The Saint Next to Me Who Sometimes Comes Without Wearing Underwear Tells Me What’s Under Her Skirt in Secret - 6-7

Chapter 6

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“Hmm… It’s already ten o’clock, huh…”

When I woke up from going back to sleep, it was already late morning. I didn’t feel very well. I didn’t have much of an appetite, so I just drank some water and got back into bed. Before sleeping again, I checked my phone. There were messages from my friends, expressing concern for my health. But among them, one in particular caught my attention.

『Black today. Feeling any better? Want me to take it off?』

What kind of logic is that?

『Don’t. You’ll catch a cold. I feel a little better now.』

After replying, I crawled back under the covers.

****

“Hey, Himuro-kun. Do you think I’m wearing anything right now? Or not? …Do you want to check?”

“Ah…”

Just as I reached out to lift Saotome’s skirt and find out what was underneath—

Ding-dong!

The chime of the doorbell, completely oblivious to the mood going on in my dream, snapped me awake.

Come on, seriously, who rings the bell when someone’s in the middle of a great dream…

Annoyed, I checked the intercom screen. Saotome was on it. I hurried to the entrance.

“Hello, Himuro-kun. You don’t look as pale as I thought you would.”

Saotome said that with a shopping bag in hand. Apparently, she had come to visit me while I was sick.

“Give me a heads-up next time.”

“I sent you a message at lunch, but it didn’t show as read.”

“Eh?”

I hastily checked my phone. Sure enough, there was a message from Saotome saying

『I’ll come visit after school. Do you want anything?』

…Wait, it’s already evening?

“Since you didn’t reply, I just bought whatever I thought might help.”

“…I see. Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it. I’m kind of the reason you caught this cold in the first place.”

For now, I let Saotome into the apartment.

“Hmm… I heard you live alone, but it’s surprisingly tidy. I was expecting more trash to be scattered around.”

“I make sure to take it out regularly, so don’t worry.”

What does she think I am, seriously…

As I was thinking that, Saotome handed me the plastic bag she was holding.

“Cooling gel sheets, throat lozenges, some instant rice porridge and canned stuff. Everything should come in handy for you.”

“Thanks. I owe you. …Do you have the receipt?”

“It’s in the bag. But you don’t need to pay me back or anything. By the way…”

Saotome casually placed her hand on my shoulder.

“Huh…!?”

Then suddenly, she leaned in close. Her soft, full lips came nearer. My reflection was visible in her blue eyes. Our foreheads touched.

“Your fever’s not that high.”

“S-Stupid, stop that…!”

I hastily pulled away from her and Saotome gave me a smug little grin.

“Your face is all red. Did your fever come back?”

This girl… She was taking advantage of the fact I wasn’t resisting.

“Stop teasing a sick person, would you?”

“You’re right. But you actually seem pretty okay. …Do you feel like eating?”

“My appetite…”

I rubbed my stomach. I hadn’t eaten anything since morning.

“…I guess I could eat a little.”

“I see. Then, do you want me to make something?”

“…You can cook?”

“Depends on what you’ve got in your fridge.”

As she said that, Saotome pulled an apron out of her bag. She looked surprisingly good in it. In fact, she looked like a proper saint for once.

“…I feel kind of bad letting you go that far.”

“If you don’t recover quickly, I’ll be stuck without a partner, you know.”

“Ah, right…”

It felt complicated for some reason.

“By the way, Himuro-kun.”

“What is it?”

“Do you think I’m wearing something right now? Or not?”

Saotome pinched the hem of her skirt and lifted it slightly as she spoke. A glimpse of her pale thighs flashed into view.

“Can I check?”

“Of course not.”

Saotome said it with a completely serious face, then let her skirt fall and headed to the kitchen.

…So it wasn’t just a dream after all.

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Chapter 7

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“I was surprised you had more ingredients than I expected. So, you do cook for yourself.”

As she said that, Saotome handed me a bowl of egg rice porridge. A delicious aroma tickled my nose.

“Well, just enough.”

“For ‘just enough,’ you had quite a lot stocked.”

I cooked for myself maybe every other day or so… Still, when you had a cold, the last thing you wanted to do was make a meal for yourself.  I figured I’d just grab something random from the convenience store, so I was nothing but grateful to Saotome. More than anything, it was a home-cooked meal from the saint herself. That alone made it feel even more delicious.

“Well then, time to eat.”

I picked up the spoon and brought a mouthful of the egg porridge to my lips. The gentle scent of dashi spread through my mouth. The seasoning was a bit on the mild side, but in my current condition, the mildness was just right. The chopped green onions sprinkled on top added a perfect touch.

“This is good. You’re a really good cook.”

“It’s nothing fancy. I just used what was lying around.”

“Being able to throw something together like this on the fly is the mark of a good cook.”

Even people who don’t cook often can make elaborate dishes if they follow a recipe, but only someone who cooks regularly can take random ingredients and turn them into something this tasty.

“…It’s just ‘decent,’ really.”

Saotome turned her face away, looking a little embarrassed. That kind of expression was surprisingly rare for her.

“Mind if I ask something, just while we’re chatting?”

“Go ahead.”

