"Hey… Spencer."
Mai Sakurajima gazed out the cabin window, her tone casual.
"How may I assist you?"
"It's a rare chance. Do something to make my heart race."
Mai's voice carried a playful, devilish lilt.
She glanced back, her eyes twinkling with a smile, then turned to the window again. Kagura noticed her ear, peeking through her hair, faintly pink.
"Heart-racing? Mai, your standards are lofty."
"Isn't that the bare minimum for a boyfriend, even a work-only one?"
"Well…" Kagura slid an arm around her shoulders, leaning close, inhaling her hair's fragrance, whispering, "How about a kiss?"
"Nope…" Mai, disappointed, patted his hand to release her, shaking her head listlessly. "Kissing right off? What country are you from? No thrill, just shock."
"The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland."
"…"
Mai looked ready to punch him.
"Also, doesn't shock make your heart pound?"
"Not the kind I want. It might turn into palpitations."
"Mai, your demands are steep~"
"Your standards are just too low."
She pinched his cheek.
"Phew—"
Both sighed, waiting as the Ferris wheel climbed a quarter of its arc.
"Speaking of kisses," Mai finally faced him, twirling a lock of hair around her finger, "I'm indeed returning to acting, but my script has no kiss scenes."
"Oh~ So that's why you won't rehearse kissing with me."
"That's a separate matter—" Mai, stern, reached to pinch his face again, but he blocked. She withdrew, saying, "My comeback conditions to the agency are three: no swimsuit or lingerie shoots, no real kiss scenes or intimate scenes beyond—staged kisses are fine—and no nudity."
"Very high-school-actress vibe."
"That's your only take?"
"Hm… So, Mai, your first kiss is still unclaimed?"
Kagura's gaze settled on her soft, pink lips.
"It is, saved for someone I love, not to be wasted on set."
Mai brushed her middle finger lightly under her lip, blushing girlishly.
"And after that someone claims it? Would you loosen up for filming?"
"You sound like some crusty agency board member."
Mai, irked, crossed her right leg over her left, rolling her eyes, her foot swaying.
"So my thinking's mature?"
"It's antiquated, profit-driven—not a compliment."
She shot him a glare.
"…So, is it?"
Kagura shrugged, pressing on.
"Of course not. My three conditions are ironclad, written in the contract. Violate any, and they're in breach—I can refuse and sue on the spot."
Mai held up three fingers for emphasis.
"Got a career-woman edge now."
"Career's one thing, but what girl doesn't dream of being a little woman?"
Her voice softened to a whisper, inaudible to Kagura.
"Hm? What'd you say, Mai?"
"Nothing." Mai, arms crossed, stared at the rising Ferris wheel, serious. "I had hopes for you, Sawamura Spencer Kagura, but we're nearing the top, and you've done nothing heart-pounding. Careful, or I'll rate your work today as failing."
"Uh-oh…"
Kagura thought, Am I on a delayed internship?
"So, think of something quick."
Mai winked, smiling, urging him.
"Well…" Kagura glanced around, itching to act. "No instruments here. A ukulele would've been perfect."
The ukulele, a Hawaiian four-string, resembles a smaller guitar. "You… bringing an instrument is cheating, isn't it?"
Mai stifled a laugh at his ukulele idea.
"Worth cheating to win a beauty's smile."
Kagura grinned shamelessly.
"You're impossible…" Mai, cheeks pink, smiled, her eyes darting outside, then stood, peering down from his side. "We're almost at the top… The view from here has a unique charm."
"Romantic vibe?"
Kagura, still seated, propped a leg up.
"Come see it with me? Don't tell me the duke's heir is afraid of heights."
"Alright, let's see."
Kagura joined her, standing shoulder-to-shoulder, gazing out.
Then he spotted Yukino queuing below again.
He itched to send her a LINE: "I see you." But with Mai beside him, he left his phone pocketed.
His knack for spotting his "wife" in a crowd was uncanny.
But then, the memory of future Kagura, forty years hence, saying, "You'll marry Shiina Mashiro," soured him.
Why Mashiro in the end?! Damn it!
