All around me, hands touched every inch of my body. I couldn't shake them off. I couldn't so much as move a muscle. All that was afforded to me was the sensation of their invading tendrils. Nothing was sacred any longer. Fingers prodded my vagina, squeezed my breasts and pinched my nipples, and held my throat. A thumb hooked into my lips as if I were a fish caught in a fisherman's line.
What made it worse… I didn't entirely dislike the feeling. My breath grew ragged. My nipples stiffened from being played with. I grew wetter by the second between my thighs. Pleasure wasn't building inside me. It crashed like violent waves against the shore.
I was getting close, so close—
Then an incessant whimsical ringtone robbed me of my climax. My eyes adjusted to the beige ceiling of my bedroom, then to my phone sitting on the nightstand. I sat up, and the bedsheet slipped from my still bare body.
"I'm still naked?" I gasped, pulling it back up to cover myself.
I checked my phone, and it showed nine in the morning. Panic washed over me. I overslept! The living room seemed suspiciously quiet. Tetsu, Guo, and their coworkers must have left already. Keita and Satoshi were likely at school, too. No, that wasn't right. Today was Saturday, and they didn't have school today. I got dressed and poked my head out of the room. The house was dead silent.
The boys might have gone out to play then. Or to Satoshi's place. A heavy weight pressed down on me. I missed making breakfast for Tetsu and Keita like I always did. As soon as I stepped outside, a heavy musk wafted up to my nose.
Left alone in the house, I cleaned up after the second mess my husband's coworkers had left behind. The scent of their sweat and all the beer they drank lingered. It shouldn't, but I was reminded of the taste of Mr. Shiraishi's penis. His and Principal Iwata's touch tormented me, even though they weren't on my body. I went around throwing all the windows open. The door, too. I needed to air the entire house out before I went crazy.
Even after the living room had been cleaned spotless, my mind wandered everywhere at once. I couldn't get the pleasure out of my mind, and Tetsu wouldn't be home until late. Exhausted, I slinked into my room and fell backwards into my bed. Wandering hands slipped into my pants until I found what I was looking for. I rubbed myself slowly at first, imagining how Shiraishi had and mimicking his movements.
But it wasn't working. It wasn't enough. I must have spent half an hour rubbing myself and not even getting close.
"Damn it. Why can't I get off?" I sighed.
In my frustration, Saya's voice seemed to call out to me. I picked up my phone from the nightstand. Of course, there was no game. No one was in the house to play it with after all. The digital avatar hadn't shown up either. Regardless, my hallucination of her speaking led me to opening the app. I selected the shopping cart icon, and five options appeared.
[Protection
Supplies
Sex Toys
Effects
Loan]
I pressed [Sex Toys]. An enormous selection of erotic toys appeared like a shopping catalogue. Images of the most obscene things imaginable were available for purchase, all for the cost of points. Dildos in the shape of animal genitals, a roulette wheel with sexual acts in place of numbers, and black latex suits just to name a few.
All of it gave me a sensory overload, and I was petrified at what to choose.
"Hey, Saya?" I nervously spoke into my phone.
[Is that my favorite Marika calling for me? What can I do for you?] Saya zipped across the screen riding on a shopping cart. She skidded to a stop in the middle of the selection, taking a gander at what I had been scrolling through. Her lips curled into a mischievous smile. [Oh, ho, ho! I see what's going on here. You're in need of a little something-something to spice up your fun!]
"Oh, shut up. I just want to find a vibrator. Can you look for one that's within my points range? Scratch that. 10,000 points for less. And without your snappy comments," I said.
Saya sped up and down the selection as though racing through the aisles of a grocery store. Items began to disappear from the screen, and eventually only a small handful of vibrators remained. They varied in color and design. Two vibrators were of modest shaft, rounded on one end and flat on the other. A third was somewhat curved and thicker towards one side. The first two cost 10,000 points and the third 9,500 points.
