Three minutes earlier...
The conversation in Mrs. Suzuran's bedroom could be heard through the window above.
But that no longer mattered to Akimoto Yoichi.
As long as he wasn't caught in the act, it didn't matter if he'd jumped out of a married woman's bedroom window.
He could sneak over a widow's wall at night, as long as nobody found out.
That was right. At least Suzuran Ayano and Fukayama Natsuki hadn't caught Akimoto Yoichi in the act—but Nishida Yuki had.
Watching the drone fly off overhead, Akimoto Yoichi felt a little irritated.
He'd almost ended up on a livestream.
And the one spying on him was none other than Nishida Yuki.
What was Nishida Yuki trying to do this time? No, the real question was what she was definitely going to do.
Judging by her attitude yesterday, she clearly had no intention of letting Akimoto Yoichi enjoy a peaceful weekend. It was only natural that she'd followed him to Suzuran Ayano's house.
But Akimoto Yoichi was very unhappy about her using a drone to keep an eye on him.
He wouldn't have minded if she'd followed him in person, but spying on him like this made him very uncomfortable.
Fortunately, although he and Mrs. Suzuran had been close just now, they hadn't crossed that line.
From the footage Nishida Yuki had secretly taken, it would look like Akimoto Yoichi had simply carried Mrs. Suzuran, wearing something rather suggestive, into her room.
If Nishida Yuki wanted to blackmail him, she was wasting her time.
With that thought, Akimoto Yoichi walked out through the Suzuran Family's backyard.
When he rounded the corner into the front yard, he saw Kuroo Maya and Nishida Yuki standing at the gate, just as he'd expected.
"Hmm? Akimoto-kun, why aren't you wearing shoes?" Kuroo Maya, holding a large pile of snacks that looked very expensive, stared curiously at the somewhat disheveled Akimoto Yoichi.
Akimoto Yoichi's hair was still damp, and his shirt was badly wrinkled.
Barefoot, and wearing a pair of adult-sized suit pants and a shirt, he certainly stood out.
With her little head full of thoughts about food, Kuroo Maya didn't pay any attention to the fact that Akimoto Yoichi had come out of the backyard.
"I like going barefoot. The grass feels nice underfoot." Akimoto Yoichi brushed her off casually.
With potato chip crumbs on the corner of her mouth, Kuroo Maya nodded with interest.
"Oh, really? I'll try it later, then."
This food-loving girl was easy to handle.
"Go on in. Ayano's been waiting for you for ages. And if you eat this many snacks now, you probably won't have room for dinner later."
After glancing at Nishida Yuki, who was smiling at him from behind Kuroo Maya, Akimoto Yoichi sent Kuroo Maya inside.
There was no need to ask why Kuroo Maya had shown up with Nishida Yuki.
The snacks in Kuroo Maya's hands made it obvious. Nishida Yuki probably hadn't been invited, but wanted to force her way into the gathering, so she'd deliberately run into Kuroo Maya on her way to the Suzuran Family's home.
She'd used snacks and the excuse that they were going the same way to buy Kuroo Maya over, and then conveniently joined the story unfolding at the Suzuran home.
After all, Nishida Yuki had already sent a drone after Akimoto Yoichi. She'd known where the Suzuran Family lived for ages.
"It's fine! Girls have two stomachs: one for snacks and one for proper meals! Besides, these are all limited-edition snacks! Some of these chip flavors are only available overseas!"
This silly girl wouldn't even realize she'd been sold.
"Yeah, yeah, sure. Eat as much as you want! Go on in and eat. Aren't you thirsty after all those chips? Go inside and wash them down with some milk, juice, or cola. Go on."
Akimoto Yoichi opened the door for Kuroo Maya, then gently ushered her inside.
Kuroo Maya was a little dazed as she was pushed through the door, but she did want some cola.
As soon as Kuroo Maya had gone inside, Akimoto Yoichi shut the door.
Nishida Yuki, who had been silent until then, was just about to follow her in when Akimoto Yoichi's sudden movement nearly hit her in the nose.
Looking at Akimoto Yoichi, who towered over her with an unfriendly expression, Nishida Yuki seemed quite relaxed.
"That's not very nice, Akimoto-kun. Being so rough with girls won't make you popular with them."
