I Was Reincarnated as a Mob, and After I Kept Listening to the Losing Childhood-Friend Heroine’s Complaints, I Somehow Maxed Out Her Affection Rating - 29

Chapter 29: The Struggle in the Downpour

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

When we arrived at the nearest station and started heading home, rain suddenly began to fall. And not just rain, it was a total downpour.

“Uwah!? Seriously!?”

“W-wait, Yuuta-kun!? You don’t have an umbrella, right!? What do we do!?”

“What do we do, what do we do… We run for it!!”

We sprinted through the station front at full speed. My vision was a mess of white rain mist, the wind came at us sideways, puddles splashed mercilessly up our legs and honestly, we were basically swimming at that point. And somehow, fighting for our lives, we reached the front of my house.

“…We made it… whew… I thought I was gonna die…”

“I’m soaked… Or like my clothes… They’re done for…”

Kaede bent forward with her hands on her knees, breathing hard. And then,  I noticed.

…No, wait. Wait. Calm down, me.

White clothes. Completely drenched. Clinging tightly. And with that lighting…This was absolutely not okay.

“Um, Hiiragi-san!”

“Hmm? …What is it, Yuuta-kun?”

“A-ahhh crap… That… It’s see-through— I mean! No no no! Just get inside! Then shower! Okay!?”

“…Eh, but what about you, Yuuta-kun?”

“I’ll go after! Ladies first!”

“E-even so…”

“It’s fine!”

I guided Kaede straight from the entrance to the bathroom, practically pushing her along. Light footsteps pattered away, and then the bathroom door shut. Silence returned to the house in an instant.

“…That was close!!”

I pressed a hand to my chest and crouched down on the spot.

“No way… My heart can’t handle this… What the hell is today…”

Letting out a sigh, I stood up and dashed to my room.

“Anyway… Change of clothes…! Something Hiiragi-san could wear… An oversized T-shirt would barely work… No, what do girls even do while their clothes dry!? I don’t know!!”

While rummaging through my dresser, I just kept panicking. I grabbed towels and clothes for Kaede (well, a T-shirt and the bottoms of a tracksuit) and headed back to the living room.

☆☆☆☆

Kaede’s POV

I never thought the day would come when I’d have to borrow a shower in someone else’s house. And not even Shouma’s. It was another boy’s house entirely. That alone was enough to make my heart race, but after that downpour, my clothes were just completely done for.

“…Wh-what do I do…”

While I froze in the changing area, I heard a frantic voice from the other side of the door.

“Uh, um! I’m putting your clothes here!”

“Eh— ah, th-thank you!”

My voice cracked in a way that surprised even me, and the moment I answered…

Tat tat tat tat!

Footsteps quickly moving away echoed.

“…Heh. We’re the same, aren’t we?”

We were both nervous, and both desperately trying to be considerate. Thinking that made me laugh a little. When I looked in the mirror to tie my hair…

“…Ugh, it really was see-through…”

Clothes that were nearly white were instant game-over once they absorbed water. This must have been why Yuuta turned his eyes away.

“…But… I kind of appreciate that he tried not to look.”

Anyone would look in a situation like that. But he immediately looked away, panicked, and shoved me into the bathroom. He was really kind. I picked up the clothes left outside the door. It was a big T-shirt and track pants.

“…Kind, or maybe… Just really careful in the way he thinks.”

I took off my clothes and stepped into the bathroom. The warm water from the shower hit my back, and the tension in my body loosened a bit.

“…Haa… I’m coming back to life…”

When I reached for the shampoo, I suddenly noticed something.

“…Huh? This isn’t one of those cheap, store-brand ones.”

It was the type that made your hair smoother, with a subdued, elegant scent. The conditioner was from the same series.

“Hee… He actually uses nice stuff…”

Impressed, I pumped shampoo into my hand and worked it into my hair.

If I use this… I’ll smell the same as Yuuta-kun, won’t I?

As I ran my fingers through my hair, that thought crossed my mind and I froze reflexively.

“…W-wha!?”

The sound of the shower running down my back seemed absurdly loud.

No no no, what am I thinking? Calm down, Kaede. Calm down…!

I lightly slapped my own cheeks.

“I-it’s not like that, okay!? It’s not—! There’s no deeper meaning or anything…!”

The more I said it out loud, the more it sounded like a confession instead. No good, I was getting even hotter. My face and ears were hotter than the water.

…What am I even thinking…

I tilted the shower head up and let the water fall over my head at once. Wrapped in hot steam, I desperately tried to reset my thoughts.

“I-it’s normal… Stuff like this is normal…! I mean… Matching scents or whatever, it’s not like that matters…”

Even as I said that, my fingers automatically checked the shampoo’s scent. I hated myself for that.

…Ah, this really is Yuuta-kun’s…

“H-hey! Seriously, stop it, me!!”

I hid my now-bright-red face and let the shower hit me again. A rush of hot water cascaded down my shoulders, and finally the restless feeling in my chest eased a little.

“…Really… What is wrong with me…”

My mumbling melted into the sound of the shower.

But…

…I don’t dislike this smell.

No matter how long I showered, that fact wouldn’t go away. In the changing area, I towel-dried my hair roughly and picked up the borrowed track pants. They were a little big, but manageable.

“Huh? …Huhhh?”

As I tried to put them on, I noticed something.

“There’s no change of underwear…”

The hellish reality that I had brought zero spare underwear presented itself before my eyes.

“W-wait— no, calm down Kaede… calm down… I definitely… I definitely should have brought one because it was supposed to rain!”

I ran my fingers through the bottom of my bag again and again, hoping for a miracle. But today, miracles did not smile on me.

“It’s not here…”

I stared at the track pants.

“…So this would basically mean… N-no ••••…?”

The moment I said it, my face heated all at once.

“No no no! Impossible! That’s embarrassing! But…But… I can’t tell Yuuta-kun ‘Can you go buy me underwear’ either!!”

I grabbed my head in front of the mirror.

“…He won’t notice, right…? Yeah. There’s no way he’d find out… As long as I don’t give anything away…”

I lifted up the track pants and slowly put my legs through them. The fabric felt more direct than usual, but no one would know if I didn’t say anything.

“…Okay. Today… I have to fight like this…!”

Muttering as if giving myself a pep talk, I pulled the pants up completely. I steadied my breathing and took a deep breath in front of the door.

“…Kaede, don’t move in a weird way… Stay natural… Natural…”

Trying as hard as possible to stay composed, I headed back toward the living room.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー