Shiori’s suppressed sobs echoed through the Empty Classroom.
Watching Shiori, who had become humble to the extreme, the stiffness in Su Ruanruan’s body slowly faded. A deep sense of heartache and guilt welled up within her.
Su Ruanruan didn’t push her away again.
Her legs went weak, and she slumped to the floor, falling right into Shiori’s embrace.
Then, she reached out with her fair, slender arms and took the initiative to wrap them around Saginomiya Shiori’s neck. She buried her fuzzy head into Shiori’s shoulder and hugged her tightly.
“Ugh… Shiori is such a big dummy…”
Su Ruanruan’s eyes were red, and her voice was soft and sweet, but filled with absolute seriousness. “Who said I was going to leave you?”
Feeling the soft touch and the sweet scent of strawberries emanating from the girl in her arms, Saginomiya Shiori’s entire body jolted. Her tense, trembling frame froze instantly.
“The reason I suddenly wanted to earn money and become more sensible wasn’t to push you away or to suck up to others…” Su Ruanruan’s small hand gently patted Shiori’s back as if she were coaxing a startled child. “It’s because I didn’t want to be a useless person who only causes trouble for you. I want to become a better person, someone… who can stand by Shiori’s side with dignity.”
“Ruanruan…” Shiori’s pupils dilated slightly, and even her breathing stalled.
“Shiori is so good to me, how could I ever abandon you?” Su Ruanruan raised her head from the embrace, her clear red eyes looking straight into Shiori’s. “I will never leave Shiori. We’re going to be best friends for a lifetime.”
This sincere promise was like a stream of warm spring water, instantly extinguishing the surging, dark, and twisted sludge in Saginomiya Shiori’s heart.
“As for being a streamer…” Su Ruanruan looked at Shiori’s still-anxious gaze, her cheeks flushing slightly as she gently pinched Shiori’s fingers. “I’m so bad at games; I’ll definitely be scared to tears by the monsters. If Shiori isn’t by my side to protect me, I wouldn’t dare play alone. So, if I start streaming, will Shiori be my Exclusive Room Manager?”
“Exclusive… Room Manager?”
“Mhm! The kind of super moderator with the highest authority! You’ll sit right next to me. If any woman in the chat dares to say strange things to me or tries to make me unhappy, you can just ban them directly! Kick them all out! Okay?”
The air turned still.
The panic in Saginomiya Shiori’s eyes vanished, her pupils shrinking suddenly as they erupted with an extremely fanatical light.
“…Is that true?” Shiori’s breathing quickened again. “If a woman I hate sends you gifts, can I ban her too?”
“Ban her! As long as Shiori doesn’t like it, ban them all!” To soothe the large Puppy, Su Ruanruan handed over her authority without hesitation.
Hearing that certain answer, Saginomiya Shiori pulled Su Ruanruan into a tight hug, a deeply satisfied smile finally curling onto her lips.
Just as Su Ruanruan thought she had finally calmed down her heavy Childhood Friend and breathed a long sigh of relief—
Shiori suddenly buried her face in the crook of Ruanruan’s neck. Her voice became somewhat thick, carrying a suspicious hint of a blush and shyness. “But… Ruanruan…”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“Although I really like the sensible and gentle Ruanruan…” Shiori’s long fingers quietly slid down, naturally grasping Su Ruanruan’s slender, delicate ankle and gently rubbing it. “But… I actually still miss the old Ruanruan a little.”
“Eh? The old me who was a Mesugaki that cursed and borrowed money all day?” Su Ruanruan was stunned. “What’s there to miss about that! I was practically a scumbag back then!”
“You weren’t a scumbag!”
Shiori refuted her urgently. Her cold face was now so red it looked like it was about to drip blood, yet her eyes revealed an undeniable obsession and reminiscence.
