Maria arrived back at
her apartment a little after noon.
And it was thanks to
the cab that she was able to return home surprisingly quickly. On the other
hand, however, her original goal was not achieved. If no chastity belt was
found in that store, there was another store she was planning to stop by.
But should she leave
that to Chihiro?
She is not particularly
worried about leaving him and Nanase alone. Although she might be a little
jealous, it's worthy of Master to have a lot of women in his life. However, she
doesn't think that woman is capable of truly breaking Chihiro's heart.
Although the way they
met is a bit too coincidental - considering the fact that Nanase lives far from
Hokkaido, that her occupation is not easy to move to another place, and that
his alma mater is Shibahou Academy, there is almost no possibility that she is
related to her brother.
So, Maria concludes
that it is really just a coincidence.
**a
「I'm home」
When arrived at her
apartment, she unlocked the door to her room and went through the corridor to
the living room, in which Riko, Aika, Hana, Suzu and Yotsuba - in other words,
everyone related to Chihiro - were all there.
They had probably just
finished lunch and cleaning up.
After all, all of them
were seated and enjoying tea.
Yotsuba's presence was
probably for the purpose of socializing with other members.
And she doesn't seem to
have asked Maria to do the shopping.... But she entrusted Maria with the
purchase of the chastity belt because of her knowledge and because she was
afraid of being seen when she purchased the belt.
「Welcome back, Maria.
Have you eaten?」
Maria showed a
convenience store bag in her hand to Riko who asked her.
「Don't worry. I got some
food」
「Is that bread?」
Yotsuba tilted her head
when she saw the item from the bag on the table.
Maria eats it
frequently for lunch, and it is nothing new to her.
Hana nodded
affirmatively.
「Kurohane-senpai doesn't
seem to eat this kind of food very often, does she?」
「Yeah. I've never had a
hamburger or something like that before」
「Don't say rude things.
I even buy and eat with my friends」
Riko followed Hana, and
Yotsuba turned her face away. By the way, the current vice president of the
student council, Lucille Orwell, is a glutton.
It is said that sweets
are often served in the student council room, and there are not so many girls
nowadays who come in a box that convenience stores are a rarity.
Suzu, who saw the
exchange between her sister and the juniors, let out a small smile.
「Anyway, Yotsuba, you
wanted to talk about nutrition, didn't you?」
「Yes. That's right. But,
well, from the food we just had, it seems that we don't have to worry about
that」
Said Yotsuba.
In fact, Maria, who
only eats lunch at convenience stores, is concerned about nutrition in the
morning and evening. Maria herself is a good cook, and Riko has been improving
her cooking skills remarkably recently. Aika and Hana also cook on a daily
basis.
And Chihiro eats the
same food as they do.
So, there is no way
that they have a proper diet.
「By the way, Maria, what
about Chihiro-kun?」
「Well, he had some
business to attend to...」
As she puts the bread
in her mouth, she tells the story of what happened at the adult store and
Nanase's house.
They are probably in
the middle of a intercourse right now. Due to the urgency of the story, Maria
reports it to me instead.
Still, each of the
girls had a subtle expression on their faces when she told them.
Aika puts her hand on
her chest and exhales lightly.
「...I see. But I'm glad
he is not in danger」
「Well, it's Chihiro,
after all」
「Fufu. Chihiro-kun is
popular, isn't he?」
Riko and Suzu also
mumbled in a casual manner - at least on the surface it seemed that way. Hana
and the others looked pleased, saying, "So it's just us tonight,
then".
Then Yotsuba
interrupted.
She was dressed neatly
and elegantly, like a lady, and frowned.
「Wait. How could you
make it so easy?」
"I don't
know", said Maria with a small shake of her head.
And instantly, there
was a moment of silence.
After a while, Aika and
the others looked at each other.
「Even if you ask me why」
「I guess all we can say
is that it is because he is Chihiro」
It is a common
understanding among the existing members.
Since it is a kind of
tacit understanding, Yotsuba would not understand it.
**b
「I don't understand...
Although I think I understand everyone else」
Yotsuba shakes her head
with a melancholy look on her face.
Well, she is the newest
member of the group. She is a special case in that she fell in love with
Chihiro and became his slave despite the fact that she has another lover - her
fiancé.
And her proclivities
are unique as well.
The other members of
the group are basically masochists, although they differ in degree and in the
kind of play they prefer. The exception is Hana, who can play both offense and
defense.
Yotsuba, however, is a
true S.
She loves to abuse
others and to see her oppressors writhing in shame, pain, and pleasure.
The only exception is
Chihiro, her master.
Because of this, she
has a selfish side to her personality.
Behind her elegant and
graceful mask, she hides the temperament of a queen.
「I don't want Master's
time to be taken up by a woman who hasn't sworn her allegiance to Master... I
don't want it」
Said Yotsuba and she
purses her lips.
Despite her strong words,
her face is filled with anxiety.
The unbalanced
impression makes all of the girls feel her feelings strongly.
「...Yotsuba-san, your
time with Chihiro-sama is short, isn't it?」
Unlike Maria and the
other students who live in a dormitory away from their parents, Yotsuba
commutes to school from her parents' house.
Because of her status
as a young lady, she cannot come to the apartment very often.
If she has to stay
over, it is even more difficult for her to make arrangements, which inevitably
leads to fewer opportunities for her to be embraced by Chihiro.
But it would be
uninteresting to have an unrelated girl embraced Chihiro when she comes to the
apartment.
Well, Yotsuba knew
about Maria and Chihiro's shopping. Though Yotsuba probably did not expect to
be embraced by Chihiro today.
But that's not the same
thing.
「Hmm.... By the way,
I've been wondering about you too」
Riko opened her mouth
somewhat reservedly.
She tilted her head in
an unconscious gesture and looked at Yotsuba.
「What do you think about
us, senpai? Don't you think we are an obstacle to Chihiro's love?」
The question was a
direct one.
Aika looks at Riko in
surprise, but there is no rewinding of what has happened.
"Should I stop it?", thought Maria
as she stopped eating
She
could say something impactful to arouse Yotsuba interest and keep the
conversation going. Because if a fight broke out in Chihiro's absence, it would
be difficult to mediate, and the conversation would inevitably grow.