“When did you start… That hobby of yours?”

“Hmm…”

Saotome looked off into the distance.

“It was one hot summer day.”

“Oh?”

“At the time, I was still in elementary school. That day, we had swimming class, but I was feeling too lazy to change into my swimsuit, so I…”

“I see. That explains why you keep making the same mistake over and over.”

Basically, just like last time, she probably showed up to school already wearing her swimsuit, forgot to bring underwear, and ended up going commando all day. That incident must be the thing that triggered her peculiar hobby.

“…I didn’t forget on purpose yesterday, okay? Seriously. I’m not that much of a pervert.”

For some reason, Saotome rushed to explain herself in a flustered tone. Either way, I still thought she was a pervert…

Does she not realize it herself? …Yeah, probably not.

“One more question?”

“Sure.”

“I feel like this would all be solved if you just got a boyfriend. So why don’t you?”

Then she could do all the public exposure stuff she wanted with someone who was into it. Not that I’d mind, of course.

“A boyfriend, huh… Well, it’s not like I haven’t thought about it.”

“But?”

“It’d be a problem if he started spreading rumors after we broke up, right?”

“True.”

It was a pretty niche kink. It’d be a nightmare if someone went around saying, “Man, she was a total freak!”

“And there’s no guarantee he’d even be into my hobby.”

“Also true.”

“Plus, relationships are a hassle, aren’t they? Marriage too…”

Saotome’s expression darkened a little as she said that. Maybe she’d had a bad experience with love in the past. …Well, considering how beautiful she was, it wouldn’t be surprising if she’d had one or two boyfriends.

“But with you, Himuro-kun, I can just treat you casually and it’s fine.”

“Much appreciated.”

She trusted me. At least, that was how I chose to take it.

“By the way, can I ask something too?”

“Go ahead.”

“I heard boys hide dirty magazines under their beds. Can I check?”

“I don’t mind, but there’s nothing under the bed.”

“Nothing under the bed, huh. So, you’re saying you do have some.”

Saotome grinned as she said it. Did she think I’d just dug my own grave?

“They’re in the closet over there.”

“…You, you’re awfully honest about it.”

For some reason, Saotome tensed up. Weird timing for her to suddenly get cautious.

“Any guy our age probably has some. No point in hiding it.”

“Well, I don’t have any.”

“Huh.”

“I-I’m serious! …Maybe something like R-12 level stuff, sure…”

Saotome looked away, blushing as she confessed.

Coming from someone whose everyday life is practically R-18, what’s with the innocent act?

“…Can I take a look?”

“Knock yourself out.”

After I gave her the permission, Saotome nervously opened the closet. She stuck her head inside. Her skirt-covered butt swayed slightly. …Was she wearing any? Or not? Now I was curious.

“You’ve got a lot of these, huh…”

Saotome pulled out a cardboard box from the closet. She opened it and picked up one of the books. Then, she opened the cover…

“Eek!”

And she let out a yelp.

“What happened?”

Some of the stuff in my collection did have pretty intense content. Maybe she accidentally grabbed one of the hardcore ones. I had to admit, they weren’t exactly beginner-friendly…. But when I checked the cover, it was a straightforward romance between a man and a woman.

“N-Naked… Their important parts are fully exposed!”

Saotome covered her face with both hands as she said that, but if you looked closely, her eyes were peeking through the gaps.

“It’s a hentai book. Of course they’re exposed.”

“B-But, th-this… Kids shouldn’t be looking at this kind of thing…!”

“It’s a hentai book.”

What the hell was she going on about? Still, clearly intrigued, Saotome slowly began flipping through the doujinshi.

“T-This is so… Indecent… Eh, ehh? T-They’re doing that? T-That’s not okay…”

Muttering as she went, Saotome stared intently at the pages. Eventually, she began rubbing her thighs together, squirming in place. She was so absorbed she didn’t even notice her surroundings anymore.

“Like what you see?”

“Eh? N-No, I-I mean, that’s not it! Th-This is purely academic interest! That’s all, really…”

“If you like it, I can lend it to you.”

Saotome’s eyes widened at my offer.

“Y-You sure?”

“Take as many as you want.”

Calling it repayment for the nursing care would make it sound like a guilt trip. But the truth was, people naturally wanted to share things they loved.

“R-Right… Then I guess I’ll borrow some. I-It’s not that I like this stuff, okay? I just want to know how it ends. I mean, stopping halfway isn’t good after all…”

She mumbled her excuses while quickly stuffing the book into her bag.

“Also, Saotome.”

“Wh-What?”

“Thanks for the meal. It was really good.”

I showed her the empty bowl.

I’d finished it all, and enjoyed every bite.

“O-Oh. You’re welcome… There’s some leftover in a tupperware in the fridge. If you’re going to eat it, do it before it goes bad.”

“Got it. Thanks.”

“W-Well then… I’m heading home.”

“Yeah. …Let me know what you think when you finish.”

“Y-Yeah… Once I’m done then.”

Hugging her bag to her chest, Saotome left.

****

Two days later. Once I’d finally recovered and went back to school… This time, Saotome caught a cold.

…Yeah, that one’s definitely my fault.

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