"Hey, Naga? Naga?" Miku frowned and waved her hand in front of Naga. "What's wrong with you? You seem really listless. Did you drink too much at yesterday's business dinner?"
Naga, carrying Miku's suitcase, rubbed her red eyes. "Uh... there's a lot. I had a headache this morning."
In fact, I barely slept at all last night, but to cover it up, I still had to go to work as usual in the morning. When I came to pick up Miku in the afternoon, my head felt like it was going to explode.
Kotone and Ami both took leave, and the already subdued beauty was to be ravaged by Ami in that room for a whole day. If it weren't for Miku's return today, Naga would have really wanted to stay there and continue to enjoy the naked bodies of the two beauties.
As Naga finished dressing and left, Kotone's long legs were tightly clamped around Ami's hips, their genitals rubbing back and forth as if in a deep kiss, producing a large amount of vaginal fluid.
Whether it was an illusion or not, in the instant the door closed before her eyes, Naga seemed to see a glimmer of tears in Koto's eyes. Whether it was from joy or sorrow, she couldn't tell.
"Drinking too much is bad for your health. Next time you have a social event like this, bring Kobayashi with you. With her and me helping you, you'll drink less, right?" Miku touched his forehead worriedly, and only felt relieved after confirming he didn't have a fever. "How have you been feeling these past few days without my help?"
Naga smiled and stuffed the suitcase into the trunk of the taxi. "It was indeed a lot of hard work. There's quite a gap between you and Kobayashi."
"Of course, I'm not just a pretty face." Miku smiled confidently and got into the car with him. "Naga, you're great too. I've met a lot of young people, but very few can progress to this level as quickly as you."
"Hey, Shimokawa-senpai, you sound like an old woman." Naga pulled her hand and placed it on her lap, still feeling pleased by her praise.
Compared to female employees of the same age, Miku's business acumen is clearly far superior. Yet, such a talented individual has never been promoted and has instead become his assistant, which makes Naga feel somewhat angry about the discrimination against women's work abilities in society.
Being recognized by such a capable person is naturally something to be happy about. Especially after he realized that Miku wasn't the type to blindly praise others based on his own preferences.
"Section Chief, don't force me to remind you, you're older than me." Miku retorted coquettishly, without pulling her hand back, but comfortably enjoying the warmth of his palm.
There was no need to go back to the company; Naga took Miku directly back to her apartment.
With their relationship becoming increasingly clear, Miku invited Naga upstairs for the first time, saying, "Naga, could you take my suitcase upstairs? I'm so tired."
It's quite interesting to think about. Naga has had deep relationships with so many beautiful women, but his experience of entering a girl's bedroom in real life has been almost zero since graduation.
Unlike the room I had seen in my dream, Miku's room lacked a lot of feminine charm. There were no comics or novels on the bookshelf; instead, there were thick hardcover books covering everything from philosophy and sociology to economics and politics. On the bottom shelf, there were several books related to dreams, which were obviously bought to please Naga.
"There are so many things I don't like to do." Miku stuffed her suitcase directly into the closet, probably because she didn't want to open it in front of Naga. She seriously counted on her fingers, "I don't like getting up early, I don't like cooking, I don't like putting on makeup, I don't like eating carrots, celery and green peppers, I don't like dealing with people I dislike, and I don't like tidying up my room."
She looked up and laughed. "But there are reasons why I have to do things I don't like. If I don't get up early, I can't work properly. If I don't cook, I'll go hungry. If I don't wear light makeup, I'll seem very rude. If I don't eat vegetables I don't like, it will affect my health. If I don't interact with people I dislike, I'll become an innocent fool. And if I don't tidy up my room, I'll have to carry my suitcase upstairs by myself today."
"Hmm, you're right." Naga smiled too. Lately, he felt much more relaxed whenever he was around Miku, a feeling that even Yui had never given him. He stretched. "Well, if there's nothing else, I'll head back."
Miku immediately said, "No, you went to so much trouble to bring these things up for me. It would be very impolite to just let you leave like this."
"Oh? Are there any other rewards?"
"Of course, if I ask the section chief to condescend to help me, I should at least treat you to dinner." Miku's eyes sparkled as she boasted, "Don't underestimate my skills now. This is the kind of time when I can say things are not what they used to be."
"Uh... that's fine, but it's still a long time before dinner. What should we do?" Naihe scratched his head. With only a man and a woman in the room, it was really difficult for him not to think about lewd things.
"You're in this state, of course you should rest!" Miku blushed, having seen through his thoughts. She got up and pushed his back, leading him to the bed. "Whatever you're thinking about in bed, this afternoon, please be a good girl and go to sleep. I'll call you for dinner."
"Is the reward really just dinner?" Naga asked, still somewhat unwilling to give up. The soft bed and pillows were quickly pulling him into sleep, but as soon as Miku showed the slightest sign of relenting, he would get up without hesitation.
