The next day, inside Kaito's dormitory.
The light was dim, illuminating Gold City as she sat on the edge of the bed.
She had put on loose sportswear, but her innate sense of oppression and her charm still made him feel thirsty.
He knew that tonight's treatment was inevitable.
He breathed deeply, as if heading toward an important exam, and reluctantly approached the bed, extending the hands that had been enhanced by the system.
"So, so... shall I start?" he asked tentatively"
Gold City did not respond; she only let out an almost inaudible "Mhm" from her throat, which counted as consent.
Kaito's hands landed softly on her tense shoulders and neck.
Even through the layer of fabric, he could clearly feel the stiffness of her muscles.
The moment his fingers touched her body, Kaito forced himself into "work mode" and his fingers began to slowly press the muscles on both sides of her spine.
It was no longer a simple emergency handling, but a systematic and deep treatment.
Wherever his hands touched, it was like a warm current precisely penetrating her body, which had accumulated countless hidden injuries after years of intense training.
That heat, transmitted through his fingertips, also consumed his own mental energy.
Gold City's tense body gradually relaxed with his massage.
The hidden pains within her were brought to the surface, massaged, and relieved one by one.
She bit her lip, trying with all her might to endure the sensation of pain and swelling, while her body trembled slightly due to the natural reaction of her muscles.
After an unknown amount of time, when Kaito's fingertips pressed a certain node where her old wounds had gathered, the line of defense that Gold City had built with her strength finally collapsed.
"Wuu..."
A choked and offended sob, suppressed for a long time, escaped her lips.
That sound was as if a switch had been flipped.
She was no longer the invincible "Gold City", but simply a girl covered in wounds who had endured loneliness for too long.
Kaito's movement stopped.
He felt as if something were squeezing his heart.
He wanted to stop, he wanted to comfort her, but the treatment he was providing could not be interrupted.
Just as he was struggling internally, the girl on the bed suddenly made a surprising move.
She turned around abruptly, moving as fast as lightning, and grabbed Kaito's wrist with an irresistible posture!
The position froze instantly!
Gold City sat upright, her long golden hair falling carelessly.
She raised her head and looked at the man in front of her, who evoked such complex emotions.
In those golden eyes burned stubbornness, reflecting held-back tears, like a young wounded beast refusing to bow its head.
"Why..."
She leaned in, her nose almost touching Kaito's, and asked in a hoarse voice.
"Why... why are you so good to me?"
Kaito stopped thinking entirely, or rather, he simply didn't know how to respond.
The fresh scent of the girl after her bath, mixed with the faint smell of the ointment on his own body, created a peculiar and reassuring aroma.
She lowered her head again, her red lips near his ear, and whispered softly in a voice that only the two of them could hear, like a vow of ownership.
"From today on, you cannot be this good to any other woman"
"You are my exclusive massagist"
When the words fell, she no longer hesitated, leaving a warm and soft touch on his cheek.
The light in the dormitory shone softly.
The two young figures, in that moment, seemed frozen in eternity...
…
The next morning.
A mischievous ray of sunlight shone through a gap in the curtains and fell upon Kaito's face.
He woke up abruptly from the dormitory sofa, still covered by a thin blanket.
His neck felt a bit stiff; it was evident he hadn't slept well on the sofa.
A faint fragrance still floated in the air.
On the coffee table, a bright lock of golden hair was pressed under a note, stubbornly proving that everything that happened last night was not a dream.
Kaito covered his forehead, distressed about how to deal with this sudden and accelerated development in their relationship, moving from "doctor-patient" to "exclusive".
"Buzz... buzz..."
The phone on the bedside table suddenly vibrated.
He picked it up and saw it was a new text message.
The sender was—[Lord of the End of the Century].
The content of the message was simple, but it instantly made Kaito break into a cold sweat:
"My dear protagonist, you are late, I will decide the punishment myself ♦"