"Our bet didn't specify where it had to be done, right? Stripping naked at school would disrupt discipline... so come to my house."
Wait, is the location the real issue here?
You're seriously going to strip?!
What happened to your pride as a girl?! Someone stop her!
Akira mentally broke out in a cold sweat on her behalf and attempted to give her an out:
"Um, Shiroi-san, maybe I should just go home for today, and you can calm down a bit first—"
But Shiori suddenly stepped forward, grabbing Akira fiercely by the tie, her face flushed bright red, shouting angrily:
"Don't even think about running! You're coming with me!"
Hold on, who's the one stripping again...?
Akira raised his hands helplessly, signaling surrender as she pulled him forward.
"I'm not running anywhere… Though somehow it seems you're more impatient than me…"
"I'm not impatient to strip! I'm just—! Ugh…! Drop dead!"
Shiori was so furious she nearly passed out. She was already struggling to contain her embarrassment, yet Akira's indifferent attitude—as if he wasn't interested at all—infuriated her even further.
You're watching today whether you like it or not!
Akira didn't even have time to pack away his books before Shiori dragged him by his tie straight out of the clubroom, out of the school gates, only releasing her grip when they reached the metro entrance.
Passersby watching the scene probably assumed it was some young couple playing out a leash-and-collar scenario.
At this time of day, the train was so packed it could crush people into pancakes. Akira had no choice but to shield Shiori with his body, kabedon-style, bracing himself against the train doors to protect her from the jostling crowd.
"…Thank you."
From within his embrace, Shiori's voice murmured softly enough that he barely caught it.
"You're welcome. But, Shiroi-san, do you normally have to endure this terrifying commute?"
"No. Usually, I just buy half-priced bentos from the convenience store near school and wait until after rush hour before going home."
"Oh? Don't you eat dinner at home? Where are your parents?"
"They're both university professors, busy with research all day. Usually, they don't come home until at least nine. They give me money for dinner, but I mostly save it to buy books."
"I see…"
Wait a moment. That means if we go to Shiroi-san's house now, we'll be completely alone?
Akira had considered that if her parents were home, he could sit politely in the living room and not enter her room, thus preventing her from stubbornly going through with the bet.
But clearly, she'd already thought of this, purposefully bringing him home now, even braving the rush-hour train, specifically to fulfill their bet before her parents returned.
She's seriously determined to see this through.
Yet, a girl stripping naked in front of a boy her age, alone at home—no matter how you looked at it, this was practically asking for trouble!
With an odd expression, Akira couldn't help but ask:
"Aren't you worried I'll try something?"
"I'm not worried about that at all. If you were that type of person, Hitomi wouldn't have brought you to the Literature Club."
Shiori folded her arms, turning her head aside.
"I might hate your careless attitude, but I trust you're not the kind of scumbag who'd take advantage of the situation."
"So Class Rep's credibility is vouching for my character now, huh...?"
At that, Akira sighed heavily, deciding to just put everything on the table. He couldn't afford to be considerate of her pride anymore.
"Look, Shiroi-san, since you're also Class Rep's friend, let's be clear. We can change the bet's terms. I really don't want to embarrass you, and Aizono-san's worried about you too, right?"
"No way!"
Shiori stubbornly refused, shaking her head fiercely.
"It's no longer about whether you want to see or not. If I don't fulfill the bet, I'll never be able to forgive myself."
"…"
Her pride was far too strong.
So strong, in fact, that it was devouring her from the inside.
Akira finally understood—words, once spoken, couldn't be taken back.
Though he was the winner, it felt as if he were the one being forced into this outcome.
Today, he would have no choice but to confront Shiori's naked body head-on.
Rather than excitement, all he felt was helplessness.
He really hadn't intended to push her this far, constantly giving her chances to back down—but Shiori refused every single one.
Having come this far, Akira silently followed Shiori to her home—a moderately sized two-story house, well-located with good lighting. Given that Shiori's parents were professors, their family clearly lived comfortably.
Politely saying "Sorry to intrude" as he entered, Akira put on the slippers Shiori prepared, then quietly followed her up to her room on the second floor.
Shiori's room was astonishingly tidy, with almost no excess decorations. It didn't look like a teenage JK's room at all—rather, it was closer to Akira's own room.
The only significant difference was two large bookshelves covering an entire wall, packed solid with books.
