Everything Begins With a Debt in the Hentai World

"Hey, Rikka, what's going on?" 

A proud yet magnetic voice, mature and alluring, echoed from the other end of the phone, as if it could penetrate the depths of one's heart.

"Reika…," Sumeragi Rikka's voice was faint, barely above a whisper, but it trembled slightly, reaching Kurashiki Reika's ears.

"Hmm? Rikka, are you alright?" 

Sensing her friend's weakness, Kurashiki Reika felt her heart sink, her words coming out faster in concern.

Sumeragi Rikka was one of Kurashiki Reika's few close friends. 

Their bond was strong, and Rikka confided in her many of the intimate thoughts and secrets that women often share. 

Now, with her good friend seeming to be in distress, Kurashiki Reika was understandably anxious.

"I'm fine, Reika, really. Don't worry about me," Sumeragi Rikka managed to say as she took a sip from the cup on her desk. 

Though the beverage had been replaced with a milkshake, it still quenched her thirst. 

"I was just a bit reckless earlier, didn't prepare in advance, which left me too busy to rehydrate. Now I'm feeling a little parched."

"Phew—thank goodness! So what were you doing that got you so busy?" Kurashiki Reika exhaled, relieved to hear Rikka was okay, her curiosity piqued.

"Reika, do you know Ito Yoshito?" 

Sumeragi Rikka didn't answer directly...

Instead, she mentioned a name that Kurashiki Reika believed had nothing to do with Rikka.

"Ito Yoshito…? Why do you ask about him?" 

Kurashiki Reika felt a twinge of confusion.

"He applied for a position at Seika Private Girls' Academy, and I found out he owes a debt to the Kurashiki group."

"That's true!" 

"I'd like his debt contract transferred to me."

Silence hung in the air for a long moment before Kurashiki Reika's voice finally broke through.

"Rikka, to be honest, I've taken a liking to him." 

There was a queenly tone to Kurashiki Reika's voice, now tinged with a hint of shyness, as if confessing her desire for someone daringly attractive made her feel vulnerable.

"I know."

"Hmm? You knew?" 

Kurashiki Reika couldn't help but question, a mix of surprise and intrigue in her tone.

"I guessed when I took my friend to the XX hospital last month. I saw your car leaving just after Ito Yoshito was hospitalized there."

"Even so, how could you figure that out?"

"Who wouldn't know you, Reika? You wouldn't bother visiting someone you didn't care for, but if it were someone important to you, you would definitely ask me to join or talk about it."

"Then while looking into Ito Yoshito's background, I found out you were his creditor, and since you didn't have anyone else close to you hospitalized there, I concluded you must have gone to see him. Your prolonged silence only confirmed it."

"...Even so, you know, while I do like handsome young men, I haven't done anything inappropriate."

Having spoken so much, Sumeragi Rikka felt even drier, lifting her cup to down the last of her milkshake in one go. 

"*Burp*," a cute belch escaped her lips, and she licked her glossy lips before continuing, "Didn't you mention a while ago that your husband cheated on you?"

"That's true, but it was a political marriage with no feelings involved. If it weren't for his father being a politician, I would have divorced him long ago. But not getting divorced is better; he's intimidated by me and obeys my every wish. Haha," Kurashiki Reika chuckled softly, her laughter like raindrops on a jade plate.

Pleasant yet carrying an undercurrent of chill.

"It's been a month since you last complained!"

"!!! That's exactly why!" 

Kurashiki Reika was surprised but also pleased to have a friend like Sumeragi Rikka who understood her. 

"Mm."

"You really understand me well, Rikka. Not like my rebellious daughter, who gives me trouble every day."

"So, can you pass Ito Yoshito's debt contract to me?" 

"Knowing I like him yet you still want to take him from me!" Kurashiki Reika feigned anger, raising her voice slightly.

"Well, it's not like I don't have my eyes on him too."

"...Still not allowed." Kurashiki Reika contemplated for a moment before speaking again.

"Fine then."

"There are some things we can discuss in detail later. I have a secret I'm not sure how to share."

"We're best friends, close confidantes."

Everyone has their own thoughts and secrets they do not want others to know, just like Sumeragi Rikka will never reveal the secrets of Seika Private Girls' Academy to her friends, nor will she pry into her friends' secrets.

Though Kurashiki Reika could not see it, Sumeragi Rikka straightened her posture, speaking earnestly.

"Mm…"

"Let's end the call now."

"Goodbye."

———— 

When Ito Yoshito stepped onto the train, it was during the evening rush hour, and the car was already somewhat crowded.

He carefully navigated through the ebb and flow of the crowd, managing to find a somewhat spacious spot where he held onto the pole.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a girl next to him, quietly engrossed in a book.

'She must be a student from Seika Private Girls' Academy.'

As the train reached the next stop, the crowd surged forward again, filling every inch of space.

Inside the carriage, the passengers were pressed tightly against each other, as if an invisible force compressed them together. Everyone struggled for a sliver of standing room. The air was thick with various scents, mingling with feelings of haste, anxiety, and fatigue.

Despite the oppressive heat and anxious atmosphere trying to seep into Ito Yoshito's mood, a sudden, gentle fragrance wafted into his nostrils. 

It was a fresh and sweet aroma, elegant like the fragrance of gardenias in spring, delicately dispelling the surrounding tension and softening the clamor of the crowd, making it less jarring and healing Ito Yoshito's spirits.

"Sorry," the girl pressed against him murmured as she lifted her gentle face. Her long, straight black hair cascaded over her shoulders.

With a straight nose and stylish frameless glasses, her eyes, shrouded in a dreamy mist, seemed lost in the world of her book.

Once she snapped back to reality, her lips curled into a soft smile as she shyly addressed Ito Yoshito.

"It's no problem," he replied, shaking his head dismissively and returning her warm smile, 'She has a beauty mark just like Aunt Mira.' 

The girl smiled back and managed to squeeze slightly further away from him, turning her back toward him.

However, the curves of her chest, accentuated by the blue uniform of Seika Private Girls' Academy, brushed against Ito Yoshito's chest as she turned.

Once facing away from him, she resumed her reading, her expression tranquil and focused, as if the rest of the world didn't concern her.

Yet…

The faint flush creeping up her ears and the untouched pages of her book silently told the story of her shyness.