Myriad Dreams was scared out of her wits by the sudden embrace, her heart hammering so hard it felt like it might shatter her ribs.
Within Yaeno Muteki's embrace— one filled with a delicate fragrance and a dangerous aura— she struggled weakly, her voice carrying a hint of a sob:
"Mu-Muteki! It's not what you think! Listen to my explanation...!"
However, a furious Yaeno Muteki (or rather, one dominated by intense possessiveness and insecurity) had no desire to hear any excuses.
One hand remained clamped around Myriad's waist like an iron shackle, while the other forcefully tilted her chin up.
In the darkness, Muteki accurately captured those lips that were slightly parted in panic and kissed them hard with a clear sense of punishment!
"Mph—!!"
Myriad Dreams' pupils contracted violently once again, far more shocked and helpless than she had been during the kiss from Silver Charm.
This kiss was different from Silver Charm's declared and clumsy touch, it was aggressive, an assertion of undeniable control, and filled with a burning, dark emotion that threatened to consume her.
She could feel the firm pressure of Muteki's teeth and the angry exploration of her tongue, as if Muteki were trying to completely overwrite and wash away any traces left by another.
Oxygen deprivation and sheer shock left Myriad's brain a total blank, her hands, meant to push Muteki away, turned soft and powerless.
After an unknown amount of time, just as Myriad felt she was about to suffocate, Yaeno Muteki finally pulled back slightly, though an ambiguous silver thread of saliva still connected their lips.
In the dark, Myriad could only see Muteki's eyes, burning with deep purple flames, fixed on her from mere inches away.
"Explanation?"
Muteki's voice was low and husky, tinged with mockery and an irresistible dominance.
"Right now... I don't want to hear it."
Before the words had even settled, she exerted a sudden force, sweeping the limp Myriad Dreams up by the waist!
Myriad let out a startled cry, and in a whirlwind of motion, she was pinned down onto the bed by Yaeno Muteki!
The soft mattress sank deeply, testifying to the weight and power pressing down upon it.
"W-wait! Muteki! Can... can we just talk properly?"
Myriad Dreams panicked, pressing her hands against Muteki's shoulders in a final struggle, her voice filled with genuine alarm and a sliver of a plea.
She had a premonition that what was about to happen might veer completely off course.
She was answered by an ambiguous hum from Yaeno Muteki and an even more suffocating barrage of kisses and touches.
Fingers skillfully slipped under the hem of her clothes, brushing against the sensitive skin of her waist and sending shivers through her body.
Protestations were stuffed back into her throat, turning into broken whimpers.
One piece, two pieces... the messy garments were heartlessly cast aside, falling silently onto the floor by the bed like a prelude to a night destined to be far from peaceful.
"Ugh... Mu-Muteki... be gentle..."
"...Don't even think about escaping..."
...
...
...
The next day, sunlight pierced through the gaps in the curtains, stinging her clouded consciousness awake.
Myriad Dreams struggled to open her incredibly sore eyes.
She felt as though the bones in her body had been dismantled and reassembled, every joint was groaning, and her lower back in particular was so sore she could barely move.
A feeling of extreme exhaustion and being "hollowed out" permeated her entire being, making it a chore even to lift a finger.
She tilted her head slightly and saw Yaeno Muteki lying on her side next to her.
Her deep purple hair was spread across the pillow, her sleeping face peaceful, even carrying a trace of satisfaction, while her arm remained possessively draped over Myriad's waist.
Myriad Dreams stared at the ceiling, her eyes hollow and her heart a mess of complex emotions.
'What... what even is this...'
She had won the races, secured the Triple Crown, but it felt like... she had lost herself entirely in the process?
She tried to carefully move Muteki's arm, but was immediately pulled into an even tighter hold.
Yaeno Muteki even unconsciously buried her face in the crook of Myriad's neck, nuzzling slightly as she let out a blurred mumble:
"Mine... no running away..."
Myriad Dreams: "..."
She closed her eyes in despair.
It seemed the "punishment" after returning home had only just begun.