Chapter 122: Spar, Kisses, Cuddles And An Interesting Night

The moment Aoi stepped into the bedroom, she froze mid-step.

Her eyes widened as she stared at the completely transformed room.

In the center of the room hung a beautiful chandelier, its warm golden light illuminating every corner. The only thing was that the bed was gone, but that wasn’t what caught Aoi’s attention.

There was a pool.

A freaking four-inch-tall pool.

"Reiji..." Aoi muttered, staring at it in disbelief.

She had no idea how the hell he had managed to fit a pool inside the house, but somehow, it was there.

It wasn’t some cheap inflatable pool either. The structure was made from beautifully polished wood, smooth enough that there wasn’t a single bump or rough edge anywhere on its surface. The water inside was perfectly still, reflecting the soft golden light from the chandelier.

Before Aoi could even ask a question, Reiji stopped her.

"Don’t worry about anything."

"But..."

"Nobody saw me, and as for the pool, I already had it in the basement. I just brought it up."

Aoi stared at him for a few seconds.

’He had this thing in the basement this whole time? Really? Can this thing even fit through that door?’

She wasn’t even sure she wanted to ask.

"Just relax," Reiji said with a small smile. "You’ve had a long day."

Aoi looked at the pool again before slowly nodding. "Okay."

Reiji pointed toward the bathroom. "Go change. I’ve prepared everything."

Aoi entered the bathroom and soon returned wearing a soft bathing robe. The moment she stepped toward the pool, she could already feel the warmth radiating from the water.

She removed the robe, keeping her gaze fixed on Reiji’s back so he wouldn’t peek, before slowly lowering herself into the warm water.

"Ahhh..."

A long sigh escaped her lips as her tired body finally relaxed.

It felt incredible.

The room itself had been transformed into something resembling a private sauna. Warm steam lingered in the air while slow music played in the background, its gentle rhythm filling the room without becoming distracting.

There was also a sweet fragrance in the air.

Aoi took a deep breath.

The scent immediately filled her lungs, and somehow, even that made her feel more relaxed.

’This is heaven.’

She closed her eyes for a few seconds, allowing herself to forget about the mountain of documents waiting for her tomorrow.

Reiji sat beside the pool and began applying some skincare products to her face.

Aoi didn’t even bother asking what half of them were.

She simply let him do whatever he wanted.

First came the face cream.

Then some green facial mask was carefully applied to her skin before Reiji placed cucumber slices over her eyes.

Aoi couldn’t help but chuckle. "Am I really doing this?"

"Yes."

"I feel ridiculous."

"You look ridiculous."

Aoi immediately removed one of the cucumbers from her eye and glared at him.

"You’re supposed to make me feel better."

"I am," Reiji said with a smile.

"Then you’re terrible at this."

Reiji chuckled before gently putting the cucumber back. "Just relax."

Aoi sighed and closed her eyes again.

A few moments later, Reiji began massaging her shoulders.

His hands were surprisingly gentle, applying just the right amount of force to loosen the tension in her body and hitting every sore spot. Her body immediately relaxed even further.

"That feels good..."

"Haha, I have godlike hands, so enjoy the feeling of relaxation," Reiji said with a smug smile.

"You sound proud of yourself."

"Why shouldn’t I be?"

Aoi smiled faintly.

Because now she felt like she could finally breathe after everything that had happened since she entered the company that morning. The endless documents, Mayumi’s terrifying workload and the fear of eventually making a mistake all seemed distant now.

She slowly opened her eyes and looked at Reiji.

"You really went all out."

"I figured you needed it."

"You did all of this because I had a rough day?"

"Pretty much."

Aoi stared at him for a moment before smiling. "Thank you."

Reiji paused for a moment. Then he continued massaging her shoulders.

"You’re welcome."

The two remained like that for a while, simply enjoying each other’s company.

Aoi eventually began telling him about her day.

She complained about the ridiculous amount of paperwork Mayumi had dumped on her, the endless documents, the database and how she had barely been given enough time to breathe.

Reiji listened quietly, occasionally making a comment or teasing her whenever she complained too much.

"And then she gave me another hundred and four documents," Aoi said, her voice filled with disbelief. "One hundred and four, Reiji."

"Sounds like she likes you."

"Likes me?"

Aoi stared at him.

"She almost killed me."

"That’s how you know she likes you."

Aoi couldn’t help but laugh.

"You really are weird."

Aoi smiled and leaned back, allowing herself to sink deeper into the warm water. The exhaustion that had followed her home was slowly disappearing.

After a brief silence, Aoi suddenly remembered something.

