[MashUp] Ch 26: A New Lodging Mission

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"Not bad," Takuma said.

He lifted the hand that had just misbehaved, brought it to his nose, and inhaled slowly.

"Not only soft, curvy, and good smell."

The brazen, suggestive motion made Mai's cheeks flare red hot.

Why was a creep like this still walking free?

Were Japan's police really getting paid with taxpayer money just to sit around eating rice?

"You… you pervert! Stop watching hentai!"

She spat the words out between clenched teeth, but beneath the anger there was something else—joy. Joy at being seen.

Takuma ignored her accusation.

"Pervert?"

He chuckled and shook his head. "No. I was just making sure of something."

His gaze locked onto her flushed, furious eyes. His voice lowered, deliberate.

"Mai Sakurajima."

Mai's breath hitched.

Takuma continued, his tone casual, as if reciting facts from a dossier.

"You entered show business at six. A child actress. Within a few years, you were a famous name—Japan's sweetheart. But in your third year of middle school, right at the peak of your career, you suddenly announced an indefinite hiatus. Since then, you vanished from the public eye."

Her mind went blank.

Then, like a dam bursting, happiness surged through her.

He didn't just see her.

He remembered her.

In this world that had erased her, he was the first person who could still call her name.

And just then, Takuma's system chimed in his head.

[Ding!]

[Temporary Mission "Special Lodging" has appeared!]

[Objective: Within 24 hours, stay overnight at Sakurajima's home, in the same room.]

[Reward: +10 Template Experience Points.]

Takuma's brow arched.

Another one? First the Maple Castle, now this. And with only twenty-four hours.

So the system wanted to test his efficiency.

His lips curled into a playful smile.

Interesting.

Alright then. Let's play.

…

Ding-dong!

The train's arrival chime snapped Mai out of her daze.

The doors slid open.

Takuma pulled his gaze away, as if nothing had happened, and stepped off the train.

Mai froze.

Passengers surged past her, brushing by her body without ever noticing, without ever seeing her.

That same freezing emptiness wrapped around her chest, crushing her breath.

Shame? Dignity? Those things crumbled like paper in the face of this terror.

He was a jerk, a bastard, but he was also the only one—

The only proof she still existed.

"W-Wait!"

Mai stumbled forward in her heels, nearly tripping as she chased after him.

The moment she burst out onto the platform, the cold night air slashed across her bare skin.

She instinctively hugged her arms close. And then, with dawning horror, she realized—

Her coat was still on the train.

Right there on the seat.

The doors shut mercilessly in front of her.

The train slid away, taking her last scrap of warmth with it.

Her body shivered violently in the night wind, her face turning pale.

When she looked up, Takuma was standing not far ahead, back turned, like he had been waiting all along.

She bit down hard, rushed up, and grabbed the edge of his hoodie from behind.

"YOU! Stop right there!"

Takuma turned slowly.

His eyes swept over her trembling lips and that ridiculous bunny girl outfit, so fragile under the winter sky.

He laughed. "To be noticed, you parade around on trains dressed like this? "

"Mai Sakurajima, are you trying to make a comeback in the hentai business?"

She froze, lashes trembling, head bowed against the wind.

A long silence.

Then, in a voice rough with cold, she whispered: "No…"

"I just… wanted to prove something."

Her words shook.

"I went to Shinjuku. To Shibuya. I stood in the busiest crowds I could find. But everyone just walked past me, like I was air."

Her voice cracked, carrying the terror of being erased. "This is my last stop. My hometown. I told myself, if even here—no one noticed me…"

"Then I'd really be done for."

The silence that followed was suffocating.

"But…"

Her voice suddenly rose, trembling yet fierce. "You saw me. Y-You really saw me!"

The moment the words left her lips, something heavy landed on her shoulders.

A down jacket, still warm with body heat, engulfed her.

His scent pressed against her, driving out the biting cold.

Mai froze.

She lifted her head sharply. And under the dim glow of the streetlamp, she finally saw his face clearly.

Short silver hair that caught the night like steel.

Features sharp and striking, eyes deep enough to drown in, their playful gleam still lingering.

Her heart skipped a beat.

She forgot to breathe.

Takuma, unaffected, tugged the zipper up with one rough pull, tucking her chin into the collar.

Then his gaze slid down, lingering on her long legs, still bare save for sheer stockings.

"You think this flimsy stuff is enough?"

His voice was lazy, drawling.

"Another ten minutes and you'll need those legs amputated."

With that, he turned and strolled toward the brightly lit shopping street.

Mai stood frozen in his jacket, warmth seeping into her bones, before instinctively trailing after him.

He led her into a women's clothing store.

"Welcome!"

The young clerk beamed, her eyes lighting up at Takuma. She didn't so much as glance at Mai.

Mai's chest tightened again.

She hesitated, then stepped closer—so close to the clerk she could have bumped her nose.

Mai raised a trembling hand and waved it in front of her face.

Nothing.

The clerk kept smiling at Takuma.

"Shopping for your girlfriend, sir? We just got new scarves in—"

The scene was absurd.

And real.

Mai turned to Takuma, eyes shining with desperation, silently pleading: 'See? I wasn't lying.'

Takuma, unbothered, picked up a pair of white wool gloves, fleece-lined black tights, and a pair of sturdy winter boots.

He tossed them onto the counter. "Check out."

"Of course!"

The clerk rang them up quickly, stealing starry-eyed glances at him.

"Your girlfriend's so lucky! Out on such a cold night, and you still came here to buy her clothes. You're such a gentleman."

Girlfriend? Gentleman? Him?

The words hit Mai like a hammer.

Her cheeks flushed scarlet, her heartbeat kicking wildly.

Was he… maybe actually a good guy?

But then—

The so-called "gentleman" turned to her, palm outstretched.

That familiar crooked grin tugged at his lips, wicked and amused. "What are you spacing out for?"

"Pay up."

"Miss bunny girl, don't tell me you planned to freeload?"

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