Chapter 221: Possession
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 221: Possession
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“Aaaaaaaargh!”
Renka, her face buried deep in her pillow, unleashed a roar that seemed to well up from the very depths of her soul.
She kicked her feet, drumming them against the bed in a frenzy. Once she had calmed down a little, she lay flat on her back.
Taking deep, regular breaths to cool her flushed face, she thought of the little brat who had humiliated her today.
That mischievous face… she would never forget it, even in death.
I’m going crazy…
In the car, Matsuda had been acting so smug that she’d confessed her secret in a fit of anger.
Of course, Matsuda already knew she was into this kind of subculture… but she couldn’t help feeling irritated.
If someone were to ask if she felt relieved, though… she’d have to say just a tiny bit.
A truly, truly tiny bit. Less than a speck of dust.
Vrrrr—!
A vibration came from the phone she’d left by her head.
A bad feeling told her it was Matsuda. Renka cautiously checked her phone.
As expected, the name [Trash Matsuda Ken] was displayed on the screen.
With a deep sigh, Renka hesitated for a moment before pressing the call button.
“What.”
—Just called to see what you’re up to. Admiring your figures?
He was already teasing her.
Was confessing a bad move after all? If only she’d been a little calmer then… She wished she could turn back time.
“Shut up.”
—You’re so consistent. Don’t say such harsh things, it hurts my feelings.
Hurt his feelings? What a load of crap.
From the sound of his voice, it was obvious he was enjoying her insults.
Her face, which had just cooled down, began to flush red and blue again.
“Don’t contact me.”
—No. Do a good job on the opening shift tomorrow. And don’t go talking to any guys without my permission.
This was ridiculous. Was this guy completely insane?
He was on good terms with Chinami, yet he was talking like some boyfriend trying to monitor and possess his girlfriend.
And it was incredibly infuriating.
He enjoyed the attention of female customers, so why was he trying to restrict her?
It was the very definition of unfair. The ultimate selfish human being. It was beyond absurd.
“You’re a total psycho. So if a male customer orders, I’m supposed to just stand there with my mouth shut?”
No, wait, why was she even asking a question like that?
She should be cursing him out and blocking his number.
This made it seem like… she was being obedient to Matsuda.
—I’m telling you to behave yourself.
“Why should I listen to you?”
—Do I have to say it again? You want me to waste my breath?
“Shut up. Die.”
—Say that one more time and you’ll be in for a scolding.
“You think you can scold me? I’m not scared of you at all.”
—Then go ahead and try me.
What was with that confidence?
Was he planning to blackmail her using her hobby as leverage?
It would never work. She wouldn’t be swayed by this wicked villain anymore.
“I’m going to sleep.”
But she couldn’t say it with confidence.
Just hearing Matsuda’s voice seemed to make her timid.
It was a strange phenomenon, to say the least.
—Sleep well.
His voice was unnecessarily pleasant… which just made her more annoyed.
Click.
Renka ended the call without another word. She tried to calm her troubled mind by reciting one of the essential tenets of kendo—a mind of clear mirror, still water.
“Ah, damn it…!”
When that didn’t work at all, she kicked her blanket into the air.
The memories kept flooding back. Matsuda finding her at Comiket, right after she’d wished a passerby who’d asked for directions to “enjoy your fandom life.”
And the part where he saw her figure, and that wicked little kid recognizing her.
I’m so screwed…
Whenever she got involved with Matsuda, her inner peace was shattered to pieces.
She never should have introduced him to the owner in the first place… It was her mistake.
But what could she do? What’s done is done. She had no choice but to face it head-on.
With that thought, Renka opened AniShare to check her notifications.
There were several comments on her recent review of My Girlfriend’s Conditioning Log.
Some people asked if she’d developed a taste for the BDSM genre. Others said her review made them curious enough to check it out and they enjoyed it, while some said they didn’t like it.
Looking over the general reactions, she saw that it was overwhelmingly disliked.
It was unavoidable, given the nature of the genre. People with such sexual tastes were in the minority.
I thought it was fun, though…
She herself had initially been on the side of dislike, like most people. But she’d gotten interested after MK first recommended ‘Master and I,’ and she’d found ‘Girlfriend Conditioning’ quite entertaining.
Anyway, that wasn’t what was important. What was important was MK.
There was a high probability that this guy was Matsuda.
Their initials were the same, they both liked conditioning-themed stories, and even their smug way of talking was similar.
Of course, it wasn’t confirmed yet, but she was 70%… no, more than 80% sure.
If her guess was right, then she had just found an excellent outlet for her anger.
The image of Matsuda, who didn’t know her identity as ‘Run Ino-chan,’ getting cursed out and fuming…
Just imagining it made the corners of her lips curl up. It was a little… no, a lot pathetic, but if it made her feel good, who cared?
Giggling at the thought of a trembling Matsuda, Renka closed the app and shut her eyes.
So much had happened today.
She had to wake up early tomorrow, too… It was early, but it was time to sleep.
That bastard…
Renka mentally unleashed a torrent of curses at Matsuda, trying her best to clear her mind and fall asleep.
* * *
I got out of the car with a long yawn and entered the cafe.
Inside, where a soft ballad was playing, Renka spotted me and scowled fiercely.
“D-Did I do something wrong…?”
The customer who was ordering her drink flinched.
Realizing what she’d just done, Renka quickly bowed her head.
“Ah…! I-I’m so sorry… A strange thought just popped into my head… I’m sorry…”
I found it amusing to see Renka flustered after unintentionally expressing her disgust toward a customer. I clocked in, changed my clothes, and came back out.
As Renka bid farewell to the customer, who was practically fleeing the cafe with her drink, I walked up to her.