"Greedy children are disliked." Miku pursed her lips, deliberately making an angry expression, and pulled the blanket up to cover his body. "Go to sleep, I can see the bloodshot in your eyes."
Okay, Naga nodded. The faint fragrance on the bed made him imagine Miku's body scent, and he slowly closed his sore eyes.
Sleepiness quickly washed over him, and in his hazy state, the faint fragrance seemed to grow closer. Then, soft, smooth lips, like a small piece of candy, gently touched his lips, accompanied by a soft, melodious voice, "Darling, sweet dreams."
Whether it was Miku's kiss and blessing that had an effect or not, Naga, who opened her eyes from the darkness, soon found herself in someone else's dream again.
There probably aren't many people who would sleep at a time like this... he thought to himself as he steered his body toward the only source of light.
That was indeed the entrance, but he couldn't get in. It was as if a thick, semi-transparent hard shell perfectly protected the passage, blocking his entry.
"Damn it, I actually ran into one." This must be the kind of closed consciousness that Dream Eaters hate to encounter; it's usually a nightmare—and only a nightmare powerful enough to affect a person's mind would have such protection. Naga considered for a moment, then swung his elbow and smashed it down.
He wasn't a skilled dream eater, so he could only act according to his own guesses.
He had a premonition that beneath that hard shell lay Ashi, whose sexual consciousness was twisted from the depths of her heart. This sealed-off dream was very likely related to her parents.
His fists and elbows clenched so hard they began to ache, each strike sending him flying backward a considerable distance. But since he had plenty of time, he patiently drifted away again and again, only to fly closer and attack once more.
Exhausted from the struggle, the transparent protective film finally cracked open with a crisp sound. Naga breathed a sigh of relief, dug his fingers into the crack, and pried off pieces one by one. He pried until he created a round hole about a meter long, examined it, and then crawled through the middle.
Unexpectedly, they hadn't gone far when they encountered another invisible wall covered in mist.
"Hey, my little darling, do you really need to hide your subconscious memories so well?" Naga shook her head in frustration, rubbed her elbows, and prepared to start the demolition work again.
Then he noticed that there seemed to be a clean and transparent area at the very top of the foggy obstacle. He floated up and peered at that spot.
Such memories, buried deep in the subconscious, don't have very clear details, and it's difficult for the person who dreams to recall them upon waking the next day. What Naga saw was indeed a very simple scene.
But contrary to his guess, this scene should have nothing to do with Ashi.
Because the main character in the scene is a thoroughly Eastern woman.
She looked to be about twenty-three or twenty-four years old, with a dignified and beautiful appearance. Her delicate features were expressionless as she stared blankly upwards. Beneath her lay a gorgeous kimono, its open lining like a floral cushion, the snow-white lining still not as fair and captivating as her skin.
Even on such fair and delicate skin, there were scattered bruises everywhere, on the chest, under the ribs, the lower abdomen, the sides of the thighs... and on the long and elegant neck, there were still red marks left by the hands.
Without a doubt, this was the aftermath of a rape. This classical beauty was a virgin before being violated. At the base of her slightly parted thighs, one could see congealed bloodstains hanging on her dark, shiny pubic hair.
Who is this? Naga stared blankly inside, unable to determine whose consciousness she had entered. However, something about the scene before her seemed off.
He frowned and looked closely, then suddenly gasped, his eyes widening as he stared at the naked beauty's soft, full breasts.
Ten seconds, twenty seconds, thirty seconds... one minute... five minutes! My God, that woman... isn't breathing! He looked inside in a panic; for about five minutes, her chest hadn't risen or fallen at all.
No matter how you look at it, this should be a living person. The rosy complexion, the gleam in the eyes, and the inward-curving toes are not movements that a dead person's muscles could make when completely relaxed.
What... what's wrong? Naga was puzzled. Why would such a strange scene appear in someone's consciousness? Why wasn't that woman breathing... what's wrong... wait! He suddenly thought of something and immediately brought his eyes back to that transparent area.
Sure enough, with the woman's naked body as the center, the scenery became increasingly blurry towards the edges, and connecting the blurriest edges with lines revealed a clear, slanted rectangle.
He suddenly realized and stopped trying to open the wall, because he knew that going in would be pointless.
The scene inside, which hinted at a rape, was just a photograph.
A photograph that could hold the secrets of someone's heart. If he couldn't see the face clearly, he would have really doubted whether it was the young Kuroki, after all, the two had a resemblance of about 60%, like sisters.
Damn it, once or twice they've spied on me. Does this mean I'll never have the chance to devour anyone's dreams again? Naga drifted away, somewhat annoyed, unwilling to look at that boring, unchanging scene any longer.
After drifting into darkness, he drifted back into a peaceful sleep.
