Chapter 77: Saturday Heat
The first thing that hit me wasn't light.
It was silence, the kind that only existed on Saturdays, when the world outside forgot to wake up on time.
My phone buzzed against the nightstand.
I didn't bother checking who it was. The voice that came through was all the confirmation I needed.
"Good morning, soldier," Reina purred.
Her tone carried warmth, that quiet, low hum that somehow slipped under your skin.
"Morning already?" I muttered, rubbing a hand through my hair.
"Mhm." I could hear her smile through the receiver. "You sound half-dead. Were you up all night again?"
"Maybe," I said, letting the word drawl. "Thinking about you tends to ruin my sleep."
A soft laugh, tender and teasing. "Smooth. I should prescribe you something for that."
"You could just let me come over."
There was a pause, the kind of silence that was all breath and intent.
Then:
"Clinic's quiet today," she said softly. "You could stop by. I'll… make sure the doors stay locked."
I smiled into the pillow. "That sounds dangerously professional."
"Mm. I'll be waiting, Renji."
The call ended, but her voice lingered, like perfume in the air.
---
He sat up, the sunlight painting across his bare chest, the city still wrapped in lazy gold. For a moment, he just sat there, no battlefields, no missions, no chaos, just breathing.
The room carried traces of the week before: Rika's hairpin glinting on the table, Mayumi's gym towel hanging by the chair, Reina's faint scent clinging to the sheets. The world might have been whispering about scandals and forbidden bonds, but here, in the quiet, it all felt like his.
And the System, ever patient, stirred to life.
[System Notice: Morning synchronization optimal.]
[Detected aura shift: Calm dominance.]
[Reminder: Lust isn't always chaos. Sometimes, it's control.]
Be Careful....Renji-Kun.
He stood, stretching , the kind of movement that made his muscles ripple under the light and pulled on a black shirt.
Today wasn't going to be about fighting rumors.
Today was about reclaiming peace.
His way.
He picked up his phone, thumb hovering over Reina's contact for a heartbeat before sending a single text:
> Renji: "On my way, doc."
---
Reina's clinic sat on the corner of a quiet street, the kind of place where the weekend hum never really reached. The blinds were half-drawn, sunlight slipping through in thin, golden stripes that cut across the spotless floor and the faint curl of steam from a mug on her desk.
Renji pushed the door open without knocking. The bell above it chimed once and then went still.
Reina looked up from her notes. She wasn't in full doctor mode today, no heels, no stiff posture. Just her white coat hanging loosely over a sleeveless top, hair tied up but with a few strands that had escaped to brush her neck.
"You came," she said, voice smooth as warm honey.
"I said I would."
He closed the door behind him, the lock clicking almost too loud in the silence.
For a moment neither moved. The faint buzz of the air conditioner filled the space between their breaths. Then Reina walked toward him, unhurried. Her eyes traced his face, the faint shadow of sleeplessness under his eyes, the half-buttoned shirt that did nothing to hide the shape of him.
"You don't rest enough," she murmured, reaching up to smooth a wrinkle on his collar. Her fingertips lingered a second too long.
He caught her wrist gently. "You worry too much."
"That's my job," she said, but her tone was softer than her words.
Their eyes held. Her pulse fluttered beneath his thumb, small and quick. He didn't pull away, and neither did she.
Reina's voice lowered, almost a whisper. "They're still talking about you, you know. The rumors."
"Let them."
"Always so calm." Her hand slid free, then moved to straighten the stethoscope on her desk just to give itself something to do. "You make it difficult to stay professional."
He stepped closer. "I never asked you to."
Her breath hitched, not from surprise, but from recognition. This was their rhythm: the slow dance of words that always carried more heat than touch ever needed to.
Reina smiled faintly, shaking her head. "You're impossible."
"Maybe." He brushed past her toward the window, fingers grazing hers as he did. "But you don't seem to mind."
The quiet stretched again, heavier now, charged. The scent of her perfume—lavender and something faintly medicinal—filled the room. She turned, watching him in the light, the lines of his shoulders cut against the blinds' gold stripes.
Finally she exhaled. "Sit down, Renji. I should at least pretend to examine you."
He obeyed, settling onto the padded table while her hands found his temples, then his pulse. The contact was clinical in name only; her touch was too gentle, her gaze too focused.
"Heart rate's fine," she whispered. "Maybe a little fast."
"Maybe because the doctor's too close."
Reina's lips curved, half amusement, half surrender. "Then maybe the doctor should step back."
But she didn't.
The hum of the clinic seemed to slow, air thick with what neither of them said. Outside, a car passed and was gone. Inside, only breath and heartbeat filled the space.
---
The clinic was quiet except for the faint hum of the air conditioner and the slow rhythm of Reina's breath. Renji sat back in the chair, shirt half-buttoned, his phone buzzing on the counter.
He picked it up without looking. "Hey, Rika."
Her voice poured through the speaker like warm sunlight. "You sound tired," she teased. "Rough morning?"
