Interlude 2 Imashino-kun, Cold Yet Warm

"It seems Ojou-sama enjoys ice cream, but please don't eat too much and upset your stomach."

"I'm not eating that much. It's just three cups a day."

"That's the same number as your daily meals, Ojou-sama."

His work for the day was finished. He concluded with a soft complaint and returned to his room next door.

Now alone, I grabbed a cushion, buried my face in it, and screamed.

"...He does everything I ask—even what I command—and I don't have a single thing to complain about!"

I screamed once, then screamed more intensely.

"Even when I approach him in my completely true, raw state, he accepts me without a complaint!"

My final, victorious scream:

"And more than anything, he said yes even when I asked him to satisfy my D.M. urges! ////"

My face remained planted against the cushion. Him. Imashino-kun.

Recently, all I've done is think about him. And every thought ultimately reaches a positive conclusion. His butler tone is growing on him; he looks surprisingly cool! I love that he gets excited when I introduce him to my favorite anime and games! The list is endless.

"A person like that is probably why he agreed to become my Master..."

I am fully aware of how outlandish my request was. I have general common sense, and because of that—the moment he saw the wrist restraints and the slutty ASMR self-pleasure (attempted), I honestly thought I was finished. I didn't feel any thrill from the sheer humiliation of the situation, only dread: I should have checked the schedule. How did this happen? I was actually close to tears that he had seen the one fetish I'd tried so hard to hide from him.

But. Even after facing such a distressing scene, Imashino-kun didn't look at me with contempt.

He said he would accept it, and when I, completely distraught, went on and on with hateful words...

He scolded me. He got angry at me. He confronted me with the depths of his heart.

"I think the thing that made me the happiest was... that it was him."

If the same incident had happened with a different person, would I have made the same request?

No, absolutely not. I was only able to feel this overjoyed because Imashino-kun was the one who reacted that way.

Because he has been such a strikingly impressive person to me for a long time—

I first noticed Imashino-kun on the day of Tōrin's entrance ceremony.

"While I am grateful for the opportunity to advance to this institute, I feel we must redouble our efforts and commit ourselves—"

Speaking as the new student representative on the podium, he was just as dignified as he is now. His aura was refreshing and clean, and his commanding voice carried well, yet with a faint impression of gentleness.

"W-What is that inexplicable handsome guy! What did they say his name was?"

"Imashino-kun. He was famous even in junior high. The rumor is he was scouted by an entertainment agency..."

He was instantly catching everyone. The girls behind me were getting excited just talking about him, and without even trying, I confirmed that my initial impression was accurate.

And yet, my personal first impression of him was: Shady. Suspicious. Untrustworthy.

I've heard countless stories of people with excellent facades who were actually scum on the inside. Business executives who brag about the number of people they've been with, board members who use cunning tactics for obstruction. Boys who flaunt their family wealth, and girls who constantly gossip to one-up each other.

While I don't want to admit the Nawagami family is a prominent house, getting these kinds of details—that I'd rather not hear—shows that this school is "like that." It's true that I shouldn't easily trust anyone.

So, I had internally decided that it was impossible for me to have any connection with him.

If anything, seeing him made me inexplicably sullen. It was probably due to that pervasive aura of complete confidence. Hmph, Big Dick Energy, I suppose?

About six months passed. I had successfully cemented my position as an untouchable.

Imashino-kun, on the other hand, was well-liked and respected by everyone. This was due to his own high capabilities, and apparently, he was extraordinarily kind. He volunteered for tasks and worked diligently, even in the "chores" institution that was the student council. Since he was apparently even doing a part-time job at this school, which was filled with privileged children, it was natural for those around him to view him as a hardworking, impressive person.

And knowing that, I became more suspicious of him.

After all, no human can be universally kind to everyone. There must be a flaw or a darkness lurking somewhere, and because of that, among all the others, he was the one I noticed most, for better or worse.

And then, I witnessed that side of him.