“Back then… every time I made Ruanruan angry, Ruanruan would sit on the sofa in a huff, kick off her leather shoes and white silk stockings… and then using those ~beep~ (sound effect, please imagine it yourself)… she would look at me with eyes that treated me like trash and call me a ‘useless Stupid Dog’…”
At this point, Saginomiya Shiori, who was usually regarded as a Cool Goddess by countless girls at school, actually let out a morbid “Haa…” gasp.
“Being stepped on by Ruanruan’s ~beep~… that feeling… was truly wonderful…”
Boom—!
Su Ruanruan’s brain instantly short-circuited. Her entire face turned red at a visible speed, making her look like a steam engine girl about to explode.
“Ruanruan…”
Shiori raised her exquisite, flushed face, looking at her with a gaze full of longing—even a bit of begging.
“There’s no one here right now… could… could you ~beep~ me one more time like you used to? Just consider it a reward for the dog… okay?”
“Wh-What nonsense are you talking about! You pervert! You big lecher! Absolutely not!”
Su Ruanruan trembled with shame. How could she possibly agree to such a request!
She immediately tried to scramble backward with all her limbs, attempting to pull her ankle out of Shiori’s grip.
However, her strength—which was practically nonexistent—was as futile as a kitten kicking its legs in front of Saginomiya Shiori, who had practiced swordsmanship for years.
“Is that a no…”
Shiori lowered her eyes, and her previously wet, begging gaze instantly became dark and inscrutable.
She didn’t let go. Instead, the fingers gripping Su Ruanruan’s ankle suddenly tightened like iron shackles, carrying an irresistible force.
“But… I’ve been holding back for a long time. Ruanruan promised just now that she wouldn’t abandon me. I really can’t help it anymore. Please punish me!”
“Wai—Wait! Shiori, what are you trying to do? Let go! Ugh…”
Amid Su Ruanruan’s panicked cries, Saginomiya Shiori leaned over and pressed down on her with overwhelming force.
She used one hand to pull Su Ruanruan’s ankle toward her chest. Her other hand moved with agility, yet also with a kind of pilgrimage-like fanaticism, directly grasping the leather uniform shoe on Su Ruanruan’s right foot.
There was a light click sound.
The leather shoe was forcibly removed and tossed aside.
Next, Shiori’s slender fingers pinched the edge of the pure white cotton sock. Ignoring Su Ruanruan’s weak struggles and the whimpers she let out due to shame, Shiori slowly, inch by inch, slid the white sock off.
A flawless, delicate, and pale-pink little foot was thus forced into the cool air.
The skin on the bridge of her foot was so fine that the blue veins were visible. Her toes curled tightly due to extreme tension and shame, looking like a row of round, cute little pearls.
“Don’t look… it’s so weird… Shiori, let me go, uuuu…”
Su Ruanruan was so anxious she was about to cry. Her Tear Incontinence Physique caused her eyes to turn red instantly, and tears fell like broken strings of pearls.
However, this weak and submissive appearance of crying while resisting did not wake Shiori’s reason. Instead, it acted like a powerful drug, completely igniting the desire deep within this “Puppy.”
Shiori held that ~beep~ with both hands, her eyes hazy and fanatical as she directly ~beep~!
“Haa…”
“So sweet… Ruanruan’s scent… this is the feeling…”
Forced to “step” on Saginomiya Shiori’s face, Su Ruanruan felt the alarming heat coming from under her foot. Even her toes were almost cramping from the awkwardness.
“Ruanruan,” Shiori said, looking up from behind the delicate white foot with bloodshot eyes. She pleaded in an extremely morbid and excited voice, “Scold me. Like you used to… call me a useless Stupid Dog.”
Not only did she force off the shoe to press it against her face, but she was also forcing someone to scold her!
What kind of devilish development was this!
Su Ruanruan’s whole body shook. To end this hellish, shameful torture as quickly as possible, she could only close her eyes in self-abandonment. With humiliating tears hanging from the corners of her eyes, she used a voice so soft and sweet it didn’t sound like a scolding at all, but rather like she was acting spoiled. Stuttering, she called out the line:
“Stu-Stupid Dog… Small Fry Shiori! Hurry up and let me go!”