Eriri Spencer Sawamura's accusation hung in the air. "Perv…!" she breathed out, her face buried against his shoulder in a futile attempt to hide.
Hozuki Nozomi, feigning utter innocence, replied with earnest confusion, "Paw? What paw? I don't see any paws."
Eriri Spencer Sawamura: "…"
She could feel the undeniable, warm pressure of his hand where it rested against her calf. The sensation sent a wave of dizziness crashing over her, short-circuiting her ability to form a coherent retort.
"P-Pervert…!" she finally managed, the word muffled but laced with a strange lack of venom. She lifted her face from its hiding place, her sparkling, now slightly hazy blue eyes meeting his.
Nozomi looked into those beautiful, conflicted eyes, and any remaining shreds of his feigned composure evaporated. The playful tension snapped, replaced by a more direct, compelling pull. He didn't hesitate. He quickly lowered his head and captured her small, pouting mouth in a decisive kiss.
"Mmmph…! You… nn…!"
Her protest was instantly silenced. Eriri Spencer Sawamura's mind went completely blank. What… what is this? He's… he's kissing me? And not on the cheek…?
As reality reasserted itself, a wave of frantic embarrassment surged through her. She brought her small hands up, pushing weakly against his chest in a token resistance that felt more like an involuntary tremor. The blows were soft, utterly lacking in force.
…
Later, with her face buried in her hands, Eriri Spencer Sawamura was a portrait of profound mortification. She couldn't face him. Her most flustered, vulnerable state had been completely witnessed by this incorrigible bad guy, Hozuki Nozomi.
Mom… Eriri Spencer Sawamura won't be able to get married now!
Nozomi watched her with fond amusement. "No need to hide your face. You're still incredibly cute, you know."
"Pervert… I hate you the most," she mumbled from behind her hands, the words lacking any real bite.
"Yes, yes, I know you hate me," he soothed, his voice gentle. "But I'm just trying to provide you with some… artistic inspiration. Now that you're continuing the storybook, aren't the images flooding in?"
"Pah! I'm not Kasumigaoka Utaha! I don't get 'inspiration' from things like this!" Eriri retorted stubbornly, finally lowering her hands to glare at him. To emphasize her point, she kicked his shin with her delicate foot, still sheathed in its signature black thigh-high. "Now get lost… and hand me my skirt!"
"As you wish, Kashiwagi Eri-sama," Nozomi replied, playing the part of the dutiful servant as he retrieved her slightly rumpled skirt and presented it to her.
Eriri snatched it from him, her head bowed in lingering shame as she quickly put it back on. She fell silent.
To be clear—nothing of that ultimate nature had occurred. But he had certainly explored and claimed every other privilege, leaving her thoroughly flustered and acutely aware of his touch.
Seeing her continued embarrassment, Nozomi wordlessly reached out and wrapped an arm around her slender waist, pulling her close again. "I'll take responsibility, you know."
"Pah! In your dreams!"
"Ahem. Well, if you insist, I suppose I won't take responsibility then…"
"You wouldn't dare!" Eriri snapped, her head whipping up to glare at him before she let out a haughty "Hmph!" Her classic tsundere display, combined with the lingering blush on her cheeks, was undeniably adorable.
Nozomi chuckled and gently stroked her hair. "We still have some time. Let's discuss the Magical Girl Misaki manga adaptation." His tone shifted to something more practical. "After that, I'll walk you home, alright?"
"…Mm."
…
Standing at the imposing gates of the Spencer Sawamura estate—her personal "castle"—Hozuki Nozomi leaned in and planted a soft kiss on her cheek.
"Eriri," he said, his voice uncharacteristically serious. "I know I'm overbearing. And I know I'm greedy. But… I still want you to stay by my side." Then, as if to undercut the solemnity, he added with a wink, "Oh, and don't forget the doujinshi you promised to draw for me."
"Go to hell, you big pervert!" Eriri Spencer Sawamura yelled, her face scarlet. She punctuated her shout by angrily punching his arm and then whipping her twin tails across his face before turning on her heel and fleeing into the safety of her mansion, her proud huff echoing in the night air.
Back in the sanctuary of her room, Eriri threw herself face-first onto her large, plush bed, burying her scream into her pillow. The memory of the kiss—and everything that preceded it—replayed on a loop, making her cheeks burn even hotter.
Was this… how Kasumigaoka Utaha felt back then?
Why… even though he bullied me… do I still feel a little bit of… anticipation?
*Am I turning into some kind of perverted woman whose mind is full of R-18 plotlines?!*
"AAAAH! Impossible!" she shouted into the pillow. "That pervert is corrupting me! He's leading me astray!"
