Chapter 83: Kamishiro Souta (A Man’s Romance)

“Alright, here I go.”

Having steeled myself, I made the declaration.

Souta, his eyes bloodshot, gave a big, firm nod.

I grabbed the hem of the red plaid pleated skirt with both hands. But then, I froze in that position. It wasn’t like I was trying to tease him or anything—I just couldn’t move.

Souta’s intense gaze boring into my lower half made me turn my face away. My whole body had gone rigid, and before I knew it, I was trembling from the nerves.

…Why the hell am I even doing this?

Regret hit me hard.

I’d thought something like letting my best friend see my panties wouldn’t be a big deal—but actually showing them myself was way more embarrassing than I expected.

But backing out now would just make things awkward with Souta. Besides, I was the one who said I’d show them to him in the first place.

If I didn’t pull this off like it was nothing, things might get weird between us again. We’d only just gone back to being normal friends after I explained everything—there’s no way I wanted to mess that up.

“…Don’t… stare too much, alright…”

Bit by bit, I hiked up the skirt I was holding in both hands. My bare thighs were exposed to the chilly air, making me feel even more vulnerable.

Even without looking, I could feel Souta’s sharp gaze stabbing right into my lower half.

“Whoa…”

His awed voice told me the moment my panties were fully on display, making my hands freeze in place.

Today, I was wearing a pair of striped panties with thin pink fabric and red lines.

They were cute, with a snug, compact fit and super comfortable—one of my favorites.

So… it’s not like they were something to be embarrassed about… probably.

I psyched myself up internally and raised the hem all the way to my waist.

“Ugh…”

His stare was burning into me.

Even though I kept my head turned away, I could feel Souta’s gaze locked right onto that area. I pressed my thighs together, trying to turn my legs inward, but there was no way to hide what was out in the open.

“I always thought panty flashes were the best and showing them outright killed the mood… but getting to be shown like this is seriously amazing.”

If it wasn’t me doing the showing, I’d probably agree.

“This is the first time in my life I’ve gotten to look at panties this closely.”

“…What about Hisui’s?”

“She’s super defensive even at home. Never mixes her laundry with mine or Dad’s, and lately she’s been giving me the cold shoulder… besides, it’s not like seeing my little sister’s panties would make me happy anyway.”

Yuna was always pretty careless at home, so it’s funny how different sisters can be… Well, I guess it’s not like I ever got turned on by that either.

“But, wouldn’t that mean you’re not happy looking at mine either…?”

“Hmm, it’s different from my sister’s, you know… I can’t really explain it, but it is.”

Is that how it works?

But if that’s the case… does that mean Souta’s getting a boner from looking at my panties right now…?

I glanced over at him. I couldn’t see clearly since we were both sitting, but… the crotch of his pants definitely looked like it was forming a tent.

“…Are you… hard right now?”

I asked.

“W-what’s wrong with that?”

…So he is hard.

“Ah… no… it’s not… wrong… but…”

I mean, I look like a cute girl on the outside, so I guess it’s only natural.

I didn’t feel disgusted or anything… but it was complicated.

“Did you… buy those panties yourself?”

“Yeah. I picked these out myself…”

Why’s he asking something like that?

“…There’s just something really hot about imagining a girl picking out her own underwear, you know?”

“Ugh…”

I couldn’t help but let out a sound. That thought process was kinda gross.

…But it annoyed me how I could kind of understand it too.

“If you said stuff like that to any girl besides me, you’d totally creep them out.”

“I wouldn’t say it to anyone else. But seriously, you can go shopping for underwear? That’s impressive.”

“Right now, I’m a girl, you know. Obviously I can.”

I’d gotten used to the pastel-colored space that seemed designed to ward off men.

Since my usual school uniform never changed, picking out underwear based on my mood had become a small daily pleasure.

“…But it’s not white, huh.”

Souta commented, sounding a little disappointed.

This guy had always been a firm believer that girls’ underwear should be white.

He had this idea that a pure, spotless body should be wrapped in equally pure white fabric, and honestly, there was a time when I agreed with him. But thinking about it now, it just reeks of virgin mentality.

“White shows stains easily, so it’s not really practical for everyday use…”

Girls’ underwear gets dirty pretty easily.

“S-stains…”

Souta swallowed hard.

I could understand the temptation to fantasize about all the things that get secreted from a high school girl’s body, but…

“Uh, just a reminder, it’s me inside here, alright?”

The person you’re drooling over right now is your own best friend, buddy.

“…Don’t remind me.”

Souta said with a grimace.

