Chapter 28

“Ah, this feels so good.”

Shizuna murmured lazily as she showered.
Right after they arrived at Ryuichi’s apartment, the moment the door clicked shut, Shizuna was pulled into another deep kiss by Ryuichi. Soon after, he scooped her up in a bridal carry and carted her straight to the mattress.

“I feel like a real princess right now.”
“And I’m about to stain that princess from head to toe.”
“It won’t stain. You’re just carving your proof into me.”

She thought she had said something awfully embarrassing out loud, but when Ryuichi carried her like that, getting swept up in the rush of it all was hardly her fault.

“Why does it feel this good, I wonder? Is it because Ryuichi-kun is just that good at it? Or am I just easily aroused?”

The thought suddenly popped into her head.
Until recently, Shizuna had zero experience; she knew things in theory, but had no idea what it actually felt like in practice. Ryuichi took the lead, stoking her desires, teaching her what to do, and training her body. Putting those lessons into practice and seeing his pleased expression brought Shizuna a mix of happiness and excitement, until she eventually learned to let her instincts take the wheel.

“…Ah.”

Just remembering it made her emotions surge all over again.
Her body had been thoroughly trampled by Ryuichi, and Shizuna felt completely, soul-deeply satisfied. Yet the sweeter the time spent, the greedier she became to experience even more of it. It made her blush to realize just how lewd she had become, but knowing that Ryuichi was the one who turned her into this made it feel like a blessing all the same.

“Alright, all clean.”

After washing herself thoroughly from head to toe and drying her hair, Shizuna stepped out of the bathroom. Since she had come over without returning home first, she didn’t have a change of clothes, but she planned to make do for the day by borrowing one of Ryuichi’s shirts, the classic boyfriend-shirt look.

“…Fufu… Fuhehe.”

Wearing Ryuichi’s oversized shirt, she buried her face in it and took a deep, greedy breath of his scent. It mostly smelled of laundry detergent, though she liked to imagine a faint trace of Ryuichi himself lingered underneath.

“Oh, you done?”
“Mhm. That felt great.”

He had sent Shizuna to the bath first, leaving him completely unclothed. Just the sight of his powerful, formidable physique built like a large man was enough to make Shizuna let out a yearning, troubled sigh. Back in the room, Shizuna was wearing nothing but Ryuichi’s shirt; with the top two buttons left undone, the deep valley of her rich breasts was fully exposed, while anything below her thighs was completely bare for all to see.

“That is the textbook definition of a bad girl’s outfit.”
“You think so? I’m just wearing Ryuichi-kun’s shirt, you know?”
“Pretty sure that’s plenty lewd. Well, not that I mind; it’s my type.”

“Glad to hear it,” Shizuna murmured with a soft smile as she sat down right there on the floor. With Ryuichi swapping places to head into the bathroom next, Shizuna suddenly found herself with nothing to do. With no particular way to pass the time, she reached for her smartphone.

“…No messages, huh.”

She had half-wondered if Souhei might have sent something or tried calling, but there was nothing.

“…So he liked me… huh.”

Thinking back on it, she could tell from Souhei’s behavior that he had harbored faint feelings for her. She didn’t inherently hate being liked, but the moment he started picking a fight with Ryuichi like that, Souhei’s stock in her eyes had plummeted straight to the bedrock. Even if he hadn’t acted like that, she was already far too hopelessly captivated by Ryuichi for any future outcome to change.

“Ryuichi-kun… I love you… Love you so much… I’m in love with you.”

Just whispering those words warmed her heart and filled her with happiness. She felt almost exasperated with herself for being so completely head-over-heels, but by this point, Shizuna was incapable of thinking about anyone except Ryuichi. While idly tapping away at her phone to kill time, memories of what happened earlier began to resurface, and before she knew it, she was quietly comforting herself.

“Thought I heard some awfully suggestive noises, and look what you’re up to…”
“W-What’s that supposed to mean?! Having sex with Ryuichi-kun just feels too amazing, I can’t help it!!”

It was a double punch of embarrassment: the shame of losing her composure, paired with the mortification of getting caught red-handed by Ryuichi. Seeing Shizuna instantly snatch the duvet up to hide her blushing face, Ryuichi let out a wry smile, walked over, dropped heavily onto the mattress beside her, and scooped her up into his massive arms.

“Ain’t planning to go for round two tonight, but you really are an adorable girl. And not just cute; you’re drop-dead sexy… and strong, too. You hardly ever find a fine woman like you.”
“…Ryuichi-kun.”

Ryuichi was a delinquent, true to form. Yet the words he directed at Shizuna were always gentle. There were times when he devoured her with raw, predatory intensity. But at his core, Ryuichi was kind. Knowing that kindness firsthand was what allowed Shizuna to feel so utterly at peace inside his arms.

