hikari, though significantly younger than Norihiko, came across as much more reliable.

Even when interacting with her, he gave her a sense of being able to rely on him with confidence.

He was almost like a big brother... no, like a reassuringly perfect husband.

"Sigh... I'm so jealous of Natsuha. How did she ever find a perfect boyfriend like Hikari-kun?"

"If Hikari-kun were my boyfriend, he'd never make the kind of stupid mistake Norihiko did, would he?"

"And even if he did make a mistake like that, he'd definitely handle it properly. He wouldn't dump his emotions and stress on me, and he'd definitely keep the trust he should have for me, right?"

'If only it was me dating Hikari...'

Maybe it was because today her fiance Norihiko had personally accused her, asking if she was having an affair with Hikari, that made Hisato realize there was this impossible possibility.

She even started picturing such an inappropriate scenario in her mind.

"No! No! No!"

Hisato quickly shook her head to get rid of this deeply shameful thought.

"Thinking like this, I'd be letting down Norihiko, letting down Natsuha-chan, and especially letting down Hikari-kun..."

Hisato felt intense shame for having such a disgraceful thought and gave her thigh a hard pinch.

Because she knew very well that this kind of thing was impossible.

Not to mention her engagement to Norihiko, just Hikari's relationship with Natsuha alone was not something she, as his aunt, could intrude upon.

But the more she suppressed those thoughts, the clearer they became.

She still couldn't help imagining what it would be like if she were dating Hikari.

Norihiko's question, "Are you having an affair with him?", was like a thorn lodged in her heart, impossible to pull out, and it made her involuntarily follow that absurd line of thinking. What if the one dating Hikari was her...

She couldn't help recalling the time she'd accidentally seen Hikari working out, his bare upper body, the smooth lines of muscle shifting with each movement, every inch radiating strength.

Hisato couldn't help swallowing, her breathing growing a little quicker.

"Why am I suddenly thinking about all this?"

"It's all Norihiko's fault! Yes! It's all Norihiko's fault! He's the one who said all that nonsense!"

Hisato pounded her pillow hard, trying to shift the blame onto Norihiko.

Norihiko's accusation seemed to have opened Pandora's box.

Now, whenever she recalled Hikari, Hisato's mind was flooded with all sorts of inappropriate, steamy images.

Thinking about how she'd almost kissed Hikari on the lips today, thinking about how she'd hugged him tightly and felt that scorching body heat and firm, solid sensation, Hisato's breathing grew quicker and quicker.

"It's impossible... me and Hikari-kun... it could never happen in this lifetime..."

"I can't let my mind wander..."

"Time to sleep... time to sleep..."

Hisato reached up and turned off the light, closing her eyes, but her right hand wouldn't obey.

She forced herself to fall asleep, to stop thinking about those scenes that shouldn't exist and could never happen.

But between waking and dreaming, she still vividly pictured those heart-racing, wonderfully thrilling scenarios.

"Hikari-kun..."

"Don't look back, Hikari-kun... Auntie is Natsuha..."

A murmured whisper, like a dream, echoed through the room, intertwining with the white moonlight spilling through the window.

———

[Hikari-kun, I'm already downstairs. Come on down~]

Hikari had just finished showering when he received a message from the devout Queen's Society follower and housewife, Yoshino Ayaka. He gathered his things and headed downstairs.

"Hikari-kun, over here," As soon as he walked downstairs, Hikari saw Yoshino Ayaka poke her head out of the car window and wave at him enthusiastically.

"Good evening, Ayaka-san," Hikari walked over to the passenger door that Yoshino Ayaka had opened for him and bent down to get in.

"Good evening, Hikari-kun~", Yoshino Ayaka smiled and closed the door, then reached over to fasten his seatbelt for him.

"Improper riding brings tears to loved ones. Hikari-kun, you must always wear your seatbelt when riding in a car," Yoshino Ayaka reminded him gently.

Seeing Yoshino Ayaka enthusiastically extend her fair, slender arm to fasten his seatbelt, Hikari, who had already been about to reach out, simply pulled his hand back.

Yoshino Ayaka's arms were fair and delicate, clearly showing she'd never done any heavy housework and took excellent care of herself.

And she seemed to have just showered as well, still carrying the fragrance of shampoo.

As she leaned in, her rich, mature scent kept drifting into his nostrils.