Mai's lovely face reflected in the glass, radiant in the sunlight, almost edible. Noticing his stare, she teased, "Spencer, you were looking at me, weren't you?"
"With just us here, who else would I look at?"
"That's not what I meant~"
"Alright, yeah, I was."
"By the way," Mai glanced at her legs, casually asking, "Spencer, you seem to have a thing for girls' legs?"
"…Don't make me sound like a creep."
"No shame. Most guys are a bit perverted. Liking legs is just entry-level."
"If legs are off-limits, what's left below the waist?" Kagura scanned her lower half.
"That's mid-tier perversion." Mai pushed his jaw to turn his head. "No looking!"
"So, staring at any girl makes me a pervert? Every guy's at least mid-tier?!"
No legs, just butts and pussies left—what straight guy isn't into those?
"Back to the point, you're really into girls' legs, right?" Mai nudged his foot with her toe. "Well, beautiful legs, sure." Kagura nodded openly.
"Especially stockings, like pantyhose?"
"Exactly, like yours, Mai."
"Into touching them?" Kagura met her eyes, snapping his fingers. "Into tearing them off and diving in to lick."
"That's not liking—it's lust." Mai dodged his heated gaze, sitting, recrossing her legs. Kagura sat beside her. "What level's that?"
"Off the charts. Why ruin perfectly good stockings?"
"Because—"
His left hand "accidentally" rested on her exposed thigh under her skirt. "What're you groping?"
Mai, flushed, glared, but didn't pull away or slap him, her eyes merely warning.
"Playing boyfriend, right? Isn't touching your girlfriend's thigh or kissing on a Ferris wheel standard?"
He slid his hand up and down, making her squirm, until she grabbed his wrist.
"How long are you groping, jeez!"
"Wow, Mai, so cute~ Your legs are so soft, the stockings silky—too sexy."
"Ugh, let go! Let go!"
With effort, Mai pushed his hand off.
Arms crossed, she huffed out the window, muttering, "This time, I'll let it slide as boyfriend acting. Next time you touch without permission, I'm calling the cops."
"So, touching with permission is fine?"
"Well… depends if I agree."
"What would make you agree?"
Kagura leaned in, curious.
"Um, first…" Mai twirled her hair, pausing long before whispering, "Tell me who you like."
"Hm? What was that?"
"Nothing. No next time. I won't let you unleash your lust again."
"Tch, should've groped longer."
"Normal guys would apologize first."
"Alright." Kagura blinked, unrepentant, spreading his hands. "Mai's legs were so silky, I got lost and forgot to apologize. My bad."
"Who needs that apology… ugh…" Mai paused, glancing at the nearing ground. "Almost over."
"Find any acting inspiration?"
"None. I brought you to help me find it, but I'm the one who got groped and taken advantage of."
"Because you're so kind, Mai~"
"Kind…" Mai faltered, blushing, humming, "As a third-year senior, I should look out for my junior. Kindness is just a mature woman's baseline."
"Mm, mm!"
Kagura nodded enthusiastically.
"By the way…" Mai recalled Yukino's startled shudder, whispering, "Did you touch her legs to make her react like that?"
"No way, never touched a finger of Yukino's legs." Kagura thumped his chest innocently.
"Really?"
"Swear."
"So, any beautiful legs, and you want to touch?"
"Obviously."
"Tch… If you got the chance?"
You groped Kasumigaoka Utaha's black-stockinged legs last time.
"Prime opportunity? I'd go all in!"
"Such a pervert…"
Mai's face said, "As expected."
"Sorry for being a pervert."
"But… I'm confident in my leg shape and length, yet you never mentioned or even looked at them before. It's weird."
"So, Mai's jealous~"
"No way, idiot!" Mai, flustered, shoved his shoulder, then lowered her head, pouting, "Whatever, jeez!"
"Can't run off in a Ferris wheel."
"…"
Mai just glared.
"You don't need to overthink it."
"My thoughts don't need your commentary."
"Look, what's the point of thinking that? If I say I want to touch, would you let me?"
"Of course not, what're you thinking, Pervert Spencer?"
"Then why insist I want to?"
"I won't let you, but you can't not want to. Work on understanding women, Spencer."
