Safety Shorts

Fushimi Makoto shook his head. "You've got it wrong. I'm hoping to help you get along better. At least from what I can see, Mr. Nakano genuinely cares about you. I want to help him out, too."

Only then would Nakano old-timer accept me, the "blond-haired guy."

The three girls fell silent for a while. In the end, the eldest, Ichika, stepped forward. "I'll find some time to get in touch with Father."

Nino and Itsuki added, "We'll leave it to you, then."

They all had a good impression of Fushimi Makoto, so they didn't doubt what he'd said.

It was just that Nakano Maruo was always so stern, with an aloof air that kept strangers at a distance. The five sisters had no idea how to get along with him.

Now that Fushimi Makoto was willing to help, they agreed.

After they'd finished discussing the serious matters, Nakano Nino wondered whether she should take the opportunity to go home and change her pants. But Ichika suddenly spoke up. "By the way, Nino's already enjoyed Makoto's professional massage. So shouldn't Itsuki and I be next?"

Nakano Itsuki reflexively waved her hands. "I'm fine without one."

Nakano Ichika smiled and grabbed her arm. "Don't be embarrassed. Nino praised his massage skills so highly. Don't you want to experience it for yourself?"

Nakano Itsuki hesitated.

She was curious, after all.

Nakano Ichika noticed Itsuki's expression and pressed on. "Then Itsuki can go first, and I'll go after."

Nakano Itsuki turned to Fushimi Makoto, looking at him hesitantly. "Would that be okay, Fushimi?"

"I don't mind." Fushimi Makoto agreed. He'd already noticed Ichika was up to something.

Nakano Nino, who'd been about to go home, had no choice but to stay and wait until her sisters were ready to leave together.

The corners of Nakano Ichika's lips curled upward. She had a plan, after all.

Besides, she'd noticed in the kitchen that Fushimi Makoto was quite taken with her figure. She'd even accidentally spotted his "weapon."

Club member Ichika was ready to pledge her loyalty to the club president!

The massage should have taken place in the living room, but Nakano Ichika had come up with an excuse in advance. "Let's go to Makoto's room. Nino had hers in there just now, anyway."

Nakano Itsuki had been about to politely decline, but Ichika spoke first. "The plans are still in the living room, so we don't have to clean anything up right now. After everyone's tried Makoto's professional massage, we can come back out and keep discussing them."

"All right, then."

Nakano Itsuki had no choice but to agree. She still hadn't fully understood the plans.

Nakano Nino didn't say a word the whole time.

She just had a feeling that something was up with Ichika, but she didn't have any proof yet.

The four of them went to the bedroom. After Nakano Itsuki climbed onto the bed and lay facedown, fighting her embarrassment, Fushimi Makoto made a point of maintaining the most professional masseur's demeanor: his mind was clear of distractions.

That focused look of his successfully distracted Nino from her suspicions about Ichika.

Earlier, Nino had been the one getting the massage. This time, she was watching. The two different perspectives gave her two different impressions.

When she saw Nakano Itsuki close her eyes in bliss, her toes curling tight, she couldn't help feeling a little awkward.

So that's what I looked like just now. How embarrassing.

Then she looked at Fushimi Makoto, who was concentrating fully on his work. She knew she'd been right about him. Even when faced with a beautiful girl like Itsuki, he didn't have a single improper thought.

After Nakano Itsuki finished her massage, she climbed off the bed, red-faced and still a little dazed. As she put on her shoes, she exclaimed in delight, "Nino was right! You really are a professional, Fushimi!"

She felt as if all the fatigue she'd built up had completely disappeared after that massage.

It was bliss from her head down to her waist.

It hadn't been bliss from head to toe because she'd been too embarrassed to let Fushimi Makoto massage her legs.

Nakano Nino grumbled inwardly, Itsuki, you missed the most comfortable part.

After all, she'd been massaged until she had to go home and change her pants...

"Thanks for the compliment. If you're satisfied, that means I've mastered the skill."

As Fushimi Makoto replied, he glanced at Nakano Ichika from the corner of his eye.

Sure enough, the girl secretly winked at him, then said to her two sisters, "Itsuki, didn't you want to keep looking at the plans?"

"Oh, right. I haven't finished reading them yet." Nakano Itsuki was already thinking the same thing.

Nakano Ichika turned to Nino. "You should take a look, too. I won't hide it from you anymore. Itsuki and I actually want all three of you to join the club."

Nakano Nino instinctively started to refuse, but then she remembered it was Fushimi Makoto's club, so she put it more gently. "I'm not really interested in this kind of club."

Nakano Ichika smiled brightly. "I know. You can take a look first, anyway. Maybe you'll want to join later. I think it'd be great if all five of us were in the same club."

Hearing the words "all five of us together," Nakano Nino hesitated, then agreed.

