42. Even with a goalkeeper on the field, goals can still be scored, can't they?

The first element of reciprocity is not demand. It is acceptance.

Because if repayment is made according to demands, then it ceases to be true reciprocity; it becomes a form of manipulation.

But the key point is this: as a gold-digging woman who pursues materialism, she relies on sexual connections to extract money. This is not a matter of giving and receiving, but a transaction.

The reason Tsukasa Harano set the tone for the gold-digging woman plan immediately after acquiring the "Malicious List" lies precisely in this understanding. From a transactional perspective, once Party A pays the funds, Party B must fulfill the project as stipulated in the contract; otherwise, it makes no sense.

Thus, although the pairing of a man and a woman on the street resembled that of a typical couple, they walked one after the other without any interaction, as if one of them was silently sulking.

In reality, someone was simply creating pressure.

Upon entering the aquarium shop, the pervasive blue and white lighting designed to create an atmosphere turned the glass and walls into deep ocean hues. After a polite inquiry from the female clerk, Tsukasa Harano replied that he would just look around for now.

Perhaps because it was evening, the fish in the tanks appeared listless, with few flicking their tails.

Yet, the various colorful fish remained beautiful.

In the largest glass display case, dozens of vividly hued koi swam leisurely, their dreamlike forms illuminated by the lights. However, Ruka Hoshino, trailing behind Harano, had no mind to admire the scene.

Until Harano suddenly stopped.

His voice sounded in her ear.

"I used to like keeping fish as well, but I was afraid of my lack of skill, so I kept just one. However, I was inexperienced—a novice—so no matter how carefully I cared for it, it still died. On the day it died, I was heartbroken, but I also learned a lesson."

"...What lesson?" Ruka sensed trouble but forced herself to remain calm and asked.

Harano stared at a beautiful blue-tailed guppy in the aquarium, not answering immediately, as if absorbed in the fish's beauty.

Only when the guppy slowly drifted to the corner did he withdraw his gaze and murmur softly:

"You can't keep just one fish."

Ruka's heart suddenly tightened.

Her eyes instinctively looked away.

A growing premonition took hold, a nearly formed conclusion nearly on the tip of her tongue, yet a lingering hope held her silent.

"The risk of keeping just one fish is too great; if it dies, the risk is one hundred percent. But if you increase the number of fish, the risk plummets."

"I think you understand this logic, Hoshino-san."

"So later, I kept many fish—not only for their beauty but so I wouldn’t worry about bonding with just one. If the number is large enough, I wouldn't even notice if one died suddenly."

Though he spoke without mentioning her directly, Ruka felt like a dead fish stuck on a sticky board.

Before today, Ruka would not have had the patience to listen to such probing and admonishing words. Even if she had, hearing them would have only irritated her.

But remaining silent and trailing Harano closely was not only because of his recent professional setbacks and her own difficulties, but also because he had casually handed her three million yen earlier to buy luxury goods. Naturally, she wouldn’t leave so easily.

"...That’s right," Ruka said.

"So," Harano stepped away from the tank calmly, "if a fish wants to catch my attention, it has to be different from the others."

"Either it swims over to me when I pass by the tank, enough times that I remember it, or it uses all its strength to leap out of the water and land on me or the floor. Although that risks suffocation, if I become interested, I’d buy it and care for it separately."

He was practically spelling it out, and even Ruka knew she couldn't feign ignorance any longer.

"Then... I want to know, if there were such a fish, carefully kept by you, would you ever, one day, grow tired of it and release it back..."

"Why ask that?"

Harano turned and met Ruka's anxious gaze, smiling as he said, "A fish is still a living being. After spending time together, feelings naturally form. Don’t tell me you think I’m that cold-hearted."

"So..."

"So if I’m going to use something fully, wouldn’t it be better to kill it, scale it, and cook it—boil it or steam it—and eat it?"

"……"

Ruka took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to strike.

Her chest ached with anger.

