Things... seem to be getting even more interesting than I imagined!
Azaka Kokutou walked down the street like a hollow shell, her eyes vacant and her footsteps stumbling. She felt as though she had lost all connection to the world; everything around her had become blurred, gray, and lightless. Every step felt like treading on cotton—weak, her body swaying as if she might collapse at any moment.
Her thoughts were a chaotic mess. Images and sounds flashed through her mind, but she couldn't piece them into a coherent story. Instead, they were filled with that man's silhouette and the physical pleasure she had experienced. The pain and loss in her heart rose like a tide, making it nearly impossible to breathe. She didn't know where to go or what the future held; she only felt an immense inner void and helplessness.
Moonlight filtered through the clouds, casting a pale glow on her face, but she felt no warmth. The wind brushed past, bringing a slight chill that failed to disperse the gloom in her heart. Pedestrians hurried by, no one noticing her existence, let alone caring about her state of mind. Azaka walked on silently, leaving herself to the flow of time and the whims of fate. She felt like a stranger lost in a familiar yet alien world.
Her throat felt nauseated, filled with the lingering taste of that man. Whether she closed her eyes or opened them, no matter how she tried to hide, the taste in her mouth made it impossible not to think of Haruka Kasugano.
Why is time moving so slowly... how has it only been three days...
Four more days. It's so hard...
Hard?
She couldn't help but touch herself beneath her skirt, closing her eyes as she recalled the ecstasy of the previous night. To be honest... if she were to indulge in it, it wouldn't actually be that difficult...
No!
That sensation was too terrifying. She would lose herself in it. What if, by the seventh day, she found herself unable to break free? No, she had to stay conscious at all times. She couldn't allow herself to think that those sensations felt good!
"Azaka." Touko Aozaki appeared before her like a ghost, abruptly blocking her path.
"Miss Touko!?" Azaka looked at Touko, her heart racing. She frantically smoothed out her clothes—wrinkled by Haruka Kasugano—fearing that Touko would see her disheveled state.
Touko quickly took her hand and comforted her softly: "I saw just now. Can you tell me what exactly happened?"
Feeling Touko's gentle hand, tears welled up in Azaka's eyes, nearly spilling over. But she strictly warned herself in her mind: I absolutely cannot say it. Once she spoke out, she would be breaking the seven-day agreement. If Haruka Kasugano stopped keeping his promise and publicized the fact that she had killed someone, what would she do?
"Don't worry, I will protect you. Do you really think I'm weaker than him?" Touko spoke with a gentle smile, coaxing her softly.
Azaka finally couldn't hold it in any longer and burst into tears. "Miss Touko... I, I... I was bullied by that horrible man..."
Following this, Azaka told Touko everything that had happened between her and Haruka Kasugano. After listening, a look of confusion appeared on Touko's face.
Haruka Kasugano was actually using the fact that he witnessed a murder to blackmail this young girl into dating him for seven days? Was he really that kind of person? Given Haruka Kasugano's wealth and the presence of beauties like Sola-Ui by his side, he wasn't lacking for women. Although Azaka was very pretty, she wasn't so beautiful that Haruka Kasugano would act this crazily, surely?
But if... he wasn't simply lusting after her beauty, what was his goal? What else could he possibly get from Azaka?
"Miss Touko, what do you plan to do? He has leverage over me... I think it's better not to provoke him..." Azaka lowered her head in hesitation, her heart torn between two forces.
Although Touko and Haruka Kasugano were both magi, they were both people hidden in the shadows of society. Technically, the problem could be solved by simply asking Touko to kill Haruka Kasugano. However, she wasn't sure if Touko could defeat him. And even if she could, Haruka Kasugano was the savior of both her and her brother; he was merely "exacting payment" for his kindness.
If she used Touko to break the seven-day dating pact... wouldn't that be betraying the help Haruka Kasugano gave them? What should she do? Should she ruin her own character for selfish reasons?
She had already fallen into the moral trap set by Haruka Kasugano.
Touko also found it tricky. Haruka Kasugano was her employer, after all; there was no need for her to interfere in her boss's private life. Furthermore, Haruka Kasugano truly had helped the Kokutou siblings, even if this request was a bit excessive...
Thus, she decided on a compromise.
"Azaka, logically speaking, since you promised to date him for seven days, you should fulfill your word," Touko said while exhaling a cloud of smoke. "Of course, if during these seven days he does more than just 'normal' dating and endangers your life, or if he doesn't plan to let you go after seven days, call me. At that point, there will be no problem with me stepping in!"
