Chapter 148: The So-Called Afternoon Nap!
By the time Luke returned home, evening had already arrived.
The weather had finally cooled a little, but the air pressure remained stagnant. Even the occasional breeze carried irritating heat, making everything unpleasant.
This really was terrible weather for going outside, and not merely because it was uncomfortable.
The oppressive heat put everyone on edge, including drivers.
On the way home, Luke had already witnessed several near-accidents caused entirely by human tempers rather than traffic conditions.
He hurriedly washed his face, then went straight into his bedroom and turned on the air conditioner to enjoy some cold air.
Air conditioning truly was a blessing for anyone afraid of heat.
Compared with fans and similar appliances, it was vastly more effective at driving away summer temperatures.
Without question, it was summer's greatest lifesaving invention.
Luke originally planned to rest on his bed for a while.
Instead, he discovered two girls already sprawled across it.
'Eh?'
Because of the heat, he had not even bothered checking whether their shoes were by the entrance when he came home.
Hadn't these two said they were going out with their friend?
They had returned surprisingly early.
They seemed to have entered his room only recently.
Although the windows and door were closed and the air conditioner was running, the room had not yet completely cooled down.
"You're back."
Annie was already asleep, but Mikasa apparently was not.
Hearing him, she opened her eyes and looked over.
Even someone as tough as Mikasa had lost most of her energy in weather like this.
"Mm. You two just got back too, right?"
Luke asked, "Why didn't you stay out longer with your friend?"
"It was too hot. We ate lunch together, then lost the desire to keep walking around."
Luke nodded deeply in agreement.
Once June arrived, the weather had become bizarre.
Not only had the rainy season begun, but the humid heat made the entire country feel like a giant steamer preparing to cook people like crabs.
It was June, yet there was nothing particularly auspicious about the sixth month.
For the foreseeable future, it would probably alternate between rain and sweltering heat.
Luke almost wondered whether boiling water might eventually fall from the sky.
The air conditioner steadily blew across the room and lowered the temperature.
Luke snuggled up next to Mikasa, ready to relax. Fortunately, his bed was large enough to comfortably fit all three of them.
Mikasa quietly pressed herself against him, her cool skin clinging to his body. A faint flush from the sweltering heat still lingered on her pretty face, and a few beads of sweat glistened on her forehead.
"Aren't you hot, pressing so close?" Luke asked, glancing at her.
Like Annie, Mikasa had changed into light loungewear. Her sleeveless black tank top was thin, leaving her shoulders and arms bare. She wore standard shorts, and her long, straight legs were now draped over him.
"It's more comfortable to sleep like this," Mikasa said knowingly, shifting her weight so half her body rested against his side.
"Alright then."
After adjusting his position amidst the tangle of Mikasa's limbs, Luke let her cling to him like an octopus.
There was no denying it—sleeping in the cool air-conditioning, cuddled up with two maids, was pure bliss. It was the kind of comfort that could lull anyone to sleep in an instant.
Annie, who also hated the heat, apparently agreed.
By the time she groggily awakened, the sun had completely set.
The room was silent, the air-conditioning having turned the space a bit too chilly. A faint, rustling sound by her ear made her open her eyes with a slight headache, staring straight up at the ceiling.
"What are you two doing?"
Her night vision was sharp enough to see Mikasa, still in her light loungewear, straddling him on the bed.
Her short shorts were pulled tight by her vigorous movements, exposing the soft flesh of her thighs.
From Annie's angle, the position and the way she was seated on the human cushion beneath her revealed a sight she wasn't meant to see.
The only answer Annie received was Mikasa's muffled voice as she covered her own mouth.
"Mmph... mmh..."
After a moment, Mikasa glanced at Annie and replied, "Can't you see?"
With their "business" concluded, Mikasa's demeanor was remarkably calm, yet tinged with a subtle coldness.
She answered casually, as if the whole affair were of no consequence.
As she spoke, she naturally smoothed her clothes, pulling down the hem of her shirt that had been rolled up to her chest, covering her exposed stomach.
Annie's gaze turned icy. While she had been blissfully sleeping in, these two had been doing something even more blissful right beside her.
