Beautiful Barking Tsundere

Chapter 9

Original Author: ひのはら (Hinohara)
Date Submitted to Kakuyomu: 2021/09/14

After dropping them off safely at the apartment building, the man drives his car off into the night.

Aira was too distraught to even thank him.
In the end, she never figured out who he was during the whole ride.

"Who was that person...?"
"My manager. I figured it would be better to look for you by car so I called him."
"Manager...? Are you a model or something?"

Aira glances at the apartment building Ema lives in.
With the exterior lights on, it looks even more high-class.

"Me? A model? No way."
"Then what do you need a manager for...?"
"Do you know Usami Koneko?"
"What's that?"
"A Vtuber."
"What's a Vtuber?"

Ema gently smiles at Aira's follow-up question.
It doesn't look like she's making fun of Aira for not being familiar with the term. She just looks somewhat amused.

"Well, I'm not doing anything shady."
"Huh? I don't get it."
"There are many things you don't know, Aira. For example, how to have sex."
"...I-I know that much."

Ema brings her face close to Aira's after Aira's bluff.
With Ema's striking face so close, Aira immediately turns away.

"Really now...?"
"Wha-what?"
"So how do you have sex?"
"...No-normally. I'm not some shameless pervert like you."

After gently patting her hair, Ema takes Aira's hand.
Then, Ema whispers into Aira's ears like a mischievous child.

"...I'm gentle when I'm having sex with the girl I like."

Aira winces from embarrassment.
Ema takes a cigarette out of her pocket, but Aira stops her from bringing it to her mouth.

"...Don't smoke here, let's just hurry up and go back."

Ema takes Aira's hand and the two walk into the apartment building together.
On top of her promiscuous personality, she loves cigarettes and alcohol.

Normally, that is the type of person Aira would prefer to avoid associating with.

However, due to the kindness Ema occasionally displays, Aira can't bring herself to disapprove of her.

After washing her body more thoroughly than usual, Aira rises from soaking in the bathtub.

Her long, chest-length hair is difficult to dry and Aira honestly finds it to be a bother.

Even so, she likes her current hairstyle so she never skips out on blow-drying it every night.

By the time she leaves the washroom, it was already 11:00 p.m.

"It looks like those men from earlier got caught. My manager contacted me to deliver the news."
"Ah..."
"They were repeat offenders. Also... regarding the woman who forced herself on you before that... if you'd like to sue..."
"It doesn't matter... she was interrupted... and it's not a big deal anyways... it's no big deal."

Aira turns off the living room lights and lies down on the sofa.
Wrapping herself in the blanket, she slowly closes her eyes.

"Good night."
"...Isn't it uncomfortable sleeping on the sofa?"
"It's soft so I'm fine.
"...If you feel cold, you can come to my room at any time."

Aira waits until Ema's footsteps faded away, followed by the sound of a door closing.

With her eyes shut in the darkness, the memory of that time resurfaces.

"..."

Aira got pushed down on this sofa earlier this evening and had her body touched without her consent.

The woman never managed to get inside her underwear, but that's already more than enough for Aira to be terrified.

"...This is the worst."

Aira is not bold enough to sleep soundly in the place she got assaulted.

No matter how hard she tries to forget, that feeling refuses to leave her memory.

She bites down on her lower lip to try and hold it in, but gradually the tears begin to flow out.

"...I can't sleep."

As if pulled by some force, her feet bring her to that place.
The place Aira has come to after leaving the sofa is the door to Ema's bedroom.

She should still be awake because there's some light leaking through the gap.

Aira raises her hand to knock but stops halfway.

After rejecting Ema's invitation that many times, what should she say now?

Since she can't just be honest, she doesn't know what to say at a time like this.

As she stands there in a daze, the bedroom door slowly opens.

"..."
"It's cold, so let's sleep together... I'm not going to try anything."

Ema must have heard Aira's footsteps and knew she was in front of the door.
She lent a hand because Aira couldn't be honest.

Taking advantage of her kindness, Aira enters the room.

She lies on the wide bed, feeling the soft mattress on her back.

Sleeping on a sofa can't compare to this.

After the lights go off, Aira lies on the bed for a while.
Then, Ema calls out to her.

"...Are you already asleep?"
"...What is it?"
"I recovered all the room keys, so you don't need to worry about anyone else coming in here. I also broke things off with all my sex friends, so the only ones who can freely enter this apartment are the two of us."
"...Mm"
"I'm sorry I got you dragged into this."

In the darkness, Aira frantically reaches out her hand.
After fumbling about, she finds Ema's hand and squeezes it.

"...I can't sleep."
"Aira..."
"Hold my hand."

Instead of answering with words, Ema squeezes back.
With their fingers intertwined, Aira's eyelids begin to get heavy after feeling Ema's warmth.

Even though she had been so terrified earlier, did Ema's presence next to her make her feel that relieved?

Not long after closing her eyes, Aira begins to feel drowsy.

Is it because she's in a bed now instead of the sofa?
Is it because Ema is next to her?

Which of the two has made it so easy for Aira to drift off to sleep?