That Half-Finished Drink Was Lethal— What Happened When I Left My Bottle Behind in a 1:4 Male-to-Female World - 11

Chapter 11: That Man and His Sculpted Physique—The Exhaustion Hidden Behind The Eyeliner

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A cheerful notification sound made the smartphone screen jitter. The opened RINE message was accompanied by a single photograph. It was the white cat I had picked up in the rain the other day and left in the care of Rin Asami-san.

『And so, it has been decided that I will officially adopt this little one. Her name is “Yuki-chan.” Isn’t she lovely and white, just like dignified snow?』

In the photo, Rin-san wasn’t wearing her usual perfect business smile; instead, she directed a soft, relaxed smile toward the camera, looking a bit more at ease.

(Rin-san softly held out an umbrella for me that day, even as I was getting drenched trying to protect the cat. She really feels like the ideal older sister figure.)

《Rin Asami. A talented director working for a major advertising agency. In a society with a one-to-four male-to-female ratio, she is heavily supported by other women as a symbol of the “strong woman” who is independent and does not rely on men. However, her reality is that she is basically a mass of “devotion,” constantly grinding herself down to continue meeting the expectations of those around her.》

While typing a reply through the screen, I suddenly remembered that day. Though Rin-san has a dignified beauty and an air that makes her somewhat unapproachable, the gaze she directed at Yuki-chan was surprisingly warm. I was happy that a kind person like her had become Yuki-chan’s foster parent.

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A few days later. I was walking through the hustle and bustle of the city to head to my part-time job. As my gaze drifted to the side, I spotted a woman radiating a sophisticated aura that stood out even in the crowd.

(Oh, it’s Rin-san.)

Rin-san had stopped in front of a client’s building, accompanied by a young woman who looked nervous. Perhaps she was instructing a junior. The way she skillfully pointed at documents and offered advice in fluent, steady words was the very definition of an “ideal professional woman.”

(She’s a beautiful person, as always… That profile of hers, sparkling as it catches the sunlight. It makes sense that people passing by can’t help but look back.)

(Since someone that amazing treats even me so cordially, she really must be a good person.)

Just looking at Rin-san’s back naturally gave me a boost of energy.

“Alright, I can’t let myself be outdone. I’d better work hard at my job today, too!”

I psyched myself up mentally and prepared to start walking again. However, as we passed each other, a glimpse of her expression caught in my chest for just a second. Behind the perfectly drawn eyeliner, I felt like I saw her eyes looking terribly dry for a fleeting moment. The corner of her lips, smiling at her junior, seemed to tremble slightly. Beneath her usual aura of composure, a tint of fatigue that couldn’t be fully hidden clung to her like a thin film.

(…Is Rin-san a bit tired? I hope she isn’t overdoing it.)

At the street corner where the evening gloom was approaching, I looked back at her, but Rin-san had already disappeared into the building as if returning to a battlefield.

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Listening to the heavy sound of rain drumming against the window, I was creating a meal plan for the week in my room. At that moment, the smartphone on the desk vibrated violently again. The name displayed on the screen was Rin Asami.

“Hello, this is Yuuki. Rin-san, what’s the matter?”

“Ah, Yuu-kun? It’s Rin… I’m sorry for calling you at this hour…”

The voice coming from the receiver was so frail and trembling it sounded as if it might vanish at any moment. There was no trace of that sun-like, cheerful Rin-san.

“Actually… The way Yuki-chan is acting is a bit strange. We picked her up together, after all. …Yes, I feel somewhat lonely and helpless. …Please, could you come over?”

(…I can’t just leave her. But can I actually be of help? Well, at worst, we’ll go to the animal hospital.)

Thinking I had to support Rin-san for now, I made up my mind immediately.

“I’ll be right there. Please wait for me.”

I quickly grabbed my jacket and rushed out into the hallway where the rain was blowing wildly.

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“Excuse me. Rin-san, is Yuki-chan okay…?”

The moment the door opened, I involuntarily stopped in my tracks. Rin-san, who welcomed me in, had a face that looked somewhat flushed, yet she wore a strange expression as if she were terribly frightened.

“Ah, Yuu-kun. Thank you for coming. …Yuki-chan had no energy until a little while ago and is sleeping in the back room… Oh, wait. I’ll go get some water now.”

After she headed to the kitchen, I stepped into the living room to check on Yuki-chan. Inside the room, the flooring was polished like a mirror, and the air was filled with a clean scent.

(…It’s too clean. I thought this the last time I came, but this room is like a model home. There’s no scent of daily life at all…)

“Here, sorry to keep you–oh, eek!?”

It happened the moment I turned around.

Rin-san’s slipper slipped, and she fell right toward my chest.

Splash!!

Cold water soaked through my shirt and clung to my skin.

“A-Ah! I’m sorry, Yuu-kun! My hand slipped… what should I do…?”

Rin-san tried to wipe my chest as if panicking, but her hands were also trembling violently.

“Whoa… ahaha, it’s okay. It’s just water. Rin-san, are you hurt?”

(Something is strange. Especially for Rin-san, who is usually never off her guard.)

“No, you’re so wet… you’ll catch a cold. …Hey, Yuu-kun. Why don’t you take a shower? I’ll dry your clothes while you do.”

I didn’t even have time to refuse. Feeling pressured by Rin-san’s desperate gaze, I was ushered into the dressing room. In the end, I decided to just take a shower. The hot water coming from the nozzle unraveled my chilled body.

(…Rin-san must have been quite anxious. Both about Yuki-chan and because her work seemed busy.)

(Phew… Ah, I feel alive again.)

After warming my body thoroughly, I opened the bathroom door. At that moment, I couldn’t believe my eyes.

“…Hic!?”

“Wh-What… Rin-san?! Wh-Why are you here?!”

In the midst of the steam was Rin-san. Upon seeing me without a stitch of clothing on, Rin-san’s eyes widened.

《Careless contact between men and women in this world is considered as an “infringement of privilege” that could even be subject to legal punishment, and at the same time, it is a forbidden trigger that causes the suppressed instincts of women to explode.》

I could tell her gaze was being pulled down from my chest to my abdominals.

“…………!!”

Rin-san’s face was instantly dyed bright red all the way to the tips of her ears. She opened and closed her mouth as if trying to say something, letting out a sound I had never heard before: “Nyu, nyuuu…” And then, she collapsed onto the floor right there, like a doll whose strings had been cut.

“…Rin-san? Rin-san! Please get a hold of yourself!”

I quickly wrapped myself in a towel and pulled her up. Rin-san was foaming at the mouth, her eyes rolled back.

(…What on earth happened? A dizzy spell from the heat…? Or is she really sick somewhere?!)

A few minutes later, Rin-san, whom I had carried to the sofa, finally opened her eyes slightly.

“Ah… Yuu-kun… Why… am I…”

“You collapsed in front of the dressing room. Did you get dizzy from the heat? I was really worried…”

I spoke to her while placing a cold towel on her forehead. But Rin-san’s behavior was clearly strange. An ideal woman who is capable at work and relied upon by everyone. That Rin-san was now about to crumble into pieces before me.

“…Yuu-kun. …You see, I… to you… There’s something… I have to tell you…”

Large tears began to overflow from Rin-san’s eyes.

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