The moment Yūto Shō signed the second autograph, Sato Ruri hit her limit. Her body twitched a few times, her head tilted sideways, and she blacked out.
Yūto Shō capped the lust marker and admired his handiwork — his name written across her beautiful belly. Because he'd placed the signature so low, he could glimpse part of her pubic hair, with a few mischievous strands peeking out like they were trying to escape.
Yūto Shō swallowed hard and stroked her flat stomach. Her skin was smooth and delicate, impossibly soft, the kind of texture that made his fingers want to linger.
His palm pressed against Sato Ruri's lower abdomen, tracing slow circles with deliberate care.
The unconscious girl's delicate body trembled, and faint, involuntary moans slipped from her lips.
Yūto Shō inhaled deeply, fighting like a Jedi against the dark side to suppress the urge clawing at his chest. Then he tugged Sato Ruri's jeans back up, zipped them, and refastened the button.
Once that was done, Yūto Shō rose, left the room, walked into the bathroom, and splashed water on his face.
…
Lately, he'd been provoked by women far too often, and it was starting to wear on him. He urgently needed to cool down.
But he knew he couldn't rush things. Haste makes waste — the classic "speedrun gone wrong" — and base was still some distance off. With the lust marker's potent effect, Sato Ruri wouldn't be able to hold out much longer anyway.
…
While Yūto Shō was collecting himself at the sink, Sato Ruri slowly stirred awake back in the room. She stared blankly at the unfamiliar ceiling, the memories trickling back like a bad replay.
Thinking of how Yūto Shō had fondled her thigh until her mind dissolved into static, of how she'd shamelessly cried out that she liked being rubbed by him, Sato Ruri whimpered, covered her crimson face with both hands, and very nearly burst into tears from sheer mortification.
She couldn't understand why her body had betrayed her like that. It was just a touch on the leg — yet she'd reacted like a character in an ecchi anime, getting aroused right under Yūto Shō's nose with zero shame. She might as well have transformed into a beast in heat.
What she found even harder to swallow was the heat and dampness lingering somewhere below, making her uncomfortable, the clinging fabric demanding to be changed.
And earlier, Yūto Shō had actually groped her legs to that extent!
The girl's shame curdled into fury all over again.
…
"Oi, you're awake! If you're up, get moving and cook something. I'm starving."
Just as the girl was wallowing in her misery, Yūto Shō's infuriating voice cut through the silence.
Sato Ruri swiftly wiped the tears welling at the corner of her eye, sat up, and glared at him with the intensity of a final-boss stare-down, looking ready to throw hands at the slightest provocation.
Catching that look, Yūto Shō asked with playful interest, "What, you want me to rub your legs again?"
The girl flinched, her body shrinking back. She lowered her gaze and muttered grimly, "I understand. I'll go right now."
She rose and hurried out of the room. Yūto Shō noticed her gait was just slightly off-rhythm, and a knowing smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Still, Yūto Shō didn't push his luck any further. He was genuinely starving, and he'd already knocked Sato Ruri out twice in a row — even an SSR-tier heroine needed downtime. He figured he'd let her catch her breath.
….
The meal came together quickly. Sato Ruri carried the dishes out and set them down. The moment she saw Yūto Shō approaching, she stepped back and said, "I promised to cook for you, and now it's done. I've got other things to handle, so I'll be heading back."
Yūto Shō glanced at her ripped jeans and shook his head. "You can't go out wearing those. I left a pair of sweatpants in the room — go change into them."
Sato Ruri watched him with the wariness of a cat eyeing a vacuum cleaner, not budging an inch.
Yūto Shō continued, "You can't walk home like that, can you? Besides, if I really wanted to do something to you, do you honestly think you could fight me off?"
Sato Ruri's eyes burned with shame and indignation, but she couldn't deny it. He'd already reduced her to a trembling mess just by stroking her legs. If he decided to push further, she wouldn't have the willpower of a Pokémon at 1HP.
…
After mulling it over, Sato Ruri sighed internally and nodded. "Fine. I'll go change."
