Easy Goer's gaze fell on Sakuraba, and she remained silent for a long time.
She remembered Sakuraba.
Beneath the winning concert now known as the Golden Miracle, she had once seen him waving a light stick for Sunday Silence...
"The person Sunday Silence cares about so much..."
"...And also the person Big Sis hurried off to meet before."
Easy Goer silently recited those two labels in her heart, her blue-green eyes quietly studying Sakuraba.
He was not especially tall, nor could his looks be called stunning. He wore simple dark clothes and stood behind the counter, carrying a faint, gentle scent mixed with herbs and essential oil.
Overall... he looked rather ordinary.
There was no oppressive aura, no sharp gaze. Even the smile at the corner of his mouth, not yet fully adjusted and faintly forced, made him look even more like an ordinary shop owner.
Why?
Easy Goer blinked, genuine confusion rising in her heart.
Why would Sunday Silence, who on the racecourse was like a Black Tyrant, crushing every obstacle, even her gaze carrying a bone-deep chill... care about someone like this?
Why had even her sister, Secretariat, gone out of her way to cross the ocean just to meet him?
She did not understand.
In her view, the eyes of the strong ought to chase stronger things, or brighter light.
But Sakuraba... did not seem to possess any of that.
He looked too ordinary. So ordinary that... he even seemed somewhat out of place.
Only a strange sort of attraction lingered around him.
Easy Goer tilted her head slightly, but her gaze did not move away.
Led by Sakuraba, Secretariat and Easy Goer entered the inner room of the parlor.
The door closed softly behind them, cutting off most of the light and sound from outside. Only a few warm yellow wall lamps remained, along with the increasingly distinct dark fragrance of herbs in the air.
Sakuraba briefly guided the two of them to two massage beds placed side by side.
"Please lie down and relax first. I'll go prepare the tools."
His tone had already returned to professional calm. Although he was still muttering inwardly, on the surface, his conduct was impeccable.
Easy Goer lay down as instructed. The bed beneath her was moderately soft, but her body was somewhat stiff.
The unfamiliar environment, the unfamiliar fragrance, and... the unclear service about to be performed by that utterly ordinary yet specially regarded man all made her feel a faint unease.
She could not help turning her head slightly to look at Secretariat on the neighboring bed.
Her sister had already lain down in a relaxed manner and had even gently closed her eyes.
However, Easy Goer keenly caught that on Secretariat's usually calm and elegant profile, the corners of her mouth seemed to have lifted in an inexplicable arc.
It was not a relaxed smile, but rather... a smile carrying anticipation?
As if she knew something unusual was about to happen and was quietly waiting for that moment to arrive.
That subtle expression deepened Easy Goer's confusion.
What was Big Sis looking forward to?
Could this seemingly ordinary massage... truly have something special about it?
She withdrew her gaze and looked back up at the warm yellow glow on the ceiling, her fingers unconsciously tightening around the fabric beneath her.
When Sakuraba returned to the inner room carrying a prepared basin of warm water and blended massage oil, Easy Goer was staring blankly at the ceiling, while Secretariat still maintained that resting posture, eyes closed, the corners of her mouth slightly raised.
"Thank you for waiting." Sakuraba placed the tools on the low table beside the beds and looked between the two of them. "Then, which of you would like to begin first?"
Before Easy Goer could react, she heard her sister's clear, gentle voice come from beside her.
"I'll go first."
Secretariat opened her eyes. Her amber eyes reflected the warm yellow lamplight, calm yet carrying a trace of eagerness.
She even adjusted her posture on her own, gathering her long hair to one side and revealing the graceful lines of her shoulders and neck.
Easy Goer: "...?"
She looked at her sister in a slight daze, unable to understand why she was rushing ahead.
Sakuraba nodded and sat down on the low stool beside Secretariat's bed.
He rubbed his hands warm, then placed his palms over Secretariat's calves and began the first round of tentative pressing and kneading.
The first few seconds were still normal. Secretariat merely let out an extremely soft breath, as though in confirmation.
Then—
"Ngh...!"
A short, slightly strained muffled sound slipped from Secretariat's throat.
Easy Goer whipped her head around.
Sakuraba's fingers seemed to carry some strange penetrating force as they slid, pressed, and occasionally twisted along the lines of the muscles in Secretariat's calves.
His movements did not look rough. There was even a unique rhythm to them. But Secretariat's reaction formed a stark contrast.
"Ah... wait, there... mm!"
"Uu... th-this feeling... hah..."
"No... It's too... too strange...!"
Fragmented light moans and startled gasps that she could not suppress leaked from between Secretariat's clenched lips and teeth.
Her originally relaxed body tensed slightly. Her fingers unconsciously gripped the sheets beneath her, and even her toes curled in unbearable response.
That face, which always wore an elegant and composed expression, was now flushed faintly red. Her brows were slightly knit, and her amber eyes shimmered with moisture, mixed with an indescribable soreness, tingling numbness, and... an almost uncontrollable sense of comfort.
Easy Goer was completely stunned.
This was... Big Sis?
This was the student council president of Tracen Academy (American), who remained calm and composed no matter what powerful opponent she faced or what difficult matter she handled?
And now, because of an ordinary leg massage, she was making... such improper, even somewhat embarrassing sounds?
Sakuraba's movements continued, gradually moving upward from the calves, his techniques becoming more varied.
Kneading, pinching, pushing, pressing.
Then using his knuckles to accurately press into a certain point.
"Eek—!!"
Secretariat abruptly tilted her head back, her neck drawing a beautiful arc as she let out a short cry nearly like a scream. Immediately afterward, she bit down hard on her lower lip, forcing back the sounds that followed, leaving only her violently rising and falling chest and slightly trembling lashes.
Easy Goer felt as if she might be dreaming.
However, this shocking scene did not last too long.
As Sakuraba finished a smooth sequence of techniques, he ended by gently pressing a point on the sole of Secretariat's foot—
"Ooouuuoou..!"
Secretariat's body trembled violently. Then, as if all the strength had been drawn out of her, she went completely limp.
Her rapid breathing gradually became slow and long. Her tense brows relaxed, and although the blush on her face had yet to fade, the corner of her mouth curved into an incomparably satisfied, almost peaceful arc.
Her long lashes rested quietly against her eyelids, and her chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm.
She had actually... passed out just like that?
Easy Goer froze in place, her blue-green eyes wide and round as she looked at her sister's profile, which seemed to have fallen into a deep, sweet sleep and even carried the faintest hint of a happy smile. Her mind went completely blank.
Wh-what kind of massage was this?!
Was this massage even proper??
Her gaze slowly shifted to Sakuraba, who had already stopped and was wiping his hands with a warm towel.
This utterly ordinary man...
What exactly had he done to her sister?!
"Next, it's your turn, Easy Goer-san."
Holding the towel, Sakuraba smiled kindly at her.
---
T/N: girl u watched it all, he massaged her
future me here omg this chapter was finished on april 30th... gulp time passes
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