"You're insane... You're absolutely... Do you hear yourself? You want me to... for seven...?"
Aoi was too shocked and angry to even form a sentence.
"I... can't... You actually said that?!"
Aoi felt anger and shame toward herself for even giving him a chance to say what he wanted. In anger and disgust, she stormed off, grabbing the papers on the desk and her bag while scolding and insulting Ren.
"I can't believe you actually said that, you fucking creep! I never thought you were this kind of guy. Do you think this is funny? God, die in some hole, you pervert!"
Aoi finished gathering her stuff and was about to leave when Ren's voice stopped her from behind. It was calm, just as it had been before.
"Are you sure you want to leave like this?"
Aoi turned and looked at Ren. He was sitting on the sofa, his expression not even flinching. He was the same as when he had walked in, as if he hadn't said anything wrong. He remained calm and smiling, his black eyes piercing through her.
"You asked me if I was joking, and my answer is no. You're the one joking around, Aoi, acting as if we're both standing on equal ground... We're not. I can end both your and Takeshi's careers at once. You know that much, right? And you'd better believe that I can."
Ren kept talking without stopping. His words and tone didn't match his little smile and calm composure.
"You asked me if this was my true self, and the answer is yes. You just didn't know it. Tell me, didn't you ever wonder why I don't talk to you guys, even though I can? And I'm not some socially awkward geek. It's because we don't have any common ground or shared interests, Aoi."
Ren stopped for a moment, tilted his head, and closed his eyes.
"So, when I say you should take this seriously..."
Ren opened his eyes, and his smile was gone. His gaze seemed to pierce her soul.
"...I fucking mean it! So, Aoi, be careful with your next actions and words."
The room fell silent, and the two of them stared at each other.
Writing
"B-bastard!!"
Aoi completely stopped. She stared at him, trying to see any hint of fragility, but she kept feeling that the guy in front of her was serious—dead serious. He seemed like he would actually do it if she dared to leave now, so she thought about her actions very carefully. Trapped, she stared at him in silence. This chapter is updated first at novelping(.)com.
On the other side, from Ren's point of view, his plan was succeeding.
'This is way better than anticipated. Maybe it's because the potential was 70%. Anyway, now that she's still here, I need to smooth things over.'
Ren's plan was to give himself a motive and an end goal for what he was doing, making the deal look reasonable.
"You see, I'm a lonely guy, and I really like you. So, when an opportunity like this came along, I took it. Simple as that. I'm not asking you to be with me forever, just for a week, and then we're done. I just want to score once."
The smile returned to his face.
"And it's not like you're getting nothing out of this. I'm giving you a chance to get rid of this little mistake your boyfriend made. It might not seem like much right now, and my benefits are way greater than yours. But that's only fair, because I'm the one with the power. It would only be right for things to work out that way, wouldn't it?"
Aoi listened to every single word he said, but they meant little to her. Most of it sounded like a pervert trying to justify himself, while the rest seemed like an attempt to smooth things over.
"So, that's why you stare at me like that all the time? And here I was, thinking it was all in my mind."
Aoi connected the dots and began to understand where Ren was coming from. Honestly, for a lonely, isolated person like him to turn into a pervert wasn't that far-fetched. Still, his offer wasn't something she could easily say yes to. He was basically asking her to sleep with him for several days, even though Aoi already had a boyfriend who was fairly respectable for someone involved in this mess.
However, leaving now would only make a pervert like Ren angry, and he might report her and Takeshi. Aoi really didn't want that to happen under any circumstances, especially when her future was looking so bright.
So, she shifted her focus and looked at one part of his words that had caught her attention.
"What do you mean by 'get rid of your mistake'?" Aoi asked, despite her disgust at the idea she was even considering his words.
Ren's smile deepened at her question. She had fallen for it, and her high level of caution had dropped by half.
"I meant every word. I can make it disappear as if it had never existed in the first place."
"But how? It's not like you're paying for it, right?"
"I'm going to make that happen the same way I found out about it, so be assured that there's nothing to worry about."
Aoi thought about his words and remembered how he seemed to know everything about her and this mistake. Maybe he could use his skills to bury this whole thing deep. A dangerous thought crossed Aoi's mind, and immediately, she found herself falling into a mental battle.
'I know it's insane, but the way he performed earlier shows that he's capable of doing that. However, there's no way to know if he's going to keep his promises. His aim is lust, not my downfall, so maybe a pervert like him might actually hold up his end of the deal if I just give him what he wants a couple of times. Perverts like him probably don't even last a minute. But I have a boyfriend. Still, he's the one who created this whole mess, so he can't complain about the consequences of fixing it.'
Aoi exhaled as she finally reached a decision. She couldn't do it. No matter how close she had come to accepting the deal, she backed out and lost her mental battle. She stared at Ren for a good amount of time. The sky was getting dark, and the sun was setting.
Ren noticed her hesitation and felt that he needed to do something to give her one final push. So, he stood up and, in a sudden, aggressive movement, shoved the desk aside, making Aoi back away in fear. Read the latest chapters at novelping.com.
"I'm DONE!!! I'm just going to do it and make you beg me to erase your mistake, like I should have done from the start instead of wasting my time here!"
Aoi's heart dropped as Ren walked past her and opened the door. Within seconds, she jumped into action and ran after him.
"Wait! Stop, please! Listen, there have to be other ways, other things you want! Just please, listen to me..."
"Get away from me! You're taking me for a fool!"
"No, it's not like that! Wait..."
"You're going to regret this, Aoi."
"No, wait! I accept! I accept! Please, wait!"
Ren stopped and looked at her. He didn't show any sign of happiness. Instead, he simply asked,
"Are you fooling around again? What did you accept, Aoi?"
"Your deal. The seven-night thing. I accept. All you want is a week, right? You got what you wanted."
Aoi lost and let her earlier excuses cover the shame.
"But you have to promise me that you'll hold up your end of the deal, okay?"
Ren stared at her, silently tormenting her with his presence as she struggled with her thoughts. Finally, he spoke.
"Okay, but if you're just fooling around, know that you're making a big mistake."
"I'm not."
"Good. Let's see if you're serious. The deal starts tonight at 7:45, at my house. I'll send you the location. I'll be waiting, so don't be late."
Without another word, Ren left the scene, heading home.