"How exactly does this work?" I asked.
[It works the same way you order anything online!] Saya explained.
The problem was, I'd never ordered anything online before.
"Will it come discreetly?" I asked.
[Of course, and promptly!] she answered.
I swallowed my hesitation and pressed the cheaper of the two choices. A screen asked me to confirm if I really wanted to buy the vibrator, and I selected [Confirm]. My points went from 39,500 to an even 30,000.
[Purchase Complete] popped up, followed by a cute little animation of the vibrator falling into a cardboard box and being shipped off screen. Wait a minute. Shouldn't there be an extra step to enter my address? How was it going to know where to ship?
The old doorbell rang. My heart jumped into my throat and wouldn't stop beating. Goosebumps sprung up all over me, and the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. I wasn't expecting a visitor today.
After a few breaths to calm myself down, I crept to the front of my house. The door was still wide open when I'd left it to air the place out. And what I saw chilled me to the bones on this hot summer day. A package sat on the doormat.
One step after another, I willed myself forward and picked up the small rectangular box. This couldn't be anything other than what I had just ordered. The vibrator. I quickly closed the door and hurried back to my room. Alone, I cut the tape with a letter opener and peeled back the cardboard, confirming my suspicions. It was the exact vibrator I had bought moments ago.
"Saya!" I pulled my phone out and opened the NTL app. "How did this get to my house so soon?"
[Why, it was delivered to you, silly!] Saya dodged my question in laughter.
"Just… Just what are you?"
[Me? I'm just an artificial intelligence chat bot made into your personal digital assistant! I help you stay on track and evolve as you play.] She clasped her hands together innocently. [But your query is actually directed at the NTL app, isn't it? This is just a fun little mobile game, Marika. Nothing more. Nothing less. But let's not think too hard. You just received your vibrator! Don't you want to have some fun?]
The mood had flown out the window. I didn't feel the least bit interested in masturbating any more. Something about this mobile app was pure evil. It might be naive of me, but maybe Saburo Ono could cleanse me and my phone. For all I knew, Saya wasn't what she said she was.
I returned the vibrator into its box and shoved it under my bed, then headed to the local market to buy some fruits. Apples, oranges, and rice crackers filled the paper bag up to the top. The trek up to Himawari Shrine drenched me in sweat. Even the shade from the forest canopy did little to shield me from the heat.
Reaching the top, it was always eerie to find the shrine so empty. I think I might be the only one who visits somewhat regularly. Tetsu no longer had time. The other we used to play with as children had grown out of worship or moved away. Even Akemi cared little.
"Ono! It's Marika! Are you here?" I called out.
"Marika?" The kannushi, Mr. Ono, emerged from behind a small office building where he resided. "I thought you weren't due to come back to help until the end of the month."
"I actually came to ask for purification. I haven't felt… right, lately. Like I'm being haunted by something," I explained, squeezing my arm.
"Certainly! Please, begin at the chozuya and wash yourself first. I'll meet you in front of the worship hall." He gestured towards the water pavilion.
Already, I was starting to feel a little better. Water flowed from the bamboo shoot in a steady stream into the stone basin. I picked up the wooden ladle, scooped up some water, and rinsed my hands first and mouth second. The cool water cleansed my palate. When I spat the water onto the ground, it felt as though I'd purged the taste of Shiraishi's ejaculate from my thoughts.
Ono waited for me at the top of the steps to the ancient temple. I bowed on the way up and sat my offering on the wooden table. He held an onusa, a wooden wand attached with zigzagging paper white streamers. He nodded to me, and I kept my head low to the temple building. The kannushi, a servant to the Shinto gods and caretaker of the shrine, chanted aloud so that his voice echoed across the grounds and back. His onusa rustled above me as he waved it.
"Oh, virtuous divine gods, please purify this child. Please, cleanse her body and mind. Free her from the pollution that plagues her," Ono repeated three times more.
