When I Picked Up A Stunningly Gorgeous Downer-Type Beauty In Front Of The Entrance. - Chapter 21: When guys try to fit their 'sticks' into girls' 'holes'.

When guys try to fit their ‘sticks’ into girls’ ‘holes’.

Nevertheless, “doing okay”… huh.

It’s a phrase that’s hard to gauge its meaning. Despite consisting of just two characters, its implications were incredibly broad and profound.

I had a sense of this when she first called out to me.

If it’s not for the purpose of hitting on me, then it’s obvious that the topic is Sajou-san.

If that’s the case, then it means she’s aware of Sajou-san’s frequent visits to my place.

Did Sajou-san talk about it?

No, I inwardly denied. If their relationship was at a level where they could talk about such things, Sajou-san wouldn’t have stayed over at my place in the first place.

Well, for over a month now.

Even if it’s prefixed with “almost” before “every day,” one would notice if she’s coming by that often.

Actually, how she found out isn’t that important.

Why was it done?

It’s a familiar technique in mysteries, but the motive is more important than the method.

Especially for the mother and daughter who left me in this situation.

However, considering Sajou-san’s mother’s actions, the motive was a bit unexpected.

I had imagined, based on fragmented information, that they might have a somewhat strained relationship.

To see her go out of her way to call me and check on me made me feel a bit touched. It made me think that she might be worried about Sajou-san.

Perhaps they don’t have such a cold, distant relationship as I thought.

Yet, there was an indescribable loneliness to it.

Even though they live together and she’s concerned enough to check on her daughter’s well-being, it felt terribly sad to be asked about her condition by a complete stranger.

“…She’s fine.”

It’s ironic to say something like “She’s fine” enough to crush a cherished DVD. Even thinking back on it now brings tears to my eyes… sniff.

Perhaps if you were to ask her directly, she’d just turn her head and say, “…I don’t know.”

She’s not very straightforward, after all.

“I see…”

Placing her hand on her chest, feeling the motherly warmth even through her sweatshirt, she gently strokes it. Her reaction, so similar to Sajou-san’s, strongly emphasized their blood connection.

She seemed at ease, unmistakably a mother rather than a sister, so I sipped my coffee through the straw without any hesitation.

Was that all she wanted to know?

I wondered if the conversation would quickly run dry. I didn’t have ten topics to entertain a woman, and I started to feel a little anxious. Just as I did, Sajou-san’s mother (I was certain) began to open her thin lips, then hesitated and closed them again. She mumbled something.

Her demeanor was somewhat masochistic. Despite being an older woman, I couldn’t help but feel like I was teasing her. It was a strange mix of stirring up sadistic desires and feeling a taboo kind of pleasure.

Even though she wasn’t dressed in an erotic outfit like last time, there was still an aura about her that exudes sensuality. How could she be so alluring no matter what she did? Is she really a witch…?

Confused by emotions I’d never felt before, I managed to keep my composure and turned to pour some water for Sajou-san’s mother.

“Um, is there something you wanted to ask?” I offered.

Her face lit up with joy.

Ah… My heart fluttered at her smile, so unlike the sun that Sajou-san never showed. Don’t get me wrong—I love her usual vacant, dead-eyed expression and the awkward smile that occasionally graces her face. But this straightforwardness is also nice… Sajou-san’s family’s faces are just too perfect; they make my heart race uncontrollably.

Calm down, me.

To settle myself, I take a sip of coffee. The bitterness helps soothe my heart.

As I feel my heart flutter with excitement, Sajou-san’s mother clasps her hands together and looks up at me with those adorable eyes.

With her perfectly crafted features,

“Are you… having sex?”

And… huh?

Coffee dribbles from the corner of my mouth.

“Um, your coffee is…”

I’m pointed out, but I don’t have the composure to care right now. My crotch feels cold.

I… I must have misheard, right?

I wipe my wet mouth with a paper napkin from the tabletop.

“I, I’m not quite sure what you’re referring to.”

My voice trembled with agitation.

Upon hearing this, Sajou-san’s mother tilted her head cutely and then sheepishly lowered it, saying, “Oh, I’m sorry.”

She’s just too adorable with every movement she makes. There’s no way someone like her would talk about… that, right? I drank the rest of my coffee directly from the glass this time, instead of through the straw. My body was still hot.

“That was a bit too direct, wasn’t it?”

She said with a fully bloomed smile.

“Wondering if you have done the ‘plop’ and ‘squish’… it’s quite trendy, you know?”

“Are you explaining trendy sound effects now!?”

I couldn’t help but spew coffee from my mouth. This is impossible to misinterpret.

She’s actually asking if her daughter and I have had… intercourse.

That’s really what she meant, right? What does she mean?

I wanted to demand answers, but I couldn’t speak because coffee had entered my organs and my throat was sore.

Cough, cough. My throat hurts.

Despite my current state of fluster, Sajou-san’s mother, while looking flustered herself, explained the reason for her inquiry.

“That child hates my job and doesn’t like it when guys try to fit their ‘sticks’ into girls’ ‘holes’. I was worried she might be making her boyfriend endure it…”

Hold on a second…!?

This is too much to process, and I’m at a loss for words. This needs to stop.

Taking a deep breath to compose myself, I said, “Well, there are a lot of things I’d like to say… First of all, let’s please refrain from using such vulgar expressions, especially ones that are more explicit than wrapping it in an envelope. I mean, ‘fitting sticks into holes’? Every time I play Tetris 99 from now on, that’s all I’ll be able to think about.”

“Then, stop the ‘sticks’ part,” she responded.

This isn’t the kind of conversation you have in a normal café, right?

The waiter is trembling with his back turned. …Is she not laughing?

I tilt the empty glass upwards and swallow the ice cubes shaped like dice.

“And, there seems to be a misunderstanding. We’re not boyfriend and girlfriend.”

“Not boyfriend and girlfriend…?”

Her eyes widen. Despite her childish and lovely expression,

“Friends with benefits…?”

The content of her statement is not only childish but also lewd. What’s with these words?

Why are her spoken words 18+, but her reactions are childish?

Is it because lewd words are more appealing when accompanied by childish behavior?

It’s beyond low. But even I can’t help but empathize…

“It’s not that kind of relationship. Just neighbors.”

Correcting her misunderstanding, she furrows her brow in doubt.

“Even though you spend every night together…?”

“…………”

I’d like to refrain from presenting counterarguments that would be difficult to refute.

I feel like the water I just drank is about to gush out from every hole in my body.

“I understand that you may feel like saying that, but it’s not like that. And please, find a less vulgar way to express it.”

“Then, what kind of relationship do you have?”

When asked, I hesitated.

It’s a question I’ve pondered several times without finding an answer.

However, since I’ve been asked, I must put into words something that hasn’t taken shape yet, and I struggle to articulate it.

“Um… it’s like… being comfortable together, you know? Or… it’s easy being together… There’s still that kind of relaxed feeling you get when you’re alone, but it’s not like you don’t want them around… It’s hard to put into words, but you know what I mean, right? I guess it’s something like that.”

“Like a stray cat getting attached to you?”

It’s accurate, but it’s a comparison that’s hard to affirm.

She’d probably make a really unpleasant face if she heard that.

But, there’s something I’m really curious about.

At this point, I have no shame or reputation left to protect.

They say ‘shame on the road is thrown away,’ but I never thought I’d throw it away in a neighborhood café.

Since I’ve already decided I can never come back to this café again, I might as well ask now.

“Um, about the job your daughter hates…”

I couldn’t bring myself to say what I wanted to.

But perhaps she understood, as Sajou-san’s mother smiled wryly, looking troubled.