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"What kind of nonsense are you spouting this early in the morning??" Mai snapped. "Pervert!"
Kai smirked at her flustered reaction.
"I said I'd show you what I'm capable of. I never said I was going to do anything to you. Don't tell me your imagination ran wild again, Mai-senpai?"
He clicked his tongue and shook his head, pretending to be disappointed. "Who would have guessed? Beneath that glamorous celebrity exterior lies an absolute degenerate."
"YOU'RE THE DEGENERATE!"
The more he talked, the redder her face became. She couldn't take it anymore and snapped back, her cheeks burning. It was clear now that he enjoyed teasing people.
"Wait a second!"
'He wasn't going to do anything to me, but he was going to show me his capabilities?'
Mai wasn't clueless. She had dealt with the tough world of show business since she was a kid. Getting through all that took quick thinking. She figured it out right away.
"You really are an unapologetic scumbag!"
Her assessment of him last night was dead on. He was a complete player. Aside from Sakiko Togawa, he definitely had other girls in his rotation. And judging by his brazen attitude, Sakiko probably knew about it too.
"I'm not denying it," Kai shrugged, not looking an ounce guilty.
He always thought of himself as honest. In his last life, he followed all the rules and ended up as a miserable, empty office worker. Now, with a second chance and special powers, he wanted to enjoy life. Otherwise, what was the point of being reborn?
"..."
Seeing him act proud of being called a 'Scumbag' left Mai speechless.
"Aren't you afraid it'll all blow up in your face?"
"What's there to be afraid of? I have needs. As long as I keep them all thoroughly satisfied, why would anything blow up?"
"You..."
If she had heard a line like that yesterday, she would have rolled her eyes in disgust. 'Satisfied? Do you think you're some kind of perpetual motion machine?'
But now, she couldn't even get the insult out. After seeing what he could do last night, she couldn't argue. When it came to stamina, he really was a monster.
"Phew..."
Mai let out a breath and then decided to let it go. Talking about his love life felt like sinking into quicksand.
"Anyway, now that we're done messing around, can we finally talk about my condition?" That was her only priority. Enduring this choking invisibility, where Kai was her sole tether to reality, was pushing her sanity to the brink.
"Are you sure you want me to fix it right now?" Kai asked, his eyes scanning over her outfit with a questioning look.
"W-What's wrong?" Being scrutinized like that made her squirm. She glanced down at herself, wondering if she had missed something.
"Are you positive you want the general public to suddenly see you parading around in a bunny suit?"
Right... She was still wearing the revealing outfit. Kai had some of Sakiko's clothes at his place, but Mai refused to borrow them, especially after seeing what happened on that couch last night.
Just thinking about it made her skin crawl.
"Or does Mai-senpai actually have a secret exhibitionist kink?"
"Ahem!" The jab made her cough to hide her embarrassment. "DON'T BE RIDICULOUS!"
There was no way she would ever be into something so shameless. Now she understood what he meant.
"Then I'll just go home and change first!" But after shooting him a mild glare, a devious thought crossed her mind. She flashed him a teasing smirk. "Don't tell me my dear junior is actually getting jealous? Do you want to keep this view all to yourself? You can't stand the thought of other guys looking at me, can you?"
She teased him, sure he would get embarrassed or try to defend himself.
But, as expected, she was disappointed.
Meeting her gaze head-on, Kai didn't hesitate for a fraction of a second. "Of course I don't want anyone else seeing you like this."
"Huh?"
She expected him to get flustered, but his honest answer surprised her. Suddenly, she felt self-conscious and looked away.
"W-What kind of nonsense are you spouting now?"
"It's not nonsense," Kai answered right away. "Mai-senpai is my personal property now. I won't let anyone else see you dressed like this."
He moved a step closer. "In other words, if anyone besides me caught a glimpse of you in that outfit, I wouldn't show them any mercy."
His calm voice had a clear, commanding tone. That steady strength made Mai's heart skip a beat.
"S-So controlling."
She grumbled, but deep down, she felt a strange thrill. Many Japanese girls admired strong men, and Mai was no different. She had seen Kai defeat the Slit-Mouthed Woman last night. His powers were beyond anything she could imagine.
"Still, I don't remember agreeing to be yours," she said, acting stubborn as usual. She looked away, not wanting to seem too easy by giving in.
"Oh?" Kai raised a brow at her rebellion. He shot her a loaded, meaningful look.
"W-What?" His intense stare made her squirm again. Did she say something wrong?
"Nothing. I just wanted to remind you that I'm the one who decides things here. All you have to do is listen."
"..."
This guy is unbelievably arrogant.
After saying his piece, Kai turned and walked away, not caring about her reaction. Frustrated, Mai raised her fists and threw a few pretend punches at his back to let out her annoyance.
'Obnoxious jerk!' But the most annoying thing was that she didn't feel disgusted or uncomfortable by how possessive he was. In fact, she actually liked it.
"Wait for me!" Mai quickly jogged to catch up with him. "Anyway, I just need to change clothes, right?"
"Yep."
"Alright, then I'm heading home first!"
Now that she had a plan, she headed for her apartment. She couldn't stand being so isolated any longer. Since she was invisible, buying new clothes wasn't possible, and she wasn't desperate enough to steal. If she was, she wouldn't have gone hungry for days.
Kai didn't stop her.
"..." But she only made it a few steps before turning around and walking back to Kai. Her face was bright red, as if she had just remembered something really embarrassing.
"What? Don't tell me you miss me already?" Kai asked.
"OF COURSE NOT!" she snapped, instantly defensive. "It's just..."
When he saw her hesitate and shuffle her feet in embarrassment, he suddenly realized what was going on.
"Let me guess. You lost your keys?"
"..."
Her face turned even redder. It was embarrassing, but she nodded. She had no idea where she lost her keys. If she still had them, she could have eaten at home instead of going hungry for days.
"Wow. You really showed how much of a 'mature adult' you are, Mai-senpai," Kai laughed, clearly enjoying her embarrassment.
"SHUT UP! IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!"
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