"Just joking," Harano's smile faded as he spoke seriously, "Even if I find a fish displeasing, before releasing it, I’d fatten it up. So it leaves with plenty of meat, not used to being fed and then unable to compete for food in the river."

Leaves with plenty of meat?

In that case, the meat must be...

Upon hearing this, Ruka instantly grasped his meaning, and her worries eased considerably.

Since he could make such a promise, that was enough.

Ruka knew well that if they truly completed some sort of transaction, she wouldn’t see what happened years or even decades later, when age dimmed beauty—this relationship wouldn’t last that long.

Compared to an uncertain future, she preferred to seize the present. So after receiving Harano’s assurance, her tense heart relaxed greatly.

No matter what, money was the most tangible thing.

"Then you’re quite a good person."

Ruka replied insincerely.

"Maybe," Harano said, seeing his point made, "Let’s go. I’ll see you home."

"You’re not going to buy anything?" Ruka asked.

Harano shook his head. "Buy what? No fish that actively swims over or livens up when it sees me. Boring. I’m not the one who takes initiative."

"Alright..."

They stepped out of the aquarium shop. The night breeze whispered softly.

The ginkgo trees along the street rustled gently.

Neither spoke as they walked toward Ruka’s home, just as when they had come.

Biting her lip, Ruka watched Harano’s back, her eyes betraying a struggle. In her mind, she weighed her options, taking deep breaths to steel herself.

Suddenly, she remembered something.

After a brief hesitation, she glanced at Harano—who never once looked back—and nervously reached into the handbag on her arm, feeling for a soft package.

Clutching it tightly, she discreetly unwrapped the outer layer.

Time ticked by.

Within five minutes, they reached the apartment building.

"I’ll see you here. If you’re not planning to invite me for tea, I’ll go rest," Harano said, turning with a neutral expression.

"Wait!" Hearing his tone, no longer gentle as during the day’s date, Ruka swallowed her guilt about trying to deceive him and hurried to call out to the man already raising his foot to leave.

"What’s wrong?" Harano turned.

"Actually, I didn’t keep you tonight because I haven’t been feeling well these past few days, so even if I invite you..."

Lowering her head, Ruka explained.

"Not feeling well?" Harano stroked his chin thoughtfully, then glanced at her hip with a smile. "May I check?"

"Y-Yes, you may."

"Are you sure?"

"I... Let’s go to the car."

Though it should have been an excessive request, even though there was a potential transactional undercurrent between them, Ruka, despite some hesitation on her face, readily agreed and headed toward the sedan.

Harano raised an eyebrow at her reaction.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

Once inside the car, he reached toward the passenger seat and felt the soft cotton texture beneath his fingertips, confirming Ruka was telling the truth.

"Now you believe me, right?"

Ruka blushed and whispered, "I do."

"I believe you," Harano slowly withdrew his hand, nodding, then after a moment’s thought added, "But..."

"But what?"

"With the right method, Hoshino-san, you could give me a satisfying return gift too. Like a soccer field has a goalkeeper, but the goals are still different, right?"

Harano drew his hand back from the 'goalkeeper.'

"W-What method..."

Hearing such a pointed hint, a dark premonition suddenly rose in Ruka’s heart.

Yet Harano gave no answer.

Instead, he checked the black tint on the car windows for light permeability, then started the engine and drove to the far corner of the street.

All four windows were rolled to the top.

Sealed tightly without the slightest gap.

Then—

Ruka’s eyes suddenly widened.

How could this be?

The thought flashed instinctively.

Watching Harano’s movements, even without experience, Ruka knew what was expected next. But having never been through anything like this, her mouth went dry, and she felt increasingly uneasy, even regretting having used that item as a pretext, only to be replaced by this method.

But clearly, there was no turning back.

Just as Ruka’s face flushed and she opened her mouth to speak, his hand was already resting near her ear.

"Mm..."

"Tsk..."