Chapter 13

When I got home after parting ways with Madame, I found Yuina standing in front of the entrance, arms crossed, glaring at me.

“If you’ve got an excuse, I’ll hear it,” she said flatly.

“I told you, I really just got dragged into a mess,” I replied, and explained the situation, though I left out the part about Madarame’s love life. I told her about being mistaken for a stalker.

Yuina blinked at me… then burst into laughter.

“What, you got mistaken for a stalker? Were you that suspicious-looking?”

“Trust me, it wasn’t my choice. But if I’d run, it would’ve looked even worse.”

She kept laughing until she was clutching her stomach, wiping away tears.

“Haa… that was good. But still, since you didn’t help me with shopping, you’re gonna have to take your punishment.”

I had no room to argue—she was right. But her “punishment” left me frozen.

“Tonight, sleep with me.”

Sharing a bed. Any normal person would refuse outright, but with my guilt weighing me down, it was hard to turn her down. Still, it was dangerous—if our parents caught us, there’d be no excuse. I tried to reason with her.

“That’s too risky. If Dad or Mom find out, no excuse in the world will cover it.”

“They never come upstairs, and they haven’t before. It’ll be fine.”

“That’s not the point. There’s always a chance—”

“No excuses. A broken promise means you take your punishment.”

She said it with a force that left no room for argument. I tried one last time.

“Anything else, I’ll take it. But not that.”

“Then have sex with me.”

“That’s impossible.”

“Then it’s sleeping together. I won’t accept anything else.”

Her intent was obvious: share a bed and tempt me. And if I was being honest, I wasn’t confident I could resist if it came to that. But she wasn’t going to back down. I had no choice but to give in.

“…Fine. Just for tonight.”

“Good boy. Then, see you later.”

With that, she retreated to her room, leaving me sighing as I changed into loungewear.

I tried to focus on studying, but all I could think about was the night ahead. I switched to reading, but even that didn’t last long before Yuni-san called me down for dinner.

Tonight’s meal was eel. Eel—of all nights, it had to be on the night I was supposed to share a bed with Yuina. The food’s reputation as an aphrodisiac made me suspicious.

“Itadakimasu.”

I sprinkled some Japanese pepper on the eel, placed it on top of the rice, and shoveled it into my mouth. Yuina saw me and grinned.

“That’s what I bought today.”

“That’s right. Yuina bought some eel separately from what was on the list. It doesn’t suit well so we had to change the dinner menu.”

“I’ve been wanting to eat eel for a while now, you know.”

I see. So Yuina was behind the eel being our dinner. So this was a trap set by her. 

A clever trick to get me to eat something that would give me energy and prepare for the night. Realizing this, I froze mid-bite.

“What’s wrong? You need to eat properly.”

“ah……”

Urged by Yuina, I reluctantly put my chopsticks to my mouth. When I finished eating the eel, I felt a tingling sensation in my crotch. No, that must be some kind illusion. I was just being too conscious.

After dinner, I went to the bath, trying to calm myself. But even that backfired—knowing Yuina had bathed before me, the thought alone stirred unnecessary imaginings. By the time I stepped out, I’d only barely managed to cool my head.

When I returned to my room, Yuina was already there, sitting neatly on my bed. Her damp hair and faintly flushed cheeks carried a fragrance that filled the room, stirring my freshly calmed heart.

“You’re early,” I muttered.

“Of course. Came straight after my bath.”

She patted the space beside her. Resigned, I sat down, careful not to meet her gaze. The scent of her shampoo was intoxicating, my heart racing despite myself.

“Nervous?” she asked.

“…Obviously. It’s been a while since I’ve slept next to you.”

Suddenly, Yuina pressed her ear to my chest.

“You’re right. Your heart’s racing.”

My pounding heartbeat, my trembling lips. I couldn’t calm myself and sighed, already feeling like I wouldn’t sleep tonight. Oblivious to my struggle, Yuina leaned into me. Even I couldn’t resist this temptation. Her flushed post-bath cheeks exuded allure, and the scent of her shampoo tickled my nose.

“I brought my pillow. Shall we sleep?” 

I nodded and turned off the light. Lying side by side with Yuina, I turned my back to her to resist her temptation. But then, Yuina slowly traced her finger along my back. A shiver ran down my spine, and I trembled.

