Chapter 37

“Oh, uh, what?!”  

A weird voice escaped me.  

Reflexively, I tried to shut my eyes… but it was already too late.  

Now stripped of any coverings, the two of them stood there, completely exposed, as if they’d just been born into the world.  

“Did you see his face just now?”  

“Hehe, what a priceless reaction.”  

“Too bad for you! We’re actually wearing something!”  

Yuki planted her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest triumphantly. Miki, on the other hand, shyly clasped her own upper arm and struck a more reserved pose.  

Both of them were far from naked. They had proper underwear covering their chests and lower bodies.  

“Yeah, no. ‘Too bad’ doesn’t even begin to cover how wrong this is,” I muttered, averting my eyes.  

Their exposed skin — their shoulders, their narrow waists, their thighs — felt overwhelming to even glance at. My senses were dangerously close to short-circuiting. Yet, Yuki just had to stand right in front of me with a victorious pose, towering as if to flaunt her power.  

“Behold! The knight is paralyzed and unable to move. Yuki’s victorious all the way! Invincible!”  

“Just… put some clothes on already.”  

I had nowhere safe to look.  

Out of nowhere, Miki copied Yuki’s confident posture, spreading her shoulders in defiance.  

“Hmph, in this outfit, I clearly reign supreme. Bow before your queen!”  

“Stop boasting about being in your underwear! This isn’t a competition!”  

It was a losing battle. Frustrated, I finally shoved them out of the room to change.  

Before long, the two of them returned as if nothing had happened, sliding once again to my left and right on the sofa.  

Miki wore the same pajamas she was wearing earlier but Yuki had swapped into a baggy T-shirt and shorts—except the shirt clearly wasn’t hers.  

“Wait… is that my shirt?”  

“Oh, yeah. I borrowed it last time I went to your place.”  

“That’s called theft. You’re officially banned from my house now.”  

I didn’t lend it to her. Did she steal it without my permission?

“Ah, don’t ban me. I’ll return it unwashed, ok?”  

“Wash it before you return it!”  

“In that case, how about my panties instead?”  

“I don’t want them!”  

Despite my snap rejection, to be honest, a part of me wanted them…..just kidding.  

Miki smirked and chimed in casually, as if recalling something amusing.  

“Funny, you seemed really interested in my bra earlier though.”  

“That’s absolutely false.”  

“It was mine, by the way. Still want it?”  

“Would you put it away properly, princess?”  

As the conversation twisted further, Miki abruptly changed the subject.  

“So, what about you? Are you taking a bath?”  

“Uh… I think I’ll pass. I don’t have a change of clothes or anything.”  

And thus, I found myself hesitating. Was I really going to stay here tonight?  

The window’s slight opening revealed the night had fully set in. On the wall, a stylishly designed clock ticked past 8 p.m.  

Heading home now felt like an inconvenience, but the energy these two burned up would’ve been enough to exhaust anyone.  

As I considered what to do, Yuki leaned forward to shut the TV off which was left on all day.  

“Hey, Knight-kun, wanna go to my room? We can watch a scary movie together”  

“Nope.”  

“Then how about my room? We can watch some horror game streams” Miki piped in seamlessly.  

“Hard pass.”  

Why this fixation on horror stuff?  

As I firmly declined, Yuki knelt dramatically on the sofa.  

“You’re no fun! Fine, then what do you wanna do?”  

“I don’t really want to do anything. Honestly, I’m exhausted and just want to sleep.”  

“Oh, I get it,” she teased, eyes sparkling. “You wanna pick up where we left off, don’t you?”  

“What part even has a ‘continuation’ Stop making stuff up”  

Feigning ignorance only encouraged her.  

Then, in an unsettling shift, Miki broke her playful tone.  

“I… if Yuki is with me, I might not be scared. I feel like I could do it without handcuffs now.”  

“Don’t say ridiculous things with such a serious face.”  

“What are you saying? Of course that’s not allowed.”  

“Exactly! Tell her, Yuki.”  

“—that’s because I’ll go first.”  

“No, that’s not what I meant!”  

“Then, can I go after that?”  

“Like hell that’s okay!”  

“Hmm… but if that could help Miki overcome her complex and feel saved… well, just once, okay?”  

“You should be firmly rejecting that, not compromising!”  

“Whether it’s just once or not isn’t something Hoshi-kun gets to decide, is it?”  

“Oh? Getting bold now, considering it’s you, Miki.”  

“Don’t turn this into a weird competition!”  

The conversation veered back into bickering.  

None of my retorts were getting through to them. The vibe was an odd mix of playful banter and something vaguely serious. 

Their excitement levels were so absurdly high, I could already tell this was the type of thing they’d regret when they calmed down later. I couldn’t let myself get swept up in it. 

I had to stay grounded.

“…But do you think it’ll hold up that long?”  

“…It’s fine. That’s what the eel rice was for.”  

“…Not that. I mean, won’t it blow up?”  

“…You have a point.”  

Then they started whispering to each other, occasionally glancing my way. Their sudden camaraderie was oddly synchronistic.  

I could hear bits and pieces of their exchange, but I did my best to act like I was oblivious.  

Right then, my phone vibrated on the table with a sound loud enough to break the tension. Both pairs of eyes snapped to the phone at once. The air filled with a strange sense of anticipation.  

I reached over and checked the screen. It wasn’t a notification from an app but an actual phone call—something unusual. The caller’s name was also unexpected. I answered.  

“It’s been a while… Yeah, I’m good.”  

The voice on the other end belonged to my uncle—technically my ex-dad’s older brother.  

Hearing his voice after so long brought a pang of nostalgia. Unlike my father, my uncle was a decent guy. He was married with three daughters and used to play catch with me when I was little. He’d often joke about how he’d wanted a son but ended up with all girls.  

When my father walked out on us, my uncle was the one who tried his best to mediate and help us through it.  

“…Yeah, I see. Uh-huh.”  

I gave vague responses while walking to the corner of the room, away from the girls. They were considerate enough not to follow me.  

Though my uncle was usually warm and cheerful, I noticed his tone now was unlike how I remembered.  

It’s not like we’d stayed close over the years. We weren’t that close to call each other without a reason.  

“…I understand. Alright, talk later.”  

The conversation ended without much fanfare.  

When I lifted my eyes from the phone, I found Yuki and Miki both looking at me. Their faces bore hints of concern, as if they had picked up something from my tone or expression.  

“Sorry, I gotta head home.”  

I slipped my phone into my pocket and raised a hand briefly before turning toward the door.  

“Wait, what’s wrong? Did something happen?”  

“Not really. Just something came up, is all. Thanks for dinner.”  

Without waiting for a response, I left the room, walked down the hallway, and made my way to the front door. I didn’t have anything with me, so leaving was simple.  

Even though I said it was urgent, it wasn’t something I had to deal with right this second.  

I thought about explaining it to them, but in the end, I decided against it. It wasn’t something they needed to hear. Knowing wouldn’t make them feel any better, either.  

The call itself had been short and straightforward.  

According to my uncle, the man who used to be my dad—had passed away.