Chapter 66
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: 6.18 Love Hotel, Again
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I led Akane out of the rabbit hole.
Unlike when we went in, no one tried to stop us on the way out.
Peace is a wonderful thing. I prefer peace over war myself. Fighting just wears you out.
The staff was one thing, but not a single gambler in the casino paid us any mind.
This level of commotion must be routine around here. Everyone was glued to their own games.
Good for them, looking so happy. Completely oblivious to the dealers cheating them outright.
Sheesh. I should never touch gambling, ever.
"Let me go now."
The moment we surfaced into the sunlight, Akane spoke in a curt tone.
Funny girl.
She'd been trembling like a leaf just a little while ago.
She was still shaking on the inside, even now.
"No way."
I shot back just as curtly.
Right now, I had my arm slung around Akane's shoulders like some street thug shaking her down.
Akane found my clinginess repulsive, but at the same time, she didn't actually want me to let go—and her pride kept her from admitting it outright. She was in that complicated, nuanced headspace.
Women are so complicated. Doesn't living like that just exhaust you?
"If I let you go, you'll just follow some weirdo again."
"Who are you calling a kid?"
"If you're not a kid, then what are you? You go wandering off to places like that. I let you trail after that pretty lady, and look what happened."
"I... I didn't know she was that kind of person."
Akane made a lame excuse.
I smirked and pressed her.
"So what did you think she was? Someone guaranteed to treat you right?"
"...Not really."
"People like that don't exist. Not unless they're your parents."
-Thwack.
Akane shoved my chest irritably at the mention of her parents.
I let myself get pushed away, breaking apart from her easily.
"What... what do you know? What do you know about my parents?!"
Her parents were Akane's sore spot. Poke it lightly, and she'd flare up in seconds.
But I couldn't stand watching her play the tragic loner by herself.
"No idea. I grew up without any parents."
"Ugh...!"
"If I don't even know what my own parents were like, how could I know about yours?"
Akane bit her lip, speechless at my self-deprecating words.
She must have figured arguing further was pointless, because she clamped her mouth shut and turned to walk away.
Akane's inability to retort was amusing enough to make me chuckle.
Self-deprecating jabs like this really are universally effective, transcending borders. It was an invincible shield that even Yuuki's Aegis Rune couldn't match.
"Akane. Shouldn't you at least say thanks for saving you?"
I trailed after her stomping figure, deliberately needling her.
Akane answered irritably without looking back.
"Who asked you to save me?"
"There you go again. What happened to 'Naibusu, help me~!' all that crying and begging?"
"When did I ever?!"
Akane whipped around, demanding an answer as I teased her.
Of course, she hadn't said it out loud. She might not even realize she'd thought it. The Mind Rune could read even her subconscious.
"Hmm, did I mishear?"
I pretended nonchalance, digging in my ear.
Akane glared daggers at me before resuming her march.
I followed right behind again.
"Akane, where you headed?"
"None of your business!"
"Why not? I said I'd take responsibility."
"I don't need it!"
"You sure? You really not gonna make up with Yuuki?"
"Ugh...!"
Akane halted again, bristling at my prodding of her wounds.
"What? You giving up already? Weren't you gonna do whatever it takes to reconcile? Is Akane's love for Yuuki really that shallow? Color me disappointed."
Akane stood frozen, shoulders trembling.
Tears streamed from her turned eyes.
"You... it's you...!"
Rage.
Resentment.
Envy.
Jealousy.
Akane's eyes brimmed with every dark emotion directed at me.
If I couldn't read minds, I'd have thought she held not even a speck of goodwill toward me. Her glare was that ferocious.
Akane believed I'd stolen Yuuki from her. After what she'd seen in that room earlier, it was only natural. From her perspective, I was the ultimate NTR guy.
I'd orchestrated the misunderstanding, sure—but I'd only accepted Yuuki's terms for Akane's sake. Stuck in the middle, I was the one feeling wronged.
I shrugged at Akane as she shed bitter tears.
"No grit, huh, Akane? Giving up after one failure? You didn't really think a single apology would cut it because your screw-up was that minor, did you?"
"Guh...!"
Akane's fist flew at my chest in fury.
-Thwack.
I caught it lightly with my hand.
Her other fist came next, and I grabbed that too.
With both hands restrained, Akane screamed through her tears.
"Then what am I supposed to do?! She won't accept my apology! Won't even hear me out! Yuuki's a girl now! She likes you more than me! What the hell am I supposed to do?!"
Akane sobbed her heart out, venting her pent-up frustration.
I knew the pain of NTR all too well, down to my bones. Akane's despair didn't feel like someone else's problem.
This should be enough, right? Yuuki might even forgive her now.
Akane seemed so pitiful, I almost wanted to take her side without thinking.
Of course, I couldn't force those two to reconcile. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. All I could do was bring Akane to the water's edge.
"Not like you, Akane, to quit so easily. I figured you'd at least show some guts—like stealing me back from Yuuki."
"...What?"
Light returned to Akane's tear-streaked eyes.
Even in her despair, she parsed my words and started calculating rapidly in her head.
