"Is your change of clothes in there?"
"Yeah. See for yourself."
"Wait—!"
Before Hachiman could stop her, Argo flipped open one of the boxes. Inside was a neatly arranged row of surprisingly cute, lacy underwear. Hachiman felt his face heat up and instantly averted his eyes.
"Are you a child?!"
"S-Shut up! I don't want to be the kind of 'adult' who can stare at that stuff without flinching!"
"Good grief..."
Argo closed the box and turned back toward him. In that moment, she "accidentally" lost her balance. She grabbed Hachiman's arm, dragging him down onto the bed with her.
"Whoa!"
Hachiman panicked, bracing his hands against the mattress to avoid crushing her with his weight. He ended up hovering directly over her in a classic "pushing her down" position, though he'd managed to avoid full body contact.
"Careful! Are you okay?"
"Heheh... Gotcha, Ha-bo."
"Huh? ...Wait—!"
With a swift movement, Argo swiped Hachiman's supporting arms out from under him. He collapsed forward, his body pinning hers to the bed in a full embrace.
"What do you think you're doing?!"
"I told you I was taking you home for some 'private time,' didn't I? And you didn't resist at all, Ha-bo."
"I—that's—!"
"Now then, I've set the stage. Don't you think it's time you gave me a reward?"
"How is this a reward...?"
Hachiman tried to pull away, but Argo locked her arms and legs around him, pinning him in place with surprising strength.
"Hey, cut it out! This position is dangerous!"
"You say that, but you're actually enjoying it, aren't you? Your face is red and your heart is pounding."
"Anyone's heart would be pounding in this situation!"
"Hmm. And you still don't think of me as a maiden?"
In that moment, Hachiman realized what this was all about. This was her petty revenge for his comment earlier.
"Fine! I'm sorry! I take it back! You're a maiden! A total maiden! So give me a break already... eep!"
Argo leaned in and gave his ear a playful, soft nip, her voice a low murmur against his skin.
"Honestly, Ha-bo... you spend way too much time fussing over Rose-chan. You need to realize that you've got another stray mouse right here who needs looking after."
"'Stray mouse' is a bit much. I don't really think of you as someone I 'picked up.'"
"That's where you're wrong. I'm a girl with a checkered past, and the government has their eyes on me. I've got nowhere else to go but here. That's why you have to take responsibility and look after me for the rest of my life, okay?"
Hachiman felt a pang of guilt. He had been focusing heavily on Rose lately. And Argo was right—this company, this environment, was the only place she could truly be herself.
"I'm sorry. You're right. I'll make sure to prioritize you more from now on."
"You still don't get it. You treat Rose-chan with way more casual familiarity, don't you? I'm saying I want you to treat me like that, too."
Hachiman blinked, stunned by the admission. "Wait... are you actually jealous?"
"Shut up, shut up! Take this!"
Argo buried her face in the crook of his neck and began to playfully "gnaw" on his skin.
"Hey! Stop it! Argo, quit it! I get it! I get it already!"
"Good," she huffed, finally releasing him. "I suppose that's enough for today."
Hachiman scrambled off the bed, smoothing his clothes. "Man... if that's how you felt, you could have just said so."
"As if I could say something that embarrassing out loud!"
"And what you just did wasn't embarrassing?!"
"Nobody was watching! Besides, it's easier to say things in a place like th—...Mai-mai?"
Argo's voice trailed off into a question as she looked past Hachiman. He turned around and saw Mai peeking through the doorway.
"Crap..."
Mai pushed the door open, her face a bright shade of crimson as she looked at Argo.
"Yuko... did you... did you just 'climb the stairs' to adulthood?"
"Oh yeah," Argo replied instantly, leaning back with a smug grin. "My legs are all wobbly. Ha-bo is surprisingly aggressive, y'know?"
"I-I see..."
"Mai! Don't believe a word she says!" Hachiman shouted. "And you! Stop spreading false rumors about me!"
"Well, Mai-mai, I'm sexually satisfied, so I'm going back to work now," Argo said, standing up.
"Listen to me!"
"I'm so jealous..." Mai whispered, looking at Hachiman. "Hachiman-sama, please do that to me next time too, okay?"
"There is no 'next time' because nothing happened!"
Hachiman failed to realize that Mai was in a similar position to Argo—another girl who had found her only home at Soleil. Which meant, eventually, she might take similar "drastic measures." His future was going to depend entirely on how he navigated these waters.
Argo looked back at him as she headed for the door. "Well, back to work. I'm counting on you, Ha-bo."
"Counting on me for what?!"
"Yeah, yeah, out you go. I'm a busy woman."
Kicked out of the development center, Hachiman stood in the hallway, trembling with a mix of frustration and resolve.
"Dammit... just you wait... I'm going to make her scream..."
He muttered the words with such intensity that they sounded dangerously suggestive to anyone passing by. But in his mind, he was already finalizing the logistics for Argo's forced relocation. He was going to make sure her new home was so perfect she'd have no choice but to admit defeat.
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read 70+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Greyhounds
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"