Roy originally wanted to push the door open directly and launch a surprise attack.
But seeing Delia's current state... he changed his mind.
He raised his hand and gently knocked on the door.
Three light knocks sounded exceptionally clear in the silent night.
"Who is it!"
Delia's panicked voice came from inside the room, accompanied by a flurry of rustling sounds and the dull thud of something falling to the floor.
Her heart felt like it was about to stop from fright.
Her mind went blank. For a brief few seconds, she completely forgot that aside from herself, only Roy was in the house.
"It's... it's me..." Roy's voice came from outside the door, tinged with deliberate confusion: "Sister Delia, are you okay? I thought I heard a noise from your room."
The moment she heard Roy's voice, Delia snapped back to reality.
Oh my god!
It's Roy!
Why is he here!
Shouldn't he be asleep!
Delia's face burned as if on fire. She flusteredly looked around, searching for the panties she had thrown somewhere in her panic earlier.
Her gaze swept across the floor, under the bed, beneath the chair... Nothing!
They were nowhere to be found!
She had been too absorbed earlier and hadn't paid attention to where she threw them!
"I... I'm fine!" Delia raised her voice in response, trying hard to sound normal: "It's just... just a bit of insomnia, I'm... I'm doing some exercise!"
As she spoke, she lowered her head to look at herself.
The bodycon skirt was still on her, but it was crumpled, and... gritting her teeth, she gave up on finding the panties for now, hurriedly smoothed down the hem, and pulled it down forcefully, trying to cover more.
But this skirt wasn't long to begin with, and there was only so much pulling could do.
A cool sensation at the top of her thighs reminded her of her current state.
"Sister Delia?" Roy's voice came from outside the door again, seemingly closer.
"C... coming!"
Delia took a deep breath, haphazardly smoothed her hair with her hands, wiped the corner of her mouth, and then trotted to the door.
As her hand touched the doorknob, she suddenly froze.
The door... wasn't locked?
With a light twist, the door opened a crack.
Did... I not lock the door?
Delia's pupils trembled with shock.
She had been in such a hurry earlier that she forgot to lock it after entering.
Oh dear! Why was I in such a hurry today~
I didn't even close the door properly!
Then just now... those sounds earlier... Roy... he was right outside... how much did he hear?
Could he have... seen something?
Delia's mind buzzed, shame washing over her like a tidal wave.
But he was already outside, she couldn't just not open the door.
She shook her head, trying to shake off those messy thoughts. Finally taking a deep breath, she pulled the door open.
"Roy, what do you need?"
Delia tried her best to keep her expression natural and her voice steady.
But her flushed cheeks, flickering eyes, and slightly ragged breathing betrayed her.
Roy stood at the doorway, his gaze falling on her, looking her up and down.
The fresh scent of Delia's recent bath, mixed with an indescribably sweet, cloying aroma, drifted into his nostrils.
Her hair was still somewhat damp, clinging to her neck and collarbone.
Her collar was askew, the top two buttons had come undone at some point, revealing a patch of fair skin.
She was pulling down the skirt hem forcefully, but it was still shockingly short.
Her two fair, slender legs were pressed tightly together, knees slightly turned inward, looking tense and uneasy.
"I'm a bit thirsty, I wanted some water."
Roy withdrew his gaze, his tone normal:
"As I passed by, I thought I heard you calling me?"
He stared into Delia's eyes, probing.
"Huh?"
Delia's face flushed bright red instantly, like a ripe tomato.
Her eyes darted around nervously, not daring to meet Roy's gaze.
"Calling... calling you? N... no..."
Her fingers unconsciously twisted the skirt hem:
"You... you must have misheard? Maybe I was... talking to myself?"
The explanation was weak and feeble.
Even she didn't believe it.
"Is that so..."
Roy took a small step forward, closing the distance.
Delia could even feel the warmth emanating from him, mixed with a faint masculine scent, making her heart beat even faster.
"Water, water right!"
Delia seemed to grasp a lifeline, hastily changing the subject:
"I have water! Come in, come in and you'll have water."
As soon as the words left her mouth, she herself was taken aback.
