Chapter 15 - Yokai (1)
After our bath, Miyuki and I slipped back into our usual routine, pretending nothing had happened. It was only natural. Our relationship wasn't exactly something you'd broadcast to the world. A friend's mom hooking up with her son's buddy? That's the kind of scandal that'd make a manga blush, but in real life, it'd be an absolute disaster.
At its core, our dynamic was... complicated. Victim and perpetrator? Slave and master? Honestly, it was hard to pin down. Sometimes, it felt like we were playing at being lovers—showering together, exchanging sweet nothings, indulging in reckless, carefree intimacy.
*Hmm. No matter how I slice it, we're basically lovers, right?*
But it was more than that, yet somehow less than total devotion. Something like... more than lovers, but not quite a master-slave deal. Yeah, that sounds a bit cheesy, but it's close enough.
"Open your mouth, Takuya. Aah~♥" Miyuki teased, holding out a spoonful of food with a playful grin.
"What if Souta walks in?" I glanced toward the door, half-serious.
"It's fine, silly~♥" she chirped, undeterred.
"Well, if you say so." I shrugged, giving in to her whims.
Miyuki, though, seemed to have her own ideas about what we were.
After thoroughly enjoying our time together, I called my mom—well, one of my moms—and told her I'd be crashing at Souta's place for the night. Then I hit the sack. In Souta's room, naturally. I *wanted* to sneak into Miyuki's bed, but after our marathon session, I was running on empty. Better to crash in Souta's room than risk another round I couldn't handle.
I woke up early the next morning, feeling surprisingly refreshed.
*Guess I was more wiped out than I thought.*
I usually only needed four hours of sleep, but last night's antics tacked on an extra two. My face practically glowed with energy as I headed to the bathroom, then downstairs. There, I spotted Miyuki in the kitchen, her back to me as she cooked, apron tied neatly around her waist.
A mischievous spark hit me. I crept up behind her and—*whoosh*—wrapped my arms around her, hands playfully finding her chest.
*Soft. Wow.*
"Hyaa~♥ Takuya-kun, you naughty boy...♥ Did you sleep well?" Miyuki didn't even flinch, just greeted me with that casual, warm tone of hers, like I hadn't just ambushed her.
Grinning to myself, I replied, "Slept like a baby. You, Miyuki?"
"I-I did too, of course—Hngh~♥" Her words cut off as I gave her a playful squeeze, teasing her further.
"Slept well, huh?" I asked again, smirking.
Miyuki's cheeks flushed as she caught my drift. "I slept wonderfully, *Master*~♥" she purred, her voice dripping with affection.
Satisfied, I let her go. No need to distract her more while she was slaving over breakfast. Though, judging by the disappointed glance she shot me, she wouldn't have minded if I'd lingered a bit longer. I pretended not to notice.
*Man, I'm starving.*
Miyuki got back to cooking, her movements quickening. Probably because I pitched in to help. Part of it was me wanting to eat sooner, but I also felt a pang of guilt watching her work so hard alone. To my surprise, my small gesture seemed to hit her right in the feels.
[Status]
[Miyuki]
[Corruption: 65%]
[Lewdness: 42%]
[Obedience: 60%]
[Developed Areas▼]
[Scenario Progress: 64%]
Her obedience had spiked. *Didn't plan for that, but I'll take the win.*
Soon, breakfast was nearly ready when Souta shuffled downstairs, rubbing sleep from his eyes. "Ugh... morning..."
"Morning, Souta," I said, keeping it cool.
"Souta, breakfast's ready. Go wash up," Miyuki called, her tone motherly but with a hint of that playful edge I knew too well.
"Okay..." Souta mumbled, trudging off.
While he was gone, Miyuki leaned in close, her voice a conspiratorial whisper. "I'll tell Souta to swing by later to pick up his [forgotten item]. You can come alone then. Hehe~♥"
I grinned, giving her a quick, firm pat on her backside. "Is this my reward?"
"Yes~♥ Please, do~♥" she giggled.
With my funding issue sorted, I said my goodbyes to Souta and left his house. There was still too much to do.
---
Three hours later, I'd been all over town, snagging some choice loot:
[Aphrodisiac x2]
[Stamina Booster x3]
[Health Recovery Potion x3]
[Strange Map]
[Pocket Watch (seems broken, though)]
Some of it was weirdly random, but the haul was solid. No, better than solid—it was *insane*. Especially because of *the* item I'd scored.
I glanced at the faint heart-shaped tattoo on the back of my hand, fighting a grin. This wasn't just any trinket. It was the [Tattoo of Rebirth], a literal extra life that'd save me from death once.
Sounds like something out of a fantasy novel, right? In a modern setting, it's downright absurd. But when you've got aphrodisiacs that drive people wild and elixirs popping up in corner stores, the line between reality and fantasy's already blurred.
I'd been shocked when I first found it. Why would something like this exist here? Then it hit me: among the ero-villain's games, there was a fantasy-based Tsukuru RPG. That explained the random magical gear showing up in our world.
*Still, a spare life? That's some crazy luck.*
Anyone who's stared death in the face would get why this was a big deal. I gazed at the tattoo fondly, then realized it was nearly lunchtime. That jogged my memory about a certain promise.
*Oh, right. The shrine.*
I had a lunch date with Tachibana Misaki, the self-proclaimed ghost-seeing loner and star of *Genius Exorcist Misaki ~ The Genius Exorcist Never Submits to Yokai*. Thanks to Miyuki, money wasn't an issue, but more cash never hurt. With that in mind, I grabbed a lunch box—the same delicious one from last time—and headed to the shrine, practically skipping.
---
Not long after I left, a massive crow landed where I'd been crouching. It didn't look like any ordinary bird. It scanned the area, let out a few eerie caws, and then—*poof*—vanished. Not flew away. Vanished, like it was never there.
---
At the convenience store, I snagged my favorite lunch box. "Thank you, come again!" the clerk called as I left, grinning ear to ear. I was halfway to the shrine when I spotted a familiar figure—a high school girl with a ponytail, tanned skin, and an energy that screamed *not your average teen*. She was apologizing profusely to someone, probably her senior at the store.
*Wait... do I know her?*
She felt familiar, like a character from one of the ero-games I'd played. But my brain was coming up blank. *Maybe I'm just mixing her up with some anime trope.* I'd binged too much subculture to trust my memory. Shaking off the unease, I headed to the shrine, lunch box in hand, ready to meet Misaki.
But that nagging feeling wouldn't quit.
---
[■■■■ may contain spoilers for the game content and may be ■■.