The reply from Rinsuke still hadn't come. That night, she'd sent a message with trembling fingers—"What are you doing right now?"—and he'd responded immediately. But it was a command. "Come tonight." Even now, remembering what happened after—being held by him in the late-night conference room, the nightscape at his back—made her body burn deep inside. And yet, the very next day, he'd cut off all contact again, completely. (Did I... do something wrong?) Saturday afternoon. Aya lay on the narrow bed in her apartment, "Maison Sakuragaoka," staring blankly at Whisp's screen. The last message was nothing but a businesslike order sent under his secretary's name. It showed as read. But from Rinsuke himself—not a single word. (It really is just physical, after all.) A dull heaviness spread through her stomach. She already knew, deep down. There was no way a cold-hearted company president would ever be serious about some worthless office lady. But somewhere in her heart, she still wanted to believe the words from that heated night—"You belong to me." (I'm such an idiot.) Aya buried her face in her pillow. Just then, her phone vibrated with an incoming call. She looked at the screen, and her chest gave a small leap. "Kusunoki Kento" "[excited] Hello? Aya? Are you free right now?" The moment she pressed the call button, a familiar voice rushed into her ear. A bright, clear voice. The same voice Kento had had since they were kids—unchanged. "[surprised] Kento-kun... it's been a while." "[gentle] You remembered me. Sorry for calling out of the blue. I'm actually in Tokyo for a business trip. If you've got time today, I was thinking maybe we could grab tea at that café in Minato Plaza?" Aya hesitated for a moment, then gave a small nod. (It's not that I want to forget about Rinsuke, but...) Right now, being alone in her room was too painful. "[gentle] Yeah, I'll come." --- On holidays, Café Orage in Minato Plaza bustled with shoppers. Weak winter sunlight streamed through the large glass windows. The rich aroma of coffee mingled with the murmur of voices, creating a warm atmosphere. Aya had been seated for about five minutes when the entrance door opened. "[gentle] Aya, did you wait long?" She looked up to see Kento smiling, his wavy chestnut hair swaying slightly. He folded his 178-centimeter frame just a little as he sat down across from her. His soft green eyes crinkled gently. When he smiled, dimples appeared. The same warm smile he'd had since childhood. "[gentle] It's been so long. Three years, right? Have you been well?" "[happy] Yeah, pretty much. You, though... have you lost weight? Are you okay?" Kento's brow furrowed slightly with concern. Aya, desperate not to let him sense what she'd just been thinking about with Rinsuke, hurriedly put on a smile. "[laughing] R-really? Maybe I've been dieting." "[gentle] You don't need to push yourself. You were always cuter when you had a little more meat on you, you know." At his straightforward words, Aya's cheeks flushed faintly pink. They placed their orders and soon fell into reminiscing about old times. The great zelkova tree at Chitose Shrine. Watching fireworks together on the night of the summer festival. The time Kento had pulled Aya by the hand to rescue a lost cat. "[laughing] You started crying that time. Honestly, saving you was harder than saving the cat." "[embarrassed] O-oh, stop! I don't remember that at all!" When Aya couldn't help but laugh, Kento laughed too, looking happy. After taking a sip of coffee, Kento quietly set his cup down. A brief silence settled between them. "[serious] ...Aya." Kento's voice had dropped lower than before. His gentle eyes gazed straight at her. Sensing something, Aya's body tensed. "[serious] There's something I've never been able to say." From across the table, Kento's right hand gently rested atop Aya's left. A large, warm hand. A completely different temperature from Rinsuke's—cold and domineering. "[serious] I love you, Aya. I have since we were kids. I want you to go out with me—with marriage in mind." Aya's mind went completely blank for a moment. (A proposal...? Kento-kun... to me?) Her heart gave a huge leap. But this was different. This wasn't that frightening pounding she felt when Rinsuke held her. This was warmer—an aching tightness in her chest she couldn't do anything about. "[surprised] ...Why... now...?" The voice she finally managed to squeeze out was trembling. "[gentle] I couldn't leave you alone anymore. When I thought about you working so hard here in Tokyo, I realized I didn't want to have any more regrets." Kento's face was utterly serious. This was no lie, no joke. Here she was—someone Rinsuke wouldn't give an answer to, treated as nothing more than a physical relationship. And yet, Kento's sincere words were so impossibly warm. Something hot welled up in Aya's eyes. "[sad] I... I'm..." She couldn't answer. Rinsuke's presence wouldn't leave her mind. But even so, she couldn't bring herself to shake off the hand being offered to her. That was when it happened. The view beyond the glass seemed to suddenly warp into gray. When Aya looked up, silver hair entered her vision. Cold violet eyes. A tall 185-centimeter frame in a well-tailored dark suit—Shiraishi Rinsuke, walking with two businessmen. For just an instant, Rinsuke's gaze flicked toward Aya and Kento. There was no emotion whatsoever in those eyes. Expressionless, as if glancing at pebbles on the roadside, he gave them one look and immediately averted his gaze. Then, still talking with his business partners, he walked right past the café. (D-did he just...) Aya froze. The blood drained from her face. All expression vanished, and her fingertips went cold. "[scared] Aya? What's wrong? You're so pale." Kento's worried voice sounded far away. "[scared] I-it's nothing... Sorry, I'm just feeling a little..." Aya stood up, almost shaking off Kento's