Chapter 549 - Retreat

"Booooo..." Nik groaned. His happiness came crashing down to the pits of despair the moment Okusan said— No pets in the house. Well... what she meant was no human-eating Salamanders in the apartment and as a perfectly reasonable person, Nik could understand Okusan's logic. Honestly, the way she exerted herself last night made Nik even hotter for the pink-haired bombshell as she would usually be pretty meek and accommodate. He stepped down the bus like usual as the warm rays of the sun failed to provide any comfort in the chill. Winters were short-lived here so It's probably a dozen or two days before spring touches the country and allowed women to dress in pretty sundresses once again! Yawning a little, Nik stumbled across Manabu's mother. He didn't feel like using his skills to avoid unnecessary human interactions this time and as any inquisitive neighbor, the woman practically rushed out the moment it was Nik's scheduled to enter the market.

"Ohohoho, Nik! Did you really grow? I thought that Kybaya-chan didn't wear her correct glasses!" She looked amazed. Well, she should be. She was practically squeaking around Nik and at this time, a gruff voice echoed. "Prepare the stock already! We don't want the soup to run out!" The man said standing at the entrance of the restaurant. There weren't really that much of early customers for the couple so instead of sleeping late to prepare for the next day, they would usually prepare for the day in the morning itself. Heaving a deep sigh, Manabu's mother turned with her lips upturned. "Fine!" She spouted before waving goodbye to Nik. As she entered the restaurant, the husband glared towards Nik and walked back, sliding the entrance shut.

"So?... No hello? Damn, you are cold!" Nik snickered before walking towards the bookstore with carefree steps. Could he respond to every action against him based on envy? Of course, he could. But what's the point? Nik loved the look in the eyes of men. That look that shows their inferiority complex and fear that he might actually steal their women and they aren't wrong. One of these days, he just might and that's why he simply enjoyed the drama brought by his attractiveness. "Ah, I should stop being so narcissistic, well, can't help it!" Nik chuckled to himself as he waved towards Yuuko, who, this time, found herself seated behind the counter while seemed a little distracted. "Morning, Nik," she greeted as Nik took the duster, "Good morning, everything okay?"

"Hmm?" Yuuko looked towards Nik before shaking her head, "Oh, yeah. I was just... thinking about a call I received from my friend. We haven't talked in ages but her son is getting married and she invited my family."

"Oh, nice," Nik chimed as he started cleaning the store. "The fact is..." Yuuko continued, "She was my classmate, so I don't recall seeing her pregnant at that time or before..." Hearing her, Nik came to a slight halt before continuing as if he hadn't heard anything. Even Yuuko stopped talking as she continued to think hard. "You should probably eat up?" Nik suggested after a few minutes as Yuuko shook her head. "I had prepared sandwiches today so I have already eaten up after Megumi went off for her classes. Hehe, I'll be snatching your customers today, pretty boy!" Yuuko let the cheerful surrounding her to her and when she finally realized the comment that leaked through her mouth, she tried to hurriedly change it. "A-ah! I didn't mean to insult you or —"

"It's fine, really," Nik smiled and waved his hands. He had just reached the kid's section that mainly comprised of fairytales and coloring books alongside the elementary textbooks prescribed by the educational system of the country. As Yuuko gazed at Nik bending down to wipe the traces of dust on the surface of the top books of the rows, Yuuko's breathing grew a little rough. As expected, she was sore all over the place today and took off a day from the gym, despite Megumi's many complaints. So while imagining the body hidden by the jacket, Yuuko continued to have her fill of the day while thinking about yesterday's proposal.

"Is... um, Kaya-san coming over?" Yuuko suddenly inquired as Nik shrugged in response. "Most probably. But I think that it is quite wrong to continue our meetings when it is in your complete knowledge. Still, she said that she wanted to meet with you." Nil said while moving to the fiction center, now hiding from Yuuko's vision as the fiction section was into the deeper territories of the bookstore. "Oh..." Yuuko mumbled. A little complicated as she soon turned silent. Meanwhile, Nik found an interesting title in the a.d.u.l.t section.

"Say, Yuuko, isn't Fifty Shades of Grey a foreign item? When did you order a batch?" Nik picked the promotional article that wasn't translated as Yuuko's ears perked up. When it came to products, despite their nature, she didn't mind being open about it. "Ordered it a week ago. Matsuman-san barely had any stock left. Honestly, many of our customers are already interested in this kind of stuff."

"Literature e.r.o.t.i.ca, huh... nice," Nik muttered as he decided what he would be delving into today. He had been a little interested in another foreign literature— Percy Jackson— but that could wait for now. The cover image of the book already sold itself to Nik.

"Umm, hey, Auntie," A rather young woman entered the store and greeted Yuuko with a smile that instantly pulled on Yuuko's mood. "Hello, Misha-chan. Another coloring book for your sister?"

