Chapter 237: Midwinter Heat
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 237: Midwinter Heat
Renka hesitated as she looked at the store planted squarely in the center of Akihabara.
“Why on earth are we here...?”
She looked like she’d been dragged here against her will.
If she had come alone, she would have been grinning from ear to ear, but she was probably acting this way because she couldn't geek out in peace with me around.
I grinned at Renka and said, “You’ve already been found out, so how about you drop the act?”
“It’s not an act... There’s just no reason for us to be here...”
“There is. There’s a figure I want to buy.”
“Well then... I guess we can go in.”
“Aren’t you going to ask what kind of figure?”
“There’s no reason to ask... I’ll find out eventually anyway...”
“That’s true. Let’s go.”
With that, I entered the store with Renka and browsed the various characters in the SD figure section.
Then, I spotted a famous character from a manga I’d recently read in the middle of a display shelf and was about to call an employee to ask for a new one.
Just then, Renka stopped me, her tone reluctant.
“I don’t think you should buy that one...”
“Why not?”
“The figure manufacturer is a bit... That company is notorious for its terrible build quality and finish...”
“Oh, really? Could it break somewhere if I buy it?”
“Quite a few people have had that happen. There’s a reason it’s not selling well. And it’s not like there aren’t alternatives, so you’d be better off looking for one from a different company...”
As expected of a specialist in the field.
I almost threw my money down the drain.
“Then why don’t you recommend one, Captain?”
“...Isn’t it normal to say thank you first? Why are you so difficult?”
“You don’t thank me either, Captain.”
“So what, is this your revenge or something?”
“I’m kidding. Thank you.”
I cooed and patted Renka on the back as if calming a child, and she glared daggers at me.
“Do you want to die...!? Stop it...!”
“Why? I’m praising you.”
“I said, stop it...!”
Renka twisted her whole body, rejecting my touch.
She was like a girlfriend pouting after a fight and refusing any physical contact.
Perhaps not wanting to cause a scene in a crowded place, she tried to dodge my hand as discreetly as possible. But as I kept trying, she eventually let out a sigh and relaxed her body.
I gave the resigned Renka a satisfied smile and said, “Wouldn’t it have been nice if you’d just stayed still from the beginning?”
“Trash.”
“Aren’t you hungry?”
“No.”
“Aren’t you going to buy any figures, Captain?”
“I don’t have any money.”
“Should I buy you one?”
“Shut up.”
“If you don’t want one, fine.”
Stroking the prickly Renka’s back, I looked at the various figures with her.
Renka, who had been showing her displeasure, had at some point relaxed her expression and was now looking at the display shelves.
She looked like there were many things she wanted to buy. I figured she’d come running straight here as soon as she got her part-time paycheck.
“What manga is that robot from?”
“It’s not from a manga. It’s a mech from an original TV anime series.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. It’s not very good, but the mech design is slick, so there’s some demand for it.”
“What about that robot over there?”
“That’s from a sci-fi, mecha light novel. It’s a classic, but it’s still incredibly popular. It’s been adapted into a comic and an anime, of course, but also a movie and a game.”
It was funny how she answered all my questions without a hint of hesitation.
Had she let her guard down a little? Or was she so focused on the figures that her inner otaku was unintentionally showing?
Either way, it was a good look.
“Are you done looking? Shall we go to the adult manga section?”
“...Do I have to go too? Can’t you just go by yourself?”
“What good is a slave who’s separated from her master?”
“I’d appreciate it if you’d cut the crap.”
She scoffed, as if she’d grown immune to the word “master.”
Together with her, I went up to the floor lined with adult manga.
“What are you planning to buy? The second volume of that Asagao-san thing isn’t out yet.”
Renka asked as she followed me in silence.
She couldn’t bring herself to look at the explicit covers. She seemed embarrassed.
“I’m just looking.”
“What kind of genre are you looking for...?”
“The training genre.”
“...Training genre?”
“Yep.”
“Didn’t you say you were looking for the training genre last time, too...? You have a very consistent taste, huh...?”
“I suppose so.”
“What are you going to do after reading it...?”
What do you think? I’m going to try out the various scenarios from it on you.
Sensing a strange vibe, Renka averted her eyes. I watched her for a moment before answering.
“What do you mean, what am I going to do? I’m reading it because it’s my preference.”
Did she have a premonition of the future?
Renka squeezed her eyes shut, and when she opened them, her expression had turned venomous.
I could see her will to never be broken, but we’ll see if that goes your way.
I grinned, baring my teeth at her, and pointed to a book on one of the shelves.
“This one looks interesting.”
The book was titled [How the Princess-Turned-Slave Survives].
The cover featured a beautiful, blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman in a dress, sticking her tongue out.
Seeing the explicit illustration, Renka’s Adam’s apple bobbed noticeably.
“Are you going to buy it...?”
“I’m thinking about it. Want me to lend it to you when I’m done?”
“No...?”
“Then are we going to read it together?”
“Wh-What are you talking about...! How on earth could you interpret what I said to mean that...?”
“Fine, if you say so.”
Shrugging as if it were no big deal, I picked up the book and went to the counter.
Meanwhile, Renka was already getting ready to go down the stairs.
I guess she couldn’t bear the thought of checking out together.