"…"
Kagura was speechless.
He and Mai stayed at Disneyland until noon, dining at a park-side restaurant. He didn't seek Yukino to avoid trouble—sticking with Mai let him sneak a thigh touch; Yukino would just scold him.
"By the way, Spencer, about the 'Mai-senpai' from forty years ago, know anything else?"
Mai clinked her lemonade glass with his, asking.
"Hm… haven't followed up much."
Kagura closed his eyes, thinking three seconds, then shook his head.
His mind was consumed by Golden Apples, with a sliver for Galgame. Mai likely qualified for a 100-point Golden Apple exchange, but he aimed for 200-point girls—100 felt like quenching thirst with poison, never enough.
"Oh, I learned something."
"What?"
"A heartless mannequin."
"Meaning?"
Kagura shifted his knife and fork.
"In the old school's science lab, there's a mannequin without a heart. Creepy, right?"
"Doesn't seem tied to the 'Mai-senpai' urban legend."
"Who knows," Mai shrugged. "Urban legends vary by teller. Check it out sometime—you're always at the old school, right?"
"Why are you digging into these legends?"
"To understand my strange ability," Mai said, slightly impatient, as if he'd asked the obvious. "Even you'd obsess over a weird power until you cracked it, no?"
"Fair…"
Kagura mulled her words casually.
He suspected her ability was the system's "Golden Ability" but kept mum about his system and the immortality-granting Golden Apples.
"Oh, here."
Mai deftly opened her purse, handing him a brown kraft envelope.
It wasn't thick, not like it held 500,000 yen.
"What's this? I said it's free help."
Kagura crossed his arms in an X, not taking it.
In Japan, money (especially 10,000 to 1,000,000 yen) is often given in envelopes for formality and tact—handing cash directly feels crass.
"Not money. Your time's valuable; I feel bad taking your whole day. Take it, a small thank-you."
Mai nudged it closer.
Kagura hesitated. She frowned, blushing. "A lady offers you something, and you refuse? Give me some face."
"Uh, my bad… I'll take it."
Kagura coughed, accepting.
"It's work-related, so you should."
"So, what is it? Mai's sultry private photos?"
Kagura pinched the stack of hard cards inside, winking slyly.
Mai kicked his leg under the table, pouting, cheek propped, looking away shyly. "As if… I'm not some loose girl."
"Doesn't feel like it. Can I check?"
"Go ahead."
"Hm…"
Kagura opened it—damn, a stack of Amazon gift cards. He pulled one: 50,000 yen, the max. Recalling Mai's "500,000 yen" comment, he realized ten identical cards.
Damn, not cash, but gift cards—prepaid money, valid ten years. Only an epic scatterbrain would let them expire.
"No take-backs on my thank-yous," Mai muttered, cheeks pink. "I've got pride!"
"Mai, what about my pride?"
Kagura sighed, rolling his eyes, feeling played.
Senpai's crafty… Said no money, then slipped me 500,000.
"No way, take it. I know you're not broke, but a thank-you's a thank-you."
"You're relentless…"
Speechless, Kagura folded the envelope small and pocketed it.
What's this? Feeling like a kept boy? A fallen pianist bankrolled by a star?
They parted near 4:00 PM, Japan's "demon hour." Mai took the train; Kagura saw her to the gate, then hopped into Nao's car. As he settled, Nao asked, "Young Master, how was your date with the big star?"
"Dragged for a day to 'find acting vibes.' Hardly a date." Kagura shook his head, grabbing a non-alcoholic beer from the car fridge. No kiss—some date. "Maybe your outfit's fault?"
"Mai Sakurajima's not that shallow."
"So, you didn't even get her lips?"
"Nope, embarrassing, right? She gave me 500,000 yen in gift cards as thanks. I'm dizzy."
No lips, but I copped a thigh feel—not a total loss.
"Eh? What's that? Free story?"
"Don't tease," Kagura waved the folded envelope. "Want some, Nao-nee?"
"Keep it. It's from that Mai Sakurajima."
"Ugh, fine."
Nao parked briefly, leaning back, tapping her lips. "Pardon my boldness, but since you missed her lips, want mine as consolation?"
