At this moment, Kiyoharu's eyes must have been filled with shock and panic, but Kitahara Ayano seemed unable to notice. Perhaps it was an effect of Time Stop?
In any case, her face carried an air of exploration as she slowly undid the first button of Kiyoharu's shirt.
Then came the second, the third...
She pulled the collar apart, exposing Kiyoharu's well-trained, solid chest muscles before Kitahara Ayano.
The handsome young man who had originally been so properly dressed, even somewhat ascetic, suddenly gained a hint of seductive charm.
Handsome men showing off their bodies through outfits like that were hardly rare on Tokyo's streets, but in Kitahara Ayano's eyes, those men were as primitive and uninteresting as wild animals on the African savanna.
Kiyoharu gave her the complete opposite impression. Beneath his courteous exterior lay an interesting soul. Yes, her intuition told Kitahara Ayano that Kiyoharu Chihaya was the final missing piece of the most important painting of her career.
"All right, let me see how the protagonist's body lines should be depicted... I'm sorry, Airi. I used your beloved fiancé without your permission, but you definitely wouldn't have agreed, would you? You'd never be willing to share something that belongs to you with anyone else, not even your best friend. So I had no choice but to use a slightly underhanded method. I'm truly sorry... I don't have much time left..."
Kitahara Ayano muttered to herself, seemingly trying to brainwash herself out of any sense of guilt.
Her hands carefully and earnestly caressed every inch of his skin. Clearly, this was Ayano's first time having such intimate contact with the opposite sex; her nervous trembling and the unnatural flush on her cheeks both proved it.
As expected of a pampered girl from an artistic family, her skin was delicate as mutton-fat jade. Her inexperienced movements continuously stimulated Kiyoharu's nerves.
She deliberately avoided looking toward Airi beside them. Airi's expression was frozen in place, her eyes still holding the teasing look from her earlier conversation with Kiyoharu, yet she had no way of knowing.
Stop. Stop right now, damn it!
Kiyoharu let out a furious roar in his heart, but it was useless. Though his consciousness could still move, his body was entirely controlled by Time Stop, unable to shift even an inch.
Mere chest muscles did not satisfy Kitahara Ayano.
"Mmm, his abs... How fascinating. They feel so springy when I poke them."
"His waist is quite slim, but he looks so powerful. Ah, I really want to see Kiyoharu-kun exercising."
By exercising, do you mean actual exercise?
Realizing he could not resist, Kiyoharu simply began silently snarking to himself.
He also tried to extract useful information from Kitahara Ayano's muttering.
Based on what he knew so far, Kitahara Ayano seemed to be using him as a subject for her "Ultimate Painting." She knew perfectly well about her best friend Chihaya Airi's intense territorial instincts, so she had used her special ability(?) to obtain a chance to gather reference material.
You're mistaken, Miss Kitahara!
If she had just asked Airi for help, what world-class male model couldn't she find? Why did she have to fleece this sheep that wasn't even fat?
In an instant, Kiyoharu thought of another terrifying possibility. Could it be that the strange charm bestowed upon him by his fate as the male protagonist had attracted Kitahara Ayano?
Kiyoharu immediately regretted attending this dinner. Wellington Steak was delicious, sure, but being targeted by Kitahara Ayano made it not worth the trouble.
While his thoughts ran wild, Ayano's exploration continued.
"I've looked over things for now. Next..."
Ayano pressed her knees together. Her floral dress covered her slender thighs, revealing only a stretch of fair, delicate ankle. Her ankle seemed like an exquisite creation of the gods, and framed by her white ankle socks, it possessed the beauty of a sculpted work of art.
Yet this Tokyo Prodigy, so beautiful as she was, wore an expression of nervous expectation.
"How can I get a better look..."
Ayano leaned in to observe him. Her warm breath brushed against Kiyoharu's body, leaving him at a loss. The desires hidden deep in his soul were gradually stirred by Ayano's bold behavior.
After all, in his previous life, Kiyoharu had been the sort of man who rushed from one date to another on Valentine's night, fighting battle after battle. His body had been absurdly healthy. Only after being transported by a cleaver had he turned over a new leaf, but that did not mean his instincts had vanished.
And lately, Airi had constantly been teasing him. He was already full of pent-up frustration, and now he could feel Ayano's breath in such an ambiguous place.
Ayano's body fragrance mingled with the distinctive scent of the lemon leaves poured into her wineglass, lingering in Kiyoharu's nostrils.
Kiyoharu's body moved.
But not entirely.
Ayano covered her mouth in surprise and looked up at Kiyoharu. Only after confirming that the rest of him remained completely motionless did she let out a sigh of relief.
She looked him over from top to bottom and could not help voicing her admiration.
So, so impressive...
No wonder Airi had been conquered by him. This man really was no ordinary man.
After admiring him for a long while, Ayano let out a satisfied hum. "Mm, an excellent standard. He is very suitable as a model for the protagonist, and he also fits the thematic ideas the work should convey."
No, come on.
What exactly are you trying to paint?!
Kiyoharu began to doubt the nature of Miss Kitahara's "Ultimate Painting." It somehow did not seem very proper.
What worried him more, however, was whether Kitahara Ayano might do something even more outrageous to him.
Fortunately, Kitahara Ayano glanced at the ladies' watch on her left wrist and murmured as if waking from a dream, "It's about time... Let's stop here for today. I'll come look at the rest next time."
You fucking mean there's a next time?!
Kiyoharu was on the verge of tears.
Fortunately, today's torment was finally over, and Kitahara Ayano did not seem to have noticed that he had retained consciousness during Time Stop.
From now on, I need to avoid this woman and make sure she doesn't get another chance to pull this trick! Kiyoharu secretly resolved.
Kitahara Ayano began cleaning up the "crime scene," fastening his shirt buttons one by one and even smoothing the wrinkles in his clothes back to almost exactly how they had been.
It was a blessing in disguise, because Kiyoharu quickly realized that if Time Stop ended with his shirt hanging open and him looking like a shibuya host, he did not dare imagine how Young Lady Airi would react.
"Mm, this should be fine!" Kitahara Ayano muttered before leaving the private dining room.
A moment later, Kiyoharu regained control of his body.
"What else? Ayano would never destroy my marriage, after all, she is..." Airi continued the topic from before Time Stop, but then abruptly fell silent. Her gaze dropped, and her expression became strange.
Kiyoharu looked down and his heart immediately skipped a beat.
It had to be said that this body's physical condition and hidden talents far surpassed even those from his previous life.
But under today's special circumstances, it was hard to say whether that was an advantage or a disadvantage that would cause the Red-Eyed Devil to misunderstand.
"Oh my, we were just talking about Ayano-chan and the special services an underground avant-garde artist provides for male models, and somehow someone ended up like this. What exactly is going on here?" Airi crossed her beautiful legs and folded her arms. Her teasing gaze contained a cold anger. "I need an explanation, Ki~yo~ha~ru-kun!"
Before you continue