Chapter 562 562: Rurie’s Reward, Munakata Nakoto Successfully Unlocked
Chapter 562 562: Rurie’s Reward, Munakata Nakoto Successfully Unlocked
"Ah! I'm using the bathroom right now, sorry, Madam," Takahara Ren hurriedly made up an excuse.
["I see. Then sorry to trouble you. Come bring me the tea after you're done, no need to rush,"] Munakata Rurie said considerately.
"Okay, Madam! I'll be as quick as I can," Takahara Ren replied at once.
After that, the call on Munakata Rurie's side ended.
Seeing the call disconnect, Takahara Ren finally let out a breath of relief. She put down her phone and exhaled toward Hikari.
"Phew! Madam Rurie suddenly calling really scared me," Takahara Ren said, lightly patting the front of her bulging maid uniform, still a bit shaken.
Seeing how naturally she had just agreed to Rurie's request, Hikari immediately asked, "Ren, do you often make tea for Madam Rurie at night?"
Takahara Ren nodded, "Mm, yeah."
"Madam Rurie has always had trouble sleeping at night and gets insomnia easily, so she often needs sleeping medication to get a good rest."
"So there are usually two kinds of medicine prepared at home."
Hikari asked, "Two kinds of medicine?"
Takahara Ren nodded, "Mm, there are two kinds that are stocked in larger amounts."
"One is a sleeping aid that helps improve sleep. That's what Madam Rurie usually uses."
"The other is something that enhances… desire. I didn't know before why that kind of medicine was prepared."
"But after learning that Madam wants to make a move on Miss Nakoto, and about the evil plan targeting her, I more or less understand now."
After hearing her explanation, Hikari understood as well.
"Since there are two medicines with completely opposite effects, and you often make tea for Madam Rurie, then," Hikari was about to say something.
But Takahara Ren had already guessed what he was thinking and smiled at him first, "Don't worry, Hikari-kun. I understand."
"In a bit, I'll switch the medicine. What I put in Madam Rurie's sleep tea won't be the sleeping pill, it'll be the other kind with a more intense effect~"
Hearing that, Hikari smiled and rubbed her head, "Mm, we need to find a way to make her reveal a flaw."
Sometimes, no matter how careful you are, it's the people inside who are hardest to guard against.
Earlier, Hikari had been thinking about how to probe Madam Rurie further.
Just relying on the weakness involving kisses that Munakata Nakoto mentioned wasn't quite enough.
But with Takahara Ren helping to administer the medicine, then things suddenly became much more workable, with far more possibilities.
While Hikari was thinking, Takahara Ren also smiled and let him rub her head, her expression looking rather pleased.
At this moment, she felt no burden at all about helping Hikari set up her own mistress.
Because she had also seen the notes left behind by Nakoto's father, and had personally witnessed the strange things in the basement passage, understanding the crime Madam Rurie intended to commit.
So, in order to save Miss Nakoto, helping Hikari drug Madam Rurie was something that should be done.
Seeing that Takahara Ren looked both determined and a little nervous, Hikari immediately said, "Let's stop here for today. Don't continue further toward the end of the basement."
"Eh? Didn't you say you were curious and wanted to take a look, Hikari-kun?", Takahara Ren was slightly stunned.
Hikari said, "We don't know what we'll encounter if we keep going. It could still be bats, or it could be other strange things."
"In any case, continuing forward will likely take a lot of time."
"And if you take too long to go back and make the tea, Madam Rurie might notice something unusual."
"So we should head back as soon as possible, to avoid making her suspicious."
After hearing that, Takahara Ren nodded, "Then… alright."
She also felt that what he said made sense.
The two of them immediately turned around and walked back the way they came.
Before leaving, Hikari glanced back once more at the long, deep, and eerie underground tunnel.
Actually, the reason he had her go back wasn't just because of Munakata Rurie.
It also had a lot to do with this strange and mysterious tunnel.
At the end of the tunnel, his keen spiritual perception detected a powerful and sinister aura that was hard to grasp.
Facing something unknown like that, although Hikari didn't think he would lose, he also couldn't guarantee he could protect Takahara Ren, an ordinary person who would only hold him back.
So it was better to head back for now and find a good opportunity later to explore it alone.
Leaving the basement and returning to the living room, Hikari separated from Takahara Ren and went back to his room first.
After all, Takahara Ren still had a task to complete.
And to avoid leaving any suspicious traces, she quickly brushed her teeth and rinsed her mouth, cleaning away anything that might have been left behind.
Then she hurriedly prepared the tea.
After that, she carried it upstairs.
"Madam, it's time to take your medicine," Holding the "sleep tea" with the drug already added, Takahara Ren came obediently to Munakata Rurie's bedside and spoke softly.
"Alright, thank you, Ren," Seeing her as meek and well-behaved as usual, Munakata Rurie didn't suspect anything.
After taking the teacup from her, she drank it in one go.
"Mm, the temperature is just right. Ren, you made it perfectly," Munakata Rurie smiled and praised her, even reaching out to pat her head.
"Th-thank you for the praise, Madam," Faced with this sudden gentleness, Takahara Ren couldn't help feeling a bit nervous, afraid she might have revealed something.
