Given Eriri's personality and past behavior, Natsukawa Kanade wasn't even remotely concerned about what she might do to him.
Sure, maybe he had been a little late for their not-a-date-but-definitely-a-date, and sure, maybe that technically gave her an excuse to get revenge. But knowing Eriri, the worst she could do was—what? Poke his cheek with the end of her twin tails? Maybe, at most, draw a tiny turtle on his face with one of her paintbrushes?
Like a mischievous little kid.
That was about as far as she'd go.
Besides, Eriri wasn't the type to let loose completely.
Even in front of her closest friends, she always kept up some level of restraint, desperately trying to maintain her "elegant rich lady" persona. Never mind the fact that everyone already knew her true self—a doujin artist with a head full of questionable ideas and an unhealthy obsession with "plot-heavy" stories.
So, with that in mind, Kanade let his guard down completely.
"Alright," he said with a relaxed sigh, eyes already drifting shut. "I'll leave it to you, Eriri."
He was tired, and honestly, the idea of resting on a soft lap pillow while getting a massage sounded pretty damn nice.
Who was he to refuse such a blessing?
"Y-Yeah, yeah! Just leave it to me..."
Eriri nodded quickly, but inside, her mind was a complete mess.
The moment he agreed so easily, she panicked.
W-Wait. Did that actually work?!
She had expected him to resist, to brush it off, to do anything other than immediately close his eyes and surrender like that!
Now she had to go through with it.
Crap.
Wait, no—stay calm!
This kind of thing needed to be done gradually. She couldn't just rush in recklessly like some overexcited fangirl! No, no, no, that'd be insane!
But…
But…!
Now that Kanade was lying there, eyes peacefully closed, looking so defenseless, the temptation was insane.
Everything was perfect—the right place, the right time, the right people.
It was almost as if fate itself was luring her in, urging her to commit a crime.
Her throat felt dry.
Her hands trembled slightly.
Eriri swallowed.
This… This was too much!
For a solid minute, she just froze.
She had never actually thought she'd get this far. It was just a passing idea—a what-if, an impulsive fantasy. But now?
Now it was real.
And she had no idea what to do.
Meanwhile, Kanade had been waiting patiently, but after way too much silence, he started to grow suspicious.
"...Eriri?" he called, his voice laced with confusion.
Still no response.
His brow furrowed.
Weird. Even if this was some kind of prank, shouldn't something have happened by now?
"...Eriri, are we starting or what?"
"!"
The sudden question shattered Eriri's daze.
Her instincts kicked in immediately—and instead of thinking, she blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
"Ma, START KISSING RIGHT AWAY!"
"...Huh?"
For a brief moment, the world stopped.
Kanade's brain short-circuited. Did he hear that correctly?
Start… what now?
A dangerous silence filled the air.
"...!!!"
The moment Eriri processed her own words, her entire face erupted into flames.
What the hell did she just say?!
She panicked, her mouth moving on autopilot in a desperate attempt to fix the situation.
"I-I MEAN, MASSAGE! I'LL MASSAGE YOU! RIGHT NOW!"
Kanade blinked. "...But—"
"STOP! SHUT UP! DON'T SAY ANYTHING! AND DON'T MOVE!!!"
The sheer force of her command left no room for argument.
Kanade stared up at her, completely dumbfounded.
For a second, he considered pressing the issue. But then he took one look at her aggressively puffed-up cheeks, bright red face, and wildly flailing hands—
Yeah, no. Not worth the risk.
With a sigh, he gave up.
There was definitely something wrong here.
Natsukawa Kanade had confirmed it beyond a doubt.
However, knowing that didn't help him in the slightest.
At this point, all he could do was accept his fate and hope that Eriri would deliver a swift and painless end. Whether this was a prank, some weird attempt at revenge, or just a spontaneous outburst of her usual tsundere behavior… he wished she'd just get it over with.
The waiting was the worst part.
"..."
Finally, after watching him close his eyes again without protest, Eriri exhaled deeply, as if she had just narrowly avoided disaster.
But the reality was…
The real battle was only beginning.
Her heart pounded. Her hands were clammy. Even her voice wasn't steady anymore.
"N-No! Don't open your eyes! You absolutely cannot open them!"
Kanade twitched. That sounded way too suspicious.
"...Why not?"
"B-Because! My massage skills… they're not very good! I might… I might end up hurting you!"
…
That was possibly the worst excuse he had ever heard.
Kanade could only stare into the darkness behind his eyelids, utterly baffled.
"...Please don't do this, Lady Eriri," he said, putting on a dramatic tone. "I beg of you, have mercy! I don't deserve this—"
"Pfft—!"
The forced tension immdiately shattered as Eriri let out a small laugh, quickly covering her mouth in embarrassment.
Mission accomplished.
Kanade hadn't been genuinely worried about her blinding him or something—he had just wanted to break the weird tension.
And judging by the way she huffed, he had succeeded.
"Hmph. Well, that depends on how well you behave." Eriri crossed her arms, pretending to be in control.
But even as she put on her usual tsundere act, her mind was in turmoil.
It was like coming home after a long trip, only to realize that someone had gone through your things.
Maybe nobody said anything.
Maybe nobody even acknowledged it.
But you just knew.
It was embarrassing.
Horrifying, even.
Because what if Kanade had actually realized what she was trying to do? What if he was just pretending not to know, watching to see what she'd do next?
That would be humiliating!
But at the same time…
It also didn't matter.
Because if she backed down now, all the embarrassment she had suffered up to this point would be for nothing!
She had to go through with it!
Even if Kanade had figured it out. Even if he was just messing with her. Even if he laughed at her later—
She would still go through with it today!
After all… as long as he kept his eyes closed, she could just make up any excuse for whatever happened next!
With that flawless logic in mind, Eriri took action.
She adjusted her posture, arching her body slightly, then slowly leaned in, bit by bit.
Her movements were careful, calculated.
Even if Kanade suddenly opened his eyes, she could just play it off—pretend she was looking at acupuncture points, or something equally random.
But…
He didn't.
Instead, he remained completely still, as if actually enjoying the massage.
"...Huh?"
Eriri blinked.
Was it really that comfortable?
She had never given a massage before. This was literally her first time.
And yet…
He seemed perfectly content.
For a moment, a strange feeling bubbled up in her chest.
Was she… talented at this?
Wrong.
The truth was even simpler.
She deserved this.
She had worked hard to provide a premium lap pillow and massage service. She had endured the embarrassment, the mental struggle, the emotional turmoil—
So, of course, she deserved the reward that came after!
Even if the reward was self-imposed.
Even if Kanade had no idea she was thinking this way.
It didn't matter.
Because as long as she believed it was a fair exchange—
Then it was.
This was absolutely, positively not the act of a thieving cat.
No, no, no.
This was completely fair and justified.
And anyone who said otherwise was clearly blind.