Chapter 8: But the effect was minimal…

Following the Timid Guest’s order, I relax my body, tied to the bed, and slowly close my eyes.

In this situation, the only rule I need to follow is one: ‘Take whatever is given.’

Rather than awkwardly trying to set the mood or making bold moves that might embarrass her,

I just need to be like a baby bird waiting for its mother.

Close my eyes, loosen my body, and focus solely on the intense sensations about to come.

Of course, as a virgin who’s never even experienced pure, passionate sx, let alone this kind of intense play,

I’m not sure if this is my thing.

‘But isn’t trying something at least once what matters?’

Deciding to treat this as a rare, valuable experience, I choose to go along with it.

Swish.

Rustle.

They say when your vision is blocked, your other senses sharpen.

Along with the soft presence of her above my waist,

The sound of my thin short-sleeved shirt rubbing against the Timid Guest’s seductive reddish-brown sweater reaches my ears.

The strange, thrilling atmosphere makes my already pounding heart beat even faster.

Slide…

‘Gasp…!!’

Her cold, soft hands begin to slowly lift the shirt covering my stomach.

‘Alright… It’s really starting now…!!’

This is the moment we’re diving into the main event.

I take a deep breath, relaxing my body completely to signal I’m ready for anything.

And in the next moment, as my defenseless stomach lies exposed,

Stab!!

Something cold and sharp pierces me.

Poke!!

Poke poke!!!

“Argh! That tickles!!!”

The unbearable ticklish sensation in my stomach makes me instinctively jerk my hips.

“H-Hic—!?”

The wild bucking of my hips causes the Timid Guest to lose her balance and unintentionally fall into my arms.

“U-Ugh—!!”

“S-Sorry, it was just too ticklish…”

“Ugh—!! D-Don’t move—!!”

“Yessir!!”

With my eyes still closed, I can’t tell what she’s using to poke my stomach,

But that ‘slight, trivial sensation’ keeps sending waves of unbearable ticklishness through my body.

‘But… I have to endure…!! If this is her thing, I need to tough it out…!!’

Clenching my teeth to keep still, I endure the tickling for ten seconds.

Poke!!

Poke!!

‘Oh…? It’s starting to feel good…??’

For some reason, each time she pokes my stomach with whatever it is,

The unbearable ticklishness fades, replaced by a refreshing sensation, like getting a massage.

The slight stiffness and muscle soreness from cleaning begin to melt away, leaving a pleasant ‘refreshing’ feeling in my abdomen.

‘It feels good…!! So refreshing…!!’

But this kind of ‘good feeling’ is definitely not the kind of pleasure I was expecting from that sort of stimulation.

As I ponder what’s happening, still with my eyes closed,

‘Wait… Could it be…?’

I finally realize I’ve been getting way too excited on my own.

Let’s think about this rationally.

The genre of this nameless game I’m trying to conquer is a dating sim.

Sure, there could be pure, passionate sx tailored to the heroine’s tastes,

But it’s way too early for that on just the first day of meeting her.

So why did she invite me to her room, tie my arms and legs, and take off my shirt?

The answer is surprisingly simple.

‘The guest just wanted to give me a massage. She didn’t call me here for sx.’

It might sound absurd, but hear me out—there’s solid reasoning behind this.

First, her incredible massage skills.

The exhausting cleaning of Room 305, the trash disposal, and dealing with difficult guests had left me worn out, but her touch makes that fatigue vanish in an instant.

Inviting me to her room to show off these professional massage skills means,

Even if she didn’t say it outright, she was clearly looking out for me while I was tidying her room.

‘She’s so shy but so kind…’

So why tie my arms and legs for a massage?

The answer to that is simple too.

‘The start was so ticklish. How could anyone endure that?’

Even with my limbs tied, the tickling made my hips buck.

If I hadn’t been tied up and accidentally pushed or grabbed her while she was on top of me, it would’ve been a disaster for someone as shy as her.

