"A reward…?"
As if something crossed her mind, Miyazawa Mana's cheeks gradually began to warm.
Ever since Sawamura Haruno had learned about the preference she'd been hiding all this time, her heart had slowly eased—almost like she'd finally let out a long-held breath.
To be precise, she was starting to loosen up a little too much.
Back when they were dating, she'd always worried that Haruno might think she didn't truly like him, so she kept suppressing herself. But now that everything had been said out loud, there was nothing left to hold back.
So whether it was this preference—or other things—Mana felt the emotions she'd kept bottled up for so long slowly becoming active again. Even those bold thoughts she'd once buried were beginning to resurface.
"Since it's like this…"
Mana lightly bit her lip, thinking she should probably go along with his preference for now.
Her face flushed as she said softly,
"Since that's the case, then I guess there's no helping it… but not at your place."
"…Huh?"
Haruno froze.
He was talking about reimbursing Maki's living expenses.
What on earth was Mana talking about?
"After all, Maki is still staying at your place," Mana said awkwardly.
"Don't worry. I won't force you to accept that kind of preference of mine."
She twisted her fingers slightly as she continued,
"This time, it's me repaying you, so I'll still cooperate as much as I can… just like before."
"N–No, no, no."
Haruno's pupils shrank sharply.
He finally realized what she'd misunderstood.
He coughed repeatedly, forcibly interrupting Mana, who was clearly sinking deeper into her own imagination.
"That's not what I meant at all," he said stiffly.
"I was just talking about Maki's daily living expenses. Money. That's it."
"…Eh?"
Mana's expression instantly froze.
She'd genuinely thought Haruno was hinting at that kind of thing—after all, they had played around with similar "interests" in the past.
Even though that wasn't her favorite preference, it was still something she could accept. And besides, her feelings for Haruno had never really changed. They'd broken up only because of various other reasons.
For Mana, the saying "once you've tasted it, you crave it" applied perfectly—especially after separating from Haruno. From time to time, memories of their happiness together would resurface and quietly become part of her everyday life.
She just hadn't been able to bring it up directly, since she'd never said those things out loud before.
After finally working up the courage to say everything—
She'd misunderstood.
This was just… too much.
"W-Well, if that's the case, you should've just said so earlier…"
Mana lowered her head instantly, covering her face with her hands, mortified.
"You suddenly brought up 'rewards' and stuff… I thought you were hinting at that."
"…My fault."
Haruno's mouth twitched.
He'd only meant it as a joke—he hadn't expected Mana's thoughts to veer so far off course.
He hadn't realized how much impact learning about her reverse-NTR preference had had on her.
"I understand. Living expenses."
Mana took a few light breaths. When she raised her head again, the embarrassment from before was gone.
Putting on a composed expression, she said calmly,
"After all, she's my sister. It really should be me covering her expenses. I'll also talk to our parents about it."
"Maki's been spoiled for too long," she added.
"She might spend money a bit recklessly. You don't need to worry—I'll transfer you some money first. If it's not enough, just tell me."
"That works."
Haruno finally relaxed.
Money was a sensitive topic. Even though they'd once been close, when it came to finances, it really was better to speak clearly.
…And not only had they spoken clearly—they'd also learned something extra.
It seemed that Mana wasn't rejecting who he was now.
Then why, exactly, did she break up with me back then? Haruno wondered again.
From what Mana had just implied, she wasn't asking him to play along with her strange preference—she was saying she'd be willing to go back to the way things used to be, on his terms.
Just that alone suggested her feelings hadn't changed.
"It'd be great if something happened," Haruno thought with mixed emotions,
"but not knowing the 'truth' still leaves me uneasy."
He didn't dislike Mana. If she took the initiative, he wouldn't be against getting back together—as long as breaking up wasn't brought up again.
But all of that depended on one condition:
He had to understand what the system meant by the "truth."
After all, if even reverse-NTR didn't count as the "truth," Haruno didn't dare imagine just how twisted and complex the real answer might be.
There really were people in this world with extreme, over-the-top preferences.
Just thinking about it made his scalp tingle.
Better to figure everything out first—then decide what to do about Mana.
Otherwise, if there turned out to be something he truly couldn't accept, things would only become more painful later.
"Oh, right—Haruno."
Just as Haruno was lost in those unsettling thoughts, Mana spoke again.
"Come back to my place with me later. I'll bring over some of Maki's clothes."
She looked at him gently and added,
"She left in such a hurry that day. She didn't bring anything. Could you help take them back?"
"That's no problem."
Haruno agreed without hesitation.
Maki really was in a bind—she was still wearing the clothes she'd rushed out in that day, plus the oversized pajamas Haruno had lent her. No matter how you looked at it, they weren't suitable for a girl to keep wearing.
After that, the atmosphere between the two noticeably lightened. Haruno didn't deliberately continue questioning Mana about her preference, and instead they chatted casually about university classes.
Once dinner time approached, Haruno followed behind Mana to the Miyazawa residence to pick up Maki's clothes.
The distance from the restaurant to her house wasn't far—just over ten minutes on foot. Tokyo wasn't that big, after all. As long as you stayed within the same district, walking was usually enough.
Haruno only waited briefly outside the Miyazawa family's villa before Mana came running out, carrying a small suitcase.
"Here you go," she said, handing it to him.
"It's all Maki's clothes—some toiletries too. And underwear. And stockings."
She smiled and added teasingly,
"Don't secretly take one, okay?"
"…Who would do that?" Haruno said helplessly.
"And why bring stockings too?"
"Hehe. Isn't that because you're a leg guy, Haruno?"
Mana gave him a sly smile and said playfully,
"Let's just count it as part of that 'reward' you mentioned earlier. After all, Maki and I look the same—and our legs are the same too."
She leaned in slightly, eyes bright.
"You can just imagine it's me wearing the stockings."
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