Soon after, the bathroom light flickered on, and the sound of running water could be heard.
Half an hour later.
Mai stepped out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel.
Her short hair hung damp, her fair skin glowing with a faint pink hue. Her slender yet curvaceous figure, illuminated by the dim light, was like a lotus emerging from clear water—pure yet with a hint of allure.
If she had attended an ordinary school, she would have easily earned titles like "school beauty."
She walked to the bed, opened her travel bag, and rummaged through it for a while.
At one point, her gaze landed on a particular item, and her movements froze.
Gritting her teeth, she pulled the item out of the bag.
It was a purple lace-trimmed lingerie set.
Even worse—it was a garter-style set.
Ordinary people wouldn't even consider buying this kind of lingerie—it was practically bedroom wear!
Mai was no exception.
She had secretly bought it before leaving Kyoto, hiding it in her bag. She hadn't dared to open the bag the entire trip, afraid someone might discover what she'd purchased.
Mai took a deep breath and put the lingerie on.
Then, she changed into a newly bought private outfit—a form-fitting dress that accentuated her curves—dried her hair, locked the door, and left the attic.
She headed in a certain direction.
Not toward the school gates, but deeper into the campus.
Before long, she arrived at a standalone building within the school grounds.
The building was shielded by multiple barriers to prevent outsiders from peering in or identifying visitors.
Mai didn't notice these barriers and walked straight up to the building.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling sharply before settling.
Knock, knock, knock!
In the dead of night, the sound of knocking was jarring.
Fortunately, the place was secluded, and the Tokyo School students knew who lived here—no one would come near without reason.
Soon, the door opened from the inside.
A white-haired young man appeared behind it. Seeing her, he showed no surprise.
"Zenin Mai? You haven't left yet?"
"I—I need to talk to you about something!"
Under Roy's gaze, Mai tensed up, her voice involuntarily rising several octaves.
The shame burning inside her sent her body temperature skyrocketing, her face flushing crimson.
"Talk to me? About what?"
Roy looked at Mai, his gaze slightly lowered.
She was wearing a very revealing white dress, with scant fabric at the chest, exposing large swathes of pale skin. The deep cleavage was faintly visible.
A hint of surprise flickered in Roy's eyes.
Coming to see him so late at night, dressed like this?
"Can we talk inside?"
Mai was extremely sensitive at the moment. She noticed Roy's strange expression, and her heart clenched instantly.
In his eyes, she must look like some kind of slut right now.
But Mai steeled herself and asked to enter.
"...Come in."
After a brief silence, Roy stepped aside to let her in.
Mai exhaled quietly in relief and stepped into the attic.
Roy closed the door behind her.
Seeing Mai fidgeting uncomfortably, he shrugged slightly and walked to the kitchen. He poured a glass of water and placed it on the coffee table before her.
"Here, have some water first."
"...Thank you."
Mai was momentarily taken aback when Roy brought her the drink.
She lowered her head in thanks and sat on the sofa.
Some of her unease began to dissipate.
"So, what did you want to talk about?"
Roy sat across from her on the sofa, crossing his legs as he studied Mai with a scrutinizing gaze.
"..."
Mai didn't respond immediately.
As if to dispel the chill she felt, she downed the entire glass of water in one go.
Then she stood up.
"Lord Roy, I'm here to fulfill the agreement between our family and you."
She walked around the coffee table until she stood before Roy.
Lowering her eyes and biting her lip, she tremblingly reached for the sash at her waist.
"So that's what this is about..."
Roy let out a long sigh, rubbing his temples in mild exasperation.
"Hold off on undressing. There are things I need to say first. You can decide what to do afterward."
Mai's hands froze mid-motion.
She looked up at Roy, confusion still lingering in her eyes.
She couldn't comprehend his thoughts at this moment.
She was offering herself so plainly, with perfectly valid reasons. Wouldn't it be better to just get it over with quickly?
What else was there to say?
"You mentioned you're here to fulfill an agreement between your family and me, correct?"
