"───Haa..."
Ayumu let out a sigh.
Sitting in the apartment hallway with his back against his own door, he gazed up at the incessant rain.
Today, he'd unfortunately forgotten his umbrella. His school was only about a five-minute run from here. Even so, caught in this early summer downpour, his uniform was completely soaked through.
He wiped the wet hair sticking to his forehead. Perhaps because he had overslept and rushed out this morning, he'd not only forgotten his umbrella but also his house keys.
His mother wouldn't be back until late at night. He was endlessly grateful that, thanks to the earnings of his single career-woman mother, they could live in this fairly high-end apartment, but at times like this, he just wished she'd come home early.
Ayumu had his wallet, so he could go get a meal somewhere, but he just didn't feel like moving.
If he had a close friend here, he could probably call them and wait out the rain at their place, but sadly, Ayumu's friends were only at the level of chatting if they met in class.
As an aside, he'd also never had a girlfriend. There was no one who would go out of their way for him with just a phone call.
"What should I do about tomorrow's homework...?"
As he was pondering such things, his eyes inadvertently fell upon the door of the neighboring apartment.
Lately, there were many foreign residents in this apartment building. And for some reason, many of them were incredibly beautiful women. The woman next door to the boy was one such example.
Beautiful golden-silk hair, and crimson eyes so red they seemed dyed in blood, as if she wore colored contacts. Her artistically sculpted face often wore a surprisingly friendly smile.
Since they were neighbors, they occasionally ran into each other, but the first time he saw her, Ayumu was so stunned by her beauty that he froze solid for several seconds.
Even now, if he unexpectedly ran into her around a corner in the hallway, he'd become tongue-tied.
And above all, her figure was outrageous. Her ample, heavily swelling breasts could undoubtedly be called huge.
Her ass was also large, and with every step, it shook voluptuously, making her fluffy skirt seem to cling to it.
Ayumu wasn't sure of her ethnicity—perhaps she was from Eastern Europe or somewhere—but her translucent white skin was dazzlingly sensual.
Even though she wasn't wearing particularly revealing clothing, she exuded a violent, overwhelming sex appeal. Even considering that Ayumu was on the shorter side, the position of her hips was probably higher than his navel. Frankly, the girls in his class couldn't even compare to her as women.
He squirmed, feeling blood rush to his crotch. Thunk—he hit the back of his head against the door, trying to shake off his lustful thoughts. But still, he was a man with raging hormones.
It was a frequent occurrence for him to use that unbelievably sexy foreign beauty as fap material. Just last week, Ayumu accidentally dropped his smartphone, and when she kindly picked it up for him, their fingers touched. He'd lost count of how many times he'd jacked off to the memory of her hand's feel—cool, as one might expect from a woman, yet smooth.
Having such a beauty move in next door was the greatest luck of Ayumu's life.
If possible, he didn't just want to look; he wanted to get closer. But Ayumu was on the shorter side even for his grade level, and his appearance was often described as not very manly.
To him, his androgynous looks, which could even be mistaken for a girl's at first glance, were a complex. As an aside, he'd also been told his name sounded like a girl's. He himself didn't feel he measured up standing next to that beauty. It was simply aiming too high.
"What kind of man could become her boyfriend? He'd at least have to be taller than her, right...?"
"Haa…" He sighed again.
Perhaps because he was sitting alone in the rain, his mood was gloomy. If this continued, his thoughts seemed likely to spiral downward endlessly.
'Time to switch gears. Maybe I should go to the nearby convenience store and buy an umbrella or something. I'm already soaked anyway, and it's right there if I run,' Ayumu was thinking when—
"My, my, neighbor? What's wrong, sitting in a place like this?"
"…Eh, ah!"
His heart leaped with a dokin. Turning toward the source of the clear, beautiful voice, he saw her.
Dressed in her usual white turtleneck sweater and a purple long skirt. Perhaps she was returning from shopping, as she held a wet umbrella and a supermarket plastic bag. Click went her pumps.
"My, you're soaked through. Did you forget your umbrella?"
"Y-yes. And, umm, I forgot my house keys too."
"Oh my, that's no good, you have to be more careful. Your mom doesn't come back until late, right?"
"That's right... Wait, h-how did you know that?"
"We chatted a bit the other day. She said her son was forgetful, and it was a worry."
He was laughed at with a kusukusu, and he didn't know how to respond. He couldn't even look directly at that far-too-beautiful face, so Ayumu averted his eyes.
Seeing him like that, the beauty spoke.
"But that is a problem. You can't just stay there until midnight, no matter what. Do you have any money?"
"Um, I have my wallet, so I'm okay. I was thinking I'd kill time somewhere once the rain stops."
"Hmm..."
The beauty looked at him, who answered nervously, with keen interest. Being stared at intently from a head's height above, Ayumu grew even more flustered. He looked down, as if fleeing from her gaze.
The sound of rain filled the space between them.
After a short while, the beauty spoke again.
"Alright then, I guess I have no choice. It seems too pitiful to just leave you waiting here. Why don't you come wait out the rain in my room?"
"Eh?"
Startled by the sudden offer, he looked up to see the beauty smiling. He frantically shook his head to refuse.
"N-no, I couldn't possibly impose..."
"Don't worry about it. Letting you stay the night might be a bit much, but having you over until evening is no trouble at all." She puffed out her chest confidently as she spoke.
Ayumu's eyes inadvertently drifted toward her ample breasts, which jiggled enticingly with the motion, and he hurriedly averted his gaze.
"B-but… I am a guy, after all..."
"...Pfft, ahaha! What's this? Were you thinking about that kind of thing?"
"N-no, that's not it! But inviting myself into a woman's place… Besides, don't you have someone you're dating, miss…?"
"Ahh… Well, I live alone right now, so it's fine. Don't worry about it. Come on, you're getting cold, aren't you? Let's hurry inside."
"U-um…"
She gestured lightly toward the door of her house, urging him on.
Though hesitant, his initial shock and urge to refuse had given way to calm consideration.
'This is a rare opportunity!' He had been invited into the room of a woman he had already admired from afar, and to top it off, she lived alone.
There was no denying he was turned on by the situation. The choice was clear: sit alone outside until nightfall or accept the invitation of this captivating foreign woman. There was no reason to hesitate any longer.
"Then, I'll… um… take you up on your offer until evening."
"Mkay~. I'll even draw you a bath. Oh, but your clothes are wet too, right? You probably don't have any spare underwear or… yeah, didn't think so."
"Ah, they're not that wet… Wait, a bath?! N-no, really, that's okay!"
"Alright, alright, let's talk inside. Now then, here you go. Come on in."
She opened the door and invited him in. He could see an entryway with several pairs of women's shoes lined up.
At this point, there was no turning back. Swallowing hard, Ayumu turned fully toward the beautiful woman.
"Th-thank you for having me. …Um…"
"Mhm. Arcueid Brunestud! Just Arcueid is fine."
What language is that?
Where is she from?
The boy couldn't even begin to guess.
"Ah, Miss Arcueid. Thank you for your hospitality."
"Haai~, welcome!"
He was captivated by her cheerful, smiling form.
Led by Arcueid, Ayumu stepped into her house.