Saturday morning.
[Draw prize?]
Ayanokouji Ren lay on his bed.
After careful consideration, he swiped his finger across the system button.
[Unfortunately, you did not win.]
He clenched his fist.
[Draw prize?]
His finger swiped across again.
[Unfortunately, you did not win.]
Ren slammed his fist hard against the bedframe.
Very good.
What a wonderful system!
He had finally managed to collect six emotions from his parents, then fused them with the strongest [Disgust] from some random passerby.
Two chances to draw a prize.
And he did not get anything either time!
Although Ren had already known this might happen, he still could not help wanting to curse.
“Very good.
What a wonderful system!
Which production crew did you come from?
A gacha mobile game?”
[Ayanokouji Ren, Anger +1]
?
Ren shot up from the bed.
He quickly walked to the bathroom and confirmed that [Anger] was indeed floating above his own head.
“As expected.
I knew my own emotions could be collected too.”
Ren muttered to himself.
This was undoubtedly good news.
Because Ren knew that it was difficult for him to feel strong emotions.
After all, he had the soul of an adult.
Learning to control one’s emotions was the entry course to becoming a grown-up.
On top of that, he had been a doctor in his previous life, which made it even harder for him to become overly emotional.
In other words, he himself was actually the best candidate for drawing big prizes.
This also confirmed something else for him.
Emotions from two people were also very difficult to draw prizes with.
From now on, those should all be used for upgrades instead.
“Barely acceptable, I guess.”
Ren manually plucked the [Anger] from above his own head.
Then he lay back down on the bed.
“But how should I get the other emotions?”
Ren stared at the system in deep thought.
Was he supposed to go from toying with other people’s emotions to toying with his own?
If he knew he was deliberately manipulating his own emotions, could those emotions still appear?
And putting [Love] aside, just [Fear] alone was a problem.
“What kind of thing could scare the current me?”
Ren was curious about that too.
If Matsuzaka Satou merely held a knife to his neck, he probably would not feel anything.
So this route did not seem workable.
He carefully observed the emotion that belonged to him.
Unlike other people’s emotions, it was stored alone in another system interface.
So Ren tapped the question mark beside it.
[Anger from Ayanokouji Ren.
Can be used as material to make up for situations where anger is missing.]
“I see.”
Ren understood.
His own emotions could be used to fill in missing emotions during a prize draw.
This was a god-tier skill.
If he had been able to use his own [Disgust] to fuse with his parents’ six emotions just now, it would have definitely triggered a guaranteed pity drop.
While [Fear] might be a bit difficult, if he put in some effort, triggering something like [Disgust] would be quite easy!
Still, if he acted like a normal high school student and integrated into a circle of peers his own age, would he be able to experience a richer variety of emotions?
Ayanokouji Ren suddenly thought of the anime characters he used to watch, like that particular student council.
But right now, the Shuchiin Student Council didn’t consist of Shirogane, Kaguya, and those guys yet.
So joining it seemed pointless.
In that case, he would stick to the original plan.
Ren stretched and got out of bed, then walked over to the door of Satou’s room.
“Satou, are you awake?
It’s time for breakfast.”
…
Her biological clock had already gone off.
Matsuzaka Satou awoke to stare at the unfamiliar ceiling.
But she showed no sign of panic.
In fact, she would have felt more afraid if she had woken up in her own room.
Because that would have meant she’d spent another night in that dark, dingy house with her bitter aunt.
Speaking of which, this room really is luxurious.
Matsuzaka Satou glanced around the room.
The opulent crystal chandelier, the grand marble floors, and the tall vases all exuded an air of luxury.
Everything in the room—from the modern furniture and the paintings on the walls to the intricate carvings—spoke of pure luxury.
A soft down comforter was spread across the bed.
She leaned in, sniffing it, and then touched it with her hand.
It felt like a freshly baked, fragrant, fluffy cake.
And yet, an April morning should have felt a little chilly.
But the silk curtains draped before the window allowed sunlight to filter through the gaps just right, bathing the room in a warm and cozy glow.
‘I wish it could stay like this forever…’
Matsuzaka Satou lay back down.
Last night had been too intense.
A massive and complex flood of information had overwhelmed her exhausted mind.
AfterAyanokouji Ren had pushed her through the door, she had wandered in here in a daze.
Then, she’d fallen asleep without even taking off her clothes.
“I’m all sweaty.”
With that thought, Satou made her way to the bathroom.
“What an amazing bathtub!” Satou couldn’t help but exclaim, even as she tried to cover her mouth.
The bathtub was built into the air, like a cradle suspended in mid-air.
Beside it was a set of steps to climb into the cradle, complete with a scientifically designed anti-slip surface!
Walking up them felt like a king ascending his throne.
If she soaked in hot water like this, she’d practically fly away.
“Taking a bath can be this fun?
The rich really are extravagant,” Satou muttered to herself.
‘Still, something felt missing.’
