CHAPTER 36: IN THE SNAKE’S COILS

«Being in a relationship is rotting your brain, Aoshi!» Takuma grumbles. «Three hours of gameplay and you still haven’t unlocked a single bonus scene! What happened to the careful, strategic Aoshi who always picked the best routes to unlock the lewdest scenes? I’m seriously disappointed in you...»

«Don’t you ever stop to think that maybe you’re the one with the problem, not him? Seriously — what kind of sane human being would find a game like this fun?» Ayane scolds, her voice sharp as a blade.

«Hey, there’s nothing weird about this game! You’re a gamer too, and I don’t judge you for the kind of stuff you play!» Takuma shoots back.

«There’s a big difference between playing FPS shooters like I do and playing...» Ayane snatches the game case from Takuma’s hands, scanning the cover with disgust. «’My Little Sisters Don’t Want to Start Middle School as Virgins, So They Asked Me to...’ Ugh, God, I feel sick just reading the title!»

«Come on, calm down. There’s no need to fight over something like this,» Aoshi cuts in, trying to defuse the tension. «Anyway, thanks for coming over to keep me company today. But now I’d like to rest a bit — it might not seem like it, but lying in bed all day is more exhausting than you’d think. Besides, I’m starting to get a bit of a headache.»

«Yeah, I can imagine that playing trash like that would tire your brain out pretty fast,» Ayane retorts, crossing her arms.

Honestly, hearing the two of them bicker nonstop isn’t any less exhausting...

So, Ayane and Takuma gather their things, and after a quick goodbye, they leave the apartment — finally giving Aoshi a moment of peace and silence.

Yet resting isn’t the real reason he asked them to leave. Nor is the headache.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

Someone knocks on the door barely five minutes after Ayane and Takuma leave — yet Aoshi isn’t surprised. He doesn’t wonder if his friends forgot something, because he already knows exactly who it is. Miori Yukinaga.

This time she’s wearing a modest floral dress, the skirt reaching just above her knees, with a neckline only faintly suggestive. In her hands, she’s holding a wicker basket that looks like something straight out of a picnic.

«Good evening, Aoshi,» she greets him with a bright, gentle smile. She steps into his apartment as if it were her own, moving with such ease that for a moment Aoshi almost feels like she’s the one living there, not Eliss.

Then she walks toward him with slow, graceful steps, crouching beside his futon.

«How are you today, Miori? Everything alright?» Aoshi asks, his tone a mix of caution and disbelief — he still can’t quite believe she actually came by yesterday to apologize, and that she’s back again today, bringing something that fills the entire room with a sweet, delicious scent.

«Y-Yes, Aoshi,» she murmurs shyly, her cheeks tinged with pink. «I don’t know why, but I’ve felt so happy since this morning. Maybe it’s because I knew I’d get to see you tonight?»

Miori suddenly freezes, bringing a hand to her mouth.«Oh, I’m sorry — you have a girlfriend now, I shouldn’t be saying things like that, but... they just kind of slip out, so please don’t mind me,» she murmurs softly.

She gently sets the picnic basket on Aoshi’s stomach.«I-I made these myself this afternoon, just for you. They say sweets are the best thing when you’re recovering, so, um... I hope you like them...»

Miori lifts the lid of the basket, and a wave of sweetness fills the air, wrapping around Aoshi completely.

Dango, dorayaki, and a slice of strawberry shortcake — each one looking irresistibly delicious. There’s also a small thermos of tea, two little cups, and a fork for the cake.

M-Miori... she really made all these with her own hands, just for me? But why...? When we were dating, she never did anything like this. I don’t get it...

Aoshi slowly sits up, resting his back against the nearby table to stay upright.

«T-Thank you so much, Miori — they really look delicious,» he murmurs with a faint smile. Then, with hesitant, almost cautious movements — like someone reaching toward something they’re not sure they should touch — he extends his hand toward a dorayaki.

I-I guess... accepting these sweets means I’ve forgiven her for what she did, right? Or maybe even earlier than that — the moment I told her she could come over whenever Eliss isn’t around, that probably already counted... if not worse. I’m basically acting like one of those guys who invites his mistress over while his wife’s away. Real classy, Aoshi...

Still, it’s not like Eliss is really my girlfriend, just like Miori isn’t really my lover — so this can’t exactly be called cheating. It’s more like... secretly inviting a friend over. Just to avoid needlessly making a jealous succubus princess — who accidentally fell in love with me but doesn’t truly love me — feel insecure.Yeah, that sounds much better.

«It’s really delicious! I mean it — I’ve never eaten a dorayaki this good in my life!» Aoshi mumbles between bites.

He talks with his mouth full too? Gross...

Miori thinks, mentally wrinkling her nose while forcing herself not to show it. Of course they’re delicious — I had them made by the pastry chef who works at my house. It’d be absurd if they weren’t.

«Y-You’re not having any?» Aoshi asks, offering her the basket of sweets.

She shakes her head.

«I’d really love to share these sweets with you, believe me — not to brag, but I think they actually turned out really well. Unfortunately, I can’t. I... I... damn it, I’m so embarrassed to say this...» she murmurs, lowering her gaze with a melancholy look. «Renji wants a girlfriend who turns heads wherever she goes. It just feeds his bloated ego. He’s forbidden me from eating sweets, fried food, or fast food so I don’t gain weight and make him look bad. I think it’s been two years since I last had a dorayaki... Honestly, I don’t even remember what it tastes like anymore.»

«That’s not fair!» Aoshi bursts out, visibly angry, his left fist trembling with frustration. «It’s not fair that bastard keeps treating you like this! It’s not fair that you can’t live freely, constantly afraid that monster will hurt you! There has to be something we can do to get you out of this!»

Once again, Miori just shakes her head in silent resignation.

«I’m afraid not. I’ve tried everything, and there’s nothing I can do. Renji’s family is one of the most powerful in all of Tokyo, and my family’s business depends on them. In other words, I have no choice but to keep my head down and my mouth shut if I don’t want to cause serious trouble for my parents...»

Aoshi couldn’t possibly know that the only true part of Miori’s words was that Renji’s family lived in Tokyo. His father was a factory worker, and his mother ran a small ramen stand — a humble family, nothing like the powerful business dynasty Miori had just described.

«...But enough about me,» Miori cuts in quickly. «I didn’t come here to depress you or make you angry with the story of my life. Let’s talk about something happier, shall we? Tell me about you and Eliss — I’m dying to know! How did you two meet and fall in love? And how are things between you now? You two really look like such a lovely couple — I mean it! Go on, give me all the details — I adore romantic stories!»

Then Miori pours some tea from the thermos into the small cups and hands one to Aoshi.

«Well, um...»

Aoshi hesitates for a moment, thoughtful.

I can’t exactly tell her the truth... but I can’t repeat that half-truth I told Ayane either. Actually, there’s no reason I can’t just deny that Eliss and I are together. After all, it’s Miori — and I don’t have feelings for her anymore... I think.Come on — Aoshi, for God’s sake! There’s no way I’m really worrying about something like, "If I tell Miori I’m happily dating Eliss, she might back off." Miori and I are over, no matter the reason she broke up with me. And even if she clearly admitted she still has feelings for me, I... no, that’s not something I can even consider — not for Eliss, who’ll be returning to her world in a few weeks, but for Ayane. She’d never forgive me.

«...Eliss and I met the same evening you — uh, when Renji forced you to break up with me. You could call it love at first sight — no, more than that, a real lightning-strike kind of love. So sudden and so complete that she moved in with me that very night, and ten days later, after our first kiss, we officially became a couple. Since then, I really can’t complain about anything — she’s beautiful, kind, gentle, caring... I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to call her the perfect girlfriend.»

«I-I see... I’m really happy for you — I mean it,» Miori murmurs, forcing a smile — a performance worthy of a movie star.A double-layered deception, where she pretends to be melancholic, yet at the same time pretends to hide that fake melancholy behind a smile.

The result is so convincing that it produces exactly the effect she hoped for on Aoshi.

«W-What’s wrong, Miori? You say you’re happy for me, but it doesn’t look that way at all... Did something happen?»

Miori shakes her head for the third time.

«No, no, it’s fine. Really. I’m just a little tired and worried — I haven’t heard from Renji since last night, and I’m afraid he might be planning something. Actually... I should probably head home now,» she says, rising from her crouched position beside the futon.

«Good night, Aoshi. W-We’ll... we’ll see each other tomorrow... if you’d like, of course...» Miori says shyly from the doorway.

«O-Of course, it’s nice talking with you,» Aoshi replies just as timidly, a faint blush on his cheeks. «Good night, Miori.»