Volume 2 - CH 20

“I’m coming. Hang in there!”

“Hurry up, ……, hurry up, please help me, …….”

When Yuzuru shouted out, a timid voice replied.

That reminded Yuzuru that she said she didn’t like the dark.

First, he walked to the changing room, relying on the light from his smartphone.

Then he spoke to Arisa through the glass door of the bathroom.

“Hey, Arisa. Are you okay?”

“Yuzuru-san!　Please help me. …… I can’t take it. It’s too dark and cramped. ……”

A voice that sounded like it was about to die came back.

“Calm down. Can you move on your own?”

“No, I can’t. …… Please help me, quickly.”

“I mean, even if you asked me to help…..”

This darkness is probably a blackout.

There’s nothing you can do about the electricity.

Yuzuru wanted to help Arisa as much as he could, but there was nothing he could do as long as she was completely naked in the bathroom.

“Can I come in ……?”

“Yes! Please hurry up! I can’t take it anymore ……..”

“Don’t give up. I’ll come in with my eyes closed.”

Yuzuru said and opened the door after closing his eyes.

He then pointed the light of his smartphone at the place where Arisa would probably be.

Then something cool and chilly clung to Yuzuru’s body.

“Yuzuru-san!”

“You idiot!　Don’t stick to me when you’re drenched!　No, don’t stick to me even if you’re not drenched!”

Yuzuru said and then took hold of Arisa.

He felt her slick, smooth skin.

He pulled her away from his body forcefully.

Then he took her hand and made her hold the smartphone.

“This will help you get by, right?”

“Yes. …… Thank you very much”

“I’ll keep my eyes closed. Wipe yourself down and get dressed”

Yuzuru then walked out of the changing room and sat down in front of its door with his back to it.

Occasionally, Arisa would ask, ” Yuzuru-san, are you there ……?”, “Please stay there!” and he would answer each time and encourage her.

After a while, the door to the changing room slowly opened.

The only light source was from my smartphone, so it was hard to tell, but it looked like she was wearing a jersey.

“S, sorry for the commotion.”

“Well, …… can’t blame you for being scared.”

Good grief​.

He wanted to say that, but Yuzuru decided to comfort Arisa, believing that she was not doing it to cause trouble.

And at that moment, the electricity came back on.

The lights came back on in the house.

He sighed unconsciously.

“Someway, the timing is terrible.”

“T, that’s right.”

Then, fearing the possibility of another blackout, they decided to get ready for bed early.

Well, all they had to do was take my sleeping bag out of the closet and lay it down.

However, a problem arose here.

“No, Arisa. As expected, sleeping in the same room is ……”

“I mean! If there’s another blackout, it’ll be pitch dark.”

Arisa insisted on sleeping in the same room as Yuzuru.

“You know, ……, aren’t you worried, in general?　I’ve said it many times, but I’m a guy too. While lightning may be harmful, the worst it can do is a blackout…”

“Power outages are dangerous. I think it would be safer for both of us if we slept in the same room.”

Arisa’s face was very pale as she said this.

When someone asks so desperately for help, Yuzuru can’t force it.

…… No, it’s Arisa who was forcing herself, though

“Is there a reason why you don’t like the dark?”

“It’s because …… I’m scared. You know, I used to ……”

When she was a child.

Whenever she made a mistake, her foster mother would lock her in a closet.

Because of this trauma, she still has a weakness for dark and small places.

That is what Arisa said.

“I’m really sorry for the trouble I’ve caused you, Yuzuru-san. But ……”

“…… Well, if that’s the case, then I guess it can’t be helped.”

Don’t worry about it.　

Yuzuru said as he comforted Arisa.

“Come to think of it, I’ll be in bed and you’ll be in a sleeping bag on the floor. Then it won’t be that dangerous. ……right?”

It is not really ideal to sleep next to each other, but there is a height difference.

It’s probably acceptable,……, and Yuzuru decided to convince himself of this on his own.

Bedtime.

Yuzuru decided to turn on the night light as Arisa wanted.

(……The nightlight is surprisingly bright.)

Normally he doesn’t turn them on, so he’s never really paid attention to them, but …… they’re pretty bright.

It’s going to be a little difficult to sleep today, Yuzuru sighed inwardly.

It’s not a problem though, because tomorrow is Sunday.

“If there’s going to be a blackout, I hope it’s while I’m sleeping.”

Arisa, on the other hand, looked up at the nightlight with a bit of anxiety.

The current brightness is not so bad for her, as she usually sleeps in the nightlight.

“Well, …… if you’re unlucky enough to be awake when the power goes out again, wake me up. I’ll be here except when I have to go to the bathroom.”

“I’m sorry for the inconvenience.”

“Don’t worry about it. …… Good night, then.”

Yuzuru said this to Arisa and closed his eyes.

Arisa also murmured, “Good night”.

Then, about ten minutes later, or so yuzuru felt.

“……um, Yuzuru-san.”

“Mm?　What’s wrong?”

“Did I wake you……?”

“No, I was awake… …… What’s wrong?”

Does she want to go to the bathroom?

Yuzuru tilted his head.

It has been a long time since their last horror movie, so she should be able to handle that much on her own by now.

“No, it’s just that …… My heart is pounding so much that I am not able to sleep.”

Yuzuru’s heart jumped with a thud.

Of course, Arisa probably didn’t mean it with particularly deep meaning.

It’s that kind of unique tension, like the night of a school trip, that makes it hard to sleep. …… It would be like that.

However, a girl staying at a man’s house saying, “My heart is pounding so much that I am not able to sleep” was quite cute. But at the same time, it’s also very seductive and meaningful.

To the extent that he almost misunderstood.

“What about you, Yuzuru-san?”

“Well, …… I’m a little nervous too”

Of course, it was slightly different from Arisa’s ” heart-pounding “.

However, like Arisa, it is not that he does not feel excited about this unique situation at all.

It would be a bit tasteless to force himself to sleep like this.

“Shall we play Shiritori?”

“That’s great. …… Let’s start with ‘R’. Apple.” (TN: Ringo)

“Gorilla.” (TN: Gorira)

“Sea otter!” (TN: Rakko)

“Koala.” (TN: Koara)

“ra …… camel!” (TN: rakuda)

“Da. …… Bolster.” (TN: Dakimakura)

“Hey. You’re being too cunning with all those ‘Ra’!”

“That’s what Shiritori is.”

“Mumu. ……”

About ten minutes had passed since they started playing Shiritori.

” ‘’Ra,’ ‘ra,’ ra,’ ‘ra.’ ……”

Arisa, who couldn’t get a word starting with ‘Ra’, was mumbling to herself. ……

The voice was cut off in the middle.

Then he heard a lovely, sleeping sound.

Pretending to turn over in drowsiness……

Yuzuru looked at Arisa’s face.

It was a very vulnerable, cute, and defenseless sleeping face.

Enough to make him want to swoop down and attack her.

“Good grief……”

Yuzuru sighed.

And then, suddenly, he had a question.

(…… Speaking of which, is Arisa wearing underwear now?

That night, Yuzuru spent a lot of time in agony.