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Yoshida was lying in his bedroom, scrolling through the news on his phone. He didn't own a TV because he found NHK a nuisance; besides, in this day and age, almost any information can be gathered instantly online.
"Arrested on suspicion of raping a high school girl... huh." The headline caught Yoshida's eye. There were far more adults lusting after underage girls these days than one would think—or perhaps the algorithm was just pushing more of it to him because of his recent search history.
"I actually prefer more mature women," Yoshida muttered to himself as he swiped past the page.
"Coming through!" Sayu, clutching a laundry basket, stepped right over Yoshida as he lay flat on the floor. Because it happened so suddenly, Yoshida instinctively looked up and caught a glimpse right up her skirt.
Light blue. The fabric was thin; while the shape wasn't perfectly distinct, he could clearly see the outline of a camel toe traced by the fabric of her panties.
"Hey! I can see your underwear!" Feeling a slight flutter in his heart at the sight of Sayu's more-feminine-than-expected lingerie, Yoshida quickly looked away, his voice raised to hide his embarrassment.
"Well, it is a skirt, after all," Sayu replied nonchalantly, continuing with the housework.
"Speaking of which, you're always wearing that school uniform." Only after confirming that he could no longer see up her skirt did Yoshida turn his gaze back.
"Because it's the only set I have... Ah, please don't worry! I wash it regularly, it's not dirty at all!" Whether it was Yoshida's imagination or not, Sayu's profile seemed to flush a faint red as she spoke.
"Still, it feels weird having you wear a uniform at home all the time," Yoshida said, standing up. "Take this and go buy some clothes. If you go to Uniqlo, it should be enough."
Not knowing much about the price of women's clothing, Yoshida counted out several "Yukichi Fukuzawa" notes (10,000 yen bills) from his wallet and handed them over.
"Eh, there's no need to spend so much!" "It's troubling for me to keep seeing you flash me. Just consider it for the sake of my mental health, please."
"Ugh, if Mr. Yoshida is going to put it that way..." Sayu pressed her palm to her forehead and groaned for a moment. Then, as if struck by an idea, she pressed her hands together in a prayer gesture and flashed a slightly coaxing smile. "Then... why don't you come with me, Mr. Yoshida?"
"...That feels way too much like compensated dating. I'm not going." Briefly imagining the scene of standing beside Sayu picking out clothes and paying at the counter, Yoshida's face soured as he flatly refused.
"Haha, it kind of does, doesn't it?" Yoshida truly couldn't fathom what Sayu was thinking as she giggled. "Anyway, go buy them yourself. I'm going out now to buy you a futon."
He'd been so busy during the work week that he hadn't thought of it; he hadn't even prepared a proper set of bedding for a guest. Yoshida felt he was failing his responsibilities as a functioning member of society.
"Eh, no need! Spreading some old curtains on the floor is plenty!" "You'll wake up with a backache if you do that."
"That's not true." Sayu began her polite protests again.
"I'm the one who wants to buy it; I'm not asking for your opinion. Or are you trying to make me feel guilty sleeping in a bed while you're on the floor?"
"Ugh, it's not like that..." Looking flustered, Sayu reluctantly accepted Yoshida's executive decision.
"Ah, right. Keep whatever money is left over for yourself." Yoshida was rummaging through the closet to change, so his back was turned to Sayu. He didn't see the complicated expression on her face.
"Is that really okay? If Mr. Yoshida treats me this gently..."
"Don't be silly. I haven't restocked the cleaning supplies you used for last week's chores yet, so that's included in there, too."
Pausing briefly to pull a T-shirt over his head, Yoshida turned around. "Whatever is left at the end is your allowance. Don't be so quick to refuse. You can't keep going if you're always wound this tight. Having someone handle the housework is a huge help to me."
"...Mr. Yoshida, you're quite sly, aren't you?" Sayu bit her lip. After locking eyes with him for a few seconds, she let out a soft sigh and gave a gentle smile.
"Idiot, I'm exploiting you." "Yes, yes, Mr. Capitalist Yoshida~" "Tch. I'm heading out." "Have a safe trip!"
It felt embarrassing—he had intended to act like a mature, composed adult. I should keep some distance from this girl for a bit, Yoshida thought, fumbling for his cigarettes. He decided to wander around outside for a while before coming back.
"Wow! It's so soft!" Sayu was rolling back and forth on the new futon. She had changed out of her uniform and was now wearing a grey tracksuit that covered almost everything. As expected, this was much more comfortable for her to move in, and Yoshida didn't have to worry about seeing things he shouldn't.
"See? Told you a futon was better." With a faint smile, Yoshida pulled the tab on a can of beer. The pssh sound was strangely pleasant. "Yeah, I think I'll sleep well tonight." Sayu poked her head up to look at him. "That's good then." Yoshida nodded casually and took a sip.
"Mr. Yoshida." Sayu was staring straight at him. "Let's sleep together."
"Cough, cough!" Yoshida hurriedly swallowed, but couldn't stop coughing. "Are—are you okay?"
"You..." Yoshida pointed a finger at her. "Didn't I say that if you tried to seduce me again, I'd kick you out?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Sayu wore an "I knew you'd say that" expression. "I didn't mention anything about 'lewd stuff' even once, did I?" "Huh? Ah... right. I see." "Does Mr. Yoshida think that if you sleep with a girl, you have to do something naughty?" "Don't be stupid." "Then do you want to? This pillow is really soft."
Sayu flashed a mischievous smile and lay back. With her knees slightly bent and her hand resting on her stomach, her clothes were baggy, yet they couldn't hide the sheer allure of her youth.
"Don't mistake me for a saint. With a girl as cute as you, it would be impossible to hold back if we slept in the same bed." Yoshida let out a long sigh.
"...What? Is Mr. Yoshida trying to hit on me?" Sayu blanked for a moment, and her face quickly turned crimson. She could no longer maintain her "provocative" pose.
"I told you, you're not my type. It's just that men are that kind of creature." Yoshida finished the can of beer in one go, feeling the heat in his gut subside.
"Hmph, we'll see about that..." Whether out of shyness or pouting, Sayu rolled over with her back to him and wrapped herself in the quilt.
Compared to her acting timid out of insecurity or her forced composure when trying to seduce adults, the current Sayu was much cuter. Or so Yoshida thought as he headed to the fridge with the empty can.
"You're having another?" "It's fine. I have tomorrow off anyway." "Don't drink too much." "I know."
As Yoshida pulled the tab on the next can, he answered her—and in that moment, he felt he finally understood how married men feel.