Compared to the bookshelves, her wardrobe was pitifully tiny, almost unnoticeable behind piles of books that overflowed onto the floor.
Akira also noted her desk stacked high with half a meter's worth of manuscript paper, three emptied ink bottles, and a trash bin full of crumpled pages.
Sticky notes densely covered the wall above her desk, filled with reminders about wording, plot outlines, foreshadowing, hidden plotlines, character settings, and more…
Just like Akira had struggled through the maze of creative work with his laptop, Shiori had painstakingly crafted a world uniquely her own.
These were the traces of her earnest effort.
"Sorry, I don't have an extra chair. You can sit on my bed—just avoid my books."
Akira obediently sat down on her bed, back straight. Shiori moved to close the curtains.
As the fading twilight outside vanished behind thick curtains, the room's atmosphere became increasingly ambiguous, causing even Akira's heartbeat to quicken inexplicably with nervous excitement.
Right... this feels like that situation! A captured female knight dragged into a goblin cave—humiliated after defeat... somehow that only makes it more exciting?!
To dispel this awkward atmosphere, Akira asked lightly:
"Should we turn off the lights?"
He meant that if the room were darker, making it harder to see, perhaps she'd feel less embarrassed.
"That would make it feel like we're really doing something unspeakable… We're just fulfilling a bet."
"Uh, you have a point…"
"Turn around. I'll start undressing."
"Oh... okay."
In the silence of the room, the soft rustling of fabric filled Akira's ears, stimulating his imagination wildly.
But soon, a muffled whimper interrupted his fantasy.
"Uu…"
Tears began to flow uncontrollably.
In the end, Shiori couldn't hold back her crying.
She'd held it in this whole time, yet the moment she removed her school uniform and her bare skin met the cool air, her body finally understood: she had truly, completely lost to Kuroba Akira.
At this moment, it wasn't shame or anger from humiliation that filled her heart.
The tears she shed… were tears of regret.
Just recalling how smug she'd felt upon finishing her manuscript made her nauseous.
Now, looking back clearly, what exactly had she written…? Nothing but a poor imitation of popular light novels, failing utterly to express her own ideas.
Such shoddy work could never gain recognition!
If she had been the editor, even she wouldn't accept such garbage!
How arrogant she had been, thinking such inferior work could win this bet… utterly foolish!
Yet he had taken it seriously.
Seriously creating an excellent work.
A masterpiece praised highly by Hurricane Bunko's editors.
She had judged him superficially, labeling him as frivolous based merely on assumptions… utterly childish.
What gave her the right to think she could defeat him?
Merely because she'd won an award? Had prior publishing experience?
Had she always been the type to judge others based solely on superficial attributes?
She actually knew nothing about Kuroba Akira, did she?
Why hadn't she spent more time understanding him before drawing conclusions?
Had she really been so triggered merely because he'd held Momo's hand?
While reading books, she'd never make such mistakes; always digging deep into their true meaning…
So why, when facing real people—facing him—had she acted like a blind fool?
Is this the difference between reading books and reading people...? She failed utterly to stay objective, committing numerous basic errors...
But what frustrated her most was her own inadequacy, unable to write something truly better.
If she'd written a work surpassing his, she wouldn't be in this humiliating situation now…
How infuriating…!
Through blurry, tear-filled eyes, Shiori saw a figure approaching—
Kuroba Akira stood quietly before her.
By now, Shiori had stripped down to her pure-white underwear and white gloves, yet she didn't cover herself.
Perhaps accepting this humiliation was her punishment for stupidity. So, she simply stood there silently, awaiting Akira's insults.
But Akira only raised a gentle hand, wiping her tears away.
"I finally understand… The real humiliation wasn't the bet to strip naked."
"…"
"It's because you recklessly promised something you couldn't endure, then lost an important battle—that's what frustrates you most, right?"
"…"
"Shiroi Shiori, I acknowledge your defeat."
"…"
"So go ahead and strip. I'll watch you properly."
"…Mm."
Shiori silently nodded.
At least, she'd fulfill her promise, accepting defeat with dignity.
What mattered now was finding the courage to face failure honestly.
Even if her body was fully exposed, her heart wouldn't break… She could still come back stronger!
And so, Shiori removed the last remaining pieces of her pure-white underwear.
Standing before Akira, she returned to her natural state.
---
T/N: erm
bonus chaps
100 stones -> 1 chapter
200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
discord.gg/wisetl
patreon.com/wisetl