‘The one thing I’ve never been able to feel…’
Because the bathtub was so exceptionally large, she felt like three or four of her could fit inside without any problem.
This suddenly reminded her of something someone had once said:
‘Everyone’s love takes a different shape.’
‘The light of love, too, varies wildly.’
‘But no matter who it is that possesses love,’
‘The moment they realize they have it,’
‘Their heart will be filled.’
“Can’t be filled…
Just like me, huh, Bathtub-san?”Matsuzaka Satou murmured.
“But Bathtub-san, all you need is a little more water, right?” she smiled, as if joking with someone.
*But what about me?*
Satou’s smile faded, replaced by a slightly sorrowful expression.
She felt a bit down as she stared at her reflection on the water’s surface.
“First, I’ll just take a good bath!” Satou declared, slapping her cute cheeks to refocus.
She undid the buttons beside her skirt, slipped off her school uniform, and revealed her snow-white body.
Although she was indeed somewhat malnourished, her excellent genes had still granted her a figure that far surpassed those of other girls her age.
A long, slender neck; modest breasts; a thin yet toned waist; balanced, firm, and fair-skinned legs.
The bathtub was already filled with water, the temperature perfectly maintained at 38 degrees—a detail Satou only realized later when she saw the number clearly displayed on the control panel.
She first stepped in with one leg, then fully immersed herself in the hot water.
Leaning her head back, she couldn’t help but let out a satisfied sigh as gentle ripples spread across the surface.
“It’s completely different from the one at Auntie’s…” Satou closed her eyes.
Her mind conjured the image of that filthy bathtub at her aunt’s house, where sometimes even mysterious vomit would float on the surface, utterly killing any desire she had to bathe there.
Besides, the water in that bathtub was always either too cold or too hot…
“Nothing compares to warm things.”
Recalling Ren’s warm embrace and gentle kiss from the previous night, Satou slowly curled herself up.
She remembered Ren telling her he loved her last night, even saying he was willing to give up his fiancée for her.
He said that was love.
Matsuzaka Satou thought it made a lot of sense—after all, when faced with a choice between two, he gave up on the other person.
That must have required a lot of determination, right?
“At that moment he made his decision…
did he feel his heart being filled?”
Satou didn’t know.
After all, she wasn’t the one who had made the choice.
But she had also made a choice yesterday.
She had chosen “wanting to know what love is” over “wanting to be called Auntie.”
‘I gave up a part of myself because I wanted to know “what love is.” Does that mean I really love ‘love’?
Is that what it means?’
‘But I don’t feel filled.
Instead, when I was forced to choose between the two and discard the desire to be called Auntie, I only felt a void.
I felt…’
“Something else has been thrown away.”
“If I could…
I’d actually want both.”
Satou kept her head down for a long time before finally speaking those words aloud.
Knock, knock.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
“Satou, are you awake?
Come downstairs for breakfast.”
Satou froze and looked up.
‘Call me Auntie, Ren!’
‘But I already gave away the priviledge…’
Her eyes dimmed.
Satou shouted toward the door, “Ren, go ahead and eat without me, I’m taking a bath!”
“Taking a bath?”
Ren, standing at the door, suddenly had a thought.
“I want to take a bath too.”
Ren pushed open the door, walked straight to the bathroom, and stepped onto the platform.
His gaze pierced through the white steam, landing on Satou’s half-curled pink figure in the bathtub.
At this moment, only Matsuzaka Satou’s upper body was above the water.
As the ripples spread, Ren could vaguely see the slender curve of her waist and the slight swell of her breasts beneath the surface, as hazy as the moon’s reflection in water.
“Re…
n?” Satou blinked her damp eyelashes, a small-animal-like confusion washing over her face.
As Ren had expected, she didn’t scream at him to get out.
She didn’t even use her hands to cover herself; she merely tilted her head slightly.
The pink strands of hair floating on the water swayed with her movement, covering her but not completely.
‘So tempting.’
Ren’s gaze swept over her submerged body.
“Can I join you?”
“?”
“Isn’t this a bit…?”
Even Satou knew that men and women shouldn’t bathe together.
But Ren’s questions were never requests for permission—they were notifications.
As he spoke, he was already undoing the buttons of his shirt.
Matsuzaka Satou watched as he casually hung it on the hook behind the door, revealing his well-defined upper body.
His regularly exercised physique had no excess fat, and his abdominal muscles were faintly visible through the steam, causing Satou to stare.
It wasn’t until Ren’s hand moved to his belt that she belatedly gasped, her mouth falling open.
“Wait—”
We can share.”
But Ren had already stripped off his trousers and stepped into the tub.
The water surged violently, washing over Satou’s body and forcing her to grip the tub’s edge to maintain her balance.
The tub was indeed spacious, but when Ren sat down completely, it was filled to capacity.
As a result, Satou’s knees inevitably brushed against his.
The warm water, displaced by Ren’s movements, surged up to her chest.
