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CLOVER Convenience Store
By the time Akira returned, it was already 8 PM.
"Huh…?"
"Where are Shiori-chan and Ran?"
He scanned the convenience store but didn't see either of them. The only ones there were the ever- diligent Sonoko Suzuki and Yui Nakahara.
Could it be…?
"They went home earlier," Sonoko said, not offering much explanation.
Neither did Yui.
They weren't fools—
Akira could easily guess the tension between those two women.
It was a relief that Ran and Fuyutsuki Shiori had stormed off instead of staying. Otherwise, this place would've turned into a battlefield.
"Their professionalism needs work," Akira muttered.
Sonoko twitched at the comment.
Oh, come on!
She felt like they'd handled things pretty well, all things considered. If it had been anyone else, t here might've been actual punches thrown!
"Boss."
"Can I go home early today?" Yui asked hesitantly.
The reason was obvious.
She was worried about her cousin, Shiori. If Shiori had gone home angry, she might bottle it up until it made her sick.
"Hmm… go ahead," Akira nodded. "Don't forget to say hi to Shiori for me."
"Thank you, Boss," Yui said with a grateful nod before leaving.
In just two minutes, the store was empty except for Akira and Sonoko.
Even the streets of Beika Town outside felt eerily quiet, adding a strange tension to the air inside the convenience store.
Normally, Sonoko would've been chattering nonstop by now.
But tonight—
She was unusually silent, feeling more and more nervous.
Because deep down, she had her own feelings for Akira. Even though Shiori and Ran were currently at each other's throats over him, her emotions hadn't changed.
That was just the kind of person she was.
She always talked about wanting a dramatic, storybook romance—dreaming of meeting her Prince
Charming in some magical, fateful encounter on the streets.
But in reality? She was a total coward.
Now, standing next to the guy she liked, she couldn't even say a word. That was why, when she first
decided to work at the convenience store, she insisted on bringing Ran with her—for moral support.
Too bad—
Ran had beaten her to it and confessed first.
And then—
She suddenly felt a pair of warm hands settle on her waist.
It was one of the most sensitive spots on a woman's body.
In an instant—She stiffened, whipping her head around.
As she suspected—
The man holding her from behind was Akira.
"Miss Sonoko."
"Are you secretly into me?"
Akira wasn't clueless.
He had already picked up on Sonoko's feelings through her little gestures and emotions over time.
"I… I…"
Sonoko's heart pounded so hard it felt like it might jump out of her chest.
She couldn't even look him in the eye.
She was terrified that his burning gaze would melt her on the spot.
"Sonoko."
"Go out with me."
After all—
A beautiful woman who liked him was standing right in front of him. If he didn't act now, would he even be a man?
"I… I…"
Sonoko's tongue was tied.
She admitted she liked Akira.
But with Ran and Shiori already fighting over him, she had started suppressing her feelings, trying to step back from the competition.
Yet now—
Akira's warm hands on her waist rekindled the emotions she had buried, and that little seed of affection inside her started sprouting again.
"…"
Without another word, Akira scooped her up and carried her toward the storage room in the back.
"N-No… I can't!"
"Ran will never forgive me!"
Sonoko couldn't even imagine what would happen if Ran found out about this.
Their decade-long friendship would probably be over.
"She won't."
Sonoko wasn't sure what he meant by that.
Was he saying that Ran would never find out?
Or that even if she did, she wouldn't be mad?
Before she could process it—
Akira had already placed her on top of the storage room's table.
And before she could fully react, she felt a soft, warm sensation on her lips.
So this is… a kiss?
Her body stiffened like she had been electrocuted.
Then—Akira's hands started wandering across her body.
Up and down, back and forth!
She instinctively tried to resist, but every time she wanted to push him away, his hands had already moved somewhere else.
She was flustered—
And within minutes, she found herself completely lost in the moment, her mind spinning in the whirlwind of emotions.
Her protest was a breath against a rising tide, each soft denial met with his hands tracing new, forbidden paths.
Her blush deepened, a wildfire igniting beneath his touch.
Resistance dissolved, replaced by a surrender to the exquisite pull of the moment.
She was lost in the tempest of sensation, her thoughts scattered like embers in a passionate wind.
Just a whisper, a sigh, a fleeting touch. Just the hint of a smile, a lingering gaze. Just the warmth of a hand, a shared breath. Just the feeling of closeness, a silent understanding. Just the possibility of something more.
"....."