Yuuto had originally planned to push the door open and launch a surprise "attack."
But seeing Delia in her current state… he changed his mind.
He raised his hand and knocked gently on the door.
Three soft taps echoed clearly through the silent night.
"Who is it!"
Delia's panicked voice burst from inside the room, accompanied by frantic rustling and a dull thud—as though something had fallen to the floor.
She was so startled her heart nearly stopped.
For a few blank seconds, she completely forgot that no one else was in the house except her and Yuuto.
"It's… it's me…" Yuuto's voice came from outside, laced with deliberate confusion. "Mrs. Hanako, are you okay? I thought I heard something in your room."
The instant she heard his voice, Delia snapped back to reality.
Oh my god!
It's Yuuto!
Why is he here right now!
Shouldn't he be asleep!
Delia's face burned as though on fire. She frantically scanned the floor, under the bed, under the chair—searching for the panties she'd tossed aside in her earlier desperation.
Nothing!
Nowhere to be found!
She'd been too lost in the moment and hadn't noticed where they landed!
"I-I'm fine!" Delia raised her voice to reply, trying desperately to sound normal. "It's just… just a little insomnia, so I'm… I'm doing some exercise!"
As she spoke, she glanced down at herself.
She was still wearing her hip-hugging skirt, though it was badly wrinkled, and… She gritted her teeth, gave up on finding the missing underwear, quickly smoothed the skirt down, and tugged hard to cover more skin.
But the skirt was never that long to begin with—no amount of pulling could change that.
The cool air brushing the tops of her thighs constantly reminded her of her current state.
"Mrs. Hanako?" Yuuto's voice came again, sounding a little closer.
"C-Coming!"
Delia took a deep breath, hastily ran her fingers through her hair to tidy it, wiped the corners of her mouth, and hurried to the door.
The moment her hand touched the knob, she froze.
The door… wasn't locked?
With a gentle twist, it opened a crack.
I… I didn't lock it?
Delia's pupils shrank in horror.
She'd been in such a rush earlier that she'd forgotten to bolt the door after coming in.
Oh! Why was I in such a hurry today~
The door wasn't even properly closed!
Then just now… those sounds… Yuuto… he was right outside… how much did he hear?
Could he have… seen something?
Delia's mind buzzed. A tidal wave of shame crashed over her.
But since he was already standing there, she couldn't just leave the door shut forever.
She shook her head sharply, trying to dispel the chaotic thoughts. Finally, after another deep breath, she pulled the door fully open.
"Yuuto, is something wrong?"
Delia did her best to keep her expression natural and her voice steady.
But her flushed crimson cheeks, darting eyes, and slightly ragged breathing betrayed everything.
Yuuto stood in the doorway, his gaze sweeping over her as he took her in.
The fresh post-bath scent of Delia, now mixed with an indescribable sweet, musky aroma, drifted straight into his nose.
Her hair was still damp, clinging to her neck and collarbones.
Her collar was crooked; the top two buttons had somehow come undone, revealing a wide swath of snow-white skin.
She was tugging desperately at the hem of her skirt, but it remained shockingly short.
Her two fair, slender legs were pressed tightly together, knees slightly buckled inward in nervous tension.
"I'm a bit thirsty. Came to get some water."
Yuuto pulled his eyes away and spoke in his usual tone:
"As I was passing by, I thought I heard you calling my name?"
He stared directly into Delia's eyes, testing her reaction.
"Ah?"
Delia's face turned an even deeper shade of red, like a fully ripened tomato.
Her eyes panicked and darted everywhere except at him.
"C-Calling you? N-No, I didn't…"
Her fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her skirt:
"You… you must have misheard? Maybe I was… talking to myself?"
The excuse sounded feeble even to her own ears.
"Is that so…"
Yuuto took a small step forward, closing the gap.
Delia could feel the heat radiating from his body, carrying a faint masculine scent that made her heart pound even harder.
"Water, water!"
Delia seized the lifeline and hurriedly changed the subject:
"I have water! Come in, come in—there's water here."
The words left her mouth before she could stop them.
She froze.
Why… why did I just invite him in?
This is my bedroom!
