Ding-ling~
"Good afternoon."
At 5 p.m., Sasaki pushed open the door of Clover Convenience Store with his school bag slung over his shoulder and arrived at his part-time job.
"Ah, Sasaki-kun's here. Good afternoon."
Haruno Ayato, who was checking the shelves near the entrance, turned with a smile and greeted him.
Without stopping, Sasaki headed toward the changing room and asked:
"Has the manager come in yet?"
"Yeah, she's in the office."
Shifting his gaze back to the shelves, Ayato casually asked while scanning up and down:
"Are you going to report in to the manager again today, Sasaki-kun? She's so strict—stricter than Kasumi-nee."
"Can't help it. I'm just worried."
After a short reply, Sasaki turned the doorknob and entered through the door behind the register counter.
Originally, he had taken this part-time job just to earn some short-term living expenses.
But after learning that the boss at his workplace knew him and could potentially develop into a romantic relationship, his goal shifted slightly.
Since the goal had changed, naturally, he needed time to spend with her, get closer, and build feelings.
But Sasaki had school during the day, and Ayumi-nee had work.
The only time they could overlap was during the hours he was working.
But as a mere convenience store clerk, how could he just casually pop into the office whenever he wanted?
If he did that too often, even Haruno Ayato, who trusted him, would start wondering.
To solve this issue, Sasaki chose to tell the truth.
During a casual conversation with Ayato, Sasaki openly told him about his relationship with Ayumi.
...They had met because of a car accident... and developed into a kind of dry sibling relationship.
Haruno Ayato knew about Sasaki's car accident.
But he hadn't known that the reason Sasaki got into the accident was to save the manager's little sister.
After learning this, the doubts he had about why Sasaki was allowed to take frequent leave disappeared.
He thought to himself: No wonder. Without some kind of connection, with Sasaki's "slacking off" attitude, he would have been fired long ago.
How could he still be here?
Later, Sasaki also explained that because his body hadn't fully recovered, the manager required him to come to her office every time he came to work to report on his condition.
Haruno Ayato said he understood.
It was only natural for her to show extra care and leniency toward her little sister's lifesaver.
Arriving at the office door, Sasaki didn't knock like he used to.
Instead, he simply opened the door and walked in.
...
"Mm... cough cough~."
After a long time, a trace of bitterness showed between her delicate brows as Ayumi, choking on water, lowered her head, raising her jade-like hand to cover her small mouth.
Sitting in what used to be Ayumi-nee's office chair, Sasaki looked over at the sound.
Her soft, slender brows looked like willow leaves brushed down by the wind.
Even though she wore a frowning, aggrieved expression, it somehow gave off a fresh and bright charm.
Because of this "more than a girl, not yet a full woman" lightly mature allure, Sasaki couldn't help staring a little longer.
And because of that, their eyes met when she looked up.
Her previously clear and pure eyes, which could reflect his own face, now looked moist and clouded because of the resentment knitted between her brows, like a lake with stones thrown in, rippling outward in circles.
Her small, refined nose was also slightly wrinkled from the discomfort in her throat.
Her lips, lightly coated with pale lipstick, were gently pursed, moving as she wiped away the water that had overflowed from the corner.
Seeing her uncomfortable and displeased expression, Sasaki asked with concern:
"Is your throat still bothering you?"
Tidying the hair he had messed up, Ayumi gave him a flirtatious eye-roll:
"You little rascal, now you know how to care? When you wouldn't let me move earlier, why didn't you ask if I was feeling bad?"
'Who could possibly stay in control in that kind of situation...'
Scratching his cheek, Sasaki looked away and smiled. "Next time, next time I'll be more careful."
Knowing that a young boy's self-control in that regard was basically nonexistent, Ayumi, as the mature one, didn't hold it against him too much.
Although she felt uncomfortable, the expression of satisfaction on his face was genuinely adorable.
Especially because that expression was because of her...
Because of her, he was happy.
She held the power to make him happy.
What a strange sense of pride.
Finishing the water in her cup, Ayumi twisted her soft little waist and came right up to Sasaki. "Time's about up. You should go start work now, or your classmates might start gossiping about you~"
Today she was wearing a two-piece color-block dress: a light purple V-neck short-sleeved top with black trim that hugged her full, shapely upper body down to her slim waist.
The bottom was a matching A-line mini skirt.