No matter what, the five of them were supposed to stick together.

Besides, Fushimi Makoto had acted so professionally that Nakano Nino was completely at ease now.

She figured that since Fushimi Makoto was so serious, even if Ichika had something else in mind, it probably wouldn't be a problem.

But once Nino and Itsuki had left the bedroom, Nakano Ichika quietly closed the door. She raised a slender, pale finger to her lips as a lovely blush bloomed across her beautiful face.

Fushimi Makoto met her watery gaze. "I knew you were planning something."

Nakano Ichika slowly parted her red lips and lowered her voice with a playful smile. "Ten minutes, okay?"

She meant she'd only stay in the room for ten minutes.

Fushimi Makoto, meanwhile, thought, A limited-time encore bonus!

Chapter 47: Safety Shorts

Ten minutes was usually a very short time.

If you were playing a game or taking an exam, it could pass in the blink of an eye.

At first, Nakano Ichika had thought the same.

Ten minutes was too little.

But Nino and the others were still in the living room. If they saw her doing something naughty and word got around the family, the other four would tease her about it for the rest of her life.

When Nakano Ichika lay facedown on the bed, conflicted, hoping to claim her share of the massage, she realized there was a serious problem.

Earlier, she'd let Itsuki go first partly to help her sister relax and partly to lower Nino's guard.

Only then could she find a chance to stay alone in the bedroom.

Fushimi Makoto had guessed as much, too, which was why he'd maintained such a high standard the whole time.

He'd kept the massage proper.

They'd been perfectly in sync, each responding to the other.

But now there was no one else in the room, and Nakano Ichika had used a teasing tone to say, "Ten minutes."

Would Fushimi Makoto still behave himself?

The answer was no.

When he'd massaged Nino and Itsuki, he'd started properly at the shoulders.

With Ichika, he started with her beautiful legs.

First her feet, then her calves, then her thighs, and then... back to her feet.

That was right. He was being that direct.

At first, Nakano Ichika found it incredibly relaxing. The fatigue she'd built up from running between school and the filming set these past few days was melting away perfectly.

But as the massage went on, she realized something was wrong.

Her face was getting hot.

Her body was getting hot, too.

Her legs felt so weak.

And a little tingly.

"Don't move around. You'll interfere with a professional masseur's work." Fushimi Makoto was perfectly serious.

Nakano Ichika looked back at him, her face flushed. With a half-smile, she asked, "Is this still a proper massage?"

"Of course it is. Don't you feel good?"

"I do, but right now I..."

"What about right now?"

"...I think I'm getting worked up."

Blushing, she said something that left no room for misunderstanding.

But Fushimi Makoto smiled. "That's the effect I'm going for. A proper massage gets you standing at attention. That's what makes it proper."

Nakano Ichika didn't understand what he meant by "standing at attention."

But she knew what she wanted.

Fighting the warmth and weakness spreading through her body, she said quietly, "Maybe you should stop massaging me."

Fushimi Makoto knew she had more to say, so he waited patiently.

Sure enough, Nakano Ichika's eyes turned sultry. "You should play with my legs instead."

By now, she'd only been in the room for three minutes.

In other words, she'd left Fushimi Makoto seven minutes.

Ten minutes later, Nakano Ichika felt as if her whole body had turned to water. She lay on the bed, unable to move for a long while.

Her reaction this time was even more intense than it had been in the kitchen.

There was no helping it. With no one around to interrupt them in the bedroom, she felt safer than she had in the kitchen, even though she hadn't set a "safe word."

Especially when Nakano Ichika opened her dazed, watery eyes and saw Fushimi Makoto wiping his hands with a tissue. She felt even more embarrassed.

I'm done for. I'm this weak?

She'd lost the battle scene way too quickly.

She, the Cucumber Immortal, hadn't even made a move before Fushimi Makoto emptied her health bar.

She felt frustrated, but also filled with embarrassment.

Should I start working out more?

If my body's this weak, what am I going to do in the future?

The girl was caught between happiness and embarrassment.

After wiping his hands, Fushimi Makoto checked the time and reminded her, "It's already been twelve minutes. Do you want me to help you deal with them?"

Nakano Ichika understood what he meant: he could buy her some time to rest.

"No need. Help me up. I can still put on a show!"

Nakano Ichika forced herself to push up from the bed and sit upright.

Fushimi Makoto couldn't help laughing.

"What are you laughing at?" Nakano Ichika shot him an annoyed look.

Fushimi Makoto answered honestly. "Because you look cute right now."

"Was I not cute before?"

Even with her health bar emptied, she still had the energy to tease him.

"Normally, I'd say you're about seven points cute." Fushimi Makoto pretended to think it over.

"And now?"

"Ten—no, even nine points cute."

"Isn't there something wrong with that description?"

"Don't worry about the details."