Tokyo: Oreimo

"Oh right, there are still some things upstairs that haven't been tidied up yet. I can't move the cardboard boxes in the study by myself. Shi Yuze, could you help me with that after dinner?"

“Okay.” Ryosuke nodded. “I’ll come down after I’ve cleaned up the kitchen.”

Ling Nai paused for a moment in the bowl with her chopsticks, then continued picking up food. "Don't come back too late; the trash hasn't been sorted yet."

"understood."

Saori went back to the second floor first.

After Ryosuke washed the dishes, wiped the stove, and sorted the trash, he took off his apron and hung it on the hook on the side of the refrigerator. Ryosuke sat cross-legged on the sofa, flipping through the Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in his hand, without even looking up.

"I'm going downstairs."

"Oh." Ling Nai turned a page, her tone indifferent. "Come back soon."

As Ryosuke was changing his shoes in the entryway, she added, "Don't be past 10:30. If you are, I'll go downstairs and knock on the door."

"what?"

"It's nothing, go quickly."

......

Ryosuke glanced at his phone screen; there were no new messages. He then picked up his keys and went out.

One of the motion-activated lights in the hallway turned on, and Ryosuke went down to the second floor and stood in front of Saori's new apartment.

He raised his hand to knock on the door, but before his knuckles even touched the door panel, the door was pulled open from the inside. A hand reached out from the crack in the door, grabbed the front of his shirt, and with a light but decisive force, pulled him inside.

The door slammed shut behind him, the sound of the lock clicking crisply.

The entryway light was off, and only a floor lamp was lit in the living room, casting a soft shadow in the corner with its warm yellow light.

The air was filled with the steam from a recent shower and the delicate scent of shower gel, which together made the whole room smell like a forest after a rain.

Saori stood in front of him, her back to the floor lamp.

Her long hair was draped over her shoulders, the ends slightly damp, glistening with a moist sheen under the light. She wasn't wearing glasses, and the beauty mark at the corner of her eye was particularly clear in the warm light.

She wasn't wearing pajamas.

It's a Medusa outfit from Rider.

The black, form-fitting dress clung to her body, from her collarbone to just above her knees, every inch of the fabric feeling like a second skin.

The neckline was very low, revealing her fair collarbone and a suggestive curve below.

The dress was cinched at the waist, accentuating her tall figure with striking curves, while the hem was daringly short, almost revealing her upper thighs, leaving only a gap between it and her knee-high black boots, creating a tantalizing glimpse of her cleavage.

She wasn't wearing an eye mask, but her deep purple eyes were more captivating than any adornment under the dim lighting.

Ryosuke's breath hitched.

"What are you daydreaming about?" Saori took a step forward, pinning him against the door. She wasn't much shorter than him; at this distance, she was almost at eye level. "The promised reward—you think I was joking?"

"When did you buy this outfit...?"

“I’ve been preparing for this for a while, but I haven’t had a chance to wear it.” Saori reached out and lifted his chin, her fingertips slightly cool, but her strength was irresistible. “So, are you satisfied with the accuracy of your favorite Rider?”

“Even better than the original game artwork…” Ryosuke didn’t finish his sentence because he realized his voice was much hoarseer than usual.

"return?"

"It's even better than the original artwork."

Saori's lips curved into a smile. She leaned forward, placing her other hand on the door panel near Ryosuke's ear, trapping him between herself and the door. The scent of her shower gel wafted over him, and the ends of her hair almost brushed against his cheek.

"This is a special reward for Master alone." Her voice was low, with the last syllable rising slightly.

Ryosuke reached out and wrapped his arms around her waist; the fabric of her bodysuit felt slightly warm in his palm.

He could feel Saori's body tremble slightly at the touch, but her expression showed no sign of backing down. Instead, she took another half step forward, raised her face, and kissed him.

Saori's fingers slid off the door panel, through the back of his head, and into his hair.

Her lips were soft, but the force of her kiss was more aggressive than ever before, as if she had been waiting for a long time, as if she wanted to cram all the words she had left behind through the screen, the thoughts suppressed by work, and the anxiety of watching him walk side by side with others while she could only stand on the sidelines into this kiss.

Ryosuke's hand moved up from her waist, his fingertips brushing against the texture of her bodysuit, clearly feeling the temperature of her body beneath the fabric.

Saori's breathing became erratic, and the hand she was using to brace herself against the door gradually lost its strength, causing her to slide down.

"Wait a minute..." Saori turned her head away, her voice losing its usual composure for the first time. Two blushes floated on her cheeks, and her deep purple eyes were veiled with a layer of water. "Hey, where are your hands?"

"Isn't this Master's privilege?"

"At this point, he's learned to be glib and smooth-talking."

Saori glared at him, but the power of that glare was greatly diminished by her flushed cheeks.

She tried to take a half step back, but Ryosuke grabbed her waist, her back pressed against the door, and she looked up at him slightly, her Adam's apple bobbing gently.

