That said, even though Kuroha Akira felt it was a monumental waste, he couldn't just bluntly tell Shinomiya, "You shouldn't be a voice actor; it's beneath your talent."
Shinomiya Shion was a living, breathing person with her own will, not a game character under his direct control. She had her own thoughts and wouldn't blindly obey his every directive. It would be disastrous if she grew suspicious and rebellious.
Therefore, Kuroha Akira also needed to gauge just how obedient Shinomiya currently was.
While these thoughts swirled in his head, the two had returned indoors. Akira went to the bathroom, fetched his towel, and tossed it to Shinomiya, who was standing nearby. "You must be sticky from sweat. Use my towel for now."
Shinomiya was extremely uncomfortable. Her skin beneath the sportswear was damp with perspiration, especially the area between and beneath her breasts, which felt unpleasantly moist. She desperately wanted to wipe herself down.
But as she caught the towel Akira threw her way, her first thought was… Would a towel he's used carry his scent?
She had the sudden, fleeting urge to bring it to her nose, but doing so in front of him would be far too embarrassing.
Akira, misreading her hesitation as a typical girl's aversion to a boy's personal item, added, "Don't worry. I just washed it thoroughly with soap. No strange smells."
"Mm…"
Shinomiya wasn't actually bothered by using his towel. Her concern was the opposite: that her scent would linger on it afterward. After all, Kuroha Akira would likely use this same towel to wipe his face later…
If she used it on her chest, and then he used it on his face… wouldn't that be indirectly like him burying his face in her…?
The thought made the girl hesitate.
Kuroha Akira, unaware of her complex internal dilemma, mistook her pause for disgust and didn't press the issue. "If you're really put off, you'll just have to tough it out until we buy you a new one."
He reached out to take the towel back.
But Shinomiya took a half-step back, evading his hand, and clutched the towel tightly to her chest. "Um, I… I do want to wipe off. It feels sticky, really uncomfortable… It's just… Akira-kun, you wouldn't mind, would you?"
Seeing her ask so cautiously, Akira found it somewhat amusing and decided to tease her with a deliberately crude remark. "Why would I mind? If anything, a beautiful girl's fragrant sweat is a man's reward. You can just give it to me directly when you're done. I like things with a scent."
"I see… Okay, I understand."
To Akira's surprise, instead of blushing and calling him a pervert, Shinomiya nodded with a determined expression. He wasn't quite sure what she understood; this wasn't the rom-com reaction he'd anticipated. He'd expected her to turn crimson, throw the towel in his face, and huff, "Hentai!"
Wasn't that the standard script?
What happened next, however, left him speechless.
Shinomiya turned her back to him.
Zzz—
The sound of a zipper being pulled down echoed in the quiet room.
Then, he saw her half-remove her jacket, letting the collar drape over her upper arms, revealing the ivory-white nape of her neck, the smooth, delicate slope of her shoulders, and a bare upper back like a pristine field of snow.
Kuroha Akira's eyes were treated to a feast, but a more pressing question arose…
So she wasn't wearing anything underneath?!
No, first the class rep took off her bottoms, now this one isn't wearing a top… Do all you modern high school girls have some strange exhibitionist tendencies? Or is this a quirk exclusive to geniuses?
Wait… that means if I'd glanced back during our run, I might have seen her…? After all, when running against the wind, a loose jacket gets pressed tight against the body…
He'd been so captivated by the 'majestic mountain range' ahead that he'd failed to notice the 'rolling hills and peaks' hidden behind him. Kuroha Akira felt a profound regret at the missed opportunity.
But Shinomiya hadn't disrobed just to give him a show. She began wiping her neck with the towel, then meticulously cleaned the sweat from her collarbones. With smooth, fluid motions, she brought the towel to her 'northern hemisphere,' kneading the 'snowballs,' then moved to her chest and the area below her 'southern hemisphere,' carefully attending to the most heavily scented parts.
Once she felt refreshed, she pulled her jacket back on, zipped it up, turned to face Kuroha Akira, and handed him the towel.
"Here you go..."
Though Shinomiya fought to keep her expression neutral, the vivid blush staining the tips of her ears, visible through her dark hair, betrayed her profound embarrassment.
Her reasoning was simple: she believed she had 'forcibly borrowed' the pair of alluring underwear Kuroha Akira used for... 'personal power generation.' Worried he'd be left without a temporary 'substitute,' she had taken his crude joke at face value and decided to offer her own used, 'original scent' towel as compensation.
"This is... a return gift. For presumptuously borrowing your... hidden underwear."
"Uh..."
Kuroha Akira was at a loss for words.
Shinomiya's actions had completely shattered his expectations. Not only was she willing to use a man's towel, but she was also willing to give him her own used, scent-laden towel as a 'gift'—and had even wiped herself down in front of him, offering an unobstructed view. These were not the actions of a naive, sheltered girl.
From her reactions, it was clear her health education grades were excellent; she understood exactly what she was doing.
She must have imagined the kind of... activities a man could engage in with a towel carrying a girl's intimate scent. Yet she still chose to give it to him, seemingly to 'encourage' such... enthusiastic behavior.
This went far beyond mere tolerance or understanding.
The initial affection level... seems a bit too high.
Of course, Kuroha Akira knew Shinomiya held a favorable impression of him. In fact, from the moment they met, he'd been confident he could win Shinomiya Shion's favor. He was the one who had extended a hand in her darkest hour, the first person who hadn't cared about her looks, who had pulled her from the brink of self-destruction and given her a direction, a temporary haven.
Putting himself in her shoes, Akira felt that if he were Shinomiya, he, too, would have developed deep feelings for such a person—perhaps even fallen in love.
How could one not be moved by a savior who appeared like a god?
This level of affection was precisely Kuroha Akira's greatest leverage to 'guide' Shinomiya Shion. Because her fondness was so high, he could use it to make her obediently follow his lead, act according to his plans, and do whatever he asked without question or resistance. It would be like playing an old-school dating sim or a modern life-raising game—smoothly cultivating the 'heroine' into his ideal image.
*Cue Bitlife
Using affection to circumvent the heroine's independent will, making her accustomed to obeying his commands... commonly known as emotional manipulation, or PUA. This would minimize unforeseen risks during her 'cultivation.'
All of this was part of Kuroha Akira's plan, conceived the moment he confirmed Shinomiya Shion was a genius.
But now... the initial affection was too high.
This also carried a significant risk.
The risk of 'vague fondness' solidifying into 'definite love.'
Once he was genuinely loved, Kuroha Akira's dream of a leisurely, carefree life would be utterly, completely GG.