I'd been scolded by the guidance counselor for excessive tardiness and absences, and I was forcibly ordered to report to the Student Council for mandatory volunteer work. They told me to listen to the officers for the task and submit a report afterward.

Reluctantly, I went to the Student Council Room. I had no intention of actually completing the task, intending only to quickly dismiss myself. Why do they even rely on the Student Council? Isn't that teacher dereliction of duty? Even though I was the one who caused the problem, I found myself thinking things like that.

I arrived at the Student Council Room, and only Imashino-kun was there. The others I'd seen—the small girl, the seemingly two-faced girl, and other senior students—were nowhere in sight.

"W-Why is it just him? Where did the others go... Ugh!"

Out of spite for my misfortune, I walked in without knocking. I walked toward him, whose back was to the L-shaped desk, intending to quickly spit out my intentions.

—I couldn't bring myself to speak.

Imashino-kun looked incredibly tired, something I'd never seen before, and that wasn't all.

He seemed oddly zoned out. In one hand, he tightly grasped a small, soft, animated character plushie. He repeatedly squeezed it and relaxed his grip.

His expression was cold. His usual gentle presence had completely vanished. He was totally engrossed only in the act of playing with the plushie. I couldn't take my eyes off how his slender, firm fingers rubbed and stroked the toy's head. W-What is this? Did I stumble upon a scene I shouldn't have seen? And wait, can Imashino-kun make such a vacant expression?

Observing him like that, I started to feel strange...

"Y-You're stroking it there?! And stop making that face! The gap from your usual self is so intense that my personal D.M. urge is getting—stimulated! P-Please, no more...!"

Unlike me, who was getting incredibly aroused (and frankly, creepy), his demeanor was utterly detached.

The moment was already far from ordinary, but what truly etched itself into my memory came next.

"—Hah?! I-I'm sorry! —That was too rough, wasn't it..."

Imashino-kun suddenly came to his senses and started apologizing to the plushie. He even gently stroked its cheek.

"I think I was just a little too tired... I'll remove the fluff. Please forgive me."

While using a sticky roller he took from his desk, he started mumbling softly.

"Things suddenly got busy, and I have a part-time job today, too, so it's a lot... And how do you wash small plushies like this... Hey. If we can't find your owner, you can stay here... I'll take good care of you..."

"Hey."

When I finally spoke, Imashino-kun looked around, then realized I was behind him.

"! Whoa!?"

"..."

"N-Nawagami-san? How long have you been there...?"

"Just now."

Leaving aside the fact that he was startled by my presence, I asked him first,

"Where did everyone else go?"

"Eh? Ah, well... Yuika is out sick; it seems she got food poisoning from oysters."

"What about the older students? The girl who looks like she has multiple burner social media accounts isn't here either?"

"The seniors are taking an external practice exam... and Miran is still in junior high, anyway."

I didn't say that I see her around frequently despite that fact. It didn't matter.

"So you're on the verge of exhaustion?"

"No, I'm not. I'm perfectly fine to work—"

Perhaps sensing my deadpan look, he put his hand on his forehead.

"I'm sorry. The truth is, with the school festival coming up and my part-time work, things are reaching a peak."

"..."

"But, yes, I'm truly fine. So, can you tell me your business here?"

He reverted to his usual gentle expression, looking at me with those eyes.

"Why do you—"

"...Nawagami-san?"

"—always do that for everyone?"

Even at this critical point, he still showed me sympathy... I couldn't hold back anymore.

"You should give up. You don't have to bear the burden. But Imashino-kun always puts other people first. If it's all just an act of performance, you're an absolute fool."

I was so incredibly angry. He should just think about himself. I couldn't understand why he didn't. It made him look like he was the only one losing out... No, that's not it.

Seeing the vacant, detached way he was playing with the plushie, I realized the truth.

He's carrying stress and living with burdens, just like everyone else. He is not a natural saint.

Yet, he still chooses to act for the benefit of others. He takes the initiative, he moves first.

