Yukino wasn't as angry as he had imagined.
Although she hadn't spoken a word since they left the bookstore, her expression didn't seem particularly upset. In fact, she seemed entirely unfazed by Natsukawa Kanade's earlier comment that "Yukinoshita is actually a clumsy person."
She simply walked in silence, as if acting alone. While Kanade was secretly relieved, he was also somewhat perplexed. Normally, she would've responded with a sharp remark, mocking him thoroughly. This uncharacteristic behavior left him baffled.
So, he chose to remain quiet as well, following behind Yukinoshita without saying a word. He didn't want to provoke her further—it wouldn't be wise to make her even more annoyed.
He wasn't sure where she was taking him, but figured it wouldn't hurt to just follow along. This idea held steady until Yukino suddenly stopped in her tracks, turned around, and gave him a puzzled look.
"Why are you following me? I'm heading home now," she said, her tone utterly confusing.
"..."
Kanade stared at her, his mouth agape, unable to utter a single syllable.
Huh? Wait… wasn't she implying he should follow her? Kanade was utterly dumbfounded.
He recalled the glance Yukino had shot him before leaving the bookstore. She had then walked off without saying anything, so he assumed it was an unspoken cue for him to follow. And wasn't this odd? After everything that had just happened, and after she said, "We'll talk after my shift," she now asked why he was following her?
What was he even supposed to say?
"..."
"Never mind. Since you've followed me this far…" Yukinoshita sighed softly, looking as though she'd resigned herself to the situation. Pointing to the apartment entrance nearby, she said in a calm voice, "You're already here, so you might as well come up. I happen to have something to give you."
"Uh…" Kanade froze for a moment but quickly nodded in response. "Alright… By the way, do you need me to help you up the stairs?"
After observing her carefully along the way, Kanade noticed that her foot injury hadn't fully healed yet. She walked with a slight limp, which made him worry.
"..."
Yukino looked at him and fell silent for a moment.
Kanade thought she might be feeling embarrassed. After all, Yukinoshita was known for her pride. Deciding to take the initiative, he tried to sound a bit more assertive.
"Okay, I'll help you up. After all—"
"This building has an elevator. No need to trouble yourself," Yukinoshita interrupted, her cold and piercing voice cutting into his ears like ice.
There wasn't a trace of warmth in her tone—it was as chilly as ever.
"..." Kanade nearly choked on his own words. Feeling thoroughly embarrassed, he muttered awkwardly, "Ahem… Well, I wouldn't know since I've never been here before…"
Fortunately, Yukino didn't seem inclined to mock him. Instead, she pursed her lips slightly and urged him to move along. Kanade naturally followed her lead.
Compared to the apartment where Kanade lived, Yukinoshita's place was quite different. Perhaps due to her selective taste or family background, she resided in a stylishly furnished single-person apartment. Both the interior and exterior were well-maintained, with excellent amenities—though naturally, this meant a significantly higher rent.
However, as a well-off "little rich girl," this shouldn't be an issue for Yukinoshita, right? Kanade thought.
But then, he suddenly recalled something peculiar—wasn't Yukinoshita working part-time lately?
Given how common part-time jobs were among high school students, Kanade hadn't thought much about it initially. He'd even done such work himself for a while. However, upon realizing this now, he began to wonder if Yukino was short on money.
It didn't make sense. Yukinoshita hadn't worked part-time in the past, which meant it was likely a sudden decision. Yet she didn't seem like the kind of person who spent money extravagantly. She wasn't like him, who sometimes splurged impulsively. And most importantly, her allowance and personal savings should've been plentiful, right?
So what had happened to leave her short on cash?
Kanade was genuinely curious. But considering the current state of their relationship, even if he asked, Yukino would undoubtedly avoid the question. She had always been unwilling to share personal matters with him.
"We're here."
When the elevator stopped, they stepped out into the hallway. After taking a few more turns, Yukino unlocked the door, and Kanade finally found himself inside the second girl's home he'd ever been invited to.
Aside from Eriri, Yukino was the only other girl who had ever invited him over. Sure, he had been to the senior's house once, but that didn't count—he had barged in uninvited.
Yukinoshita's tone might've been cold and distant, and she often exuded an unapproachable aura, but she was surprisingly meticulous and thoughtful. She bent down to push a pair of slippers toward him, her movements evoking the image of a traditional Yamato Nadeshiko.
"They're brand new and haven't been used before," she said as she stood up, her brows faintly knitting together.
Since Kanade had been watching her closely, he immediately noticed the slight furrow in her brows. It confirmed his suspicion—her foot injury hadn't healed and might've worsened from all the walking today.
She really was the type to push herself too hard. Kanade sighed quietly.
"Wait here in the living room for a bit; I'm going to change," Yukino said, pointing to the TV remote on the coffee table and then to the television. "Feel free to watch TV, zone out, or whatever, just don't come snooping."
"I wouldn't snoop!" Kanade retorted. "What kind of person do you think I am?"
Yukinoshita pursed her lips and coolly replied, "A guy."
Kanade: "..."
Ah, so that's what she was implying.
It instantly hit him, and he understood the subtext: You bought that kind of book earlier, so it's hard not to worry you might peek.
Sure, adult books were one thing, but peeking at someone changing? That was crossing the line! And besides… what's even worth peeking at with such an unremarkable figure?
"I feel like you're thinking something awful right now…" Yukino frowned, still looking skeptical.
"It's your imagination," Kanade replied, though he couldn't help marveling at how sharp a woman's intuition could be. "Relax, I'd never peek. That kind of thing only matters when you're invited."