hand. "[scared] I'm sorry, I'm going home for today. My answer... let me think about it a little." "[worried] Aya! Wait—" With Kento's voice calling after her, Aya fled the café. --- That night. Aya sat curled up in her apartment room. (He saw me. Rinsuke saw me with Kento—) She checked Whisp over and over. But no notification came. No angry message, no words demanding an explanation—nothing. That way of ignoring her was somehow even more terrifying. A little past nine in the evening, her phone gave a short vibration. A Whisp notification. The sender was Rinsuke's secretary's name. "Tomorrow, 19:00, the president's office. Summons from President Shiraishi." That was all. Not a single word from the man himself. (A command.) She had no obligation to answer a summons like that. She knew that, but her body trembled and wouldn't move. If she didn't go, she didn't know what would happen. And besides—she wanted to see him. (And if I do see him... what then?) Unable to sleep a wink, Aya greeted the morning. --- The next day, Sunday, seven in the evening. The Sakaki Holdings headquarters building in Minato Central was deathly quiet, as it always was on holidays. When she stepped out onto the thirty-fifth-floor elevator hall, even the corridor lights were dimmed, only the emergency lights casting a faint glow on the floor. She stood before the heavy door of the president's office. Unable even to knock, she took a deep breath. "[scared] ...Excuse me." She opened the door. Beyond the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, the night view of Tokyo Bay spread out like countless specks of light. Rinsuke stood with that view at his back. He didn't turn around. Even when Aya entered, he didn't spare her a single glance. (I'm scared.) The sound of her own heart was unbearably loud. "[cold] That man yesterday. Who was he." A low, quiet voice. And yet, the air in the room froze in an instant. A voice like steel—not even betraying anger. "[scared] That person... he's a childhood friend. From back home, a long time ago..." Before she could finish, Rinsuke turned around. His violet eyes glinted sharply in the darkness. With long strides, he slowly approached. Aya stepped backward, but her back soon hit the wall. Rinsuke's right hand planted itself on the wall beside her face. His left hand lifted her chin. "[whispers] You belong to me. Don't let another man touch you." It was the first time she'd heard such naked possessiveness from him. This wasn't the usual Rinsuke, coldly concealing his emotions. This was a beast growling to protect its territory. There was a raw, visceral heat to it. Goosebumps rose all over Aya's body. She should have been terrified, but her heart leaped. He's finally shown me his true feelings—a perverse joy sprouted deep in her chest. "[scared] But... you won't give me any answers, will you?" She pushed back with a trembling voice. She was on the verge of tears. Rinsuke didn't answer. He simply placed his hand on her cheek and roughly sealed her lips with his. "Nn... ngh—" She couldn't breathe. His tongue forced its way into her mouth. A deep, persistent kiss, as if to rob her of any will to resist. Before she knew it, Rinsuke's fingers were undoing the buttons of her blouse, one by one. The cold air exposed her collarbone. "[whispers] Did you let him touch you." "...He didn't. I didn't let him... ah—" Rinsuke's hand slipped inside Aya's skirt. Through her underwear, the pad of his finger traced over her most sensitive spot. "[whispers] Don't lie. This place of yours should only get wet for me." "No, that's... ah, aahh—!" A wet, squelching sound. Her own body was betraying her. Even though Kento's proposal had shaken her heart, the moment Rinsuke touched her, her body reacted shamelessly. A single tear spilled over. Rinsuke wiped Aya's tear away with his thumb, then undid his own belt. Even in the dim light, his penis—already hard and erect—was unmistakable. "[whispers] I'll teach you. Who you belong to." He spun Aya's body around and made her brace both hands against the glass window. From behind, he pulled her underwear down to her knees. "Don't... like this, everyone can see...!" "[whispers] Let them see. Show the people below that you're my woman." The tip of his penis pressed against her wet entrance. Then, without hesitation, he thrust all the way inside in one motion. "Aaaaahhh—!!" The sudden pressure made her vision burst white. Her vaginal walls clenched tight around him, as if they remembered his shape. "[whispers] So tight. Proof no one else has touched you." Rinsuke whispered with satisfaction, then immediately began a fierce pistoning rhythm. The sound of skin slapping against skin—pan, pan, pan—echoed through the quiet president's office. "Hyaa, ah, ah... no, it's too rough... hitting so deep...!" Aya's breath fogged the glass window white. The Tokyo nightscape blurred through her tears, a distorted mess. A sweet numbness surged up from deep inside her. Every time his penis knocked against her cervix, her mind went completely blank. "[whispers] Come. Let me see you come." Commanded right into her ear, Aya's reason shattered all too easily. "I'm coming, I'm going to come... ah, ah, aaaaahhh—!!" Her whole body convulsed. Her vagina contracted violently, clamping down on Rinsuke's penis. "—I'm going to finish." Rinsuke groaned low, his penis pressed deep inside her. The sensation of hot semen pumping directly into her womb sent Aya into another small climax. With a slick sound, his penis pulled out. Thick, cloudy fluid trickled down her thigh, forming a small puddle on the floor. Aya collapsed on the spot. Rinsuke had already turned his back, straightening his trousers. (It really is just this, after all.) A sharp pain pierced her chest. "[cold] I'll tell you now. It has nothing to do with you, but I have a fiancée." Aya's hand, reaching behind her for the doorknob, froze solid. "...What?" When