Tokyo: Rabbit Officer and Her Evil Partner

Minamoto Tamako blinked her eyes, lifted a corner of the quilt, and got up saying, "I forgot to insert the tape..."

"That's not necessary now, is it..."

Fushimi Roku didn't want to repeat past mistakes. Now he was holding two people gingerly, keeping a careful balance to prevent the two from touching each other, not daring to close his eyes.

"Why?" Minamoto Tamako grabbed his antler and questioned, "Is there something wrong with this tape?"

Fushimi Roku quickly shook his head and fabricated, "No, it's just that listening too much makes it less effective."

"No worries, it's only the second time listening."

Minamoto Tamako placed the tape recorder on the bedside table, inserted the tape with one hand, pressed the play button, and the tape began to spin, with melodious music playing once again.

Yes, this is the atmosphere!

In such a situation, how could it work without music?

She lay back down on the bed contentedly, patted the pillow with both hands, and closed her eyes rather anxiously. She could feel the warmth from Fushimi-kun beside her; if she got a little closer, she might stick to Fushimi-kun.

Would being too proactive seem forward?

Minamoto Tamako was too shy to get closer, maintaining a supine position with her hands crossed on her chest. She lay there with her eyes closed for a while, and under the hypnosis of the tape, she vaguely felt drowsy, wanting to turn over to find a more comfortable position.

Just as Minamoto Tamako twisted her body slightly, she suddenly found the situation somewhat grave.

If she lay on her side, should she turn her back to Fushimi-kun, or face Fushimi-kun?

Hiss...

Minamoto Tamako dared not move; she was worried about being attacked from behind or causing Fushimi-kun to misunderstand; she was also worried about facing him and getting kissed, or causing Fushimi-kun to misunderstand.

What to do?

Lie flat like this the whole time?

Minamoto Tamako kept her sleeping position, feeling somewhat uncomfortable. But she couldn't help it, as Fushimi-kun didn't turn over either.

The three of them continued lying there for a while. The hypnotic effect of the tape grew stronger, and Minamoto Tamako's eyelids couldn't hold up anymore. The drowsiness overwhelmed her, and she fell asleep slowly, still lying on her back.

"Tamako?"

Fushimi Roku softly called to test if she was asleep.

Minamoto Tamako naturally turned over in her half-asleep, half-awake state, facing Fushimi Roku, and placed her leg across him, hugging his arm with both hands.

"..."

Fushimi Roku thought he needed to talk to Sakurako about Minamoto Tamako's sleeping habits.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Uesugi Shion was also asleep, clinging to his hand like an octopus, with the tape on her mouth puffing up and deflating as she breathed...

No way, he must find a way to escape!

Fushimi Roku tried to slowly withdraw his left hand, but as soon as he moved slightly, Minamoto Tamako groaned softly as if murmuring in a dream and subconsciously hugged tighter.

He could only attempt to pull out his right hand, but Uesugi Shion also whimpered and kept burrowing into his embrace. Fushimi Roku, fearing she would touch Minamoto Tamako, could only use his right hand to firmly hold her in place, stopping her from moving around.

What to do now?

Fushimi Roku felt a bit bewildered.

He was sleepy, but he didn't dare to sleep.

What if he accidentally turns over in the middle of the night and lets Minamoto Tamako touch Uesugi Shion? What if Minamoto Tamako wakes up in the middle of the night? What if Uesugi Shion causes trouble in the middle of the night?

He couldn't afford to drop his guard and had to keep that string taut.

He'll endure it.

Just get through this night.

Come morning, Minamoto Tamako will rush off to work with no time to inspect his quilt. By then, he'll find a way to send Uesugi Shion away.

As for the dream thing, it can wait, there's no rush.

The night grew deeper.

Fushimi Roku lay there stiffly for a few hours, realizing he overlooked something.

—Minamoto Tamako and Uesugi Shion were also sleeping together, both listening to the hypnosis tape, possibly having the same dream.

Fushimi Roku didn't know what they dreamt about, but it certainly wasn't any proper dream.

He was in the company of two young maidens, each exuding their virginal fragrance, creating a fascinating atmosphere under the quilt.