"Hahahaha—" Kagura laughed, leaning forward, giving Nao a light kiss. "Thanks for the comfort kiss."
"My pleasure~" Nao giggled, gripping the wheel and gearshift. "Where to?"
"Home. Sorry, making you work on Golden Week."
"You're too kind. Anything you need, just say."
"You're the kind one."
They bantered, and Nao drove off.
Kagura sipped his non-alcoholic beer (he wanted real beer, but Nao forbade it), gazing out. Seven minutes in, a sudden brake jolted him, face smacking the front seat, beer splashing the backrest.
"Phew… What happened?"
As the car steadied, Kagura asked.
"Huff… huff…" Nao, shaken, pointed ahead. "My deepest apologies for startling you. A dog darted from the sidewalk onto the road, so…"
"Didn't hit it? I'll check."
"Wait, I'll come too."
They stepped out. The car, an embassy vehicle with extraterritoriality, could park anywhere without issue—cops couldn't touch it, and trailing cars had to wait.
A girl with an empty leash dashed across the road—no crosswalk—to their car's front, crouching.
Her hair color and style seemed familiar. Kagura and Nao exchanged worried glances. Seconds later, she stood, cradling a trembling, terrified dachshund.
The car's front had a puddle of dog pee—scared witless, the poor thing.
"Waaah… Biscuit… You scared me to death, thank god you're okay… Waaah…" The girl sobbed, tears streaming. "Yu… Yui-chan…?"
Kagura peered, stunned, removing his sunglasses. "Eh? No way! Who're you? Wait… Sawamura…-kun?!"
Yui, clutching Biscuit, nearly jumped, tears turning to joy.
Not for him—her dog's survival.
"Huh…?" Nao, hearing them name each other, covered her lips, blinking curiously. "Young Master, is this young lady…?"
"No, no, I'm no lady!" Yui, waving Biscuit, shook her head. "I'm Yui Yuigahama, second-year, Class C at Sobu High, Sawamura-kun's… his…"
She glanced nervously at Kagura, gauging his reaction.
"My friend," Kagura declared firmly. "Sorry, Yui, our car nearly hit your dog."
Without Nao, he'd have teased, We're pussy-licking friends.
"Woof! Wuu~~"
Biscuit, spared, barked at them, then whimpered pathetically, maybe complaining or apologizing.
"No, no, it's fine! Biscuit's leash slipped, your fault. You were driving normally, and Biscuit's okay, really." Yui shook her head, eyeing the growing traffic jam. "I'll… head off then. Happy Golden Week, Sawamura-kun."
"Your dog's too scared to walk. Let me drive you home?"
Kagura tapped the car door.
"Eh? No, no, no trouble… Really, no need…" Yui backed away, ready to bolt.
Nao stepped behind her, pressing her shoulders, smiling. "No need to be shy. We're just out for a drive. A small gesture for startling your dog. Please, get in."
"B-Biscuit might dirty your car, really, it's fine…"
"Hahaha, small issue. I trust Biscuit."
"Even if it gets dirty, no problem," Nao added.
"Yeah, hop in."
Kagura opened the door. Yui, after some "eh"s, couldn't refuse and climbed in with Biscuit.
Before entering, she whispered to Biscuit, "No peeing in their car, okay?" Biscuit "wuu"ed, nodding, as if understanding.
A water stain on the seat forced Kagura to explain, "I was drinking non-alcoholic beer; the brake spilled it."
"Oh… sorry about that…"
Yui shrank, bowing slightly.
Today, Yui wore an off-shoulder sky-blue top, collarbone half-exposed, a wide V-neck hinting at her bust's curve—charming, not risqué (far from Eriri's gala gown). A heart pendant hung at her collarbone, with a red cord for Kagura's gifted amulet, tucked into her chest, invisible from the front.
Her lower half was simple: frayed denim hotpants, phone and wallet peeking from pockets, bare white legs gleaming, paired with vibrant pink-orange sneakers and cute lace socks.
Youthful, radiant, perfectly her. Kagura's first time seeing her casual style—better than her uniform, he thought. "Which way's home?"