Renji's lips curved. "You could say that." His eyes flicked to Reina, still resting on the couch, her lab coat open just enough to tempt fate.
Rika caught the tone in his voice. "Don't tell me you've been skipping breakfast again."
He smirked. "Had something better."
A tiny silence. He could almost hear her smile. "You're impossible."
Reina shifted on the couch, the sound of fabric brushing against skin pulling his attention. Rika's next words came softer. "Are you alone?"
Renji leaned back, gaze still on Reina. "Not exactly."
Rika's laughter was quiet but knowing. "I should've guessed. I can hear that tone, Renji."
He chuckled. "You always could."
A beat of silence followed, one of those pauses that said more than words ever could.
Then Rika's voice dropped, almost tender. "Don't wear yourself out before Monday. I want you in one piece."
"Don't worry," he said, low and steady. "You'll get all of me."
Rika hummed softly before hanging up. The call ended, leaving the room in a comfortable hush. Reina stirred, opening one eye. "That was your teacher again, wasn't it?"
Renji smiled, sliding his phone onto the counter. "Yeah. She just likes to check if I'm alive."
Reina's lips curved lazily. "You make sure she knows you're doing more than fine."
Renji's grin deepened. "Oh, she knows."
The air between them thickened again, that silent electricity that always lingered after her calls.
---
The late afternoon sun poured through the blinds when Renji finally stepped out of Reina's clinic. His body still hummed with energy, but his mind was already elsewhere, on the woman who had called him.
Rika Shoku.
His teacher. His first. The one who unknowingly opened the door to the path he now walked.
The streets were quiet, a lazy Saturday mood hanging in the air. He passed a few students from school, they waved, whispered but Renji didn't slow. His focus was already locked on that small apartment near the station.
By the time he reached her building, the scent of brewed coffee was drifting from an open window. He smiled faintly. She always brewed a pot when she was grading papers — it was her ritual.
He climbed the stairs, stopped at her door, and knocked twice.
No answer. Then the soft click of a lock turning.
Rika opened the door wearing a loose beige sweater and soft shorts, her hair tied up messily, the kind of look that made Renji's chest tighten. "You really came," she said, half teasing, half relieved.
"Didn't sound like a question," he replied, stepping inside.
The apartment smelled like paper, coffee, and her that blend of perfume and faint chalk dust. She closed the door behind him and leaned against it, arms crossed. "You saw Reina, didn't you?"
Renji's eyebrow lifted. "You can tell?"
"I can hear it in your voice," she said with a small smile. "You only sound that calm after her."
He smirked. "And what about you? How do I sound after you?"
Rika's cheeks flushed slightly. "Dangerous."
The tension between them hung for a moment before she sighed softly, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "You should sit. I made lunch, but it's gone cold."
Renji moved closer instead, his voice dropping. "Then maybe you should warm it up."
She looked up at him, her breath catching just a little. The last time he stood this close, she'd been trembling from both nerves and desire and even now, she couldn't help it. Her fingers brushed his chest, stopping halfway before retreating.
"Renji…"
"Yeah?"
"Why do you always come back here?" she asked quietly.
He didn't answer with words. He simply took her hand, guiding it back to his chest, steady, firm, warm. "Because you feel like home."
Her eyes softened, the question melting into silence.
Outside, the sunlight dipped lower, painting the room gold. Rika exhaled slowly, her guard falling away like paper in the wind.
"Then don't leave so quickly this time," she murmured.
The silence between them wasn't awkward, it was electric.
Rika's hand still rested on his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. Renji didn't move; he just looked at her, the corners of his mouth softening into something that wasn't his usual smirk.
She finally broke the quiet.
"You've changed again."
"Have I?"
"Mm." She nodded slowly. "There's something calmer about you now. Like you're... figuring it out."
Renji exhaled. "Maybe I am. Or maybe I'm just learning how to breathe around you."
Her lips curved upward at that, the faintest laugh leaving her. "You always say things like that," she whispered, but her voice was shaking.
He took a step closer. "Only when they're true."
Rika's eyes met his, searching—for what, even she didn't know. Maybe it was reassurance, maybe it was the part of herself that she'd buried under years of restraint. Whatever it was, she found it in his gaze.
And then!
> [Emotional Sync Detected]
Rika Shoku — 100% Compatibility.
Passive Bonus: "Heartfelt Insight" — Empathic resonance strengthened.
The faint echo of the System's voice brushed his mind, soft and warm, fading as quickly as it came.
Rika blinked, feeling something she couldn't name, like her heartbeat had aligned with his. Her fingers tightened slightly on his shirt.
"Renji…" she murmured.
"Yeah."
"Stay a little longer."
He nodded, and for the first time in a long time, neither of them needed words. The room felt smaller, warmer. Time seemed to slow as Rika leaned her head against his chest, listening to that steady rhythm, steady, familiar, grounding.
The world outside blurred. It didn't matter if the day ended or began again. Right now, it was just them.
> [Bond Level Increased]
Rika Shoku — Emotional Affinity: Deepened.
~Just as deep as your dick, baby!!!
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