Chapter 28: Bad Kids

Hisaki quietly watched the little white fox in her arms, who was trying so hard to feign calmness. Her facade was full of holes.

Her body trembled uncontrollably from fear, panic flooding her heart, yet she still forced herself to maintain composure, obediently sitting in her lap and deliberately playing weak.

Clearly full of resistance, yet for a sliver of a chance, she forced herself to appear docile and dependent.

This clumsy, stubborn display was so endearing it made her heart soften.

Hisaki’s fingertips paused at the hair dryer switch, then she gently set the device aside on the low table nearby.

The warm air stopped abruptly, and in the quiet room, only the sound of their interwoven, clearly audible breathing remained.

She lowered her head slightly, her chin resting gently on Rina’s crown, her palm covering the soft silver hair, stroking tenderly from the top of the head down along the strands to the nape of the neck.

“Is little white asleep now?”

The gentle voice brushed against her ear, carrying a fully perceptive, unhurried smile—soft yet immensely oppressive.

The figure in her arms didn’t move, offering no response at all.

Hisaki let out a low chuckle.

Pressed tightly against her chest, the back clearly felt the slight vibration from her chest.

Rina’s heart instantly leaped to her throat.

Did she see through it?

Had she already seen through her clumsy act of pretending to sleep and playing weak?

Or was she deliberately playing along, quietly waiting to watch her squirm in embarrassment?

“Completely defenseless, nestled in my arms without a shred of wariness.”

Hisaki tilted her head slightly, the dark red pupils in her eyes slowly deepening, shedding some of their usual gentleness and taking on a thick possessiveness.

“Since little white is being so good…”

She leaned in close, her lips nearly brushing Rina’s earlobe, her tone lingering and dangerous.

“Then I suppose I won’t hold back.”

Rina’s body went completely rigid in an instant, every muscle tensed to the limit, even her breathing forgotten.

The next moment, Hisaki’s hand, which had been wrapped around her waist, slowly rose, reaching toward the edge of the bath towel that had already slipped loose and was precariously hanging on.

Her fingertips barely touched the edge of the fabric, just as she was about to pull it and shatter the last barrier…

A slender little hand suddenly grabbed her wrist.

“N-No, don’t…”

Rina’s voice was soft and trembling, carrying an unmistakable panic and shame.

Hisaki’s movement stopped abruptly.

She lowered her gaze, looking at the small hand gripping her wrist tightly, then raised her eyes to the girl in her arms who had snapped open her eyes in panic.

Those clear, sky-blue eyes were veiled in a thin layer of moisture, the corners flushed crimson from extreme embarrassment and fear.

Her lips were pressed tightly together, her small chin trembling uncontrollably, her entire body radiating helplessness and terror.

“Not pretending anymore?”

A plain, calm question gently pierced through all her disguises.

Rina didn’t respond, only gripping Hisaki’s wrist desperately while her other hand frantically grabbed the slipping towel, yanking the fabric back into place to shield herself, barely stabilizing her crumbling barrier.

Hisaki watched her frantic, tense, on-edge state without pulling her hand back or continuing her actions.

She only used the arm supporting her back to exert a slight force, gently pulling, shifting the person in her arms to a different position. “Ah!”

Rina let out a short, startled cry, her body suddenly lifting into the air, both hands instinctively clutching the towel for dear life.

In the blink of an eye, she had landed back on Hisaki’s lap, their positions completely reversed.

Now they were facing each other, she kneeling on either side of the chair, directly confronting the woman before her whose deep eyes betrayed unreadable emotions, with no room even to retreat or dodge.

Hisaki’s palm rested steadily at the small of her back, gentle yet absolutely restraining, firmly fixing her in place, eliminating all possibility of escape. She lowered her eyes slightly, her dark red irises scanning the girl before her inch by inch…

Taking in every bit of her panic, shame, and fear—the flushed, moist corners of her eyes, the panicked gaze, the tightly pressed lips, the fingers clenching the fabric, and the uncontrollable trembling running through her entire body.

“Useless little white.”

Hisaki’s voice remained gentle, yet wrapped in a cold certainty, like stating an established fact without the slightest ripple.

“I gave you a chance to stay in line.”

“If you had just obediently stayed by my side, I would never have been willing to trouble you in the slightest.”

She withdrew the hand from the small of her back, her fingertips gently brushing Rina’s flushed cheek, the motion tender and lingering, yet every word cut to the bone.

“But the little white now has learned to be bad.”

“Her mind is full of lies, escape, and schemes.”

Her fingertips pressed lightly against her chin, exerting a slight force, forcing the girl who was trying to lower her head to look up, compelling her to face the obsession and coldness in her eyes.

“She’s long since stopped being obedient at her core.”

“Even if you deliberately act obedient and weak, it won’t change the fact that you’re desperate to run away from me.”

Rina stared into those deep, dark eyes, feeling her blood slowly run cold and freeze.

It was completely over.

Her heart was in utter collapse, filled with panic and regret.

She had thought that by taking the initiative to act weak and pretend to depend on her, she could make Hisaki lower her guard and relax her watch, creating an opportunity to escape.

But she never expected that this carefully planned probe wouldn’t work at all—instead, it would only intensify the other woman’s desire for control, making the situation even worse.

Her body trembled uncontrollably, boundless despair wrapping around her completely.

“I’ll only give little white two choices.”

Hisaki’s voice sounded flatly, cutting off all her scattered thoughts.

Rina’s breath caught, her heart constricting sharply as she stared intently at the woman before her.

“First.”

Her fingertips gently traced her chin, her tone soft yet brooking no resistance.

“Take the initiative to settle down, completely abandon all thoughts of escape, and sincerely stay by my side.”

Rina’s pupils trembled violently.

It meant completely giving up all retreat, willingly trapped in this cage, forever dependent on her from now on.

She had never faced such a confrontation, never dealt with such obsessive control, leaving her heart filled with nothing but endless panic and helplessness.

Hisaki took in all the conflict, resistance, and fear on her face, watching her trapped with nowhere to run in her embarrassed state, and a gentle yet dangerous smile curved at the corner of her lips.

“Second.”

Her palm slowly moved downward, gliding along the waist, and grasped Rina’s tense, trembling left hand.

Her fingertips were gentle and patient, one by one, slowly prying apart the tightly clenched, unwilling fingers.

The force was light, yet carried an unopposable dominance, gradually flattening her curled hand, palm up, resting steadily in Hisaki’s own palm.

Hisaki looked down at the small, slender hand in her palm, still bearing wounds, all gentleness fading from her eyes, leaving only a heavy warning.

“Continue being stubborn, rebellious, and holding onto false hope.”

“Then I don’t mind making little white thoroughly remember the price of disobedience.”

She lifted her eyes, her dark red gaze firmly locking onto the panicked, dazed Rina, her tone gentle yet carrying bone-chilling deterrence.

“I have plenty of ways to grind away all your edges and make you fully learn obedience.”

“Do you want to try, little white?”