CHAPTER 31: THE PUPPETEER AND HER MARIONETTE

«H-Hello, Miori... how are you?»

Renji’s hesitant, almost reverent voice comes through on Miori’s phone.

She’s lying comfortably in her enormous bathtub — one so large and luxurious it could easily be mistaken for a jacuzzi — overflowing with fragrant foam and steaming water. Her long obsidian hair floats gently on the surface, and from the water emerge two small islets: her breasts, not as large as Eliss’s but just as firm and shapely. A well-deserved bath she decided to treat herself to after her usual evening kickboxing session.

«How am I?» she repeats, her tone calm and composed, yet carrying a faint air of superiority — like a coldhearted executive addressing her lowest-ranking employee. «I don’t know, Renji. I could be in a good mood... or I could be extremely irritated, depending on what you’re about to tell me.»

«R-Right...» Renji mutters, choosing his words carefully. «I just wanted to let you know that earlier this evening, I did what you asked me to do at the Cordesol Meat place. I gave that loser a proper beating. Enough to keep him home for at least a week, but not enough to land him in the hospital — just like you told me to.»

«Oh, so you’re a little less useless than I thought,» Miori sneers, twirling the tips of her hair around her finger. «Took you almost two years, but it seems you finally managed to do something right. Anyway, I’d already guessed as much — tonight, on my way home from the gym, I stopped for a bit near the Moonlight Club, that place where that pathetic Aoshi works, and his cute little girlfriend came out alone. I’m satisfied — honestly, I didn’t think you’d actually have the guts to go through with it.»

«T-Thank you, Miori... so, was I... good?» Renji mumbles timidly — his voice carrying that familiar tone of a child craving a parent’s approval, low and hesitant, drenched in insecurity. And truth be told, the relationship between the two of them isn’t all that different from a cold, authoritarian mother and her anxious son.

In response, Miori bursts into loud, unrestrained laughter.

«Do you even hear yourself talk?» she snickers, kicking her legs in amusement and splashing water and foam all over the porcelain floor. «And to think I believed I had a boyfriend — turns out I’ve got a scared little puppy instead. Outwardly, sure, you’ve turned into a good-looking, muscular guy, always dressed to perfection — one of those typical college hotties that make girls swoon at first glance — but inside you’re still the same pathetic loser, afraid of your own shadow. You’re honestly pitiful...»

«Why are you saying all this now?! I did exactly what you told me, perfectly, without hesitation! So why are you insulting me?!» Renji bursts out — yet, despite the apparent anger in his words, that trace of fear in his voice hasn’t faded in the slightest, making his outburst sound awkward and childish.

«Because you’re pathetic, that’s all,» Miori replies with a shrug. «But really, I can’t blame you. If people found out that the so-called Renji Kurotani — the one every girl in our university dreams about — actually has a dick smaller than my fourteen-year-old brother’s, and that the only time I decided to reward your efforts by sleeping with you, you came before even getting it in... well, not even the ugliest girl on campus would look you in the eye again.»

«Stop it already, Miori... this is really humiliating...» Renji murmurs.

Even though it’s just a phone call, Miori can clearly picture his crushed, humiliated expression through the tone of his voice — and that image draws a long, sadistic smile across her face.

«If it was humiliating for you, it was even worse for me,» Miori retorts. «And to think you even got to see me naked — a privilege only a handful of guys in the world can boast about, and none in the past year and a half. With all those things you said — how you’d fuck me all night, make me scream, and everything else — you actually managed to get me excited. And all that for a useless toothpick that broke down after seven seconds? Is that what my body’s worth? Seven lousy seconds? And you still have the nerve to complain about how I treat you?! I treat you exactly the way you deserve, you pathetic loser! Thank the God of Light that, despite everything, you’re still the least awful one around — otherwise I wouldn’t have even let you come within fifty meters of me. Actually... you were the least awful.»

«M-Miori... what do you mean?»Renji’s voice now trembles with worry mixed into his frustration.

«I mean exactly what I said,» Miori replies coolly. «It’s obvious you’re no longer the coolest or most popular guy at the university — and that was the only reason I still bothered paying attention to a loser who pretends to be a bad boy. But even though you used to shine only through my reflected light, someone still managed to outshine you.»

As she speaks, Miori runs a sponge gently along her feet — polished with a discreet yet elegant white nail color — then up her long, athletic legs, marked here and there by faint bruises, the result of countless years of kickboxing and martial arts training.

«You don’t mean—?»

«Yeah, I’m talking about our dear Aoshi,» she cuts him off sharply. «If he managed to win over a girl like Eliss — richer than him, and second only to me in class and beauty — that means he’s worth a hundred times more than you. Without me, you wouldn’t even have the charm to pick up the most desperate woman alive. And even if by some miracle you did, she’d still run away the moment things got real.»

