12: Discomfort, Headache, Intense Dislike
I returned to the girl’s room.
I was forgetting my goal of reforming Aira, but now I was driven by an urge to see what lay ahead on this path!
“Sit on the bed and wait.”
“Yes!”
I sat down and straightened my back.
In my mind, I was a samurai about to engage in a match.
The room was filled with the rich fragrance of irises, a battlefield for a true gentleman.
The floor-based melee that will begin shortly may not end in one match, so I must be prepared to stay awake all night and see the first light of dawn.
Aira rummaged through the shelves in the room and picked up a dull-colored object.
“I found it. Watkan-kun, can you lie down and stretch out your arms and legs?”
“Yes!”
Following her instructions, he spread out like a big letter X, and
Clank, clank
Handcuffs were attached to both his hands and connected to the legs of the bed.
“That should do it.”
“May I ask a question?”
“Go ahead.”
“Why am I being restrained!?”
“Why, you ask…”
Aira brought her mouth close to Ryugo’s ear and whispered something sweet that made his eardrums and brain tingle.
“…Because you’re going to be Aira’s toy until morning?”
“Wha…!?”
“Because if I let you go, I won’t be able to do whatever I want with you. I told you, didn’t I? Aira only wants to do what Aira wants to do.”
That made sense.
If Ryugo were free, he might do something that Aira didn’t want him to do. That’s probably why she didn’t like it.
He should have realized by now that she was that kind of woman, but he was really an idiot.
“Dammit… I let my guard down! That’s cowardly!!”
“No, you could have resisted as much as you wanted before I attached the handcuffs.”
“I thought it was part of the play…”
“Are you an idiot?”
“…I can’t argue with that since it’s true.”
“Well, that’s how it is. Aira’s going to take a bath, so you just stay there and be good, okay~?”
He watched Aira leave the room and waited for time to pass by.
“…………Could it be that she’s lying again?”
If he was left alone until morning, he might really cry.
A few minutes passed by like that.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang.
Was someone visiting?
He wished they would go away because this was an emergency. If they saw him like this, he would kill himself.
“…………!”
He could hear Aira talking from downstairs, but she was too far away to make out what she was saying. The other person sounded like a woman, but who could it be?
Could it be his mother who had come home?
Eventually, silence fell again.
Gradually, the fatigue from walking around all over the place during the day was now turning into drowsiness.
The sugar from all the sushi he had eaten was probably also a factor.
Maybe he should just give in to the drowsiness,
He thought about that, and suddenly he noticed footsteps approaching.
“Airu?”
Or rather, it was a rough sound mixed with a certain kind of anger.
It was coming straight towards me.
“…?”
The door was opened roughly with a clatter,
“Huh?”
Ryugo was caught off guard.
“……………………Misato?”
It was a face he saw every day.
Her blue eyes were mixed with amazement and contempt.
“What are you doing?”
Ryugo couldn’t help but be confused in front of the girl with an atmosphere of irritation mixed with impatience.
Why was Misato here?
She was still in her uniform.
She must have been in a hurry, as she was sweating profusely.
It was strange to think that she had found him by chance. She was calm, as if she had known all along.
Of course, she had seen Ryugo in an outrageous situation, and her expression suggested she was wondering what had happened.
The fact that she had barged in so roughly earlier was clearly because she was looking for something or someone.
–Could it be me?
It was unlikely, but it was the only thing that could explain the situation.
Misato stepped into the room and looked down at Ryugo, who was tied to the bed.
“Tanuki… why did this happen?”
“I can’t go into detail, but it was a kind of promise.”
“No, tell me. What kind of promise would make you end up like this?”
“…A moment’s play.”
“Not funny.”
That was awful.
“Why are you here?”
“I came to visit, and Airu told me you were here. So I was surprised and ran up.”
“Don’t lie.”
“Believe what you want, but you’d better get out of here quickly.”
“Why?”
“Airu… you never know what she’ll do when she’s out of sight. You better be prepared to lose a fingernail or two. She might bring pliers, a whip, or a hammer.”
“Seriously…”
When it came to Airu, it was easy to believe that she was capable of doing such a thing.
After all, she was the kind of person who would laugh after almost killing someone.
“Wait a minute.”
Misato ran off somewhere and came back about a minute later. She was holding a small key in her hand.
“Here, the key to the handcuffs. I’ll open it, so stay still.”
“Thank you. But how did you know where I was?”
“Airu’s the type to keep things like this in order, so I figured they might be in the bathroom.”
Rubbing her now-free wrists, she expressed her doubts belatedly.
“And, like, why are you helping me?”
At those words, Misato’s eyebrows twisted in apparent anguish for a brief moment. But that quickly turned to contempt.
“Hmph. If you stop defying Airu, she’ll just go on a rampage. Kouki’s not here, and Enka’s usually not in class.”
“You see me as a stopper?”
“Of course. Besides, I find it more questionable that you’re so devoted to Airu. It must be for some stupid reason.”
“She just showed me her boobs!
Oops, I said it!”
“……..Die!”
“I won’t die! I’ve only seen her belly button so far!”
“I heard she treated you to sushi.”