In the middle of the night, in this state, letting a man into my bedroom?
But the invitation was already out.
And deep down, in some hidden corner of her heart… she didn't seem entirely opposed.
In fact… was there even a trace of anticipation?
"Okay."
Yuuto didn't give her time to take it back. He stepped right inside.
Moved by some strange impulse, Delia stepped aside to let him pass, watching as he entered her private space.
Delia's bedroom wasn't large, but it was immaculately tidy, filled with a faint sweet fragrance—part floral, part uniquely feminine.
The warm yellow lamplight made the entire room feel cozy and intimate.
Yuuto's gaze quickly swept the space.
The swivel chair in front of the vanity was tilted to one side; the cushion looked rumpled, with a faint imprint still visible.
A notebook lay open on the desk, pen jutting out.
"I have water here, but it's cold."
Delia's back was to him; her voice still trembled slightly:
"Let me boil some for you. Hot water's better for the body on a night like this."
She hurriedly grabbed a bottle of mineral water from a nearby box. Her hands shook so badly it took several attempts to twist the cap off before she poured it into the small electric kettle.
She pressed the switch. The kettle began to hum softly.
Meanwhile, Yuuto's gaze had landed on the nightstand.
A small wooden cabinet. One drawer wasn't fully closed—revealing just a corner of pink, lace-trimmed fabric.
Judging by the shape and material… Yuuto's eyes darkened.
"Mrs. Hanako."
He spoke suddenly, voice dropping a notch lower.
"Ah? W-What is it?"
Delia turned around, still clutching the empty mineral water bottle to her chest like a shield.
"Just now…"
Yuuto took another step forward. The distance between them shrank until they could almost feel each other's breath.
"I really did hear you calling my name. Very clearly."
His gaze locked onto hers, refusing to let her look away.
"Y-You must have misheard… right!"
Delia's hand shook violently; the empty bottle nearly slipped from her fingers.
Her lips trembled. Her eyes darted everywhere but at him.
"Is that so."
Yuuto suddenly reached behind him and—click—locked the bedroom door.
The sharp sound of the lock engaging rang out clearly in the quiet room.
Delia's heart slammed against her ribs.
"W-Why did you lock the door…"
Her voice shrank to almost nothing, thick with panic.
"Afraid Eevee might suddenly run in."
Yuuto said it with a straight face, then added:
"But maybe I really did mishear?"
"Right! Right, right, right! You misheard." Delia nodded frantically, as though grasping at a lifeline.
To make her story more convincing, she even reached for the open notebook on the desk and held it haphazardly in front of her chest like a flimsy shield.
"I was just… just making some travel plans! Yes, travel plans! I might have… said it out loud while thinking?"
The excuse was adorably clumsy.
"I see…"
Yuuto drew out the word, but his gaze slowly drifted toward the nightstand drawer and its revealing corner of pink.
He moved suddenly.
Not toward Delia—but toward the nightstand.
"W-What are you doing!"
Delia followed his line of sight and instantly spotted the half-open drawer and the exposed pink lace.
Her face flushed so deeply it looked ready to bleed. Her mind went completely blank.
She'd stuffed it in there in a panic earlier!
She hadn't even pushed it in all the way!
Seeing Yuuto's hand reach for the drawer, Delia didn't think—she lunged forward, slamming her palm onto it with a loud thwack and using her body to block him.
"You can't just open a girl's drawers whenever you want!"
She looked up and tried to glare at him, forcing a serious expression.
Unfortunately, with her scarlet face and flickering eyes, she looked anything but intimidating.
They were extremely close now.
Yuuto could smell the increasingly rich, sweet scent coming from her—a heady mix of sweat and arousal.
"Is that so."
Yuuto suddenly smiled.
Instead of backing away, he pressed forward another half-step, planting both hands on the edges of the cabinet on either side of her, caging her completely between his body and the furniture.
The position was almost an embrace.
Scorching masculine heat instantly enveloped Delia.
"Mrs. Hanako."
Yuuto lowered his head, leaning close to her ear. His hot breath brushed her earlobe and neck:
"Just now…"
He paused deliberately, feeling the body in his arms tense like a drawn bowstring.
"I saw it, you know."
"Saw what you were doing."
The words hit Delia like a thunderclap.
Like a switch being flipped.
Her entire body froze. Blood rushed to her head, then drained away just as quickly, leaving her dizzy.
I was found out… he really saw… he saw that embarrassing side of me…
"I-I can explain…"
Delia's voice was barely a mosquito's whisper.
"I… I'm already this age, it's only natural that… that…"
"And now with you… around me every single day… it's inevitable… inevitable that…"
She suddenly bit her lip, realizing she'd said too much.
Oh my god!
What am I even saying!
Doesn't this just admit everything!
"With me?"
Yuuto caught the key phrase. A meaningful smile curved his lips.
Everything was falling perfectly into place.
He dropped all pretense. His eyes burned as he looked at Delia's face—flushed with shame and panic, on the verge of tears.
"It seems Mrs. Hanako is quite satisfied with me."
His tone carried both amusement and gentle understanding.
"N-No… I…"
Delia tried to deny it, but meeting Yuuto's eyes—eyes that seemed to see straight through her—all her words died in her throat.
"Mrs. Hanako, it's only human nature. I can understand."
Yuuto's voice softened, turning coaxing:
"I happened to walk by… and you happened to call my name…"
"Since everything's lined up so perfectly…"
"Why don't we make it a little more perfect?"
Their breaths mingled hotly.
"Y-You… didn't you come for water?" Delia made one last, feeble attempt at resistance, her voice barely audible.
"Yeah."
Yuuto glanced at the kettle still humming softly beside them—the water hadn't boiled yet—and spoke pointedly:
"Didn't you say it still needs time to boil?"
His gaze returned to Delia's face. His fingers gently slid into her fluffy, slightly damp brown hair, slowly combing through the strands:
"You can just keep boiling it."
"But, but…" Delia's brain was already overloaded. In the chaos, she suddenly remembered one last "important" excuse:
"Your hand! Your hand isn't healed yet! The doctor said you can't move it recklessly!"
She clutched at the final straw, staring at Yuuto's right arm—still wrapped in bandages.
"This thing…"
Yuuto smiled. Under Delia's stunned gaze, he flexed his arm.
A soft crack sounded.
The bandages and makeshift splint shattered and fell away.
Yuuto rotated his wrist and made a fist. His arm moved freely, showing no trace of injury whatsoever.
"You! You!"
Delia's pupils shrank sharply as she stared in disbelief at his perfectly mobile arm.
"You're healed?"
"Pretty much." Yuuto said casually, already using his newly "liberated" right hand to leisurely undo the buttons of his pajamas. "Recovered faster than expected."
Delia's gaze involuntarily followed the movement of his fingers. Her throat bobbed unconsciously.
Deep inside… a surge of anticipation and desire actually rose?
No—this won't do!
"You… you bad guy!"
She forced herself to look away, trying to mask her fluttering heart with anger. "You recovered, yet today you still let me… let me help you… help you relieve yourself…"
"Hey, Mrs. Hanako, you're really wronging me there."
Yuuto unfastened the last button; his pajamas fell open. He stepped forward, nearly pressing against her:
"Today I did say I could handle it myself—but you were the one who insisted on helping~"
He mercilessly exposed her little scheme.
"I… I was… that was…"
Delia shrank guiltily, her voice growing smaller and smaller.
Indeed—she had been the one to insist today. Her desires had simply been too strong.
She had wanted to… she really wanted to…
Delia already held quite a favorable impression of Yuuto.
He was young, strong, handsome, and carried that dangerous bad-boy charm.
Day after day together, the careful care, the intentional and unintentional touches, the constant ambiguity… today she had even used him as the subject of her fantasies.
Now the man himself was right here, his scorching breath brushing her cheeks and neck.
Finally, Delia gave in.
She slowly released the death-grip she'd had on the hem of her skirt.
Biting her already crimson lower lip, she turned her head to the side.
"Then… then when you… drink water… be a bit gentle~"
Looking at the finally compromising Delia, Yuuto let out a low chuckle.
He scooped her up in one smooth motion, sat her on the chair, then deftly grasped her ankle…