“I’m sending you home tomorrow, you know?”
“I know. But just for tonight, it’s just the two of us… my own private privilege.”
“The feeling’s mutual. Just for tonight… no, from now on, you’ll always be my woman, right, Shizuna?”

Shizuna nodded with a radiant, all-consuming smile.
After that, trading idle chatter while letting Ryuichi do as he pleased, Shizuna welcomed his embrace, welcomed his fingers brushing against her skin… and eventually drifted off to sleep with the lights turned out.

Wrapped in Ryuichi’s warmth and scent, Shizuna fell asleep savoring a level of happiness that couldn’t possibly go any higher. Amidst that slumber, she drifted into a strange dream.

“…Where is this?”

It was the interior of a house she had never seen before.
Somewhere completely foreign to her waking memories. As she wondered about it, a woman’s voice cut through the quiet.

“I wish you were never even born.”
“?”

It was a voice dripping with distilled malice. Feeling a primal shiver of aversion toward the sound, Shizuna walked in the direction of the voice. Reaching a single room, she found a woman and a young boy standing inside.

“Honestly, why is taking care of a brat such a pain in the ass? Costing me money, wasting my time. It’d be easier if you just dropped dead, though I suppose dealing with the paperwork would be a hassle.”
“Tch… Mom.”
“Don’t you look at me with those eyes, you little piece of trash.”

The woman hurled a box of tissues straight at the boy.
Even if it was light, taking a hard cardboard corner to the head would hurt. Clutching his head, the young boy stared back at the woman with a look of sheer, bone-deep terror.

“…No way.”

Catching the look in the boy’s eyes, Shizuna intuitively understood the truth.
The boy cowering in fear from that woman was Ryuichi; it was him when he was just a child.

“What’s with that look? Is that how you look at your own mother?! Have you forgotten you owe your very existence to me?!”

The woman stood up and marched toward Ryuichi. Cringing into a tight ball, the young Ryuichi could only do his utmost to avoid meeting her gaze.
It was a scene far beyond merely sickening, and naturally, Shizuna couldn’t stay silent. While she had no clue what this dream meant, she finally felt like she was touching the genuine, true darkness living inside Ryuichi.

This was a dream… yes, perhaps a meaningless dream.
Even so, watching Ryuichi suffer without lifting a finger to help was an option Shizuna refused to take. He had saved her back then. Since then, they had spent countless hours together, and he had let her taste this immense happiness… which was why, this time, it was her turn to protect him, stepping directly into the path between him and the woman.

“Who the hell are you… and how’d you get in here?”
“…Who am I?”

Shielding Ryuichi behind her back, Shizuna spoke up.

“I’m going to protect him! I won’t let a garbage human being like you hurt him ever again!”
“Ha?”

If it’s a dream, I can do whatever I want, she figured, winding up and landing a fierce, ringing slap right across the woman’s cheek. With a sharp crack, the woman shattered into sparkling bubbles and vanished into thin air.

“…Ryuichi-kun.”
“…Onee-san?”

Pulling the trembling young boy into a tight embrace, Shizuna bit her lip, wondering just how terrifying it must have been for him.
The past could not be undone, and she couldn’t erase the scars left on him. Even so, to sweep away this darkness, Shizuna swore she would stay by his side forever. Because she wanted to protect him; the boy who was gentle, strong, and somehow impossible to just leave alone.

“Ryuichi-kun, I’ll always be right here with you. No, not just me. Chisa-san, and Mom too; there are people who truly care about you, Ryuichi-kun. So you’re going to be fine.”

The moment she muttered those words, Shizuna blinked awake.

“…A dream?”

The lights were off, plunging the room into darkness, but her eyes slowly adjusted to the shadows.
She had gone to sleep held in Ryuichi’s arms, yet somehow, their positions had inverted, and she now found herself cradling him against her chest. With an innocent, childlike sleeping face, Ryuichi rested with his head buried right in the soft, rich expanse of Shizuna’s bosom. He looked so endearingly precious that Shizuna couldn’t help letting out a fond chuckle.

“You told me that meeting you back then was just a coincidence, Ryuichi-kun. But you know what? To me, it was destiny. A fated encounter that led me to truly, deeply understand the person I’ve come to love this much.”

If not for that chance meeting, Shizuna was certain she never would have fallen for Ryuichi like this. In fact, they probably never even would have crossed paths at all. She might have swallowed the rumors whole and spent her life despising him instead.

“I love you. I won’t let anyone deny my feelings… Ryuichi-kun, I can say it as many times as it takes. I love you… Always, and forever.”

It was both a vow and a prayer; a renewed promise carved deep into Shizuna’s heart to serve as the light that would chase away the nightmares of the man she had chosen to love.

No matter what color he might be dyed in, no matter what shades might try to cover him, she would stay right by his side forever, wrapped in a pure, unblemished hue bright enough to paint over all that darkness.