“Yeah, the expensive kind!
Oops, I said it!”
“You really are a weakling.”
“…Anyway, let’s get out of here. If she decides to toy with me, who knows what she’ll do next? I hate being forced like that.”
“What’s your real reason?”
“I wanted her to help me after we were done fooling around!
Oops, I said it!”
“I should weld your mouth shut so you can never open it again.”
“Yes, ma’am…”
Feeling dejected by her unassailable logic (insults), he fixed his undershirt and left the house.
“Oh, right.”
He removed ‘Lover’ from his hypnosis app.
I’m glad I remembered.
It would be a pain if she searched for it later.
She’ll probably be back to her usual self by tomorrow. It’s not necessarily a good thing, but if she keeps acting like my lover, people will get suspicious.
Speaking of which, it’s really bad that Misato found out about Airu’s strange behavior. It’s possible that she’s already on the brink.
But there was one good thing that came out of this.
Airu’s anger towards her mother.
Maybe she’s taking out her frustrations from her personal life on her victims. If we can resolve that, maybe she’ll change her ways.
For now, let’s get out of here.
The night sky above Ryugo and Misato as they left the Airu residence.
The silver moon hung high, overlooking the land, and it was well past 8 pm.
The icy night air of summer brushed against their skin.
“So, I’m gonna head home… What are you gonna do, Misato? Airu might do something to you for letting me go.”
“Oh… I’ll be fine.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Why…”
Misato took a breath and hesitated, her gaze wandering.
“Well, aren’t we close?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You were clearly his sidekick.”
“I’m not a sidekick! And besides, you’re the one who was all up in Aira’s house, where was your usual rebellious attitude?”
“Even if you say that, it’s none of your business.”
“…Well, I guess you’re right.”
“There’s something weird about you today. You’re being unusually nice to me.”
SLAP!
An unexpected slap rang out across Ryugo’s cheek, echoing through the night. He was stunned, his eyes wide with belated pain.
“Wha… what?”
Misato’s anger was evident in her bared fangs as she unleashed a tirade.
“Nice? Don’t make me laugh, you damn raccoon. I’ve hated you ever since we were kids.
You and Koki, always acting so righteous, picking fights with anyone who did something wrong! Helping anyone in need! You always dragged me into that stuff, and it was always such a pain!!”
“Huh? What are you talking about…”
SLAP
“It hurts…”
“Listen up. Don’t ever say ‘nice’ or ‘thank you’ to me again. You and I are enemies! Got it?! Well, then, goodbye!”
With a parting insult, Misato turned her back and hurt back to Aira’s house.
The night wind soothed his throbbing cheek.
“What’s with her…”
Feeling bewildered by the sudden turn of events, he headed home.
Misato’s words felt strange.
What did she mean, always dragging me into it?
“…!”
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his head like a crack.
It felt like someone was hitting him in the head with a hammer, trying to force something out.
No, it must be my imagination…
Ryugo looked up at the sky.
“Oh, right, that handkerchief I borrowed from Aira… How am I going to return it…”
◆
Misato sat on the bed in Aira’s room, staring at the palm of her hand, which had just delivered the slap.
It was slightly red, but the pain had already melted away without a trace, like snow in spring.
…I think that’s the longest conversation I’ve had with him in a while.
As she was lost in thought,
“Huh?”
Aira stood in the open doorway, her head tilted in confusion.
She was in her underwear.
A peach-colored bra with high sides and thick, supportive straps. She must have chosen it for functionality. Even so, it couldn’t completely conceal her ample bosom, which was firmly supported and barely moved. It must have been a very expensive bra.
From Noble mtl dot com
The curve of her plump thighs was voluptuous, like a hill covered in spring snow. The crimson glow from her flushed skin evoked a wicked desire, even in the eyes of another woman.
She was holding pajamas under her arm, but that was all she had brought with her.
“Misato, are you alone?”
“Yeah. The raccoon dog said it wanted to go home, so I let it go.”
“Ah… I see.”
After giving a lackluster reply, Aira sat down next to her.
“Well… whatever. It’s fine.”
“You’re not mad?”
“I am mad, but I’ll get you back for it tomorrow at school. You can’t just leave without saying anything. You’re making fun of me.”
Even as she said this, her profile looked damp.
It wasn’t anger or dejection. It was closer to being expressionless, but her irises clearly reflected the turmoil of her emotions.
“So, why did Misato come here?”
“To hang out with you.”
Just then, the ringtone of Misato’s phone rang out, and she answered it with practiced ease.
“Hello?”
“You passed.”
That was all that was said before the call ended abruptly.
She let out a sigh and swallowed.
“Who was that?”
Without answering Aira’s question, Misato heaved himself up.
“I’m going.”
“Wait a minute.”
“Why?”
“I’ll be lonely by myself…”
Misato felt irritated by Aira, who was making an innocent appeal like a naive girl.
–You probably don’t know this, but I really hate you.
Completely oblivious to Misato’s inner thoughts, Aira tugged at her skirt hem in a spoiled manner.
“Stay with me a little longer…”
“…Okay.”
It’s not yet time to push Aira away.
There’s still work to be done.