The morning sun slipped through the gap in the curtains, and Kaito slowly opened his eyes. It was the fourth morning of living together. His head felt hazy and heavy. He hadn't been sleeping well these past few days. Night after night, he'd found himself staring at that small black dot in the corner of the ceiling—probably a surveillance camera. (*Well, maybe I'm just imagining it.*) He told himself that as he got out of bed. When he headed to the living room, Misaki was already standing in the kitchen. Her long, glossy black hair was tied back in a single ponytail, and the light from the window shone through her white blouse. The sound of something sizzling in the frying pan, and a savory aroma. "[gentle]Good morning, Kaito." She turned around and smiled brightly. Another perfect smile today. "Morning." Just like yesterday, the table was lined with his favorite foods. Rolled omelet with dashi. Grilled salmon. Blanched spinach in broth. How does she know all this—even as the thought crossed his mind, he didn't have the courage to voice it. "Thanks for the food." As he sat down at the table, Misaki, who had been washing dishes, stopped and sat down across from him. She ate nothing, just watched him intently. Her golden eyes narrowed, like a cat observing its prey. (*This is kind of unsettling.*) After he finished eating, he reached for his smartphone. Misaki still hadn't given it back. Instead, she'd said, "I'm here for you when you need it," and tucked his phone into her own pocket. "[gentle]Oh, right." Misaki said it casually as she cleared the dishes. "[gentle]On the way home today, do you want to go to the library together? I'd like you to come with me while I look for materials for my report." "The library?" "[gentle]Yeah. There's something I want to look into. And besides, you should start gathering references for your economics paper soon too, right?" She looked up at him with upturned eyes. Her long eyelashes sparkled in the morning light. Why couldn't he refuse? The guilt of being indebted to her always swallowed his words. "……Alright." That was the best reply he could manage. --- University lectures ended a little past three in the afternoon. Seikai University's library was a large, three-story building right next to the student hall. Despite it being a weekday afternoon, the place was bustling with quite a few people. "[gentle]Over here." Misaki pointed to a quiet space at the back of the third floor. The afternoon light streaming through the large windows cast long shadows in the gaps between the bookshelves. She picked up several books in the literature section. Kaito idly browsed the economics shelves. But honestly, his mind was filled with something else entirely. (*I need to contact Yuta.*) He hadn't been in touch for three days now. Before, they used to message on LINE almost every day. Ever since Misaki had said, "I'll reply on your behalf if needed," he hadn't touched his phone himself even once. On the way back from the library, Misaki walked beside him, constantly bringing up cheerful topics. Seminar talk, student council matters, next month's school festival. She wore her usual perfect student council president face. But sometimes, there were moments when her expression would suddenly vanish. As if she were maintaining her outward face, she'd go blank for just an instant, then immediately return to a smile. It wasn't his imagination. This was probably her switching between her real face and the one she showed the world. --- That night, they returned to the apartment. The entrance of Luminous Seikai was cool and quiet as always, and the concierge gave them a nod. "[gentle]I'll take a bath first." She picked up a towel and disappeared into the bathroom. The sound of the shower began to echo. (*Now's my chance.*) Kaito scanned the living room. Her bag was on the sofa. Should he search through it—he hesitated for a moment. But in the end, he couldn't bring himself to do it. If he got caught, he had no idea what she might do. Instead, his eyes stopped on a charging cable in the corner of the room. A smartphone was plugged into it. (*Whose is that? Wait, that's mine.*) He moved closer. It was definitely his phone. Misaki must have been charging it. He could operate it now. He hurriedly grabbed the phone and opened LINE. The chat screen with Yuta. The history was still there. (*Good, it hasn't been deleted.*) His fingers moved, typing out a message. *'Can we meet tomorrow afternoon? At Seikai Station.'* He pressed send. Immediately, it showed as read, and a reply came. *'Of course! Is in front of the ticket gate at 12 okay?'* *'Got it.'* Just as he finished typing, he heard the bathroom door open. He panicked, put the phone back on the charging cable, and sat on the sofa with a face that said nothing had happened. "[gentle]Ahh, that was a good bath." Misaki came out, drying her wet hair with a towel. She was wearing a white camisole. Droplets of water glistened on her shoulders. "[gentle]Hey, were you messaging someone?" His heart leaped. "With Yuta. I was thinking of meeting him tomorrow." He told her honestly. There was no point in hiding it, and hiding it would only make him seem more suspicious. She tilted her head slightly, then just said, "I see." That reaction, on the contrary, was terrifying. She said nothing. Didn't press further. The usual Misaki would have asked all sorts of questions. (*Why isn't she saying anything?*) That, in itself, set off alarm bells in the back of his mind. --- Late at night. While Kaito was in the bath, Misaki moved quietly. First, she logged into Kaito's account from her own smartphone—she had long since figured out his password. What appeared on the screen was the chat with Yuta. The latest message was a confirmation from Yuta. *'Tomorrow at 12, in front of the ticket gate at Seikai Station! Looking forward to it!'