“Why are you scowling at a customer like that?”
Did she find my sarcastic tone grating first thing in the morning?
Renka glared at me, her teeth clenched.
“It’s because of you…!”
“I just walked in and you’re already making a scene. Were you keeping your promise?”
“...What promise?”
“I asked if you were behaving yourself.”
“We never made a promise in the first place! You’re the one making a scene…!”
“So you didn’t keep it?”
“Shut up and get to work.”
“You didn’t keep it?”
“I said, get to work.”
Her rebellious streak has gotten stronger.
Well, there’s a way to handle that.
I crossed my arms and stared intently at Renka, whose face was starting to turn red. Then, I uttered a single word I had been planning to save.
“Hmph.”
The reaction was immediate.
Her eyebrows twitched, and she bit down on her lower lip.
After studying my expression, which anyone could see was brewing some mischievous plot, she averted her eyes and meekly confessed.
“There… haven’t been any male customers anyway…”
“And if there were?”
“What do you mean, if there were…! They’re customers…! I have to take their orders…! Are you trying to get me fired?”
“That would be a problem. Fine, I’ll let you take their orders.”
“There’s nothing for you to ‘let me’ do. I’ll just do my job. Am I your possession or something? You’re not making any sense…!”
Well, she’s well aware. I’ll give you a praise sticker for your butt.
“I’m hurt.”
“Whatever. Stop stressing me out.”
“Captain.”
“What, what is it…!”
“Do you hate it when I act like this?”
“Do you even have to ask?”
“I like that I’ve gotten to a point where I can talk like this with you, Captain, especially since you used to hate me so much.”
“Even so, if you selfishly say whatever you want, how do you think the person listening feels?”
She didn’t even notice that I was subtly revealing my interest.
A slave’s most essential virtue is being quick-witted… what a shame.
I hope that when she gets home later, she’ll mull over my words.
“Shall we make a deal, then?”
“A deal…?”
“You don’t like it when I pressure you so relentlessly, right, Captain?”
Renka’s eyes blinked a couple of times.
She seemed flustered by my sudden serious demeanor.
“...Right? Ah, and it’s not that I hate it, it’s just… it’s obvious your goal is to make me angry…”
If you hate it, you hate it. Why is she mincing her words?
A fully conditioned Renka… I love it.
At this point, couldn’t I try for a hug?
With that thought, I gave her a gentle smile and asked.
“Then should I tone it down a bit?”
“...You’ll just do that for me?”
“Of course not. Since I’m being considerate of your position, Captain, wouldn’t it be right for you to show me some goodwill in return?”
At those words, Renka shot me a look that said, I knew it…
“I’d rather die.”
“How do you know what I’m going to ask?”
“It’s obvious. It’s cosplay, isn’t it? You’re definitely planning to humiliate me by making me wear an outfit like that magical girl I saw last time.”
“It’s not a magical girl… but if you really want that, Captain, should we go with it?”
“I said I’m not doing it! And you… if you’re thinking of making Chinami cosplay just because I’m refusing…”
“What do you take me for, trash? Making my master do something like that?”
“You are trash.”
“Can’t argue with that.”
“Wait, hold on… You hold back with Chinami, calling it ‘something like that,’ so why are you… with me…”
“I said that because I’d like it if you did it, Captain. I never had any intention of asking anyone else to wear it.”
Renka’s lips pressed into a thin line.
Was she feeling a bit conflicted because it felt like she was getting special treatment?
Or was she just dumbfounded that I could say something like that so brazenly?
Hoping it was the former, I continued.
“Just do it once, and I won’t say another word about cosplay.”
“There’s no reason for me to do it…”
“Why not? I’ll fix my tone, and I’ll stop bothering you with things like this. Don’t just reject it out of hand; at least think about it a little.”
“...You know you’re a real piece of work, right?”
“I do.”
“You pervert.”
“I know that, too.”
I could have handled this more smoothly by using Renka’s otaku nature.
For instance, by saying I’d keep it a secret from everyone if she cosplayed just once.
But that was basically blackmail, and it would have sent her affection level plummeting.
Of course, this is still semi-coercive, but since Renka is the one making the decision, I see it as a much better option than that kind of threat.
“You’ll think about it, right?”
Did she sense something suspicious in my suddenly gentle tone?
Renka’s eyes narrowed as she stared at me intently.
After a moment, she opened her mouth.
“Are you on drugs or something…?”
“Why would you say that?”
“Well… your attitude keeps changing on a dime… Anyway, thinking… I guess I could… just think about it…”
Getting a positive response like that is a success in itself.
It feels like all my efforts are finally bearing fruit.
I grinned, cheering inwardly.
“That’s good enough. Now, shall we change the subject?”
“What subject?”
“The RZ-78 you bought yesterday, what anime is that figure from?”
“.....”
Renka’s eyes slowly closed and opened again.
The look on her face said, The time has come.
She let out a sharp exhale through her nose, as if steeling herself for what was to come.
“The Mobile Knight series…”
“Oh, I know that one. It’s a really old mecha series, right? Which installment is that character from?”
“The first one… the main character’s unit…”
“Can I see it sometime?”
“Wh-What’s there to see…? You can just look it up on your phone…”
“Really? Alright. But Captain.”
“What now…!”
“Do you remember what you said to me in the club room a while back?”
“What about?”
“You told me not to delude Master with that ‘weird breathing’ stuff. The truth is, you knew exactly what kind of technique it was, but you pretended not to, right? To hide the fact that you’re an otaku?”
“.....”
I could see a cold sweat trickling down Renka’s temple.
Teasing Renka with these nerdy debates from time to time seems like it would be very satisfying.
All the karma she’s built up until now… it’s time to pay it back, right?