Meari was not someone who didn't understand priorities. Although she regretted not having a successful date, Ayanokoji didn't come to her because of an important matter, which she completely understood.
The fact that Ayanokoji Kiyotaka called her late at night to explain showed that he valued her, and that alone was enough to make Meari happy for the whole night.
"I'm not important! Your matters are more important; you don't need to worry about me!"
"You already know?" Ayanokoji Kiyotaka was a little surprised.
He was still thinking about how to bring it up, but he didn't expect Meari to already know.
Was this news spread so widely that even Meari, who didn't have many connections, had already heard about it?
"Mm, Hanatemari told me. It seems this matter is quite widespread up there..."
Meari carefully asked, "Ayanokoji, is your brother okay? Wasn't he kidnapped? Has he been safely rescued now?"
"...Ayanokoji Kiyotaka is fine now; you don't need to worry."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka chuckled. So, Meari thought it was Kiyotaka who was in trouble.
He did not tell Meari the truth at this moment, just as Ikishima Midari said: since everything was fine, there was no need to make others worry.
Meari suddenly heard a girl's laughter from Ayanokoji's end.
"Ayanokoji, is there someone else with you?" Meari immediately became alert.
It was already late at night. Why was there a girl's voice coming from Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's side?
"Yes, there's a young lady with me. After all, a kidnapping just happened, and the police aren't comfortable leaving me alone in the room... What, are you jealous?"
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka deliberately said, "She's cleaning a gun right now. Do you want to talk to her?"
Cleaning a gun? Could it be a police officer sent to protect Ayanokoji? The other person was clearly protecting Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, yet she was thinking about something else...
Meari felt ashamed of her misunderstanding and quickly refused: "No, it's okay. Please thank her for me and tell her that working so late is hard!"
"Mm, I'll tell her."
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka glanced at Ikishima Midari, then paused and said, "Meari, my phone broke, which is why I didn't call to inform you. I'll find time to make up for this missed date."
His phone really broke...! Meari immediately became happy upon hearing this.
"It's okay, as long as your brother is fine..." Meari seemed to be shyly burying her head in the quilt, as if afraid of being seen blushing.
"It's very late already, and you must be tired too, so... good night."
"Mm, see you at school."
After exchanging goodnights, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka hung up the phone.
He looked up. Ikishima Midari, facing him, wore a playful smile: "Cleaning a gun, huh... Ayanokoji, you really know how to talk. If Meari knew that this gun might accidentally fire while being cleaned, what do you think she'd feel?"
"After all, I didn't want to lie to her, so I could only say that. I just hope she doesn't kill me when she finds out later." Ayanokoji sighed.
Ayanokoji could imagine Meari's wide-eyed fury when she learned the true meaning of "cleaning a gun," but he couldn't exactly say that a beautiful young woman was meticulously maintaining a gun right beside him, could he?
"Kiyotaka, aren't you on very good terms with her? How come it's been two months and you still haven't won her over?"
Ikishima Midari asked with a laugh, shaking her hand, "I thought that with her feelings for you, she would have confessed to you a long time ago."
"Meari is very reserved in matters of the heart. Even if she likes someone, unless she truly confirms the other person's feelings, she won't choose to confess directly."
"Do you mean I'm too forward?"
"Aren't you forward? Tell me, what part of you haven't I seen?" Ayanokoji rolled his eyes.
After showering, Ikishima Midari didn't even put on a bath towel.
While he was on the phone with Meari, Ikishima Midari didn't stop her gun maintenance, enticing him to shoot.
If this wasn't forward, what was?
If their genders were swapped, it would be a common trope in the NTR series.
"Since you say I'm forward, then let me be the forward one today."
Ikishima Midari smiled as she said this, sitting on Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's lap, embracing him, and whispering in his ear, "...Tonight, let's go all the way?"
Although the two were "friends with benefits," they had done everything they should and shouldn't have done, but only the last step had never been initiated by either of them.
It wasn't that they didn't want to; rather, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had made an agreement with Ikishima Midari.
As long as Ikishima Midari promised Ayanokoji not to play "quick knife finger poking," "Russian Roulette," and other gambles that could harm her, he would agree to take their relationship further and become lovers.
Even marriage in the future was not out of the question.
But at that time, Ikishima Midari still yearned for the thrill of walking on the edge of a knife. She was unwilling to give up this activity that brought her mental pleasure, so she voluntarily took a step back and reached a "friends with benefits" agreement with Ayanokoji.
—Both parties simply used each other's bodies for pleasure and did not interfere with each other's actions.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka and Ikishima Midari's interactions had always been casual. Ayanokoji would not hide the fact that he liked other girls, and Ikishima Midari would not hide her unusual interests.
They both felt relaxed and believed that maintaining this relationship was good. Ikishima Midari also liked this atmosphere.
But today, Ikishima Midari no longer wanted to simply maintain a "friends with benefits" relationship; she wanted to take it a step further.
A step further meant becoming true lovers.
"Shishimou, you agreed to my promise?" Ayanokoji was slightly stunned.
Unlike others who gambled for different reasons, Ikishima Midari gambled for the pursuit of thrill. Even if it meant harming herself or being in mortal danger, she didn't care.
She enjoyed this risk, even if she was severely injured, she would gladly accept it.
Even earlier today, she was still clamoring for Hagen to point a revolver at her head, wanting to experience the feeling of her head being shot through.
Ayanokoji Kiyotaka had always been thinking about how to make her realize, and he had been constantly advising her not to engage in such dangerous gambling, but his words had never had any effect.
He knew Ikishima Midari's stubbornness, but he didn't lose heart, thinking of using a war of attrition to slowly break down her resistance.
He had thought that Ikishima Midari would carry this thrill to the end, but he didn't expect her to suddenly say such a thing...
Did what happened today stimulate her, making her feel that "courting death" was a very foolish thing?
Ikishima Midari nodded seriously: "I've thought it through. I promise you, I will no longer pursue risk or seek thrills."
"It's great that you can understand."
Ayanokoji was also very happy that Ikishima Midari could think this way.
Even if she was skilled and daring, constantly dancing on the blade would eventually lead to her feet being cut.
This news was the only good news he had heard today.
"Since I've agreed to you, then, let's go a step further…"
As Ikishima Midari spoke, without giving Ayanokoji Kiyotaka time to react, she suddenly exerted force and sat down with the momentum.
Although she hadn't achieved the feat of having a hole blown in her head by a revolver, Ikishima Midari had now achieved another feat – having a hole blown in another part of her body by the gun she had just maintained.
A look of pain appeared on her face.
"Does it hurt?" Ayanokoji Kiyotaka gently embraced her, stroking her back.
A blush appeared on Ikishima Midari's face, a look of intoxication.
She smiled, "It hurts, it hurts a lot… but I like this feeling! Kiyotaka, hurry up and move, let me experience more pain!"
Ah, he almost forgot this; Ikishima Midari's pain threshold was different from others—what others found painful, she found pleasurable.
She had always enjoyed pain.
Since Ikishima Midari had said so, Ayanokoji couldn't refuse.
He wrapped his arm around Ikishima Midari's slender waist, changing from passive to active.
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