Looking up, she saw that Mikasa's face still held a flush of excitement, her eyes shimmering and her cheeks as red as if she'd been standing under the blazing sun.
"Doing that right next to someone who's sleeping... how disgusting," Annie said, her tone as cold as the air-conditioning.
"Then you can have a turn," Mikasa replied, her voice still calm. "I'm finished."
"Hey, that's not right!" Luke blurted out. The line sounded strangely suggestive, leaving him at a loss for how to even complain.
"And..."
"It's time to eat, right? I'm starving," Luke said, gently nudging Mikasa away.
She had been trying to cuddle up to him, her eyes half-closed in contentment.
Since noon, he had apparently eaten only one slice of chocolate-strawberry pizza at Kasumizuki's place.
'Hmm… Maybe we should order delivery.'
Today had been Luke's first time eating sweet pizza.
Unexpectedly…
It had been pretty good.
"I can cook, just give me a moment," Annie said, running a hand through her hair to soothe the headache from her long nap.
She eagerly pulled open the nightstand, rummaging through it before producing a few unopened packs of stockings.
"What style do you like?"
"How about takeout? That chocolate pizza I had earlier was actually pretty good... Um, white over-the-knee socks are better," Luke replied, trying to decide on dinner while simultaneously making a hesitant choice about the stockings.
'Wait, when did my nightstand get stuffed with this kind of stuff?!'
Driven by an irresistible curiosity, Luke pulled open the nightstand again, his eyes widening at the dizzying array of... toys inside.
He quickly shut the drawer, feeling a flush of embarrassment. He helplessly watched Annie, who was now leaning over to pull the white stockings up her legs, the fabric stretching over her pale skin.
The 40 denier sheer fabric complemented her fair complexion perfectly. With her stunning legs, even the simple act of bending over to put on the stockings was a feast for the eyes, a view he could enjoy endlessly.
At that moment, Mikasa spoke.
"By the way, the talisman we gave our friend detected an evil spirit."
"We went back to school today and destroyed it."
"Oh."
Luke nodded casually.
"Was it okay for us to handle it ourselves?" Mikasa asked.
"Didn't I already have you help before? It's fine."
Luke shrugged.
"Evil spirits don't exactly have human rights anyway."
"Here."
He handed them several newly generated talismans.
Annie rustled into her clothes. The glimpse of her fair skin between her grey shorts and the white over-the-knee socks created an irresistible "absolute territory," locking his body down from top to bottom.
This position—having someone ride you with their full weight—offered no room to actually enjoy the sensation, even though Annie's frame was so petite he often compared her to a cat. This was why Luke had never been fond of it.
Annie, however, absolutely loved this position. The way her white-stockinged feet, soft as cat paws, curled and tightened into a beautiful arch betrayed her sheer pleasure.
Since he hadn't taken them out in a while, he decided to let her take the lead.
It wasn't long before her legs grew weak and trembled slightly, her face flushing as she leaned down to steady her racing heart. Her breathy, lingering whispers entwined around his ear.
"Master..."
…
In the end, Luke reluctantly ordered pizza delivery.
Honestly, sweet pizza late at night was nowhere near as satisfying as proper food.
And with his and Mikasa's appetites, ordering enough was surprisingly expensive.
Luke thought about that while leaning against the sofa.
Annie and Mikasa watched some incomprehensible late-night television program while Luke ate pizza and messaged Miko on his phone.
[Luke: Did you collect any information about incidents at your school?]
Miko replied quickly.
[Miko: I found some. I'll send it to you now.]
They had not turned on the air conditioner that night.
Instead, the windows and doors were open, allowing them to enjoy the calmer natural breeze.
Luke stuffed the empty pizza box into a garbage bag, then took a sip of the black tea included with the delivery.
It was very sweet, but the aroma still fell short of Yukino's tea.
He could not tell whether her technique was exceptional or whether she simply used better leaves.
Miko gradually organized everything into a document and sent it over.
Luke put aside the route map Kasumizuki had prepared and opened Miko's file.
It contained horror stories she had collected from classmates.
