Takumi listened to her explanation—and honestly couldn't find a single angle to argue.
After a long pause, he couldn't help complaining, "Why is it that so many of the people I exorcise end up not having any money?"
After grumbling, he let his gaze drift back to Karin.
With one arm wrapped around herself, Karin's full curves looked like they were about to spill out even through how she held herself. The moment she noticed how heated his eyes were, her cheeks flushed and she raised a hand to cover her chest—but that only made the tight outline even more obvious, making his breathing heavier and his heartbeat quicker.
"Y-You're not allowed to do anything weird," Karin said, flustered but firm. "I'm not that kind of woman… I'll pay you back."
Even with her voluptuous body, Karin had always believed she'd gotten this far mostly on talent and hard work.
She'd run into more than a few directors who hinted at unspoken rules, and she'd refused every single time without hesitation. She'd always held the line—so even with her looks, her rise had been slower than it could've been.
Takumi stepped closer, closing the distance until he was right by her face.
"Oh? You'll pay me back?" he murmured, voice low and teasing. "But if you're just saying it, I'm not exactly convinced. I'll take a little interest first."
Before Karin could react, Takumi leaned in and kissed her—stealing her first kiss.
"Mmm…!"
Karin let out a soft, involuntary whimper. Her whole body went rigid, tensing for several seconds. She weakly tapped his chest with her fist, but the force was so light it was basically a massage.
How long it lasted, she couldn't even tell.
It wasn't until Karin felt like her consciousness was about to float away that the two finally parted.
"Haa… haa…"
"You… you can't just do that…"
Her eyes shimmered with a glow as she scolded him in little, breathy, almost-cute pouts—yet the expression on her face looked less like anger… and more like trying not to give in.
Takumi simply lifted his phone and grinned. "I recorded it just now, you know. If you try to dodge your debt later… you don't want your kissing photo to get out to the public, do you?"
Karin clenched her small fists, trembling with humiliation. Right now she genuinely wanted to bite Takumi's lips off.
"Alright, alright. I'm done teasing." Takumi put his phone away, then switched to a serious expression and made her an offer. "I've got an apartment building over there. If you really want to repay me, come rent a unit and stay. I'll cut your rent in half—and you can pay me back slowly over time."
The way his tone flipped so suddenly made Karin's emotions rise and fall like a roller coaster.
After a moment of silence, she finally nodded. "…Fine. I'll do it your way."
Takumi was her creditor, for one thing—and for another… she couldn't deny she actually liked this boy.
Karin figured that even if he was tricking her, she'd probably accept it anyway.
But when Takumi brought her to the building, Karin realized she'd underestimated what she was getting into.
"T-This is a high-end luxury apartment in a rich district…! I—I can't afford this!"
The place looked like a five-star hotel. Just standing there made Karin's scalp go numb.
Takumi tossed her a keycard and smiled. "After the discount, it's 20,000 yen a month. You can handle that, right? A change of environment does wonders for your mood. And if you're here, you won't have to hide or worry about some crazy hater trying to find you offline. Rest up here for a while—because I'm planning to watch you make your comeback."
Karin stared at Takumi's bright, sunny smile, her heart pounding like crazy.
This was obviously her getting the better deal. Takumi was being way too good to her.
The last little bit of resentment she'd been holding onto melted away completely.
Everything she wanted to say… finally condensed into a sweet smile.
"Thank you, Takumi-kun. I'll find a way to repay you."
"If you really want to repay me," Takumi started, half-serious and half-bad, "then how about you put on your idol outfit and… do a private performance for me, just you and—"
Before he could finish, Karin's face turned bright red and she bolted into the building.
But when she glanced back over her shoulder, there was a clear flicker of temptation in her eyes.
She'd always hated the idea of being cast-couched.
But if the person was Takumi…
Karin suddenly felt like… maybe she wasn't totally against it.
Watching her run off, Takumi shoved his hands in his pockets and headed back.
"Looks like I just picked up an idol. I was already planning to start a company—guess it's time to actually put that on the schedule. Use this kind of stuff to grab attention, then I can keep converting it into Gate progress… But instead of me doing it myself, I should just have…"
In his mind, the cold, gorgeous image of Kirino Yukinoshita in her sleek office uniform surfaced instantly.
Takumi was absolutely too lazy to handle those kinds of chores.
If someone he trusted ran it for him, he could relax.
"Tch… guess I'll need to build a relationship with that CEO mother-in-law properly."
He rubbed his chin guiltily, and his brain immediately filled with that woman's sensual, elegant figure.
A relationship foundation could be built, after all. Getting on the bus first and buying the ticket later was also a way.
With that thought, Takumi arrived at the Akizuki house.
The door wasn't even locked, so he walked right in.
"Marina~"
Takumi called out softly—but there was no answer. Frowning, he headed upstairs.
The moment he stepped into the bedroom, Airi lunged at him, wrapping him up and forcing him down with her weight.
Her voice was dissatisfied—almost pouting.
"Only being with my sister is just… way too unfair~"
Her expression was dead serious now, her tone more direct than it had ever been.
"This time, I'm not handing you back to her, Takumi!!"
Takumi was still processing the whiplash—where'd the tsundere go?!—when his eyes caught the closet door.
Through the crack, he saw Marina
inside.
"Mmmph! Mmmph mmmph!!!"
Marina struggled hard, trying to make noise.
Airi noticed her sister thrashing—and her face lit up with a smug, satisfied smile.
"Sis, I'm going to make you taste what it felt like… when I got neglected!"
Takumi, facing Airi's head-on assault, could only helplessly shrug.
"Marina… this one's not on me. I'm the victim here."
"Enough talking, Daddy," Airi said with a sweet smile. "Why don't you listen to my singing? After our warm-up practice last time, I've been training really hard."
Right there—in front of Takumi and Marina—Airi opened her mouth and began to sing.
A long, lilting voice filled the room, a deliciously vibrating tone that sounded almost… electric. [T/N: Singing is used as a euphemism for oral sex]
And when the singing peaked—Marina's eyes brimmed, and tears slid down.
In that instant, she finally felt what Airi had felt before: the pain, the helplessness, the struggle of being NTR-ed
"Mmm…!"
Marina let out a muffled whimper, the emotion in her eyes swelling past what she could hold back…