Kisaragi Chiyo stared blankly at a certain point in the void, lost in thought. Although his body was already sinking into a comfortable, soft bed in reality without moving, everything he had experienced in the Dreamscape still brought him mental exhaustion.
So..
Kisaragi Chiyo thought of that Hell Assistant Official, Hozuki, once again.
Even Takamagahara is being affected. Although Hell is not exactly the same as the Land of Yomi, they both ultimately belong to Izanami's domain, so it is only natural that it would also experience turmoil.
However, Kisaragi Chiyo felt that, seeing Hozuki still having the leisure to personally act as a Hell Recruiter, the impact suffered by Hell was likely the least of all the consequences.
This was also why he was still hesitating; after all, if he were to deal with his enemies, it would certainly be for the best if he could leverage the power of Hell.
Just thinking about the heavy workload Hozuki mentioned regarding Hell's official duties, the fact that one would only finish paying off a mortgage after three hundred years of civil service, Kisaragi Chiyo couldn't help but click her tongue in disbelief. Just how severe was the inflation in Hell?
He could barely afford the housing prices in the human world as it was; if he were to settle in Hell in the future and take on another three hundred years of mortgage, just imagining that possibility would make one involuntarily lament that it truly was Hell after all.
"What are you thinking about?" A hand pressed gently on his shoulder, Kisaragi Chiyo felt the bed sink beside him, followed by Matsuda Jinpei's voice sounding in his ear.
"I'm thinking about some things involving Hell," Kisaragi Chiyo replied truthfully.
He turned his head and, as expected, saw Matsuda's somewhat stunned expression.
His teal eyes, which had originally possessed a sharp curvature, were now filled with confusion, his eyes, slightly widened in surprise, made him look even more like a kitten.
Then, a hand with cool fingertips gently covered the young man's forehead.
You don't even have a fever." Matsuda Jinpei frowned as he looked at Kisaragi Chiyo. "How come you started talking nonsense the moment you woke up?
I'm serious." Kisaragi Chiyo calmly brushed Matsuda's hand away, her expression calm. "You're overthinking it; I meant exactly what I said.
"Really?" Matsuda Jinpei clicked his tongue after hearing this, appearing somewhat unconvinced.
"Really." Kisaragi Chiyo nodded, then reached out and made a fist, striking the other's chest with a light, controlled punch.
“I might have to count on you for a lot of help in the future, Senior Matsuda.”
"Are you really planning to accept Hozuki's invitation?" Matsuda Jinpei raised an eyebrow; although he looked somewhat disapproving, Kisaragi Chiyo still observed the hint of pleasant surprise revealed in the depths of his eyes.
"What brought this on all of a sudden?" Matsuda Jinpei propped himself up on the bed with one hand, shifting a few steps closer to Kisaragi Chiyo until their shoulders were almost touching, their fingers brushing against each other.
Didn't you say before that you needed to think about it some more?
"Haven't I already decided?" Kisaragi Chiyo placed her hand on top of Matsuda Jinpei's palm. In barely a second, she felt the world suddenly spin, she was pinned to the bed by Matsuda Jinpei.
"What are you doing?" Kisaragi Chiyo frowned, using her free hand to push against Matsuda Jinpei's shoulder, trying to remind him that his weight was certainly not that of a little kitten squatting on her.
"I'm a little happy." Matsuda Jinpei's lips curled upward, his eyes brimming with a smile, as bright as pebbles submerged in water.
Matsuda Jinpei endured for a moment, but in the end, he could no longer hold back, lowering his head to bite down on Kisaragi Chiyo's lips.
That bite wasn't light; although it didn't break the skin, it still caused Kisaragi Chiyo to feel a hint of pain.
"You've picked up some bad habits from that guy Hara Kenji, too," Kisaragi Chiyo subconsciously licked her bitten lower lip, condemning Matsuda Jinpei.
But as soon as the words left his mouth, he realized that something was wrong with Matsuda Jinpei's state; the man's sharp, teal eyes were staring straight at him.
Kisaragi Chiyo felt a sense of unease from being stared at, feeling as if, at this moment, he had become a little mouse being watched by a cat and toyed with in the palm of its hand.
"Can I?" Matsuda Jinpei leaned his face closer, his lips and nose brushing lightly against Kisaragi Chiyo's face, his voice carrying a seductive ambiguity.
"I just woke up." Kisaragi Chiyo's throat felt a bit dry. His mouth opened and closed slightly, but his gaze fell uncontrollably upon Matsuda's enlarged, handsome face.