She turned and trudged back to the room, head bowed like a knight whose horse just refused to leave the stable.
Once inside, Sato Ruri locked the door behind her, taking comfort in the thought that Yūto Shō couldn't barge in and torment her now.
Then she walked to the bed, picked up the sweatpants lying there, and hesitated.
These pants were small — definitely not cut for Yūto Shō's current frame. They had to be from a few years back, before his growth spurt. Did he really expect her to wear them?
She looked down at her ripped jeans. Sure, distressed denim was a whole aesthetic — half the people on Instagram swore by it — but the issue was that the tear ran way too high, exposing more than a sliver of her soft inner thigh.
And…
Sato Ruri's eyes dropped to the name scrawled across her thigh, her teeth grinding like a villain plotting revenge.
A boy's name. On her leg. If anyone caught a glimpse, they'd spread rumors faster than a viral TikTok. There was absolutely no way she was letting that be seen.
She still didn't know what kind of pen he'd used for that signature. Yūto Shō had been rubbing at it for what felt like forever, and the ink hadn't budged a millimeter. Sato Ruri had no choice but to wait until she got home to wash it off.
She quickly stripped out of her jeans and pulled on the sweatpants. They fit better than expected — surprisingly snug — but the thought of Yūto Shō having worn these once before sent a fresh wave of heat to her cheeks.
…
After zoning out for a moment, Sato Ruri resolved to leave. Any longer in this apartment and something genuinely catastrophic might happen.
Just as she was about to step out, she paused and scanned the room. Earlier, she'd been trying to dig up dirt on Yūto Shō when he'd interrupted her. But now? Now nobody was around to stop her.
The girl huffed quietly, a mischievous gleam sparking in her eyes. Bullying me, are you? Just watch — I'll uncover every embarrassing secret you've got buried in here.
With that, she began rifling through the room, but no matter where she looked, nothing of interest turned up.
Her gaze settled on the wardrobe. Since wardrobes were for clothes, Yūto Shō's underwear was bound to be in there, which was why she'd been avoiding it like cursed loot. But now she had no choice — anything less would mean coming away empty-handed.
Sato Ruri approached the wardrobe and pulled the doors open. The sight of it packed with clothes stunned her for a beat, then her excitement returned. She reached in, parting the dense layers of fabric to hunt for anything incriminating.
That's when she spotted it — a small pile of men's underwear tucked into the corner, and mixed in with them, a single item of a distinctly different cut that looked unmistakably like women's panties.
Sato Ruri's eyes lit up like she'd just pulled a five-star from a gacha banner. Actual girl's underwear in Yūto Shō's wardrobe — he really was a pervert.
She crouched down eagerly, plucked up the uniquely-styled pair, and held it close for inspection. Then she froze. Wasn't this — wasn't this the same pair she had given Yūto Shō the other day?
He had actually tossed her panties into the pile with his own underwear like some kind of trophy collection!
Embarrassment and rage warred across her face. Her first instinct was to snatch them back, but she hesitated, worried Yūto Shō would notice she'd been digging through his wardrobe.
…
After wavering for a long moment, Sato Ruri sighed and placed the panties back where she'd found them.
She closed the wardrobe, crossed the room, opened the door, and stepped out.
Seeing Yūto Shō already digging into his meal, Sato Ruri forced a bright tone and called out, "You don't need to walk me out. Just eat properly, don't go hungry. I can find my way back myself."
Then she darted across the room, yanked open the front door, and bolted out of Yūto Shō's apartment.
Yūto Shō smirked to himself. If she cares this much, she must have feelings for me.
…
Sato Ruri had just stepped out of Yūto Shō's place and pulled the door shut when the door across the hall swung open. A strikingly beautiful young woman appeared in the doorway, blinking at her with open surprise.
This had to be Yūto Shō's neighbor. Oh no, somebody just caught me leaving.
Realizing the situation, Sato Ruri ducked her head guiltily, said nothing, and bolted down the corridor like Naruto sprinting late for class.
Is this the girl Shō-Kun has a thing for? Hina Tachibana mused, her gaze drifting in the direction the girl had vanished.