Chapter 228: Renka's Humiliation
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 228: Renka's Humiliation
“Haaah...”
Renka sighed, pausing in the middle of washing the dishes.
She’d been doing that for a while now. It seemed the thought of cosplaying had her feeling hopeless.
She was acting like someone wasting away on their deathbed. I walked over to her and spoke.
“Why do you keep sighing? You don’t want to do the cosplay?”
“Of course I don’t...!”
“Should I cancel it? You don’t want to do it?”
“If I say that, you’ll just keep bothering me like you did today.”
“That’s true.”
“...Would it kill you to lie and say no, just for show?”
If I said no, the fish I’d already caught would get away. How could I do that?
I pointed at the rubber gloves on Renka’s trembling hands.
“I’ll finish up here, so you should go eat, Captain.”
“Why are you acting all nice again?”
“Maybe you’re just negative about everything, Captain?”
“Forget it. You’ll just use this as an excuse to make me do something weird. I’ll finish it myself.”
“Come on, what kind of weird thing could I make you do over a few dishes?”
“With you, I’m pretty sure it’s possible.”
My dear Renka... such a conspiracy theorist.
Though she wasn’t entirely wrong.
“Then can I eat first?”
“Who do you think you are, trying to eat first when you’re younger? I’m eating first, so you wait.”
“What’s that? Are you defying me?”
“Defying...? Watch your language...!”
“I think my language is a bit prettier than yours, Captain, considering you curse all the time. We’re leaving together today, right?”
“No.”
“Okay. I’ll be waiting.”
Renka, still not used to my pushy way of talking and clearly annoyed, almost flicked the water from her rubber gloves at me.
But she must have thought that was going too far, because she stopped herself.
When it comes down to it, Renka is a good person.
I should give her a little pat on the butt later.
No, wait. For Renka, it’s not a gentle pat-pat, it’s a firm slap-slap.
“...Do you have an outfit picked out?”
Renka paused her dishwashing and flinched as she asked. A corner of my mouth lifted as I answered.
“Yes.”
“What is it?”
“You’ll have to see for yourself.”
“If it’s slutty or a magical girl outfit, I’m not doing it.”
“The level of exposure is similar to a maid uniform. And it’s not a magical girl.”
“...Really...?”
It was funny how she seemed to accept it just because I said the exposure was similar to a maid uniform.
Did that mean it was within her acceptable range? How perverted.
“You’re not going to put a collar on me again, are you? If you are, I’m not doing it.”
I let out a dry laugh at her follow-up question and looked down at her.
“You already agreed, and now you’re adding conditions... It’s nothing like that this time. But there is something else I’d like you to do for me.”
“What is it?”
“You just have to strike the poses I tell you to.”
“Are you crazy? That wasn’t part of the deal.”
“I said I’d like you to do it. If you do, not only will I stop bothering you, but I’ll treat you even better than I do now.”
“Treating me better? You?”
“Am I not?”
“All you do is enjoy tormenting me! How is that treating me well...? You should have some shame before saying something like that...!”
“Then just do it. It’s my wish.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. I’d rather die.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah.”
Hearing Renka’s firm refusal, I glanced around the cafe.
Did she sense danger in the way I seemed to be checking if there were any customers?
Her eyes darted around, following my gaze, and she asked urgently.
“Wh-what are you planning to do now...?”
“Can’t I just look around?”
“You’re plotting something weird because I said I wouldn’t pose...!”
She’s a regular mind reader. She could start charging for it.
“Stop with the nonsense and go eat.”
“Can’t you see I’m washing the dishes?”
“Then I’ll eat first?”
“I already said no. I’m eating first.”
“But last time you told me to eat first. Why the change?”
“I changed my mind. From now on, I’m always eating first. Show some respect. I’m your senior, and your captain.”
“If you’re going to be so forceful...”
“Forceful what?”
“Hmm...”
When I let out that ‘hmm’—the sound she’s so sensitive to—with a displeased look, she flinched and her eyes shot wide.
“Wh-what...!”
She was trying not to be intimidated, but her face clearly showed how scared she was.
I gave the defiant Renka a look that said ‘how pathetic’ before speaking.
“It’s nothing.”
“...I’m going to eat. Keep up the good work.”
Renka said, finishing the dishes and neatly hanging the rubber gloves on the sink.
The way she said that, she sounded like a wife who runs a business with her husband.
“Okay.”
* * *
I was killing time in the car, talking on the phone with Miyuki and Chinami, when Renka finished work and opened the passenger door. I gave her a wide grin.
“Finished?”
“Yeah.”
She answered coldly and buckled her seatbelt.
I stared at her and asked.
“When would be a good time for the cosplay? On your next day off?”
“No. Let’s do it today. You have the costume ready, right?”
“Wow, you’re really taking the initiative. Were you secretly looking forward to it?”
“What are you talking about...? It’s obvious I just want to get it over with as quickly as possible...!”
“Alright. But today’s a bit difficult.”
“Why?”
“I have some things to prepare. I need to take the costume to the hotel...”
At the word ‘hotel,’ Renka flinched.
“A ho-hotel...? We’re doing it at a hotel?”
“Yes. Where else would we do it? Your place? My place? On the street?”