How... how did I just invite him in?
This was her bedroom!
In the dead of night, in this state, letting a man into her bedroom?
But the words were already spoken.
And... deep down, in some hidden corner, she didn't seem to resist it that much.
Instead... was she a bit expectant?
"Okay."
Roy didn't give her a chance to reconsider, stepping directly inside.
Delia, as if possessed, moved aside, watching him enter her private space.
Delia's bedroom wasn't large, but it was tidy, permeated with a faint sweet fragrance, like floral notes mixed with a woman's unique scent.
The warm yellow lighting made the entire room feel cozy and ambiguous.
Roy's gaze swept quickly across the room.
The swivel chair in front of the dressing table was tilted to the side, the cushion on it somewhat messy, even showing a shallow imprint.
A notebook lay open on the table, a pen beside it.
"I have water here, but it's cold."
Delia, with her back to Roy, her voice still trembling slightly:
"Let me boil it for you. Drinking something warm on a rainy day is good for your health."
She flusteredly took a bottle of mineral water from a nearby case, her hands shaking slightly. She fumbled a few times before unscrewing the cap and poured the water into a portable electric kettle nearby.
Pressing the switch, the kettle emitted a soft hum as it started working.
Roy's gaze, however, landed on the nightstand.
A small wooden cabinet, its drawer not fully closed, revealing a corner of pink, lace-trimmed fabric.
Judging by the shape and material... Roy's eyes darkened.
"Sister Delia."
He suddenly spoke, his voice a bit lower.
"Huh? Wh... what is it?"
Delia turned around, still holding the empty mineral water bottle like a shield in front of her chest.
"Just now..."
Roy took a step forward. The distance between them narrowed further, almost close enough to feel each other's breath:
"I really heard you calling my name. Very clearly."
His gaze locked onto Delia, not allowing her to avoid it.
"You... you must have misheard... right!"
Delia's hand trembled, the empty bottle almost falling to the floor.
Her lips quivered slightly, her eyes darting around, just not daring to look at Roy.
"Is that so."
Roy suddenly reached back with his hand. With a click, he locked the bedroom door.
The crisp sound of the latch engaging was exceptionally clear in the quiet room.
Delia's heart leapt with that sound.
"Wh... why did you lock the door..."
Her voice grew even softer, carrying obvious panic.
"Afraid Eevee might suddenly run in."
Roy said without changing his expression, adding:
"But, maybe I really did mishear?"
"Yes! Yes, yes, yes! You misheard." Delia, as if grasping a floating log, nodded hurriedly.
As she spoke, to add credibility, she reached out and grabbed the open notebook on the table, haphazardly holding it in front of her chest, as if that could offer some sense of security.
"I was just... making some travel plans! Yes, travel plans! Thinking about it, I might have... spoken out loud?"
The excuse was adorably lame.
"I see..."
Roy drew out the last syllable, but his gaze slowly shifted towards the nightstand drawer revealing that pink corner.
He suddenly moved.
Not towards Delia, but towards that nightstand.
"You... what are you doing!"
Delia followed his line of sight and instantly noticed the not-fully-closed drawer and the exposed pink fabric.
Her face flushed so red it seemed about to drip blood, her mind going blank.
That was what she had hastily stuffed in there earlier!
She hadn't stuffed it in properly!
Seeing Roy's hand about to touch the drawer, Delia didn't think. She dashed over in a flash, raising her hand first and slapping it onto the drawer, blocking Roy's movement with her body.
"You can't just look in a girl's room cabinets!"
She looked up, glaring at Roy, trying to make her expression seem stern. Unfortunately, her crimson face and flickering eyes had no persuasiveness at all.
The two were now extremely close.
Roy could smell the increasingly strong, sweet, cloying scent on her, mixed with sweat and arousal.
"Is that so."
Roy suddenly smiled.
Not only did he not step back, he pressed forward another half-step, placing his hands on the edges of the cabinet on either side of Delia, trapping her between himself and the cabinet.
A posture almost like an embrace.
Scorching masculine aura instantly enveloped Delia.
"Sister Delia."