Chuckling at Renka’s shyness, I finished paying and grabbed the wrist of the girl who was trying to walk away from me.
Then, as she jumped in surprise, I half-forced her to my side.
“I-I’ll match my own pace, so just let go of this...!”
Listening to her half-hearted protest, I walked out of the store with her.
Afterward, we wandered the streets looking for a place to eat and found a modern sandwich shop, so we went there.
“What would you like to have?”
“...A ham and cheese panini.”
“And to drink?”
“A strawberry latte.”
She must have been really hungry. I thought she’d be stubborn and say she wasn’t eating, but she answered meekly.
And her menu choice was incredibly cute.
Instead of something with a chic image like coffee or tea, she chose things Chinami would have picked, giving me the impression that she had a bit of a kid’s palate.
Renka must have had a similar thought, because a blush crept onto her face.
I let out a laugh at Renka, who was feeling guilty for no reason, but I didn’t tease her and ordered my own food to go.
Renka, who had waited until I finished ordering, asked with a puzzled look.
“Why are you getting it to go? Aren’t you eating here?”
“I was thinking we could eat while walking around.”
“Oh, really...?”
“What? You don’t like that?”
“I never said I didn’t like it...”
“Then it’s settled.”
Finishing my sentence, I tried to grab Renka’s wrist like before.
But Renka, who seemed to have anticipated my move, quickly lifted her arm, and I missed.
She’s unnecessarily sharp when it comes to things like this.
I clicked my tongue in disappointment and clenched my teeth as I watched the successful escapee, Renka, snort in triumph.
It was funny how proud she was over something so trivial.
At this rate, I wonder if I’m going to end up falling head over heels for Renka.
* * *
“Let me have a bite of your panini.”
As we were walking, I pointed at the panini Renka was eating. She readily tried to tear off a piece from the side her mouth hadn’t touched.
I frowned slightly and continued, “Don’t go through the trouble. Just give me the whole thing. I’ll just have one bite.”
“...No.”
“Why? Because you’re worried about my saliva getting on it?”
“There’s that, but you also look like you’ll say ‘one bite’ and then gobble up more than half of it.”
“Is ‘gobble up’ any way to speak to your master? Can’t you speak nicely?”
“.....”
Renka ignored me with a sullen face and tore off a bite-sized piece of the panini to give to me.
She’s so prickly on the outside, but so gentle on the inside.
Bickering with Renka, I wandered the streets, looking at and enjoying various things. When it got quite late, we returned to the car.
“Today was fun.”
“Yeah.”
“How was it for you, Captain?”
“Me? Well... it was okay.”
“I’ll finish the manga I bought today by the day after tomorrow and lend it to you.”
“Y-You don’t need to lend it to me...?”
“You want to read it.”
“No...! I don’t want to read it...!”
“Really? Then I’ll read it by myself?”
“Do whatever you want...”
Even her mumbling is cute. Makes me want to kiss her.
Chuckling, I cleaned my hands with a wet wipe from the car, took a blueberry-flavored candy from the glove box, unwrapped it, and brought it close to Renka’s lips.
“Here, today’s candy.”
“...I don’t want to eat it...”
“Eat it.”
“Then just give it to me. I’ll eat it myself...”
“My arm is starting to hurt, so hurry up and eat.”
“.....”
She hesitated, her eyes darting between the candy and me. Then, as if not wanting to give me an excuse to nag her, she carefully opened her mouth and took the candy I offered.
Then she quickly shut her lips, preventing me from sticking my finger inside.
There are plenty of ways to have an erotic moment even if she does that... Such a pointless gesture.
I smirked at Renka’s timid rebellion, brought my thumb to her lips, and pressed down firmly as I swiped it to the side.
“Eup...!?”
Renka’s eyes widened at my unexpected action.
Feeling the plump, springy texture of her lips against my finger, I said, “You were a good, pretty girl today, Captain. Well done.”
I praised her in a gentle tone, removed my thumb, and then gently cupped her jaw.
Her face was so small that her slender jaw almost fit completely in my hand.
Like that, I gently stroked the area where her neck and jawline met. She cursed at me in a trembling voice.
“Y-You psycho...! What are you doing all of a sudden...!”
“Your lip tint didn’t smudge.”
“That’s not the point...! Why are you doing this to me...”
“Quiet. Let’s go see a movie together after work tomorrow.”
“N-No...! I don’t want to...!”
“This isn’t a request.”
“.....”
“Clear your schedule for tomorrow. Got it?”
When I lowered my voice as much as possible and urged her again with a serious expression, I could see Renka’s eyes darting around.
It felt like one more little push would do it.
“Got it?”
“.....”
“Answer me.”
“F-Fine... I’ll clear it... I’ll clear it, okay...? So just let go of your hand...”
She could have pushed my hand away herself, but she didn’t.
I couldn’t tell if she liked the touch, if she was staying still out of fear of retaliation, or if it was both...
But seeing as she wasn’t reacting strongly to this sudden contact, I knew one thing for sure: she was ripe for the picking.
I’ll have to make a move at the movie theater tomorrow.
I should book a movie that won’t have many people.
Having made my decision, I gave Renka’s long neck one last stroke before letting go.
Then, after a quick glance at Renka, who was trying to even out her somewhat ragged breathing, I started the car.