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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Nekorune
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Renka emerged from the shower with her hair cascading down past her waist. I was used to seeing her with a ponytail, or with all her hair pulled back under a hood for her kendo mask, so seeing her with slightly damp, long, straight hair was a refreshing change.
“What are you staring at?”
She covered her chest with a long towel that reached her knees. She was misunderstanding my intentions; I’ll see plenty of what’s underneath later.
Now that she was out of the cage, she was back to being aggressive. She must have been holding in a lot of frustration. I could understand, imagining myself stuck in that cramped space would be annoying.
“Staring?”
“…I’m going to get some food.”
I chuckled at her attempt to change the subject.
“You’re not trying to run away, are you?”
“I told you I’m not…”
“Alright. Don’t get mad. Let’s eat together.”
“Do we have to..?”
“I can’t tell if you want to leave quickly or spend the whole day here, captain.”
“Oh, come on…! What are we going to eat..!”
I stared intently at the snapping Renka, and she toned down her aggression slightly.
“Wh-what are we going to eat…?”
“Do you have a favorite food?”
“I… like sushi. Salmon sushi…”
I was expecting a “whatever,” but her specific request for salmon sushi was amusing. I nodded and looked through the room service menu. They had assorted sushi, but I doubted it would be very good, coming from a love hotel.
“Should we order delivery?”
“Whatever… Can I dry my hair?”
“You don’t need my permission for that. Do you want me to help?”
“Ok.”
Renka gave a curt reply and sat down at the vanity. Her hair was so long that it took a while to dry. It must be a hassle to deal with every day.
After finally finishing, Renka stood up hesitantly. I glanced at her and then at the time on my phone.
“You have 35 minutes left.”
“What’s…?.”
“What do you mean ‘what’? Your break time.”
Renka bristled at my words.
“Y-you have to subtract the time it takes for the food to arrive and the time it takes to eat! That’s only fair!”
“You’re being ridiculous. I already gave you time for your shower. Why are you so demanding?”
“Don’t you think you’re being too harsh?”
“Was it that uncomfortable in there?”
“It was incredibly uncomfortable! You try being in there…!”
“And why would I do that?”
Renka glared at me as I shrugged nonchalantly. In times like these, the best approach was to take a large step forward, closing the distance between us.
*step*
“So, do you have a complaint?”
I stood right in front of Renka. She flinched slightly but didn’t break eye contact, which surprised me. She seemed determined not to be intimidated. Impressive.
“…Yes. Let me rest for an hour after we eat.”
*knock, knock*
As we were having this brief exchange and staring each other down, a knock came from the door. The sushi had arrived.
“Shall we eat?”
“Don’t change the subject.”
“The delivery person is waiting.”
“If you avoid my question, I’ll take it as you agreeing.”
Renka was quite stubborn. I wondered if she would feel a twinge of regret later, alone at home, thinking about how she wasted her break time arguing with me. I hadn’t intended to include mealtime in her break anyway, so I decided to be merciful and grant her wish.
“Do you really need a full hour?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll grant your stubborn request just this once.”
“…Thank you.”
There, there. How could I refuse when you’re being so good? Keep being a good girl.
We sat across from each other at the small table for two, eating our sushi in silence. Renka kept glancing at me, fidgeting as if she were sitting on pins and needles. I doubted she could even taste the food.
“Matsuda.”
Renka called out, still trying to maintain a semblance of composure. I dipped the edge of my sushi in the soy sauce mixed with wasabi and looked at her.
“Yes?”
“I have a question.”
“Ask away.”
“You just want to torment me, don’t you?”
“No.”
“Then why did you use my first wish, my second wish, and now my last wish on things like this?”
“Because you’re beautiful.”
“Hey…! Don’t try to brush it off with weird compliments…”
She seemed to be enjoying it secretly, yet she called it a weird compliment. So dishonest… Such a tsundere.
I scoffed and said, “I’m being serious. And you seem to have misunderstood something.”
“What?”
“I was planning to use my last wish later.”
“What are you talking about…? Once this is over, the only one with any wishes here will be me! You’ve used all three. Are you stupid?”
“That’s strange. I only told you to keep your Saturday free, to come here. I never mentioned a wish.”
“…What…?”
Renka looked momentarily confused. Her jaw dropped, and she thought hard about it, her eyes suddenly widening. She realized that I had never once mentioned the word “wish” when I made the plans.
“You… you…”
She trembled, speechless. She shook from head to toe, as if an earthquake had struck. It was the most intense reaction I had ever seen from her. It was a sight to behold. Truly magnificent.
After fuming for a while, she finally opened her mouth to unleash a torrent of abuse.