“W-well, no, but...”
“We did it at a hotel last time, too. Why are you so flustered?”
“...It’s not... I wasn’t flustered. And can’t we just do it today...?”
It seemed there’d been a lot of progress in our relationship between then and now, changing how she felt about the idea of a hotel.
I got the feeling Renka was having lewd thoughts. Was I imagining things?
“Then I’ll see if I can book a room for day use.”
“Day use...?”
“You don’t like day use? Should I book an overnight stay?”
“A-are you crazy? Just book it for day use...!”
“Alright.”
I let out a small laugh at the subtly embarrassed Renka and opened a hotel app.
I went to our usual love hotel on the app and was looking for the concept room I wanted when Renka spoke in a somewhat sharp tone.
“You use this often, huh...? Seeing how skillfully you’re navigating it...”
“Not that often. Why?”
“Nothing... Are you booking the same hotel as last time?”
“That’s right.”
“Th-then get a normal room. Not one of those weird concept rooms...”
“The normal rooms are all booked.”
“Really...? I don’t want that prison-like one. It’s suffocating.”
“Understood. I’ll try to find the most normal room possible.”
Having this conversation felt like we were a couple discussing things right before doing it.
Renka must have had the same thought, because her cheeks flushed and she pressed her lips together, as if she didn’t want to talk anymore.
I chuckled inwardly at her reaction and nodded when I saw the concept room I wanted was available.
Should I make a long-term reservation here, too?
No, that probably won’t be necessary.
I’ll just have her do the reverse bunny cosplay in the prison room.
Deciding to keep things simple, I booked the room for an overnight stay, not day use, and released the car’s parking brake.
Then I looked at Renka, who was giving me a look that said, ‘Tell me what you decided.’
“I’ll drop you home first. Let’s meet in two hours.”
“Two hours...? Isn’t that a bit of an awkward amount of time? What are you going to do until then?”
“I’m going to shower and drop off the costume.”
“Can’t we just drop it off together...?”
“Then you’d see the costume, Captain.”
“Th-the way you say that makes me really nervous...? Suddenly I don’t want to do this anymore...”
I wonder if Renka realized it. Her usual fierce attitude had vanished, replaced by that of a proper lady.
She was like a girlfriend who’s extremely nervous right before spending the first night with her boyfriend.
“I already told you it’s not as revealing as you think. You should go home, shower, and change into something comfortable. I’ll come pick you up.”
“Do we really have to go through all this trouble...? If it’s going to be like this, let’s just do it next time...”
“I already booked the room.”
“...Fine. We’ll do it today.”
“Are you really not going to do the poses?”
“I’m not.”
“But then it won’t feel like a real cosplay.”
“If you want to see that, go subscribe to a professional cosplay team or something. Don’t force it on me.”
“I’m not forcing you.”
“You are for... Eek...? Get away from me!?”
Renka’s grumbling turned into a yelp of fright.
Because I had leaned my upper body right in front of her face.
Was my face slowly approaching hers too much for her to handle?
Renka’s breathing grew heavier.
“What are you doing...! Hey...!”
She was far more flustered than she had been at the cafe this morning.
Pressed up against her in a completely enclosed space where she couldn’t even move properly, she seemed unable to think straight.
As if needing something to hold onto, she gripped her seatbelt tightly. I looked at her face and spoke.
“Do the poses.”
“Wh-why do I have to do poses, too...! We agreed I would just wear it...!”
“Just wearing it seems too plain.”
“That’s your problem...! I don’t care if it’s plain or not... Get back! I said get back...!”
As I moved closer, she pressed herself back until she was practically one with the seat.
I thought the way her chin squished was cute, and I shook my head firmly.
“I’ll back off if you say you’ll do it.”
“Th-this is completely forcing me...! I won’t do it...!”
Staring at Renka, who was adamantly refusing, I narrowed my eyes, placed a hand on the back of her seat, and let my eyes go half-lidded.
Then, I slowly leaned my face toward her lips.
At that, Renka’s expression turned to one of near-horror, and she shouted frantically.
“Wait...! Wait a minute...! Stop right there...!! I’ll report you...!”
“You’ll do it, right?”
“I said no...! I’ll kill you if you come any closer...?”
“Just do it for five seconds, and I won’t do this kind of thing anymore.”
“Why do you keep adding conditions...! I said I don’t want to...!”
“Just five seconds. Then things can be peaceful.”
“What’s there to be peaceful about...! In the first place...”
Tap.
While Renka was arguing against the unreasonable proposal, the tip of her nose and the tip of mine touched ever so slightly.
In that same instant, the focus in Renka’s eyes completely vanished.
It seemed she felt the sensation of our touch.
Unable to withstand any more pressure, Renka’s face trembled.
Then, in a tone of utter desperation, she spoke.
“I-I’ll do it...! I’ll do it! Five seconds...! Just five seconds is all I have to do, right...!?”
To think the always-on-edge Renka could change like this... It was more than just a novel feeling.
And the changes weren’t over yet, which made me look forward to the future even more.
Having gotten what I wanted, I gave her a cool smile and pulled away.
“Haa... haa...”
I glanced at Renka, who was taking deep breaths like someone who had just run a full sprint, then shifted the gear to drive and started the car.