"The previous assistant... What did you do with her?"

Reiji stared at her for a while but didn’t say anything as he continued the massage.

"I’m talking to you. What did you do?"

"It’s not important. At first, I wanted to lock her up until we finished the plan, but it turned out she’s an obsessed fan of the Night Empress," Reiji said with a light chuckle.

"So what did you tell her or...?"

"I just told her to quit her job, and she said I should walk her home. She asked for my hoodie, but I didn’t agree. Instead, I gave her my cap and took a photo with her, but my face wasn’t visible, so don’t worry."

Aoi could understand some of it, but she still didn’t fully understand why the woman would quit her job because of that. After all, it was a six-figure salary.

Reiji noticed Aoi’s confused expression and told her to check the local auction site.

What she saw left her stunned.

"Wait, you mean your cap is going for ten million yen?!"

"Hahaha, I’m practically wearing millions that I bought cheap."

"Can I take your hoodie?"

"Do you plan on selling it?"

"No, no, no."

"I’m still not giving it to you."

"But you know this is all your fault?" Aoi said with a pout.

"What’s my fault?"

"You let her quit her job at a critical moment and left me to handle a massive workload," Aoi continued with an annoyed tone.

Reiji paused and thought for a while before responding, "Okay, I’ll do whatever it is you want, as long as it’s something within my power."

"Really? Don’t lie to me."

"I promise. After all, this night is especially for you," Reiji said with a smile.

Aoi’s heart fluttered as she heard his words.

She stared at him for a moment before suddenly remembering something else.

"Reiji..."

"Hm?"

"Do you remember last night when you were drunk?"

Reiji frowned slightly before responding, "No. I don’t really remember everything in detail. Did I do something bad to you?"

Aoi quickly replied, "No, no, nothing bad happened, but it was good."

"What?" Reiji asked, a little curious.

Feeling Reiji’s gaze on her, Aoi’s face turned hot, and her eyes unconsciously drifted toward his rosy lips.

’He said this night is for me, and if I don’t take this opportunity, I’ll miss it.’

Summoning her courage, Aoi spoke in a quiet voice, so quiet that only Reiji could hear her.

"Y-You kissed me."

"And I want you to do it. I want you to kiss me," Aoi added before Reiji could process what she had just said.

Reiji thought about it for a while. Though he was surprised that Aoi wasn’t upset, but rather happy, he was relieved, so he guessed it wasn’t the kind of kiss he had been thinking about.

’Maybe I kissed her on the forehead that night.’

Reiji then leaned forward, and just as Aoi closed her eyes, expecting a hot, passionate kiss, she felt his lips against her forehead.

"Eh?"

Aoi instantly became furious.

"Are you treating me like a kid?"

"What? No." Reiji was confused. Wasn’t she the one who asked for a kiss?

Seeing his confused look, Aoi became even more frustrated. She grabbed Reiji by the collar, pulled him closer and kissed him passionately.

Reiji felt the warmth of her lips against his and was completely dumbstruck.

He had actually kissed her on the lips that night.

His brain lagged for a moment before finally grasping the situation.

’Since she isn’t mad, who am I to refuse a kiss from a beautiful lady?’

Reiji closed his eyes and kissed her back.

Aoi was happy he returned the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck.

The kiss continued for a while, with only the soft music playing in the background.

Eventually, they separated to catch their breath.

Aoi’s eyes were completely lovesick, and her breathing was ragged.

Reiji still couldn’t believe what had just happened, but he had a feeling that, from the way things were going, something good was going to happen soon.

"Aoi, why don’t you go change in the bathroom?" Reiji said. "I want to bring the bed back."

Aoi was reluctant, but after hearing what Reiji said, her face turned red as she quickly went into the bathroom.

Reiji immediately returned the pool to his inventory before bringing the bed back.

However, the bed was far fancier than before.

As soon as Aoi returned, she froze.

"That fast?"

"Don’t bother yourself with such things and come," Reiji said, already changed into his bathing robe.

Aoi quietly approached the bed and settled down.

Reiji went to wash up before returning to the bedroom in his nightgown. Just as he was about to prepare his futon, Aoi called him.

"Why don’t you come and sleep here?" Aoi said in a shy voice.

Reiji smiled and got into the bed.

The two lay there in silence, facing each other.

For a while, neither of them said anything.

Then Reiji slowly leaned closer and pulled her into a hug.

Aoi’s heart pounded wildly as she felt like her face was burning.

She couldn’t hold back anymore.

Aoi leaned in for a kiss.

As she pulled back, her gaze met Reiji’s, and she quietly muttered, "I love you."

"Me too."