A prickly sensation washed over Shindo, making him raise his head on reflex. He was absolutely positive he sensed Satsuki’s aura. The air felt charged.
...Something has happened to her...
“Mr. Shindo? What is it?” Narusawa asked, arching her back to wrap her arms around his neck. With her head buried in his chest, she looked up at him through her fake lashes.
“I’m terribly sorry, but...” Shindo grabbed her arms and silently pried them away as he coolly bowed before continuing his apology, “that is not my duty. I’m going to take my leave now.”
Now that made her hackles rise. She was annoyed he didn’t fall for her seductive wiles. “Aren’t you uptight! Of course, that’s one of the things I love about you. But face it, you’re a man like any other. Would it hurt to submit to your innermost desires once in a while?”
His own emotions coming to mind, Shindo couldn’t help but snort. If he acted on his desires, he could never again serve at Satsuki’s side. There was only one lady in the entire world with whom he wanted to consummate his desires, but he knew he could never have her.
“Am I not your type? At the very least, I’m confident I can satisfy you better than Miss Tsujikawa ever could,” Narusawa quipped.
Shindo sensed this very misunderstanding Narusawa mentioned was going around of late. Perhaps it was inevitable when an adolescent girl was constantly with her young male retainer, but in truth, such rumors hurt his heart. Shindo straightened as he offered Narusawa a bitter smile in return.
“If the Miss said, ‘Sate Miss Narusawa’s needs,’ I would happily undress you. However, she has not given me any such orders,” Shindo clerically rejected her.
“You don’t have to act so loyal. Kurihara is probably showing Miss Tsujikawa a good time as we speak,” Narusawa revealed casually, freezing Shindo to the core.
“Mr. Shindo!” Narusawa cried, sliding from the sofa when he shoved her away.
Kurihara was on his way to Satsuki with the intent to “show her a good time.” The moment Shindo heard those words pop out of Narusawa’s mouth, he turned on his heel to leave. But Narusawa sprang up and reached out for him, latching onto one of his arms. Actually, she barely managed to snatch the hem of his suit’s sleeve.
“It’s too late now! How long do you think it’s been since Kurihara set out? I bet those two are busy ‘enjoying’ themselves as we speak. It’d be uncouth to pry them apart!” Narusawa insisted, believing Satsuki was the same as her.
“Miss Narusawa...” Shindo growled in a threatening voice. With his back turned toward her, he slowly twisted his head to the side to see her through the corner of his gleaming eye. “...Did you order Mr. Kurihara to do this?”
The sound of Shindo’s deadly voice sent Narusawa’s entire body shuddering in fear. But the moment her eyes locked with his, her body froze!
“Mr. Kurihara is your attendant. Is he acting on your orders? Did you tell him to lay his hands on...Miss Satsuki?” he asked in a voice that sounded like it was crawling over gravel. His gaze pierced her like razor-sharp icicles.
Narusawa’s voice caught in her throat, making it impossible to speak in her defense. The suit sleeve she had risen from the sofa to grab slid easily from her stiff fingers.
“If...by the time I get there, anything has come to pass that may taint the Miss...I cannot return him to you in one piece... Is that understood?”
Narusawa couldn’t utter a sound. Needless to say, she couldn’t move a muscle. Her whole body began to tremble instinctively out of fear as if she were stark naked before a serial killer. Turning away from the terrified woman, Shindo darted out of the room.
“What...is that man?!” Narusawa struggled to force the words out of her throat, which came out uneven and tremulous under the weight of her fear.
...He might kill me... Shindo filled Narusawa with a visceral fear that he might just take her life in payment for her actions.
“Oh, he wouldn’t actually...” Narusawa sniffled. Her lips twitched as they pulled into a thin half-smile. “He wouldn’t...”
Her mind went blank. Rather than alarm for Kurihara, she was horrorstruck by the implied threat hanging over her. If her attendant had his way with Tsujikawa, it was unlikely she would walk away unscathed. Although he didn’t say as much, Shindo’s killer eyes made that perfectly clear.
✦ ✦ ✦
TAP... Tap... Tap...
Rustle... Rustle... Rustle...
It all happened in the span of mere seconds... In the blink of an eye, the lights on the vaulted ceiling and the windows shattered into tiny pieces, raining down shards of glass! The desk and furnishings exploded into jagged fragments as if directly struck by lightning! It was as if a mighty gale lifted Kurihara from Satsuki and smashed him against the wall 33 feet away!
“Hahh...! Agh! Nnnnggghhh...” The guttural sounds he made were clearly different from anything that would come from the throat.
As those sounds emanated from Kurihara, his body limply slid down the wall. His body ached all over. His chest felt like it was being whacked with a hammer when he breathed. Did that mean he broke some ribs? When he smacked into the wall, something caught in the back of his throat, blocking his airways. Vomit filled his oral cavity and drizzled out of his half-open mouth.
Between the unexpected shock and sudden internal backflow, Kurihara’s entire body stung as if it were being jabbed by needles. Sparks flew across his blurry vision from a concussion when he struck his head.
...What...the hell...happened...? He recalled pinning down the girl he had set his sights on ages ago. All of the preparations were squared away to revel in the fantastic time of euphoric bliss. And yet...
Hunched on the floor in a position that looked as if he might topple over, Kurihara shifted his gaze to the young woman he tried to turn into the object of his self-gratification. Upon pushing herself up, Satsuki wrapped her arms around her chest in an attempt to cover herself. She was staring at Kurihara with a blank expression, her hair charged by the static in the air.