Chapter 30: Tonight Is the Night

At this moment, in the entire Roppongi district, there were only a handful of discos open. The ticket was nearly five thousand yen per person, but Yosuke Ueno handed it over without hesitation. Tonight was a night that shattered his imagination.

He had never realized that with a charming stranger, one could so quickly become familiar, even staying together until well past ten, neither in any hurry to leave. What about later, then? The anticipation and excitement made him utterly decisive.

Inside the disco, where the music thundered, the place was already coming alive. Taoming Tao had fully embraced the mindset of enjoying life. After entering and sitting at the table for a short while, having downed two more drinks, he stood up, took Risa Tomizawa’s hand, and called out to Yosuke Ueno to join them on the dance floor.

Young people, swept up in the pulsing rhythm and fueled by drinks, soon grew bold and lively. Taoming Tao swayed with the beat, quickly slipping an arm around Risa Tomizawa’s waist. Amidst the dancing and brushing against each other, he leaned to her ear and asked, “Risa, you’re not really that drunk, are you?”

“Of course I am! I’ve had so much!” Risa tilted her head, replying in his ear.

“Then you’re truly gifted when it comes to rhythm.”

“Am I?”

“Absolutely. I’m so stiff myself…” Taoming Tao spoke the truth; disco music was hardly his style.

“Tao, if you’re good at everything, it’s intimidating. Flexibility—well, that’s more our domain as girls.” Risa’s lips curved with a smile. Taoming Tao edged closer. “Then I need to learn from you…”

Not far away, Yosuke Ueno felt he’d finally let go, realizing that in such settings, girls weren’t so resistant to a little intimacy. He was nearly boiling over with excitement.

Tonight was worth every yen. That Taoming Tao—he’s completely awakened! So much to learn.

After a while, they rested with drinks, then returned to the dance floor. The drinks here seemed to intoxicate even more.

Later, Risa Tomizawa was almost entirely swept into Taoming Tao’s rhythm. After all, he was a man who’d spent twenty or thirty years in nightspots with fiercer beats, and though his moves seemed odd, his rhythm struck her as unexpectedly captivating. Especially when he held her close, swaying together to the music, it felt as if something inside her was being released.

When she returned to her seat, breathless, she sipped her drink to quench her thirst, watching Miho Yanagawa and Yosuke Ueno still in the dance floor, copying others’ moves.

Taoming Tao leaned in, gazing steadily at Risa Tomizawa. “Risa, are you happy?”

Risa turned her head, seeing him so close, lips pressed together as she nodded.

“On nights as beautiful as this, going home now would feel like a waste.”

Her eyes were glazed with intoxication, breath not yet steady, chest rising and falling.

Taoming Tao edged even closer, his lips parting slightly.

Something seemed to explode in her mind—Risa Tomizawa felt a burning breath surging beneath her nose and parted her lips as well. Though they hadn’t yet touched, the force between them was as though a magnetic field had formed.

After a brief moment, Taoming Tao said, “Let’s find somewhere more romantic, shall we?”

Risa Tomizawa was still savoring the moment, her eyes shining as she nodded.

Taoming Tao turned, smiling, to look at Yosuke Ueno and asked, “Risa, should we leave the other two behind?”

“…Let Miho decide for herself!”

“I see.” Taoming Tao raised his hand and called, “Yosuke!”

The other two, still holding hands, ran over. Yosuke Ueno arrived, raising his glass, “Another round!”

Taoming Tao watched their exuberant toast, feeling the atmosphere was at its peak.

Why not help him along?

Without any attempt to conceal, he wrapped Risa Tomizawa in his arms and said, “We’re heading to the hotel! You two, are you coming?”

Miho Yanagawa’s eyes cleared for a moment, surprise flickering as she looked at Risa Tomizawa, but saw only a smiling face, clearly already decided.

Taoming Tao continued, “Youth is so brief, fleeting romance so rare. If you want to join, hurry up!”

With that, he strode away with Risa Tomizawa.

Risa turned, winked at Miho Yanagawa, her face alight with laughter, calling, “Come on!”

Yosuke Ueno’s heart raced wildly. Looking at Miho Yanagawa, he gritted his teeth and declared, “Miho—I like you!”

Miho Yanagawa laughed, whether from the alcohol or from long-standing anticipation, she was even more passionate than Risa Tomizawa. She cupped his face, gave him a kiss, then grabbed his hand, “Let’s go too!”

It felt as if Yosuke Ueno’s mind had been struck by a hammer.

Tonight, the money was worth it! He’d waited so long—for tonight!

Soon, the four of them arrived at a luxury hotel in Roppongi.

For this special night, Yosuke Ueno spared no expense.

Risa Tomizawa and Miho Yanagawa, as if unfamiliar with such places, were as excited as Yosuke Ueno himself.

They divided into two rooms. Taoming Tao joked, “Good luck, Yosuke!”

“Enough already—shut up!” Yosuke Ueno didn’t even glance at him, dragging Miho Yanagawa into their room.

Ready now. Was he brave enough?

Taoming Tao withdrew his gaze, turning to Risa Tomizawa.

Nothing more needed to be said—she too had made up her mind.

“Well then… let the battle begin!” Taoming Tao’s gaze was fiercely intent. Risa Tomizawa instantly responded, pulling him inside.

Battle means attack, ammunition in abundance.

Before the assault began, the atmosphere lingered in the exploration of terrain and the deepening of trenches.

Yet, as tension mounted, someone would inevitably be unable to resist the urge to cry out.

This was the bugle’s call, followed by the firestorm of invasion.

Maneuvering, shifting tactics, blades clashing, every strike landing true.

With the hot, snowy liquid flowing, came the cries impossible to suppress.

“No, no…”

Taoming Tao nearly broke character in the heat of battle, bizarre images flashing through his mind.

He shook his head. Are you saying I’m not good enough? Hell no!

Under fierce attack, someone would surrender first, then feverishly try to tame the wild man before dawn.

Or perhaps, simply lose themselves in the fight.

Who knew what strange escalation would come in the battles that followed?

Taoming Tao gritted his teeth, listening to the repeated cries of “Tao-san, Tao-san,” his scalp tingling.

Wasn’t this girl a bit off? Did calling him like that make it even more exciting?

He felt, for not being perverse enough, a sense of disconnect with this woman… No, he had to plunge in!

In!

!!!

…

When dawn broke, he awoke.

It was the biological clock he’d developed over the past few days.

Turning, he smirked, reaching out again.

Risa Tomizawa twisted in her sleep, letting out a slight, dissatisfied whimper.

Taoming Tao sat up, feeling utterly at ease.

Stretching, dressing, he glanced once more at the sleeping woman, then quietly left and knocked at the door of the room next door.

After a while, Miho Yanagawa’s voice sounded, “Who is it?”

“It’s me, Tao.”

Miho Yanagawa, in her pajamas, opened the door, shyly glancing at him, her eyes even flickering.

Taoming Tao paused at her look.

Goodness, there was a hint of something else here.

Did she think he’d come to try something with her?

That subtle, expectant expression…