Airi seemed to be in a much better mood. Seeing that his ordeal was more or less over, Kiyoharu opened the glove compartment in front of the passenger seat.
The sports car's glove compartment was not particularly spacious, yet it was crammed full. Kiyoharu took out a pack of his favorite whole-grain crackers and slowly ate them with a small bottle of soda water, replenishing his energy.
Uncle Tsuchiya was absolutely the most considerate butler in the world. Knowing that Kiyoharu was prone to motion sickness and vomiting, he always stocked the glove compartment with refreshing drinks and snacks.
It was not entirely true that wealthy conglomerate families were cold and devoid of warmth. Uncle Tsuchiya was a prime example, as was Airi's nanny. They were both gentle people; they simply lacked the standing to influence certain decisions that displeased Airi.
After finishing the crackers, Kiyoharu rummaged through the glove compartment again and found a strange little box.
The sun was about to set, and the mountain road was slightly dim. Kiyoharu had no choice but to lean closer to make out the words on it.
"What is this?" Airi snatched the box away before Kiyoharu could even stop her.
Then Airi saw what it was, and her little face darkened.
Bi... Bi Yuntao...
How could something so filthy and obscene be in her car?!
Faced with Airi's furious glare, Kiyoharu immediately raised his hands in surrender. "I definitely didn't put it there."
"Really?"
"How could that be a lie? I've never harbored any improper thoughts toward the Young Lady. Even if I had, I wouldn't have skipped straight to preparing Bi Yuntao... It's not like I could force you, right? I don't have that kind of ability."
Though Chihaya Airi looked slender and delicate, she possessed Innate Super Strength and had also undergone strict karate training. Her combat ability was astonishing. Although Kiyoharu worked out as well, he was still the kind of person she could knock down with one punch.
That was what made a Young Lady perfect in this setting—martial prowess was an indispensable element too.
Airi immediately felt that Kiyoharu had a point. On second thought, Uncle Tsuchiya must have prepared it... Logically speaking, Uncle Tsuchiya had excellent judgment. He would not inexplicably prepare something that had never been there before and that Airi disliked. That meant it had to be her father's order.
Airi muttered with a dark expression, "Father has hinted several times that he wants us to have children as soon as possible..."
"That's not right. If they're pressuring us to have children, why prepare this thing?" Kiyoharu spotted the flaw.
He switched on the car's interior light, took out the plastic wrapper from the box, and carefully examined it against the light. Sure enough, he found tiny holes that had been deliberately poked into the packaging.
"Well, this was definitely Nanny's terrible idea." Kiyoharu was somewhat speechless. The conglomerate really spared no effort when it came to using underhanded tricks for the sake of heirs.
Airi gritted her teeth and threw the thing out the car window. "Who wants to have children?! I won't have them even if it kills me!"
Seeing that the Young Lady was angry again, Kiyoharu hurriedly said, "Don't speed again. I just ate something, you know. If you're really upset, I can massage your feet when we get home."
"Go die."
"Fine, if you don't want a massage, then forget it. It's about time we headed home, right? I still need to cook."
Airi was indeed hungry as well, so she went along with it and simply drove the sports car home.
Along the way, Airi occasionally turned her head to glance at Kiyoharu.
The Bi Yuntao incident had nothing to do with Kiyoharu, yet she had still taken her anger out on him.
That itself was nothing. Airi had always had a terrible temper, and snapping at the people around her over the slightest thing was perfectly normal. What truly bothered her was that she actually regretted venting her anger on Kiyoharu for no reason. She had even subconsciously tried to read his emotions, wanting to know whether he felt upset.
He was clearly just a toy, so why was she beginning to care about a toy's feelings...
Without realizing it, Airi noticed that anything involving Kiyoharu easily stirred strange feelings within her and made her behave abnormally.
Hmph. It had to be because he had been a punching bag for too long. He had no negative emotions at all, and that was strange, wasn't it? Not even the most professional employee had that kind of composure. Yes, that was it. She only cared about Kiyoharu because she was curious.
The sports car slowed down and gradually settled into a smooth rhythm—a rhythm smooth enough that Kiyoharu would absolutely not get carsick.
That same night, Shimaura Hitomi took the train back to the apartment she rented.
The tiny one-room apartment was neat and spotless.
Shimaura Hitomi had always been good at organizing things, whether it was her science-study notes or every aspect of daily life. When they were younger, she had often helped Airi clean her room.
Later, after Kiyoharu appeared, those tasks became Kiyoharu's responsibility.
Thinking of Kiyoharu, Shimaura Hitomi, who had originally intended to go to the kitchen and find something to eat, stopped in her tracks. After confirming that the curtains were tightly drawn, she guiltily took the delivery box out of her bag.
That morning, Kiyoharu had nearly seen what was inside the package. Luckily, she had managed to hide it in time.
The item inside the box was simple—a high-end carbon-fiber pen from a currently popular brand.
What set it apart from ordinary ones was that the Chihaya Family crest had been laser-engraved onto the pen cap.
As a result, this pen was exactly the same model as the one Kiyoharu usually used.
Shimaura Hitomi had bought the pen online. Domestic sellers would not dare make a counterfeit impersonating the property of a major conglomerate, so she had commissioned a shop in China to make it and had it shipped over through overseas purchasing. They probably would not care about something like the Chihaya Family crest over there.
The plan was simple: wait until her senior was not paying attention, take his pen, and replace it with this counterfeit.
Then Shimaura Hitomi could use the pen that Kiyoharu held and used every day as the perfect "spellcasting catalyst."
Whether she held it in her mouth to savor her senior's taste, or used it in even more exciting ways, Shimaura Hitomi was looking forward to it all.
She admitted that her tastes were a little dark, even bordering on perverse. But after all these years, she had calmly accepted her own perversity. As long as no one found out, she was invincible.
The first time she stole one of her senior's personal belongings had been during a physical education class in high school.
Kiyoharu had been playing soccer with the boys in his class, sweating freely on the green field as his jersey became soaked through.
Afterward, Kiyoharu went with several boys to the washbasin area, took off his jersey, and washed his hands and face while chatting and laughing. The bench where they had left their belongings was separated from the washbasins by a bend in the landscaping. Taking advantage of that small blind spot, Shimaura Hitomi silently followed them, grabbed Kiyoharu's clothes, and ran.
The jersey, rich with her senior's distinctive scent, allowed Shimaura Hitomi to spend a delightful night hidden away in her small bedroom.
Later, she waited until her parents were out, washed her senior's clothes clean, and imagined herself as his sweet little wife, obediently doing his laundry. At the same time, she held a pillow kept specifically for such occasions between her thighs.
The instant she finished washing the clothes and wringing out the water, Shimaura Hitomi burst into tears. She felt so despicable, but what else could she do besides be despicable? Her senior had already been firmly targeted by Chihaya Airi.
By now, Shimaura Hitomi no longer dwelled excessively on morality.
Time was the best anesthetic.
She had even begun looking forward to what changes Takagi Akane's arrival would bring to Kiyoharu's life... The Young Lady would probably assign Takagi Akane more tasks, which meant Shimaura Hitomi would have more opportunities to take a little taste for herself.
Before you continue