Mutsumi was still smiling, though the smile was so slight it was almost invisible.
Only she knew that this was the first time in her life she had smiled so happily and freely.
Besides Sakiko, who had grown up alongside her, she now had another friend who understood her.
That friend was Makoto.
Mutsumi naturally spoke up for him.
"It's probably that Kitano-san respects you and doesn't want to do anything that might annoy you."
"Or maybe the two of you have some kind of agreement, and that's why he chose to stay polite?"
Only then did Sakiko remember what Makoto had said.
Once he saved her, he would be willing to do anything she wanted.
So was the crisis over her actually resolved at this point?
She still had 3 Fate Value.
Once midnight passed it would drop to 2, but she had still barely escaped today's death curse.
Still, having 48 hours of life left hardly counted as solving the problem.
Everything would depend on the mission results after they entered the One Piece world.
That left Sakiko tangled up in indecision.
She really wanted a thorough release of emotion with Makoto.
She wanted Rainbow Happiness to spill out around them and last until dawn.
But if she really did that, would Makoto sense that her confidence was lacking and end up upset?
In other words, Sakiko wanted to leave no regrets, but she also did not want to make Makoto break his word.
She agonized in that awkward state for more than ten minutes.
Then she heard Makoto's door open, and she shot back into her own room like a blur.
"It looks like you've made your decision, Sakiko. See you tomorrow?"
Mutsumi was lying on her side against the pillow, her gaze already a little unfocused.
Sakiko nodded and hung up.
But she did not obediently get into bed.
Instead she pressed her ear to the door and listened carefully for any sound from Makoto.
She had already made up her mind.
If Makoto invited her over, she would... after a minute of agonizing, she would agree.
What she had never expected was this.
Makoto only came to her door, said good night, and went back to his own room.
Hearing that crisp sound of the door opening and closing, Sakiko's expectant eyes dimmed.
She threw herself onto the bed wanting to fall asleep, but she could not accept it.
Wearing only white lace underwear, she tossed and turned until midnight.
Only after watching her Fate Value drop from 3 to 2 did she finally make up her mind.
She bit her lip lightly and crept to Makoto's door.
She tested the handle, and the door was not locked.
In the moonlight, Makoto's breathing was already slow and even, which let her finally relax.
She walked to the bed step by step and poked his cheek with a finger.
After confirming he had no reaction, her pale fingers slid down to her waist and untied the sash of her sleepwear.
Skin whiter and smoother than the moonlight was revealed.
Then she lifted the blanket and slipped in without a sound, curling up behind Makoto.
She barely dared to breathe, afraid that he would notice her.
But compared to how careful her movements were, the act itself could no longer be called merely bold.
It was closer to wanting to entrust everything she had to him right then.
What Sakiko did not know was that the moment she touched him, Makoto had already opened his eyes.
With his current physical ability and the Tailed Beast inside him, that was impossible.
No one could catch him off guard in his sleep anymore.
He was only curious how far Sakiko would go.
Now the answer was clear.
Sakiko slowly grew bolder, her body relaxing, her arms sliding around his waist.
Her soft, smooth skin pressed against his back.
In that moment, Makoto knew he could not hold back any longer.
He was not an impatient person. He was, in fact, quite self-disciplined.
He had given Sakiko the chance and kept his distance, but she had made her own choice.
Sakiko sensed it too.
Makoto's heartbeat and body temperature were climbing fast, and her own body burned along with them.
She knew that if she jumped off the bed now she still had a chance to run.
In the end, she chose to kiss his earlobe softly.
"Hold me."
…
How much time passed, or how many times, she could not say.
Sakiko fell into a deep sleep in Makoto's arms.
He stroked her smooth back gently, still feeling as if a lifetime had passed.
Was this a beginning, or was it a kind of ending?
Fortunately he did not need to answer that question now, or even for a long time to come.
By the time Sakiko woke up, it was already 10 a.m. the next day.
