Chapter 89: 89: Nino Is a Cat
Indoor.
Nino once again experienced the relaxing massage she had been longing for. That sensation of comfort washing over her entire body filled her heart once more.
Most importantly, the pent-up restlessness within her had found its perfect release.
…Maybe too much of a release. In a bit, she'd have to shower again and change her underwear…
From Makoto's perspective, Nino's pale waist was exposed, her whole body alternately tensing and relaxing.
Her bare feet, without socks, curled adorably whenever she tensed, her soft, white toes flexing one by one.
Her eyes were already shut tight, her face completely flushed with a seductive red hue.
Beads of sweat glistened on her forehead, slowly rolling down her petite nose, which she lazily wiped away with her hand.
When Makoto moved his hands from her waist down to her thighs, she finally couldn't hold back and let out a soft hum.
Like a sweet little kitten.
After accidentally making a sound, Nino even opened one eye to sneak a glance at Makoto, pretending it was nothing.
Seeing his calm expression, still as professional as ever, she was finally at ease.
It's perfectly normal for me to moan a little! If it weren't, he would've said something.
With that thought, Nino no longer tried to suppress the soft hums coming from her lips.
"Are you alright?" Makoto suddenly asked.
"Mm, I'm great. It feels amazing right now," Nino quickly replied.
Makoto nodded. "Good. I thought maybe I misjudged the pressure and hurt you."
"Not at all, you're very professional."
Nino flashed him a beautiful smile without reservation.
To her, his words had just confirmed her earlier thought.
Moaning is totally fine!
Nino felt fully justified.
Just then, Makoto felt his phone vibrate.
It was another message from Yukino.
He assumed she was just saying good night, but upon opening the message, he realized it wasn't.
Yukino: You're probably still awake, right?
Makoto: Yeah, I am. What's up?
The next moment, his phone rang.
Yukino was calling directly.
"W-Who's calling?"
Nino, still in her blissful state, heard the ringtone in her haze and asked casually.
Makoto: "A friend."
Knowing Yukino's personality, if she was calling at this hour, it must be important.
"Then go ahead and take it."
Nino looked a little disappointed—she was just starting to feel her best.
But thankfully, Makoto's left hand was still massaging her left thigh, and her dreamy expression slowly returned.
Before she got fully lost in the moment again, she kindly said, "I won't disturb you."
Makoto answered the call.
Yukino's clear voice quickly came through: "I just finished drafting a complete filming schedule. From morning to afternoon, I've planned out everything."
No pleasantries, straight to business.
Very on-brand for her.
It also showed how much she wanted to use this opportunity to prove herself to her mother.
Makoto: "I'd expect nothing less from you. That's incredibly efficient."
Yukino: "There's no need for meaningless flattery. I'll send you the schedule shortly. As for the shoot—"
She didn't finish her sentence, because suddenly, she heard a soft, sweet, and drawn-out "Mmm~".
Yukino fell silent.
Makoto calmly turned his head to see Nino covering her mouth in disbelief—clearly surprised by the sound she had just made.
She looked back at him, shaking her head with a mortified expression, silently apologizing.
Makoto remained composed.
If he dared to keep massaging her leg while on the phone, he had clearly prepared for this.
"What was that sound just now?" Yukino's tone turned cold.
"A cat."
As Makoto spoke, he took two steps forward and gently ran his right hand through Nino's soft, slightly damp hair.
A very gentle head pat.
His intent was: Don't worry. It's okay.
But perhaps Nino misunderstood. She hesitated for a second, then with a shy, apologetic expression, cheeks flushed, she softly whispered: "Meow~"
Makoto: "???"
Yukino: "???"
This time, the silence on Yukino's end lasted much longer.
Makoto's hand trembled holding the phone—he was genuinely shocked.
But despite his shock, the sight of a beautiful girl like Nino lying on the bed, her waist exposed, looking up at him with a flushed, embarrassed face and meowing…
That was way too stimulating.
Sure, he understood she was trying to apologize and salvage the situation without interfering with his work.
But that sudden, unprompted "meow" was way too hard not to laugh at.
Zero-frame start indeed!
At that moment, Yukino's icy voice came through: "Do you still want to tell me that it was a cat?"
Makoto finally burst into laughter. "I was messing with you. Actually, I'm doing a massage lesson."
"…Huh?"
Yukino's single confused syllable perfectly conveyed her bafflement.
No matter how quickly her brilliant mind worked, she just couldn't wrap her head around how Makoto managed to connect this to something like "massage lessons."
Makoto gently stroked the still-embarrassed Nino's head and said, "I've studied it before."
Yukino was silent for a second, then replied with a weird tone: "And your massage subject… is a cat?"
"Of course not. A human."
"Oh."
Yukino gave a light reply, then sighed. "Forget it. I don't want to keep talking about something so incomprehensible. Just make sure you're ready for the shoot this weekend."
"Don't worry, I've been prepared for a while."
"Then I'll send you the detailed schedule in a bit."
Yukino decisively ended the call.
As soon as Makoto put down his phone, Nino shyly lowered her head and murmured, "I really couldn't hold it in just now…"
"I know. It's not a big deal. But—"
"But what?"
"You were very cute."
"You're not allowed to say that again!"
Nino was so embarrassed she couldn't even look up.
But deep inside, she felt a little happy.
Cute, huh?
Elsewhere.
After hanging up, Yukino couldn't calm herself down.
It was still early, so she had only taken a bath and wasn't yet in bed.
Wearing only a camisole nightgown, the girl's round, bare shoulders were exposed to the air.
Her long, waterfall-like hair naturally flowed down to her slender waist, giving her a graceful and charming look.
Her flat stomach was soft but not frail, and her snow-white legs stretched freely beneath the skirt.
Her neatly trimmed toenails peeked out from her slippers in an adorable, orderly fashion.
Resting her chin on her pale hand, her bare, breathtakingly beautiful face—even without makeup—was filled with thought.
After a while, her contemplation turned to disdain.
"That guy bluntly told me before that he wanted to see me in a school swimsuit.
Now he suddenly brings up a so-called massage lesson I never knew about… Could it be that he wants me to wear a school swimsuit and give him a massage?"
Knowing his personality, Yukino found that very likely.
As for the girl's voice she heard on the phone, though it was faint, she suspected it was Ichika.
Who else but Ichika would deliberately meow while Yukino was on a call with him?
When it came to work, the two of them could be considered friends. But outside of work, Yukino was well aware that Ichika saw her as a rival.
And Ichika had a record.
Last time, Ichika had openly provoked her—though she was swiftly and effortlessly defeated.
This time, deliberately making cat noises by the phone to mess with her fit perfectly with her logic.
Yukino was not the kind of girl who tolerated provocation, especially when it was directed at her twice.
She picked up her phone, opened Ichika's contact window, and typed a message:
[I never knew you had a habit of playing catgirl, Ichika-san.]
Message sent.
Calmly holding her phone, Yukino had already come up with dozens of ways to verbally dismantle her in just a few seconds.
But she waited.
Ten full minutes passed.
Until finally, Ichika stepped out of the bathtub, dried herself off, changed into pajamas, and casually glanced at her phone—only to see the message from Yukino.
Ichika fell into deep thought.
What did I do to piss her off this time?
Or… was she still holding a grudge from the last time I teased her?
If that's the case, then it means Yukinoshita's so-called perfect defense isn't as impressive as I thought.
Ichika immediately got hyped, and smugly typed:
[Even if I did play a catgirl, it would only be for Makoto.]
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