Ch. 45 - A Lesson Deep Enough to Remember

Nogami sat on the edge of the bed, gently combing through her shoulder-length hair, its color glowing like a sunset-orange flame. 

The undone button at her collar revealed the graceful line of her collarbone, and even the loose fabric of her nightdress couldn’t conceal the mature curves of her body. Her crossed legs, propped one over the other, lifted the hem of her skirt just enough to outline the shape of her thighs, soft, full, and alluring, while her calves and bare feet were completely exposed to the cool air.

Especially those small, pink-tinted toes that curled playfully upward, the faint marks of her sandal straps, the delicate arch of her foot, all of it looked as if it had been sculpted by a master’s hand.

It wasn’t something one could normally see, and that simple fact made Harutaki’s attention lock onto her completely, a strange thrill rising in his chest.

“Why are you still here?”

“What do you mean still here?”

Her sudden words startled him. He hurriedly turned away, lowering his gaze to his phone, pretending he wasn’t interested in the slightest.

“As the host, shouldn’t you leave the best room and the best conditions for your guest? Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of basic hospitality, Hoshikawa-kun?”

“So what you’re saying is…?”

“I think your sofa looks big enough.”

“The bed isn’t that small either, and hey, this is my room!”

There was no way Harutaki was giving up his bed. He didn’t want to wake up tomorrow with a sore back, or worse, a stiff neck, from sleeping on the couch.

“Then sleep on the floor with your clothes on, pervert.”

“Should I thank you for your mercy, letting me stay in the same room as the young lady herself? Or should I mock you for your cruelty, making me sleep on the cold floor in early spring?”

“I’d rather laugh at your ridiculous delusions.”

Nogami sneered softly. She ignored him spinning lazily in his computer chair like a bored child, and instead began quietly observing the room.

It was her first time entering a boy’s bedroom, other than her father’s, of course.

The empty bookshelf held no books, no decorations, not even a speck of dust. His desk was neatly lined with textbooks and problem sets, while the monitor stand raised the screen high, leaving the tabletop clean and open.

It was an utterly ordinary room. So plain it almost felt sterile, no trace of personality, no sense of warmth or life. Cold. Dull. Completely unlike the impression Harutaki gave her. Even the so-called boy stuff Minako had described was nowhere to be seen.

What a strange guy, she thought.

“Hey, come sit over here.”

Nogami patted the space beside her, gesturing for him to move closer.

Harutaki hesitated, but edged toward her anyway. The moment he sat down, her scent, a faint blend of body wash and shampoo, floated into his nose, and his body froze like a deer caught in headlights.

It was like a starving man, three days without food, suddenly being seated in front of a feast. If not for reason barely holding him back, he might’ve thrown himself at her right then and there.

Don’t play with fire, Nogami-san…

“I don’t move around much when I sleep, so you don’t have to worry, ”

But she didn’t seem to hear him. A single warm fingertip tapped his shoulder… then traced slowly upward, until it brushed along his neck, gliding lightly over his Adam’s apple like one would stroke a cat.

Gulp.

“Uh, has your hair dried already? I, um, can braid too, if you want, ”

Her lips caught his before he could finish. No, not quite a kiss, just the light press of her fingers, holding his mouth shut. Her skin was soft, smooth, and faintly cool, and he dared not even breathe too hard, afraid he might break that fragile contact.

Then her other hand caught his chin, tilting his head up until their eyes met.

Her rose-colored irises shimmered under the LED light, the corners of her eyes slightly raised as if declaring her dominance. Even with the flush creeping across her cheeks, her presence was overpowering, allowing no room for resistance.

“Hey…”

Her lips, soft, pink, and slightly parted like a blooming cherry blossom, moved ever so slightly. The faint citrus scent of her toothpaste brushed across his skin. She didn’t say a word, but somehow, everything she meant to say was already there between them.

“Hoshikawa… Do you like me more, or Minako?”

Well, you’re not bad yourself, but compared to Minako…

He stole a quick glance down her neckline, drew in a deep breath, and pressed his thighs together.

“Right now, you’re the most attractive person in the world.”

“Close your eyes.”

“…”

He waited.

But when the “reward for the correct answer” never came, he peeked one eye open, only to see Nogami covering her mouth, shoulders trembling with laughter.

