Saturday (2)

Reiji gave her a quick tour of the house, starting from the gym, which was the closest to them.

"Oho, so this is where you build up those muscles..... Go on, show me a workout," Yui clapped excitedly.

"Why on earth would I do that?" Reiji scoffed.

He also couldn't even if he wanted to; just the mere thought made him involuntarily focus on the stabbing pain.

"Tch, what a spoilsport. Fine, I'll let you off if you just take off your shirt for the rest of the date."

".....Do you really think I won't report you for sexual harassment?"

Yui tilted her head with deceivingly innocent eyes.

"Will you?"

".... I'm not gonna take off my shirt, and this isn't even a date," Reiji rolled his eyes, walking out of the gym before she could continue.

"Urgh, fine! You drive a hard bargain! Ten minutes with no shirt?"

"...."

"5 Minutes?"

"...."

"You're forcing my hand! 2 minutes!?"

"...."

"30 seconds, final offer! Take it or leave it!" Yui crossed her arms, stamping her foot with mock dissatisfaction.

"What offer? How is this even a negotiation?" Reiji chuckled, amused at her antics. "I'll 'leave' it, thank you very much."

"Oh come on, even after all those concessions I gave you?" she sulked.

"Maybe we should have hung out at a psychiatric ward instead of here?"

"Nah, I've been there. They don't help, plus it's incredibly boring with nothing fun to do."

".... Are you serious?" Reiji gasped in astonishment.

This was never mentioned in the game, and he couldn't help but think that her issues might be far worse than he had initially assumed.

Yui blinked, leaned forward, and pulled his ear lightly.

"Ow!" he winced, more in surprise than pain.

"Do you actually think I'm medically unstable?" she asked softly, her red eyes trembling with nervousness.

Reiji couldn't tear his gaze away from her, his breath hitching in guilt.

'....That was stupid.'

He felt like kicking himself for falling for such an obvious joke, especially when considering her insecurities.

"Of course not! That's why I was so surprised!" Reiji responded a beat later with a laugh, trying to play it off as something funny.

She visibly relaxed when she saw him not taking it to heart, replacing her gloominess with a pout as she kicked his ankle playfully.

"You do know that I'm just messing around, right? I wouldn't do this stuff if it seemed like you actually felt uncomfortable," she muttered.

"Yeah, I know. It's a little funny because of how outlandish it is."

Reiji smiled, ruffling her hair, almost as if it was becoming a habit.

'Well, it's quite addictive.... So soft.'

Yui closed her eyes, content at the warm feeling it gave her. But then she opened them again, and there was nothing but mischief on her slightly red face.

"Well, don't get so comfortable. It's not completely a lie," she giggled, tracing a finger over his abdomen in a circular motion.

"Ah?"

Shivers went down Reiji's back, and his hand froze mid-air. After a brief pause, he tilted his palm to deliver a chop directly on the top of her head.

"Ack!"

Yui rubbed the spot with an aggrieved expression, watching him head for the next room in his apartment.

"Moving on!"

***

He showed her the storage room and the study back-to-back, a little curious at how she was poking around with interest.

She even held up her fingers as if taking a mental picture or measuring something, which made Reiji a little confused.

"The last one is my bedroom, but I know you're going to make some strange remarks, so let's just skip that and get to the coffee," he said, steering her away from the door at the end of the well-lit corridor.

But she slipped out of his grasp with incredible speed, running off to the bedroom while sticking her tongue out at him.

"Hey!"

'I keep forgetting just how athletic she is!'

Yui flung the door open and, without hesitation, launched herself onto the large bed in the middle of the room as soon as it came into view.

She pulled the covers open and burrowed under the thick comforter, ruffling around blissfully while Reiji just stared slack-jawed.

"Oooohhh! So comfy!" she squealed in delight.

"G-Get out of there, what are you even doing!" Reiji shouted, flustered at her boldness.

Yui's fluffy hair popped out from underneath the cover, and she blinked at him with her large, round eyes.

"I'm testing out our bed? I need to be prepared after all."

Her timid tone could have fooled almost everybody into thinking she was a naive and shy girl, but he knew better.

'That's a straight-up wolf in sheep's clothing!!'

"Prepared for what?! Just come out, I think the macarons are ready, can't you smell them?" Reiji tried to persuade her, even bringing out his ultimate weapon by enticing her with sweets.

