Want to read ahead? Join my Patreon for just $7 to get early access to all upcoming chapters!
> Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations
─────
Chapter 75: A World-Famous Painting
How could this happen?
Rei stared at the scene in front of her in utter disbelief.
The room reflected in her eyes was completely empty, save for the futon and pillow neatly laid out on the floor. There was no sign of Suyan whatsoever.
Rei rubbed her eyes and opened them again.
The room remained exactly the same.
Did I open the door the wrong way?
Refusing to give up, the girl stepped back out and pulled the door shut.
"Suyan, I'm coming in~"
Rei whispered softly, then pushed the door open once more.
Still no sign of Suyan.
The girl thought about it for a second.
She had just come from upstairs, so Suyan definitely hadn't gone to the room she shared with Saeko.
Otherwise, she would have absolutely bumped into him in the hallway.
When Yuriko entered the bathroom, Rei had sneaked a quick glance inside—Suyan wasn't in there either.
As for Saya?
The quintessential losing heroine didn't have the guts for something like this. Let her sit at the kids' table with Makka Pakka for now.
Wait. Does that mean Suyan went to Shizuka and Rika's room?!
The moment that realization hit, a crushing wave of disappointment washed over her.
She had done so much work.
How could it end up like this?
If Yuriko knew what the girl was feeling right now, she would absolutely tell her:
Well, obviously.
Why else would she deliberately walk into the bathroom right in front of Rei, giving her the perfect opening to sneak into Suyan's room?
Because long before Rei even came downstairs, Yuriko had personally watched Suyan walk into Shizuka's room.
They had even made a pact: once Suyan was finished with Shizuka, they would take a bath together.
The only reason she let Rei sneak into his room was so the girl could see for herself that Suyan wasn't there, forcing her to give up.
That way, Rei wouldn't interrupt what Yuriko was about to do.
It could only be said that Rei was still far too green, or perhaps her skin was just too thin.
Trying to execute a night attack without giving Suyan any prior warning.
She was taking things a bit too much for granted.
Wasn't failure the only logical outcome?
Yuriko sank her body into the steaming hot water, leaving only her violet eyes exposed above the surface.
Just imagining the look on Rei's face when she opened Suyan's door...
A deeply teasing smile spread across her face.
Her heart was bursting with glee.
─────
An unknown amount of time passed.
With the soft click of a door sliding open, Suyan stepped out of Shizuka's room, looking thoroughly refreshed and invigorated.
Even combined, the forces of Shizuka and Rika were nothing he couldn't handle.
Easily conquered!
"Next up is Yuriko," Suyan muttered to himself.
A look of fond reminiscence lingered on his face.
Because it truly had been spectacular.
Shizuka's lush softness paired with Rika's raw wildness.
The combination of the two had produced a miraculous effect far greater than the sum of its parts.
Perhaps because her best friend Rika was there to witness it, Shizuka's competitive spirit had been ignited.
Or maybe she was just trying to set an example for Rika?
Regardless, the notoriously lazy Shizuka had been uncharacteristically proactive tonight.
It allowed Suyan to thoroughly enjoy a truly wonderful evening.
If he hadn't made a prior arrangement with Yuriko, he honestly might have been tempted to stay buried in that sweet embrace and never leave.
Suyan pulled the door shut behind him, adjusted his slightly disheveled collar, and strode purposefully toward the bathroom.
He quickly noticed that although the bathroom door was closed, the light inside was on.
There was no need to guess; Yuriko was definitely inside.
Suyan placed his hand on the doorknob.
He gave it a test twist.
Click!
Sure enough, it was unlocked.
He opened the door with ease.
Stepping into the bathroom, Suyan glanced down at the laundry basket sitting next to the washing machine.
Inside was a discarded set of clothes—the exact outfit Yuriko had been wearing today.
Confirmation secured.
Suyan tossed his own clothes into the basket as well.
Because the washing machine was incredibly loud when running, he decided to hold off on starting a load just yet.
"You're here?"
Leaning against the far end of the bathtub, Yuriko gently opened her violet eyes to look at Suyan.
Her gaze was a complex swirl of joy, anticipation, and pure excitement.
"Mhm."
Suyan offered a soft hum of acknowledgment, looking down at her. "I'm here."
Aside from her head, the intellectual beauty's entire body was submerged in the water, completely obscuring her magnificent assets from his view.
But that hazy, obscured feeling only made her seem infinitely more alluring.
"You took so long. The water's getting cold," Yuriko murmured, shooting him a look of profound grievance. "Hurry up and wash yourself. I don't want to finally give you my first time only to find you covered in the scent of other women."
"Don't worry about it. Stand up, I've got a solution," Suyan replied confidently.
