[MashUp] Ch 29: Bunny Girl, Acquired!

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Downstairs, outside the apartment, at a 24-hour convenience store.

Takuma pushed a cart lazily through the aisles, as if he had all the time in the world. He picked up a set of men's loungewear, a towel, a toothbrush, then casually added two cans of beer and a bag of chips.

The whole time, Mai Sakurajima's face was burning red. She kept her head down, letting him hold her hand tight with interlocked fingers.

At checkout, Mai darted ahead and slapped down the cash before he could move.

The clerk blinked at the money that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, but quickly covered the confusion with a professional smile.

…

On their way home, Mai stopped in front of the ATM. She withdrew a stack of bills—100,000 yen—and handed it to Takuma.

Takuma looked at her, speechless.

"It's a thank-you for tonight." She turned her head away, unable to meet his eyes.

It was her desperate attempt to preserve a shred of dignity, to define tonight with money.

Takuma glanced at the money, took it without hesitation, and slipped it into his pocket as if it were nothing.

That calm, unbothered attitude only made her chest feel tighter.

…

The apartment door opened again.

Takuma changed into slippers and set the shopping bag on the coffee table. He pulled out his phone, fingers moving quickly over the screen as if he were checking emails.

Then, tucking it away, he made up his mind.

He looked at Mai and said, flatly, "Got a computer?"

She blinked, caught off guard by the serious look in his eyes. Instinctively, she nodded.

"Lend it to me."

"…I-it's… in my bedroom."

"Mm."

He just stood there, waiting for her to lead the way—like stepping into a single girl's bedroom was the most natural thing in the world.

In the end… Mai opened the door. A door that had never been open to anyone else.

The bedroom was neat and filled with a faint, pleasant scent. Delicate bottles and jars were arranged on the vanity. Unlike the cold, modern style of the living room, this space was warm, girlish, undeniably hers.

Takuma didn't even glance at the details. He walked straight to the desk and opened the computer.

Soon, a video call window popped up.

On the other side was a bespectacled triceratops with eyes practically burning with excitement.

He was Triken, the Chief of Sales of Amagi Brilliant Park.

"Takuma-sama! The great manager of Amagi Brilliant Park" 

"The promo department finished the rough cut. Can you review it now?"

Takuma leaned back in the chair, his tone lazy.

"Play it."

The screen lit up with footage—grand, breathtaking. The spectacle of the "Water Tornado Cleansing" at Amagi Brilliant Park.

Mai, standing just out of camera view, was left speechless by the sheer impact.

Halfway through, Takuma raised a hand and paused it.

"No."

He shook his head, voice leaving no room for argument.

"The pacing's off—it's too fast. You didn't build up the shift from despair to miracle."

"First, amplify the screams before the Zone B pipes burst. This park is two million square meters—let everyone feel that despair."

"Then, cut to a close-up of the water stream when Muse injects her magic. That contrast is what sells the emotion."

"Also, splice in shots of everyone struggling together. Multiple angles—parallel storytelling."

"And change the ending BGM. Too fiery, it feels dumb. I want tragic, I want epic—'life in the face of death'."

"When that's done, buy trending spots, buy traffic. If you're short on funds, have Isuzu raise money inside the park. The fairies will approve."

Every word hit like a hammer.

Triken on-screen nodded furiously, eyes shining with awe.

Mai, meanwhile, was frozen in place.

Amagi Brilliant Park? Manager? Two million square meters? 

The words crashed around her brain like a storm, tearing apart everything she thought she knew.

She remembered forcing that pathetic "thank-you" into his hands downstairs.

That money, which she'd thought of as a show of pride, now felt like a slap across her own face.

So he wasn't some unemployed hobo.

He was a financial juggernaut managing a colossal park.

That was more absurd than "Puberty Syndrome" itself.

And she—a forgotten actress no one could even see—had tried to define her relationship with him in terms of money?

Heat surged through her, shame burning from her toes all the way to her head.

When the call ended, Takuma looked at her.

"Sounds like you heard everything."

Mai could only nod, still trapped in a dreamlike haze.

He stood and walked toward her, step by step. "Now do you still think I'm a man you can brush off with cash?"

Forced to meet his fathomless gaze, she quickly looked away, face burning.

He chuckled softly and eased back the pressure.

"Alright, go take a shower."

He paused, then added, "Leave the door open. Who knows—you might just turn into a bubble mid-shampoo."

His eyes glinted with amusement as her body stiffened and her face went crimson.

"Of course, if you'd rather I come in and scrub your back…"

"…I could be persuaded."

The words were pure shamelessness, yet somehow they steadied her heart.

Without answering, Mai grabbed her change of clothes and bolted toward the bathroom, cheeks on fire.

But after two steps, she stopped short, glanced back miserably, and whispered, "I… I'll leave the door open."

Biting her lip, trembling with both shame and defiance, she finally gave in.

"You—you'd better not move!"

"Alright."

Takuma leaned against the wall outside the bathroom.

Mai poked her head back out one last time, glaring fiercely.

"And no peeking! Or… or listening to the water and doing anything weird!"

"If you dare—I'll…"

She trailed off, unable to think of any real threat.

He looked at her face, red enough to drip blood, and laughed.

"Relax. I'm a man who's long since moved past childish sins."

…

An hour later.

They lay side by side in the same bed.

Beneath the blanket, their fingers were entwined—an anchor to keep her from vanishing.

But Mai couldn't sleep.