Their breaths were hot, seeming to cling onto Fushimi Roku.

He could only lie there stiffly, waiting for dawn.

...

Each time sleepiness struck, Fushimi Roku pinched his finger with his nails, using the pain to keep himself awake.

After several repetitions of this, six or seven hours later, the sky finally began to lighten.

But Minamoto Tamako wasn't awake yet; she wouldn't get up for work at five or six o'clock in the morning. But if he continued to wait, he'd likely have to wait for another three or four hours.

Fushimi Roku couldn't wait any longer. He shook his numb left hand, causing Minamoto Tamako to exclaim in a girlish voice.

"Stop sleeping, time to wake up!"

Minamoto Tamako was awakened; she had a strange and saucy dream last night filled with vivid realities, finally quenching the fire in her belly, leaving a lingering sensation as she awoke.

... A lingering sensation?

...No way!

Minamoto Tamako suddenly became fully awake. She lifted the quilt for a peek and quickly covered herself again, her face blushing rapidly.

Fushimi Roku thought she had misunderstood something and casually explained, "Don't worry, nothing happened last night... I'm a righteous gentleman, you have to believe in my character."

However, what Minamoto Tamako was worried about wasn't that issue.

On the sheets appeared once again a tile-like pattern, still in the shape of a peach heart.

"What time is it!" Minamoto Tamako glanced at the clock guiltily, "It's only just past five! Why are you waking me up so early..."

As she spoke, she did a bridge, raising her body to let air into the quilt, trying to dry the peach-heart-shaped watermark.

However, air flows comparatively.

When external air enters the quilt, it causes the air inside to escape.

Minamoto Tamako, with a more sensitive nose, smelled something that shouldn't exist and turned over, clasping Fushimi Roku's nose with a slap.

"What are you doing?" Fushimi Roku asked muffledly.

"Pun-punishing you!" Minamoto Tamako stammered a bluff, "You did something bad last night, you must be punished! Hold your breath for thirty seconds!"

"What did I do?" Fushimi Roku felt guilty, thinking Minamoto Tamako had discovered Uesugi Shion.

"You had an affair in my dream!" Mentioning this, Minamoto Tamako genuinely felt a bit of anger rising, and she pressed harder on his nose with her small hand.

Fushimi Roku suddenly understood, recalling how Minamoto Tamako clung tightly to him last night, and murmured sleep talk in the latter half, whispering things like 'don't go,' 'please,' 'I really like you'...

"Who did I have an affair with... No, what does your dream have to do with me?" He was somewhat displeased.

"With that bad woman from the Uesugi family! The fact that I have such a dream indicates my subconscious has noticed some details I've overlooked; you must have a tendency to cheat!"

Minamoto Tamako grew more and more worked up as she spoke, imagining in her mind the scene of Fushimi Roku and Uesugi Shion tangled together like vines, wanting to cover even Fushimi Roku's mouth to let the adulterer suffocate to death.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Fushimi Roku shook his head to free Minamoto Tamako's small hand, uttering the classic line of a scoundrel, "Can you stop being unreasonable? What can I do if you dream like this?"

"Swear that you have no private relationship with that bad woman from the Uesugi family!" Minamoto Tamako insisted relentlessly.

To coax her to leave, Fushimi Roku could only make an empty vow in exasperation, "I swear."

"What sort of vow? State a specific oath!" Minamoto Tamako shook Fushimi Roku's arm.

"I swear, I don't have any private relationship with Uesugi Shion, and if I violate this oath, let lightning strike me five times..."

"That's too fake, the odds of being struck by lightning are one in thirteen thousand five hundred! Such an oath has no deterrent effect!" Minamoto Tamako began to nitpick.

"Fine, then I'll fall to my death." Fushimi Roku said impatiently.

"From where?"

"From the Tokyo Tower, over three hundred meters high, surely I'll be dead after falling... Is that okay now?" Fushimi Roku said.

"Hmph! You were already supposed to die!"

After saying that, Minamoto Tamako softened, released Fushimi Roku, and quietly said, "I don't want you to die..."

"So, no cheating, okay?"