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Chapter 270: At This Moment, No Man Can Keep His Gun Down
🕑 Added 2025-04-06 04:15:33 +0000 UTCSince Akane was still emotionally unstable,
Minami decided to stay the night to take care of her.
It was supposed to be a perfectly normal thing.
After all, if your girlfriend is feeling down, staying with her to comfort her is the reasonable thing to do.
But then—
"How the hell did things end up like this?"
Minami sat in the bathtub, watching the naked, curvaceous figure of Akane soaking beside him.
His face was utterly speechless.
Yeah…
How the hell did things get to this point?
His thoughts drifted back to an hour ago.
Back when he first decided to stay the night—
"Since you're staying over, Minami-kun, you'll need to buy some pajamas, right?"
Akane had casually suggested, while scrolling through baby-rearing videos on her phone.
"Not really," he had replied, raising an eyebrow.
"I can just make do for one night. It's no big deal."
Minami had never been the type to fuss over minor details.
Sleeping in his underwear wasn't a problem for him.
But the moment he refused—
"No way!"
Akane suddenly sat up on the couch, her delicate face full of serious determination.
"This is the first time Minami-kun is staying at my house! We have to go buy pajamas!"
She then crawled over to him, tilting her pale face up with flushed cheeks.
"Besides, this won't be the last time, right? You'll probably stay over again in the future... So we might as well buy them now."
"Hmm...?"
Minami glanced at Akane.
For some reason—
He noticed that when she said those words, her face turned even redder.
And well, that was understandable.
Telling a guy outright that he would "probably stay over again"—
Which was basically her shy way of saying he could crash at her place whenever he wanted—
Of course, a girl like Akane, who had zero experience dealing with men, would get flustered.
But...
Buying pajamas, huh...
Minami glanced at the clock.
After seeing off Mirai Shouji, they had been dawdling for quite a while.
It was already past 7 PM.
Tokyo's winters were bitterly cold.
Going outside without the protection of an air conditioner or a kotatsu...
Minami could already imagine the icy winds slicing through his skin like blades.
Plus, with his feet warm and toasty under the kotatsu, he really didn't feel like moving.
So, he casually came up with an excuse to refuse.
"I spent a lot of money recently. No cash left for pajamas. Let's just forget about it."
With that, he tried to shrink deeper into the kotatsu.
But before he could—
"Don't say that! Come on, Minami-kun, let's go buy pajamas! I'll pay!"
Akane grabbed his arm and started pulling.
"Not interested."
"Please? Please? Pleaaaase~~?"
Seeing that she couldn't pull him out, she resorted to shaking his arm violently while pouting and acting spoiled.
"...Sigh."
Minami let out a helpless sigh.
Then, he glanced at Akane.
"If you really want me to go—"
He paused for a moment.
Then pointed to his cheek.
His intention was clear.
Kiss me, or I'm not moving.
Originally, he thought this would make Akane back off.
After all, if he went out with her, what was supposed to be a quick pajama shopping trip would inevitably turn into the hellish subquest of "accompanying a girl on a shopping spree."
Thanks to his countless simulations—
Minami knew this all too well.
So, of course, he had no desire to leave the warm embrace of the kotatsu.
But—
To his complete shock—
Akane didn't even hesitate.
She leaned in and pressed her soft, pink lips against his cheek.
"There! Now let's go!"
She pulled away, grinning mischievously.
"..."
Minami was speechless.
Yeah.
That move only worked on someone like Bocchi.
Against someone like Akane or Ryo, it was completely useless.
But now that she had already kissed him—
And he had already agreed—
It would be pretty shameless to go back on his word now.
So, with great reluctance, he dragged himself out of the kotatsu, pulled on his coat—
And followed the overly excited Akane out the door.
...
Tokyo, Winter Night.
Simply breathing in the cold air produced a white mist.
The chilly air, mixed with strong winds, crept into their clothes through every exposed gap.
Akane instinctively shrunk her neck into her coat.
"Cold, huh?"
Minami chuckled at her small-animal-like reaction.
But instead of just watching her shiver—
He reached out, grabbed her hand, and tucked it into his coat pocket.
Letting the warmth of his hand spread to her freezing fingers.
"Wow... Minami-kun, you really do care about me, huh?"
Akane giggled, gently squeezing his hand inside his pocket.
"Don't move."
Minami reminded her, then lifted his gaze to the road ahead.
Winter nights in Tokyo's Minato district were much quieter than usual.
Once they left the residential area and entered the commercial streets, only a few pedestrians wandered about.
The black night sky draped over the city like a veil—
Giving it a rare sense of tranquility.
And, as expected, the thing Minami had been dreading the most... happened.
Even after buying pajamas, Akane didn't take him straight home.
Instead, she continued dragging him into various stores.
What started as a simple "buy pajamas" quest...
Had now escalated into a high-difficulty shopping spree.
Since he wasn't too familiar with this wealthy district, and since he could tell that Akane's mood was improving as they shopped,
Minami chose not to insist on heading home immediately.
Instead, he followed her through the bustling streets.
But after a while—
He started feeling like something was off.
Why did it feel like she was treating him as a living dress-up doll?
If it were just that, he wouldn't have minded.
After all, it was just trying on clothes.
But—
What Minami couldn't accept was:
Akane wasn't just making him try on clothes.
She was outright buying him an entire wardrobe.
That... made him feel a little uneasy.
If anyone saw this, wouldn't they think he was living off Akane's wealth?
That's not the kind of relationship they had!
He really wanted to step forward and tell her:
"I can pay for my own clothes."
But then—
When his eyes accidentally landed on the price tag of one of the outfits…
That thought froze in his throat.
...
Never mind.
Minami quietly consoled himself.
At least Akane was happy.