Ryosuke's kiss landed on the side of her neck, and Saori's body trembled slightly as her fingers gripped the back of his shirt tightly.

"Wait a minute... I told you to wait a minute..."

Her protests grew fainter and fainter until they were almost whispers. Ryosuke's lips moved from the side of her neck to behind her ear, and she could feel his warm breath brushing against her earlobe.

No, if this continues, he'll completely control the pace. We agreed that she would give the reward, but now she's the one sticking the door open.

As if all her strength had been completely drained by Ryosuke's kiss, Saori almost collapsed into Ryosuke's arms.

Saori leaned against him, her long hair disheveled, a blush spreading from her cheeks to her collarbone, and her usually composed deep purple eyes were now misty.

"You were too proactive today." Saori's voice was low and hoarse, her chest heaving as she tried to regain her usual confident tone, but she failed.

“You were the one who dragged me in first,” Ryosuke said.

"That's...that's the promised reward!" Saori glared at him. "It's not about making you do the opposite..."

"On the other hand?"

"You know perfectly well what I'm asking." Saori turned her head away, her chin slightly raised, revealing a section of her slender neck. This gesture was meant to hide her panic, but it seemed more like an invitation.

Ryosuke lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers again.

Saori's body tensed up suddenly in his arms.

Ryosuke tightened his grip on her waist, deepening the kiss. He could feel her chest heaving more and more violently, and her heartbeat, transmitted through her tight-fitting clothes, was as fast as a drumbeat.

She was practically hanging on him. He took half a step forward, pinning her back against the door, and slid his hand from her waist to her back, tracing the contours of her spine one segment at a time.

The fabric of the bodysuit felt slightly warm to the touch.

"Wait a minute..." Saori suddenly turned her head away, her voice heavy with breath, "Where is your hand touching...?"

"Back." Ryosuke's voice was hoarse.

"That's where the zipper is!"

"is it?"

“What ‘really?’ Shi Yuze…you’re too cunning.”

Before Saori could finish speaking, Ryosuke's lips covered hers again, silencing her. Her protest turned into a muffled nasal sound in her throat, her fingers gripping the back of his shirt so tightly that the fabric crumpled into a ball.

The two of them wrestled on the door panel for a while until Saori's elbow accidentally bumped into the shoe cabinet in the entryway, and a cardboard box slid down from it, hitting the floor with a thud.

The two stopped moving at the same time.

Chapter 281 I'll bite you!

Saori glanced at the cardboard box that had fallen to the ground, then turned back to look at Ryosuke. The two were still pressed tightly together, their breathing clearly audible.

"It's all your fault." Her voice was tinged with annoyance, but more so with an irrepressible chuckle. "You knocked over the things I had painstakingly tidied up."

"It was clearly your elbow that touched it."

"That's because you've kept me here."

Ryosuke looked down at her. Her long hair was disheveled, with a few strands sticking to her slightly damp cheeks. The beauty mark at the corner of her eye was more prominent because of the redness in her skin. She looked both disheveled and beautiful.

"Let go of me first." Saori pushed against his chest. "I need to check if anything is broken."

Ryosuke released his hands from her waist.

Saori breathed a sigh of relief.

They escaped.

Her body was still a little weak. She bent down, picked up the cardboard box, opened it, and took a look. The contents were wrapped in bubble wrap and seemed to be fine.

After placing the box on the shoe cabinet and turning around, the flush on her face had faded somewhat.

Ryosuke leaned against the door, watching her. Saori tidied her disheveled hair, her fingers trembling slightly as she ran them through the strands, probably because the afterglow of the previous encounter hadn't completely faded.

What are you looking at?

"Look at you."

"You're quite eloquent now." Saori's heart raced again. She walked back to him, pointed a finger at his chest, and asked, "Do you want to continue what we're about to do?"

Ryosuke paused for a moment, and Saori stared into his eyes, her deep purple pupils reflecting his image.

“Continue means…” Before Ryosuke could finish speaking, Saori’s fingers moved from his chest to his lips, pressing down on the last part of his sentence.

"Dream on."

The corners of her mouth curved up, and that familiar, confident smile reappeared on her face.

"I was just rewarding you for helping me move. Don't push your luck." She withdrew her finger, took a half step back, and crossed her arms. "Since we just moved in, the hot water in the bathroom isn't ready yet, so I won't keep you here tonight."

......

Sorry.

Ryosuke walked out of Saori's house, feeling slightly disappointed. The faint, alluring fragrance still lingered on his fingertips. He pushed open the door to his own apartment, where the entryway light was still on.

Ling Nai sat cross-legged on the sofa, holding a cushion in her arms. The TV was on, but the volume was turned down low. A late-night variety show was playing on the screen, but her eyes were clearly not on the screen.

"I'm back." She didn't even turn her head.

"Hmm." Ryosuke changed into slippers and walked into the living room. "Not asleep yet?"

"The garbage sorting isn't finished yet." Ling Nai put the cushion aside, stood up from the sofa, walked to him, and then stopped.

Her nostrils twitched slightly.