“Yeah, no, that’s something you shouldn’t be forgetting.”

I let out a sigh.

“…Can I stop now?”

As soon as I said that, Souta frantically stopped me.

“W-wait! Can I… can I take a closer look? Please!”

Before I could even answer, I could hear Souta moving. It sounded like he got off his chair and sat down right in front of me.

“Hey, wait…! Don’t you dare touch me! If you lay a finger on me, I swear I’ll kill you!”

Souta didn’t reply.

You better be listening to me… Don’t get too greedy, idiot.

“…There’s just something about little bows on panties… it’s really nice.”

Yeah… I kind of get it. The tiny decorative bows on panties give off this subtle, cute fashion statement, and I like them too. They’re also practical since they make it easy to tell the front from the back.

But more importantly…!

“Y-you’re too close… Souta, back off a little!”

Souta’s head was so close it felt like I could feel his breath.
With the skirt lifted up, I couldn’t see his expression at all.

At least he wasn’t touching me, so I guess he was following my rule. Still, just knowing he could touch me any second made it impossible to stay calm.

Ugh… he’s staring like his life depends on it…

Even without being touched, my body trembled in tiny shivers as if jolted by electricity under his gaze.

Something deep inside me ached, and I felt a damp warmth spreading along the inside of my panties—panic hit me all at once.

This is bad.

I’m showing my panties and getting turned on by it—this is seriously messed up. I was just letting Souta look because he asked, not because I got off on it or anything.

“That’s it! I’m done! Souta, seriously, back the hell off… kuh…!”

If Souta noticed my current state and got any weird ideas, it would be a disaster. I hurriedly tried to push him away.

That’s when she appeared.

“Souta! I saw shoes by the porch—did Alice come over!? …!”

The sliding door to the room suddenly burst open with a loud bang.

Standing there was Hisui, now directly facing me across from where I stood next to the bed.

“Y-yo… Hisui.”

I awkwardly greeted her, still standing there with my skirt hoisted up and my panties fully on display.

“Hello, Alice. Cute choice of panties today—they look lovely… though you really ought to be more careful about who you show them to.”

Hisui praised me with flushed cheeks and a voice full of warmth. But the moment her gaze shifted, her tone turned ice-cold—colder than freezing.

Her gaze, as if staring at a pile of garbage, locked onto Souta, still crouched at my lower half. Souta was frozen stiff, utterly overwhelmed by the situation.

“W-wait, Hisui, this isn’t what it looks like…”

I blurted out, letting go of my skirt, which fell down with a soft swish… right onto Souta’s face.

“I get it. The one at fault is that piece of trash over there, right? What should I do… it’s not bulky trash collection day yet… maybe if I chop him up, they’ll take him with the regular burnables.”

Hisui said something absolutely terrifying.

…That’s a joke, right?

I wanted to believe that, but in the next moment, Hisui barged in between us, grabbed Souta roughly by the head, and yanked him out from under my skirt.

“Wait—Hisui, it’s a misunderstanding! This was totally mutual—!”

“Whether it’s a misunderstanding or not, I’ll be the judge of that. Based on the evidence, you’re already guilty. No chance for a reduced sentence. In fact, the jury in my head has already reached a unanimous death penalty verdict.”

I could see Souta’s head getting twisted painfully in her grip.

“L-listen to me! Seriously, ouch!? That hurts—like, really freaking hurts!?”

“I’ll be disposing of this trash real quick… and once I’m back, let’s continue… just the two of us, alright?”

With a dazzling smile, Hisui dragged Souta out of the room like she was taking out the garbage.

…Scary as hell.

Left alone in Souta’s room, I felt my strength drain away and plopped down onto his bed.

『…That was a close call.』

Alicia spoke mischievously.

My body had reacted to the abnormal situation of voluntarily showing my underwear, and I nearly ended up with a stain in front of Souta.

Alicia had seen right through my condition.

『…I swear, I’ll never show myself like that again.』

Just because someone asks doesn’t mean you should casually give in.

If you feed wild birds whenever they demand, you end up causing a nuisance with their droppings.

…Well, that analogy might be a bit off, but whatever.

Anyway, I reflected on my actions.

『…So, what will you do now?』

『Sorry to Souta, but maybe it’s best to leave before Hisui comes back.』

Hisui’s switch might have been flipped just now.

It’d be safer to retreat before she caught us again.

『That might be best.』

I quietly slipped away from Souta’s house on tiptoe. On the way, I thought I heard shouting or screams.

It must have been my imagination. Just my ears playing tricks on me, yeah.