It was raining. Yoru was glad he had brought an umbrella and hurried home.
"The rain's getting heavier. Good thing I got back quickly."
Click—
He slid the key into the lock, stowed his umbrella, and ducked inside.
Wind carried the rain, hitting the door and leaving streaks.
"Meow meow~"
In the afternoon, San-san was always more active.
Seeing Yoru return, she ran from the living room to greet him.
"I'm back." Yoru smiled and picked her up, weighing her a bit.
Wow, she's really turned into a ball. Is this your normal body type?
San-san nuzzled him affectionately.
"I need a shower first. I'll hold you again once I'm clean." Yoru headed to the bathroom and turned on the heater.
Then he walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge.
"Not much food left. I don't want to go out in this rain. I'll just order from the supermarket." He closed the fridge after checking.
Carrying San-san back to the living room, Yoru casually turned on the TV and took out his phone.
After browsing the news for a bit, he placed his order.
It was all high-quality diet-friendly ingredients, clean meats, and some cat treats.
"I remember Yukinoshita Yukino said I could go to the Service Club if I needed help. But I really hope you won't need anything." Yoru stroked San-san's fur from head to tail after placing the order.
A gust of wind howled outside, and the rain intensified.
Yoru quickly ran around closing all the windows.
Through the rain-streaked glass, everything outside looked like a white blur.
"I hate rainy days. And I hate when it's too hot."
After locking the windows, Yoru returned to the bathroom.
In the shower, he stood in front of the mirror, trying to see the changes in his body after losing seven kilograms.
No matter how he looked, he couldn't see any difference.
He knew he needed to lose at least 20 kilograms before the change would be obvious.
He soaked for a bit.
After getting clean and dressed, he returned to the living room and saw that the supermarket delivery was already ten minutes late.
He wasn't too worried. With the rain outside, delays were understandable.
Bored, he cuddled with San-san and watched the news.
After a while, there was a knocking at the door, mixed with the sound of heavy rain and wind.
Yoru turned off the TV, listened closely for a moment, then went to open the door.
"Sir, I'm terribly sorry for being late. Here are your items."
As soon as he opened the door, Yoru was startled.
The wind and rain outside were intense, sweeping everything in their path.
At the doorstep stood a girl wearing a motorcycle helmet and a supermarket delivery vest, bowing deeply while holding two large bags.
"Oh, it's fine," Yoru said, coming back to his senses.
Just then, a gust of wind carried some raindrops onto his face.
Cold and chilling.
Yoru shivered, goosebumps rising from the sudden chill.
The wind and rain were harsh, and the temperature had dropped significantly.
"I'm truly sorry. The rain caused a seventeen-minute delay," Aoyama Nanami said as she lifted her head and handed over the bags.
The next second, the smile she had forced onto her face froze in place.
She recognized the fat guy in front of her.
Isn't he… the one everyone's talking about? The perverted fatty who stole Kasumigaoka-senpai's Stockings and panties?
Yoru easily noticed the change in the girl's expression.
Under the reflective vest was a Shuuchiin Academy uniform.
A fellow student?
She must've recognized him.
"Ah… thank you." Yoru sighed inwardly as he took the bags.
"Y-You can open them to check if anything's missing or damaged before confirming receipt," Nanami said nervously.
First, she was facing someone known in school as a perverted creep.
Second, she was worried that if Yoru was upset about the delay, he might leave a bad review or report her to the supermarket.
Even though the bad weather should exempt her from punishment, Nanami wasn't sure.
Punishment would mean losing the delivery fee for this job.
She had earned a tuition waiver at Shuuchiin thanks to her grades, but the costs of voice acting school and living expenses still weighed heavily on her.
Especially with how expensive voice acting school was becoming.
"No problem." Yoru casually checked the bags and replied, about to shut the door.
That's when he noticed.
Nanami was only wearing the reflective vest over her school uniform, which was very thin.
And it looked like she was completely soaked.
Raindrops slid down her pale neck.
Maybe it wasn't obvious with the black uniform, so Yoru hadn't noticed earlier.
She wasn't wearing a raincoat either.
Her face was pale, her body trembling slightly from the cold, yet she still forced a polite smile.
All the rain that should've hit the door was now soaking into Nanami's slender frame.
"Is… is there anything else?"
Nanami asked nervously.
"It's raining hard, and I'm really sorry for being late. Please don't file a complaint or give me a bad review."
"I truly apologize. Sorry again…"
The girl bowed once more, clearly flustered.
A professional apologizer.
If I don't want a bad review or a complaint, I better threaten you properly. Hehehe...
A lewd scene flashed through his mind but was quickly discarded.
"You're a student of Shuchiin Academy, right? I saw your uniform. And you definitely know who I am."
"I saw the expression on your face just now—every bit of it."
Yoru asked calmly.
"Ah... yes..."
Nanami's heart skipped a beat. She closed her eyes and nodded in pain.
I'm doomed.
He's definitely mad about how I reacted earlier.
It was all from the rumors at school. I didn't even know—so many people were saying it, I didn't mean to...
Now I'm going to get a bad review and a complaint.
And I deserve it. I was late because of the rain. That's no excuse. And I even made that face!
While deeply regretting it in her mind, Nanami sneakily looked up at Yoru to check his reaction.
"You don't seem to have a raincoat. You're completely soaked. Want me to grab one for you?"
At that moment, Yoru hesitated before speaking up.
He didn't want to meddle. Sometimes helping someone only earns insults behind your back—people calling him a gross fat nerd, saying he has ulterior motives.
The girl in front of him had nothing to do with him, and she'd even caused his delivery to be late.
But Shuchiin was an elite school.
Would a student from there really need to deliver food in a storm like this?
Maybe she was from the 'impure' category like him.
'Impure' students either got in by donation, grades, or special talents.
If she was like him—an 'impure' student—Yoru figured he might as well help.
After all, she wasn't Utaha or Kaguya.
He still had some basic sympathy.
He was a kind person—or maybe not that kind—just a little overweight and nerdy.
He never expected any sort of reward, though it would be nice.
The wind and rain outside were brutal. It was truly nasty out there.