She instinctively shrank back, her back pressing against the cool wall of the tub.
“With two people, thirty-eight degrees is a bit cold,” Ren said as he reached for the temperature control panel and raised it by another two degrees.
Hot water immediately gushed from the tub’s side outlets.
“It’s not cold.
It’s very warm.”
Satou shook her head, her gaze fixed on Ren’s pectoral muscles, which were now mere inches away.
Water droplets slid down his neck, paused briefly in the hollow of his collarbone, and then continued downward, disappearing where his abdominal muscles met the water’s surface.
Time seemed to stretch, but Satou couldn’t stop staring at those abs.
Suddenly, her throat felt tight, and she swallowed unconsciously.
She also felt her face grow burning hot—perhaps from the steam.
Ren noticed it too.
He watched thoughtfully as a blush spread across pink-haired’s cheeks, then reached out to brush aside a stray lock of wet hair clinging to her neck.
“I didn’t get a good look yesterday.
You’re more well-endowed than I thought, Satou.” Ren’s fingers traced the lobe of her ear, feeling the skin beneath his touch instantly heat up.
“But you still need to eat more.
You’re so thin.
You’d be even more beautiful if you filled it out a little.”
Satou couldn’t reply.
Her breathing had grown shallow and rapid, her chest heaving beneath the water’s surface.
She didn’t understand why every one of Ren’s touches felt like an electric current, sending a numbness spreading from the point of contact.
It was a completely unfamiliar sensation, unlike anything she had ever felt before.
Satou felt as if she were about to dissolve into a puddle of hot water, melting right there in the tub.
“What…
what is this feeling?”
Satou pressed a hand to her racing heart.
Her sudden movement sent a splash of water flying, a few droplets landing on Ren’s face.
But he didn’t wipe them away, letting the water trickle down the line of his jaw.
Then, without warning, Ren leaned forward, closing the distance between them until he could count each of Satou’s trembling eyelashes.
“This is called shyness,” he whispered in her ear, his warm breath brushing against her sensitive skin.
“Or perhaps…
a little excitement.”
“Shyness…
excitement?” Satou gazed into Ren’s eyes, her mind hazing over from the overwhelming heat.
Ayanokouji Ren deliberately rested his arm on the edge of the tub beside her waist, effectively trapping her in a semi-embrace.
From this angle, Satou could see the defined lines of his muscles more clearly, and he could observe every subtle flicker of emotion on her face up close.
“This must be a very new experience for you, isn’t it?
Do you hate it?” he asked.
‘Hate it?
Or not?
Come to think of it…
what does ‘hating’ even feel like?’
Still unable to answer, Satou remained silent.
Ren leaned in even closer, his calf pressing against her thigh.
The moment they touched, Satou’s back snapped straight, like a cat with its fur standing on end.
“Relax,” Ren said, covering her clenched fist with his own.
“Are you afraid?”
“I don’t know…
if this is fear.”
Satou looked down at their joined hands.
Ren’s palm was a full size larger than hers, completely enveloping her clenched fist.
“It’s just…
my heart is beating so fast.”
“Then…
may I touch it?” Ren’s question was phrased as a request, but it was really a notification.
He placed his hand over Matsuzaka Satou’s chest, at the fifth intercostal space on the left, about 0.5 to 1.0 cm inside the midclavicular line—two finger-widths below the head, where the apex beat is typically located.
But that was for when someone was lying down.
Now, sitting up, Ren naturally had to press his entire hand against her.
As a result, the same point remained: though she was starting to develop, her body wasn’t fully mature yet.
He could clearly feel each thrum of her racing heart.
“It really has quickened.
Is this your first time bathing with someone else?”
“…Yes,” Satou nodded slightly.
But that wasn’t entirely true.
She remembered bathing with her aunt once, but that was when she was very, very small—so small she could barely recall it.
So, calling it her first time wasn’t wrong.
“Since it’s definitely your first time, Satou, do you know…?”
Lowering his voice, his lips brushing against her ear, Ren spoke slowly, enunciating every word:
“A normal girl would push me away right now.”
“I know, but…” Satou whispered.
But she didn’t refuse.
In fact, she had already pressed herself against Ren’s chest, as if trying to see if his heart was racing too.
Water splashed around them, but she was completely oblivious to how precarious her position was—their legs intertwined tightly, and her fair back was fully exposed to the open air.
But soon, Matsuzaka Satou heard a voice.
“Bathing for too long isn’t good for you.
Get out now and let’s go eat breakfast.”
Ren said this, and then he abruptly pulled away from her embrace.
Satou watched blankly as Ren stood up, grabbed the bath towel to dry himself, and then walked out of the bathroom.
Only then did she realize, murmuring softly to herself, “Ren’s heart…
was beating faster too…”
‘Is this his first time bathing with someone else as well?
Is he shy, too?’
‘And…that place got bigger.’
Recalling the feeling from moments ago, Matsuzaka Satou’s cheeks flushed.