The last time Naga woke up completely naturally from a full night's sleep was back when he was unemployed. His body and mind had been thoroughly rested, and the satisfaction and languor he felt upon waking brought him an indescribable sense of comfort and relaxation.
After opening his eyes, it took him about ten seconds to make out the outlines of the various furnishings in the dimly lit room. Right, this wasn't his own home; this was Miku's apartment. Uh… where's Miku?
He blinked hard, raised his hand to rub away the dry eye discharge, and then realized that an arm was pressing against his chest. The sleeve of his simple cotton pajamas was rolled up to his elbow, revealing his entire fair and tender arm.
He followed the arm and looked down at Miku, peering through the city lights outside the bed curtains.
This was a large single bed, which would be quite crowded if it accommodated two people. Naga herself took up most of the space, while Miku, who climbed up behind her, was curled up in the small half against the wall.
She probably didn't intend to fall asleep. She was using a cushion and her own arm as a pillow, and only had a blanket draped over her. Judging from her posture, it wasn't hard to guess that she had climbed into bed after getting ready, propped her cheek up, and stared blankly at the sleeping Naga. In the end, she accidentally turned her nap into a good sleep.
Hmm... Even if I launch a sneak attack back, it'll only even things out. Naga touched her lips, recalling the light kiss before she fell asleep; the lingering taste seemed to still be swirling in her mind.
He carefully took Miku's arm and leaned closer.
Miku, resting her head on his arm, tilted her head back slightly, her chin raised in a cute arc, and her red lips parted slightly, as if asking him for a kiss.
The muscles in his throat twitched violently. He lowered his head, carefully brushed the stray hairs from her cheek, and gently kissed her. Their lips touched, then slowly pressed together, until desire instantly ignited throughout his body, making him impatiently stick his tongue inside, exploring the world within Miku's lips.
"Ugh..." Miku woke up from the shock of being kissed, and instinctively pushed her hands towards Naga's chest.
But when her wide eyes saw the approaching face, her outstretched hand instead gripped his shirt, then wrapped around his chest and hugged him tightly...
"Uh... Was it tiring to stop just now?" Forty minutes later, Miku, who had brought the fragrant dishes to the table, looked at Naga apologetically and touched her still flushed cheeks with embarrassment.
After Miku firmly stated that she wanted to save everything for their wedding night, Naga, fearing that his impulse would grow uncontrollable, forced himself to remove his hand from her soft breasts until the wonderful aroma of food wafted from the kitchen, at which point his erection finally calmed down completely.
"It's alright, but with this experience, I'll have to remind myself to be more careful when we travel together." Naga straightened his disheveled shirt, reminiscing about the wonderful feeling of Miku's little hands exploring inside.
Actually, he didn't expect that he could suppress such surging lust. His hand had already touched Miku's buttocks, and he was confident that under such circumstances, becoming a real woman with half-hearted resistance would be the most normal outcome.
But he just couldn't bear to. As soon as the passionate kiss ended, Miku buried her face in his chest, her cheeks flushed, and said in a weak voice that seemed like she would never say it again in her life, "Naga-kun, I...I like you so much."
Those beautiful words kept echoing in his ears, and just thinking about Miku possibly crying and feeling sad made his chest clench with a sharp pain.
As a result, desires that had no outlet suddenly became bearable.
"It's only next month. Even if you have a bad memory, you won't forget, right?" They made a promise to use their accumulated vacation days next month to go on a trip to Hakone together. Just thinking about the two of them snuggling together in the hot spring hotel made Miku's cheeks start to burn again.
A hot spring where two people can bathe together... As Naga imagined the scene, she began to worry more about how she could endure it without dying from a nosebleed.
Leaving the apartment, Naga looked back at Miku, who was quietly watching him from the upstairs window, and for the first time, he truly felt the sweetness of love. It was a spiritual satisfaction that could never be replaced by any number of times he entered and exited a woman's body or how intensely he ejaculated.
But things don't always seem to go according to Naga's plan.
At the regular meeting next Tuesday, Manager Kuroki, who had just returned from headquarters, announced a new personnel adjustment notice.
Miku Shimokawa was promoted to head of the Public Relations Section, Anzu Kobayashi was promoted to department head, and Kae Matsushima was transferred to the Public Relations Section.
Keiko Kuroki will complete her handover this week and return to her position at headquarters. Naga Yumeno will become the head of personnel, Kotone Miura will become her full-time assistant, and new employees from headquarters, Noriko Hosokawa, Sayaka Tsukamoto, and Yu Koga, will be transferred to the personnel department at the same time.
All changes will be completed within this week.
Looking in astonishment toward the other end of the conference room, Naga clearly saw that Asami, who was sitting in the corner seemingly taking meeting notes, had a beautiful smile on her lips, full of anticipation.