Kiyoharu knew that this was exactly the time when he could not back down.
Otherwise, he would be completely reduced to a slave.
"Toying with you? On the contrary, I am sincerely offering advice to improve Young Lady's health. This is also the best way to keep our partnership going in optimal condition, and it happens to be within my capabilities. If Young Lady insists on believing that I am acting out of desire, then all I can say is that it is regrettable."
"I admit that Young Lady is an exceptionally charming woman, an incomparably beautiful girl in my eyes. But I must maintain the professionalism of a contractor, as well as my dignity as a human being."
"If you still do not believe me, then forget it."
He spoke with perfect justification and righteous indignation, even sounding a little angry by the end.
Chihaya Airi rarely saw anyone get angry in front of her. Even if they were furious, they would suppress it.
Kiyoharu was completely different. He had a good temper, but when he got angry, he did not suppress it with that fawning restraint.
For some reason, this act of resistance even seemed somewhat... heart-stirring to Airi.
That familiar, strange emotion, sharper than before, pierced her chest.
She stared quietly at Kiyoharu. After a long silence, she suddenly said coldly, "Help me up."
"And then?"
"Then give me a massage, using that... disease-relieving method you mentioned." Airi paused. "If this causes any losses, I will punish you twice as severely, Kiyoharu-kun~"
Kiyoharu met her gaze, took two deep breaths, then nodded. "Thank you for trusting me, Young Lady."
Kiyoharu soon regained his usual calm ease, but Airi could no longer settle her emotions.
As she enjoyed Kiyoharu's technique, Airi suddenly asked, "Do you care that much about my health?"
"Of course. Otherwise, whose money would I be earning?" In truth, dealing with a machete was more important than making money, Kiyoharu thought.
"Is that all?"
"Normal people would not want their coworkers to get sick either, unless they have become deranged by workplace competition. Human empathy and all that..."
"You are so long-winded. Shut up."
Airi rolled her eyes. Clearly, none of those were the answers she wanted to hear.
But they were enough.
Come to think of it, no one had ever truly gotten angry because she did not take care of herself.
Kiyoharu was the first. A very special first.
Late at night, even the insects of Chihaya Estate played a lullaby.
The greenery around the estate, as well as which insects were permitted to exist there, had all been carefully designed by professionals to create an atmosphere close to nature.
This also fully reflected Young Lady's personal trait: an extreme desire for control.
Anything she could interfere with, she would inevitably order to revolve according to her aesthetic tastes.
Amid this peace and serenity, a devastatingly handsome man lurked in the dark washroom, scrubbing his hands furiously.
"Host, you have been washing for a full five minutes! Believe me, massaging feet will not get you pregnant!"
Kiyoharu ignored it and continued cleaning intently.
The tragic part was that no matter how hard Kiyoharu tried, Young Lady's body fragrance still lingered on his hands.
Damn it!
He was probably going to lose sleep.
Airi's scent was simply too good at awakening a man's longing.
But there was nothing to be done about it. What he had done earlier was already the best choice after weighing his options.
As long as he gave her a therapeutic massage, his hands would inevitably pick up her scent. Even her stockings could not stop it—how could Airi's body fragrance possibly be blocked by stockings?
He had to look on the bright side. At least it was better than actually licking her feet. If that had happened, Kiyoharu suspected he would not have been able to stop himself from taking Airi right there...
Kiyoharu cared about dignity.
Compared to a substantial punishment, what Airi had done this time was not actually that outrageous. Some men might even have welcomed it eagerly.
But Kiyoharu was clearly not one of them. He was a man with ambition. Even if he had chosen to cling to a conglomerate's thigh and coast through life, he still had principles.
Abstaining from lust was the most fundamental one.
The situation at the time had been far more dangerous than it appeared.
Kiyoharu's desire was like a demon that had once destroyed the world and been imprisoned afterward. It seemed tiny now, even almost ascetic, but once it crossed its threshold... would that legendary man who wanted to bang anyone he saw return to the world?
Am I some kind of legendary man? I would like to ask.
No.
Gods always fell eventually, their Achilles' heels severed by a machete.
Remaining humble as a mortal was the true path to survival!
Therefore, even food-grade pretty feet could not be indulged in.
Washing his hands did not work very well, so Kiyoharu could only sleep with a mint in his mouth to cover Airi's body fragrance.
His consciousness grew hazy, and drowsiness swept over him. Joy welled up in Kiyoharu's heart as he prepared to fall into deep sleep...
It was as though his soul had been projected into another space. After a brief sensation of falling, Kiyoharu opened his eyes and found himself in a desolate dense forest. The sky was dim, nearing evening, and Shimaura Hitomi beside him spoke weakly:
"Senpai, we are not trapped here, are we?"
Hearing that, Kiyoharu lowered his head and looked at what they were wearing: classic hiking and camping outdoor gear.
Another Lucid Dream?
