Knock, knock, knock.
Hearing the knock, Misumi Uika immediately shot up from the bed. She hurried to the door and looked through the peephole—
"...Eh!? Are you serious?"
Although the only person who would be knocking on this door at this time was Hoshino Ai, seeing her there was still an immense shock.
Uika first unhooked the security chain, then immediately opened the door and asked:
"You actually came back!?"
Seeing that Ai had chosen not to stay in Tetsuya's room, but had returned here after a short time, Uika felt the anxious knot in her chest finally loosen a little.
However, the next second, when she got a clear look at Ai's current expression, Uika's guard went right back up—
(...Doesn't she look a little too happy?)
No, more than just happy, the expression on Ai's face could only be described as being beside herself with glee.
And this smile was different from her usual cute one, which had a hint of cunning mixed in with its purity. The corners of her mouth were turned up unabashedly, her facial muscles were lax, and her eyes were overflowing with joy and satisfaction... No matter how you looked at it, it was highly suspicious!
So... the two of them really did it, didn't they?!
After closing the door again, Uika glanced down at the time.
Nearly an hour had passed since the two of them had returned to the hotel.
In terms of time alone, it seemed like that was indeed enough for her to have done something.
But... if she really did it with Tetsuya-san, doesn't she look a little too... refreshed?
And judging by how neat her clothes were, there were no signs of any vigorous activity...
For a moment, Uika's mind was filled with confusion.
But then, when Uika saw Ai take the unopened box of safety supplies from her pocket and put it back in the nightstand drawer, she turned pale with shock.
"No way?! Y-y-y-you... Don't tell me you didn't use this!?"
"? I didn't, that's right."
Faced with Uika's outcry, Ai took the box out again and held it up for her to see.
"Look, I didn't even touch the outer packaging."
"I see, no wonder you came back so early..."
Uika covered her mouth in horror.
"How could this happen... Did you... did you really decide to handle your relationship with Tetsuya-san like that?"
"That's right."
Ai nodded without hesitation.
"And in my opinion, this is the best possible ending the two of us could have reached."
"How is that possible?!"
Uika loudly refuted Ai's statement.
"And here I thought that after meeting with Tetsuya-san a few times, your ideas were no longer as extreme as before. I never expected... you haven't changed at all! You even... you even betrayed Higuchi-san's trust and didn't even use that thing!"
Uika couldn't help but clench her fists.
"To think that you'd not only disregard your own future but also destroy Tetsuya-san's career along with it... I'm so disappointed in you."
"...Huh?"
Hearing this, Ai's face was a picture of utter confusion.
But soon, her quick wit allowed her to immediately understand the reason for Uika's reaction—
"Wait, Uika... you don't think I just did it with Tetsu, do you?"
"Didn't you?"
Uika pointed a finger at the nightstand.
"Not only did you do it, you did it with-with... without... without using that thing!"
"Uika... what are you thinking?"
Ai looked at Uika with a bizarre expression.
"The reason I didn't use it is obviously because nothing happened between Tetsu and me. If you don't believe me, you can go check his room right now."
"...Eh?"
Uika froze for a moment, then asked in a tone of disbelief:
"A man and a woman, alone in a room, and with you, the incarnation of lust... and nothing happened?"
"Hmph. Since you already know I'm the incarnation of lust, you shouldn't be making this kind of mistake."
Faced with Uika's rude metaphor, Ai didn't get angry at all. Instead, she crossed her arms and said with righteous conviction:
"If I really did it with Tetsu, you wouldn't be seeing either of us again until tomorrow."
"Hiss..."
Rather than a direct refutation, Ai's argument was surprisingly persuasive.
If she had really gotten her way, a single hour probably wouldn't have been enough to fill her bottomless pit of lust.
At this thought, Uika swallowed hard, then asked in a tentative tone:
"So, does that mean... you... you no longer want to do that sort of thing with Tetsuya-san?"
"To be honest, I'm dying to do it!!!"
Ai grabbed a pillow from the bed and buried her face deep into it.
"Tetsu had already let his guard down! Tetsu had already agreed! I could have made a move on him anytime I wanted! But... I just couldn't! It would be way too much of a waste to treat our first time so casually!"
"???"
Uika, who had just been starting to relax, was now completely confused again.
Let his guard down? Agreed? Wait, what does that mean?
Did Tetsuya-san not only not resist, but actually approve of Ai making a move on him?
And even more unbelievably, after learning that he had completely dropped his guard, Ai not only didn't make a decisive move but even came back to her own room obediently?
Eh? What's going on? Am I dreaming right now?
Uika couldn't help but reach up and pinch her own cheek hard. The sharp sting proved that this was not a dream, but reality—
"What in the world happened between you two?"
"Well... it would be too much trouble to explain the details. So, I can just tell you the conclusion."
Ai lifted her head again.
"From now on, you and Togawa Sakiko can rest easy. I'm not planning to go public with our relationship at the May live. In other words, I'm not considering graduating for the time being."
"Eh..."
Hearing this, Uika covered her mouth in disbelief.
Although she had thought before that Ai might really change her mind, actually confirming it from the source brought Uika an unimaginable sense of relief and reassurance.
However, the second thing Ai said made her gape in astonishment all over again.
"Also... starting from this live, all of my performance outfits will be provided by Tetsu's brand... No, not just performance outfits. From loungewear to everyday casual wear... I will only wear clothes that Tetsu makes."
In other words—
"From today on, I am a 'dress-up doll' exclusively for Tetsu."