Its fitted design, combined with their close proximity, let Sasaki clearly see the gentle curve of her abdomen outlined by the soft fabric, and the faint glimpse of her small, delicate navel.
Following the natural flare of her full hips downward, a pair of beautiful legs, neither too slender nor overly plump, gleamed with a breathtaking, creamy softness under the light from the side window.
On her feet were pure black mid-heel sandals with decorative patterns.
Her dainty toes, painted with pale nail polish, were arranged like flawless white jade dusted with rouge.
After looking his big sister up and down, Sasaki reached out, wrapped his arms around the outward curve of her hips, buried his face in her soft little belly, and said casually.
"It's fine to wait a little longer. I..."
He repeated to Ayumi the same excuse he had given Haruno Ayato, all while continuing to nuzzle her soft tummy.
As a woman approaching thirty,
Ayumi was naturally delighted to see her little man clinging to her like this.
It proved he hadn't been seduced away by all those little vixens at school, and it proved she still had plenty of charm.
So she only reached out with one finger and gently poked his head, without saying anything more about making him leave.
Taking advantage of the moment, Sasaki pulled the soft-bodied big sister fully into his arms, buried his face in her neckline, and asked in a muffled voice. "Akane-nee has been busy lately?"
Hearing him suddenly bring up that name now, Ayumi's cheeks flushed.
After all, her little man was very good at reading her moods.
Whenever he was with her, he never mentioned other women's names, not even her little sister, very often.
So, now, after steadying her breathing, she asked in confusion:
"What?"
"Akane-nee. Has she been busy lately?"
Lifting his head from the messy neckline, Sasaki asked again.
"Akane?" Ayumi blinked.
Sensing that this wasn't a casual question, she glanced at him and said:
"She has been a little busy lately.
She probably mentioned it when you two were chatting, she's working part-time while also doing illustration work to support her boyfriend's dream."
"Doing illustrations... so it really is Akane-nee." Nestled in his big sister's soft, fragrant embrace, Sasaki murmured softly.
"Hm? What?" Not catching what he said clearly, Ayumi lowered her head and rubbed her cheek against his hair.
It wasn't something worth hiding. Sasaki smiled and explained:
"I haven't told you yet, Ayumi-nee,
I'm kind of working as a part-time novelist now. My book is almost ready to go on sale; all that's left are the illustrations."
"This afternoon, my editor contacted me and said I should discuss things more with the illustrator. I looked at the contact info she sent... and it was Akane-nee's."
"At first I thought I misread it, but it really is Akane-nee. She just hasn't replied to me yet."
Hearing from her little man for the first time that he was writing novels,
Ayumi looked at him with genuine surprise. "It's already about to go on sale?"
"Yeah, pretty soon. I think once the illustrations are done, right? I don't know much about this stuff."
"Not bad at all, you little rascal. Pretty impressive~" She hugged him a bit tighter, smiling brightly as she stroked his hair.
In this world, someone who writes novels is considered a literary figure.
If they gain even a little fame, their social status is quite respectable.
That's also why editors address novelists as "sensei"; it's a highly respected profession.
"Is this your first contract? What did the editor say about your work?"
Although it was still too early for Sasaki to think about marriage, once he joined a university or something, Ayumi was already planning to marry him.
Having a future husband with a respectable career was naturally something to be happy about... as long as he could go far in that path.
So she asked about the details with real concern.
Being squeezed by Ayumi-nee's soft... arms, Sasaki squirmed his neck in a mix of pleasure and discomfort:
"It's my first time. The evaluation... if I just brag about it straight, will Ayumi-nee think I'm being narcissistic?"
"Oh? Sounds like the editor gave you pretty good feedback. What kind of royalty split did they offer you?"
"It ended up at 12%."
"How much?" Ayumi's voice rose slightly.
"12%," Sasaki repeated.
"..."
Having an editor friend,
Ayumi knew what kind of royalty share a new author should expect from a publisher.
Normally, 7%~8% was standard for newcomers.
Anything higher was usually reserved for experienced authors with proven track records.
12%... that was completely beyond what a debut author could get.
Just how highly did the publisher Sasaki submit to, value him...?
Unbelievable... but she trusted her little rascal wouldn't lie to her.
So, Ayumi continued asking.
"Which publisher did you submit to? They're that confident in your work?"
