Chapter 62: Keychain

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Translator: Soafp

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(What the—!? A kidnapper all of a sudden!?)

I put every ounce of strength into resisting.

If I got taken, Nodoka and Airi could end up in danger too.

I couldn't let anything happen to them because of me.

(Are they after my money?)

Or… could it be that Nagasawa-senpai had somehow found out about Yuzuki's plan?

But even then, something felt off.

I had never seen anything like this in my “nightmares.”

(Whatever it is, I have to break free no matter what…!!)

I forced a small gap open with my mouth and bit down hard on the fingers covering it.

The moment I realized from the feel that they belonged to a woman, not a man—

“O-owowow!! S-sponsor-sama!! W-wait, stop!! That hurts!!”
“…Huh?”

The hand covering my mouth pulled away.

I immediately turned around.

Standing there was someone who had been on stage earlier—and should've been in the hospital by now.

“Kokoa-san?”

“Auu… The bite you gave me is probably going to last longer than the lightning injury…”

She held out her finger.

Sure enough, my bite marks were clearly visible.

“Well, anyone would panic if something like that suddenly happened. I thought I was being kidnapped.”

“S-sorry… I didn't want to attract attention. You know how in movies they drag people into alleys like this…”

“…”

There was no need to drag me into an alley in the first place.

She could've just called out to me normally.

Are all idols like this…? No, maybe she's just a bit unusual.

“So, why are you here? What about the hospital?”

“I snuck out!”

“That's not okay.”

Right now, the hospital staff and her agency were probably searching everywhere for her.

I quickly pulled out my phone to contact her manager.

“W-w-wait a second!”

Kokoa stopped me.

“I-I already informed the agency myself!”

“…Really?”

“I told them everything before I left the hospital! Did you really think I just snuck out without saying anything? You're kind of pure, sponsor-sama!”

That sounded incredibly suspicious…

Still, I couldn't outright deny it.

While pretending to turn off my phone, I quietly sent a message in our group chat explaining the situation.

“So, Kokoa-san, why are you really here? Were you just bored at the hospital?”

“No! I came with a proper reason!”

She puffed out her chest proudly, hands on her hips.

“I came to thank you, sponsor-sama!”

“Thank me?”

“If you hadn't told us to leave the center of the stage empty, I would've actually died. The lightning would've hit me directly.”

That honestly caught me off guard.

Despite her carefree demeanor, she was surprisingly observant.

I didn't expect her to connect the dots like that.

“Well, your request was probably just a coincidence though!”

…Yeah, that made sense.

That was the normal reaction.

Honestly, it just meant Nodoka and Airi were the unusual ones for believing my foresight.

“But it's still true that you helped save me! So I wanted to thank you. Thank you so much!”

Kokoa bowed deeply.

Her attitude might be lighthearted, but her manners were solid.

I wasn't sure of her exact age, but she was definitely older than me.

“No, no need to thank me. Like you said, it was just coincidence. Still, thank you for coming all this way.”

“This is just a small token! Please accept it!”

She pulled something out of her pocket and handed it to me.

“A keychain…?”

“Yes! Only me and the members use these—it's really special! No other fans have one!”

“Ah, thank you.”

I wasn't exactly a fan of Jirai-chan Syndrome…

But it was a rare experience. I might as well keep it as a memento.

“Well then, I'll be going!”

“Ah, take care. Want me to grab you a taxi?”

“That would help!”

A taxi happened to pass by, and I flagged it down for her.

Once she left, we'd probably never meet again.

For some reason, that thought left a faint sense of lingering regret.

“…Sponsor-sama.”

“What is it?”

Suddenly, Kokoa turned to me with a pale face.

“S-sorry… could I borrow some money for the taxi? I used up all my cash getting here…”

“…”

So I ended up having the rare experience of lending money to an active idol.

---

“So that idol really came all the way just to see you?”

After returning to the inn, I told them everything about what happened with Kokoa.

Nodoka puffed her cheeks and looked at me with a sulky expression.

“Jealous?”

“S-so what if I am!? You went out to meet another girl this late at night!”

It wasn't even that late…

Though, thinking about it from her perspective, it was understandable.

…Even so, we weren't actually dating yet, but she was already acting like my girlfriend.

“So this is the present she gave you?”

At some point, Airi had taken the keychain out of my pocket.

“Hm… It's cute, I guess. But doesn't it feel a bit too girly for you, Ren?”

“Yeah, I guess so. I'm not planning to use it—just keeping it as a souvenir.”

“Then why not give it to us? We deserve some thanks from her too, don't we?”

