"Why were you peeking around?" he had asked her.

Renka turned, bells jingling, eyes blinking.

"I told you— I was looking for Kenich—"

"You're a shitty liar," he cut her off, placing the tray of fish within his oven. "What were you talking to her about?"

Knowledge was power, even if it was going to be humiliating. It was important he knew what sort of dirt Renka had on him, he surmised. That… and because he was just horrifically curious. Still refusing to make eye contact, Tanimoto kept his gaze on the cooker that he was loading with Jasmine rice.

"Honoka?" The cat blinked, unsure what brought on this sudden reversal of his earlier commands.

"Yes, her." He sighed, pressing "start" on the rice cooker.

"Well…" Renka sauntered back towards him. She rested her rump on the kitchen counter, examining her nails coolly as the corners of her lips turned upwards once more.

He was cooperating now, huh? Like putty in the palm of her hand, she could finally have some fun with him.

"You.~"

"Me?" Tanimoto inquired, asking a question he already knew the answer to, and yet, his expression looked neutral for once, indicating he had no intention to hurt the cat for her answers. "What about me?"

"Oh…" Renka's simper widened, her tone condescending. "You don't need to know."

His shoulders stiffened—

"... I do need to know."

So many perturbing thoughts ran through his mind. He didn't dare entertain them, lest pull himself into a frightening hole of paranoia. Please, please, Honoka better not have shown the photos she took of him while he begrudgingly agreed to be her makeup doll… and pretended to be a runway model— NO, no, no.

"Tell me!" he pleaded, almost desperate.

The catgirl's stomach grumbled.

"How about you feed me, and then we'll talk?" Her pigtails twiddled up and down with enthusiasm.

"... I can't believe I'm making a deal with my black cat," he sighed, turning to pull a tea set from a nearby cabinet. "Fine."

"Black cat? Sounds… seductive," Renka playfully quipped. He needed information from her, so now she knew she could make him uneasy… and get away with it.

And Tanimoto pressed his palm into his face, sliding his hand down to cover his scarlet cheeks. The cat no longer seemed to have her inhibitions around him, her carefree side leaking out without caution. Just what the hell did Honoka say that made Renka so comfortable around him?

And by the time he turned around to face her again, he found the feline sprawled all across his kitchen table, laying on her side…

… Bust oozing out of her dress's cleavage window...

… A hip prominently perked upwards, highlighting her hourglass-esque figure.

"Hmph, I wish that oven would hurry up," she snootily commented, flipping her head to the side to move the bangs out of her eyes.

Jingle goes her bells.

Bounce goes her boo—

Widened eyes plagued the Hermit, his attention faltering, momentarily snagged by her skimpy qipao.

"I'm— I'm starting to feel strange…"

He buried his face within his hands and crouched behind the counter. Where did he go wrong in his life, he wondered…

"What's wrong?"

Renka's voice called out from above. He knew he shouldn't look, he shouldn't, he shouldn't, he shouldn't—

But he did, anyway. And what did he see?

An eyeful of chest precariously dangling over his head, the cat crawling on all fours and hanging her oversized bust off the counter's edge with a flirtatious gaze. She was definitely screwing around with him, the twinkle in her eyes showcasing just how much she was relishing his stress. Her promiscuity, a staple of the cat's true nature, combined with her mischievous intent … was quite the lethal combo.

Tanimoto audibly gulped, forcing back his blush as best as he could.

He understood now.

This was fun to her, huh?

Fine, then.

Two can play at that game.

A game he had no intention of losing.

He ignored the tingling feeling that was manifesting in his stomach, his lips curving up into a grim smirk. His hands suddenly rose, snatching the cat by the wrists and forcing her downwards, flipping her over his head, and then firmly planted her onto the tile floor.

"N-nyah—!"

Renka let out a shrill cry, watching the world suddenly tumble. Was she wrong in assuming he wouldn't hurt her again? She should've never let Honoka's stories get her guard down—

Tanimoto then pinned her down with haste, the cat's form between his knees, wrists trapped beneath his palms.

"You're scratching the wrong post, kitty," he whispered, his velvety voice just barely brushing against her chin, his nose pressed up against hers. His eyes, alluringly icy, gazed straight down into hers.

Renka trembled beneath his grasp, feeling her cheeks turn hot under his breath. What the HELL—?! Was he going to do something extreme?! Illegal?!

Oh…

… Wait. He was trying to return fire, that stupid pretty boy. Her expression melted from one of alarm to one of devilry, his tactics failing to subdue her.

"Oh, my.~ I had no idea you were such a naughty boy, Tanimoto," her flirtatious voice tickled his ear, glossy lips brushing up against his earlobe, batting eyelashes brushing up against the side of his face.

