Chapter 188 - Following Instinct
Her face looking as if it might start steaming at any moment, Rio watches my every move.She's panting with a sound that's gone beyond "huff huff" and is now closer to "heh heh."It's a terrible, shameful display that can only be described as a bitch in heat.
"...I'll take mine off too."
Whispering in a breathy voice, Rio smoothly removes her tie. Then, she vigorously shrugs off her blazer.The moment the cloth hit the sofa, a soft gust of air swirled.The girl's body odor and the scent of rain tickle my nostrils. The rising smell of debauchery even gives me a sensation like dizziness upon standing.
...That Rio, her clothes still seem to be half-dry. The see-through bra persists stubbornly.
Just as I was about to say, "You don't need to take off your top. That's more arousing anyway," I regained my composure.
—No good.Certainly, Rio is cute. She likes me, and she's even legally become my fiancée.
But doing ecchi things in a karaoke box is somehow wrong.After all, I spotted what looks like a security camera in the corner of the ceiling.That upside-down black dome is definitely not a sprinkler.
"Rio, Rio. This place is no good. There's a camera."
"...What's the big deal? Let's just show them."
"It's not good. ...And besides, even though we're engaged, I think we should keep things platonic until you're an adult."
"Huh?"
Rio stops acting like an idol and reverts to her natural delinquent speech.
"...Are you serious...? A-After coming this far, you're trying to stop just short...?"
"It's the usual pattern. Accept it."
"No way! Absolutely not! Nakamoto-san, you always do this! Are you going to run away again!?"
"I'm not running away, it's an honorable retreat because I truly cherish you!"
"Isn't that running away!? If you're going to call yourself a producer, then properly produce my lower half too! Get deep in my belly and onto the Oricon charts!"
"...That's not allowed... It's hard for me too!"
After undoing all the buttons on her dress shirt, Rio climbed onto my lap.A posture as if straddling me with both legs—the so-called "station bento" style.
"Even if Nakamoto-san doesn't want to, it doesn't matter. I'm already in the mood. So I'll just force myself on you."
"...Stop it. I'll get seriously angry."
"Sorry, but my head is completely full of egg cells right now. I'm not letting you go home today until you knock me up."
"Riho wouldn't say something like that!"
"Forget Riho, humanity wouldn't say something like that! What are you making a girl say!? It's your fault, Nakamoto-san!?"
"...It's my fault?"
That's right, Rio says with a cruel smile.
"It's Nakamoto-san's fault for making me go into heat. I can tell myself that I'm producing a crazy amount of female hormones right now. At this rate, my brain might start menstruating."
"...My dam of male hormones has burst too... Because of your scent and feel, I'm completely in reproductive mode. But isn't suppressing that with reason what makes us human? Doing it while being watched by a camera isn't human."
"I don't need to be human. Being a beast is fine."
Eyes clouded with corruption, lips glistening slickly.If I'm pressed like this by a face so similar to Elsa's, I might really cross the line.But, I'm an adult. I have a position to uphold.So—
"Anyway, a place with a camera is no good."
"You're still saying that...!?"
"...Let's find a place without cameras, and where Angelica and the others aren't around."
"So you're running away aga—huh? Are you getting on board with this?"
I couldn't win.I was a weak adult.
"Also, button up your dress shirt properly. Your chest isn't crazy huge, so even if you try to emphasize your cleavage, it doesn't hit that hard. That's Angelica's and Ayako-chan's department, right? A girl with a figure like Rio's should rather reduce upper body exposure and specialize in the peek-a-boo of collarbones and see-through bras. But you should take off your skirt. That's probably the most suggestive."
"I'm learning a lot."
"You look slender, but you've got surprisingly good flesh around your hips. If you're going to expose something, make it your lower half. Don't forget that."
"Hmm. I was always opening my chest buttons and pressing Nakamoto-san, but it didn't mean much, huh?"
"It's not that it meant nothing. Rather, it was working to some extent, but the point is it wasn't your strongest asset."
"I see... The pro at devouring teens really does talk differently."
Straddling me, Rio diligently buttons up her chest.
"Is this good?"
"Perfect. You got ten times cuter."
"Ehehe... Ah, I should take off my skirt, right?"
"That's for after we get somewhere without cameras."
Talking about which parts of Rio are the most erotic, we left the karaoke box.It's a conversation decadent to the extreme, explaining right in front of her, "This part of you is lewd."
"So, you see, for you, it's your butt, thighs, and hair. Your potential is concentrated in these three sacred treasures, so you don't need to worry about your chest that much."
"I see... I wasn't conscious of my hair, so that's a real eye-opener."
"Guys are weak to the motion of a girl sweeping up or tying her long hair. I'm the same. For example, look, when Ayako-chan stands in the kitchen, she starts holding a hair tie in her mouth and tying back her hair, right? When that starts, I always make sure to stare intently."
"Can you tell me more about that?"
"Hm? You want to use it as reference?"
"No, not that. I thought I'd have you tell me just how much you follow Ayako with your eyes in a day."
"...Let's just hurry to a love hotel."