My cynicism should not be directed at him. I knew that, but still...

"Watching you infuriates me. Why can't you put yourself first?"

I'm a twisted, delinquent girl, and this was the only way I could phrase it.

And yet... After hearing all that, Imashino-kun simply gave me a subtle smile.

"Thank you for your concern. It actually cheered me up."

"! No! That's not what I—"

"But you know, I only do things that I want to do. Sure, I get tired and stressed, but if I really hated it and felt forced, I would have dropped everything long ago."

"..."

"And my sister has a piano competition at the end of the month. Ah, a competition—my sister plays piano. Anyway, since such a wonderful reward awaits me, my current struggles are nothing."

Imashino-kun suddenly began a cheerful monologue about his sister. I found myself completely unable to counter him.

"Ah, I got a little carried away talking about my sister... Ahem. Anyway, let me rephrase that. I want to hear what business Nawagami-san has for me, so please tell me... Y-You're suddenly too close."

I stepped incredibly close to him. A distinct minty scent wafted from him. It wasn't expensive cologne, but the scent of store-bought body sheets, which just made me resent his likeability even more. It was annoying that he didn't seem too flustered by the proximity. Everything was annoying.

Above all, thanks to him, I was about to say something entirely out of character.

"...Order me to do something, Imashino-kun. Something that you must do."

"Eh? Is that your business with me?"

"Just do it!"

"W-Well, how about... cleaning the Student Council room?"

"Something else!"

"W-Wait, one is fine, I don't need—"

"Shut up! Say it quickly!"

I forcibly silenced the bewildered Imashino-kun. Even factoring out the initial annoyance, I figured he wouldn't comply unless I was forceful like this.

After much effort, I managed to pull a few tasks out of him and repeated them for confirmation.

"Mainly preparation for the school festival. The delivered cardboard boxes need to be moved to the Student Council Room entrance. You need to confirm the lineup order for the bands playing today. You need to count the desks in the large classroom... I will take care of all of that. You can sit there and talk to the plushie again."

"Th-That's not—I wasn't playing with it, I was, um... Ah, wait!"

Dealing with his persistent arguments was a hassle, so I quickly moved to leave.

But he called out one final thing to my back.

"—Thank you. Nawagami-san, you're actually a very, very kind person."

...Instead of rebutting, I wouldn't pick and choose whom to be kind to if I were really kind, I deliberately slammed the sliding door a bit too hard as I left.

I completed the tasks he asked me to do.

But I didn't submit the volunteer work report; it was just too tedious.

But the next day, and the day after that, I wasn't scolded for it.

It seemed Imashino-kun had quietly spoken with the guidance counselor.

This was unsolicited help, but one that I could no longer reject.

Reflecting on all the events up to today and all my thoughts about Imashino-kun.

I went to the kitchen refrigerator to grab an ice cream. I'd kept his suggestion in mind; this was my first one today.

Settling back on the sofa, I took a spoonful of the ice cream he bought me.

"A sincere and kind person like him is going to be my Sadistic Master! ~~~~ ♥"

Along with the rich macadamia scent, I once again began to blissfully melt alone.

That moment was still seared into my eyes. Imashino-kun was venting his frustration on the little plushie but knew it was wrong, and immediately apologized.

I want him to direct those same conflicted feelings toward me.

That perfect mixture of coldness and warmth that only overflows from someone who genuinely cares about another person.

He can direct all of it to me. I want him to show only me that side of him.

Because when I asked him to become my S-Dom Master, it was only partly to satisfy my D.M. desire. It was also because I thought that his raw, intense response could be the catalyst for us to become close enough to have that kind of raw communication, a dream I'd held for a long time—

"...N-No, that's not right! It was simply to scratch my M-itch; it was nothing more than—"

A different type of shame suddenly surged, and I bit down hard on my spoon.

But even then, there was a part of me that thought, I don't even dislike this.

It's truly been a long time since I've felt this kind of profound emotion for anyone else.