Thank you, @Keiname, for joining the memberships.
I'm truly grateful.
Bonus (1/1)
....
Chapter 60: Taking Off Tights Should Be a Crime.
...
Yume Minami was burning with embarrassment and anger.
She had spent so long mentally preparing herself in her room, only to be rewarded with Kihara's completely shameless prank.
Her mouth and throat felt like they had been filled with lava, a dull burning pain spreading inside her. She no longer cared how her sister would have reacted in this situation.
With a furious expression, she raised her fists and started pounding down on Kihara like raindrops.
"Chili powder!? A prank!? I'm going to beat you to death, you jerk!"
"HAHAHAHA!!"
Kihara laughed so hard tears streamed down his face. Completely unfazed by her punches—which barely hurt more than mosquito bites—he reached out and began tickling her waist with nimble fingers.
Yume clenched her teeth, trying desperately not to laugh as she kept "attacking," but it quickly became obvious her blows did nothing.
Her bright green eyes darted around, searching for his weak spot.
Then—
She shoved both hands straight into his armpits and started tickling him with all her strength.
"Yume… you know you can surrender if you can't take it."
"D-don't joke…! There's no way I'd let you put out my anger with something like this!"
Even as tears welled up in her eyes and her exposed skin flushed red like a boiled shrimp, she refused to give in.
Her pride as a girl had been toyed with by this heartless guy—there was no way she'd admit defeat!
Kihara forced out a stiff smile.
"You don't seriously think you can win, do you?"
"Hmph!"
Things Start Getting Complicated
As time passed, both of them were sweating from holding back laughter.
Strands of Yume's hair brushed against Kihara's nose, carrying a faint, sweet fragrance of shampoo.
Without realizing it, his hands—resting on her waist—began to wander.
Yume noticed his tickling had weakened.
Thinking victory was near, she smirked.
"Weren't you so confident earlier? Why are you slowing down? Planning to surrender?"
"…I think… you should get off me first."
His voice had turned low and hoarse.
Her heart suddenly tightened.
"You… wait…"
Realizing something, Yume quickly pressed down on the back of his hand. Biting her lip, she spoke in a small, nervous voice:
"I-I'm all sweaty right now… can I take off my tights first?"
After being teased about "smelly feet" earlier, she was unusually self-conscious.
But the moment Kihara heard that.
The spark in his eyes was instantly extinguished, like being doused with cold water.
He grabbed her waist and lifted her off himself without hesitation.
"…Yume, you should know—taking off tights at a time like this is basically a criminal offense."
"HUH?! What kind of rule is that!?"
"Just remember it."
He waved dismissively.
"There's milk in the fridge. If it's still too spicy, drink some. I'm going to rest. Handle dinner yourself."
Kihara stayed in his room the entire day.
Meanwhile, Yume lay on her bed, completely puzzled.
"…Is taking off tights really that important?"
Surprisingly, after the "chili water incident," Yume's mental state seemed to improve slightly.
Kihara's crude, straightforward method had broken through her rational defenses, forcing her to interact with him in a more genuine way.
Of course, this trick only worked the first time.
From now on, he'd have to find other ways to slowly break down her emotional barriers—and help her step out of her sister's shadow.
Because what he liked was Yume Minami herself, not the shadow of her sister.
Of course, there were consequences.
For the past two days, Yume had taken every opportunity to call him:
"Perverted tights enthusiast."
And she deliberately walked around the house bare-legged just to provoke him.
With no better options, Kihara returned to leveling up.
Riding his beloved motorcycle, he headed once again to Z-City's abandoned zone—a place he found oddly comforting.
After all, the "local customs" here were simple.
Every time monsters showed up to "greet" him, he warmly welcomed them in return—with dishes like:
"Finely Sliced Meat"
"Skull Crusher"
"Black Tiger Steals the Heart"
A truly… enthusiastic host.
It didn't take long for news of his appearance to reach Fubuki through her assistant.
"Lily, I'll go alone this time. No need for the others to follow."
"Yes, Fubuki-sama!"
Kihara had just finished slicing a monster into minced pieces—about to toss it back to its companions—
When a mature female voice sounded behind him:
"Crimson Rider… I didn't expect you to have such twisted hobbies."
He sighed.
Guess I can't avoid this one.
With a swing of his crimson blade, he sent the crab-headed monster off to reunite with its friend.
Then he turned, clearly annoyed.
"Fubuki… can you stop stalking me like some creep? Wouldn't it be better to just stay comfortably as Rank 1 in B-Class instead of interrupting my grind?"
"Hmph. I'm the one who protected you from my sister last time. Instead of thanking me, this is how you treat me?"
"Use that brain of yours for a second," he shot back.
"If you hadn't tried to drag me into the Blizzard Group, would your sister even have noticed me?"
"I—"
"To be honest, you, your sister, and that whole B-Class club of yours? You're all just trouble for me right now. The kind I'd rather avoid completely. Got it?"
"You arrogant little—"
Fubuki's expression darkened instantly, her coat fluttering despite the still air.
"I don't have time to argue with you."
Kihara pressed the device on his wrist.
"START UP!"
The world slowed to a crawl.
In that frozen moment, he grabbed a thick rope from the ruins—
And tied Fubuki up in an elaborate, almost artistic knot against a street lamp.
When time resumed, he dusted off his hands and admired his work.
"Not bad. All that practice from Marisa paid off. Works perfectly even on a different body type."
Fubuki's face burned with humiliation.
She had actually been restrained by a junior.
"If you apologize now, untie me, and join the Blizzard Group… I'll pretend this never happened."
Kihara made a face.
"If you're weak, train more. If you can't handle it, don't play."
After all—she was the one who came to interrupt him.
Why should he apologize?
"You've got some nerve… tying Fubuki up like that."
A cold, piercing voice descended from above.
Tatsumaki appeared.
Her sharp gaze cut toward Kihara like blades as she raised her hand, ready to crush him with telekinesis.
But—
Fubuki broke free first.
Standing tall, she stepped in front of Kihara.
"Sister. I lost because I wasn't strong enough. You have no right to interfere."
Tatsumaki frowned deeply.
After a moment, she asked a question neither of them expected:
"…Fubuki… don't tell me you actually like this guy?"
"Eh?!"
.....
Thank you for reading.