Inside the kotatsu.
Thanks to the air conditioning, Yamada Ryo's bedroom was pretty chilly.
So even while Aoki was hiding under the kotatsu, aside from it being a little stuffy, he wasn't physically uncomfortable at all.
Mentally, though? He was freaking out.
This situation—like some delinquent blonde guy hiding from the main girlfriend was just too surreal.
The closer those footsteps outside the kotatsu came, the more his nerves went haywire.
He kept his breathing as quiet as possible and curled himself up tightly. In the silence under the kotatsu, he could practically hear his own heartbeat.
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Meanwhile, outside the kotatsu—
Ryo knew Ijichi Nijika would come in quickly, but she hadn't expected her to barge in this fast.
It had only been two minutes since the call ended and just seconds since she'd shoved Aoki under the kotatsu and now, Nijika was already stepping into the room.
Ryo froze mid-movement, half-leaning over the kotatsu table, her eyes locking with Nijika's.
There was a beat of silence.
Trying to divert Nijika's attention, Ryo quickly opened her mouth, "Y-You came in without knocking again…"
Her voice wavered just a little from the tension but quickly returned to its usual flat, emotionless tone.
At the doorway, Nijika tilted her head, slightly puzzled by Ryo's odd posture—half-hovering over the kotatsu table.
But she temporarily shelved the question and replied casually, "I wasn't originally planning to stop by, but I had to run an errand nearby. Figured I'd grab those spare drumsticks I left here while I was at it."
Then her eyes slowly shifted downward to Ryo's oddly rigid pose—and she asked in a playful, teasing tone, "Wait… are you working on your core strength or something?"
Ryo froze for a second.
Without a word, she took a deep breath, then calmly lifted the blanket and slid into the kotatsu like nothing was out of the ordinary.
Her face remained unreadable—except for a faint, almost invisible flush on her cheeks.
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Inside the kotatsu—
Curled up sideways, Aoki watched helplessly as Ryo's legs—covered in sleek black tights slid into the cramped space next to him.
The kotatsu wasn't exactly spacious.
With him already facing her direction, her legs nearly touched his as she settled in.
Aoki prided himself on his rationality.
But some reflexes were just beyond his control.
The fabric of her tights was thin, almost sheer.
Even in the dim kotatsu space, he could see the light hue of her skin beneath. And if he let his gaze travel upward…
His heartbeat picked up again. He forced himself to slow his breathing.
Despite the cold air outside, a bead of sweat formed on his forehead.
———————————————————————
Outside again—
Ryo, sitting as normally as she could manage, pretended not to notice anything at all.
She blinked slowly, cheeks still faintly pink, and said with her usual monotone voice,
"I think the drumsticks are in the cabinet over there. Feel free to dig around."
She deliberately avoided eye contact, her voice neutral and calm.
It was likely her way of avoiding any sudden movement—any reason to shift under the kotatsu.
After she spoke, she quietly picked up her chopsticks and began eating the food in front of her as if everything was completely normal.
But even Nijika could sense something was a little… off.
Still, she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
Nijika was just about to head to the cabinet, when she finally noticed something odd—Ryo's meal looked like way too much for one person.
She blinked.
"Ryo… are you really gonna eat all that by yourself? It looks like enough for two people."
Ryo's hand froze mid-air, just as she was picking up a piece of tempura.
How had she missed that?
Of all the things she'd tried to cover up… she'd completely overlooked this glaring clue.
Flustered, her mind spun for an excuse.
She looked at Nijika, then back down at her meal.
"Ah… well…" she stalled, buying time, eyes drifting to the side.
Then she took a deep breath and said as casually as she could, "I just got my allowance, so I splurged a little and bought everything I've been craving. I'll put the leftovers in the fridge, so nothing goes to waste."
"…Hmm." Nijika still looked a little suspicious, but the explanation was logical enough.
She nodded and then, like an older sister scolding a younger one, said, "Nothing wrong with treating yourself, but you should really learn to budget better, Ryo. You always spend way too easily…"
'Thank God she bought it.'
Ryo didn't even hear the rest.
She stared at her food, still trying to get her heartbeat under control.
Nijika, meanwhile, didn't pay her or the kotatsu much more attention.
After a few more nags, she went over to look for the drumsticks where Ryo had directed.
For now, the danger seemed to have passed.
Ryo's tension eased just a bit.
She allowed herself a tiny sigh and stretched her stiff legs under the kotatsu, her small feet flexing slightly to relax.
In the outside, her heart was calming down.
But inside the kotatsu—
The moment Nijika asked, "Isn't this enough for two?" Aoki's heart had leapt to his throat.
He held his breath.
There was nothing he could do but pray that Ryo would come up with a solid excuse.
And she did. Miraculously, the conversation moved on.
Relief washed over him.
He was just about to exhale slowly when—
A translucent blue screen suddenly popped up in front of him.
It startled him so much he nearly jumped.
After a second of blinking, he realized what it was.
You've gotta be kidding me—now?!
Suppressing the urge to groan, he turned his attention to the panel.
It had been a while since the system appeared—but now, out of nowhere, it was presenting him with three "love entanglement" options:
———————————————————————
[At this moment, you're hiding under a kotatsu.]
[Right in front of you are the legs of a beautiful girl in black tights.]
[Even if it means risking discovery by Nijika, you decide to—]
Do nothing. You're better than this.
Stay still and let the situation pass safely.
(Reward: 50 points)
Face the music.
After some deep thought, you decide the misunderstanding can be cleared up. You crawl out of the kotatsu and face Nijika head-on.
(Reward: 300 points + two random Expert-level skills)
Tights look… really good.
You give in to temptation and slowly reach out to feel from ankle to thigh.
(Reward: 200 points + one Master-level music skill of your choice)
[Caution]: You are responsible for the consequences of your actions. The game bears no responsibility for any resulting disasters.
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