7 Chapter 7: Reading the Love Letter

Kanade had a pair of headphones and a selection of her favorite music on her smartphone, and she didn't hesitate to use them.

During the rest of the train ride, finding vacant seats, Kanade and Reiji enjoyed each other's company, sharing one headphone each, side by side, with their legs slightly touching. At one point, she rested her head on his shoulder, and together they listened to her playlist.

She felt a shyness realizing some of the more romantic songs she usually listened to alone were playing... However, seeing Reiji listen and seem to enjoy them, she felt relieved.

///

She was rejected, rejected, rejected... Important things are worth stating three times.

Okay, maybe asking for a goodbye kiss had been hasty if she thought about it calmly now...

Lying face down on the bed, she started kicking her feet against the mattress while muffling her screams into the pillow.

Reality was contrary to expectations. Despite being a bit sad about the rejection, when she heard from him that rushing things would make him become the kind of person he wanted to avoid being...

And when she replied that it was kind, she recalls being near her house... And then, when he warned her by pinning her against the wall: "Look, if you keep this up, I might end up devouring you!"

He displayed a mischievous and wicked look, but then, why did she feel so wet? Heavens, she was going crazy!

Rolling on the bed and hugging her pillow, she emitted muffled sounds, rolling back and forth several times on the bed.

It was the first time she felt this way. Despite him rejecting her advance, instead of disappointment, she felt even more attracted...

"Ahhhh..." She placed the pillow between her legs, hugging her teddy bear against her chest, her face burning red as turbulent thoughts invaded her.

'Would he really... devour me entirely? Would he lick every bit of my body, savoring each piece?' Touching her intimacy, she realized how aroused she was thinking about these things.

In the end, she locked the room, and muffled moans echoed through the space while Reiji's name was murmured with an incredibly sensual voice every second...

///

Unknown to Reiji what was happening with Kanade; he was already ready to go work at the coffee shop.

'In the end, it was the right choice.' He reflected.

When Kanade asked for a kiss, three options appeared, and the most acceptable was to subtly reject the advance.

Kissing her at that moment could have had a negative effect; instead of fueling the flame, it could extinguish the fire that had been lit.

And Kanade's increase in favorability to 95 proved that this was the right decision.

Reiji set these thoughts aside for now, opening the door to leave and locking it right after.

Dressed for work, his choice of clothes reflected a balance between comfort and style. The soft cotton shirt, solid-colored, fit well to his torso, complemented by dark jeans that outlined his long legs. On his feet, he wore comfortable shoes, ready for the long hours standing.

In fact, he didn't need to dress up much, just the basics, since he had his own work uniform.

The workplace was a 30/40-minute walk from Uehara apartment.

Upon entering the place, soft music played in the background while the aroma of coffee permeated the environment.

After closing the door behind him, he headed to the counter.

The barista, displaying a relaxed posture and a friendly smile, was dressed professionally. A dark gray vest over a long-sleeved white shirt, complemented by a black bow tie, lent him a subtle formality. The look was completed by pants matching the vest and well-polished black shoes, showcasing care. His mustache, meticulously trimmed, framed his mouth, adding a distinctive charm.

"Mr. Umezu-san, good afternoon," Reiji greeted him respectfully.

"Mm, good afternoon, Reiji-kun," the man responded with a warm smile.

'It seems something has changed in him... Besides the hair color, his aura is different.' Umezu observed Reiji more closely but soon resumed his cordial smile.

Reiji went to the back of the establishment to change clothes, returning soon after in a uniform similar to Umezu's.

Without wasting time, Reiji began to clean the tables with a cloth, taking advantage of the calm moment without customers.

'Ah, I remembered I still haven't read the letter I received...' This thought crossed his mind as he was cleaning.

He pondered: 'Well, I can read the letter at home, after work.'

The doorbell rang just as he concluded this reflection. Stopping the cleaning, he headed to the entrance, where he welcomed the newcomer with a smile: "Welcome. Feel free to choose any table."

The person who had just entered was a girl of not so tall stature but with impressively curvaceous forms, with measurements (98-58-88) and wearing an I-Cup size bra, sporting pink hair tied in two ponytails.

It was remarkable how each breast seemed larger than her head. The buttoned white blouse she was wearing seemed about to burst at any moment.

"Reiji-senpai... Like, have you read my letter?" The girl boldly confronted him, unlike how she had reacted at school.

