46: The Attainment of a Cherished Desire
After returning home, Ryugo gazed vacantly at the night sky while pondering what kind of motive the Double Suit had for doing such a thing.
Given the overwhelming difference in level compared to the other Holders, it must have been obvious that a massacre like today’s would occur.
If that’s what it finds amusing, then so be it…
“…No, enough is enough.”
In any case, I just need to finish the game as quickly as possible.
I’ll make this the last game.
“I should contact Koki and Misato too…”
As I thought that and tried to send a message, a notification came in almost simultaneously.
‘Aira is approaching.’
The one who sent it was a police officer patrolling the perimeter of my house.
I gave the order to guard the perimeter of the house with an ‘attitude: subordinate’ setting so that they wouldn’t engage in any inappropriate behavior.
I could have used ‘soldier’, but I rejected that option because their demeanor would be noticeably different from that of an ordinary person, and because they lack flexibility.
“What are you here for…? Are you alone?”
‘It seems she is alone.’
I checked just to be sure, but it seems she’s not a Holder.
The doorbell rang, there was a brief conversation, and then footsteps approached.
“Tanuki, you in there?”
Aira said as she opened the door without waiting for a response and stepped inside.
Her hair was long and flowing, and she was wearing a cool white camisole dress. It was a modest style, different from her usual attire.
For some reason, she seemed more subdued than usual.
“You’re here. You should answer when someone calls out to you.”
“I was about to answer before you opened the door… What do you want?”
“You haven’t kept your promise.”
“Are you still going on about that!? It’s been a month since then!?”
“You’re perfectly willing to go back on your word after I saved your life.”
I can’t argue with that.
In fact, if they hadn’t been there to cheer him on, it was unclear what would have happened to Kouki, let alone Ryugo.
……It was time to make up his mind.
“Tell me. What is your wish?”
“Fufu…”
Ira wore an eerie smile as she sat on the bed and crossed her legs. However, she immediately uncrossed them.
She seemed restless.
But her cheeks were flushed, and her large eyes sparkled. The faint smile on her face was one he felt he had seen before.
She narrowed her eyes playfully and said,
“Date me.”
“Date you for what?”
“Huh?”
Ryugo tilted his head at Ira’s bewildered expression.
“No, what do you mean, date you for what…”
“I mean, be my boyfriend.”
“Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!”
Ryugo rolled around on the floor in utter disgust.
“Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!”
“Do you hate it that much?”
“Have you forgotten what you did to Makoto!? If there’s anyone who would want to be with you after that, I’d send them to a mental hospital!”
“What did Ira do?”
“You destroyed his family heirloom guitar, treated him like a slave, made him grovel in front of everyone, kicked him in the balls, broke his fingers, maimed him, and took him to a sauna.”
“I don’t remember doing any of that… half of that stuff is insane!!”
“Why me!? Why not the cicada that was dying in front of my house!?”
“Isn’t that a weird comparison?”
“Yeah…poor cicada…”
“I’m not going to comment on that anymore. Ira, you don’t feel satisfied unless you get everything you want.”
Her alluring, narrowed eyes looked down at Ryugo.
“Of course, I won’t let you suffer, Raccoon. After all, I promised to do anything for you after you stopped that old hag from harassing me. Oh, and I’ve kept my promise not to bully anyone unreasonably.”
Ira reached out and wrapped her arms around Ryugo’s neck, bringing her lips close enough to kiss him.
“…I’ll do anything for you. If you’ll just date me. So please. Raccoon, I have no one else to turn to.”
That’s your own fault.
But still…anything?
“In that case, apologize to Kouki.”
“…Huh?”
“That was my original purpose when I decided to use this app. I couldn’t forgive what you did… That’s why I resorted to something like this.”
Even though Enka was pulling the strings behind the scenes, it was Ira’s will that had made it happen.
“Apologize from the bottom of your heart. If you can’t do that, I can’t date you.”
“If I do that, will you date me?”
“Are you going to do it or not?”
Ira looked displeased that Ryugo had deliberately avoided giving her a straight answer, but she must have decided that it was futile, because she nodded.
“Okay. So, are you coming over now?”
“No, I’ll connect my webcam, so you can apologize over the computer. It’s late now anyway, and you have school tomorrow.”
“Yeah… but that’s… well… if that’s okay, then it’s okay with me.”
Aira seemed unconvinced. Maybe she wanted to say that her feelings wouldn’t be conveyed unless they met face-to-face.
It was a noble thought, but I didn’t want her to change her mind later.
Later, when Aira apologized over the camera, saying, “I’m sorry,” Kouki was so surprised that his jaw dropped, and Ryugo burst out laughing.
“How did you do that, raccoon!?”
“Ah, that’s a trade secret.”
Kouki accepted her apology for the time being, but he kept tilting his head in confusion.
I’m sure he had a lot of questions…
Even after the camera was turned off, Aira still had a remorseful expression on her face.
I had intended to reject her if she returned to her usual self right away, saying, “I won’t date you because you’re not sorry.”
“Is this okay?”
“Yeah, it’s fine.”
“Then, will you go out with me?”
“Yeah…”
The moment he was about to answer, for some reason, Misato’s face came to mind.
Why did I think of her now?
That momentary question vanished like dew, and Ryugo answered.