You don't need to worry. I have the Path of the Blond.
A special buff against women with boyfriends or husbands. Being alone with them triggers the Lucky Pervert Effect.
"Give me the drone footage." Akimoto Yoichi cut to the chase and held out his hand.
"What drone? I don't know what you're talking about." Nishida Yuki was enjoying herself.
The more impatient Akimoto Yoichi looked, the happier she felt.
Making Akimoto Yoichi worry and fret over her was exactly what Nishida Yuki wanted.
"Give me the footage, and I'll consider agreeing to your terms." Akimoto Yoichi showed no sign of feeling blackmailed.
He let go of the doorknob and pulled Nishida Yuki over to the side of the yard.
With her back against the wall, Nishida Yuki found Akimoto Yoichi looming over her in an intimidating, forceful kabedon. He wasn't especially tall, but his body completely blocked her from view.
Although Akimoto Yoichi seemed very imposing, Nishida Yuki was even more excited.
She took a shallow breath and caught the floral scent of the body wash and shampoo on Akimoto Yoichi—the kind only girls used.
"Really? Then I want you to answer my questions, Akimoto-kun." Nishida Yuki's interest was piqued.
She'd captured some footage of Akimoto Yoichi and Mrs. Suzuran today, but honestly, it wasn't enough.
Akimoto Yoichi hadn't actually done anything, and Nishida Yuki knew exactly where to draw the line.
Her terms were simple: she only wanted him to answer questions.
"I'll tell you. Honestly. But don't try to haggle." Akimoto Yoichi looked down at the black-haired Young Lady in front of him.
He'd usually just ignored Nishida Yuki, including her questions.
Now it seemed those questions mattered to her.
"Here. There aren't any backups or a second phone, because the footage isn't much of a bargaining chip anyway." To his surprise, Nishida Yuki handed over her phone without a fuss.
Akimoto Yoichi glanced at the scheming Young Lady. He almost wondered if he'd fallen into a trap.
He didn't dwell on it. First things first: he needed to deal with the footage.
Taking the phone, Akimoto Yoichi saw a picture of himself after a shower, wearing nothing but pants.
How had she taken that picture?
When he looked up, he met Nishida Yuki's smug, excited gaze. Had she shown it to him on purpose, to flaunt it?
"For every picture you delete, you have to answer one question, Akimoto-kun. Of course, I won't keep any backups. What do you say?"
At just the right moment, Nishida Yuki added a suitable condition to their deal.
"I don't mind. Look all you want. Just remember not to call my name tonight when you use those pictures."
With one simple sentence, Akimoto Yoichi turned the tables.
Did he need to be nervous? No. He wasn't exactly small. Why should someone well-endowed be ashamed to show himself?
Usually, when Akimoto Yoichi went to the bathroom, nobody had the nerve to stand on either side of him.
"I'm going to!" Nishida Yuki replied defiantly, her face bright red.
Akimoto Yoichi paid her no mind and opened the folder.
He quickly found the video of himself and Mrs. Suzuran. From what he could see, it had started recording the moment they entered the bedroom.
It even had a thermal-imaging mode, so the footage wouldn't be affected by the lighting at all.
"This drone takes great footage. Lend it to me next time."
"What would you be willing to pay for it, Akimoto-kun?"
"Never mind, then."
Without a second thought, Akimoto Yoichi deleted the footage, then deleted some of the pictures of himself and Mrs. Suzuran, too.
He also found a few unexpected bonuses.
There were a few pictures that had captured Mrs. Suzuran looking especially beautiful. She was a beauty to begin with.
There were also some personal photos of Nishida Yuki herself—selfies in black stockings and the like.
Since he wasn't about to let the trip go to waste, Akimoto Yoichi forwarded those pictures to his own phone, then deleted them from Nishida Yuki's.
Nishida Yuki watched him the whole time. She hadn't expected him to do it right in front of her without even trying to hide it.
"Akimoto-kun, every picture you forward counts as a question!"
Akimoto Yoichi glanced at Nishida Yuki, who rarely wore such a shy expression.
He kept moving his finger, forwarding a few more pictures of a woman in a kimono, with an upturned rear, who looked a lot like Nishida Yuki.
Unfortunately, they were all pretty ordinary. None of them were the sort of thing he liked looking at at night.
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