Roy lowered his head, leaning close to her ear, his hot breath spraying against her ear and neck:
"Just now..."
He deliberately paused, feeling the body in his arms tense up sharply.
"I saw."
"I saw what you were doing."
These words were like a thunderclap exploding in Delia's mind.
Like pressing a switch.
Her entire body stiffened, blood seemed to rush to her head instantly, then recede just as quickly, making her dizzy.
Discovered... she was really discovered... he saw... saw her in that embarrassing state... "I... I can explain..."
Delia's voice was as small as a mosquito's hum.
"I... I'm already this old, it's only natural that I..."
"And now with you... always around... it's hard not to... hard not to..."
Reaching this point, she suddenly bit her lip, realizing she had said too much.
Oh my god!
What was she saying!
This was practically admitting it!
"With me?"
But Roy caught the key phrase, a meaningful smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
Everything was falling into place.
He no longer concealed it, gazing intently at Delia's face, on the verge of tears from shame and panic.
"It seems Sister Delia is quite satisfied with me after all."
His tone carried amusement, and a hint of understanding.
"N... no... I..."
Delia still wanted to deny it, but meeting Roy's eyes that seemed to see through everything, all words stuck in her throat.
"Sister Delia, it's human nature, I can understand."
Roy's voice softened a bit, carrying a coaxing tone:
"I happened to come, and you happened to call my name..."
"Since it's all such a coincidence..."
"Why not make it a little more coincidental?"
Their scorching breaths intertwined.
"You... didn't you come for water?" Delia made her final, feeble mental struggle, her voice already soft beyond recognition.
"Yes, I did."
Roy glanced at the still humming electric kettle beside them, the water not yet boiling, implying:
"Didn't you say the water needs to boil for a while?"
His gaze returned to Delia's face, his fingers gently threading through her fluffy, slightly damp brown hair, slowly combing through it:
"You just keep boiling it."
"But, but..." Delia's brain was already overloaded. In her confusion, she suddenly remembered an "important" reason:
"Your hand! Your hand isn't healed yet! The doctor said you shouldn't move it recklessly!"
She seemed to grasp a final lifeline, looking at Roy's right hand still in a sling.
"This..."
Roy smiled. Under Delia's astonished gaze, he exerted a slight force with his arm.
A soft crackling sound.
The bandage and simple splint originally fixed on his arm were directly shaken loose and burst open.
Roy moved his wrist, clenched his fist, his arm stretching freely, showing no sign of injury at all.
"You! You!"
Delia's pupils contracted sharply, looking at his freely moving arm in disbelief.
"You're healed?"
"Pretty much." Roy said lightly, starting to leisurely unbutton his pajamas with his newly "liberated" right hand: "Recovered a bit faster than expected."
Delia's gaze involuntarily followed his fingers, her throat unconsciously bobbing.
Did a hint of anticipation and desire actually well up in her heart?
No, that won't do!
"You, you bad guy!"
She forced herself to look away, trying to mask her attraction with anger: "You were already recovered, and today, you still made me help you... help you with... convenience..."
"Hey, Sister Delia, you're wronging me there."
Roy unbuttoned the last button, his pajamas open. He took a step forward, almost pressing against Delia:
"Today, I said I could handle it myself. It was you who insisted on helping~"
He mercilessly exposed Delia's little scheme.
"I... I was... that was..."
Delia guiltily shrunk her neck, her voice growing smaller and smaller.
Indeed, today she had offered. Today her thoughts had been too much.
She wanted... she really wanted... Delia already had quite a favorable impression of Roy.
This man was young, strong, handsome, and carried a roguish kind of attraction.
Living together day and night, meticulous care, those intentional and unintentional touches and ambiguities... today she had even used him as a fantasy.
Now, the real person was right in front of her, his scorching breath assaulting her cheeks and neck.
Finally, Delia relented, gently moving away the hand that had been desperately holding down her skirt hem.
Biting her already crimson lower lip, she turned her head to the side.
"Then... then you... be gentle when you drink water~"
Roy looked at the compromising Delia, chuckled, and directly picked her up and placed her on the chair, deftly grasping her ankle...
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