"Oh, left at the next intersection, then straight for about a kilometer." Yui directed Nao.
"Walked your dog that far?"
Kagura crushed the spilled beer can.
"Uh… yeah… I jogged a bit too… planned to run home with Biscuit and cook." Yui stole glances at him, asking tentatively, "Did… Sawamura-kun go somewhere fun?"
"Don't ask. It was work."
"Work?! For real?"
She gasped, startled.
"Yeah…" Kagura nearly said, You're so jumpy, but held back, pointing to his dyed hair. "Necessary sacrifice for work. Temporary dye."
"Oh… I see… Your casual look's so different from school, I didn't recognize you at first…" Yui added quickly, "But your voice is nice—I knew it right away!"
Yui's tact shone, unlike Yukino's constant nitpicking.
Since he said work, Yui didn't pry. Instead, he asked, "Need ingredients? We can grab some and drop you off."
"No, no, I've got food at home. Just need to cook."
"You cook daily, Miss Yui? Impressive," Nao praised, turning the corner.
"Oh, no… just normal stuff." Yui, somber, hugged Biscuit, stroking its head. "I live with just Mom… She works hard to support me, so I cook."
"Even more impressive."
Kagura, moved by her melancholy, ruffled her hair.
Yui blushed, lowering her head, growing redder with each pat. Unlike Yukino's outbursts, she murmured, "Thanks…"
Kagura had saved her from "Mai-senpai's" poison, a debt she'd never forget. The accidental pussy-licking? Sealed in her "never-open" black history, only revisited for late-night itch relief.
The car reached Yui's building, a "danchi"—dense, aging urban housing from Japan's rapid urbanization. Cheap, outdated, poorly soundproofed, and cramped, it was worlds apart from Kagura's home.
Most danchi banned pets and had strict rules, but Yui's seemed lenient.
Yui felt a pang of poverty's shame bringing Kagura here but forced a smile, glancing at her reflection in the car window, fixing her bangs, and said cautiously, "Thanks for the ride. Sorry for the trouble. If you don't mind… want to come up for tea? Mom's wanted to meet you since you helped me… No pressure, if you're busy, I won't keep you!"
"Young Master, your call?"
Nao deferred to Kagura.
"Uh… showing up empty-handed feels rude…" Kagura scratched his head, deliberating.
He wanted to visit—nothing else to do, and with Mom restricting Nao's intimacy at home, hanging with cute Yui sounded nice.
"No gifts needed!" Yui grabbed his hand, shouting nervously, "Don't bring anything! I'll be mad if you do!"
Biscuit, inspired, barked twice. Yui re-leashed it.
No gifts, then. Kagura had Nao wait downstairs while he visited briefly. Yui, unused to inviting two but leaving one, repeatedly invited Nao, but Nao, no third wheel, declined.
"Is your mom off today?"
Kagura asked in the elevator.
"Yeah… only Sundays off. She works hard; I need to step up too."
"What's her name?"
"Chiyo, Yuigahama Chiyo."
"Thanks for sharing."
The elevator reached the ninth floor.
The top was eleven, so nine was high. The shaky elevator stopped, and Kagura gestured for Yui to exit. She insisted he go first, and in their polite dance, Biscuit bolted, leash still in Yui's hand as the doors began closing.
Snap! Kagura jammed his hand in the gap, sighing, "Scared me… If that closed, Biscuit would've been done."
"Oh… oh?!" Yui, realizing, bowed frantically. "Thank you, Sawamura-kun!"
Clumsy dogs or owners sometimes face this—dog outside, leash inside, elevator moving, rope catching, strangling the dog.
Kagura pried open the creaky doors. Yui, thanking profusely, darted past, scooping up restless Biscuit.
A whiff of her scent hit Kagura. He closed his eyes, savoring. This the JK aroma? He stepped out, joining Yui at room 913's door.
"Ding-dong…!"
Yui rang the bell.
"Uh… Yui, no keys?"
"Oh, I have them! I'm such an idiot!"
Spooked by the scares, Yui forgot her keys. As she fumbled in her hotpants, Chiyo's voice crackled through the intercom.