A faint smile curves her lips. «Honestly, I think I’ve been too harsh on Aoshi. I suppose I owe him an apology — for how coldly I turned him down, and especially for what you did to him without my consent. I’m sure he’ll be glad to know I’ve just broken up with the brute who beat him up.»

«N-No, you can’t be serious!» Renji growls, his voice trembling with disbelief. «Don’t tell me that after I just risked getting arrested for you, you’re dumping me again just to crawl back to that loser?! That’s insane!»

He grits his teeth, fury and desperation twisting his face. «Of course... you planned this all along, didn’t you? Now I get it — that’s why you told me to beat Aoshi up. You just needed an excuse to get close to him again, right?!»

«Congratulations — you actually figured it out, despite that birdbrain of yours,» Miori sneers. «Anyway, consider our relationship officially over. Oh, and of course, you’re forbidden from seeing other girls until I’m once again officially Aoshi’s girlfriend. I can’t have people seeing you walking around with another woman while I’m alone. Actually... it’s probably better if you stay away from the university for a while. I wouldn’t want my dear Aoshi to avoid showing up just to keep from running into you — that would be such a shame. Maybe he’ll even be able to make me feel the kind of pleasure you never could.»

«No, please, Miori, don’t do this! I-I’ll change, I’ll become worthy of you — I’ll surpass that loser Aoshi in every possible way! Just give me another chance, I’m begging you...» he pleads, his voice trembling, the kind of sob that teeters on the edge of breaking into tears.

«You say you can be better than Aoshi?» Miori replies coldly. «Well, there’s a pretty simple way to prove it — steal his girl. If you’re really better than him, Eliss should leave him for you without hesitation, don’t you think? Kiss her right in the middle of the university courtyard — and then I’ll know for sure that, despite everything, you’re still the best... or rather, the least pathetic one there.»

«Alright, Miori... I’ll do it! I’ll seduce that little slut in no time, I promise! I won’t just kiss her in front of everyone — now that she’s working alone with Aoshi stuck at home injured, it’ll be a piece of cake to convince her to come over after her shift and fuck her! I’ll even send you pictures of me screwing her as proof!»

«Then make sure you take those pictures with a phone that has a strong zoom, otherwise I won’t be able to see a thing,» Miori replies, bursting into laughter.

But Renji doesn’t even flinch — right now, he can’t afford to contradict her in any way if he wants to seal this deal successfully.

«Anyway, deal,» Miori concludes. «You seduce that girl, and I’ll come back to you. Of course, that doesn’t mean I’ll stop trying to seduce Aoshi. Think of it as a competition: if I manage to seduce Aoshi before you seduce Eliss, then bye-bye forever. Otherwise, you can start calling me your girlfriend again.»

«Alright, challenge accepted, Miori!» Renji replies firmly.

Miori hangs up on him without a goodbye and places her phone on the edge of the jacuzzi.

That idiot actually thinks he stands a chance of getting Eliss into bed before I do with Aoshi? He’s even dumber than I thought — he couldn’t get close to a girl like her in a thousand years. As for me... I’m sure Aoshi hasn’t completely forgotten our happy month together. It’ll be child’s play to make those feelings bloom again. Less than twenty-four hours from now, and Aoshi will already be at my feet. It’s so exciting...

KNOCK! KNOCK!

Two sharp knocks on the bathroom door snap Miori out of her thoughts. Before she can even say ’Come in’, the door bursts open, and there in the doorway stands a woman who looks like an older version of her — long black hair, a toned, athletic figure that could make most women in their twenties jealous, despite being nearly fifty.

It’s Kagura Yukinaga — Miori’s mother.

«What on earth are you still doing up at this hour?!» the woman snaps, clearly irritated. «In less than seven hours you need to be ready for university, and you’re still soaking in there? Have you lost your mind? Do you really want to show up tomorrow with dark circles and half-asleep? I didn’t raise you to be this irresponsible!»

«You’re right, Mother... I’m sorry... I’ll go to bed right away,» Miori murmurs, lowering her gaze, too afraid to meet her mother’s eyes.

«This had better be the last time! I was perfectly clear—I want you in bed by midnight, or you can forget about the gym until graduation!» Mrs. Yukinaga’s stern tone feels like a weight pressing down on Miori’s shoulders. «Why was I cursed with a daughter like you? You’ve been nothing but trouble since you were little. Thank goodness your brother’s at least giving me some peace of mind...»

With that, Mrs. Yukinaga slams the door shut behind her.

Miori pulls her knees to her chest, her gaze falling on the rippling surface of the now-lukewarm bathwater. Her half-lidded sapphire eyes glisten faintly, reflecting the wavering light above.