Chihaya Tetsuya, who had just arrived at the hotel, had no idea that a rather formidable designer had just declared war on him.
In fact, even if he had learned of it at that very moment, he would have had no time to spare it any thought—
"Tetsuya-kun..."
Togawa Sakiko, leaning heavily on his shoulder for support, buried her head in the crook of his neck. She nuzzled against him with her cheek, mumbling drunkenly.
"I heard from Mutsumi... You've been secretly reading books on Gothic architecture and culture for me, haven't you... Jeez, stop doing things like that. You'll only make me like you more..."
"Please... a room at the very end of the hall, thank you."
Under the front desk clerk's gaze, who was clearly trying to suppress a smile, Tetsuya managed to say in a strained voice.
When he took the key card from the clerk, he didn't even have the courage to look up.
(I'm never letting her drink again!)
The deeply embarrassed Tetsuya first hoisted Sakiko's limp body up again, then fled miserably into the elevator.
...
Thump!
After Tetsuya helped her to the bedside, Sakiko immediately flopped backwards onto the bed—
"So weird... the ceiling is spinning..."
Sakiko stared at the ceiling, slurring her words.
"The bed is spinning too, I'm so dizzy..."
"Phew... finally safe."
Tetsuya first wiped the sweat from his brow, then immediately walked to the head of the bed and picked up a bottle of mineral water.
"Sakiko, come on. Sit up and drink some water."
Although Tetsuya himself had no experience taking care of drunk people, he had at least seen at home how his mother took care of his father. The first image that popped into his head was the scene of his mother handing his father a glass of water.
"...Ngh?"
Hearing Tetsuya's voice, Sakiko first looked up, using what little brain capacity she had left to try and process his words. Then, she shakily sat up and took the bottle from his hand.
However, the next second, just as she was about to twist the cap open out of muscle memory, her swimming vision and completely haywire sense of balance made it impossible for her to hold the bottle steady. And so, under Tetsuya's stunned gaze, the moment she opened the cap, the water in the bottle instantly spilled all over her dress. A very obvious wet patch spread from her chest all the way down to her thighs—
"Wait, Sakiko, I'll get you a towel!"
Tetsuya quickly righted the water bottle in her hands, then rushed into the bathroom, planning to help her wipe the water off her dress. However, when Sakiko felt her dress get wet, the first reaction produced by her brain, which had now become a single-core processor, was not to obediently wait for him to bring a towel.
Clothes get wet → Uncomfortable to wear → Take them off.
Chihaya Tetsuya → The person I like → It's okay.
Under this completely subconscious chain of logic, the action Sakiko took was self-evident—
"Sakiko, I brought the towel... Haah?!"
Tetsuya let out a cry of shock at the scene before him.
Besides the fair skin that met his eyes, Sakiko's figure, which had always been hidden beneath her dress, was now on full display.
So Sakiko's figure is this good, too...
...
No, now is not the time to be admiring the view!
Although he knew Sakiko had lost some of her judgment due to the alcohol, he never imagined it would make her lose even her most basic sense of self-preservation!
Was the effect of alcohol really this powerful, or was it... because in her subconscious, she was completely unguarded around him to begin with?
Tetsuya had no way of knowing. All he knew right now was that if he let Sakiko continue to undress, the person who would regret it the most after she sobered up would definitely be her!
And so, just as Sakiko's hand was about to reach for her final line of defense, Tetsuya rushed in front of her and grabbed her hand.
"No matter how you look at it, this is going way too far! Sakiko, please, snap out of it! If you really do this, you'll definitely regret it when you're sober!"
"My panties... are wet."
In response to his warning, Sakiko just muttered in a low voice.
"They're uncomfortable..."
"That doesn't mean you can just take them off in front of me!"
Tetsuya said.
"How about this? I'll go get you a bathrobe. You put it on, then take them off. Then, after I blow-dry your clothes, you can put them back on, okay?"
Faced with Sakiko, whose comprehension had regressed to that of a toddler, Tetsuya could only try to persuade her with the tone one would use for a small child.
However, in response to his incredibly considerate and parental attitude, a brief moment of lucidity returned to Sakiko's otherwise chaotic consciousness—
"...I don't want to."
Sakiko looked up, staring at Tetsuya with a dissatisfied expression.
"You... you've already seen Hoshino Ai's body, haven't you?"
"Eh..."
Tetsuya was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly explained.
"W-well, it's true I saw it once, but at that time, Ai and I hadn't cleared up our misunderstanding. She only did that because she was afraid I would leave her again!"
"You still saw it!"
Sakiko said, trying to pull her hands free from his.
"I don't want to lose to her, so I'm going to show Tetsuya-kun mine, too!"
"What in the world are you competing over?!"
Faced with this girl whose competitive spirit had been ignited for some unknown reason, Tetsuya wanted to cry but had no tears. He continued to tighten his grip.
"Sakiko, I'm begging you, listen to me. You'll definitely regret this when you're sober—"
"...Is my body that much worse than Hoshino Ai's?"
However, in response to his pleading, Sakiko just asked pitifully.
"You've already seen hers, but you don't want to see mine..."
"That's not it at all!"
Tetsuya quickly shook his head.
"Your figure is very charming, Sakiko!"
"Then why don't you want to look?"
Sakiko asked with a pout.
"I know. Hoshino Ai is an idol, so her body is better than mine, and her face is cuter than mine... It's only natural that you'd prefer her, Tetsuya-kun..."
"That's not true, you're very cute too, Sakiko!"
Tetsuya quickly explained.
"But that has nothing to do with our current situation—"
"It does! It has a lot to do with it!"
As Sakiko's voice suddenly rose, she threw her arms wide to the sides. Tetsuya, who had been tightly gripping her wrists, was caught off guard by the sudden movement and lost his balance, causing him to fall right on top of her.
And the next second, before he could even ask if she was hurt, a soft, slightly damp sensation was pressed against his lips—