Ignoring Mai's bewildered expression, Roy countered with a question: "Which means you're here not of your own will, but because your family forced you?"
"...Yes."
Gradually calming down, Mai nodded in confirmation.
But she quickly shook her head.
"But I'm not unwilling! Offering myself to you is far better than being sold off like merchandise or ordered to serve some old geezer!"
Roy was powerful, exceptionally handsome, and his physique matched her preferences perfectly.
She was willing to give herself to him.
Though it was the family's command, from her position, she never had the right to refuse anyway. Even if she didn't offer herself to Roy now, she'd inevitably have to give herself to someone else eventually.
Spending one night with Roy felt like a bargain compared to the alternative. The thought of being with some fat, greasy old man might have made her vomit on the spot.
"Let me share something with you."
Roy nodded slightly, acknowledging Mai's compliments about him.
"If you're willing, just wait a few more months. By then, there won't be any need to obey the family's orders... That's all I can tell you. I won't go into details."
"...But."
Mai froze at his words, a flicker of hope appearing in her eyes before being replaced by a bitter smile.
"The family's order to me is clear: I must share your bed during the exchange event... and conceive your child."
A few months.
In just a few months, whether she's pregnant or not would be obvious at a glance.
If she fails to conceive, the family would surely punish her.
The family couldn't force Maki—Maki had already left the clan, earning her own living. With her personality, even if she received such orders, she'd likely ignore them. If pushed too hard, she might even draw her sword in rebellion.
So the family could only pressure Mai. Unlike Maki, Mai lacked the courage to defy them.
Whenever she thought of this, an unstoppable hatred for Maki welled up in Mai's heart.
If only she hadn't left, Mai wouldn't have to offer herself alone!
But no matter how much she hated, it changed nothing now.
She had no choice but to obey the family's command—to climb into Roy's bed and bear his child.
Refusing would bring punishment.
Even if she complied but failed to conceive, the family would still blame her and mete out punishment.
So tonight, she not only had to go through with it but also put extra effort into seducing Roy.
"Those bastards are in a hurry to be reborn!" Roy muttered under his breath, his disgust for the Zenin clan's feudalistic nonsense plain in his voice.
Mai kept her head down, fingers twisting nervously, saying nothing.
Regardless, whether she went through with this tonight wasn't her decision to make.
"Fine, I understand your position." Roy gave a noncommittal hum.
"From your perspective, doing nothing means you can't return home accountable... And I have my own position too."
Though Roy was a Special Grade, this was ultimately the Zenin's internal affair.
Even if he went and disciplined the clan, they wouldn't dare disobey openly. But behind closed doors, they could still punish Mai—possibly venting their humiliation from Roy onto her tenfold.
Yet from Roy's personal standpoint, he wasn't inclined to play the virtuous gentleman here either.
This arrangement was part of his deal with the Zenin, even bound by a vow—Roy would accept their women, and in return they'd support him.
Refusing meant losing the Zenin's backing, which mattered little, but the vow's penalty gave Roy pause. He couldn't predict what form the world's retribution might take.
He'd avoided it before by claiming busyness, legitimately traveling worldwide to collect cursed objects and techniques. The Zenin couldn't protest.
The vow existed, but as long as they didn't send women, he could righteously enjoy their support without reciprocation.
But the exchange event involved his students, forcing his return. Now with Mai at his doorstep, further refusal would be unreasonable.
"Alright, it's not like I'm some paragon of virtue anyway!"
Having made up his mind, Roy stopped pretending. He stood and walked over to Mai.
A tall shadow loomed over her, and Mai's delicate frame trembled.
She bit her lip, suppressing the shame burning within her, her face flushed crimson as she took the initiative to step forward and throw herself into Roy's embrace.
His arms were broad, just as she had imagined every night while gazing at his photograph.
She didn't dislike being held like this.
Roy scooped Mai up into his arms and carried her upstairs.
Though he despised the Zenin family's way of doing things, he had no qualms about accepting this "sugar-coated" offering.
After all, he wasn't the one at a disadvantage here!
Mai clung to Roy's neck, watching helplessly as he carried her to the second floor and stopped before the bedroom door.
