While Taking Care of My Shut-In Little Sister, I Somehow Ended Up Ejaculating Inside a Beautiful Girl - Chapter 2: While living my usual daily life, I somehow ended up having to take back my underwear (Part 2)

Chapter 2: While living my usual daily life, I somehow ended up having to take back my underwear (Part 2)

“We’re going to Tsuki-chan’s place.”

“What about school?”

“No way we can focus on that right now, obviously.”

“Yeah, but—”

“Ren-chan, your precious underwear might end up in the hands of some random stranger. It’s still being auctioned off, you know? Are you okay with that?”

“Well… no, not really…”

I glanced at Usotsuki-chan-chan, a bit unsure how to respond, and she gave a wry smile.

“No need to worry. I wouldn’t actually list something like this in a situation like this~”

“Yeah, right.”

Yuu snapped at Usotsuki-chan-chan’s words, showing an unusual hint of anger.

“Anyway, we’re coming over.”

“Sure thing~”

And so, we ended up heading to the root of all evil—Usotsuki-chan-chan’s house.

We considered taking the bus, but since her place wasn’t too far to walk, we decided to go on foot.

The three of us walked side by side, bickering as we went.

“So, those messages from last night were about this?”

“Yup~ I was gonna talk it over with you, but you totally ignored me, Ren-kun.”

“I didn’t ignore you. I was asleep. I told you that.”

“Hmm, really? If you’d replied properly back then, maybe this wouldn’t have happened~”

“Wait, so my underwear being auctioned is my fault?”

“Like, half of it is.”

“Half?!”

Usotsuki-chan-chan’s blonde, two-side-up hair swayed as she walked beside me.

Her ability to shamelessly pin the blame on others was almost refreshing. If she’d just given me a sincere “sorry,” I might’ve turned around and headed to school by now.

“Hey, Tsuki-chan,” Yuu said from my other side, tilting her head to stare coldly at Usotsuki-chan-chan.

“You’re not even a little sorry, are you?”

“Wha—I’m totally sorry~ I mean, maybe I went a bit too far this time…”

Yuu sighed, giving up on her icy glare as Usotsuki-chan-chan’s half-hearted remorse fell flat. She ran her fingers through the single braid draped over her left shoulder, then shot me an accusing look, puffing out her cheeks. She probably wanted me to say something too, but…

“Look, we just need to get my underwear back from Usotsuki-chan-chan. No need to get so worked up, Yuu.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? You so don’t get it…”

Yuu sighed at me this time.

“Listen, Ren-chan,” she said, raising her index finger and launching into a lecture.

“Put yourself in my shoes. How would you feel if your super important girlfriend’s underwear ended up in the hands of some pervert?”

“Uh…”

I faltered, struggling to imagine such a scenario.

I’ve never seen anyone in real life lusting after someone else’s belongings, so it feels almost like a mythical creature. Sure, in fiction, criminals or creepy characters might do stuff like that, but that’s just in stories. It’s too far removed from reality.

“It’s just underwear—”

“…”

“—I mean, that’s not okay, right?”

I started to answer but quickly backtracked under Yuu’s glare, which could’ve taken down a bear.

“I’d never think something dumb like, ‘It’s just underwear, let them have it.’ Even if it’s just underwear, if it belongs to someone you care about, it’s normal to feel grossed out at the thought of it ending up with a stranger.”

“Correct!”

Seeing Yuu’s satisfied expression, I let out an internal sigh of relief. Phew, I got that one right.

“Something that belongs to someone you love is practically a part of them. It’s only natural to be on guard if it’s floating around out there, right?”

“Y-Yeah, sure.”

The idea that you’d feel possessive over someone you love is pretty standard in relationships. Yuu clearly agrees strongly, but her protectiveness seems to extend even to their belongings. Is that… normal?

“You’re my boyfriend, Ren-chan. There’s no way I could just let this slide.”

Yuu huffed, her indignation making her breath a little heavy. Even though we’re just a fake couple, the fact that she’s this worried about me, her pretend boyfriend, speaks to her kind heart. Half-impressed, half-exasperated, I gave a wry smile, and Yuu returned a small one.

