'What a horrible end to that date. And it's all because of her...' I glance to my left, and see Kaede walking next to me with a proud look on her face.
"Hm~ Hm~" she hums, like she wasn't about to beat someone up just earlier.
"Haa..."
'Just what did I get myself into?'
"Hey." Kaede calls out. "Yeah? What is it?" I ask in return. Kaede raises her phone and shows the screen to me. "Where do you wanna eat?" she asks. On her phone is a map of the general area.
I stare at the screen for a moment, then at her. "... I'm fine with anything. Well, except squid. But other than that, I'm really down for anything." I reply honestly.
To that, Kaede raised a brow. "Anything, huh?" she said. A cheeky grin playing on her lips. "Alright... Let's see if anything is really true~"
.
.
Om
"Mmm! This is really good!" I exclaim after taking a bite out of a buffalo wing. The spicy sauce assaulting my taste buds deliciously.
'I didn't expect there to be a place here in Tokyo that serves New York-style buffalo wings. I definitely have to come back here sometime.'
"Hahah~ I'm glad you're enjoying yourself." Kaede said, watching me from the other end of the table. Her own wings sitting idly in front of her.
'Heh, let's see how long you'll last.' Kaede thought with a smile on her face. Without telling Andy, she ordered gekikara buffalo wings a.k.a. super spicy buffalo wings for him.
Her motive? To see Andy's reaction to the spice. That is her entire goal, to derive entertainment from his suffering.
'Show me something good, pretty boy~' <-Ordered classic buffalo wings for herself.
But little did she know, her plan would not only fail, but some would say it backfired on her.
"Huu..." I exhale, a breath of spicy air blow past my lips. 'That was spicier than I expected, but I handled it pretty well.' I thought.
But my breath becoming spicy isn't the only end result I got from consuming a serving of spicy buffalo wings.
"H-Hey, do you always..." Kaede speaks up, but soon trails off.
"Hm? Do I what?" Kaede looks at me briefly before averting her gaze. Her cheeks a faint red as she does.
"... Nevermind. Just, cover yourself up..." she says, her voice notably quieter than before.
"Huh? What do you..." I look down, and that's when I realize how sweaty I've gotten. And it's not just a little sweat, I'm practically drenched in it.
Sweat is beading down my forehead, my nape, my back. My shirt is practically clinging to me. Exposing patches of my chest. "O-Oh..!" I exclaim, finally understanding why Kaede is reacting like that.
Soon after, my ears pick up the faint sound of whispering. I look around, and see several other customers glancing at me. Their eyes scanning my sweat-soaked appearance.
The unwanted attention caused me to freeze in place for a moment.
"Tsk." Kaede clicks her tongue. She turns her head, and glare at the female customers staring at her prize. With just one look, they stopped staring and focused on their food again.
"That's incredible..." I mutter. Amazed that someone can actually shut people up just by looking at them.
Without uttering a word, Kaede rose from her seat. The wooden chair scraping against the tiled floor as she does.
She then came to my side, and grabbed my coat. Gently wrapping it around me. "I told you to cover yourself up." she said, but her voice lacks any semblance of annoyance. Like a casual, lighthearted reprimand.
"Thanks..." I mutter. Feeling embarrassed for a reason I'm not entirely sure of.
'Right. Even though Kaede tried to beat up Izumi, she's my client now. I have to stop thinking she's a bad person. And focus on giving her the best boyfriend experience I can give.' I thought, putting away any negative feelings I have about Kaede.
With that resolved, I rise from my seat. Just like Kaede requested, I covered myself up. Properly putting my coat on and buttoning up the front.
'Wait.' With a sudden realization, I turn to look at Kaede who is patiently waiting for me. "Kaede, how come you aren't cold..?" I ask, remembering it's currently winter, yet Kaede is wearing nothing but her underwear and unbuttoned uniform.
To my question, Kaede simply raised a brow. "I don't get cold. Ever." she says like it's the most obvious thing in the world.
'... Right. I forgot people like her exist.'
Under Kaede's escort, we left the restaurant, though with a few lingering gazes on my back. 'I should avoid eating spicy food in public next time.'
Turning my head, I look at Kaede walking next to me. Her arm wrapped around my back while her hand rests firmly on my waist like it's natural. Like it's supposed to be there. 'It still feels a little weird, but besides that it's pretty nice. I feel... safe.' I thought, my mind still hasn't adapted to this world's norms. Though, I'd rather it doesn't ever change entirely.
"So, where are we going next?" I ask. Curious what Kaede has planned next. And to that, she simply smiles. "We're gonna go somewhere fun~" she says. Leaving me to guess what a delinquent like her considers "fun."