"Haha! It's getting late. Ren, you should go to bed early too," Madam Rurie said with a rare kindly expression.
"Okay!", Takahara Ren tidied up the tea set and quickly left the room with the tray.
Watching her hurriedly leave, a strange look flickered in Munakata Rurie's charming eyes.
"As expected of me… what a good child."
"With Ren around, many things become very convenient."
"I hope Hikari-kun can find the key on Nakoto. Otherwise… I'll have to sacrifice you, Ren…"
Lying on the bed, Munakata Rurie's expression shifted between light and shadow.
After thinking for a while, she closed her eyes and prepared to sleep.
———
After an unknown amount of time, her delicate body suddenly trembled.
Her beautiful, bewitching eyes, sparkling like sapphires, opened again, filled with deep frustration.
"Why is it still… a bit hard to fall asleep…"
"Something's not right…"
"I only felt a little like it before. Why, after taking the sleeping medicine, do I want it even more?"
"Is it because I haven't seen a man for too long?"
"No… it's probably because that guy Hikari is just too good-looking…"
"That damn guy, he's practically like a succubus. He's making it so I can't sleep at night."
"If I didn't have a plan, I'd definitely have a good taste tonight…"
"Forget it. Let Nakoto complete the plan first."
"Once the plan is done, I'll make sure to eat my fill… mm~"
———
The next day, morning.
A slightly cloudy sky hung over the luxurious Munakata residence, making the entire atmosphere feel quiet and solemn.
In the spacious, exquisitely decorated dining room, Hikari sat at the same table with Munakata Rurie and her daughter Munakata Nakoto, the three of them having breakfast together around the refined dining table. Nearby, Takahara Ren stood in her neat maid outfit, wearing a sweet smile.
As Hikari chewed on a slightly crispy fried egg, he glanced up toward the opposite side of the table.
Munakata Rurie was elegantly sipping her coffee, while Munakata Nakoto seemed somewhat distracted, idly playing with the fresh fruit on her plate.
Noticing his gaze, Munakata Rurie looked over as well and gave him a charming smile.
"How is breakfast, Hikari-kun? Ren's cooking is great, right?"
Hikari smiled and nodded, "Mm, it's pretty good. Madam Rurie, aren't you eating?"
Munakata Rurie, who had only taken a few bites before switching to just drinking coffee, laughed lightly, "Auntie needs to lose weight, so I won't eat too much. Besides, for the main course I like most later, I should leave some room."
For some reason, Hikari vaguely felt that there was a hidden meaning in her words.
At the same time, those alluring, expressive eyes of hers stayed fixed on him, seeming to carry a hint of heat.
Hikari didn't say much, just smiled and lowered his head to continue eating his egg, replenishing protein.
"I'm dieting too. You can have this sausage," Suddenly, Munakata Nakoto used her fork to place a sausage onto Hikari's plate.
"Eh, Nakoto-chan is still growing. Eating so little won't do," Munakata Rurie said with a frown.
"Mom's dieting, and I want to maintain my figure too. Besides, I've eaten too much sausage these past few days, I'm getting a bit sick of it," As she spoke, Munakata Nakoto gave Hikari a strange look, her expression carrying a hint of disgust, but her eyes flickered with a different kind of light.
Seeing her daughter's somewhat complex expression, Munakata Rurie seemed to understand and chuckled, "Hehe! So that's how it is. Nakoto has eaten so much sausage she's tired of it."
"Then I'll trouble you, Hikari-kun, to help her finish it. Is that alright?"
Facing the gazes from both mother and daughter, clearly aware that they each meant something more, Hikari smiled faintly and nodded, "Alright, no problem."
As he spoke, he picked up the sausage with his fork and put it into his mouth. The moment his teeth sank in, savory juices flowed out, filling his mouth.
Even though eating so much in a row was a bit greasy, Hikari didn't mind much.
Because he knew that while he helped Munakata Nakoto eat the sausage, she would also help him eat in return.
And the same went for Munakata Rurie. With the help of the maid Takahara Ren, the three of them, each with their own thoughts, finished breakfast with ease.
After that, they left the table one after another and returned to their respective rooms.
Leaning back on the bed, Hikari had just opened his phone when he saw a message.
[Miss Mira: Hikari-kun, when are you coming home?]
[Hikari: Soon. I'll definitely be back before tomorrow.]
[Miss Mira: Alright, make it quick.]
After replying to his adoptive mother's concerned urging, Hikari chatted with Miss Mira for a bit more before putting down his phone.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door.
"Come in," Hikari said.
The door opened, and Takahara Ren, dressed in her maid outfit, walked in.
"Hikari-kun."
"What is it, Ren?", Looking at Takahara Ren, who had gone on the basement exploration with him yesterday, and had even lost her first kiss and bitten him, Hikari raised a brow and asked.
"Um, Madam Rurie asked me to tell you to come to the study. She says she has something she wants to talk to you about," After relaying the message, Takahara Ren gave him a look.
Hikari could tell that after learning about Madam Rurie's hidden side yesterday, she was a bit worried about him, but couldn't say much openly.
"Alright, I'll go over now. It's fine," Standing up, Hikari patted her shoulder and said with a smile.
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
[email protected]/AmbitiousTranslator
🥳Joining P@treon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through P@treon.
novelraw