Her heartbeat quickened violently, as if it might burst from her chest at any moment.
Then, unexpectedly, she heard Roy murmur in her ear.
"You have a good sister, don't you?"
A good sister?
What kind of joke was that?!
What kind of "good sister" was that woman?!
A surge of fury blazed through Mai's chest.
She opened her mouth, ready to unleash her anger—only for Roy to push open the bedroom door, lay her on the bed, and press his muscular frame over her like a solid wall, silencing her with his lips.
Soon, she had no room left to think about anything else, completely lost in Roy's skillful teasing.
Before she knew it, rhythmic moans filled the room.
Mai believed she had put in tremendous effort, keeping Roy singing with her well past midnight.
Surely, this would be enough to conceive a child, right?
But when she finally collapsed, drenched in sweat and pleading for rest, Roy simply pulled her back up—and only then did she realize that the reason they had been able to "sing" so late into the night wasn't due to her efforts at all.
...
The next day.
The sun had just risen over the horizon, and the room was still dim.
Suddenly, the piercing ring of a phone shattered the morning silence.
Mai, still deep in slumber, flinched at the sound, her eyelashes fluttering as she irritably extended a bare arm from under the covers.
She groped blindly beside her pillow—but found nothing.
The ringing continued relentlessly.
With a groan, Mai forced her heavy eyelids open and sat up, her expression sour.
She glanced at the empty space beside her pillow—no phone in sight.
Scanning the room, she finally remembered: this wasn't her bedroom.
She had stayed the night at Roy's place.
Sighing softly, she got out of bed, rummaged through the scattered clothes on the floor, and retrieved her phone from her skirt pocket.
The caller was Momo Nishimiya.
"Mai, we're heading back to Kyoto. Where are you? I couldn't find you in your room."
"...I'm not in my room right now. I have some things to take care of. You all go ahead—I'll return on my own later."
Without waiting for a response, Mai hung up.
She turned her gaze to the large bed beside her.
The spot where Roy had slept was empty.
He must have woken up long ago—his warmth had already faded.
Her emotions were a tangled mess.
Her first time had been given to a man—one who didn't even love her.
She knew that, as a Zenin, she should consider herself fortunate that her first had been with someone like Roy.
But emotionally, it was still... complicated.
Too restless to sleep, she decided to get up.
Just as she was thinking of going to the bathroom to wash away the traces, she realized her body was smooth and clean, with no signs of their intimacy—clearly, someone had already cleaned her up.
"...He actually did something like this for me?"
Mai muttered under her breath.
It seemed he had cleaned her up before they went to sleep last night. She had already passed out from exhaustion by then and had no memory of what happened afterward.
For someone of his high status as a Special Grade, and with her being the one who practically threw herself at him, he was unexpectedly willing to help clean her body.
At that moment, the sound of the attic door opening came from downstairs.
Was he back?
Had he gone out early in the morning?
After singing late into the night, where did that guy even get the energy?
That guy must be a beast!
Mai grumbled inwardly as she picked up the clothes from the floor, put them on, and pushed open the bedroom door, descending the stairs to the first floor.
Surprisingly, her body didn't feel particularly uncomfortable.
She had assumed she wouldn't be able to get out of bed today.
Could it be that he was all show and no substance?
Mai's mind suddenly flashed back to the sight of the microphone from last night.
She shook her head fiercely—if that was just for show, then nothing in the world was real!
"You're awake?"
Roy had just set down the things he brought when he saw Mai coming downstairs, shaking her head as if lost in thought, her cheeks flushed, completely absorbed in her own world.
"I brought back a lot of breakfast. Let's eat together."
Snapping out of her thoughts, Mai looked at the dining table in front of Roy.
It was piled high with congee, steamed buns, dumplings, and all sorts of food—not just "a lot," but enough to feed a pig. It was way too much.
"Okay."
She was starving, so she obediently agreed and walked over to the table, sitting down quietly.
For a while, neither spoke, and the only sounds at the table were the two of them eating breakfast.