Knock, knock, knock.
Tetsuya gently knocked on Uika's door. However, he waited for a full minute without receiving any response. After knocking three times and waiting to no avail, he finally, with a helpless sigh, took out the spare key Uika had given him previously.
"It seems Uika isn't back yet..."
Even though Uika had indeed given him the spare key and told him he could let himself in, for Tetsuya, opening the door and entering a single girl's apartment all by himself was still a bit too high of a hurdle to clear.
Maybe... he should just wait for her at the door?
...
"Sigh, forget it. I should just go in."
By now, Tetsuya had learned through personal experience that if he acted overly cautious or polite around the girls he was close to, it would only provoke their dissatisfaction or even anger. So, to effectively avoid that outcome, he finally overcame his mental block and used the key to open Uika's door—
"Eh..."
When Tetsuya stepped into Uika's apartment for the first time in a week, he immediately noticed numerous changes in the room:
A pair of brand-new, larger-sized men's slippers sat prominently on the shoe rack. A complete set of drafting tools now rested on the previously empty dining table. In the cupboard not far away, two matching mugs were faintly visible. And the sofa, which originally only had throw cushions, now had a pillow resting on it that looked remarkably similar to the one he used.
A few potted plants whose names he didn't know had been added to the balcony, and the scent of the aromatherapy in the room was different from before.
If Tetsuya had to describe the feeling these changes evoked, it would be an incredibly strong sense of "cohabitation." Compared to the previous spaciousness of a person living alone, the strongest impression these changes would give any visitor was the clear realization that a second, male resident seemed to be living in this house...
But precisely because of this, Tetsuya's heart grew even more anxious.
Because he knew perfectly well who all these changes in the apartment were for, and who that so-called "cohabitant" was supposed to be.
Then, before he could even set down his toolbox, the distinct sound of running water suddenly came from not far away, causing his heart rate to spike!
"N-No way..."
He turned his head stiffly toward the bathroom. Sure enough, the bathroom door was tightly shut, and the sound of running water was coming from the other side—
The reason Uika hadn't answered the door wasn't because she wasn't home, but because... she was currently taking a shower!
The exact moment this realization dawned on him, the sound of running water abruptly stopped, replaced by a rustling sound that made it impossible to tell what was happening on the other side.
Eh? Wait, his current situation... wasn't it a bit bad?
Not only had he let himself into a single girl's apartment, but he had walked in right when she was showering. If the bathroom door opened right now and Uika stepped out before she had a chance to put her clothes on, he'd have absolutely no way to explain himself—
Creak.
As a result, before Tetsuya could even finish writing out his internal monologue, the sound of the door handle turning made his mind go completely blank.
What should he do next? Should he apologize? Yes, apologizing was the only option! Even though he didn't know if Uika would forgive him, he had to show his sincerity first!
And so, before he actually laid eyes on Uika, he immediately bowed deeply and squeezed his eyes shut—
"I'm sorry, Uika! I didn't mean to come in at this time, and I swear I haven't seen anything! Please, you have to believe me!!!"
"...Huh? What are you doing, Tetsuya-san?"
Uika's baffled voice, accompanied by the faint scent of body wash, slowly drew closer to him.
"Putting aside the fact that we agreed you'd come over tonight... right now, even if you lift your head, you won't see anything, you know."
"Eh?"
Hearing this, Tetsuya immediately opened his eyes and slowly raised his head.
Then, the sight of the white bathrobe tightly wrapping her entire body made him let out a long sigh of relief.
"Haa... thank goodness! I thought I'd just made a huge mistake..."
"While it's true I'm used to living alone, I don't have a habit of walking out of the bathroom completely naked after a shower."
Tightly wrapped up, Uika crossed her arms over her chest and said in an incredibly calm tone:
"Alright, hurry up and change into your slippers. I've just finished showering, so I can change clothes at any time."
"A-Ah, I understand."
Feeling as if he'd been granted amnesty, Tetsuya hurriedly straightened his back, then put on the men's slippers and placed his toolbox by the door—
"Are these the tools you brought to alter the outfit, Tetsuya-san?"
Uika suddenly pointed at the toolbox with a curious expression. Tetsuya nodded and replied:
"Yes, they're all tools I've been using since my time at [KaZoKu]... Ah, since I came in a bit of a rush, I might be running low on some threads..."
"It's fine. Today is just for you to take a quick look, anyway."
As she spoke, she crouched down in front of him and opened the toolbox.
"Oh... needles, scissors, threads, fabric, and even a protractor and a ruler... there's more stuff in here than I imagined..."
"That's right. After all, altering clothes sometimes requires millimeter-level precision in cutting, so a ruler and protractor are essential... Guh-cough, cough, cough?!"
Halfway through his sentence, Tetsuya suddenly started coughing violently.
Seeing this, Uika quickly looked up and asked with a hint of concern:
"What's wrong, Tetsuya-san? Why are you suddenly coughing so hard?"
"N-Nothing!"
Tetsuya shook his head vigorously and hurriedly averted his gaze.
"More importantly... Uika, you're wearing a bathrobe right now... so... it would be best if you were a little more careful."
"Careful... Ah, I see."
Uika looked down slightly to examine her current state, and soon noticed the expanse of fair skin slightly exposed by her crouching posture.
"And here I thought you saw something major. If it's just this little bit, it's nothing compared to what we're going to do next..."
She stood up, facing the man whose face was already beginning to turn red, and smiled as she spoke:
"Well then, let's get down to business... Tetsuya-san."