The darkness only amplified every sound, especially the steady rhythm of his breathing beside her. Her own heartbeat was hopelessly out of sync.

"Can't sleep?"

His voice broke the silence.

"N-no!" she shot back quickly, though her trembling tone betrayed her.

He chuckled and rolled onto his side to face her.

"Still thinking about the park?"

"Or maybe regretting… that your little 'thank-you gift' was too small?"

"You—!"

Her head popped out from under the blanket, face scarlet.

"Enough. Stop worrying about pointless stuff."

His tone suddenly shifted, serious.

"Let's talk about you."

"Your presence is fading. And I can't stay here forever, being your anchor. You need a stronger way of being seen. A stronger observation to stabilize your existence."

He let that sink in, let the unease build.

"A washed-up actress on the verge of disappearing."

"A theme park in desperate need of national buzz."

"Don't you think we're a perfect match?"

His voice in the dark was laced with temptation.

"So, Miss Bunny Girl… how about I give you the chance to stand back in the spotlight—by starring in an ad for my park?"

The offer sliced right through her—straight into the scar she hid deepest.

Her face went pale.

"I…"

She fell silent—rare for her—and her body trembled faintly.

Takuma felt her struggle.

"Tell me—what's stopping you? What's so strong it even kills your survival instinct?"

"I… I don't want to shoot… that kind of ad!"

Her voice was raw with anger and pain.

Takuma raised a brow, even more intrigued.

"What kind of ad?"

"…"

After a long silence, she was forced to rip open her wound.

"The year I finished middle school… my agent—my own mother."

"She signed me to a swimsuit photoshoot. Explicit. Without asking me."

Mai's voice shook with anger. "When I got to the set, the way those men looked at me made me sick. I wanted to vomit."

"But worse than that…"

"My mother stood there, persuading me right along with them."

"In the end… I refused. Right there, in front of everyone."

"It was ugly. Loud. Messy."

"After that… I chose to retire."

It wasn't the camera she hated.

It was being treated like a soulless product, priced and handled at will—even by the person closest to her.

And to escape that contract, she buried her love for acting right along with it.

"…I see. I get it."

Suddenly, Takuma leaned closer.

Under the blanket, his hand, still interlocked with hers, tightened.

"What a pity."

"But I'm not going to tell you, 'Don't worry, I won't force you.' Hmm... That's not who I am."

"I'll only say this— I am forcing you."

"Because you have no choice."

Mai froze, blood running cold.

"But no one will ever force you into anything again. No more sexy photo shoots… because that beauty belongs only to me now."

"..."

It took her three whole seconds to find her voice.

"Wh… why me?"

The question came out broken, nearly a sob—her last shred of resistance.

"Because you're interesting."

In the dark, Takuma's lips curved.

"When your mother treated you like a doll, you got a contract that humiliated you."

"But if you become my doll, you'll gain the eyes of the entire world."

He paused, letting her taste that gap between hell and heaven.

"So why not go big with me?"

"Forget these trashy swimsuit shoots. We stage a miracle called 'Return.'"

"We'll slap the most chuuni tagline possible: {Forgotten by the World, Summoned by the Observer—The Genius Bunny Girl Returns to Defy Fate!} We'll set the country on fire."

"That's… that's insane…"

Mai's face burned crimson, and under the covers her toes curled in embarrassment.

"That's the point," he said, a soft laugh escaping him.

"Shame. I want shame."

"Because shame slices through the dull masks of adulthood. It wakes people up, makes them feel the fire they had when they were young."

"Let's see if having millions—tens of millions—watch you can cure that little 'Puberty syndrome' of yours."

"And the only price you'll have to pay is—"

He suddenly yanked her around, forcing her to face him.

"—pleasing me."

He leaned in closer.

In the dark, their noses nearly brushed.

His breath spilled hot against her trembling lips.

"Now tell me…"

"Can you say no?"

Mai's whole body trembled. She bit her lip hard but stayed silent.

Could she refuse?

Her mind screamed that she should shove this man away, call him a bastard, a shameless man.

But that suffocating terror of "disappearing" smothered every ounce of fight in her.

And somewhere in that fear, she couldn't deny it—Takuma was still her "lifeline."

He knew she was wavering.

The next moment, he let go.

He pulled back, creating a burning gap between them.

Instantly—

That icy nothingness of being erased came crashing in, more vicious than ever before.

Mai's eyes flew wide with horror.

In the dim light, she saw the outline of his body blur, turn faint, almost transparent.

The world was "deleting" her.

"No… no, please…"

A broken sob tore from her throat.

She lunged forward, clutching him desperately.

Her cheek pressed to his chest, her legs wrapping around him, clinging as if she could smother the void with sheer contact.

Takuma didn't move. He let her cling to him like an octopus.

Lowering his head, his breath seared her ear.

"See? Your body has already made the most honest choice."

One hand held her head still, the other slid down boldly…

"But just holding on won't fix it."

"Touch fights distance. It doesn't fight forgetting."

"The world is stripping away every detail I know about you. It wants to leave you as nothing more than a blur."

"I need something deeper. An imprint that can't be erased."

Mai shuddered violently, her face burning hotter than blood.

"Don't be afraid, Bunny Girl."

"This isn't punishment. It's not a game. This is… a ritual of binding."

He tilted her chin, found her lips in the dark, and kissed her.

"Give me your taste. Let it brand itself into me forever."

"That way… I'll never forget you."

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