And the protagonist was still Shimaura Hitomi... Kiyoharu found it rather strange, but as the saying went, you dreamed of what occupied your thoughts during the day. Hitomi had been there while he was shopping during the day, so dreaming of her at night was not that unusual.
He turned to inspect the surroundings and quickly recalled where this scene came from.
It was still during Shimaura Hitomi's first year after joining the staff. During a holiday, the school had organized a camping trip for the teachers in a mountain forest with very little development.
The mountain paths had been treacherous. Kiyoharu, with his excellent athletic ability, had paired up with Shimaura Hitomi. Yet they had terrible luck and fell into a cave concealed by overgrown vines.
The vertical drop was too high to climb back up, so they could only head deeper into the cave. After passing through winding, damp, twisting passages, they luckily reached another exit.
The good news was that they had not been trapped in the cave. The bad news was that they could not find the way back to camp.
It was nearing evening, and the forest grew increasingly dim. Shimaura Hitomi, who had never experienced anything like this, was scared out of her wits.
Kiyoharu, on the other hand, remained completely composed.
The main reason was that in his previous life, he had wronged a rich woman. After she got angry, she had people dump him in a primeval jungle with only basic survival tools and leave him to fend for himself, as punishment for his promiscuity.
The tenacious Kiyoharu had survived the rainforest's deadly conditions, but in the end, he still could not escape the sharpness of a machete. What a tragedy.
"Senpai, I cannot walk anymore. How about you go back first? Find everyone, then come rescue me..."
"How could I do that? What if you run into danger by yourself?" Kiyoharu rejected Shimaura Hitomi's suggestion without even thinking. He would not do something so inhuman, even in a dream.
Shimaura Hitomi sat on the ground dejectedly and blamed herself. "I am sorry, Senpai. It is all my fault. I held you back."
What had happened back then?
It seemed that Kiyoharu had carried her for a while, allowing her to recover some strength. With Kiyoharu's constant encouragement, they had ultimately reunited safely with the camp's search party.
They had not actually been missing for long—less than twenty-four hours in total. Shimaura Hitomi had simply been timid and frightened herself.
So, did Kiyoharu have to repeat history next?
That would be too miserable. If he had to survive in the wilderness even in a dream, Kiyoharu would rather wake up immediately.
After thinking briefly, Kiyoharu climbed a tree to observe the surrounding terrain.
After he and Shimaura Hitomi had returned to the group back then, everyone had explored around the cave out of curiosity and discovered that the two of them had not gone far at all. They had just been walking in circles.
And there should have been an abandoned Ranger's Cabin nearby.
"Come on, I will carry you for a while. I think I found somewhere we can rest."
"Huh?"
Shimaura Hitomi lay across Kiyoharu's back and relaxed completely.
Still uneasy about being caught by Ayano, Shimaura Hitomi returned home and decisively fed her old phone case to the "Dream Wanderer."
Since she had taken it anyway, she could not waste it.
She could not think of what to do in the future for now, so she might as well dream. She would hide in a dream and temporarily forget everything in reality.
Being carried by Kiyoharu made her feel safe. His large hand supported Shimaura Hitomi's soft thighs, bringing warmth to her body, which had gone cold from fear.
Before long, the Ranger's Cabin, hidden among the trees, appeared before them.
The dream's plot had not progressed according to reality and had instead diverged, which surprised Shimaura Hitomi a little.
Kiyoharu had brought her here... could it be?
Shimaura Hitomi's heartbeat gradually quickened.
"It looks pretty good inside. We can rest after tidying it up a little." Seeing Shimaura Hitomi struggle to help, Kiyoharu hurriedly stopped her. "Do not move. You are already exhausted. Just be good and let me take care of you."
"Mhm, mhm. I will listen to you, Senpai."
Shimaura Hitomi felt deeply regretful. She had wanted to give Senpai the gentle care he could not receive in his marriage within the dream, but in the end, he still had to take care of her.
Kiyoharu found some suitable branches for firewood and lit the stove.
"Take off your jacket and warm yourself by the fire. You will feel much better... This pot can still be used. Later, we can crumble up the compressed biscuits and boil them in it. It will help you recover your strength."
"Senpai knows so much." Shimaura Hitomi praised him sincerely.
Usually, when Japanese girls praised a man for knowing so much, they were being sarcastic. The implication was, "What a greasy, disgusting guy, showing off like that."
Kiyoharu knew that Shimaura Hitomi was an exception. She was a pure, well-behaved junior who genuinely admired him.
Perhaps people could never quite suppress the urge to show off. Kiyoharu sometimes liked to show off a little in front of Shimaura Hitomi. In any case, Airi had also asked him to help Hitomi, so it did not seem strange.
Due to circumstances beyond my control, I made a small adjustment to the setting: Kiyoharu and Airi had been engaged three years ago rather than married. It does not affect the overall plot.
Also, please keep reading! Please vote with monthly tickets! Qiao Qiao will kowtow to everyone—bang, bang, bang!
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