Although Matsuda Jinpei had asked him, as he was currently pinned down on the bed, did he even have any room left to retreat?
"Of course you do." Matsuda let out a low laugh, his warm, wet kiss landing near Kisaragi Chiyo's temple, he naturally opened his mouth to take the young man's earlobe between his lips.
"You could also refuse me." Matsuda teased his earlobe with the tip of his tongue, his voice muddled and low against his ear, conveying every bit of it to his slightly dizzy brain.
Kisaragi Chiyo said nothing; she felt that the choice Matsuda Jinpei was offering was truly hypocritical. It was like a lion biting an antelope by the throat, yet pretending to be generous by saying, "If you don't want to be eaten by me, I can let you go."
"If I really say no.." Kisaragi Chiyo raised his one remaining functional hand and gently cupped the back of Matsuda's head; the soft, fluffy hair felt as good as ever.
Matsuda Jinpei did not answer; he simply let go of Kisaragi Chiyo's earlobe and instead took a bite out of his collarbone.
"Mm.. aren't you being completely unwilling?" Kisaragi Chiyo's voice carried a hint of helpless laughter, his hand moved down, resting on Matsuda Jinpei's shoulder.
"You're doing this on purpose." Matsuda Jinpei buried his head in the crook of his neck, his voice sounding somewhat muffled, as if he were acting spoiled.
"I've been enduring it all this time." It was a statement that sounded somewhat nonsensical, yet it caused Kisaragi Chiyo's brow to twitch.
He suddenly thought of something—the hypothesis that Hara Kenji had once mentioned to him in the Dreamscape: that physiological reactions within the Dreamscape could potentially reflect onto reality.
Wasn't it agreed that it was just a hypothesis?
Kisaragi Chiyo thought to herself that this was not good; although the three of them had already acted recklessly together several times, human sense of shame would still occasionally pop up unexpectedly.
"If it weren't for the fact that this might be happening in both the Dreamscape and reality at the same time, might be too much for you to handle.." Matsuda Jinpei raised his head, his teal eyes churning with a burning lust.
He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning conveyed within it made Kisaragi Chiyo involuntarily shrink back.
“Kisaragi..” Matsuda started kissing him again, first his forehead, then his eyes, cheeks, lips..
..
“How does it feel? Do you want to continue?”
A casual smile played on Matsuda Jinpei's lips. Propping himself up on the bed with one hand under his head, he leisurely observed the expression on the young man's face.
Kisaragi Chiyo probably wouldn't know that he is at his most attractive in his current state.
"What is your answer?" Having reached this stage, Matsuda Jinpei was not in any hurry at all. He stopped his movements, a burning, intense emotion dancing in the depths of his eyes.
He lowered his eyes, his gaze falling upon the young man's face. The other looked at him with a hint of confusion in his eyes, seemingly wondering why he had stopped at this moment.
"What's wrong?" the young man asked, his voice carrying a soft, syrupy quality, his beautiful heterochromatic eyes shimmering with a moist luster.
In that instant, it was as if something lightly struck Matsuda Jinpei's heart. He caught a whiff of a rich fragrance, which made his mouth water with temptation and left an unquenchable itch blooming in his chest.
"No.. it's nothing." Matsuda's throat bobbed, but he remained motionless, merely staring at Kisaragi Chiyo with a heavy gaze, like a predator poised to hunt.
"Matsuda.." The young man could hardly bear it, whispering Matsuda Jinpei's name.
"I am?" Matsuda Jinpei responded, lowering his head to exchange a sticky kiss with the other.
But Kisaragi Chiyo wanted more than just a kiss.
“Matsuda..” Kisaragi Chiyo called his name again, her voice even lower this time, carrying a distinct tremble.
"What's wrong?" Matsuda Jinpei looked at him with a smile.
"Come a little closer.." The young man turned his head slightly, seemingly trying to hide the look of shame on his face.
Matsuda Jinpei would not refuse such a simple request from Kisaragi Chiyo; he obediently pressed his ear close to her.
"Matsuda.. good teacher, good senior.." Kisaragi Chiyo called out several titles in a row, her voice light and airy, brushing against Matsuda Jinpei's ear like a feather.
Please, help me.
As soon as the words were spoken, a sensation like an electric current surged through Kisaragi Chiyo's entire body, causing him to instinctively lift his hips in response, only to be pressed back down the very next second.
"You said it yourself." Matsuda Jinpei's gaze fell upon the young man's face, his teal eyes turning deep and inscrutable.
