When Makoto left the guest room, Hiratsuka Shizuka's flushed, disheveled appearance still lingered vividly in his mind.
Forgetting it in such a short time was nearly impossible.
Especially since the sultry side she had just revealed was something he had never seen before.
The contrast between her usual self and what he just saw was overwhelming.
She must've been holding back for too long. With Nino's divine power influencing her, even after seeing Makoto, she still couldn't stop herself from reaching out.
In the end, she impulsively kissed him.
Makoto felt her behavior was like a landmine—you don't want to step on it, but once you do, you don't want to move away either.
Under that mental and emotional pressure, she made a decision that betrayed... no, that disgraced herself.
Makoto walked to the sofa and saw Mayu already asleep. He bent down and carefully lifted her up.
At the same time, the guest room door opened. Hiratsuka Shizuka stepped out, her face still flushed red.
She quickly glanced at Makoto, then looked away, awkwardly trying to make small talk. "Mayu's asleep?"
Makoto nodded.
Still avoiding eye contact, Hiratsuka explained, "She only had one beer today, but she's not a drinker, so once the alcohol hit, she fell asleep quickly."
"I figured. Alright, let's head over."
Knowing this was her most awkward moment, Makoto didn't say much. He carried Mayu out the door.
As for her house key, that wasn't a problem.
They had already shared everything with each other—he knew her key was in the inner pocket of her handbag.
They left one after the other. Makoto said nothing the whole way, hoping time would ease Hiratsuka's embarrassment.
But just as he opened Matsukaze's door and was about to help her change shoes, Hiratsuka quietly asked, "Fushimi, I have a question."
"Later," Makoto replied.
She instinctively nodded—then realized just how guilty she felt. The awkwardness deepened.
They had met many times before and even chatted together, but they had never interacted like this: he was calm, while she was timid.
Given their age and roles, the dynamic should've been the reverse.
Hiratsuka knew she looked pathetic, but she had no confidence to push back.
She even thought: earlier, she was down to just a long-sleeved shirt that had ridden up. With the living room lights, Makoto must've seen everything.
So basically, he'd seen her completely.
And she didn't even have the right to be mad about it.
After all, tonight's whole fiasco had been her doing.
And I even messed up his sheets…
Hiratsuka didn't dare imagine what Makoto's mood would be like when he had to clean the guest room.
Makoto carried Mayu into her bedroom. As he placed her on the bed, he noticed her steady breathing suddenly go uneven.
Huh?
She's faking?
No—she must've woken up on the way.
He looked up while picking up the blanket—and sure enough, their eyes met.
She raised a finger to her lips and made a shh gesture.
Makoto glanced at the half-closed door and whispered, "When did you wake up?"
"When you opened the door," Mayu said shyly.
Then, blushing, she tugged on Makoto's sleeve and blinked. "Can you stay for a while?"
Makoto understood immediately.
She wanted more real experience.
But he pointed out the key issue: "Hiratsuka-sensei is staying here too."
"She usually sleeps in the guest room," Mayu replied, her voice getting quieter and quieter.
Clearly, even she felt embarrassed. She was basically negotiating with Makoto on how to "safely devour" him without risk.
"I got it. I'll go grab my shoes first," Makoto said and left the room.
Mayu watched his back, her cheeks growing increasingly red, but the anticipation and excitement in her eyes were impossible to hide.
She had waited so long in the bathroom, and in the end, had to hurriedly take care of things herself, which naturally left her unsatisfied.
Now that she finally had the chance, how could she possibly let it slip by?
Even though Hiratsuka Shizuka was also staying over tonight, which could be risky—
But precisely because of that, Mayu had the same thought Ichika once did: It's even more thrilling this way.
Just as Makoto entered the living room, Hiratsuka Shizuka, sitting on the couch, quickly looked up, her gaze hesitant and conflicted.
"Let's talk about that another time," Makoto offered.
Hiratsuka Shizuka blinked. "Another time?"
"I don't think you're in your clearest state of mind right now."
"Oh, that's true…"
Hiratsuka averted her gaze, her eyes beginning to flicker.
Makoto feigned walking off. "You should take a bath and get a good night's rest. As for that matter, we'll talk about it later."
"Alright."
Hiratsuka agreed.
She also realized her current state wasn't the best.
Her mind was a mess.
And her pants felt cold and clammy.
She really did need a bath.
Just as Makoto was about to disappear from her sight, she suddenly remembered something and couldn't help but ask, "That thing you said earlier… what did you mean by it?"
Makoto paused. "Just what it sounds like."
Hiratsuka rolled her eyes. That's as good as saying nothing at all.
But Makoto was already gone.
Soon after, the sound of the front door closing echoed from that direction.
Hiratsuka didn't bother checking. Given how awkward things had been tonight, she figured he'd have left early.
So she gathered her thoughts and headed to the bathroom.
And just as she stepped into the bedroom, Makoto returned with his shoes in hand.
Hiratsuka would never have dreamed that Mayu had only pretended to be asleep.
And she certainly couldn't have imagined that her best friend had been secretly plotting with someone to figure out how to avoid her.
The bathtub was filled with hot water. Hiratsuka stripped off her clothes, and as she looked at her mature and flawless body in the mirror, she dazed out for a moment.
He definitely saw everything.
What did he think?
And when I kissed him… what was going through his head?
Hiratsuka could feel her heart beating faster.
She knew this wasn't love or infatuation—just a mix of nerves and shame, producing a strange excitement.
Besides, she had technically been interrupted by Makoto earlier.
In other words, she hadn't found release either.
As she sank into the bath and felt the comforting heat wrap around her, she couldn't help but let out a soft sigh.