A playful breath tickled my ear.

“Don’t think I’ll let you sleep tonight,” she whispered.

My body tensed. I squeezed my eyes shut, counting sheep, but in my mind each sheep turned into Yuina’s lips. The sweet warmth of her breath melted through my resolve.

As she rubbed my body with her fingers and breathed softly, my mind turned completely pink.

Was it the eel’s effect? My lower half swelled to its limit, pitching a tent. Yuina deliberately avoided that area, continuing to stroke my body.

Unable to take it, I rolled over to face her. She smiled smugly.

“Finally looking at me. Want a kiss?” she teased, lips hovering close.

I raised a hand to block her, shaking my head firmly.

Kissing in this situation would be the end. I’d lose control completely.

That was the one thing I had to avoid. I took a deep breath, forcing my rationality to take over.

“No kissing. Just sleep.”

“Hehe, you’re embarrassed. You want to, don’t you?”

Of course I did. I’m a teenage boy in my prime. She should understand how hard I’m trying to hold back.

Yuina smiled and buried her face in my chest. The scent of her shampoo assaulted my rationality again.

“Get off.”

“Mmmm, sniff sniff, stinks of boy. Smells like Hotaku.”

Yuina buried her face in my skin and sniffed me, just like a dog, which intensely stimulated my desire to protect her.

I tried to avoid touching Yuina as much as possible and resist her temptations.

But Yuina wasn’t the type to back down. When she began to undo the top buttons of her pajama shirt, revealing the faint curve of cleavage, I nearly lost it.

“Enough. Any further and I’ll throw you out.”

“Relax,” she said coyly. “I’m feeling a little hot. Or… are you saying even this much is too much for you?”

Unable to brush off her provocation, I fell silent.

Ignoring my protests, Yuina unbuttoned my shirt, exposing her cleavage. The sound of me swallowing hard echoed in the room.

“You’re staring so hard. Pervert.”

“Of course I am. It’s only natural.”

It’s just male instinct. With her ample chest and enticing cleavage right in front of me, my eyes were drawn to it. Feeling my gaze, Yuina smiled with satisfaction.

She took my hand and placed it on her chest.

“See? I’m nervous too. My heart’s racing.”

“You can squeeze more, you know.”

Her words snapped me back to my senses. I pulled my hand away and pressed my temples.

“Spare me already.”

“That was close, huh?”

Yuina laughed, clearly enjoying herself.

It seemed she genuinely wanted to rekindle our friends-with-benefits relationship.

 Was sex with me that good for her?

They say women seek compatibility in sex, unlike men. Was I that compatible with her?

Questions lingered, but now wasn’t the time to dwell on them. I had to break this situation, or I’d never get a peaceful night’s sleep.

“Hey, Hotaka… if we weren’t step-siblings, do you think we’d still be sex-friends?”

Yuina’s sudden murmur caught me off guard.

“…Yeah, probably. I didn’t dislike doing it with you, so we’d likely still be at it.”

“Then… it’s not like my body isn’t enough for you, right?”

“Of course not. Your body is… amazing.”

“…I see.”

With that, Yuina finally turned her back to me. “That’s enough for tonight.”

Relieved, I did the same. But her lingering warmth and the teasing she’d put me through made it impossible to calm down. My body refused to settle.

I sighed and poked Yuina’s back as she began to breathe softly in sleep.

“What?” she murmured.

“Because of you, I can’t sleep. What am I supposed to do?”

She gave a sleepy giggle. “Want me to… take care of it?”

“…No thanks.”

Waking her was a bit of petty revenge. If I couldn’t sleep, I figured she should share my suffering.

If I couldn’t sleep, having someone to talk to would be better. I decided to make Yuina stay up with me.

“By the way, I exchanged contact info with Madame.”

“What? What’s that about?”

Yuina took the bait. Slightly overwhelmed by her reaction, I gave my prepared excuse.

“She said it’s mostly to keep an eye on me to make sure I’m not stalking. I thought it’d be a good chance to expand my network.”

“Ugh, I’m not convinced,” Yuina said, puffing out her cheeks and frowning.

“Why are you so against me exchanging contacts with Madame?”

“Because… Madame-san is the enemy.”

I gave a wry smile at her somewhat evasive excuse.

“Sorry about that.”.

The next morning, we both overslept.