Chapter 45: Am I Going to Be Imprisoned?

Seeing Arisugawa Yuu obediently keep the sock in his mouth without spitting it out, Kanzuki Kanon stood up, thoroughly satisfied.

She crossed her arms and looked down at him, his face twisted in humiliation. “My dear brother, I believe that if you do something enough times, it becomes habit. And if it’s a habit, it becomes instinct. So from today on, remember my taste well. Carve it into your DNA so deeply that you’ll never forget.”

Damn woman. She claims to love him, yet takes such pleasure in tormenting him—her personality was truly twisted.

If she hadn’t already proven her love by nearly sacrificing her life, Arisugawa Yuu would’ve doubted whether she loved him at all, or if she just enjoyed tormenting him.

But even if she did love him, it was clearly a sick kind of love.

And this was a love he simply couldn’t return. Compared to this, he much preferred the kind of love Miyamizu Rin showed—warm, considerate, protective, and serious.

Lost in thought, he was startled by her voice again: “My dear brother, have you heard of Pavlov’s dog?”

Of course Arisugawa Yuu had heard of it. But why was his disobedient sister bringing this up?

Regardless of her motives, answering her questions never ended well.

So he decided to pretend he hadn’t heard.

Seeing his silence, Kanzuki Kanon chuckled: “So brother has heard of it. What I want to do is simple—I want you to develop the same kind of instinctive reaction as that dog did to the bell and the red light.”

Arisugawa Yuu finally snapped, his face darkening: “Kanon, are you really this perverted?”

She didn’t mind his complaint at all. Instead, she smiled sweetly: “My dear brother, can you guess what I want you to react to?”

Hearing this, Arisugawa Yuu tried to mumble through the sock: “Pavlov’s dog didn’t react because the bell or the light was attractive—it was because—”

He suddenly stopped, realizing too late—he’d just dug his own grave.

“Brilliant! Brilliant! As expected of Kanon’s brother, always full of surprises.” Kanzuki Kanon clapped in delight, then grinned maliciously: “Don’t worry, brother—I won’t disappoint you. Right now, I have two plans. One: every time before you lick my feet, I’ll make you smell my used stockings. The other: before you lick there, I’ll make you smell my panties first. Which one do you prefer, brother?”

Arisugawa Yuu desperately recited the Clear Mind Incantation to calm himself, forcing a steady tone: “Kanon, I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed. I don’t think either of those actions will be as appealing to me as food is to Pavlov’s dog.”

“Hahaha~” She teasingly pinched his chin, bringing her soft lips close to his ear, her breath warm: “My dear brother, you’re so naive—do you really think my esper ability is only for body control and healing?”

Ah—this…

Hearing her words, Arisugawa Yuu finally lost his composure. Was she actually capable of doing this?

Just imagining the future scenarios made his heart stop.

No, no, no. If this happened, he’d be completely molded into Kanzuki Kanon’s shape.

Imagine, for example, Plan One:

In public—or worse, in front of Miyamizu Rin—she’d disdainfully toss her freshly removed stockings onto his face, or just press her foot straight into it. And then, due to an instinctive bodily reaction, he’d start drooling uncontrollably.

The level of social suicide? Beyond description.

And beyond embarrassment—would Miyamizu Rin just erase him on the spot?

As absurd as Plan One was, Plan Two was even worse.

Seeing Arisugawa Yuu pale and speechless, Kanzuki Kanon gently kissed his forehead and smiled sweetly: “My dear brother, pick one. Or… do you want both?”

Before he could respond, she continued: “Don’t worry. Even if you want both, I can make it happen. After all, I love you so much.”

Arisugawa Yuu forced a smile so strained it looked painful: “Kanon, can I choose neither?”

Kanzuki Kanon shook her head cutely: “Nope. Didn’t brother just say he didn’t think I could do it? I have to prove I can—not only do it, but do it perfectly.”

“Kanon, I believe you. You don’t need to prove anything.”

“But how can I? Brother says he believes me, but deep down, he doesn’t, does he? I don’t want to be seen as someone who just talks big.”

She said this with such innocent sincerity.

Can you stop pretending to be cute at a time like this?! It’s so jarring!!!

He wanted to scream, but after a moment’s thought, he held back. Instead, he tried to sound as sincere as possible: “Kanon, I do believe you. Truly.”

“Hahaha~” Suddenly, her laughter turned cold, her voice even colder: “My dear brother… did you really think I was actually asking for your opinion?”

“……”

Fine. Since direct persuasion wasn’t working, Arisugawa Yuu switched to emotional manipulation.