"Mayu's already asleep. The guest room's mine tonight. That means… no one will come to disturb me…"
She bit her lip, a mature allure gradually rising in her gaze.
And just as that feeling bloomed, the image of the boy who had stood by her bed and locked eyes with her surfaced in her mind again.
In the next second, that familiar heat surged back into her head.
Hiratsuka Shizuka was shocked and embarrassed.
No way…
I just thought about his face for a second, and I'm already this excited?
Did someone put something in my drink tonight?
Great. Now I won't be able to hold back again…
…
Makoto left Mayu's place in the middle of the night.
The next morning, after dropping Ichika off at the school gate, he headed to the editing room.
He estimated that two days would be enough to finish editing.
But for the sake of a little memory, he decided to stretch it to two and a half days.
Yukinoshita-san wasn't around today.
But the elegant lady had been thoughtful enough to arrange meals for him.
From lunch to dinner, everything had been taken care of.
Makoto also messaged his thanks via phone.
He worked non-stop from morning until 5:30 p.m., only then taking a breather.
As he walked home, he thought about which parts still needed dubbing, sipping a [Strong Red Bull] to refresh himself.
Because he was deep in thought, he didn't notice the familiar figures standing outside a bookstore he had just passed.
Yumiko was among them.
"Wasn't that Fushimi-kun just now?" a sharp-eyed girl asked as she spotted him passing by.
Yumiko, who had been checking her new books, immediately looked up in the direction her friend was pointing. Her beautiful eyes lit up.
The others noticed too and teased, "Yumiko, you're so obvious. Are you dating Fushimi-kun or something?"
At the word dating, Yumiko immediately remembered what Makoto had said to her—
Be good. Obey.
If anything, she and Makoto weren't really dating. It was more like a master and…
Stop! That's enough!
Yumiko's cheeks flushed as she quickly shook off those strange thoughts.
"Let's go say hi to Makoto-kun," she said quickly, taking the lead and walking briskly.
Her friends exchanged glances. One of them hesitated and asked, "Why didn't Yumiko answer my question?"
"Come on, just look at how bold she's being. There's no way they're actually dating."
"True, I must've read it wrong… Come on, let's catch up. I want to ask if Fushimi-kun is really Yumiko's photographer."
Everyone quickly agreed.
They were all teenage girls, full of admiration for beautiful things. Yumiko's photos from the other day were incredibly professional and gorgeous.
They had asked her before, but she refused to tell them.
One of the boys in class once casually mentioned that Yumiko had taken some photos at the park and that Makoto helped her.
So many of them suspected that the mysterious photographer Yumiko treasured was likely Makoto.
"Makoto-kun!"
Makoto's thoughts were interrupted by Yumiko's voice. He turned and saw the beautiful blonde girl approaching with a beaming smile.
Four other girls followed, two of whom Makoto vaguely recognized from school.
After the usual greetings, Yumiko eagerly asked, "Just finished working?"
She knew Makoto had been busy editing lately.
"Yeah. I'll need to head back again tomorrow, but I won't have to take time off since there's only a little left."
Makoto noticed Yumiko's friends looking at him eagerly and asked curiously, "What's with those expressions?"
Yumiko glanced back at her friends too.
The girls exchanged looks, seemingly holding a silent discussion with their eyes.
Finally, a short-haired girl hesitantly asked, "Fushimi-kun, have you seen the photos Yumiko posted online?"
Yumiko's heart sank. Oh no, they're trying to steal my exclusive photographer!
"I have. They're really good. They totally capture Yumiko's charm," Makoto said with a smile.
Everyone froze for a moment.
The short-haired girl looked surprised. "Wait, the way you said that… it sounds like you didn't take them?"
"Of course I didn't," Makoto said, even more surprised. "Why would you think that? I'm just a high school student—how would I have that kind of skill?"
The girls went silent, disappointment flashing in their eyes.
Yumiko nearly laughed out loud.
Makoto-kun's acting isn't bad. If I hadn't been the one in those photos, I might've been fooled too.
Relieved her secret was safe, she smiled again and folded her arms, lifting her chin smugly. "I told you all—Makoto-kun isn't my photographer. You didn't believe me."
Her usual confident self returned in an instant.
"Sorry, we shouldn't have doubted you," her friends apologized awkwardly.
Yumiko secretly shot Makoto a happy glance: You're amazing.
Since they hadn't been able to get any info out of Yumiko—and she now said she wanted to speak to Makoto alone—they wisely backed off.
Makoto looked at her bright smile and couldn't help teasing, "You're that worried about me being found out?"
Yumiko lifted her chin proudly like a spoiled girl. "Because you can only be my private photographer…"
Then her cheeks turned red as she lowered her voice. "And I'm your personal model."
Makoto was caught off guard by the sudden change in her tone. "The most obedient kind?"
Yumiko paused, blushing even more, then softly said, "The most obedient kind."
Under the setting sun, the clouds above were dyed a soft orange, as if matching Yumiko's flushed cheeks.
She stared boldly into Makoto's eyes, but the shyness in her gaze was obvious. That blush spread from her cheeks to her ears, finally tinting her fair neck with a warm glow.
Makoto looked at her stunning face and immediately understood her thoughts.
In front of others, she was the same confident girl as always. But in front of him, she became obedient and gentle.
He raised a hand and gently brushed her soft golden hair, whispering, "Good girl, be obedient."
Her eyelashes trembled like a butterfly's wings, her eyes quickly filled with a shy sheen, and her body instinctively leaned forward, that soft, fragrant figure pressing into Makoto's chest.
"Will you take pictures of me today?" Her eyes seemed to burn with a certain fire.
It was as if something had just been switched on.
___
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