“…Yeah, I’ll go out with you.”
“Can I call you Ryu-kun?”
“Do whatever you want…”
“Ryu-kun!”
The way she hugged him and looked so happy was almost the same as when he had hypnotized her into being his ‘lover’ before.
…If that’s the case, does she really like me?
I still couldn’t help but suspect that there was something else going on because Aira was a person I had absolutely no trust in.
Suddenly, there was a click as a photo was taken with a smartphone.
“Hey, Aira. What are you…”
“Ah, it’s okay. This is…”
She said with an adorably evil smile.
“I’m going to send it to Enka.”
“You still…”
“You haven’t returned the favor for hitting me all over, have you? So, wouldn’t that woman be really upset if she found out that Ryu-kun is mine?”
From Noble mtl dot com
The moment they decided to start dating, she started getting revenge on others.
After all, there was something wrong with her. She was missing a few screws, or maybe all of them.
“This could get messy again.”
“There’s no app anymore, so I can’t do anything. Oh, and of course, I won’t do anything else, so don’t worry?”
Suspicious.
“Are you okay with Makoto’s apology?”
“He’s had it bad enough, and Kouki has forgiven him.”
“Humph. Whatever. But… can I stay over?”
“Did you have another fight with your mom?”
“Yeah, that too. I don’t want to see that woman, and my dad doesn’t care… Ryu-kun’s parents are much warmer.”
So, I’ve destroyed Era’s family.
It was probably inevitable, but it still hurts a little.
“Can we sleep together?”
Era, now in her pajamas, beckoned to me as she lay down on the bed.
Lying on her side, her ample bosom spread out like soft mochi under the force of gravity, drawing my eyes.
“Come on.”
Her voice had a slightly menacing tone, sending a shiver down my spine.
She was terrifying.
As I lay down on the bed, Era clung to me.
Again?
I’m starting to get used to her massive breasts pressing against my arm.
“Ryu-kun, you’re so warm~”
“…You’re always clinging to me. Are you craving human touch?”
“Era doesn’t remember ever being held by her mom or dad when she was little.”
With those parents, that’s understandable.
And with that kind of upbringing, her personality makes sense.
It’s a cruel irony that she was named Era while being starved for love.
“Maybe that’s why. I feel really calm when I’m close to Ryu-kun.”
This could be my chance to fix the twisted core that her parents created.
If she were just an evil person, I could let her die in the gutter, but Era practically controls the school. I can’t let her run wild.
“Ryu-kun, do you like Era?”
“I haaate you. Cough!”
Era jabbed me in the ribs, and I coughed.
That’s all the strength a girl has. And she’s a girl who’s never lifted a weight in her life. Thanks to my abs, it barely hurt.
Still, it scared the crap out of me.
“Do you like me?”
“I haaate you! Cough!”
“Do you like me?”
“I haaate you! Cough!”
“Do you like me?”
“Enough! I haven’t even said anything yet!”
“There’s no way someone who would stand up to Era so many times would change their answer now.”
“You’re very perceptive…”
“But that’s okay.”
Era propped herself up on one hand, a seductive smile on her face.
“I need Ryu-kun to defy me. Right?”
So, I’m nothing more than a slave to her.
Just like Makoto.
Someone who faces Ryou not by following orders, but by his own will. Yet, he never looks down on her.
Is this man, who is neither Makoto nor her parents, but who sees Ryou as a human being, what she’s looking for?
… Thinking back, it’s only natural that Ryou started liking me when I first put her under the ‘lover’ hypnosis.
Did she keep calling me “Watanuki-kun” even after I released the hypnosis because she genuinely enjoyed it?
Being on equal footing, protecting her with his body… It’s a very ordinary reason for affection to blossom, but it was the most important factor for Ryou.
The light in the room went out, and Ryou slowly closed her eyes.
“Good night, Ryu-kun.”
“Huh!?”
“What? Did you expect something? Too bad. Maybe when Ryou finally feels like it.”
What the hellllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll!
“If you want to touch me, you can?”
“Really!?”
“But if it hurts even a little, I’ll kill you…”
“I’m sorry, but no thank you. I’m really sorry.”
It’s easy to see why Makoto couldn’t disobey her. She’s too scary.
And the fact that she might actually do it is even scarier.
After that, I kept my eyelids closed, trembling with fear and trying not to provoke Ryou as much as possible.
Just before I fell asleep, I thought I heard a murmur from beside me, “…coward,” but it melted away into the darkness of my consciousness.
◇
Some room.
Dark, rusty, and devoid of human presence. A desolate space. It was a strange place where it was impossible to tell whether it was a building or a ruin just from the appearance of the interior.
There, a man in a double suit and another person…
“I respect you. Raising your level by ‘100’ in just one day.”
The one being praised by the man in the double suit was glaring at him from the shadows. Was it hostility or observation?
“But it’s a shame… It’s really a shame. Even if you do that much, you’ll never be happy… You’re trying so hard, but your ideal will never come true… Because–“
“…Shut up. You have no right to say that to me…!”
The voice in the shadows was trembling with irritation.
I could feel a sharp anger, as if he was about to beat someone to death right now.
“Instead, let me give you the highest compliment.”
The man in the double suit stood in front of him and said with a mischievous smile that cast a dark shadow.
“Makoto.”