"Aoyama Publishing. It's considered one of the bigger ones."
Aoyama Publishing... Yukari works there, doesn't she?
And the illustrator is... Akane...
Ayumi had been so caught up in the surprise of her little man writing novels that only now did she connect the dots,
So, he was the "flawlessly talented newcomer author" Yukari had mentioned during their last drinking session.
Actually, she should have realized it the moment he said the illustrator was Akane... but the shock had kept her from thinking too deeply.
Now that she remembered Yukari's words were "If Akane follows him, she'll blow up too."
Thinking about it, Ayumi's already affectionate eyes instantly turned impossibly soft and sweet.
Soft like water, sweet like honey.
If it had been a stranger, she would only hope her little sister could live safely and happily, without being bullied or taken advantage of.
But if it was someone from her own side... then on top of that safety, Ayumi also hoped her sister's life could be even better.
With her last remaining worry about her sister's livelihood now resolved by her little rascal, the girl's heart overflowed with tender sweetness she couldn't express as she squirmed uncomfortably, twisting her slim waist.
?!
Sasaki was already feeling quite tormented.
However, being teased like this by this big sister, his desires swell to the point of pain as he looked up at her with innocent confusion.
"Ayumi-nee, what's wrong...?"
"You... can still handle it?"
?
Being looked down on like this for the first time, Sasaki didn't even know what expression to make.
He didn't feel angry—just amused.
He tightened his arms around Ayumi's waist, pulling her closer, and tilted his head. "What does Ayumi-nee think?"
Earlier, she had only been sitting a small portion of her thigh on his lap, so she didn't feel that much.
Now, after he pulled her in...
Ayumi felt like she had climbed a mountain of blades and descended into a pot of boiling oil, panicking completely.
She might not be young anymore, and her usual behavior was bold and unrestrained, but her actual experience with that kind of thing was limited to what she'd seen in adult videos.
It wasn't that she hadn't wanted to date; she had simply poured all her energy into supporting her little sister.
Only after Himemiya Akane graduated from university did she finally start paying attention to her own needs.
After getting together with her little rascal, they had done some boyfriend-girlfriend things.
But they hadn't gone all the way yet...
Now he was so close...
Even through clothes, Ayumi still felt a little scared.
But she was much older than him, and couldn't show weakness in front of her little rascal.
So, she steadied her racing heart, took a breath that lifted her chest, smiled brightly, and shifted her body slightly outward. "If you can still handle it... Do you want me to help you a bit more?"
"This time you can be a little rougher—I won't mind~"
"..."
Being left speechless was one thing, but staying like that would only fan the flames.
After all, this wasn't real fire-extinguishing.
Oral sex might feel too good, with those long legs, feet job might be fine too...but today, he had already had his fill by filling five girls.
So even these stimulations, which should've been useful at other times, couldn't calm him down.
And now, the time was already running short, so he couldn't even bargain for other requests.
In the end, he didn't accept Ayumi's offer and stopped her hand from moving forward before shaking his head:
"Forget it. Ayumi-nee already felt really bad earlier. If we keep going like this, you'll get hurt, and then not only will you suffer—I'll feel bad too."
"..."
Never expecting him to say something like that to her, Ayumi froze for a second, then turned her face away and lightly punched him:
"Clearly, you want it so badly, yet you say things like that. Playing hard to get, huh? I don't fall for that trick."
Taking her small fist that rested on his chest, Sasaki shook his head:
"I'm serious. The most important thing when doing that is that both people enjoy it. If one person gets hurt, it defeats the purpose."
The more he said, the more Ayumi wanted to help him.
But there weren't many options that wouldn't hurt her...
One place wasn't suitable for now, and another lacked the proper tools.
This...
After a moment of inner conflict, Ayumi decided she would just make it up to him next time.
Thinking about it, she hugged her little rascal and comforted him for a while.
However, just as she was about to speak, the phone in Sasaki's pocket vibrated again.
Buzz buzz—
Stare~
"..."
Most of the girls knew he was working at this time; they probably wouldn't call him right now.
So... it was most likely not them.
Hm, who could it be?
He quickly ran through his mind to think of all the people who might be calling at this time.
In the end, Sasaki thought it must be Sister Akane... after all, he had contacted her just this afternoon.
With a guess in mind, he naturally took out his phone under Ayumi's gaze.