Azaka understood Touko's suggestion. After all, a pact was a pact.
"Alright, Miss Touko. I'll head back to school then. If anything changes, I'll contact you again."
With that, Azaka turned and left. After talking to Touko, her mood felt much brighter, as if the sun had come out after a storm.
Touko didn't care whether Azaka enjoyed these seven days or not. What she really cared about was why Haruka Kasugano was acting so uncharacteristically. Originally, she wanted to learn about Fujino Asagami through Azaka, but it turned out Azaka knew nothing about Fujino, while she herself was caught up in something else.
What was Haruka Kasugano's motive? What was he plotting by maneuvering between Shiki Ryougi, Fujino Asagami, and Azaka Kokutou? Was he just lusting after young girls' bodies? Are billionaires all perverts?
At least Haruka Kasugano hadn't devolved to the level of liking "lolis."
Let's observe a bit longer, Touko thought. Her intuition told her this matter was definitely not that simple.
-----
On the other side, Haruka Kasugano continued to dally with Fujino Asagami at the hotel. Fujino now knew Haruka Kasugano's body intimately and was quite skilled.
"Get on top," Haruka Kasugano said, lying on the bed with a mischievous smirk.
"Yes~!" Fujino replied obediently. She sat on Haruka Kasugano's lap like a light butterfly, her snake-like waist twisting automatically.
"Fujino, you're getting better and better!" Haruka Kasugano praised as he felt the pleasure.
"As long as Haruka-kun likes it~!" Fujino's face also wore an expression of enjoyment; she was already deeply immersed in this carnal joy. "Haruka-kun is so amazing~! Even though that Shiki Ryougi wanted to kill me, she had to back down in front of you~! I'm so happy~!"
[Ding~! Fujino Asagami has begun to idolize the Host. Infidelity Progress +20%~!]
[Stacked for the Host~!]
Under Haruka Kasugano's continuous "development," Fujino's figure became increasingly full and sexy, like a ripe peach. After her mindset changed, her skin became even more delicate and beautiful, like smooth, warm jade.
-------
The next morning, sunlight spilled across Touko's desk. she sat silently, her eyes locked on Haruka Kasugano. He sat leisurely on the sofa as if nothing were wrong, watching TV with Shiki Ryougi. Touko still couldn't understand it; her heart was full of doubt.
Just then, a news report began on the television.
"At the abandoned Fujou Building, today marks the sixth suicide case!"
"The victims are all female students with no connection to each other!"
"Police speculate that the Fujou Building has become a favored suicide spot for girls and have isolated the area..."
Shiki suddenly stood up and walked to Touko, confusion in her eyes. "When I passed the Fujou Building a few days ago, I saw objects floating above. Are these suicides related to that?"
Touko snapped out of her daze and replied vaguely, "Ah?... Mmh, maybe. If you're curious, why not go check it out?"
"Oh." Shiki put her hands on her hips, slightly dissatisfied with Touko's attitude, then sat back down on the sofa to continue watching TV.
"Do you want to investigate? I'll go with you!" Haruka Kasugano said with a smile.
"Mmh..." Shiki's tone was cold, but she didn't refuse his suggestion. She accepted it naturally.
Touko watched Haruka Kasugano's behavior and took another puff of her cigarette. What is he doing? Is this ghost also his arrangement? If so, what's his intent in taking Shiki along? She tapped the desk with her slender fingers, her thoughts a tangled mess she couldn't unravel.
------
Soon after, Haruka Kasugano drove a black sedan and stopped below the Fujou Building. The building towered into the clouds, giving off an oppressive feeling. It was built in the 1970s during the peak of Japan's bubble economy, but as time passed, this once-glorious structure had been abandoned. The exterior looked outdated, with peeling walls and broken windows. This decay formed a sharp contrast with the modern city around it.
Shiki looked up at the roof. Since it was daytime, ghosts weren't visible.
"Can you see it now?" Shiki asked Haruka Kasugano curiously. Ever since she had slept with him, her attitude toward him had become strange. On the surface, she seemed to dislike him, but she relied on him for everything.
Haruka Kasugano gazed at the roof, rubbing his chin. "I think... I see that ghost. Wow, she's quite pretty..."
"Tch!" This comment made Shiki very annoyed.
But before she could express her disgust further, Haruka Kasugano suddenly collapsed and fainted.
"You bastard!" Shiki rushed over to catch him. No matter how she called, she couldn't wake him up. "What's going on? What just happened?" She was completely at a loss.
Then...