Bright blue eyes briefly waved the white flag of surrender! Shit! He underestimated his opponent! Seriously, what did she find out about him that prompted this newfound confidence?! Her whispers almost drained the life out of him, but he managed to persist…

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

His hand released her wrist, only to replace itself onto her upper thigh. He steeled himself. He was an accomplished actor. Her soft skin caressed across his fingers. This was okay, this was fine…

Renka winced at his touch, conflicting emotions starting to take root within her. But she noted that fearful gaze in his eyes; yes, he was nearing his wit's end, for as stoic as he seemed, he was still just an inexperienced teenage boy under all that tough guy spectacle.

"I would," she answered his rhetorical question, seductively and shrilly, a soft palm now running down his chest… dangerously resembling the start of a powerful Tanpa, like the one she performed on him weeks ago.

Another hard swallow from the Hermit. Was he scared? Was he aroused? Scaroused? To think that he could even feel such emotions was mind-boggling. Screw that.

Temperatures rising, but ideas running low. What to do now? He couldn't let her win. Shit, think, think, think, think. Think like a pervert. Think like… Kensei Ma!

Right, right, his drunken master would often share explicit details of the kind of lewd antics his brother would get himself into, often to Natsu's dismay. But in this case, it may have been handy…

"Heh."

He leaned in towards the cat's ear; his chilly breath tickled her skin as he began to whisper such indecent tales. So quiet, so intimate; his words were concealed from the proverbial audience, and the only giveaway was Renka's increasingly scarlet visage.

What did he talk about?

No one would ever fully know, but the security system within his house may have picked up the word "handcuffs."

And when he was done reciting the personal memoirs of Kensei Ma, he gently pecked at the girl's ear, soft, princely lips marking her as his little plaything.

Renka's heart almost stopped, blood red cheeks burning up against the Hermit's own. Holy SHIT. So much for seeming like he was at his breaking point; that response could've only come from a true blue experienced pervert! Something like… what her dad…

"Wait a second! That sounds like a story that my father's told me before!"

… Of course Kensei Ma had no qualms about sharing such spicy details about his love life to his daughter.

And Natsu inwardly cursed himself for his lack of foresight; it was no surprise that Renka would recognize such a tale. He reflected her sizzling visage with his own now, hot enough to melt the snow, and he needed something, anything to say—

"After I'm done with you, you'll be calling me daddy," came his soothing voice, in contrast to his frenzied, panicked thoughts. He sealed the deal with a passionate stare into her eyes — one that bordered between killing intent… and lust.

. . .

Did he really just say that?

Widening cat pupils reached their limit, now as big as saucers. For a split second, she questioned the authenticity of that smoldering look of his. Was he even bluffing at this point? The notion of him being possibly genuine sent a chill down her back; and just for a moment, she considered that she may actually be enjoying her current predicament. Which was a completely asinine, revolting thought. Oh, god.

She heard nothing but her heart pounding in her ears. If he was talking, she had no idea what he was saying. Her brain began to debate between continuing or surrendering.

No debate needed, however— she was already speechless, whether or not she wanted to be. Her scarlet cheeks puffed out, words caught in her throat.

"Nn— you— …"

Agh. It was over.

And Tanimoto triumphantly grinned. It was clear to him that after all that transpired behind the counter, he had won this battle. Bested the cat at her own game.

But just to rub some salt into the wound…

He caressed her flaming cheeks, leaning closer to her face with dimmed eyelids, lips slightly parted… only a mere inch away from her own…

And Renka almost cried out in panic, helplessly lying beneath him. No way. NO WAY. He's not going to do it, is he?! Oh no, he is—!

… And then he rotated to the side to simply peck her on the bloodshot cheek, rendering them even a deeper red than before.

"Let's eat, my cute little kitty," he mockingly stated, his sneer growing brighter. It didn't even matter how embarrassing this all was. Victory felt pretty damn good.

And she was stunned, palm pressed to her affected cheek.

"N-nyah?! What was that?! Y-you…"

Panicked bewilderment. 50 billion questions. Was he faking to bug her? Did he mean any of this? Was he just an amazing actor? How did they even get here? This was so… nice. AND GROSS. And she just wanted to die, further spiraling into her emotional rollercoaster.

"Temper, temper."

Tanimoto tapped her nose with his finger. Was this the aftereffect of the Seidou Goui? This was by far the weirdest day for him, and arguably, his favorite. But now the oven was beeping, and the rice cooker had completed its task. Time to get up…

And by the time that Renka rose with him, she had managed to reel in her scattered emotions by accepting that his actions were simply a bluff. A game. A response to her initial teasing.

"Hmph! You're quite the decent actor, aren't you?" She shrilly remarked. Back to her catty persona, crossing her arms, salty that he had turned the tables on her. Sigh. Best not to think too much about it. Because if she did, she'd think thoughts that she'd never want to think…

"Of course," he snarkily replied, setting the fish and rice on the dining table for them, then prepared the tea in his usual stoic manner. As if nothing happened between them. Even if his mind struggled to push away thoughts of what could've potentially happened down there.

Renka sat at the table, her enthusiasm for free food drowned out by the frustrated emotions of a sore loser.

"Well, I'll have you know… next time, I won't hold back!"