Tying my arms and legs was a perfectly reasonable and sensible precaution.

I trust you can figure out why she asked me to close my eyes without further explanation.

‘She’s so shy—how embarrassed would she be if I watched her massage me with my eyes wide open?’

In conclusion, this situation definitely wasn’t about pure, passionate sx.

To put it simply, it was more like, ‘I make really good ramen, so come eat some.’

Am I disappointed I didn’t lose my virginity?

…Sure, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed.

But in the end, her caring for me like this means my favorability hasn’t dropped significantly.

It tells me I still have plenty of chances, which is overall a positive outcome.

‘Alright, let’s just enjoy this refreshing massage.’

Having figured out the situation, I stop tensing up.

With a soft, relaxed smile on my face,

Poke!!

Poke poke!!

I lose track of time, simply enjoying the guest’s delightful massage.

How much time has passed?

‘Ugh… So refreshing…’

As all the fatigue in my body melts away, leaving me half-dissolved in bliss,

“Hoo… Hoo…”

The Timid Guest, still on top of me, sounds exhausted, breathing heavily, and slowly climbs off.

She begins untying the ropes binding my arms and legs one by one.

‘Is it over…?’

Once the ropes are fully undone, I cautiously open my eyes and sit up on the bed.

Looking around to assess the situation, I see the Timid Guest sitting beside the bed, panting heavily.

“Haa… Hoo…”

Her face is drenched in sweat, her cheeks and ears, once pale enough to call white,

Now flushed red, as if she’d just finished intense exercise.

“Thank you for the massage. I didn’t expect you to care so much.”

“Hoo… Hoo…”

“You seem really tired right now, so I’ll come back to thank you again once you’ve rested…!!”

Unlike me, fully recharged from the massage, she looks exhausted from giving it, so I quickly slip off the bed and head for the door.

Then, I notice a sharp awl on the floor by my feet, its tip blunted as if it had been stabbed into something hard repeatedly.

‘Is this hers?’

It looks dangerous for something in a guest room, but it could be hers, so I carefully place it on the desk.

“I’ll take my leave then…”

Just as I’m about to leave after finishing everything, the Timid Guest, still looking exhausted, drags herself to the door and grabs me.

“I… won’t give up… Hoo… Come back later… Ugh…”

“If that’s okay with you…”

With that, she collapses to the floor, and I hurriedly leave the room before the atmosphere gets any weirder(?).

Inside the elevator heading back to the lobby,

The worries I had melt away, replaced by a happy feeling and a refreshed body, boosting my previously low energy.

Not only did I put out an urgent fire, but things are heading in an even better direction.

Plus, it feels like I’ve secured an after-date, so I’m feeling pretty relaxed.

‘Nothing can stop my happy dating sim life now!!!’

I shout confidently to myself in my head as I arrive at the motel lobby.

‘…?’

“What… is that…?”

A massive box, one I’ve never seen before, greets me at the front counter.

In front of the motel manager’s desk, where I usually handle guests, sits an enormous box that wasn’t there before.

It’s easily over three meters tall.

‘What’s this? Did the previous owner order something?’

I tap the box to see what’s inside.

Tap.

Tap.

As expected, there’s no response.

‘Maybe I should check the manual.’

It could be a prank from another difficult guest or something the previous owner ordered, so I head behind the counter to check the manual.

‘Oh, right. The time…!?’

Realizing the next guest is due to arrive soon, I quickly check the time.

[1:59]

One minute until the next guest’s reservation.

‘I need to move this box out of the way first.’

To prepare for the guest, I step out from behind the counter to push the box aside.

[2:00]

With less than fifty—no, twenty seconds left until 2:00, time passes quickly.

The moment the old motel wall clock strikes exactly 2:00, a loud clatter sounds, and the front of the massive box opens.

As the box fully opens,

Seeing what’s inside, I can’t help but voice a strong doubt for the first time since arriving in this world.

“…What is this?”

Inside the box is a tall woman—or rather, a tall female ‘doll.’