My Ex-Girlfriend’s Sister Ran Away to My Room, and We Can’t Stop Making Mistakes. - Chapter 23: This is the Kind of Thing That Costs Money, Isn't It?

This is the Kind of Thing That Costs Money, Isn’t It?

The late afternoon sun was a piercing ache in my eyes.

I kept my gaze fixed on the sparse patches of shade and the feet of the people passing by as I walked toward the subway entrance.

I wondered if Mii would make it home alright. I’d run away, and surely that must have hurt her. It had to have.

But I had no choice.

Whenever I’m with her, the past forces its way back into my mind. Wounds that had finally begun to scab over are ripped wide open. The things I’ve spent five years trying to lock away are laid bare with pathetic ease, like a loose thread being unraveled.

It felt as though something about it was fundamentally wrong.

“Boom!”

A massive backside slammed into me, shattering my somber ruminations. As I stumbled, someone laughed with a teasing lilt in their voice.

“Hey, Onii-chan. What’s the matter-aru?”

“Rinsu-san.”

“Just Rinsu is fine-aru. You didn’t answer when I called out, so I thought you were someone else-ne.”

Rinsu—the woman who had taken care of me at Chinese Carnal Samadhi the other day—let out a playful huff.

“How about it-ne? We’re empty right now, so I’m doing a ‘service’ special. Want to come-aru?”

“Soliciting customers in broad daylight?”

“We’re a massage parlor, remember? It’s a wholesome shop-ne, even if the girls occasionally touch or lick a penis.”

“That isn’t wholesome at all.”

“Business has been slow lately-ne. Even though sexual liberation is the key to peace of mind, the world treats it too lightly-ne. People should be more honest with their loins.”

“Hah…”

“So, that means you’re coming, right?”

“I’ll pass today.”

I’d just fought with Mii; I wasn’t in the mood for a brothel.

Rinsu tilted her head, her expression shifting into one of concern. Her hair was styled into two ox-horns, pierced by ornaments shaped like some strange cat-like creature.

One of those ornaments clattered against my chest as she leaned in.

“Why-te?”

“What do you mean, why?”

“You blew three loads just the other day-ni. What happened-aru? Are you sick?”

“Don’t say things like that in the middle of the street. I’m not sick. I’m just… not feeling very energetic.”

“Troubles on your mind?”

“Something like that.”

“Hmm.”

Rinsu rested her chin in her hand, lost in thought. She muttered a “That’s a problem-aru,” but then her face brightened and she clapped her hands together.

“Then, I shall teach you a very special method-aru.”

“A special method?”

“It’s settled, then. Hurry up and come-aru.”

“No, look, I said I’m fine. Nothing’s settled—”

“It’s the most special of the specials-yo.”

Half-forcing the issue, Rinsu grabbed my hand and dragged me into Chinese Carnal Samadhi. We entered the same room as last time, where she shed her coat and changed into that familiar cheongsam.

“I don’t have any money, though.”

“It doesn’t matter-aru. I’m bored anyway-de. Rinsu-chan is a woman of her word, after all.”

From a plastic storage bin in the corner of the room, Rinsu pulled out what looked like a long, black cord.

“This is a method for calming the mind that my grandfather taught me-ne. You do this, and—poof—refreshed.”

She brought the cord to my face and began wrapping it around my head like a blindfold, over and over.

“Wait a second.”

“What-ka?”

“I can’t see anything.”

“That’s the point-aru. The best way to calm the heart is darkness-aru.”

Tugging both ends of the cord, she tied the blindfold tight.

Everything went black. The low, mechanical hum of the room’s air conditioner buzzed in my ears. I sat on the bed—a flat, inelastic mat.

“This city is far too bright and flickery-aru. That is why no one notices the shadows that keep swelling up-aru.”

“Shadows?”

“The ones beneath your feet.”

Take a deep breath-te, she continued.

As I inhaled deeply, Rinsu’s hands found the buttons of my shirt.

“Hey.”

“Ting-chu.”

“What?”

“It means… hang in there.”

My clothes were slipped off with practiced ease. Shirt, underwear, pants. Everything was taken until I was completely naked.

“Look, this is the kind of thing that costs money, isn’t it?”

“It’s not-yo.”

“I really don’t have any money.”

“Next time is fine-ne.”

So she did intend to make me pay eventually.

Rinsu shifted her body, and her tongue glided over my neck—the very spot where Mii had kissed me moments ago.

“Does it hurt… here?”

She sucked hard against the skin.

“Ugh…”

Pain flared, but alongside it, a strange sensation was stirred. The spot she touched felt unnaturally hot. Perhaps because I was blind, I felt her touch against my skin with heightened sensitivity.

“It’s here-ne.”

I heard the rustle of fabric. This time, it wasn’t clothes that brushed against me, but lukewarm skin. I felt a soft fullness against my knee.

“Open your mouth-te.”

“Ah—” I obeyed.

A slender finger slid into my mouth. A bitter, powder-like substance was rubbed onto my tongue. As I swallowed it along with my saliva, a heat began to radiate from the back of my mind through my entire body.

“What is this…?”

“Speak-te.”

“I don’t want to. It’s hot.”

“It’s okay. Relax.”

Along with the bitterness, something like a nostalgic scent bubbled up from deep within me. I could feel the scorching sun, even though it shouldn’t have been there.

“It’s okay.”

Rinsu’s voice lost its edges, drifting into a hazy distance.

Behind my eyelids, a flickering image appeared: a girl with black hair in a school uniform. A dress shirt pressed crisp and white, and the red of a checkered skirt.

“Do you see something?”

“Yeah.”

“Tell me.”

“Ayumu.”

“Who is that?”

“Hachijou Ayumu.”

“What is your relationship?”

“My childhood friend.”

I swallowed the saliva pooling on my tongue and repeated myself.

“My lover. The most important person in the world.”

The girl in the uniform passed by my side. The chime rang. Class was about to start. I took my seat. Hers was in the back by the window; mine was right in the middle.

She was looking at the blackboard with a listless gaze. A stark white piece of gauze was taped to her cheek.