"I've been wondering for a while now, but why do you only use 'you' (T/N: The Japanese word used here, '君' (kimi), is a more intimate or condescending second-person pronoun compared to the more formal 'あなた' (anata) or 'お前' (omae) he uses for others.) for Ayako? What is that girl to you, Nakamoto-san? Is she your absolute favorite, by any chance?"
"It's just that she's kind of scary, so I treat her gently... There's no ulterior motive... really... Let's go to a love hotel? Okay?"
As for who my absolute favorite is, I don't really know myself.In terms of face, Rio is my top preference, but for tolerance, Angelica is number one, and regarding bust, Ayako-chan is right on the mark, and Philia is good at urinating. Excluding Erin who turned into a cat, they all possess different charms.
Muttering that it's hard to compare them, I press onward and enter a back alley.If you ask why I chose such a path, it was probably because I had something shady to hide.
—That was a mistake.
"?"
It was when we passed a bar with its shutters still down.A figure appeared, swaying, from up ahead.
It was a man.
"It's your fault I'm it's your fault I'm it's your fault I'm it's your fault I'm"
A face I've seen somewhere before. ...It's the groper from this morning.I overheard his exchange with Emily, but in the end, this man prostrated himself, and it was supposed to be settled out of court.In exchange, his workplace wouldn't be informed.He was released on those terms, but...
Can a human being change and fall this far in such a short time?Even though he had a face full of confidence this morning, he's completely haggard now.
"What is it? Come to think of it, it seems like your home was contacted. Did your wife bring up divorce or something?"
"..."
"Don't tell me I hit the nail on the head?"
"GOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
Almost at the exact same moment I asked, the man charged at us.He's gripping a kitchen knife in his hand. With a stance held at his hip, I could feel clear murderous intent.If you're ambushed by a person wielding a blade, even an expert won't get away unscathed. ...If they're just a normal human, that is.
"Pathetic."
I extended my left hand to the side, as if shielding Rio.My right hand, I thrust straight forward. Boldly, into the position to take a direct hit from the blade's tip.
"Just diiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiie!"
Clang!A metallic sound rings out. A hard impact sound impossible for human skin.I sensed Rio holding her breath right next to my ear. The man, with a dumbfounded look, is staring at the blade's tip.At the blade's tip, now chipped.
"What a waste. It looks pretty expensive, but it's broken now, huh."
Right now, my strength is lowered due to Ayako-chan's debuff, but my durability and agility haven't been adjusted at all.My skin is harder than diamond, so a store-bought kitchen knife probably wouldn't leave a scratch.
"...Huh? ...Huh? Why...? Why won't you die? Is this a dream? A dream? A dream?"
I pluck the kitchen knife from the man's arm, as if it were nothing.
"They say 'even a blunt object can be a weapon.' It's dangerous, so I'll dispose of it."
I casually shove the chipped point of the blade into my mouth.Glaring at the dumbstruck man, I crunch and chew it up. To me, this stuff is like a piece of candy.This is very effective for appealing to one's monstrous nature.
"Yeah, not bad."
"...Huh...? A magic trick...?"
"What will you do if I say there's no trick or gimmick?"
I spat the fragments of the kitchen knife—Ptoo!—onto the man's shoulder as he began to tremble violently.The metal pieces, crushed to bits, pierce him one after another.A red stain slowly spread across his suit.
"Higiiiiiiii!?"
"Hurry up and go to a hospital. I haven't brushed my teeth, so it's probably crawling with germs."
Pulling Rio's hand, I tell her, "Let's go."I quicken my pace, putting distance between us and the man at a light run.
"I shouldn't have chosen a path like this. Sorry, I got you involved in something stupid."
"...Someone you know?"
"The groper old man I caught this morning. This is a hell of a case of holding a grudge."
"..."
Rio is silent. She's surprisingly timid, so is she scared?
"Ah, it's fine. If I did that much, he'll be too scared to try any revenge."
"...Is it okay?"
"What is?"
"If that guy runs to the police, won't it become a problem?"
"It won't. If I do something, the public safety bureau is supposed to cover it up. ...Which means, if I feel like it, I can break the law as much as I want. ...I've got to be careful not to get arrogant."
"...Hmm."
[Party Member Rio Saito's Affection Level has increased by 7100]
"...It's hard to judge whether this display is glitched, or if it really went up by a high amount."
"Nakamoto-san, you're somehow the most violent when you're with me, aren't you."
"Really?"
"When you're talking with Ayako, you seem the most gentlemanly, and when you're talking with Angelica, there's a spoiled atmosphere."
"...You observe things well."
"Which one is the real Nakamoto-san?"
"They're all the real me."
"...The Nakamoto-san from earlier was cool."
"Huh, really?"
I myself thought it was a bit too thuggish of a behavior, though...
"I really think Nakamoto-san is better when he's that much of a brute. It definitely suits you."
"...Is that a compliment?"
"Of course it's a compliment. It makes me super turned on."
"Don't say that so loud. What if there are people passing by?"
"A strong man is cool... Super hot... The female part of me is rejoicing, wanting to have this person's child..."
A strong man, huh.Come to think of it, there was someone who said something similar before, I thought, my mind wandering to days long past.