Chapter 12: Tsu… Tsugumu, Not There!

“…”

“…”

Yuuma Tsugumu stared fixedly at Akiba Sakura, who was looking at him with a playful expression.

A drop of sweat slid down his cheek.

‘Damn it… she’s leading me by the nose…’

Once he calmed down, Tsugumu quickly realized that she had no intention of letting him go; her pranks were coming one after another.

He felt intense discomfort and regret.

Regret that he had once liked this “bad woman”…

‘Such a bad woman… Why did I ever like someone like her? Damn it…’

“What are you thinking about, Tsugumu? Don’t you plan to take the Remote Control and earn your freedom?”

Akiba Sakura gave a contemptuous smile.

“Or have you already decided to surrender? I don’t accept surrenders here~”

“…Hmph!”

Tsugumu sat down directly on the tatami, looking away from her.

‘Whatever. I’m done struggling. They’ll have to open the door when it’s time to eat anyway.’

“Eh—you’re really giving up? No way~”

She saw through his thoughts, but how could the Akiha Little Devil let him off so easily?

This was her home turf.

If she didn’t achieve anything, she would become the laughingstock of the NTR Genre.

Akiba Sakura stood up and walked over, sitting directly on the table in front of him.

“?”

Tsugumu looked up in confusion but quickly turned his head away again.

“Hmph… You really are still the same Shorty—”

Sitting on the table, she was naturally taller than Tsugumu, who was sitting on the tatami.

This was the first time since middle school that she had looked down on him from such a height.

“Scrub Tsugumi… you think I don’t know what you’re thinking?”

She raised an eyebrow and crossed her legs, extending her foot toward his face.

She provocatively brushed his chin with her toes, which were encased in white silk stockings.

“You really are a small fry… shrinking away the moment you run into a little trouble. I can only say you’re truly Scrub Tsugumi~”

“…”

As if he hadn’t heard her, Tsugumu didn’t move.

Even with the “ice cream” right in front of him, he only tilted his face slightly.

‘Hmph… trying to run?’

She gradually moved her foot from his chin to his chest, pressing her sole against him and sliding it down slowly.

“It’s no wonder no girl has ever confessed to you. A small fry is a small fry, always dreaming of things far out of your reach~ “

“…”

She could feel his body tremble through her foot.

“And as a beautiful girl, I’ve gone against everyone’s advice to lower myself and talk to you. You should be grateful. Yet lately, you’ve spoken so coldly to me. You certainly are bold~”

Her foot didn’t stop its movement as she spoke.

“…”

Seeing no resistance, her tone grew even more disdainful.

“Scrub Tsugumi, Gloomy Man… When you eventually get a girlfriend, I’ll definitely have a Yellow Hair snatch her away… After all, you…”

The ball of her foot was already pressed against his lower abdomen.

She was a step away from going further.

“After all, you’re just a cowardly Turtle who only knows how to let others push him around~”

Suddenly, Tsugumu grabbed her ankle.

His grip was swift and powerful, making her heart skip a beat.

“You brat…”

His face was dark, and his voice carried a hint of coldness.

“You…”

She tried to shake him off but found her ankle held in a death grip.

“Scrub Tsugumi, let go! You…”

Her ankle began to throb.

Looking at his state, she felt a vague sense of fear.

She wanted to force out more provocative words to goad him, but the boy suddenly pulled hard—

“Ah—!”

With a thud, she was yanked off the table and onto the tatami.

She lay on the ground, her right foot held high in his hand.

“What… what are you doing, Scrub Tsugumi!”

Ignoring the dull pain in her back from the fall, she clamped her hands over her skirt to prevent her underwear from being exposed.

“What am I doing… You still have the nerve to ask that? If I don’t teach you a lesson, you’ll never understand how to show a man proper respect!”

Tsugumu knelt, pinning her left leg with his weight, and then hoisted her right foot onto his shoulder.

‘Not good, not good… this position is really bad…!!!!!’

Panic set in.

She had only wanted to tease and “train” him to have a bit more spirit, but she had clearly gone too far.

“Get… get off me—”

As she flailed her arms to push him away, those hands—strong as iron pincers—grabbed both of her wrists.

“!”

He pinned both of her hands above her head against the floor with one of his own.

“It hurts, Scrub… Scrub Tsugumi!”

Because he was leaning forward to pin her hands, the leg on his shoulder was pressed back even harder.

‘Damn Scrub Tsugumi! I haven’t even practiced my stretches yet!’

Though a girl’s body was naturally more flexible, she couldn’t handle this position.

Her hip joint was starting to ache.

“…”

‘I’m… I’m doomed. This position is too compromising…’

“…”

“I’ll ask you one more time…”

“?”

Hearing his voice, she ignored the pain and looked up at him.

“The Remote Control… hand it over…”

“You… you want it?”

Sweat beaded on her forehead.

Even while pinned, she refused to back down.

“I… I already told you, if you want it, you have to take it yourself…”

“You think I won’t?!”

Tsugumu gnashed his teeth, looking at the provocative face beneath him.

His anger flared, and he moved his free hand to search for the Remote Control himself…

But then, a knock sounded at the door.

He reflexively pulled his hand back.

“Dinner’s ready. Tsugumu, Sakura, come down to eat, okay?”

“Go… got it, Mom!”

Before he could even react, the girl on the floor shouted back to Akiha Shiori.

“Mm-hmm.”

Akiha Shiori nodded and walked slowly back downstairs.