Tokyo Soft Rice King.

No... I... really... I'm not very good at drinking...

"Dilute it with saliva, and as for how to feed it... of course, like this."

His mouth was gagged.

For some reason, it felt strangely familiar, and my tongue responded automatically.

Then my chin was lifted up.

I was forced to swallow it.

As the liquid fell down my throat...

My consciousness, which was rising, sank again...

I fell asleep again.

……

Evening of December 31st.

Kuroba Akira woke up, clutching his forehead, feeling a splitting headache.

The nose is the first organ to retrieve sensations, and it can smell a fresh fragrance.

Then, my brain, still replaying the dream I had just woken up, was still processing it... It wasn't exactly a nightmare, but it was definitely a rather ominous one.

And because it was so realistic, it felt like the sensation still lingered on my body.

In the dream, it was the complete opposite of 'dry'; it was as if I had fallen into the birthplace of a slime, my whole body enveloped in softness, stickiness, wetness, and slipperiness...

Maybe it's because the doujinshi they sell are fan service comics featuring swimsuit-clad girls, that they dream about massages like bubble baths.

...It must have been a dream, right?

The unease of not being able to distinguish between dreams and reality made him try to open his eyes to check his physical condition.

When he finally opened his eyes, what he saw was unfamiliar... well, not an unfamiliar ceiling.

This is Takanashi's bedroom. I've slept here many times, so I'm quite familiar with it.

It seems I'm back at Takanashi's house... Why?

Kuroba Akira tried hard to recall, but his memory before the blackout was... a dinner party?

Oh right, it was a victory celebration banquet.

Kuroba Akira recalled drinking several beverages in a row, then his consciousness became increasingly blurred, and in the end, he didn't know what happened...

The lingering taste of alcohol in his mouth made him realize that he had drunk an alcoholic beverage.

I'm not a good drinker, so I guess I got drunk and they moved me to Takanashi's house.

Wait... that can't be!

Kuroba Akira quickly turned his head left and right to check his sides, only to find that both sides were empty.

There isn't one?

There was only one set of bedding in the room, and no one else was around.

Because when he usually slept in this bedroom, there were always three quilts laid out side by side. He always slept in the middle, and the two on either side, needless to say, were the Takanashi family's mother and daughter.

Then, as they fall asleep, it turns into three people sleeping in one blanket... This is something that will definitely happen when staying overnight at Takanashi's house.

Nothing happened... Could it be that they've already gotten tired of it?

No, it would be self-deception to belittle myself at this point. It might have been possible when I was just a guest at Takanashi's house, but now that I'm part of the family, they won't be so polite.

In the future, it's possible that I woke up early because I was playing games.

But for Akiko, unless it's for cooking, she would never miss the opportunity at night, and she wouldn't be so shy even if the children were watching.

Hmm? Night?

By the way, what time is it now?

Kuroba Akira frowned as he looked out the window. The sun was about to set, casting its last rays across the sky, marking the approaching dusk.

Kuroba Akira remembered that it was already dark when he arrived at the izakaya where the victory celebration was being held.

Unless time were reversed, the sky wouldn't look like this, so the conclusion is: a night and a day have passed.

In other words, I actually slept for more than twenty hours this time... That's quite a long time.

As his consciousness gradually cleared, his thought process slowly returned to normal, and then he realized that something was wrong.

Kuroba Akira quickly threw off the covers and looked down at his body.

She was perfectly healthy and was even dressed in clean pajamas.

Phew... it really was a dream...

...It must have been a dream.

Kuroba Akira dared not delve into why he was wearing pajamas that he had never worn before yet fit him unusually well, nor did he dare lift the pajamas to see what was underneath.

If a bunch of strawberry marks were found, the evidence would be conclusive, but the conclusion was too terrifying for Kuroba Akira to face.

Anyway, let's get up first. Since a day has already passed, everyone should have gone home by now, right?

However, just as Kuroba Akira was about to straighten his upper body, he discovered a new problem.

"Uh...wait?"

I have a hard time getting up.

Do you experience sleep paralysis?

No, that's not right, it's... numb.

My thigh is numb.

It's similar to the feeling of accidentally pressing on your arm while you're asleep, causing poor blood circulation and resulting in numbness throughout your arm.

But even though I'm lying flat on my back and I don't toss and turn around randomly when I sleep, why am I still getting crushed?

"Well……"

Then a wave of fatigue washed over me.

Even though I slept for so long, I feel like my stamina bar hasn't recovered at all...

My lower back is also very sore.

I feel incredibly tired, why?

Haha, why is that...?

Even if Kuroba Akira didn't want to admit it, the truth was already slapped in his face by the various residual traces and physical aftereffects.

So, something was still done to them while they were asleep...? I just don't know who the culprits are... or are they all culprits...?

I seem to have a vague memory of them talking, but I can't remember who they are anymore.

And it doesn't really matter who it is anymore.

The key point is that this is already a fait accompli.

"Huh...really...?"

Kuroba Akira wearily raised his head and covered his face; he felt fear.

If he was conscious of it, then so be it, after all, he could enjoy it... a lot of times, and use pleasure to wash away the unease in his heart.

However, being unconscious and unaware of how one is being treated is truly horrifying.

Kuroba Akira recalled the meme, "You're awake! The surgery was a success! You're a lovely girl now!" As an outsider, it was just funny, but when you were "involved" in it, it felt incredibly terrifying.

I also understood how the victims in the time-stopping manga felt, losing something important without knowing anything...

This is the legendary... boiled in water...!

The thought that the drinks at the victory celebration contained alcohol, and that it was probably a trap they had set together, sent a chill down Kuroba Akira's spine.

Has it finally come to this...?

Personal safety... completely lost!

Kuroba Akira now felt as if he had moved into the enemy's lair, with enemies everywhere he looked.

They're capable of anything.

This time it was just getting drunk and sleeping... but what about next time?

This kind of thing will only get worse and worse each time, and it may not be long before I'm locked up in a dark room.

...Could he already be locked up?

He was initially too tired to get up, but his anxiety and fear drove him to force himself to get up and walk toward the bedroom door.

If it were locked... Kuroba Akira would really have to consider jumping out the window to escape.

However, just as Kuroba Akira was about to touch the doorknob, the door opened by itself.

Someone opened the door and came in.

It's a real orange.

"Ah, Kuroba-kun, you're awake."

"...Zhencheng, didn't you go home?"

Zhencheng blinked and tilted her head, seemingly amused, as she spoke.

"Kuroba-kun, have you forgotten that you invited us to the New Year's shrine yesterday? Today is the end of the year, and tomorrow is the New Year. Instead of going home and then gathering here, wouldn't it be more convenient to just stay here from the beginning?"

"Indeed... are the others here too?"

Yes, everyone is here.

"..."

They're all here...

It really wasn't a dream.

Zhencheng noticed the unease hidden in Kuroba Akira's stiff expression, so she took out a bottle of mineral water from behind her and said...