"Nene Fujinoki, right?" Reiji said: "Please, choose a table for now."

"That's funny..." She consulted a notepad, agreed with herself, and, using a higher pitch almost sing-song voice with a flirting air, covered her mouth to laugh. Then, she chose a table a bit away from the door, near the window, saying, "Like, it's super important for me to know your response, okay?"

Reiji served her a glass of water and a warm cloth, and upon handing her the menu, asked: "Will you order something?"

Hearing this and not receiving the answer she expected, she puffed up her cheeks: "Seriously, Reiji-senpai, why aren't you answering!? I'm so annoyed now!"

After she expressed her frustration, several options appeared for him to choose:

[A: Damn it, shut up and make your order already!]

[B: I threw your letter away.]

[C: Sorry, I haven't had time to read your letter yet.]

Reiji sighed and replied: "Actually, I haven't had time to read it; as you can imagine, I got home and came straight to work. I intended to read it when I get home, I'm sorry."

*Ding!* [Your favorability index has increased.]

"Humph!" She pouted but seemed slightly more content, although her cheeks were still puffed up.

Indeed, Reiji's response was well received, raising her favorability index to over 80 points...

Interestingly, he thought her name was familiar and was able to retrieve something from the previous Reiji's memories.

He began to understand why she might have feelings for him.

She was one of the 'victims' who was saved by the previous Reiji. On both occasions, she was being harassed by delinquents.

However, she didn't look like a gyaru before; in his memories, he saw that she had brown hair tied up in a bun. Now, he barely recognized her.

After some time, Nene finally decided what she wanted: "Reiji-senpai, I'll have a Frappuccino."

"It will be done." Reiji confirmed and then called out: "Master, a Frappuccino, please."

"Immediately." Umezu responded.

Umezu, observing the interaction between his employee and the customer, seemed relieved to see that things had calmed down. In fact, now that he looked more closely, he remembered he had seen her there before, although she had changed her look quite a bit since then.

To him, the style changes of the youth were always an enigma...

Minutes later, Reiji served the Frappuccino.

Choosing a straw, she seemed to make an effort to drink in a suggestive and seductive manner.

This attempt made Reiji laugh inwardly. Instead of appearing seductive, she seemed more adorable to him. Her attempts only increased his desire to squeeze her cheeks.

Of course, he refrained from making any comments...

After finishing, she went to the cashier to pay, and before leaving, reminded him: "Reiji-senpai, don't forget to read the letter, okay?"

"Of course, I'll read it." Reiji promised.

With a cute smile, she walked away.

///

It was 20:22 at night when Reiji arrived home.

Due to the increase in his [Physical Capacity], he barely felt tired.

He initially planned to take a shower, but then he remembered the letter.

Heading to his room and opening his backpack, he took out the pink letter, broke the heart-shaped seal, and took the letter out of the envelope.

In the love letter written by Nene Fujinoki to him, it read:

"Dear Reiji-senpai,

Since the moment you saved me, something inside me changed. I know it might seem sudden and perhaps even a bit intense, but I can no longer keep these feelings to myself. Every time our eyes meet when I watch you from afar, my heart races...

I know I might not be the type of girl you'd look at twice, and perhaps my visual changes are an attempt to capture your attention... But what I feel for you is real and deep.

I expect nothing in return, I just wanted you to know the sincerity of my feelings. You've become someone very important to me, and the courage to express this is already a big step.

I hope we can continue to get to know each other better, regardless of what the future holds.

With affection,

Nene Fujinoki."

Reading the letter, Reiji felt a mix of surprise and reflection. The feelings expressed by Nene were clear and sincere, and surprisingly, she didn't use any gyaru slang in writing the letter. He had even expected to find one or two slangs at least...

Anyway, he folded the letter back and sighed.

It seemed she harbored some feelings for him, well, more precisely for the previous Reiji, but she hardly knew that his actions had ulterior motives. After all, she had become one of his targets...

With a click of his tongue, he sighed again.

Anyway, he had taken on even the responsibilities of the previous Reiji, good or bad. For now, the love letter, or more accurately, seemed to be more of a sincere thanks for having saved her previously. Although at the moment she might be a bit confused about her own feelings, by the favorability index, initially, she wasn't so interested in him, after all, it was more gratitude than anything else.

But this seems to have changed a bit with his intervention, now the index had risen to over 80, and depending on how he reacted to the letter, the index could increase even more or decrease...

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