Squish.
Yuzuru felt something soft pressed against his chest.
On top of him, Arisa’s body trembled faintly.
“H-hey, Arisa. Are you alright?”
“Ah, s-sorry. I’m fi—!”
Another crack of thunder struck, and Arisa’s body jolted violently.
For now, Yuzuru pushed himself upright.
Arisa, meanwhile, had collapsed where she sat, as though her legs had given out.
“Not a fan of thunder?”
“I-it just surprised me… If I’m prepared for it, I’m not scared.”
The moment she said that, thunder struck again.
She flinched—
But didn’t scream this time.
Then she looked at Yuzuru as if to say, See? I’m fine.
“…Still, this is a problem. Maybe we should call a taxi.”
“W-wait! What if lightning strikes the car!?”
“Well… I’ve heard it’s actually safe inside a car.”
It was second-hand knowledge, but lightning that struck a car or building would travel along the exterior and into the ground.
Your nerdy translator here, I can confirm that this is indeed the case. The metal body of a car acts as a Faraday cage, directing the electrical current around the occupants and safely to the ground. Look up what a Faraday cage is on Wikipedia if you want to know more!
In other words, the inside should be safe.
“…If the traffic lights stop, it could be dangerous.”
“Hm. That’s… a fair point.”
A power outage while driving could indeed cause an accident.
In that sense, a car wasn’t entirely safe either.
But—
“Wouldn’t the train be even more dangerous?”
“That’s… y-yes, but…”
“We can’t exactly have you stay the night—”
“That!”
Yuzuru’s muttered comment was immediately met with a loud response.
He blinked in surprise.
“Wait—that? Are you serious?”
“I am …I absolutely refuse to go home. I’m not leaving this room.”
Arisa had just declared she would be staying.
Yuzuru scratched his head.
Having an unmarried man and woman spend the night together wasn’t exactly ideal.
“Look… Arisa. You might be forgetting, but I’m a man. That’s dangerous.”
“Between thunder and you, the thunder is more dangerous. If it’s you, no matter what happens, I won’t die.”
“Well… I mean, that’s true, but…”
It seemed her fear of thunder had skewed her sense of danger.
Of course, Yuzuru had no intention of doing anything to her—
But nothing in life was ever absolute.
One wrong moment, one slip, and things could go badly.
“There’s no change of clothes or bedding…”
“I’ll sleep on the floor. I don’t need a change of clothes.”
“…I see.”
There was no futon or bed, but he did have a sleeping bag.
As for clothes, he could lend her his school tracksuit or gym wear.
“Then… if your guardian gives permission, it’s fine.”
“Understood. I’ll call my adoptive father.”
Arisa stepped into the corner of the room and made the call.
After a short while, she hung up.
“How did it go?”
“He gave permission.”
“I see…”
Yuzuru let out a quiet sigh.
Then again, officially speaking, they were fiancés—practically a couple.
Spending one night together shouldn’t be a problem.
Provided nothing inappropriate happened.
“Well then… I’ll go take a shower first, if that’s alright?”
“Ah, yes. Go ahead.”
After getting her permission, Yuzuru quickly took a shower.
He dried off and changed into a tracksuit to use as sleepwear.
…Normally, living alone, he might wander around half-dressed—but today was obviously different.
Once he was done, he called out to her.
“Arisa.”
“Yes—ah, w-wait…”
Arisa flushed bright red and looked away.
Yuzuru tilted his head, confused.
She pointed at his chest.
“Y-Yuzuru-san… um… please fasten it properly.”
“Oh, right. Sorry.”
Apparently, swimsuits were fine, but this was not.
He adjusted his slightly open collar, covering the exposed skin.
“S-so, what is it?”
“You probably want a shower too, right? I can lend you a towel, and my gym clothes or tracksuit, if that’s okay.”
“Thank you very much.”
Arisa bowed her head politely.
Yuzuru handed her a bath towel along with his spare clothes.
After a moment of hesitation, she spoke again.
“Um, Yuzuru-san…”
“What is it?”
“…What should I do about my underwear?”
“Sorry, but I’m not prepared enough to have brand-new women’s underwear on hand.”
If he did, that would be a story in itself.
Of course, he could go out and buy some from a convenience store—but in this rain, even he didn’t want to do that.
“Well, yes, of course… but, um… if possible, I’d like to change, and…”
“Well, I don’t have any. So your options are to keep wearing what you have, or… go without. I’ll leave it up to you.”
At that, Arisa looked deeply conflicted.
She wanted to change.
At the very least, she didn’t want to wear the same underwear until the next morning.
But going without was—
A difficult choice.
From Yuzuru’s perspective, for the sake of his own peace of mind, he very much preferred she kept them on.
“…I’ll think about it.”
Apparently, she was seriously considering it.
But since he’d left it to her, there was nothing more he could say.
Yuzuru watched as Arisa disappeared into the changing area.
Before long, he could hear the faint sound of running water.
“…”
It felt a bit awkward.
Thinking that, he picked up his phone and started idly scrolling.
…And then, suddenly—
“Hm?”
Everything went pitch black.
A moment later, a scream echoed from the bathroom.
“Kyaaaaa!! P-please help! Help me, Yuzuru-san!!”
“…Damnit, give me a break.”
Yuzuru let out a long, exasperated sigh.
