To Avoid Ruin, He Became His Fiancée's Best Friend's Boyfriend

Kiyoharu froze at the exquisite sensation of the slender, soft body pressed against him.

"Ah-ha~" Kitahara Ayano let out a knowing sound. "It seems Airi has never hugged you like this, Kiyoharu-kun. Otherwise, why would your body be reacting so intensely?"

"Any normal man would feel uncomfortable being harassed by a strange woman."

"A lie. From where I stand, Kiyoharu-kun will soon drop his disguise and be unable to resist responding to me roughly."

"You're overthinking it..."

Before Kiyoharu could finish his faintly mocking retort, the world suddenly came to a standstill.

Behind him, Kitahara Ayano hugged him even tighter, her lips drawing close to his ear.

"I want to devour you right now, Kiyoharu-kun~ But I haven't received your subjective consent yet. Well, good things should be savored slowly, so there's no rush."

Kitahara Ayano moved in front of Kiyoharu. Rather than continuing to do anything to him, she reached for her own clothes.

Today, Kitahara Ayano wore a spaghetti-strap dress and a small silk shawl, the very picture of a refined young lady.

Now, she slowly undid the buttons, removed the shawl and dress, and rumpled the pure-white two-piece undergarments she wore beneath them.

The sight that suddenly unfolded before him nearly made Kiyoharu's mind stop working.

"How will you handle this move, Kiyoharu-kun~" Kitahara Ayano raised a hand to stroke Kiyoharu's handsome face, murmuring to herself, "Will you expose my Time Stop ability and fight me to the bitter end? If you do, I'm afraid I'll have to take further measures. After all, within my domain, I've already said far too much for you to know."

At that, Kitahara Ayano's expression suddenly darkened, and Kiyoharu could even sense killing intent from her!

Yet it lasted only an instant before she returned to her sweet, gentle smile. "Mm, perhaps I'm just worrying too much? Never mind. In any case... checkmate!"

Kitahara Ayano raised her left hand and snapped her fingers crisply.

Time Stop ended.

"My, Kiyoharu-kun, you sound so upright, but your actions are the complete opposite." Kitahara Ayano beamed smugly. "Tell me, if I call someone in right now, will they believe you're the Young Lady's faithful fiancé, or a scumbag who molested his fiancée's best friend at work?"

Well, there it was—the dagger finally revealed!

Kiyoharu had sensed that Kitahara Ayano had ulterior motives when she asked him to fix her computer, but he had assumed she merely wanted to say strange things to him like she had at the gallery, driving a wedge between him and Airi.

He had never expected her to bring out such a lethal move directly.

A lone man and woman were alone in a room, the girl's clothes were in disarray, and she was a talented daughter of an artistic family, renowned for being reserved and gentle.

Any passerby unaware of the truth would conclude that Kiyoharu's beastly urges had run wild.

And because she had activated Time Stop, Kiyoharu had not even had the chance to flee in time.

"Miss Kitahara, you may not believe this, but subjectively, I had no intention of violating you. I was just dazed a moment ago. I don't know how it turned into this." Kiyoharu explained somewhat anxiously.

"Whether I believe you isn't important. What matters is whether you think that explanation can convince the police and the judge."

"But I really... sigh..."

On Kiyoharu's handsome face were thirty percent shock, thirty percent confusion, and forty percent innocent grievance.

The information that the Ultimate Masterpiece was an indecent work was clearly a secret Kitahara Ayano had buried deep within herself. With that in mind, Kiyoharu decided to play dumb to the end, pretending that during Time Stop, he had seen nothing and heard nothing.

He obediently walked into Kitahara Ayano's trap.

Besides, even if Kiyoharu exposed the truth about Time Stop, it seemed it would be useless. Who would believe him?

It would only increase the danger, letting Kitahara Ayano know that Kiyoharu had heard things he should not have heard and leading to an even worse outcome.

Seeing Kiyoharu at a loss for words, Kitahara Ayano covered her mouth and giggled happily. "Pfft, pfft. Kiyoharu-kun, it's actually very simple if you want me to let you go—cheat with me."

"What if I refuse?"

"Then go to prison, Anzu Kyon."

"I don't understand." Kiyoharu frowned. "You're willing to sacrifice your own reputation too?"

"Please don't question my ability to follow through."

Kitahara Ayano picked up her phone, her expression resolute.

So Kiyoharu put on a show of agonizing inner conflict before finally agreeing in furious humiliation.

In truth, Kiyoharu naturally did not want to cheat either, but his reasons were subtly different.

It was not out of guilt toward Airi. After all, he and Airi did not truly share the feelings of a married couple.

He was simply afraid of trouble.

Dealing with a potential Yandere was troublesome, and cheating might be discovered by Airi, which would be even more troublesome.

Kiyoharu only wanted to live a peaceful life.

The more trouble there was, the more easily that peaceful life could collapse.

"Don't look so aggrieved... Is cheating with me really such an embarrassing thing?"

Seeing Kiyoharu sulking, Kitahara Ayano extended a finger and tipped up his chin.

With her movement, the fabric hanging loosely from her body after its clasp had been undone nearly slipped off at once, fully exposing the half-hidden view before Kiyoharu.

"Miss Kitahara, you should put your clothes on first." Kiyoharu looked away.

"I want Kiyoharu-kun to help me put them on~" Kitahara Ayano said in a slightly coquettish tone. "As Tokyo's universally recognized gentlest man, isn't it only natural for you to help your girlfriend get dressed?"

As she spoke, Kitahara Ayano set her phone on a stand on the table, aimed the camera at them both, and began recording.

"Uh, are you keeping evidence?"

"So clever. Don't worry. As long as Kiyoharu-kun keeps dating me, this recording will obediently remain on my phone and never appear in any prosecutor's inbox."

"..."

Kiyoharu said nothing and quietly began dealing with Kitahara Ayano's clothing.

Ayano was the archetypal delicate beauty. Her whole body was fair and smooth as mutton-fat jade, frail like a work of art carefully carved by a master, yet her buttocks possessed just the right amount of soft fullness.

Kiyoharu took a deep breath and tried to steady his emotions.

Then, he fastened the clasp of her bra behind her back and adjusted the thin shoulder straps.

The perfectly rounded curves gathered into an intimate arc.

Finally, he helped her into the dress.

His movements were not fast, but they were clean and efficient, carrying an air of familiarity.

"How strange. Why are you so familiar with girls' clothes, Kiyoharu-kun?"

"I've been married to the Young Lady for three years. Isn't it normal for me to be familiar with women's clothing?"

"But Airi definitely wouldn't let you change her clothes. I'm certain of it."

"Miss Kitahara is too confident in her own judgment." Kiyoharu said blandly, "I was merely coerced by you. I never admitted that everything you said was correct."

"I know~ Stubborn Kiyoharu-kun~"

Once she was dressed and restored to her poised young-lady mode, Kitahara Ayano glanced at her watch. "It's almost time for class. If I remember correctly, Kiyoharu-kun has a first-period class."

"I do."

"Go quickly, then. As a considerate girlfriend, I won't delay her boyfriend's important business. Oh, right—remember to come fix my computer again during lunch break. Please."

Kitahara Ayano straightened Kiyoharu's collar and saw him out of the room like a genuinely gentle wife.

Once the door closed, she shut her eyes and pressed a hand to her chest, savoring the lingering feeling. Then she locked the office door, took manuscript paper from a private compartment in her bag, and let her inspiration flow while the excitement still lasted.