Might as well let her have her fun.
So, he shut his mouth and fully embraced his role as a living Ken.
—
"How about this one?"
"Looks great on him!"
"Buy it!"
"And this one?"
"Also looks fantastic!"
"Please wrap it up for me."
"And this one...?"
"I've never seen a man look this good in a down jacket—it's like it was tailor-made for him."
Hearing this, the female sales associate couldn't help but approach.
To be honest—
She had worked in retail for over three years.
And this was the first time she had ever encountered a customer like Minami.
No matter the style.
No matter the color.
This black-haired young man could pull off anything perfectly.
Even something as plain as a down jacket—
Looked incredibly stylish on him.
It was like he was born to be a model.
She was utterly captivated—
To the point where she leaned in and asked hesitantly:
"We actually have a fashion model event coming up soon... Sir, would you be interested—?"
"Sorry, my boyfriend isn't interested. Please wrap this one up too."
Before Minami could even react, Akane cut in immediately.
Seeing the saleswoman's adoring "fan-girl" expression,
Akane's vanity was soaring.
See?
It's not just her.
Any woman who met Minami would naturally react this way.
Feeling immensely satisfied, Akane didn't hesitate to pull out her credit card.
As she swiped it, she grinned victoriously and added her latest purchases to her growing collection.
—
"You really don't need to buy this many clothes."
Minami frowned slightly, watching Akane juggle several shopping bags.
Then, with a resigned sigh, he took the heavy bags from her hands.
He really didn't get these rich girls.
Winter clothes were only worn for a few months a year.
Buying this much was totally unnecessary.
And considering that every single piece came from luxury boutiques in Minato...
Each one cost an arm and a leg.
Even just looking at the price tags—
Minami felt like Akane was getting ripped off.
—
"Oh, it's just a little money~"
Akane winked playfully, but then sighed in regret:
"If it weren't for the fact that these are winter clothes, I would've just bought out the entire store..."
"Minami-kun looks amazing in everything."
She spoke so casually—
As if she hadn't just dropped one or two million yen.
She wasn't the least bit bothered about the money.
If anything—
She looked like she wanted to buy more.
Minami rubbed his temples.
...
Now he finally understood.
Back in his simulations—
Whenever he ended up "being financially supported" by Akane...
This was how it started.
She would cover all his expenses—
From books to clothes to food.
All arranged perfectly by Shinjo-san.
It was enough to make a man never want to work again.
—
But—
Minami knew better.
All of this was just because of Shinjo's family wealth.
Someday, she would leave the Shinjo family.
When that time came...
Everything would depend on his own efforts.
He glanced down at the luxury shopping bags in his hands—
And found some comfort in that thought.
So, instead of arguing further,
He simply followed Akane back home.
—
But on the way back—
Akane suddenly stopped.
"Sorry, Minami-kun, I just remembered something important I forgot to buy. Can you wait for me?"
She looked a little embarrassed.
"...More shopping?"
Minami blinked.
Then asked, "Do you want me to come with you?"
"No need."
She pointed at a convenience store nearby.
"It's just a small thing. Minami-kun, just wait here for me."
"...Alright."
Since she still had something to buy,
Minami naturally wasn't going to leave her alone.
So, he stood still—
And watched as she hurried into the store.
—
About ten seconds later—
Under the sound of the convenience store clerk's polite, "Thank you, please come again!"
Akane jogged out.
—
"...Hm?"
Minami blinked—
Then glanced at her empty hands.
Wait—
Didn't she go in to buy something?
Why did she come out empty-handed?
He found it a bit strange.
But what was even stranger—
Was that—
Under the white glow of the store's lights,
Akane's pale face was now flushed an even deeper pink than the cherry blossoms in spring.
"...What's wrong? Weren't you going to buy something?"
Minami asked, a little puzzled.
"Ah... I already bought it, Minami-kun."
She cleared her throat softly.
Then, without another word—
She walked ahead on her own.
"...?"
Minami didn't say anything else. He simply carried the shopping bags and followed behind the girl.
What happened next was quite simple.
After finally returning to Akane's home—
Minami realized that he had spent quite a while wandering around when he sent off Mirai.
Then, he had spent even more time shopping with Akane.
Naturally, he wanted to take a bath and relax.
After informing Akane, he headed to the bathroom.
"As expected of the Shinjo family..."
Standing inside the so-called "bathroom"... if it could even be called that—
Showerheads mounted along the wall, luxury-brand body washes, aromatherapy oils...
A bathing area so large that multiple people could walk through at once—
And a spacious, steaming hot tub big enough to fit an entire group comfortably.
Just this bathroom alone...
Was more than twice the size of the entire cheap apartment he had lived in before.
This tub—
Forget just one person soaking in it.
Even seven or eight people could bathe in it comfortably.
"The life of the rich, huh..."
Minami sighed in amazement.
He quickly washed his hair, lathered his body with body wash, rinsed off, and then finally—
Sank into the spacious hot tub.
"Haa..."
Letting out a small sigh, he closed his eyes—
Wrapped in the warmth of the water, his thoughts drifted back to everything that had happened today.
Mirai's departure.
Matsuzaka Shio.
Matsuzaka Sato...
One thing after another—
Leaving him barely enough time to catch his breath.
But—
"Still have to do it, huh..."
Minami murmured to himself.
His entire body relaxed in the warm water.
And then—
He heard the sound of something entering the water.
Then—
Minami heard a soft splash.
A completely bare girl with soft purple-pink hair slipped into the bath.
And slowly approached him.
A faint blush colored her delicate face.
The most beautiful form of a young woman—
Now fully revealed before Minami's eyes.
In that instant.
Minami realized—
Suppressing his "gun"… was not going to be easy.