"You got it!" The brunette with quite a bit of makeup grinned as Nik craned his head out of the sideways and called out, instantly brightening Misha's day. "Hey there, Misha. We got a fresh batch of the current shounen trends. That little girl loves this kind so, here!" Nik presented the coloring book that Misha took with a wide smile before paying up and leaving with a wave towards Nik.

"Honestly, her little sister is probably tired of crayons already!" Yuuko complained. Both, the boss and the employee, knew Misha's true objective as her words made Nik snicker. "I bet Misha knows how to make the best use of work out crayons." His words earning a glare from Yuuko as she coughed, "Inappropriate!"

"Yes, sorry boss! Where's the unpacked stock for the recipes?" Nik inquired as Yuuko sighed and directed. "To the left of the guestroom. You'll carry the package yourself?" Yuuko's arms were already begging to her to simply sleep as Nik grinned, "You know it!"

---

"Did you guys miss me?!" Kaya walked through the storefront with an eager grin. Without waiting for Yuuko's reply, who had been expecting her, Kaya hurriedly continued, "I know, I know! You probably did." She wasn't wrong. She couldn't come by the apartment since she had to fill a large order due to two birthday events in the area. For better or worse, it was Kaya's sweets that truly kept her major customer base around. Seeing her placing a filled cloth bag on the counter, Kaya turned to Nik and smiled, "Turtle Fried Rice! Sakura and Gunta love it!" Announcing the lunch, Kaya waved her hands and entered the house quite casually.

"Bring it in! I am too tired carrying it all the way here."

Gazing at each other before Yuuko took the initiative to avert her heated gaze from Nik, the woman stood up and picked up the package while Nik followed with an expectant expression.

Taking off his shoes, Nik entered the inner living room and found Yuuko rummaging for dishes in the kitchen while Kaya winked at him as she sat down. "Hehe, never thought you'd actually drop the bomb on her completely. Poor Megumi..." Kaya shook her head with a debauched smile, clearly enjoying her fantasies as Nik sat down with a shrug. "It is easier being blunt about these things and it worked. And it's not like we are going to do all the way."

"We aren't?" Kaya inquired, already thinking that Yuuko would agree. "Of course, not. Think about it carefully... It's a little over three months, my stay, so wouldn't it be unfair to Megumi if did not even get her the chance to get used to stuff... considering that she finally had the guts to f.u.c.k in an orgy a day ago?"

"Eh," Kaya seemingly didn't share his opinions but that didn't stop the two to fool around as the moment Yuuko entered, she exclaimed in surprise with her cheeks burning as she gazed at Nik kissing Kaya deeply with his tongue. His hand pressed against her cheek lovingly while the other hand had already removed her jacket and pressed its grip against her soft and squishy bosom. "Mmm~" A sweet grunt echoed, making Yuuko gulp while she quickly placed the plates down and coughed loudly. "What are the two of you doing?!" She almost shouted but kept herself in check. "Hmm?" They both looked towards Yuuko and slowly separated. Kaya adjusted her blouse as her left b.r.e.a.s.t had almost popped out of her bra, making her feel a little uncomfortable without a rough grasp above her tits.

"Kissing, of course!" Kaya licked her lips as she locked gazes with Yuuko. Clearly, she was enjoying 'this'. The slow conversion of Yuuko at a pace that almost gave her the 'hots' during her sleep. "I can see that!" Yuuko snapped as Nik looked at the bowl of fried rice clearly not enough to feed him fully but hey, he always had more than sumptuous breakfast and dinner every day. So a little pull during the lunch wasn't something he couldn't handle. "Listen, you two!" Yuuko spoke, "I know that... I mean... clearly, you two are more than excited, but I need more time. To think and..." before she could complete, Kaya leaned forward and instantly pecked Yuuko's lips playfully leading to a tantalizing whisper, "Take all the time you need, darling. We both aren't going away anytime soon... well, he is, but he usually returns after a week. Anyway," Kaya stood up, "I forgot that I need to buy some workout stuff for Sakura... you know, the private ones. And I did have my lunch and was hoping for something... else." Waving her hand, Kaya grinned towards Nik, "I'll meet you back with Mitsuko."

"Sure thing," Nik smiled as he looked at Yuuko. The moment Kaya left, Yuuko let out a frustrated and soft groan before thumping her head against the table. "Ugh... I—" She didn't know how to express herself. Clearly, she had been wanting to do 'it' with Nik. And having Kaya, who turned out to be the major source of her debauchery would have made Yuuko feel more comforted but when she found herself at the crossroads, she lost her nerve and hurriedly pulled back.

"It's not too bad. I think, now that our situation is in open... aside from the remaining few days of awkwardness, we both will at least be able to communicate with each other freely." Nik smiled while helping himself to the lunch, making Yuuko look at him with an annoyed glare.

Just what part of him looked awkward? It looked like he already owned the place and was just counting days before committing the deed with her. And quite frankly, Yuuko felt that if Nik didn't have the nerve to be this shameless, he might have already lost this job after Kaya left.

"Fine..." she mumbled when her stomach protested against her body.