'! No way- She can't be...!'
.
.
'..... Maybe I'm the weird one for thinking she'd take me to a love hotel.'
[Wow! You're an excellent dancer!] The machine announced in a loud, ecstatic voice. The colorful screen displays the scores of me and Kaede. "Hah, that was pretty good for a first-timer." Kaede says with a smile on her face. Reaching up, she wipes the sweat beading on her forehead.
Following her lead, I take out my handkerchief and wipe my sweat off. "Thanks, but I really wasn't expecting you to take me to a game center of all places." I say, finally letting out the thought that has been plaguing me since we got here.
To that, Kaede raised her brow again. "What do you mean? Where else am I supposed to take you?" she says, looking at me like I'm the strange one.
"... Well, I kinda... Maybe... Thought you'd take me to a love hotel..." I confessed, lightly scratching my reddening cheek.
"?!?!" Hearing my assumption, Kaede went wide-eyed. Her cheeks quickly went beet red. "A love hotel!? What kind of person do you take me for?!" Kaede asked. Her tough persona going completely out the window.
Seeing her react so strongly, I became flustered myself. "I just- Thought since you're a delinquent-"
"Delinquents and playgirls are two entirely different things!!!" Kaede yelled, cutting me off before I could finish explaining myself.
"I'm sorry! It's my fault for assuming!" I say, bowing my head in apology.
"Haah..." Kaede sighs. "Raise your head. A man should only bow to his wife." she says in a tone that sounds like she's mimicking a seasoned adult.
"Huh..?" I raise my head, and straighten my back. "Kaede, that's pretty..."
"Cool, right-"
"Outdated."
"Geh-" Kaede recoiled from the psychological damage.
"Pfft- Heheh." A chuckle escaped me from seeing Kaede's unserious reaction in contrast to the image I had of her before. "I wasn't expecting you to have that kind of old belief."
Kaede looks away, and scratches her head. "I don't really... My old hag just drilled that shit into me..." she says, and I couldn't help but catch a hint of what seems to be guilt in her voice. 'Could this be a clue?' I thought.
"Was your mother... an old-school type of person?" I ask, trying to find out more about the girl before me.
"Yeah. She's a real- Wait, "was"? Are you assuming my old hag is dead?"
"Huh? She's not??"
"Nah. She's still alive and kicking." Kaede suddenly pauses. "Scratch that. She still kicks really fucking hard." she says.
"Oh, um, sorry..."
Seeing Kaede like this, and learning more about her, I've become certain that she isn't just some 2D delinquent. She's not selfish and senseless just for the fun of it. 'I might be wrong again, another wrong assumption, but maybe she has a reason for acting like a delinquent.' I thought.
"Ah, you're still sweaty here." I say, spotting the sweat glistening on her neck. With my handkerchief in hand, I reach out and start wiping her dry.
When I did, Kaede froze stiff. Staring at me with disbelief. "You... You keep surprising me with everything you do..." she mutters. Yet, she stayed still. Letting me wipe the sweat off her body.
As I do, I couldn't help but notice how solid her muscles are. They feel strong, powerful. 'How hard did she train to get a body like this?' I thought. Somewhere along the way, it stopped being about wiping her off, but about feeling her muscles. Pressing on them, squeezing them, touching her in a way that isn't casual in any capacity.
"Enough." Kaede says, grabbing my wrist. The action caused me to wake up in turn. Making me realize what I had been doing. "Ah, sorry." I apologize instinctively.
"... I'm a woman, too, y'know? If you keep touching me like that..." suddenly, Kaede pulls me by my wrist. Bringing me closer until our bodies are touching. "Then I might eat you up..." she says. Not playful, not teasing, but serious.
For a moment, I considered pushing further. To touch her more, to rile her up, and make her do exactly that. Thinking I'd be okay doing it with someone like Kaede.
But then I realized something.
The moment I cross that line.
I stop being a rental boyfriend.
And become a whore.
"... I'll keep that in mind." I say, pulling away from the woman that is Kaede. Returning to a distance that can be considered wholesome.
Kaede looks at me, her gaze a mix of disappointment and relief. "Don't..." she starts, pausing to reconsider her next words. "Don't do that again. Other girls might get the wrong idea." she says.
"... Thanks for the reminder."
"...."
"......"
After that, the mood between us has gotten awkward. Both of us unsure what to say next.
Soon, I finally speak up. "Do you wanna play a different game next?" I say, giving Kaede the chance to move on. "Yeah. Let's do that."
From that point on, the date continued as usual. We played several different games together, and overall had a great time. Yet, we couldn't fully get rid of the lingering tension between us. Like one spark is all it would take to shake our walls again.
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