1. Steal Naibusu from Yuuki.
2. The enchanted Naibusu loses interest in Yuuki.
3. Yuuki, now robbed of Naibusu, swaps places with Akane and falls into despair.
4. Akane extends a hand to that Yuuki. With Naibusu as the bridge, she rebuilds her bond with Yuuki too.
That was the gist of Akane's reasoning.
A wildly optimistic pipe dream, but to Akane drowning in hopelessness, even this flimsy plan sparkled like salvation.
"What do you think? Worth a shot?"
I grinned to pump her up.
Akane glared at me through watery eyes.
Quit or keep struggling?
It didn't take Akane long to decide.
"...Trash."
All I'd done was show her a path forward.
Talk about unfair.
My second time in a love hotel in this life.
I never imagined both times would be with Akane.
If I'd told the me from just days ago, he'd have laughed it off as insanity.
For starters, Akane had been dead back then. And even when she was alive, we weren't close.
You really never know what life's gonna throw at you.
Akane trailed behind me toward the love hotel, spewing curses nonstop.
"Trash."
"Pervert."
"Beast."
"Demon."
If she hates it that much, she doesn't have to come.
Why follow along while badmouthing me?
Of course, I didn't just take it lying down.
"Says the fellow trash."
"Don't like it? Go home."
"Who said you could tag along?"
"Maybe I should just ditch you."
We bickered like kids all the way into the love hotel.
The air in a love hotel somehow felt lewd in itself.
Akane fell silent the moment we stepped inside, overwhelmed by the atmosphere.
Even I felt a different tension than last time.
Truth be told, I hadn't planned on doing anything like that before. I'd just picked the love hotel as a quiet, safe spot.
We checked in at the unmanned counter.
I booked an overnight stay to be safe. I'd already texted big sis that I was hanging out with Akane. Should be fine coming home late.
After checking in, Akane quietly followed as I led the way to the room.
Akane's mind was a mess.
She still felt self-loathing at having to do this with me, the guy she hated.
But she'd come to accept reality, at least somewhat.
Good, she was thinking pragmatically.
If there'd been no hope of reconciling with Yuuki, Akane wouldn't have followed. She'd have chosen death on the spot.
But I'd dangled a sliver of hope, so she chose to live. Who knows how it'll play out... Guess I'll improvise as we go. Yuuki might change her mind too.
"...You go first."
Akane spoke as we entered the room, head turned away—clearly avoiding eye contact.
But I had no intention of yielding even an inch.
"I like you just like this."
"Wash up. You're gross."
"Fine. Then we'll wash together."
"No!"
The more she says no, the more I wanna do it.
I grinned lecherously.
"This no, that no. You even planning to do it?"
"Urk."
Akane gritted her teeth.
For her scheme to work, she needed my full cooperation.
Without it, she couldn't fulfill step 2: the enchanted Naibusu ignoring Yuuki.
"Come on, let's wash together. We did when we were kids, right?"
"When did we?!"
"Huh? We didn't? Well, doesn't matter. We've seen it all anyway."
"W-Wait...!"
I pushed Akane's back, herding her into the bathroom.
She resisted at first, but once we were there, she grumbled in resignation and accepted it.
A love hotel bathroom feels different from a home one. There's an inherent lewd vibe. The tub, the showerhead, even the toilet—it's all designed for that purpose, after all.
"What're you waiting for? Strip."
I started undressing first.
But Akane hesitated. Stripping naked in bright light—and in front of me, no less—gave her intense revulsion.
"What, scared? Makes sense. You cried from the pain last time."
"Ugh...!"
Akane shot me a terrifying glare at my taunt.
Provoking her was child's play.
Just bruise her pride a little. Strip away her ego, and you're left with a corpse. She already was one, technically.
Fuming, Akane steeled herself and began undressing.
"Whew~ Cute as ever, Akane."
Unlike last time, she was wearing proper underwear this time. Adorable white set, top and bottom.
Purity white, huh? Even though her purity's long gone. Does it mean her heart's still pure? Deep philosophy there. Kinda tugs at me.
I snuck up behind her in her undies and hugged her.
"Hands off."
"What's wrong? We're gonna do it all anyway."
Akane shoved me off as I stuck to her like glue.
But I maximized skin contact anyway.
Last time, I'd rushed things in the heat of long-overdue sex. It hurt her, and I didn't enjoy it fully either.
To avoid repeating that flop, I planned to lavish her with foreplay today. Make sure Akane enjoyed it too. That's why I'd booked extra time.
"I'll take your underwear off, Akane."
I stroked her breasts from bottom to top, unhooking her bra.
Soft and squishy body, smooth silky skin.
Girls' bodies really are the best. Especially the artistic bounce of those perky tits.
My dick had swelled in anticipation while massaging Yuuki earlier.
It'd deflated in neglect since, but touching Akane revived it. Now it stood rigid, ready for mating.
My erection pressed against Akane's smooth back. She scrunched her prim face to its limit.
"Annoying. Disgusting."
She's rejecting me like this now.
But soon enough, even Akane will learn a woman's pleasure.
I'll make sure of it.