“You littl-”
I casually raised a hand, timing it perfectly with the opening of her mouth.
“Just kidding. Calm down.”
Renka’s mouth snapped shut, and the color drained slightly from her flushed face.
“Y-you’re serious…? It was just a joke…?”
“I was going to insist, but after seeing you struggling so much today, I decided to count it as a wish.”
“That’s… right…? Are you sure?”
I gave her a benevolent smile.
“I just said so.”
“…Fine then…”
“But you were about to curse just now, weren’t you?”
“No…”
“Yes, you were.”
“Hey…! Who wouldn’t curse in this situation…?”
Why did she keep trying to deny it? It would be so much easier if she just admitted it. Though, I understood her apprehension. She was probably worried I’d be even harsher if she was honest.
I finished off the remaining sushi and stood up, clearing my dishes.
“Rest after you’re done eating. Don’t be so obvious about eating slowly.”
Renka sighed, stung by my sharp remark.
“Fine…”
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Renka remained seated where she had eaten. She seemed hesitant to lie on the bed, probably because I was occupying it. If it were me, I would have brazenly claimed the bed. I decided to be helpful, and satisfy my own desires at the same time.
“Captain.”
“What…”
“Come lie down next to me. You look uncomfortable.”
“I’m… fine.”
“Your back must hurt from sitting in that chair without a backrest. Just lie down.”
“…”
Renka hesitantly got up and carefully lay down on the bed. She must have been uncomfortable after all, judging by her lack of protest. She lay on her back, staring at the ceiling, and tried to cover her stomach with her hands. Realizing it was futile, she reached for the blanket. But since I was using it, she could only place her hands on top, unsure what to do.
I chuckled at her predicament. Before she could say anything, I covered her with the blanket and turned to face her.
Renka pulled her chin down and shifted her hips slightly, trying to create some distance between us. I moved closer, inhaling the scent of blueberries, and asked gently,
“Are you comfortable?”
“I’m uncomfortable because you’re staring at me…”
“How honest. But Renka.”
“What…”
“Can I touch your chin?”
“Please stop saying weird things…”
“Why? I’ve decided to turn this into my last wish even though I don’t really have to… Can’t you do this much for me?”
“D-don’t try to force me with that ridiculous logic…!”
“Then how about this? If you let me touch your chin, I’ll give you an extra hour of rest.”
“What…?”
Renka, who had been about to turn her back to me, froze. Her ears seemed to perk up; she looked tempted.
“An hour…? Are you serious…?”
I smirked at her suspicious tone.
“Yes, I’m serious. Honestly, you don’t want to go back in there either, right? It’s uncomfortable, and it feels like your dignity is being violated… right?”
“…”
Her silence was an affirmation.
“See? It’s a win-win situation. You get to rest for an extra hour, and I get to touch your chin.”
Renka’s eyes darted around at my nonchalant proposal. She seemed to be seriously considering it. After a moment of indecision, she raised an eyebrow. Then, she spoke in a barely audible voice,
“…Give me two hours. Three hours of rest total.”
“Are you kidding?”
“I’m not kidding…! That’s a fair trade…”
“Then I won’t do it.”
I scoffed and turned away. Renka quickly corrected herself.
“O-one and a half hours…!”
I inwardly celebrated and gently placed my hand on her chin, stroking it softly.
“Ah!”
Renka jolted, as if she had been electrocuted. She probably didn’t expect me to touch her without warning.
“It’s okay. Good girl.”
Renka bristled at my condescending tone, but she didn’t react strongly. She simply frowned and passively accepted my touch. I grinned at the slightly calmer Renka.
“You’re beautiful. Truly.”
I gave her an unexpected compliment. Renka, who had offered me her chin, frowned even more.
“Shut up… Just touch it. Talking wasn’t part of the deal…”
“I’m just saying. You can be quiet.”
“…Pervert…”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
Did my consistently calm demeanor put her at ease? Renka’s chin relaxed slightly. She was unconsciously accepting my touch, like a well-trained puppy. I chuckled, and Renka, oblivious to her own behavior, asked curtly,
“H-how long are you going to keep touching it…?”
“You get an hour and a half of rest, so I’ll do it for a minute and a half.”
“…Fine.”
As time passed, Renka’s chin relaxed even further. She seemed oblivious to the fact that her body was becoming languid, her eyes losing focus. Would she replay today’s events in her mind later, at home? If so, she’d probably scream and kick her blankets in frustration. The thought made me want to laugh.
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Chapter titles are back (at least for now)! Once I manage to get my hands on the titles for the previous chapters, I’ll update them accordingly 🙂
Seems like it’s Renka’s turn soon. Still a bit early though.
Thank you!
Thank you for the chappie!
She’s falling 😈