"Save your daydreaming for when you're asleep," Yukino shot back with a cold snort. She then ignored him entirely and headed into her room.
Once she was gone, Kanade sat down on the couch.
Kanade decided not to turn on the TV. It just felt awkward to make himself too comfortable in someone else's home, especially since this was his first time visiting. It seemed only proper to maintain the demeanor of a polite guest.
For some reason, girls always took an inexplicably long time to change clothes. Kanade couldn't speak for other guys, but to him, changing was simply a matter of taking off one outfit and putting on another—two minutes tops, even accounting for tossing the old clothes into the laundry basket. Considering Yukinoshita's efficiency-oriented nature, he expected her to be faster, yet she was taking her sweet time and still hadn't emerged from the bedroom.
Kanade yawned out of sheer boredom.
After waiting a bit longer, he grew restless and started scanning the room's decor.
There wasn't much to comment on about the layout; most apartments looked pretty similar in his opinion. The real fun was in the little details. For instance, right next to the couch he was sitting on, there was a panda-shaped cushion. In the corner of the sofa were two more panda plushies. That wasn't too surprising—after all, Japanese people had a thing for pandas.
What caught his attention, though, was the coffee table, covered in knickknacks, nearly all of them cat-themed. Even the teacup on the table had a cat design.
This is... intense. Kanade clicked his tongue in astonishment.
Then again, it made sense. Considering she was someone who could have full-fledged "meow meow meow" conversations with cats, having a house full of feline-themed items wasn't all that surprising. The nickname "Meownoshita" really suited her.
As he continued observing, Kanade's gaze drifted to the balcony.
When he realized something was amiss and tried to look away, it was already too late. His brain had automatically recorded everything he saw, and it was impossible to erase the image now. The phrase "lace, black…" began playing on a loop in his mind.
Yukinoshita… unexpectedly bold, huh?
"Maybe I was mistaken…" Kanade muttered to himself, unsure if his eyes had deceived him. It wouldn't hurt to double-check, right? Just to be sure.
Feeling a bit guilty, he glanced toward the bedroom to ensure the door hadn't moved, then cautiously turned his gaze back to the balcony to verify his suspicions.
"Right… it's just to confirm…"
One glance.
Two glances.
Three glances…
His eyes wouldn't budge.
As everyone knows, fabric on its own is meaningless and has no inherent value. But if one imagines that fabric on someone's body, it takes on a whole new dimension. Naturally, seeing fabric triggers thoughts of how it might look when worn, leading to vivid images of a person dressed in only that fabric.
This was thrilling. Especially when Kanade realized that the person in question was right next door in the adjacent room, perhaps wearing nothing more than those very pieces of fabric. The mental images began overlapping with reality in his mind.
"Hmm… black with white accents… that's pretty nice. Oh, and the bikini next to it isn't bad either. But the size... Did she buy the wrong one, or does she have a lot of confidence in her potential growth?" Kanade muttered to himself. "Surely it can't be one of those cases where someone looks slim in clothes but surprisingly curvy without them?"
"What are you talking about?" came a curious voice from behind him.
"I'm saying…" Kanade reflexively turned his head, only to see Yukinoshita Yukino standing there, her brows furrowed tightly.
"..."
Don't panic! This isn't a big deal! It's just a minor incident of being caught assessing someone's body. A mere fatal wound… nothing serious.
"N-Nothing at all…" Kanade's eyes darted nervously, but he tried to maintain a calm facade.
He had no choice but to gamble—gamble that he could bluff his way out of this.
"Speaking of which, why did you take so long? I almost thought you'd fallen asleep in the bedroom," he said, his attempt to change the subject painfully obvious. His guilty tone only made it more suspicious.
"..."
Yukinoshita didn't respond immediately, but her skeptical expression didn't waver.
Suddenly, it seemed as if something clicked in her mind. Following Kanade's earlier line of sight, she turned her gaze toward the balcony—and immediately spotted the items gently swaying in the breeze.
Freedom, like the wind, knows no bounds~
"..."
In an instant, Yukino's face turned beet red, her cheeks burning like flames.
Without a word, she ignored Kanade's awkward expression and, seemingly forgetting about her injured foot, strode purposefully toward the balcony.
Seeing her actions, Kanade realized that the jig was up. She had definitely figured out that he had been openly gawking at her belongings. A wave of tension surged through him.
The awkward atmosphere didn't last long, though. Yukinoshita moved with astonishing speed, swiftly gathering everything: the lace-trimmed black items, the bikini, and even the rather unimpressive cat-print panties. Not a single piece was left behind—she scooped up every last item in one clean sweep.
A perfect "all-in-one capture."
After depositing the clothes back in her bedroom, Yukinoshita returned to the living room. Her gaze had completely transformed.
"You… saw everything?" she asked.
If her emotions could be charted, it would likely show 30% embarrassment, 60% anger—and the remaining 91% pure murderous intent.
"No! No, absolutely not…" Kanade's denial grew weaker with each word, his voice laden with guilt.
"Well… okay, maybe just a little…" he finally admitted with great difficulty.
That wasn't entirely a lie. For instance, he had barely glanced at the cat-print panties; they simply didn't hold the same allure as the bolder items. Naturally, most of his attention had gravitated toward the more daring fabrics.
"Then tell me exactly what you saw," Yukinoshita demanded, her glare as sharp as knives, as if she were ready to silence him permanently.
"Uh…" Kanade fell silent, struggling to come up with an answer. After a long pause, he finally stammered, "C-Cat-print… panties…"
Compared to lace-trimmed lingerie and bikinis, surely the cat-print design would help lighten the mood, right?
Apologies to his conscience—this time, survival instincts had triumphed over honesty.