“Kanon, I believe someone as cute as you wouldn’t do something like this. You say you love me, right? If you really do, you should respect my feelings. Promise me you’ll be good, okay?”

“Hahaha~” Kanzuki Kanon’s smile was bitter. “Brother, I want to be a good, obedient sister. But no matter how much I love you… you don’t love me back.”

Her voice grew colder with every word.

Arisugawa Yuu didn’t rush. “Kanon, didn’t I just say it’s too sudden? I need time to adjust. It’s not that I don’t like you. Just give me a little time, okay?”

“No.” A flicker of hesitation crossed her delicate face, but it quickly hardened into resolve. “The moment you said ‘give me time,’ I knew—you’ll eventually reject me.”

“……”

Arisugawa Yuu was speechless. He had been stalling.

Seeing his silence, the girl’s face twisted into a deeply unsettling smile: “See? I was right. Brother doesn’t love me. He’s just delaying, stringing me along.”

“Kanon, I—”

He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Seeing his state, the girl seemed to make a decision. “Brother, if that’s how it is… then I can’t help it. If I can’t have your heart, having your body will do.”

As she spoke, she pulled out a chain from somewhere.

“Kanon, what are you doing?”

Arisugawa Yuu’s face turned ashen.

“Don’t be scared, brother.” Kanzuki Kanon smiled gently. “I’m just going to chain you up for a while. After all, I can’t control your body 24/7. What if you sneak away when I’m not looking?”

“You’re going to imprison me?”

“Bingo! Hahaha~ Brother’s so smart, I love it. I’ll reward you well later.”

“……”

Arisugawa Yuu sighed. Clearly, conventional methods wouldn’t work.

Now, two options remained.

One: call for help from Miyamizu Rin. But instinctively, he rejected this. If possible, he didn’t want her to see him in such a humiliating state.

That left only one other option.

Taking a deep breath, Arisugawa Yuu’s face hardened with unprecedented seriousness. In a firm, unwavering voice, he said: “Kanon, if you really do this… I’ll have no choice but to bite my tongue and die. You say you love me, right? If you truly do, you wouldn’t want to lose me, would you?”

Before Kanzuki Kanon could react, he continued: “Don’t rush to control my tongue. You said it yourself—you can’t control me all the time. If I’m determined to die, I’ll find a way.”

Hearing his resolve, Kanzuki Kanon’s face paled. She burst into tears, sobbing: “Does brother hate me that much?”

Seeing an opening, Arisugawa Yuu pressed his advantage: “Kanon, can you give me some time? I can’t accept you now, but if you’re gentle and obedient, I believe I could come to accept you. After all, you’re beautiful—exactly my type.”

“But… what if you end up with another girl?”

Arisugawa Yuu, carefully watching her expression, saw clear signs of wavering on her delicate face. Now, just one final push.

He said immediately: “Kanon, I promise you—I won’t date any other girl for now. Is that okay?”

Hearing this promise, Kanzuki Kanon’s heart melted. If possible, she didn’t want to go this far.

But she still hesitated: “Brother… you’re not lying to me, are you?”

When faced with temptation, people often lose their ability to assess risk. Even when they know it could lead to ruin, they still choose to believe—because they can’t resist the lure. This was the weakness of human nature.

Kanzuki Kanon was clearly entranced by the hope Arisugawa Yuu offered. With just a little more effort, she’d be forced by her own human weakness to believe him.

Arisugawa Yuu smiled warmly, gazing at her with tender, affectionate eyes: “Kanon, you’re so beautiful. If you’re just a little gentler, I will fall for you. Believe me, okay?”

Staring into his loving eyes, hearing his sweet words, Kanzuki Kanon’s heart fluttered. Her judgment crumbled.

She blushed like a shy girl, whispering: “O-okay, brother. As long as you don’t lie to me… I’ll be good to you too. Because… I love you the most, the most, the most, the most.”

The moment she finished speaking, Arisugawa Yuu felt his body regain control.

Barely suppressing the urge to pin her down and spank her senseless, he kept up the act, speaking gently: “You’re such a good girl. Come here, let brother pet your head.”

Obediently, she leaned in. Arisugawa Yuu pretended to stroke her hair gently—while discreetly spitting out the sock he’d been holding in his mouth.

Kanzuki Kanon didn’t mind. She just let him touch her, even closing her eyes in contentment.

But to Arisugawa Yuu’s surprise, after a few moments of enjoying it, she suddenly threw herself into his arms, sobbing: “Brother… now that you’ve said those words… don’t lie to me, okay? Stay with me forever…”

Looking at the beautiful girl crying in his arms, Arisugawa Yuu felt a storm of emotions.

What was this even about?