“Pfft, how lame! You really looked like some pitiful little dog waiting for scraps. Did you actually think I was going to kiss you? That evening was the first and last time. Don’t expect a repeat.”

Tch. Forgot her lesson already, huh?

Harutaki thought sourly, any lingering fantasy instantly evaporating. What replaced it was a single, burning impulse, to teach this girl a proper lesson.

“W-What are you doing?!”

He grabbed Nogami by her slender shoulders, his left leg hooking around hers before pushing her down onto the bed, rough, sudden, forceful, like a real maniac. His grip was so tight she gasped from the pain, 

"You seem to have forgotten that I'm a boy---"

He paused, letting her follow his gaze down to his waist, where the fabric was stretched taut as if about to tear.

"---a teenage boy in the prime of his desires, with hormones raging out of control."

She pushed, kicked, arched her back, and writhed, struggling desperately to free herself from Harutaki's weight. But he sat astride her waist firmly, and given the disparity in their weight, build, and strength, no matter how hard she tried, she remained utterly powerless.

"If you have the guts, keep it up! I... I'll scream..."

"Go ahead, scream all you want~"

He felt that right now, he was even more of a villain than the villains in stories.

"Even if you scream your throat dry, Ayaka and the others will just think I'm watching an adult film."

"I never should have trusted a bastard like you! You hypocrite! Perverted rapist! Help! Somebo---!"

Nogami had barely let out one cry when Harutaki firmly covered her mouth with his hand, leaving her only able to muffled whimpers and incoherent syllables.

"Besides, why do you think my sisters would send their own brother, who they've lived with for over sixteen years and share a close bond with, to jail over a girl they just met?"

"Compared to that, isn't it more likely they'd help me cover it up and deal with you? Don't you agree, Nogami-san?"

He pressed down on the girl's hands, leaning close to her ear until his lips almost touched the soft, resilient curve.

"It seems this evening's experience still hasn't given you a clear enough understanding."

"Stop rambling, you rapist..."

"At school, in a place where everyone knows your famous father, you're practically untouchable. But who gave you the confidence to naively believe the whole world revolves around you, that everyone in society will play by your rules!?"

Nogami shut her eyes tightly and turned her head away. Even if her hands were pinned and she couldn't cover her ears, she refused to acknowledge Harutaki's words with every fiber of her being.

"Let me make it clear, I can't hold back anymore. Down there feels like an ammunition depot about to explode, aching and swollen. Just rubbing against a girl's soft, delicate body is enough to make me imagine the names of our future children. The law? It's nothing but a tool clever people use to protect themselves and control those less intelligent. A decade or so in prison in exchange for having my way with the daughter of a wealthy family? However you look at it, it's not a bad deal, don't you think, Nogami-san?"

As he spoke, he slowly reached for Nogami's chest.

"No... no, no, no... I... I was wrong... I'm sorry... guh... please let me go..."

Her slightly reddened eyes, gradually softening expression, the Nogami Izumi on the verge of tears seemed far more endearing than her usual haughty self.

"If apologies were enough, would there be so much hatred and conflict in this world?"

Harutaki's fingers gently traced her delicate cheek, feeling the heat of her skin and the cool dampness of her tears.

"Most people do live by the rules you rely on, but there will always be those in society who are either too clever or pitifully foolish... These types operate in the gaps of the rules, disregarding them entirely, even taking pleasure in breaking them. Do you think I'm the former or the latter? Care to guess what happens when someone like you encounters either type?"

With that clever head of yours, haven't you figured it out yet, Nogami-san?

"You've been lucky until now, born into a family that can make the rules bend, encountering only ordinary people bound by them. These conditions allowed you to indulge your nasty temperament without restraint. But Nogami-san, can you be sure your luck will hold forever? Tsk tsk, haven't you realized how unlucky you've been lately? Ever since meeting me, you've been dethroned as the school queen, harassed and humiliated by random people, and even fooled by my act..."

"All of this misfortune is because you picked the wrong person to mess with! It's your own fault for being too stupid to tell right from wrong, you idiot!"

"Sooner or later, someone who doesn't play by the rules will teach you a harsh lesson. Rather than letting some other bastard have his way, why not let it be me?"

He reached behind her back, gradually lifting the hem of Nogami’s nightdress, his tone dripping with scorn and sarcasm.

"Have you given up resisting, letting me have my way with you? Where's the challenge? This doesn't seem like you, Nogami-san~"

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