Hey guys, thanks for reading this far. The plan from here is to have a couple more girls get involved in foot fetish situations with Shinpachi before finally getting to the best part with Kagura. Also, in case you didn't already know, I've been posting some of these chapters on my Deviantart account as well. The story is the same, but with the added benefit of a visual picture for each chapter. Feel free to check those out!

This chapter is a bit mild, but will start building up to the big finish, both for the girls of this little adventure and with Kagura.

I had woken up having had the best nights sleep I ever had in a very long time. Between odd jobs halfway across the country and crises of national proportions somehow finding their way on our doorsteps, everyone here has their fair share of energy. But unlike me, Gin and Kagura could sleep anywhere at anytime. I didn't have such a luxury. Who'd have thought a footjob would give me the good nights sleep I needed?

Speaking of which, I was curious if anyone else was awake and, if so, Ayame's reaction to my foot art. Since there was plenty of light coming in, I figured everyone else should be awake by now.

Sure enough, once I opened my door, I saw that I was the last one up. Gin and Kagura were having a chugging contest with their milk (which could never end well), while Otae was making herself some soup. I felt awkward now after last night, but I felt even more awkward when I saw Ayame lounging on the couch reading some political magazine. Since she was still barefoot, I saw that the drawings were still there. Did she not notice them at all?

"Uh, Ayame," I said, "Did you notice those drawings on your..."

"Yeah, I saw them once I got up," she replied, "Somebody was drawing on them."

Given her tone, I thought she was hinting she knew it was me. I didn't know what she was going to do. Would she pummel me? Jump me? Blackmail me the way Kagura does? Then again, she already knew about my fetish before.

"You wanna know something though?" she asked, lowering her voice.

I leaned in closer to her.

"I bet my beloved Gin did it!" she squealed, "I think he's finally enjoying my feet!"

Of course. How could I have thought she'd be anything but dense and completely delusional over Gin?

"He is, is he?" I asked.

"Mm-hmm," she eagerly nodded, "It's brought me and Gin closer together, just like you and Kagura!"

"Whoa!" I exclaimed, "Me and Kagura? Where do you keep getting that?"

"Only from her," Ayame replied, "She likes you, y'know."

I did a double take and nearly lost my breath at what she said. That was absolutely, totally ridiculous!

"Maybe you've forgotten," I said, almost forgetting to lower my voice, "But Kagura has been blackmailing me ever since she found out about my fetish!"

"And in all the moments where you actually get a chance with her, or more accurately, her feet," she countered, "You never wondered why she always let you get away with it, when any other guy would have their heads ripped off?"

Some of those moments would not apply, such as when I got a free foot-suck in exchange for keeping quiet about her less-than-ladylike sleeping habits. But others, I seriously began to ponder the thought. I look d over at Kagura as she had beat Gin in another chugging contest, but with milk coming out of her nose. She couldn't possibly like me...could she?

The rest of the day played out as well as could be expected. The next day, though, there was an odd job request addressed specifically to me. Not Gin or Kagura. Just me. Weird, right? Especially since the last time this happened it was from Kimiko, and while the later half of that encounter was beyond enjoyable, the first half was literally painful. But even weirder was that this request came from the Shinsengumi!

"Why would the Shinsengumi only want you and not the others?" Otae asked me.

"Your guess is as good as mine," I replied, "But I have a feeling I know what kind if job it is."

Actually, I hoped it was that kind of job. The alternative was something either humiliating or life-threatening. Possibly both, considering it was signed by Matsudaira, the friggin' boss of the entire Shinsengumi, even higher than that weird-ass Kondo guy.

By the time I got to the meeting place, however, (which by the way was a small, abandoned warehouse in the middle of the slums) I suddenly realized, based on the presence of the only person in there, that it was not Big Boss Matsudaira. It was his daughter Kuriko. She was the one who sent the order.

"Kuriko?" I asked.

"Let's make this brief," she said, clearly wasting no time, "I'm here on behalf of myself along with Kirara and Urara."

Oh yeah, I remember them. Kirara was my pen pal who can't leave her home because of her medical condition, and Urara was her sister. She was a bit strange, almost like Kagura. Gah! I'm thinking about her again! Quit it!

"This box contains something belonging to each of us," Kumiko said, handing me a small shoebox, "They're each labeled by who they belong to. I've been guarding the sisters from some creep who's been stealing something valuable of theirs...until I found myself a victim as well."

"What is he trying to steal?"

"You'll know once you open the box," Kuriko replied, "Normally we wouldn't have this problem, but after a week since their washer broke, the perp started striking. Two weeks later, here we are. The new washer comes in a couple of days, but until then, we need to keep this safe from the creep."

Washer? What on Earth was this all about?

"Don't contact us anytime before then," Kuriko said, disappearing into the shadows, "Keep those safe, and there's a big reward in it for you."

As soon as she was gone, I decided to open the box. I thought it was strange that she mentioned the washer being broken, but now I know why. There was a very strong odor once I opened the box, and inside...were dirty socks.

Three pairs, one labeled Kuriko, another labeled Kirara, and the third labeled Urara. This is what the perp was trying to steal? Their dirty socks? I guess it's not unheard of, but why ask me to guard them? Especially since I had just taken the chance to smell each pair (really one of the only things you can do with socks). As the most athletic of the three girls, Kuriko's socks obviously stink the most. Urara's socks stunk too, but not nearly as bad and not obviously foul unless your. Ode was right up to them. Kirara's socks didn't really have an odor, save for that of old socks, but I guess that's to be expected when her physical activities are limited to minimal stuff inside her own home.

But still, why trust me with their socks? And why did I get the feeling I would run into trouble with the perp?