Kasumizuki's report had not clearly described the incident at Miko's school.
It merely listed the location as the boys' restroom and gave only an approximate time range.
So Luke had asked Miko to gather every rumor she could find.
Come to think of it, practically every school had its own collection of horror stories.
The same basic tales were often reused across every school in the same region.
That had already happened before mobile internet became widespread.
With smartphones everywhere now, such stories spread even faster.
Luke immediately discarded the obvious recycled urban legends and focused on the two remaining stories.
"Enter the school after dark and go alone into the final stall of the second-floor restroom?"
"Knock gently on the closed door until a voice inside says 'come in.'"
"Open it, and you'll see an evil spirit invisible to ordinary humans."
Luke continued reading.
"It's a one-eyed spirit that constantly stares at you while muttering something incomprehensible."
"Parentheses: someone listened carefully and thought it sounded like English words? End parentheses."
Luke sat up straighter.
After spending so long performing exorcisms, few strange things surprised him anymore.
Still, encountering something new remained interesting.
"It usually gives you some kind of task, mostly related to the student ranked first in exams?"
"If you complete the task…"
"It helps improve your grades?"
"What kind of sto—"
Luke paused.
"…Actually, this really does sound like something invented by students who are bad at studying."
[Miko: Sensei, I think the second story about Kokkuri-style spirit writing is more likely. The first story doesn't mention anyone getting hurt.]
Mm.
Besides the story that sounded like it had been invented by failing students, there was another classic school ghost tale involving spirit writing.
It was painfully familiar.
However, its stated consequence matched the injuries recorded in Kasumizuki's files almost perfectly—
The victim's mouth was completely sewn shut with thread.
[Luke: Looks that way. We'll check tomorrow. Might as well investigate both stories. Evil spirit incidents usually aren't limited by time, so there's a chance we can find something even during the day.]
[Miko: Mm~]
Before Luke could end the conversation, another message arrived.
[Miko: Sensei, do you want a photo today?]
It was the "private photos" he'd asked for before.
Ever since their relationship had reached a new level, he'd frequently teased the adorable Miko, asking her for pictures... Of course, he mostly just loved seeing her shyly muster the courage to take a photo of herself, her expression a perfect mix of embarrassment and youthful charm.
Soon, Miko's photo for the day arrived.
[Image]
He opened it to see Miko in the same outfit she'd worn earlier—a green T-shirt and a grayish-blue short skirt.
Miko was biting her lip, her mouth pressed into a tight line. She held the phone with one hand, trying to capture her full body, but her eyes dared not look at the camera. Her other hand was rolling the skirt up to her stomach, revealing the green and blue underwear beneath.
The photo froze right there.
[Luke]: So cute.
He replied to Miko with genuine sincerity.
Seeing his reply, the blush finally faded from Miko's face. She hugged her phone to her chest and couldn't help but roll around on her bed...
"Mmmph~"
Flop, flop, flop.
"Ughh—"
Miko lay face-down on the bed, her face buried in the soft pillow as her feet kicked the sheets back and forth.
"No matter how many times I do it, this is always so embarrassing... Mmph."
Unable to resist, she lifted her head to check her phone again. Seeing the slightly erotic photo she'd already sent, she buried her face back into the pillow.
"Ugh~"
'Why did I have to bring this up myself…'
'Still, it's been so long since we were alone together... Mmm, now that I think about it, that kind of thing was actually really nice last time.'
"Hey! Sis, Mom made sweet red bean soup. Do you want some?"
"Ah!"
Miko jumped at the sudden voice outside her door.
She hurriedly straightened herself and answered her younger brother.
"I'm not eating any! You two can have it!"
"Okay. I'll put your portion in the refrigerator."
"Phew…"
Hearing her brother walk away, Miko finally relaxed.
She sat blankly on the bed for a while with her legs folded beneath her until whatever restless mood she had possessed disappeared.
Then she simply fell backward without even changing clothes, pulled the cloud-patterned blanket over herself, and made a decision—
Sleep!
'It would be nice if I could pull Sensei into my dream again.'
Miko gradually closed her eyes and drifted into sleep while holding tightly to that wish.
...
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