But the fish didn't bite the bait this time.

She pulled down the sheets even more, her whole face now visible as she switched from innocence to seduction, leaning back onto the headboard with half-shut eyes and fluttering lashes.

"They can wait. Why don't we get some practice in advance?" she replied, her voice dropping to a volume barely above a whisper.

'...Shit.'

Reiji's mind blanked for a good few seconds.

After all, he was still a maidenless teenager who had never even held a woman's hand before.

So seeing one of his favorite characters, who was mind-bogglingly beautiful, act in such a way?

It was nothing short of blowing a fuse in the circuit that was his brain.

But when he regained his senses, his face hardened with resolve, a mix of indignation and wounded pride.

'She thinks this is fun?! I'll show her something fun!'

He strode towards the bed, rolling up the sleeves of his hoodie and revealing his thick forearms.

With each step that he got closer, Yui's eyes got bigger.

Her surprise was evident, and she tilted her head upwards to look up at the tall man now towering over her with a predatory glint, latching onto the comforter with a tight grip.

Reiji leaned down, placing one knee on the mattress before he grasped Yui's chin.

"If you play around too much, it won't just be a game anymore," he murmured, making his voice as deep as he naturally could.

After a moment of silence....

"Hnnn..."

An odd sound escaped Yui's pink lips, and she almost melted into the bed like her bones had become jelly.

Her eyes glazed over, and the blush on her pale cheeks matched the color of her hair and irises.

Reiji was not prepared for such a response, and the sight almost made him lose the composure he had built up, barely managing to hold it together by counting sheep in his head.

'If I crumble now, I lose the momentum and she'll keep walking all over me....'

So Reiji grit his teeth and didn't let his expression falter, merely straightening up with the same intensity as he turned to leave the room.

"The macarons are ready, so I'll start making the coffee now."

Yui, who had now covered everything except the top half of her face, peeked at his back as he left.

***

Reiji closed the door behind him and finally allowed himself to break the facade, feeling the blood that should have been leaking out of his shoulder rush to his head.

'That was wayyyy too close, how the hell is anyone supposed to handle that??'

He felt like applauding himself for surviving, maybe even giving himself a standing ovation if he wasn't already on two feet.

He jogged into the kitchen, taking out the ingredients to make a delicious and sweet iced coffee while he waited for her to emerge from his room.

But she didn't come out until he had almost finished preparing it, not expecting her to take so long.

When Reiji was taking the macarons out of the oven, the door opened and Yui toddled out while shuffling her feet on the marbled floor.

Her head was down, and she seemed to be tugging at her cardigan sleeves hesitantly.

"....Are you okay?" Reiji asked.

He didn't think it would have affected her so much, and he was now hoping that he hadn't unintentionally gone overboard.

'I shouldn't have done that.'

Yui didn't reply.

She kept her silence as she walked up, making Reiji worry even more.

She stopped right in front of him, her head still facing south like there was something really interesting on her feet.

"What's wrong? Did I scare you? I was just joking," he reassured, patting her head gently.

Yui reached out with her arm, her hand flailing towards him.

Reiji didn't stop her this time, thinking she really had been affected by what he did.

When she gripped his shirt tightly, just over his chest, he didn't quip, banter, or pull away, hoping it would help calm her down.

So when Yui yanked him down as hard as she could, Reiji's slack body couldn't react in time.

His eyes widened when he saw the bright glint in hers, their faces getting closer and closer in a blur.

Their lips met in a forceful collision, though the softness he felt cushioned everything else but euphoria, which crashed through every cell in his body.

The surprise, rationality, and carefulness that had been holding him back all vanished as if they were never a factor.

A whisper in the wind that didn't reach the ears.

Their equally large eyes locked onto each other's, neither side willing to close them while they were still connected.

After what felt like ages, but was no longer than a few seconds in reality, their lips parted free.

But it was a freedom he didn't quite enjoy.

Reiji exhaled shakily, only realizing at this moment that he had held his breath, with Yui still clutching his clothes as if she wasn't done.

Her smile deepened when she took another step forward, their bodies almost as attached as their lips were, and she stood on tiptoes to get right in front of his face.

"I don't care if the game ends, because I want it to."

Reiji finally understood a truth he had been trying to avoid ever since he'd met her.

She was the predator, and he was the prey.