—But she didn’t forget to shoot a glare at Usotsuki-chan-chan, who’d been watching us with a smirk.

“Tsuki-chan, you better reflect on this properly.”

“Phew, fss—phew, fss”

Usotsuki-chan-chan, attempting and failing to whistle, quickly looked away.

*

Usotsuki-chan-chan’s house was an apartment in an eight-story building.

We passed through the auto-locked front entrance, took the elevator to the fourth floor, and entered her place at the end of the hall.

She led us to the living room before heading toward the kitchen.

“Want some tea~?”

“No thanks.”

“Snacks?”

“No thanks!”

Yuu snapped back at Usotsuki-chan-chan, clearly irritated. Her eyes darted around restlessly, already in full-on underwear-search mode. I get it—I want to wrap this up quickly and get to school too.

Yuu marched forward, heading straight for a room deeper in the apartment.

Without hesitation, she flung open the door, revealing a room that was unmistakably a teenage girl’s, with curtains drawn tight.

No doubt about it—this was Usotsuki-chan-chan’s bedroom.

In the center of the floor, carelessly placed, was a single pair of underwear. Yuu let out a relieved sigh.

“There it is…”

She knelt down and picked up my underwear with both hands.

I had endless questions about why she handled it with such tender care, like she was cradling a child, but for now, the immediate problem was as good as solved.

“We’ve secured the item. Now Usotsuki-chan-chan just needs to cancel the listing.”

I glanced at her pointedly, and Usotsuki-chan-chan squirmed awkwardly, holding up her phone to show the flea market app’s login screen.

“I think I wrote down the password for my flea market account on a piece of paper somewhere in my room…”

“I see.”

It seemed Usotsuki-chan-chan had lost the paper with her password in her bedroom.

At this point, even I was starting to piece together what was going on with her.

Normally, for an app like this, your login info is saved, and you just tap to log in. Or if you enter the password every time, you’d probably have it memorized.

Which means Usotsuki-chan-chan doesn’t use this app often.

Her unfamiliarity with it, combined with using it for a prank, was likely the root of this mess.

The fact that she wrote the password down on paper is lucky in a way—it’s not a total dead end. I felt a quiet relief knowing that.

All we had to do now was find that paper, and everything would be resolved.

“I’m gonna look for it.”

“Uh, okay…”

Usotsuki-chan-chan flinched under Yuu’s commanding presence but stepped into her room and started searching alongside her.

The scene looked like a police raid, and I stood awkwardly at the doorway, unsure what to do.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure if it was okay for me to just barge into a girl my age’s bedroom.

Still, I didn’t close the door and kept my eyes on them, waiting for one of them to notice me.

“Hey, Ren-chan, don’t come in, okay?”

“Got it.”

Yuu, spotting my gaze first, shut me down immediately. She said it with such authority, you’d think she owned the room, not Usotsuki-chan-chan. It was so casual I agreed without thinking.

“You can come in, you know~”

“Hey, Tsuki-chan—”

“Ren-kun, help us look? It’ll go faster.”

“Alright.”

With the room’s actual owner’s permission, I stepped inside.

A large, pale green rug covered the hardwood floor, soft and slightly ticklish under my feet.

“Ren-chan, you’re listening to Tsuki-chan over your girlfriend?”

“What’re you talking about? When it comes to finding something, more hands are better. One’s good, two’s better, three’s best.”

Ignoring Yuu’s puffed-up, sulky expression, I joined in the search.

Yuu had already turned the room upside down, so I focused on areas they hadn’t touched yet.

“I appreciate the help, but don’t stare too much, okay…?”

“What, now you’re shy?”

I rolled my eyes at Usotsuki-chan-chan’s sudden bashfulness, following Yuu’s lead as I checked under the desk, chair, and gaps in the shelves.

For Usotsuki-chan-chan, I mean… her room’s surprisingly clean, isn’t it?

That said, a clean room doesn’t mean there are fewer places to look.

As a guy, I couldn’t go rifling through her closet or drawers, but even checking under the bed was a task—

“Hm?”

Under the bed—where there was a chest with drawers I couldn’t open—I spotted something pretty serious in one of the gaps.

“…”

I immediately glanced at Usotsuki-chan-chan, trying to gauge her reaction or movements.

“…”

Nothing seemed… off.

“…”

Usotsuki-chan-chan was quietly searching for the password paper, mimicking Yuu and me with a serious expression.

Her face looked a little grim, but given the situation, I couldn’t pinpoint why.

There were no visible injuries on her body, at least not that I could see, and she didn’t seem to be moving awkwardly either.

Turning my back to them, I discreetly picked up the item and flipped through it.

Two textbooks and three notebooks. The notebooks, from their contents, weren’t sketchpads or doodle books but for taking class notes. No question about it—these were school supplies.

All of them were in awful shape—torn, tattered covers with multiple unidentifiable stains. Rust-colored stains, pitch-black stains, faint yellow stains… Notably, these weren’t just one or two drops but large, numerous, and clearly deliberate, giving off a disgustingly polka-dotted appearance.

They were in no condition to be used at school.

The notebooks were filled about halfway, suggesting they were abandoned mid-use after being ruined.

The textbooks and notebooks weren’t just torn at the covers. Beyond the filthy stains, there were black dots as if stabbed with a pencil or mechanical pencil, unnatural dents like something sharp had been jabbed into them, and an overall appearance so ravaged it felt almost spiteful.

Questioning Usotsuki-chan-chan’s sanity here… wouldn’t be fair.

If there had been crude doodles or hateful scribbles, it’d be different, but the damage was just vague enough to be troubling.

It’s questionable whether this counts as evidence of bullying, but it’s definitely not something positive for Usotsuki-chan-chan.

I also wondered why she was keeping these. Given that I’d found them so easily, could I assume she’d forgotten about them?

The contents of the notebooks and textbooks included recent coursework.

In other words, these traces of bullying were recent.

“No luck finding it… How about you, Ren-chan?”

“Nothing here either. Mind checking the drawers under the bed, just to be safe?”

“Sure.”

I hid the evidence of bullying deeper in the gap and asked them to check the chest under the bed.

In the end, we found neither new evidence of bullying nor the key to my underwear situation at Usotsuki-chan’s place.

*

“It’s already noon, huh?”

“Yeah.”

Despite the urgency of the situation, our search at Usotsuki-chan’s house turned up nothing—a complete bust, which I hadn’t expected. Now, even her claim about losing the password paper in her room was starting to sound fishy.

Usotsuki-chan said she was skipping school today, which was a different situation from Yuu and me, who had planned to go. Spending any more time on this didn’t seem wise, so I suggested we put the underwear issue—and the physical item—on hold for now.

I appreciated Yuu’s kindness, but when it came down to it, the parties involved were me and Usotsuki-chan, with my underwear as the victim. Dragging my classmate and childhood friend into this mess any further felt like a waste of effort.

On the way to school, we stopped to have lunch on a familiar riverbank. I spread out a raincoat from my bag as a makeshift sheet for us to sit on.

“So, here you go! ♥”

“Thanks.”

I took a wrapped package from Yuu.

“Whoa, looks delicious as always.”

“Ehehe! ♥”

Yuu’s cheeks loosened into a goofy grin at my comment as I opened the lunchbox lid.

“Oh, I packed the chopsticks together. Here, your chopsticks, Ren-chan.”

“Thanks.”

By the way, why does the fragrant aroma of Yuu’s lunches, despite having different ingredients each time, always evoke the same nostalgic feeling?

It’s a mystery, but I kind of love this strange phenomenon.

“Itadakimasu.”

As usual, we clasped our hands before the meticulously prepared lunch and picked up our chopsticks.

Divided by foil, there was a section with mini hamburgers, a vegetable area with broccoli and cherry tomatoes, and potato salad sandwiched in between. The largest section was packed with glistening rice, like pearls, with a vibrant red pickled plum shining like a ruby in the center.

It was a perfectly balanced, visually pleasing lunchbox.

And the taste lived up to its appearance, delighting my taste buds.

“I always feel bad about this on weekdays.”

“It’s no big deal. I make it along with my family’s portion.”

Of course, Yuu’s lunchbox was identical to mine, just in a different-colored, slightly smaller container. I appreciated that mine was a bit larger—considerate touch.

“I could never pull this off. Making breakfast and lunch? That’s gotta be tough.”

“It’s really not a big deal.”

“No way, it’s impressive. Ever since I started cooking myself, I’ve realized how much effort goes into making lunchboxes.”

“I’m telling you, it’s not a burden at all.”

Yuu gave a troubled look, half-happy to be understood, half-sympathetic, as I spoke from experience.

She says she enjoys making them, but I can’t just brush off the effort it takes.

“…Come to think of it, you make meals for your little sister too, right?”

“Just simple stuff.”

Yuu knows about my sister being a shut-in.

“She seems to handle lunch on her own, though. Not having to make her a lunchbox is a relief.”

“What does she eat?”

“No idea.”

“‘No idea’…?”

“Her habits are still a mystery. Sometimes the fridge is a bit emptier, or there’s evidence she’s cooked something.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Yuu’s big, long-lashed eyes narrowed as she let out a small chuckle.

“Microwaving pre-made stuff is the easiest, so she seems to prefer that. That’s what I’ve figured out.”

“You sound like you’re reporting on wildlife.”

“Not entirely wrong.”

I don’t know every detail of my sister’s activities, so my observations are admittedly shaky, which makes it feel all the more real.

“Anyway, I just wanted to say I get a bit of the effort you put in, so I’m grateful.”

“I see~”

Yuu nodded, looking away.

“What’s up?”

“Nothing! ♥”

When she turned back, her face was lit up with a dazzling smile.

“You better be super grateful! ♥”

“I am, I am. Super grateful. Thanks, as always.”

“Ehehe! ♥ More, more! ♥”

Yuu puffed out her chest, her cheerful demeanor making the meal feel like a picnic, especially with the riverbank scenery. Not a bad vibe.

As we bantered like an overly affectionate couple and finished our lunch, my stomach satisfied, I said,

“Gochisousama.”

“Osomatsusama.”

We sat for a bit to digest. With the walk to school and afternoon classes in mind, we had about ten minutes to relax and chat idly.

“Come to think of it, there are already a few couples in our grade, but how many bring lunches like this?”

“We bring lunch every school day, but I bet most couples don’t make food for each other. I’d guess most get lunches from their moms.”

“Probably.”

I mused thoughtfully, and Yuu tilted her head, curious about my point.

“No, I was just thinking—I’m pretty lucky. Thanks, Yuu.”

“What’s with the sudden… Ehehe! ♥”

Unable to hold back, Yuu’s cheeks slackened as she blushed.

“You don’t have to thank me. I do it because I want to! ♥”

“It was delicious, as always.”

“I mean… Ehehe! ♥ …Ugh, flattery won’t get you anything extra!”

Yuu, embarrassed but clearly pleased, pretended to be annoyed.

“…Ha~ It’s like a dream… ♥”

“What is?”

“Nothing~! ♥”

Yuu’s goofy grin had a reason. According to her in the past, she loves doing “wifely things” like this. It sounds like something you’d hear from a married couple rather than just dating, but now that I think about it, eating a lunch handmade by my “girlfriend” every day does feel more like a married couple than just lovers.

It’s like a salaryman taking a lunchbox to work. For a typical high schooler, controlling their partner’s meals like this probably isn’t common—maybe even a bit overbearing.

Living the life of a guy with a devoted childhood friend, like in a game, has unexpectedly given me a lot to think about.

“Let me treat you to a meal sometime.”

“You don’t have to! ♥ …Oh.”

Yuu’s goofy smile suddenly turned serious, as if she’d realized something.

“When you say ‘sometime,’ when exactly?”

“Doesn’t matter. Today, tomorrow, the weekend—whatever works.”

I casually clarified my offer, and Yuu responded just as casually, “You know, Ren-chan…”

“Do you ever feel like eating at the school cafeteria?”

“Not really. I’m eating good food—delicious food—and that’s enough to make me happy.”

Pointing at the empty lunchbox, I said that, and Yuu’s face lit up.

“Then, how about I make you lunch on weekends too? ♥”

“What?”

Her unexpected proposal made me freeze.

Lunch at this level… on weekends too? Combined with weekdays, that’s literally every day.

It’d save time and effort, and maybe even money—though I’d insist on covering ingredients if it came to that.

…For a moment, I was tempted.

But I quickly shook off the overly convenient thought.

My original offer was to treat her to a meal to repay her for her daily efforts, but somehow it turned into Yuu making me food on weekends too.

“No, no, that’s too much. You don’t have to go that far for me.”

“Aww, I was kinda serious…”

If that was a genuine offer, I really can’t take advantage of it. Considering my somewhat unique circumstances, dragging Yuu into them all the time would demand a huge sacrifice from her.

Time and effort are finite.

Especially high school years—youth—is priceless.

Even if you become rich as an adult, it’s something you can never buy back.

“I appreciate the thought, though.”

I gave a dry smile, feeling a twinge of regret but knowing this was the right call.

“Then, can I come hang out this weekend?”

“Huh?”

Another unexpected turn.

Between this and her earlier offer, does Yuu have some reason she needs to see me?

Unlike before, this time it’s an invitation to “hang out.”

“Got any plans?”

“Nope, nothing.”

“Is that okay?”

“Of course it’s fine.”

“Deal, then!”

I felt a slight unease at the somewhat forceful weekend plans, but since I had nothing going on, I agreed.

*

“Hey, Hoshimiya! Starting the week with a lovey-dovey late arrival, huh? Spill the beans—what kinda fun were you having?”

“Hey, Hoshimiya! Think about how it feels for us to have to watch you flaunt your mushy romance with one of the hottest girls in school!”

By the time I got to the classroom, just as lunch break was wrapping up, I was greeted by my classmates Machida and Masunaga—the “Machi-Masu” duo.

Machida, with his long hair because he’s on the baseball team, and Masunaga, with his buzz cut because he’s on the table tennis team. I’ve never quite figured out how their club activities justify their hairstyles, but these two have been good friends of mine since the start of high school.

“Hey, Hoshimiya! Don’t ignore us—tell us! Why’re you half-smirking like that?”

“Hey, Hoshimiya! You’re late with your girlfriend, so why do you look so bored? Don’t tell me…!”

“Cut it out with that otaku fangirl nonsense.”

I shut down their teasing with a quip, putting an end to their pestering.

I wasn’t about to tell them that my shut-in sister needed looking after or that my underwear was currently in someone else’s hands, caught up in a whole mess. That’s not exactly casual conversation material, so I kept it to myself.

Even if they asked, I probably wouldn’t tell them.

“This morning, I was suffering from hemorrhoids. Yuu was just keeping me company.”

“Oh…”

“Man, you’ve got hemorrhoids, huh…”

The Machi-Masu duo gave me pitying looks. It’s kind of impressive that these guys, high schoolers, can relate to hemorrhoid pain.

By the way, I don’t actually have hemorrhoids—that’s a complete lie. I have no idea what that pain is like.

“You good now?”

“Slapped on some Boraginol, and it cleared up while I was walking.”

“What’s that? Boraginol’s some miracle stuff, huh?”

“You’re as full of it as ever.”

After that, they lost interest in my tardiness, and the three of us killed time with idle chatter until fifth period started. We talked about trending YouTubers, VTubers, games, mobile games—stuff like that. Apparently, characters with niche, specialized skills are selling big in games these days. I think I saw an article about that online this morning, but I didn’t pretend to know more than I did and just engaged enough to keep the conversation going.

Before long, the modern literature teacher showed up, and lunch break was over.

*

After school rolled around.

Nothing particularly noteworthy happened at school today. Aside from the homeroom teacher subtly prying into why I was late, it was an uneventful day.

After exchanging goodbyes, my friends headed off to their clubs, and since I wasn’t on cleaning duty this week, I quietly got ready to leave. My classmates were packing up too, and the room emptied out quickly.

It was nice that today didn’t bring any extra headaches. Now, I’d swing by Usotsuki-chan’s place to reclaim my underwear and head home.

“Ren-chan, let’s go.”

“Yeah.”

Yuu poked her head through the back classroom door, and we started walking down the hall together. Neither of us is in a club, so this is pretty much our routine.

For a brief moment, I felt the stares of the remaining classmates—cultural club members with late-starting activities or loitering non-club kids—but I quickly stopped caring. Even students from other classes barely reacted anymore; most just glanced our way and looked away, uninterested. Yuu’s plan is working—our “relationship” is sinking in with everyone. Her social maneuvering is pretty impressive.

What a flawless “fake couple plan”…

Speaking of which, this fake couple thing started shortly after we entered high school. Yuu, with this determined air like she was making her grand high school debut, proposed the fake relationship to me.

I’ll admit, when she called me behind the gym, looking all nervous, my heart skipped a beat.

But once I realized she wanted a “fake” relationship to solve her problem, and that was her intention all along, I was a bit disappointed. Well, that’s how it goes.

At first, I wasn’t thrilled about the idea of a fake relationship and hesitated to agree. But then she offered the unbeatable condition of “delicious homemade lunches,” and I reluctantly gave in. No choice, right?

…Man, what a pathetic guy I am.

Let’s be honest.

I was lured by the promise of good food.

But strangely, I don’t regret it.

It’s odd how smoothly school life has been going—a strong start since enrollment.

After we became a fake couple, the expected jealousy of “Why’s a plain guy like him with Yuu?” was, surprisingly, almost nonexistent from the start.

It probably helps that I quickly established myself in class as neither a popular kid nor a total loner, but leaning slightly toward the loner side.

I get along with all groups in class but belong to a loose, regular crew.

I’m not overly gloomy or obnoxiously loud.

Being a “normal” character makes me easy to talk to. By keeping my personality neutral and avoiding making enemies, I’ve limited any potential downsides of being “Yuu’s boyfriend” to just that role. Since some of our middle school classmates are here and saw how Yuu and I interacted back then, it probably doesn’t even seem strange.

Yuu’s also been working her magic through her female friends, reinforcing the appearance of our relationship. This is just a guess, but the fact that several (non-fake) couples formed early on after enrollment is probably thanks to the network of girls, including Yuu.

What’s surprising is that, while I’ve adjusted to Yuu’s high school debut to some extent, it’s like she had this all planned out from the start.

Everything’s been rock-solid from the beginning.

Almost scarily so.

“You’re stopping by Tsuki-chan’s place today, right?”

After changing shoes at the entrance, Yuu started walking beside me again.

“Yeah. I’ll grab my underwear and head home.”

“You’ll have to wash them when you get back.”

“Of course…”

Come to think of it, I hadn’t even considered what condition my underwear was in when it ended up in Usotsuki-chan’s hands.

Did Yuu, who so confidently grabbed my underwear from Usotsuki-chan’s room, know if they’d been washed?

More importantly, how the hell did my underwear end up with Usotsuki-chan in the first place? That’s still a complete mystery.

Part of me wants to solve it, but part of me really doesn’t…

At any rate, Yuu seems unable to stay calm knowing my underwear is in Usotsuki-chan’s hands, so we’re headed back to her place.

“Usotsuki-chan really skipped school today, huh?”

“Yeah. I didn’t see her at all after this morning.”

Since Yuu, who’s in the same class, didn’t spot Usotsuki-chan even once in the afternoon, it’s safe to assume she took the whole day off.

I didn’t press her for a reason this morning, but Yuu doesn’t seem curious about why Usotsuki-chan was absent either. Instead, she’s been fidgeting oddly since earlier, like she’s preoccupied with something else.

“Let’s go.”

“Yeah.”

Spurred on by Yuu, I left the school.

*

At the entrance to Usotsuki-chan’s apartment building, I punched in her unit number and pressed the call button.

“Tsuki-chan?”

“Come on in~”

As soon as she heard Yuu’s voice, Usotsuki-chan’s laid-back tone came through, and the automatic entrance door unlocked.

We took the elevator to the fourth floor and arrived at her apartment.

When I rang the doorbell, the door opened slightly without so much as a glance through the peephole.

“Tsuki-cha—wait, what are you wearing?”

Yuu’s first words were dripping with shock. From my angle, I couldn’t see, but Yuu, standing directly in front of the door’s gap, clearly got a look at Usotsuki-chan’s outfit.

“I was taking a bath.”

Her reply was flat, and her voice sounded vaguely tired. Maybe it was because she’d been bathing, or perhaps she’d just woken up.

“The underwear, here.”

Without waiting for Yuu to say anything, Usotsuki-chan, already knowing why we were there, promptly handed over the underwear through the door gap.

There were no sleeves visible on her outstretched arm—just water droplets clinging to her skin. A pleasant scent, likely from shampoo or body wash, wafted out with a wave of humid air. She really had been in the bath.

“Thanks—but it’s still damp?”

Yuu checked the texture of the underwear and asked, clearly dissatisfied.

“Yeah, yeah, sorry. It didn’t dry.”

“…”

Usotsuki-chan’s half-hearted excuse left Yuu’s profile looking vaguely annoyed.

“…You didn’t, like, do anything with it, right?”

“Do what, exactly?”

“…Nothing.”

“Should’ve tossed it in the dryer.”

In contrast to Yuu’s expressive reactions, Usotsuki-chan remained completely deadpan throughout.

Maybe she’s just exhausted? She was in the bath, so I’d feel bad lingering.

“Drying’s not a big deal. I got the underwear back, so it’s fine.”

“—Wait, hold on.”

I reached to take the underwear from Yuu, brushing it off, but she hurriedly stopped me.

“What?”

“Just… hang on.”

Refusing to hand it over right away, Yuu gripped the underwear tightly and turned her back to me for a moment.

“Here.”

“? Oh…”

When she turned back, she passed me the underwear like nothing happened. Yuu’s behavior was a bit suspicious, but with the underwear returned, half of our business at Usotsuki-chan’s place was done.

“Anyway, I’m glad we got the underwear back.”

“…It’d be even better if we could cancel the auction, though…”

Yuu let out a heavy, exhausted sigh.

“True, but if she really forgot the password, there’s not much we can do.”

If it’s truly a dead end, our only hope might be contacting the app’s support team.

“Sorry for interrupting your bath. We’ll head out now.”

“Yawn… I’ll… look for the password…”

“Do that.”

“Mhm…”

Usotsuki-chan, who seemed to be mid-bath and sleepy, let out a short yawn. She stuck her hand through the slightly open door, waved “bye,” and that was that.

I was about to turn and leave when—

Thud.

With a loud bang, the front door swung wide open.

“…!?”

“Tsuki-chan!?”

For a split second, I was confused, but my brain, ever perverse in moments like this, replayed the scene in slow motion.

At first, I thought Usotsuki-chan had fumbled the door handle.

And, well, she had—but that wasn’t the whole story.

As she pushed the door open, she collapsed toward me, her eyelids nearly shut.

Just before her head came into view, I caught a glimpse of her modest chest, the small buds at their peaks, and her completely bare—wait, no, focus, this isn’t the time!

“Wha—!?”

Under Yuu’s horrified stare, I processed the situation.

The scent of shampoo wafted from the blonde head buried in my chest.

The sensation of water droplets from her soft, dewy body soaking into my uniform.

Catching her naked, collapsing form head-on, it was like all the blood meant for my brain rushed elsewhere, leaving me frozen in place.

“Usotsuki… chan…?”

Usotsuki-chan’s face was deathly pale as she lay collapsed in my arms.