That was true.

…Though it felt less like she wanted the keychain and more like she wanted to erase another girl's trace.

“I don't mind, but don't throw it away.”

“I won't. I might use it for something else.”

“…Not some kind of curse ritual, right?”

“…Eh?”

“You were going to, weren't you?”

“Just kidding. I'll use it normally.”

Well… that was a relief.

Airi quickly tore open the plastic and took out the keychain.

Nodoka, however, spoke up with a slightly annoyed tone.

“…It's actually my style, which makes me even more irritated.”

“Do you want it, Nodoka-san? You were really into the live earlier too.”

“W-well! I guess I could use it!”

And just like that, the keychain ended up belonging to Nodoka.

She seemed to like it quite a bit and immediately attached it to her keys.

Then suddenly, Airi leaned closer to me and started sniffing.

“Ren-kun, you smell a bit.”

“Ah, sorry. I'll go wash up.”

I'd been caught in the rain, worked up a sweat doing first aid, and then met Yuzuki afterward.

I hadn't had time to bathe yet.

“No, it's not that I dislike your smell. I actually like it. I could keep smelling it forever.”

“O-okay…”

“It's just that I don't like the scent of other girls lingering on you. Especially this sweet perfume smell.”

“Yeah… Kokoa-san does wear pretty strong perfume.”

Airi is just as jealous as Nodoka when you look closely.

Even so, she seems oddly calm only when it comes to Nodoka.

Maybe it's because Nodoka was the one who helped her when she was struggling—that's why she was even willing to accept a two-timing situation.

“Ren-kun, let's bathe together today.”

“Huh…?”

“You bathed with Nodoka yesterday, right? So I think it's only fair you do it with me today. Or… do you not want to bathe with me?”

Unlike Nodoka, who panicked and ran away when she noticed my body reacting yesterday, Airi didn't seem like the type to get flustered.

If anything, there was a real chance we might actually cross the line this time.

Still, I had no reason to refuse.

If anything, there was more to gain than to lose for me.

“…Alright. I just have to wait with a towel over my eyes, right?”

“That won't be necessary. You already know, don't you? The micro bikini.”

“….”

So Airi had prepared one too.

Now that I think about it, the micro bikini idea does feel more like something Airi would come up with than Nodoka.

“Want to join too, Nodoka? I don't mind.”

“Huh!? I-Is that really okay…?”

“I think Ren-kun would be happier with both of us.”

Nodoka didn't answer right away and lowered her gaze, thinking for a moment.

“…No, I think it wouldn't be fair if I did it two days in a row. Today is Senpai's turn.”

“I don't mind either way, but if that's what you say, then alright.”

Even I, who brought them together, couldn't fully understand their relationship.

It didn't quite fit into something as simple as just friends or senior and junior.

“Then Ren-kun, let's go to the bath.”

“H-Hey, wait! Let me change first!”

“You don't have to wear a swimsuit, you know.”

“I definitely do!”

Airi quickly started undressing me, even reaching for my pants, so I hurriedly stopped her.

---

After changing into swimsuits, I entered the outdoor bath.

The warm water seeped into my tired body, almost making me fall asleep on the spot.

But that moment didn't last long.

The sliding door opened, instantly snapping me awake.

“I think I kind of understand what Nodoka meant when she said this is more embarrassing than being naked.”

Right on cue, Airi appeared in a micro bikini.

I instinctively swallowed.

The design was exactly the same as Nodoka's.

Just three tiny white triangles barely covering her body.

But because it was Airi wearing it, the impression felt completely different.

“Ren-kun, how is it?”

“…It's… sexy.”

“Really? Good. Then—”

As Airi stepped into the bath, she immediately straddled me.

Her hips pressed directly against me through the swimsuit.

“You need to get nice and hard so you can properly get me pregnant too, you know?”

“Ugh…”

Maybe it was because of today's exhaustion, or maybe because this was the same place that once awakened my instincts before—

Either way, I reacted just as she said, far too easily.

A smile spread across Airi's face.

“So you like this kind of forbidden play, Ren-kun.”

“…Not really.”

“That's obviously a lie.”

No, I mean—any healthy guy would react like this if tempted like that.

Honestly, the fact that I haven't already pushed her down deserves some praise.

“Ren-kun, can I use my wish ticket now?”

“Well… I guess that's fine. But like I said earlier, don't go too far.”

“I know. But if it's something you've already done with Nodoka, then it's okay, right?”

At that moment, I had a bad feeling—

And just as I expected, Airi said it.

“Then take my first kiss too.”