She felt the burning ache all over her body, and her mind went blank for a moment.
Only when the phone rang did she snap out of that sweet, feverish dream, and she hurried to pick it up.
"Ah, sorry, I... cough, I'm not feeling well, so I won't be joining today's itinerary. Don't worry, I won't ask for a refund on the guide fee. That's all..."
After hanging up on the guide, Sakiko let out a long breath.
She glanced at the hickeys on her chest, and her face went so red it looked about to drip blood.
Yet compared to how she was melting with embarrassment, she was startled to find not a trace of regret in her heart.
Instead there was a faint, hidden joy like that of a victor.
It hid certain dark thoughts she did not want to admit to.
So she simply pretended that feeling did not exist.
Just as she was enduring the discomfort and about to get dressed, Makoto opened the door and walked in.
Sakiko hurriedly covered herself with the lace-trimmed underwear.
"Why, why didn't you knock! And hurry up and get out, I need to change!"
Instead of coming in, Makoto stepped back.
Under her murderous glare, he patted her head.
"Let's go straight to Main God Space. I'll heal you there, so you won't have to feel the pain."
Sakiko shot him a glare.
"So you do know I'd be in pain?"
Makoto raised his arm and showed the seven or eight bite marks on it.
"I was in pain too, you know!"
Sakiko covered her face with both hands, unable to look.
Her body quickly vanished in front of him, clearly already entering Main God Space.
Makoto did the same at once.
He went to his own room, then went out to find the number of Sakiko's room.
After he knocked, the door opened, and Sakiko stood there changed into a red long dress.
She seemed to have recovered her proper, ladylike poise.
But the way her body trembled now and then, and the plum blossom marks on her neck, gave away her true state.
"Come in. How are you going to treat me?"
Sakiko led Makoto over to sit on the sofa.
Her room had only the most basic furnishings, so once they sat down the two of them were almost pressed together.
"Through Reverse Cursed Technique, obviously... Come on, take off your clothes and I'll heal you bit by bit."
Sakiko bristled at once, wrapping her arms around herself and hissing.
"Wh-what kind of nonsense are you saying, this is Main God Space!"
Makoto shrugged.
"I can only use my abilities here... Or is it that you don't want to undress? Then I can't see where it hurts, and there's no way for me to treat you."
In truth, though he could not see, a single touch would tell him exactly where she was hurting.
What he had not lied about was that he really could not use Reverse Cursed Technique through clothing.
Reverse Cursed Technique itself consumed a great deal of Cursed Energy.
Healing someone else was only half as efficient as healing himself.
So treating her through her clothes would cost far more than it was worth.
Besides, given where their relationship stood now, that was hardly necessary.
Sakiko stared at him for a few seconds and was finally convinced.
By the time he finished healing her and brought her to Yukino's room, it was already 11 a.m.
"You're here."
Seeing the two of them come through the door, the delight on Yukino's face stiffened for an instant.
She could see nothing unusual in either of their faces or bodies.
But a girl's intuition told her that something had definitely happened between them last night.
A hollow feeling rose in her heart at once.
For a moment she even doubted whether all her effort to help Makoto and Sakiko had been worth it.
But she threw that thought out of her head right away.
The reason was simple. She had already decided to show Makoto her true self.
Her truest side had even taken the form of Shinigami power and been stored in his soul.
That was an unbreakable bond between them.
So Yukino immediately took out two scrolls and waved them over to sit.
"I have two missions here. Take a look and see which one you want to pick."
Makoto opened both mission scrolls and glanced at the contents, his brows knitting unconsciously.
The two missions could hardly have been more different.
"The first mission is to bring in newcomers in the One Piece world. You'll have five newcomers as teammates. If you successfully bring all of them back, the two of you will receive 5 Fate Value between you, plus mission tokens and Mission Points."
"You can give all of that Fate Value to Sakiko. That's a fairly stable approach."