The ritual came to an end, and I lifted my head to face the kannushi's kind face. For the first time in forever, I felt uplifted. The weight had vanished from my shoulders.
"How do you feel? Lighter?" Ono smiled.
"I do. Thank you!" I bowed.
"I'm happy to help, and I'm sure the gods are, too. You're the only one who gives me a hand here, so thank you." He bowed in return.
My phone vibrated. Ono's gaze flicked to my pocket where I was keeping it.
"Sounds like someone is looking for you," Ono said.
"It's probably Akemi. We exchanged numbers, and she texts me from time to time," I explained.
When I opened it to the home screen, however, the blood drained from my face. Perhaps asking for divine intervention might have been too much. I'd foolishly thought it was in their power to help. Maybe my faith wasn't enough. Or they didn't even exist.
Because the NTL app had given me another game.
[Have sex with Saburo Ono.] +30,000pts
[Bend over on the altar, and let anyone who visits the shrine have sex with you until the end of the day.] +150,000pts
[Walk back home naked.] +20,000pts
[Random Choice for x2 points], [Reroll Choices -500pts], [Upgrade a Choice]
I didn't want to do any of these. I couldn't.
"Marika, is everything alright?" Ono dipped into view, his expression wrinkled with worry.
"I-I'm fine. It's just the heat. I'll head home to rest. Thank you again for your time," I said and quickly turned to leave.
No more. I wasn't going to play this game. Consequences be damned. What could it possibly do? Break another car down so Tetsu would be late for work?
[This round will timeout in five minutes. Please make your choice before time runs out, or you will be punished for ignoring the game.]
I stopped just past the torii gate leaving the temple. The voice came from my phone, but it didn't belong to Saya. This was more robotic, stiff, and unfeeling. As though pre-recorded. Somehow, that terrified me more than if it had been Saya.
"I won't take the bait. I won't!" I exclaimed to myself.
Three minutes passed. I watched the seconds tick pass, holding a staredown with the clock. This was my battle, and I refused to be defeated. But my phone rang with three minutes left. Keita's name appeared on the screen. My son was calling me even though he was at school?
I answered the phone, but it wasn't Keita on the other end.
"Marika?" Mr. Uehara's stern voice came through, taking me by surprise.
"Hi, yes? Sorry, was Keita playing with his phone during class?" I asked with a sigh.
"No, actually. How do I say this… Keita's fine, but he had an accident at school. One of the light fixtures came loose and struck his head a moment ago. It knocked him out for a second. We have him resting in bed in the infirmary for now just in case. Would you like to come over? We considered calling a doctor, but thought that decision is best left to you."
I stopped thinking straight. Panic and frustration roiled in my heart like a storm. Keita was injured. Could it have been because of the game? Uehara continued calling out my name, but my raging thoughts drowned him out.
"Please, look after my son. I'll come to check on him soon," I said and ended the call.
How much more of a coincidence could that have been? My Keita got hurt because of the NTL app. Seconds were left on the round. Paranoia stabbed at me with a cold knife. What if it wasn't a coincidence? That this was all by design to punish me like the app had said?
I couldn't let my son face the consequences of my indecision. My thumb slammed down on the first choice at the last second, and I raced back into the shrine. Ono wasn't at the temple building anymore. He must have returned to his little house. I hurried over and knocked on the door. It creaked open.
"Oh, did you need something else, Marika?" Ono asked.
"I want you to have sex with me!" I pleaded.
"W-What?" He staggered back as I advanced inside, shutting the door on the way in.
The kannushi's one-room home had everything he needed. The corners of his hovel were occupied by a futon, an old television, a wood burner, and one table stacked with newspapers.
"Have sex with me!" I begged more loudly in the privacy of his house. "You're lonely here all by yourself, aren't you?" Shedding off my shirt and bra drew his attention to my bare chest. "As long as you don't tell anyone… I'll let you have sex with me."