The monster known as *** was released from its cage.
..
When everything was over, Kisaragi Chiyo was carried to the bathtub by Matsuda Jinpei.
He closed his eyes, his body soaking in hot water at a perfect temperature; the bath salts with a faint floral scent had turned the water in the bathtub a pale pink.
"I heard Hara say that this brand of bath salts contains rose and lavender essential oils." Matsuda Jinpei's voice came from behind him, one hand lifted from the water to rest on the edge of the bathtub, while the other remained underwater, wrapped around his waist.
"It can more effectively relieve mental and physical fatigue while you soak," Matsuda Jinpei explained to him.
Kisaragi Chiyo sighed, rubbing her temples as she relaxed her body and leaned against Matsuda Jinpei's chest.
"So, just who is the reason my body and mind are so exhausted?" Kisaragi Chiyo was almost laughing from anger.
He felt that Matsuda Jinpei and Hara Kenji were truly childhood friends cut from the same cloth; even their bad habit of biting people was exactly the same.
"Well.." Matsuda Jinpei answered the question a bit hesitantly. As his gaze brushed against the marks on the young man's neck, chest, back, he rubbed his nose guiltily.
Past experience told him that at a time like this, he just had to stand straight and take the scolding.
Otherwise, he could try acting spoiled, following Hara Kenji's example. Or, he could turn into something fluffy and obediently offer up his tail, ears, warm belly, cute paw pads; that would surely be enough to appease Kisaragi Chiyo.
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Author's Note: Damn it.. several of my favorite descriptions can't be kept..
Thanks to all the little angels for your support, mwah 030
Chapter 126
The method of turning into a cat to act spoiled worked wonders. Although there was a strong sense of shame the first time, as the relationship between the two grew more familiar and intimate, Matsuda Jinmi had become well-versed in the routine, performing it with extreme smoothness and ease.
A cat only needs to lie on a soft cushion, looking down with a haughty expression, flicking its tail casually, or lying on its side to reveal its soft, warm belly and pink paw pads, it can easily leave humans completely defenseless against its cuteness.
Kisaragi Chiyo naturally couldn't resist either.
By the time he finished petting the cat and came downstairs from upstairs, feeling satisfied, Hara Kenji had already prepared dinner.
“Good evening, Chiyo-chan.”
Hara turned back with a smile, looking at the cat hair-covered haori draped over the young man's shoulders. His gaze slowly drifted down to the other's neck, settling on the collarbone that wasn't covered by his pajamas. The ambiguous marks trailed downward, they likely wouldn't fade from his fair skin anytime soon.
"Good evening." Kisaragi Chiyo let out a yawn and pulled out a chair by the dining table to sit down.
He originally had no intention of eating dinner and planned to go straight to sleep. However, under Matsuda Jinpei's disapproving gaze and subsequent promise, he used half an hour of grooming and paw-kneading to reluctantly persuade Kisaragi Chiyo to come downstairs.
"It seems you and Little Jinpei had a pleasant time up there." Hara Kenji blinked, casting a narrow look at Matsuda Jinpei, who was sitting nearby.
"It truly was pleasant." Matsuda Jinpei looked back calmly and composedly, but his ears, which were heating up beneath his curly hair, still betrayed his true feelings.
Ahem.. well, even though he, Hara Kenji, Kisaragi Chiyo have already played around together several times, the three of them have established a legitimate romantic relationship.
But when such things were pointed out so bluntly by his good friend, Matsuda still felt a bit shy.
With this feeling in mind, he looked up, unable to help but glance at Kisaragi Chiyo, who was sitting in the seat of honor. The young man with crow-colored hair seemed not to have heard Hara Kenji's teasing at all; he was leaning his elbows on the dining table, his head resting in his palms, as he focused intently on the information on his phone.
Matsuda Jinpei felt a momentary sense of slight disappointment; in his imagination, when he looked at Kisaragi Chiyo, she would have just happened to look up at him at that exact moment, then the two of them would have shared a sweet and heartwarming, knowing smile.
.. Matsuda Jinpei fell silent for a second at the image that had surfaced in his mind. He suddenly raised a hand to support his forehead in some pain, feeling deeply that it must be because he had spent too much time watching romance dramas with Hara Kenji lately that such overly romanticized thoughts were occurring to him.
“Little Jinpei, you must be saying bad things about me in your head right now, aren't you?” Hara Kenji suddenly appeared carrying two portions of spaghetti, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked Matsuda Jinpei up and down, a dangerous smile playing on his lips.