Coupled with her full, alluring mature figure, as she leaned over to fasten his seatbelt, her ample curves naturally swayed and bobbed right before Hikari's eyes.

It was certainly a sight that would make anyone's heart race, but Yoshino Ayaka seemed completely oblivious.

To be polite and avoid touching anything inappropriate, Hikari kept his hands still and watched until Yoshino Ayaka finished fastening the seatbelt.

"There we go!", Yoshino Ayaka watched the seatbelt buckle firmly against Hikari's solid chest, stole a quick glance, then withdrew her hands and nodded in satisfaction.

"Let's go!"

Once ready, Yoshino Ayaka stepped on the gas and drove Hikari toward the Queen's Society dojo.

Though she was a housewife, Yoshino Ayaka had apparently been something of a young lady in the past. Not only did she have a driver's license, but her driving skills were excellent too.

Aside from the occasional violent swaying of her large chest when braking, which was hard not to notice, there were no issues.

During the drive, Yoshino Ayaka also found time to chat with Hikari now and then.

But although her words were warm and her face wore a smile,

Hikari could still tell that Yoshino Ayaka seemed to have something on her mind today. Her gaze would occasionally drift into the distance in a daze, and her mood seemed somewhat low.

However, Yoshino Ayaka kept smiling whenever she spoke to Hikari and didn't bring anything up on her own.

Since she didn't want to talk about it, Hikari didn't press.

Before long, they reached Queen's Society dojo.

———

After getting out, Hikari noticed that dozens of cars were already parked in the lot outside the main gate, and quite a few people were coming and going through the entrance.

Probably because today was the Queen's Society's gathering day, the dojo was noticeably busier than the last time Hikari had come.

Noticing Hikari's curious gaze, Yoshino Ayaka smiled reassuringly, "A bit nervous since it's your first gathering? Don't worry, just follow Auntie. I'll do my best to guide you."

Hikari smiled and nodded, "Alright, I'll be in your care then, Ayaka-san."

"No problem! No problem!", Yoshino Ayaka still clearly remembered how Hikari had helped her out at the park last time, so she didn't mind lending him this small favor.

And besides, bringing Hikari into the Queen's Society was something she'd been dreaming of.

Yoshino Ayaka led Hikari to the main gate, pulled out the gold-embossed gathering invitation, and the two were respectfully welcomed inside by the guards at the entrance.

After entering the Queen's Society dojo, Hikari suddenly heard Yoshino Ayaka speak to him, "Um, Hikari-kun, I have some personal matters to discuss with Secretary Itsuki. Would you like to head over to the assembly hall first?"

Hikari waved his hand, "It's fine. I don't really know anyone over at the assembly hall anyway. Why don't I come with you to see the Secretary?"

He'd already used his aura-reading technique to see the clear black aura hovering over Yoshino Ayaka's forehead, so he knew she was very likely to fall victim to an NTR attack today.

So when she said she was going to see that evil deity Itsuki Shima alone, Hikari naturally wanted to go along.

"Th-then alright. Thank you, Hikari-kun!", Yoshino Ayaka was visibly pleased that Hikari was willing to accompany her.

After asking around about Itsuki Shima's whereabouts, Hikari followed Yoshino Ayaka to the front hall of the Queen's Society dojo.

Sure enough, after looking around, they spotted Itsuki Shima.

As usual, she was wearing that exquisite women's suit, but the voluptuous figure beneath the tailored skirt was no less impressive than the mature Yoshino Ayaka's.

Yoshino Ayaka stepped forward quickly and greeted Itsuki Shima respectfully, "Secretary Itsuki!"

Itsuki Shima turned around and, upon seeing the two of them,

first gave Hikari a meaningful glance, then offered Yoshino Ayaka a gentle smile, "Ah, Yoshino-san, good evening. Is there something you need?"

Yoshino Ayaka looked somewhat troubled, "Yes, I've recently been unclear on some of the Queen's Society's teachings, and it's been causing me a lot of worries about my family. Would you be able to help me clarify things later, Secretary Itsuki?"

Itsuki Shima first looked hesitant, "Well... Yoshino-san, I'd love to help you, but I have a lot of gathering-related matters to attend to today, so I probably won't have much private time..."

"Ah...", Yoshino Ayaka's face fell with disappointment.