"I don't know what's come over you, but this isn't right. You're married. You have a son. I've known you and Tetsu since you were both children!" Ono resisted.
At this rate, the game was going to punish me and my family again. I took the rest of my clothes off, and Ono's gaze appraised my body as any man would. A woman just past her prime. My breasts, full from having had a child. A bit of weight had filled in certain places to accentuate my matronly prime.
Ono stood there staring, as if frozen in time. If he wasn't going to throw himself on me, then I had to take initiative. The room was so small, I already had him backed against the wall. I kneeled in front of the man and pulled his trousers down. He didn't fight it. His robe was still on and impeded me. However, fishing around underneath, I found the erect shaft I was looking for. Hot. Veiny. Full of vigor like the other men in the village who I'd been made to become familiar with.
"M-Marika, wait. Let's think about what you're about to do!" Ono urged unconvincingly.
"I know you want this." I got back up and positioned it between my legs. "Every time I get changed in the shed, you're peering in. I thought it was animals at first, but it kept happening. You've been spying on me."
Ono's lips flapped, but no words came out. I lowered myself, sliding his penis into me. It went in without effort. The place where no other man beside my husband had ever gone. I'd opened my legs to someone else. Guilt wracked me for all but a few seconds.
The whole of my being shuddered in ecstasy from Ono entering. I shuddered so much, I had to cling onto him for support. An incredible orgasm washed over me, and we didn't even move more than a few inches.
"Ooh… It's so… Marika, don't move… I'll…" Ono trembled, too, his eyes squeezed shut.
"I came… I just came… Please, don't tell anyone. Promise me!" I pleaded deliriously while rolling my hips.
"Alright, I won't! I wouldn't have to begin with!" he exclaimed.
A hot sensation filled my insides. A feeling I hadn't felt in years. Ono had just climaxed into me. His hot ejaculate warmed me up from within, nearly bringing me to a second orgasm. We separated, and I came to my senses in disbelief that the local kannushi and I crossed the line.
"I'm sorry." I bowed apologetically and turned to pick up my clothes.
However, as I kneeled down, Ono grabbed my hips.
"One more time, Marika!" Ono plunged his penis into me again.
"No, stop!" I cried.
"I won't tell anyone! I won't! Let's do this again. Tomorrow! If I had known you were always like this, I would've entered while you were changing!" He thrusted with wild abandon and ignored my pleas.
I was getting close again. Someone other than my husband was bringing me to climax again. My body wanted more. Hands on the wall, I bucked back to meet Ono's rhythm. I shouldn't, but I was enjoying it. His penis, his touch, his hot stuff felt so good.
"I'm cumming!" I squealed, vision flashing white as I climaxed.
"You're squeezing so much… Marika!" Ono held my waist and blew his load deep into me.
We stayed connected like that for a while. Panting, Ono finally let go just to get a look at his handiwork, which dripped and leaked down my shaking thighs. I grabbed a tissue from the box to wipe myself clean, then got dressed in silence.
"I'm going to… go now." I made for the door.
"Wait." The old priest grabbed my hand. "Will you come back? Like I said, I promise I won't tell anyone. I'm just happy to have your company."
But the tone in his voice suggested he wanted more than just company. At that moment, I should have turned him down. It was supposed to be an easy answer. However—
"I'll think about it," I muttered.
Outside, I checked my phone to Saya congratulating me for completing another round.
My points had gone from [30,000/5,000,000] to [60,000/5,000,000] for having sex with Saburo Ono. A separate menu popped up with an icon with a digital thumbnail of a Shinto priest on it.
[Would you like to add Saburo Ono to the Partner System?]
A [Yes] and [No] option appeared. I selected [Yes].
[Saburo Ono has been registered as a Partner. Partner threshold achieved for special events. Gangbang Matsuri is now available to earn more significant points. Rounds involving partners may come up more often. Thank you for playing!]
"What have I done?" I left the shrine, thighs still a little sticky from what happened.