Chapter 222: How about a lap pillow?
Even though ths boy's action was too presumptous, the affection that Sasaki had built up in her heart made the girl not resist immediately when embraced. Instead, she murmured in disbelief:
"Sasaki… kun?!"
"In the recording, what I said came from the heart."
Sasaki's arms tightened almost imperceptibly as he inhaled the faint scent of shampoo from her soft hair, whispering softly:
"Not only does Nanao-san have a great figure, but she is also one of the most beautiful people in the entire school. No boy could dislike her, and I am no exception."
Gradually recovering from her initial shock, Nanao Akane didn't struggle against his nuzzling at her neck but instead spoke with a cold expression and furrowed brows:
"Sasaki-kun, you have a girlfriend, right? Doing this, your girlfriend would be hurt."
"Um... You might not know, but I have several girlfriends."
"In your girls' eyes, I probably belong to the category of a playboy."
"But I didn't coerce them; my feelings for them and theirs for me are genuine."
Because Sasaki had told her that Tougou's was going to do something bad to her, and also because of the recording he sent her this time.
So, Nanao Akane believed he was not the type to resort to any means necessary just to obtain a girl's body.
Otherwise, with Sasaki's physical prowess and methods, it would be too easy for him to manipulate and threaten her.
Thus, she did not argue with him about this point.
Instead, she coldly retorted:
"If you were truly sincere, you wouldn't have so many girlfriends."
"So, your meaning is to let them face the same situation as you?"
"What do you mean?"
Quietly leaning on her shoulder, Sasaki briefly recounted the situation of Natsuha and others near her ear.
"Like Natsuha and Serizawa, they had boyfriends or someone who liked them, but what was the outcome?"
"Because of the so-called 'love must be exclusive,' you want me to give them to others, to those who are unable to protect them? If anything goes wrong, they will be the ones who pay the price."
While she wanted to refute him with 'why do you think you can protect them well', the broken table corner on the table and his effortless handling of this issue made it difficult for the girl to argue.
Not getting a response, Sasaki didn't take the opportunity to speak ill of Katase Shouya but instead released his arms from around her waist and sat back down across from her.
Still in his relaxed demeanor, he faced her somewhat dazed look and teased with a smile:
"What? Do you really want me to do something to you?"
"No, that's not it…"
"Don't worry, I won't force you."
"The hug just now was only to let you know my feelings."
"I like you, and it has nothing to do with you personally; you can completely treat me as just a friend."
"But from now on, if you want my help, you'll need to pay a little."
Leaving a small gap between his index finger and thumb, Sasaki indicated that he only required a little compensation.
"Compensation?"
Sometimes the free things are the most expensive.
Nanao Akane wasn't opposed to Sasaki asking for compensation, especially since he was very proper even when he hugged her.
So she honestly waited for what he was going to say next.
Seeing that she didn't stand up and leave after hearing about the compensation, Sasaki knew that his credibility in her eyes was extremely high.
Moreover, the fact that she could accept to be paid showed that she had completely lost the confidence to solve the problem on her own.
Girls... it's not good to rely on other boys behind your lover's back.
"Um."
Nodding, Sasaki explained:
"I have a good impression of Nanao-san, but I can't help others' lovers without compensation."
"Not to mention anything else, just the fact that I have to pay those delinquents under me to do the work; it all costs money."
Leaning back on the chair, with her fair arms exposed outside her short-sleeved shirt, wrapped around her bulging chest, the girl pursed her lips and said:
"The compensation you want isn't money, is it…"
"Um, I like Nanao-san, so naturally, the compensation I want is also Nanao-san."
Looking at her cool demeanor, not showing any signs of nervousness, Sasaki smiled, "Hearing me say I want you as compensation, you don't seem too panicked."
"Just like you said, whether you like me or not is really beyond my control."
"So setting aside the fact that you like me, I don't think Sasaki-kun is the type to take advantage of others."
Seeing her indifferent expression, as if not worried about him making unreasonable demands, Sasaki asked with a smile:
"Are you so sure?"
"Um."
"If Sasaki-kun wanted to have me, he could have done it just now. With your strength, I couldn't resist."
"Since you didn't do that, it means that what Sasaki-kun covers isn't just… just my body."
"With that in mind, Sasaki-kun probably won't ask me to do anything too difficult."
"Miss Nanao, you are very perceptive," Sasaki nodded, acknowledging her insight, then stood up, "Since that's the case, then I should collect my compensation."
"How about a lap pillow? That's not too much to ask, right?"
Hearing his words, Nanao's arms tightened a little, however, she did not respond, and simply turned her head away.
No refusal meant consent.
Sasaki rearranged the remaining chairs into a makeshift long bench and lay down on it, resting his head on the girl's bare, silky thighs.
With his face turned outward, he could distinctly feel the soft, smooth, and cool touch beneath his cheek, as if lying on a slightly chilled jelly that had been placed in the refrigerator.
The girl paid the requested compensation so straightforwardly that Sasaki naturally did not delay in fulfilling his part of the deal.
After enjoying the comfort for a while and before drowsiness took over, Sasaki took out his cellphone and, in front of Nanao, sent a message to Nogami.
Putting away his phone, he continued to lie on his side as he spoke:
"I've given the instructions. This afternoon, you can use the recording to explain things to Katase Shouya."
"Although explaining over the phone is safer to avoid being seen by classmates, it's still better to talk about this kind of thing face to face."
"If you're really worried, I can follow behind you and keep an eye out for you."
It was the first time Akane Nanao had a boy lying on her legs, and despite the discomfort, she seriously considered his suggestion but ultimately chose to decline.
"Just be careful. The baseball club finishes training late, so a little caution won't hurt."
"What about you? Don't you need to spend time with your girlfriend after school?"
"I could bring her along to follow you."
"..."
"Forget it."
.
.
.
The breeze blowing in through the window stirred the curtains and tousled the hair, swirling the air filled with a faint fragrance.
The cool breeze dispelled the heat of early summer afternoon, and the crispness mixed into the warm air was like sugar melting into hot tea, sweetening it.
The softness behind his head brought back Sasaki's groggy consciousness from his nap as he looked upwards at the clothing that obscured his view and sighed.
Sitting up and shaking his drowsy head, Sasaki noticed Nanao massaging her legs and apologized with a somewhat dry voice:
"Sorry, your legs must be numb, right?"
"You smell nice, and the lap pillow was comfortable; I just fell asleep without realizing it."
Seeing that he had noticed, the girl didn't hide it anymore and began to massage her numb thighs herself:
"If it weren't for your last remark, I might have said it was okay."
"I'm just telling the truth." He handed her the water bottle she had used earlier, drank up his own water, and then said:
"Are you planning to play the recording directly to Shouya?"
"Yes."
After taking a sip of water to moisten her throat, the girl nodded:
"There was no misunderstanding between us in the first place. As long as we explain everything clearly from beginning to end, the misunderstanding will surely disappear."
You think too beautifully...
Sasaki silently shook his head, with no intention of correcting her, as he packed the empty bottles and snack wrappers into a bag he had prepared:
"If you encounter something you can't resolve, remember to tell me. Discussing it together is definitely more useful than worrying alone."
Although Sasaki also had intentions toward her, compared to Tougou, his threat was virtually nonexistent.
Moreover, he was genuinely able to help her.
So, facing his reminder, Nanao nodded in agreement:
"Then I'll rely on you if something comes up."
"Sure!"
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone