Sakurai Saki closed the door behind them with a soft click.The girl beside him was trembling.
He glanced at her.
Fear.Of course she'd be scared. This was a stranger's home.
He turned on the light, tossed his schoolbag into the corner of the living room, and slipped out of his uniform jacket.Nino stood there quietly, like a lost child trying to shrink into her own shadow.
"What will you do to me?" she asked.
Sakurai didn't turn around."What do you think?"
"…That kind of thing?"
"I don't take the train unless I have to," he replied flatly, brushing off her implication. "I prefer walking."
"…It's my first time," she whispered.
That made him pause.
He turned to face her, eyes calm but unreadable.
"I was giving you an out earlier. You get that, right?" he said evenly. "If you want to protect yourself, you shouldn't be here telling me that you're 'clean,' like that makes me more qualified to touch you."
"…I'm sorry."
"You don't need to apologize," he muttered. "It's your body. Protect it."
He yawned. "I'm going to shower. You can sit in the living room."
Without waiting for her reply, he grabbed a change of clothes and headed for the bathroom.
—
Warm water flowed down his back.Sakurai closed his eyes.
This was the most relaxed he'd felt all day.
What a strange girl…
A stray cat, maybe. The kind that doesn't know when it's safe to run.
He wasn't interested in taking in high school girls. He wasn't even interested in playing the hero.
Still, she followed him.
Hopefully, she'll snap out of it and go home tomorrow.
He ran a hand through his hair.
Pet girl… huh. Not funny.
—
In the living room, Nakano Nino sat curled up on the edge of the sofa. She could hear the water running. It was the only sound in the apartment.
What am I even doing here?
She didn't know if she'd wake up tomorrow and still be invisible to everyone.
And if she was—would she just keep living here? Haunting this space like a ghost?
She pressed her fists against her eyes, willing the tears back.
This was the home of a boy she barely knew. But she had nowhere else to go.
Because… no one else can see me.
—
After a while, Sakurai stepped out of the bathroom, towel over his head, hair damp, his posture relaxed.
He looked at her.
"Take it off," he said.
Nakano froze.Her stomach dropped.
She had expected it.
So everything until now was just pretense.
Still trembling, she stood up.
"I said, take off your clothes," he repeated, walking over.
Fine, she thought. Just get it over with.
Hands shaking, she reached for the buttons of her uniform.
One. Two—
"…Hey," Sakurai interrupted sharply. "Stop. That's not what I meant."
She blinked.
"These clothes are filthy," he muttered. "You're getting the sofa dirty."
He handed her a tissue and started unbuttoning her jacket—for the sole purpose of tossing it into the washer.
"There's a shower in the bathroom. Go clean up. There's a dryer in there. I'll throw your clothes in with the rest."
"You're… not going to do anything?" she asked through her tears.
"Please. You're so dirty I don't even want to touch you," he replied with mock disdain, leading her to the bathroom.
He threw the clothes into the washer, started the cycle, and gestured at a small stack of folded clothes.
"They're all men's sizes. Be grateful," he said.
She nodded.
He gave her one last glance before stepping out and closing the door.
—
Alone in the living room again, Sakurai exhaled.
Despite his cool expression earlier, his heart was racing.
What's wrong with me? She's just a girl…
A very endowed girl.But still.
Get a grip, man.
He rubbed his temples.
A Superpower User getting flustered like a teenager. How embarrassing.
And yet…
Even as he berated himself, the image of her tear-streaked face lingered in his mind.
Not seductive.
Just... real.
Sakurai Saki turned on the TV, the glow casting a lazy light across the room. He scrolled through his phone and opened his LINE messages.
Ishigami Yu had already texted him.
Ishigami Yu: Sakurai-senpai, did something come up?
Sakurai hesitated for a moment before typing back.
Sakurai Saki: I'm in the middle of a moral crisis. Testing the strength of my willpower. Doing my best not to fall into the abyss.
The reply came instantly.
Ishigami Yu: ...Are you in a tabletop RPG campaign?
Sakurai chuckled and sent a quick apology for canceling their gaming session.Shirogane Miyuki also pinged him—probably checking if he made it home safe. Sakurai sent back a thumbs-up emoji and locked his screen.
He tossed the phone on the coffee table and let his mind drift, watching the TV.
Some street interview show.The reporter was asking a stylish woman, "When does your boyfriend talking to another woman count as cheating?"
The woman giggled. "If it's just holding hands or hugging, I can tolerate it."
The reporter narrowed his eyes. "Is that the truth?"
She leaned in, smiled: "Of course not. He so much as talks to another girl, I'll consider replacing him."
Then, with perfect insincerity: "I'm very tolerant of my boyfriend."
Sakurai Saki snorted softly.
Yeah right. Girls lie like it's breathing. They say they're chill, but they'll explode over a typo.If I had to sum it up in one word... unreasonable.
Just then, he heard soft footsteps in the hallway.
He turned his head.
Nakano Nino stood awkwardly, tugging at the oversized sleeves of his T-shirt. The hem of the shirt nearly reached her knees. The pajama shorts sagged comically around her hips.
"…They're a bit big," she said, cheeks pink. She raised her arms halfway, letting the extra fabric flop.
"You're definitely not built for my size," he said with a glance. "You're what—one-fifty-something?"
He was a full head taller, maybe more.
"C-could you maybe not stare so much…" she murmured, trying to cover her thighs with the hem. Even without clear eyesight, she could feel his gaze.
He leaned back, not bothering to hide his sigh.
"It's not like I had anything in your size. Or underwear," he said bluntly. "Deal with it."
Nino lowered her head, biting her lip, then walked to the sofa and carefully sat beside him—just close enough to feel a trace of his warmth, but not quite touching.
She didn't speak.She just sat there, shoulders stiff, fingers clenched in the hem of his shirt.
Sakurai noticed, but didn't say anything.He simply raised the volume of the TV slightly.
The street interview moved on to another woman.
Sakurai folded his arms behind his head and stared at the ceiling.
This night was only going to get more complicated.