* Misaki's finger slid across the screen. *'Actually, something came up tomorrow. Sorry.'* She typed that in and sent it. A reply came from Yuta immediately. *'Huh, all of a sudden? You okay?'* *'Yeah, sorry.'* After sending that short reply, she began scrolling through the chat history. Three days' worth of exchanges—no, more than that. All of it. One by one, she cleanly deleted them. Her fingers showed no hesitation. As if it were the most natural thing in the world, mechanically, quietly. The chat screen became completely blank. She returned the phone to the charging cable, sat on the sofa as if nothing had happened, and opened a magazine. --- After getting out of the bath, Kaito returned to the living room, drying his hair with a towel. Misaki was on the sofa, reading a magazine. She looked up and smiled brightly. "[gentle]Welcome back. Was the bath nice?" "Yeah." He glanced at his phone. The screen was dark. It was charging, he'd confirmed the meeting time for tomorrow, so it should be fine. (*I should get to sleep early.*) Thinking that, he collapsed onto the bed in the study. From the next room, he could faintly hear the sound of Misaki turning the pages of her magazine. --- The next morning. As soon as Kaito woke up, he grabbed his phone. (*My meeting with Yuta was at 12, right? I should get going soon.*) He opened LINE. "……Huh?" The chat history was gone. Nothing there. He searched for Yuta's name and tapped on it. The screen just displayed, "Let's start a conversation." All of yesterday's exchange had vanished. "No way." He searched again. Same result. *'Yesterday's plan is still on, right?'* He hurriedly sent a new message. But it didn't show as read. It remained a gray check mark. Five minutes passed, then ten, and it didn't change. (*Was I blocked? No, that's not it. If I were, the display would be different.*) Confusion swirled in his chest. His hands trembled. When he went out to the living room, Misaki was preparing breakfast. With her usual, perfect smile. "[gentle]Good morning, Kaito. Did you sleep well?" "Misaki…… The chat with Yuta is gone." She tilted her head. "[gentle]Didn't you end up contacting him yesterday after all?" "No, I did. I did, but it's all gone." "[gentle]You're overthinking it. More importantly, breakfast is going to get cold." She stood beside him and gently wrapped her hand around his wrist. Her fingers were soft and warm. "[whispers]You don't need to worry. I'm here for you." The voice whispering in his ear was gentle, sweet—and terrifying. (*Did she do this?*) He wanted to interrogate her. But he had no proof. And even if he did, she would surely just tilt her head and say, "I don't know." She knew he couldn't prove anything. Something was wrong. He was certain of it. But he couldn't even point to what that something was. Clutching his phone, he was at a loss for words. Her fingers touching his wrist felt like chains. --- That night. Kaito sat alone on the bed in the study. (*I can't contact Yuta. Misaki is controlling everything.*) Even when he tried to put this situation into words, it wouldn't come together. He opened LINE again and again, tapping on Yuta's name. But still, the messages wouldn't show as read. (*Why? Why can't I even do something this simple?*) There was a knock at the door. "[gentle]Can I come in?" Before he could answer, Misaki slipped into the room. With the lights dimmed, she sat down beside him. Her black silk pajamas shimmered faintly in the moonlight. "[whispers]Look at my face. Properly." Her hand touched his cheek. Her cold fingertips slowly turned his face toward hers. Her golden eyes were close. So close he could see his own reflection in them. "Misaki, I'm……" "[whispers]Don't overthink it. I'm here, so it's fine, right?" Her finger touched his lips, sealing his words. Then, her other hand gently pressed against his chest. Slowly, he was pushed down onto the bed. "W-wait……" "[whispers]I won't wait." Her fingers undid the buttons of his shirt, one by one. His weak resistance was entangled in her hands and vanished, as if dissolving into the air. Her fingers against his skin were smooth, and then hot. As they traced the nape of his neck, a shiver ran down his back, and his thoughts melted away. (*This is wrong.*) His reason screamed. This was wrong. He had to refuse. He couldn't let go of his will to reach the outside world. But his body craved her warmth. A sweet heat that covered up all the anxiety, all the loneliness. Misaki whispered softly in his ear. "[whispers]I've wanted to do this for so long. I wanted to make you mine, Kaito. Only mine." Her hair brushed against his cheek. The usual scent of her shampoo felt stronger. His will to resist was already more than half gone. It was terrifying. And yet, every time her fingers moved across his skin, pleasure crawled up his spine. Fear and pleasure mixed together, becoming a mess. (*So this is her way of doing things.*) If so, then he had already lost, long ago. Her lips touched the nape of his neck. Before he knew it, the front of her pajamas had come loose, revealing her white chest. Her skin, bathed in moonlight, was smooth as porcelain, and the pale color of its tips faced him. "[whispers]I can do anything for you, Kaito." Saying that, she took his hand and guided it to her chest. The soft swell transmitted to his palm. Soft, and hot, and his fingertips trembled involuntarily. He could feel the tips of her nipples hardening. When he slowly moved his fingers, her body trembled slightly too. "[whispers]Ah…… I love Kaito's hands." Misaki let out a secretive breath. Her hips moved with a squirming motion. Her slender fingers went to his belt. A small metallic clink echoed. Her hand slipped inside his underwear and directly grasped his already fully erect penis. "[whispers]It's so hard. Is this because of me?" "N-no……" "[whispers]Liar. Your body is honest." Her fingers began to move slowly up and down. The sensation o