"However, since you also have to complete your trial mission at the same time, Kitano-kun, you'll most likely run into some kind of powerful danger. Still, I believe your strength gives you a good chance of pulling it off."
Makoto did not rush to decide. He looked at the second mission instead.
Yukino explained accordingly.
"The second mission is far more dangerous. It's a battlefield survival mission."
"We don't know which major battlefield of the One Piece world you'd be sent into, but the battlefield starts with ten players set against each other, and after you kill someone, their loot won't be flagged as a Red Name drop. Normally Veterans each carry three to five Fate Value, so the rewards from this mission would be considerable, but..."
Yukino's expression turned serious.
"If you accept this mission, it means killing for pure profit. Can you accept that?"
Makoto looked at her, thinking of her principle against killing indiscriminately.
Yukino raised a hand.
"You don't need to worry about me, Makoto-kun. Battlefield missions have always been set up this way. Anyone who dares to join one has already accepted that they might be killed."
"The only problem is that because you have a rank-up mission to do, Makoto-kun, the situation on the battlefield will become unpredictable. No one can guarantee what will happen in there."
Makoto did not answer right away. He looked at Sakiko instead.
Sakiko's eyes kept drifting back and forth between the two missions.
Choosing the newcomer reception mission looked simple, but bringing all five newcomers back at once was not easy.
Losing even one newcomer meant losing the Fate Value reward, since that was a bonus for a perfect clear.
She had no room for error left.
This time she had to come back with enough Fate Value.
By comparison, the other mission was dangerous.
But as long as she came back alive, with her strength she could bring back at least some Fate Value.
Just as Sakiko was about to make her decision, Makoto spoke up.
"Let's take the newcomers mission."
Sakiko was startled, but Makoto squeezed her hand.
"Trust me."
Sakiko was silent for a second, then her face broke into a smile.
She did not know where his confidence came from, but she chose to believe him.
Watching the two of them trust each other so completely, a sharp sourness welled up in Yukino's heart.
Yet it only hardened her resolve to keep strengthening the trust between herself and Makoto.
The scene in front of her proved she had not misjudged him back then.
"Then the two of you should get ready to begin."
Makoto and Sakiko began at once.
Sakiko invited Makoto to team up, then took out the newcomer mission scroll.
Makoto produced the One Piece World Designation Card, and the two of them used it together.
The next second, the scenery in front of them changed.
When Makoto opened his eyes, a pair of beautiful orange eyes was right in front of him.
They were studying him with open curiosity.
…
[Author's note: The following is a small side scene.]
"My name is Kitano Makoto. I'm a hopeless Level 0 in Academy City, and I've decided to latch onto a rich woman."
After several days of lying in wait, Makoto finally found Shokuhou Misaki.
She had come here to attempt a kind of spiritual suicide.
The still-slender Misaki sat forlornly on the lawn.
She slowly raised the remote in her hand and pointed it at her own forehead.
But before she could make up her mind, Makoto's voice rang out.
"Hello, could we be friends?"
Misaki looked up and saw a clean, handsome face.
A gentle smile hung at the corners of his mouth, but she did not need her ability to see that it was a false mask meant to please others.
She was tired. She did not want to look at things like that anymore.
So she aimed the remote at Makoto and pressed it lightly.
His memories of that entire day were wiped in an instant.
Just when Misaki thought she had sent him on his way, his voice sounded again.
His smile seemed a shade clearer than before.
"Hello, Miss Shokuhou Misaki. Could we be friends?"
Misaki stared at him with wide eyes.
Her first reaction was that this was an assassin sent by some organization to attack her.
Without hesitation she pressed the remote at him again, erasing every memory he had of her.
Now he surely could not keep pestering her, could he?
Unfortunately Makoto only scratched his head in confusion.
The instant he saw her, the name slipped out. "Shokuhou Misaki?"
"Something's wrong... you didn't use your esper power on me, did you?"
Misaki's face went pale. She used her ability on him once more.
This time she was going to see exactly what was inside his head!
…