She made excuses to herself, but her fingers drifted up to lightly touch her lips, her eyes growing increasingly unfocused. She knew she could have refused to go to Sakura Dormitory. She knew his threats about exposing 'Kashiwagi Eri' were mostly bluster. Yet she had gone anyway. And then… she had allowed herself to be thoroughly 'bullied.'
"Mom… I won't be able to get married…"
"Hmm? Eriri, what did you just say?"
The voice came from the doorway. Sawamura Sayuri stood there, having quietly entered, one hand covering her mouth in surprise.
"GYAAAH! M-Mom! Why didn't you knock?!"
"That's not the important thing right now, is it?" Sayuri's eyes twinkled with maternal curiosity and mischief. "Who were you just saying won't be able to get married?"
"N-Nobody! I was talking about a… a friend! My friend might not be able to get married!"
Sawamura Sayuri simply stared at her flustered daughter, a knowing smile playing on her lips. Can anyone ever believe a tsundere's excuses?
…
Back at Sakura Dormitory, Hozuki Nozomi turned his attention to the other significant event of the evening. He carried the ornate Rozen Maiden case to the center of his room and carefully opened the lid.
Inside, the doll girl Suigintou lay in perfect, lifeless repose. He studied her exquisite, porcelain features.
"How does one awaken a Rozen Maiden, I wonder?" he mused aloud to the quiet room. "In fairy tales, princesses are usually awakened by a prince's kiss, aren't they? Well… it's worth a try."
With that, he gently lifted the doll from her velvet nest. Cradling her in his arms, he slowly lowered his head, his lips gradually descending toward hers.
They were mere centimeters apart.
The doll in his arms could bear it no longer. Her eyes—a startling, vivid crimson—snapped open. Two small, porcelain hands shot up and pressed firmly against his cheeks, holding him at bay.
"You foul creature! Unhand me this instant!" Her voice was a sharp, cold chime, brimming with aristocratic outrage.
"Oh? You're awake?" Nozomi remarked, feigning surprise. "When did that happen?"
"Hmph! I awoke while you were shamelessly mauling that human girl!" Suigintou retorted, her delicate nose wrinkling in disdain.
"Ah…" Nozomi had the decency to look mildly abashed for a second before his expression shifted back to one of earnest purpose. He leaned in again, ignoring her pushing hands. "That's not important. What is important is that you seem rather weak, Princess. You require a medium. I am willing to serve. Let us form a contract."
Suigintou's crimson eyes widened in sheer disbelief at his audacity. A faint, rosy hue tinted her pale cheeks. "How dare you—! I would never— Mmph! Mmm…!"
As the first doll, the strain of maintaining even this level of consciousness had already depleted most of her remaining energy. She lacked the strength to resist his advance.
Hozuki Nozomi felt the surprising sensation of her lips. They were soft, and held a faint, lingering warmth. She was a doll, yet apart from the subtle, elegant seams at her joints, Suigintou's skin felt indistinguishable from that of a living girl—perhaps even more finely textured.
When he finally released her, Suigintou's eyes rolled back slightly. She had fainted, overcome by a potent mix of fury and humiliation.
This was, without question, the most degrading moment in Suigintou's long existence. Her vow kiss—a sacred rite meant for her awakening and contract—had been stolen by this brazen, disgraceful human male.
Some time later, Suigintou stirred back to consciousness. She fixed him with a glacial glare and let out a derisive sniff. Without a word, she opened her palm. Resting on it was a single, exquisitely crafted silver rose ring.
"Foolish human," she intoned, her voice dripping with frosty venom. "Having committed an unforgivable transgression, you will now repay it with your very life! Place a drop of your blood upon it, then wear it. I shall drain every last drop of your life force until you are naught but a desiccated husk!"
As she spoke, dark, ethereal wings materialized from her back, framing her delicate, coldly beautiful face like a fallen angel who had crash-landed in the mortal realm.
Nozomi paid no mind to her ominous, cursed-doll pronouncements. He promptly pricked his finger, let a drop of blood fall onto the rose, and slipped the ring onto his finger.
He knew the Rozen Maiden's powers operated by drawing upon their master's life force. Fortunately, the vast reservoir of magical energy within him could serve as a perfect, inexhaustible substitute. There was nothing to fear.
While his method of sealing the contract had been unorthodox, to say the least, the result was achieved.
The moment the ring settled on his finger, a subtle connection thrummed to life between them.
[Ding! Congratulations, player! Hidden Quest: 'The Rozen Maiden Collector (Part One)' has been completed!]