"Nijika..."
Toru had just endured thirty minutes of absolute agony.
Despite being in a dream-like scenario, flanked on both sides by beautiful girls, he was unable to do a single thing. He was forced to simply accept the services of the two women.
To make matters worse, Nijika and Hitori seemed to have coordinated a plan. They would help him for a few minutes, then stop to rest for ten seconds.
Under the constant cycle of stimulation, Toru felt like every second was a year.
He truly couldn't understand why anyone would enjoy an edging challenge. It was completely against human nature.
"I'm begging you, this really isn't fun."
"That's a no," Nijika said.
Nijika leaned in and kissed his lips, gently soothing his emotions while simultaneously picking up the pace with her hands.
After a long, lingering kiss, Hitori took over the task, giving Toru no time to catch her breath.
For a moment, Toru couldn't tell if they were rewarding him or punishing him.
"What did I even do wrong... you can just tell me straight, gah—"
Hitori disappeared under the covers.
"The music festival auditions are coming up soon, so we can set these things aside for now..."
Toru stared at the ceiling, trying to reach a state of Zen-like emptiness.
However, the Buddha depicted on the ceiling seemed to be a Joyful Buddha; the situation didn't improve at all. In fact, under Hitori's assault, things only grew more intense.
A flame of desire crawled slowly down from his abdomen, lighting the fuse of a rocket.
Noticing his pained expression, Nijika leaned close to his ear and whispered tenderly, "Not yet. Mama doesn't allow it."
"I'll fix whatever I did wrong, just stop playing with me like this."
Toru was reaching his limit.
"Three minutes left. Just hold on a little longer."
The little angel Nijika, her breath sweet and moist, began the countdown:
"One hundred and eighty seconds, one hundred and seventy-nine seconds..."
Each number felt like a feather drifting onto his heart. Time stretched out even further.
The next morning.
Toru looked a bit haggard.
He had truly suffered. What sin had he committed to deserve such torture? Was this retribution for changing wives every day during those dozen or so previous simulations?
What was wrong with having a different 2D wife every month in a game? It wasn't like he was changing them every single day.
Toru could swear that he gave his heart to every wife; he wasn't playing with the girls' feelings.
It was all the simulator's fault.
Toru was fuming. If Mama Nijika hadn't finally relented at the end, he might have actually died from frustration last night. Edging challenges were a terrible invention and should be abolished for the sake of human happiness.
"Good, good morning, Kitahara-kun."
"Morning, Hitori."
Toru sat down at the kitchen table, watching the back of his girlfriend as she cooked. The pink apron fit her perfectly. It was a shame she wasn't wearing just the apron; Toru would have given her a much higher score then.
A few minutes later, Hitori placed breakfast on the table and prepared to go to the bedroom to wake the little angel Nijika.
Last night was Mama Nijika's first time, and her body hadn't fully adapted yet.
Although she had experienced it dozens of times in the simulations, in reality, Nijika was still a novice. She had played a big game at the start last night, but when it came time for the main course, the young mother surrendered in just ten minutes. Bocchi-chan had to carry the weight for the second half of the night.
"Nijika-chan... it's time to get up. I made breakfast."
Hitori nudged the ball of blankets on the bed.
"Um, can I just not come out?"
Nijika's head popped out from the blankets, her hair messy and her face flushed. Just thinking about the lewd things she had said to Toru last night made her feel too embarrassed to face anyone—especially that strange mother-and-baby roleplay.
"Eating in the room... isn't that a bit bad?"
Bocchi-chan tilted her head. She didn't quite grasp why Nijika was being so shy.
As the most perverted girl in the band, Hitori didn't have much of a sense of shame regarding sex. As long as it was a roleplay Toru suggested, she could accept it.
"Bocchi-chan... I'm a little sore down there. I don't want to get up."
Nijika acted as if she were in pain, looking quite pitiful.
"Okay then."
Bocchi-chan left the room, explained the situation to Toru, and finally carried the meal back into the bedroom.
After delivering breakfast, Hitori suddenly realized something.
Her behavior just now was exactly like a little maid serving the lady of the house. Even though she was Toru's official girlfriend and the one who took his "first time", being the first woman in both reality and the simulations, she felt like she could win the lotto.
So why... why did she feel like a losing heroine?
After breakfast, while Nijika rested, Toru and Hitori had an intense exchange in the living room before taking a shower.
It was time to get to business.
Before leaving, Hitori leaned on Toru's arm as he explained the day's schedule, which mostly involved accompanying Kita Ikuyo to record a song.
The music video they had filmed privately last time hadn't met Toru's expectations. Due to limitations with the venue and equipment, Kita Ikuyo hadn't performed at her best.
"A professional recording studio?"
"I made an appointment with her for this morning. Time is tight, so we should head over now."
They could also record a lead guitar solo while they were at it.
Hitori lowered her head and said weakly, "Maybe I shouldn't go."
"Why not?"
"I don't want to intrude on your alone time with Kita-chan."
"This is work, not a date."
Hitori thought to herself that while he saw it as work, whether Kita Ikuyo felt the same way was another story. Yesterday during the day was also "work", lyrics and arrangements, but by nighttime, it had turned into an emotional exchange.
"Alright, don't overthink it. Just come with me."
"Okay."
Half an hour later, outside a recording studio in Shinjuku.
Hitori and Kita glanced at each other, then both looked at Toru. This man's emotional intelligence was surprisingly low in the strangest places.
Or was he really here just to talk about work?
"Good morning, Hitori-chan."
"G-good morning."
Hitori sensed a hint of murderous intent in the other girl's voice. She knew she shouldn't have come. No, she had suspected this would happen, but she couldn't resist Toru's invitation. The pink tsuchinoko had zero defense against her boyfriend.
"Toru-kun, why did you bring Hitori-chan along today?"
Kita Ikuyo spoke with a smile, doing her best to hide the killing intent in her heart.
"For the recording, obviously."
"Really?"
"This is a top-tier studio that costs 8,000 yen an hour. Are we really going to use it for a date?"
Hearing the price, Kita Ikuyo became much more well-behaved. Her "love brain" vanished instantly.