Chapter 21: I'm Still A Virgin
After a while, Sarushima finally stepped out of the bathroom, her body barely concealed by a damp, clinging bath towel. Droplets of water trailed down her legs, catching the light as they dripped onto the floor. Okumura sat rigidly, his back straight, refusing to turn around. No way I can look, he thought, heat crawling up his neck. Something like this was definitely not meant for his eyes.
"Why aren't you turning around?" Sarushima's voice came out smooth, with a playful edge that lingered in the air. It was the kind of tone that made his skin prickle, as if she was savoring every second of his unease.
"D-Don't tease me like that, President!" Okumura stammered, his eyes shut tightly, his hands clenching his knees until his knuckles turned white. He was doing everything he could to keep himself steady, but his heartbeat hammered against his chest like it was trying to break free.
"I'm not teasing you," she replied, her voice dipping into something almost sultry. "I told you, didn't I? I have Hina's permission."
"P-Permission for what?"
"For us to have sex."
Okumura's mind went blank for a moment, completely short-circuiting. At first, the words didn't register, but then his brain caught up.
"F-For us to have what!?"
"Why are you so jumpy?" Sarushima tilted her head slightly, her damp hair falling over one shoulder as she looked at him with faux innocence. "It's not like you're new to this, right?"
"T-That's not the point! I mean, why would you... do this with someone you just met today, President?" He could feel the words tumbling out in a rush, his pulse racing. "Aren't there... um, you know, some kind of steps for these things?"
"Steps?" She arched an eyebrow, a sly smile playing on her lips. The corners of her mouth curled up like she was enjoying his flustered state far too much. "I don't know what you mean. And I think Hina doesn't either."
That look in her eyes said it all—she absolutely knew what he was talking about. She was toying with him, watching him squirm, and she was loving every second of it.
She's just like Saonji-san, Okumura thought, feeling a wave of frustration and confusion crash over him. I have no idea what she's thinking.
Sarushima was his senpai, someone he had barely even exchanged greetings with before today. He'd only seen her during school events, distant and untouchable, like they were living in different worlds. And yet, here she was, draped in nothing but a towel, speaking to him like this.
"I never told you what your power is, have I?" she asked suddenly, cutting through his thoughts.
Okumura sucked in a sharp breath, his chest tightening at the mention of his power. That's right—the whole reason he was even here was because he thought Sarushima could help him discover what it really meant, to explain the strange ability he carried. Now, it seemed, she was finally going to reveal it.
"I don't know how to explain this," she began, her tone turning more serious, though that playful glint never left her eyes. "But as a child of the anti-prophecy, you have the ability to strengthen those you have a bond with. The deeper your bond with someone, the stronger they become because of you. For example, there's Hina. Since she's basically your... sex friend now, you've formed a bond with her. But right now, you've only added a tiny bit to her strength—hardly enough to make a difference."
She paused, letting her words hang heavily in the air, like she was daring him to understand. "So, what do you think you need to do to increase her strength?"
Okumura didn't answer, but he knew exactly what she meant. It was obvious enough.
"Increasing the bond," she said softly, her voice almost a whisper as she stepped closer, her presence looming over him. "And the most powerful form of a bond is in a loving relationship. The strongest bond of all is love."
Okumura stayed silent, feeling a sharp, twisting pain in his gut. So that meant I was nothing to Saonji-san, after all...
The weight of Sarushima's words crashed over him like a wave, leaving him reeling. Even though he and Saonji had sex, to her, he was nothing more than a warm body, a convenience, a way to scratch an itch. That was all their bond amounted to. And that was why her strength hadn't surged—because he didn't matter to her.
I mean, if she did feel something, she wouldn't have given the President permission to drag me to this love hotel… he thought.
The realization was like a knife, twisting in his chest, each turn making it harder to breathe. His mind spun, and the painful knot in his chest wound itself tighter, an ache he couldn't ignore.
Suddenly, warmth seeped into his back, the damp press of freshly washed skin catching him off guard. His body tensed as he felt the gentle but undeniable pressure of Sarushima's form leaning into him.
"It seems like you've realized something," she whispered, her breath warm against his ear, sending a shiver down his spine. Her arms wrapped around his torso, pulling him against her, the softness of her chest flattening against his back. He could feel the steady thud, thud, thud of her heartbeat, reverberating through his skin, filling the silence between them with an unexpected comfort.
Eh? What's happening right now? Eh?
His thoughts scattered, confusion colliding with the unfamiliar sensation spreading through his veins—a slow, simmering heat that curled through his body like wildfire.
"If you want, I can be with you," she murmured, her voice carrying a raw edge he hadn't heard before. "You might not love me like you love Hina, but I can grow to love you. That's your power, isn't it? You can make my love for you grow until we're inseparable, until our bond becomes unbreakable. So... why don't you take me?"
"P-President…"
"I'm still a virgin," she continued, her tone dropping to something almost shy. "I don't know what a man's touch feels like. And right now... this is the closest I've ever been to a boy." Her arms tightened around him, her breath catching for a moment. "I've never understood what it means to love, or to be loved. But... I want to find out."
His heart pounded in his chest, each beat loud and insistent, filling his ears. The warmth in her voice, the softness in her touch—it was comforting yet disorienting, like a drug he couldn't quite resist.
It's weird... This is the first time I've ever been this close to the President, and yet, it feels like I've known her forever. What is this feeling?
"I'm feeling a sudden rush of power coursing through me. Does that mean your power is working? Is our bond growing stronger?" Sarushima mused, her voice tinged with curiosity and a teasing edge. "It's an incredible feeling. I wonder how much closer we can get... how much stronger our bond could become?"
Something inside Okumura snapped. It wasn't anger, nor confusion—it was something deep and primal, a hunger he couldn't name. Without another thought, he turned, gripping her tightly and pushing her down onto the bed.