She pointed to him with conviction, eyes burning with the prospect of revenge.

"Next time? Heh…" The mere thought of a round two scared and intrigued the young Hermit as he took a seat. "I won't lose."

"Yeah, right! I'll bet you've never even kissed a girl before," Renka yowled with confidence, cutting into the fish with vigor before plopping a large helping on her plate.

"As if you kissed anyone either!" Tanimoto scoffed, slamming rice down onto his kitchenware. And then the dizzying thought of kissing her forced its way into his brain—

"You wouldn't dare do it," he hastily continued in an effort to pull away from his disgusting thoughts.

"Dare do what? Kiss someone? Of course I would! I've kissed plenty of people, hmph!"

Well, now that was quite the fabrication. With her semi-strict upbringing and the fact that Kenichi won't seem to reciprocate her feelings, the catgirl's never even been on a date, much less locked lips with anyone.

"Your cat tail wiggles when you're lying, Renka." Her responses earlier were enough to indicate that she's inexperienced in the pursuit of love. As if he himself wasn't. "And what does kissing have to do with anything?"

"Because if you haven't, then obviously you're not very experienced. And then you'll lose.~ But who says that I'm lying?!" She stuffed his cooking into her mouth. Not bad for a cooking rookie.

"Hmph. If that's the case, then how come you lost to me?~"

Ugh. She wanted to slap that smug grin right off his face.

"... W-who says I lost? Maybe I was just thinking of a reply! Besides, your comebacks were a fluke, anyway!"

"You were not thinking of a reply. You admitted that you lost." He chewed on the fish slowly, deliberately. "And what do you mean by 'fluke'?"

She grumbled. It's not like he was wrong.

"I mean, 'fluke' as in, you wouldn't be able to pull it off again! You got lucky, nyah.~"

"Whatever. You don't have any tricks left to try." But deep down, he knew he was in the same boat. Flirting with girls wasn't exactly his forte, save for the charm he uses to manipulate others at school.

"Oh, I'm full of them. I just didn't think you were worth using them on." Her condescending smirk shone through as she pulled chopsticks away from her lips.

"Hah! You were just lucky I was being nice to you." He mirrored her smirk.

"Nice to me, huh? I saw the fear in your eyes, Ta-ni-mo-to."

"Mhm. You got off easy; don't tempt me anymore, Kitty Ma."

Could anyone else have a cockier smile than his? It was maddening.

"Hmph! I wasn't even doing anything when you pinned me to the ground. I wonder why you decided to do that, hmmmm?~" Her expression repeatedly morphed from annoyed to seductive. And now she was the latter, again.

"You weren't doing anything?!" He lashed out, standing from his chair. Now that was the biggest lie he's ever heard. It was offensive. "You had your friggin' tits oozing on top of my head! Before that, you were stretched out on my countertop!"

The prince opened his fridge to search for something to drink, the cat following him at his heels. And once he pulled out two cans of soda, Renka snatched one from his grasp.

"That's not anything! What if I just wanted to sit somewhere, huh?! You're the one who even stared at my chest! They were in my dress the whole time, pervert!"

Click. The fizzy can opened up, and she fiercely chugged it, irritated eyes still locked on him.

"They were blocking my field of vision! Why would you even be sitting on my counter like that?!" He drank his share, too, returning her vexed gaze.

"I was peeking down at you since it seemed like you died or something! Excuuuuuuse me for caring." She rolled her eyes in a showy manner, flipping her head to the side. Another sip of soda…

"Oh, of course you cared for your 'daddy'," he declared with a cackle, setting his soda down—

Renka spat her soda out—

"GHAK!"

— and began coughing on its remnants.

"Stop— stop saying that, geez!"

A devilish laugh came from the Hermit.

And the cat wiped away the soda from her chin, avoiding eye contact as her face began to heat up once again.

"Y-you're not my daddy… hmph…"

"So what's with the blush then, sweetie?" He was pouring tea for the girl now. Something to wash down that fizzy drink.

"Oh, shut up! You and your pet names for me! What's up with that, hmm? … I thought you hated me. Have your feelings changed?~" Yet another transition from angry to teasingly alluring, batting her eyelashes as she sat back down at the table. Was this going to be a common pattern in dealing with him now?

"Oh, no. I still can't stand your ass. I just want you to talk," he dryly replied, pouring himself a cup now.

"Talk?" Oh, right. The whole reason why this entire mess even got started. "Ah, you mean about Honoka and what we said about you? I don't know why'd you need to call me your little kitty for that.~" Renka sneered, crossing her legs as she leaned back in her chair.

"You started this battle of flirts. I had to end it. So…" He cleared his throat, clearly wanting to shift the conversation back to its original intent. "What were you two talking about?"

"Mmm… do you really want to know that?"

"Yeah…" he sighed, steeling himself. Time to figure out whatever truths about him that may have come to light.

"Well…"

Renka took another sip of the tea, pondering where to begin with her tale.