You Wouldn't Want to End Up on the Trending List, Would You

"I'm going to let you go now, but you know the consequences if you scream, right?"

Watching Fukayama Natsuki, who was held in his arms like a frightened fawn, nod her head, Akimoto Yoichi slowly set her down.

As her dangling feet touched the floor, a flicker of relief appeared in Fukayama Natsuki's pupils.

Meanwhile, Akimoto Yoichi's fingers were slowly releasing their grip on Fukayama Natsuki's tongue, which he had been pinching painfully.

"Mm...?" Just as Fukayama Natsuki finally pulled her tongue back, she felt her mouth being pinched shut by Akimoto Yoichi.

What was going on? She hadn't done anything yet.

Why, after pulling her tongue back, was her mouth being pinched again?

"Hmm, good performance. I thought you might be stupid enough to scream for help." Akimoto Yoichi released his hand nonchalantly.

If Natsuki had screamed for help just now, Akimoto Yoichi would have pinched the area of her cheeks between her upper and lower jaws to stop her from making a sound the moment she tried.

Thinking of this, Natsuki couldn't help but feel lucky that she hadn't taken the risk, and her fear of Akimoto Yoichi deepened.

"W-what do you want to do to me?"

Although she could speak now, Natsuki was still held in Akimoto Yoichi's arms.

She couldn't wave her arms, nor could she use a low blow to defend herself.

She could only ask, trembling like a fawn that had been pounced upon.

"To you?" Akimoto Yoichi examined Natsuki in his arms closely.

A pleasant scent, similar to citrus, drifted from the back of her neck—likely a mixture of body wash and the girl's own natural fragrance.

The pretty face, looking pitiful now, was no less beautiful than Suzuran Ayano's or Nishida Yuki's. Her kitten-like lips appeared somewhat pale, and her still-youthful chest highlighted a cute curve.

She was wearing shorts, and beneath them were legs wrapped in white silk stockings.

As one of the heroines, Fukayama Natsuki's beauty was naturally top-tier, though she had a lovable, younger-sister vibe with a hint of a bratty streak.

If she didn't speak, Natsuki was indeed very cute.

Natsuki seemed to have misunderstood; Akimoto Yoichi wasn't holding her out of any perverted desire, but simply to prevent her from causing trouble or trying to strike back.

However, letting things develop according to Natsuki's misunderstanding wasn't bad either; it wasn't like he minded being labeled a lolicon.

"I'm very interested in you, but since you aren't cooperating, I'm a bit disappointed. So, I'm thinking of switching targets."

"For instance, Mrs. Suzuran is drunk right now and resting, isn't she?"

"What do you think would happen if I went upstairs to do something right now? Would Mrs. Suzuran notice? Besides, Ayano isn't home anyway."

With things having reached this point, Akimoto Yoichi had no intention of explaining anything.

Although the clues Fukayama Natsuki had found were correct, things hadn't actually reached the point she imagined; Akimoto Yoichi hadn't ravished Mrs. Suzuran.

But at this stage, the truth no longer mattered.

What mattered was how to keep things from spiraling in a worse direction, and perhaps even how Akimoto Yoichi could gain the upper hand and control Natsuki.

Akimoto Yoichi's conclusion was: play the villain.

Since Fukayama Natsuki had already misunderstood him so thoroughly, Akimoto Yoichi didn't intend to waste effort proving otherwise.

It was better to just play along and act the part of the scumbag Natsuki thought he was.

This would save him a mountain of explanations.

Furthermore, even if he tried to explain it to Fukayama Natsuki, she wouldn't believe him.

If Ayano found out he had seen Mrs. Suzuran in a translucent nightgown while she was washing her hands at the faucet, she would likely never be able to interact with him as she did now.

Akimoto Yoichi wouldn't be able to benefit from Ayano's aura, which would be a huge loss for him.

Right now, Ayano's "Memory" buff was the most useful thing Akimoto Yoichi had.

He could remember things more clearly during class and had no worries about memorizing liberal arts subjects; it would be troublesome to lose such a useful Ayano.

Conversely, as long as he properly threatened Fukayama Natsuki, she would keep his secret.

Akimoto Yoichi had noticed during dinner that Fukayama Natsuki cared deeply about Mrs. Suzuran, so now he would use Mrs. Suzuran to threaten her.

"No, you can't! You can't bully Mama Mari! Please, you can't hurt Mama Mari! As long as you don't touch Mama Mari, I'll agree to any condition!"

As expected, the manipulated Fukayama Natsuki panicked.

She didn't care at all that she had fallen into Akimoto Yoichi's clutches; instead, she only begged him not to touch Mrs. Suzuran.

This confirmed Akimoto Yoichi's guess, which made things much easier.

"Oh? You'll agree to anything? Is that right?"

Akimoto Yoichi's gaze swept over Natsuki's body.

Combined with his blond hair and appearance, he was truly embodying the "Blondie" characters from the thin books Natsuki had read.

"...Y-yes! A-as long as you don't lay a hand on Mama Mari! Oh! And Ayano-nee-san is off-limits too, but... but you can't do anything too excessive to me either!"

Natsuki shivered, but she didn't back down.

From beginning to end, she was trying to protect the Suzuran Mari and Ayano she loved most.

Now that she was being threatened by the Blondie before her, she naturally wouldn't back down; the desire to protect everyone was something Fukayama Natsuki felt with absolute sincerity and resolve.

"Then give me your phone." Akimoto Yoichi made a demand that was somewhat overly invasive of her privacy.

"No, absolutely not!"

Natsuki-chan resisted, her small face flushing red.

A girl's phone was bound to contain all sorts of obvious photos, but more importantly, Natsuki had hundreds of gigabytes of doujinshi resources on hers.

As an enthusiast who loved BL and shoujo manga, Fukayama Natsuki's secret was known only to Suzuran Mari.

"Oh? Then let me show you my phone."

Akimoto Yoichi let go with one hand, took out his phone, and unlocked it.

Fukayama Natsuki let out a sigh of relief, also curious about what Akimoto Yoichi wanted to show her.

As a result, she caught a glimpse of several familiar photos flashing across Akimoto Yoichi's screen and immediately cried out.

"Wait a second! What were those photos you just swiped past!?"

"The photo just now was Mama Mari? That was Mama Mari, right?"

"Ah! You per... you jerk, you secretly took photos of Mama Mari?!"

Seeing the photo of Mrs. Suzuran wearing a camisole nightgown on Akimoto Yoichi's phone, Fukayama Natsuki let out a shriek.

She tried to snatch Akimoto Yoichi's phone, but he naturally wouldn't let her have it.

Watching the flustered and anxious Fukayama Natsuki before him, Akimoto Yoichi delivered a classic line.

"That's right, I did exactly that. Natsuki-chan, you wouldn't want Mrs. Suzuran's photos to be posted online, would you? Give me your phone."

With a slurp, Akimoto Yoichi licked Fukayama Natsuki's finger.