Slightly surprised, Yuriko didn't hesitate and stood up from the water.
What a stunning, pale mermaid.
The only glaring issue was... why the hell was she wearing a swimsuit?!
Suyan felt a sudden urge to grind his teeth.
Wasn't this blatant false advertising?
Who wears a swimsuit while taking a bath in their own house?!
"Are you disappointed that you don't get to see my body?"
Catching the utterly frustrated look on Suyan's face, Yuriko let out a soft chuckle, her tone dripping with amusement.
What a devious woman.
Suyan curled his lip and gently raised his right hand.
Nen gathered in his palm.
A split second later, a cluster of crimson flames flared to life.
It was the fire ability Suyan had developed using Transmutation.
Suyan plunged his hand directly into the bathtub.
Instantly, the cooling water rapidly heated back up.
Seeing this, Yuriko grabbed Suyan and yanked him straight into the tub with her. "Since you fixed it, big sister forgives you. Now, let big sister scrub your back."
"Don't you dare move, little brother."
Before Suyan could react, Yuriko slipped behind him and draped a warm towel over his face.
Suyan stayed silent, silently accepting her ministrations.
Then, a remarkably soft sensation pressed against his back.
There was no rough friction of fabric.
It was glaringly obvious what 'tool' Yuriko was using to scrub his back.
Behind him, a faint, victorious smile graced Yuriko's lips.
What is a surprise?
Building tension before the release—that is a surprise.
How could she ever truly disappoint Suyan?
And so, after thoroughly enjoying Yuriko's incredibly attentive service, Suyan initiated the next phase.
Scooping her up in a princess carry, he prepared to carry her back to the bedroom to officially commence the main event of the evening.
However, true to form, the unexpected occurred.
"Suyan?"
A voice heavy with dark resentment echoed from inside the room.
"Rei?"
"You didn't leave?!"
Both Suyan and Yuriko froze, utterly dumbfounded.
Yes, the voice belonged to Rei Miyamoto, who had snuck into the room earlier.
Upon discovering Suyan's absence, she hadn't left. Instead, she had stubbornly stayed behind to wait.
Rei glared absolute daggers at Yuriko, who was currently nestled in Suyan's arms, and practically spat out the words: "Homewrecker!"
"Well..."
It was in this exact moment that Suyan finally understood why Rei had gone through all the trouble of preparing this room for him today.
It was all for a night attack.
The realization left him feeling caught between laughter and tears.
He was just about to open his mouth to defend Yuriko when Rei suddenly lunged forward, wrapping her arms fiercely around him.
"I'm not leaving, and you aren't leaving either, Suyan!"
Rei turned to glare defiantly at Yuriko. "Tonight, I'm claiming this man!"
"You can leave, you can stand there and watch, or you can join in!!"
Carrying the indomitable will of Senior Saeko...
The girl was going all in tonight.
"Join in?"
Yuriko let out a cold scoff.
Did this girl really think she would back down?
Who did she think she was?
She was Yuriko Takagi, the iron-willed woman who once commanded the storms of Wall Street.
More importantly, she and Suyan were already at the final threshold.
Back down from a challenge?
What a joke!
Yuriko's voice was ice. "Then let's join in!!"
"Huh?"
Now it was Suyan's turn to be utterly stupefied.
Both women simultaneously snapped their gazes to him and declared in perfect unison: "We are doing it together!!"
Faced with this united front, Suyan had no choice but to 'reluctantly' agree.
Two beautiful flowers blooming side by side, competing in their radiance.
...
Late into the night, deeply curious about Rei's progress, Saeko quietly approached the door to Suyan's room, intending to press her ear against the wood and listen.
Unexpectedly, the door flew wide open.
A chain forged entirely of Nen shot out from the darkness, wrapping around Saeko and dragging her inside.
Instantly captured, swiftly refined.
The quiet room erupted into fiery passion once more.
Which begs the question: on this glorious night where absolutely everyone found fulfillment and satisfaction...
What was Saya Takagi doing?
Meanwhile, in Saya's room.
The pink-haired girl was sprawled across her futon, her limbs wrapped around a long body pillow like an octopus clinging to its prey.
She rubbed her cheek affectionately against the fabric, a glistening trail of drool escaping the corner of her mouth.
In her sleep, she unconsciously mumbled sweet nothings. "Suyan... Suyan... hehehe..."
Hazy moonlight filtered through the window, washing over her.
In that singular moment, time stood still.
The sleeping posture of the pink-haired girl cemented itself as an immortal masterpiece of art.
« World-Famous Painting: Takagi Saya is Sleeping »
─────
Support this fanfict by leaving Positive Review, Comments, and Power Stones.
For Advance Chapters:
> Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations