Chapter 17: The Pudding's Side Effect, and the Invisible Girl.
....
Perhaps she was just naturally scatterbrained, or maybe it was because Kihara had already given her a heads-up.
Either way, once Yanami Anna realized her body had gone completely transparent without any physical discomfort, her very first thought was to abuse this "Invisible Girl" status to sneak into Kihara's house and scavenge for food.
Never mind the fact that she had practically gorged herself on pudding back at school; the moment the side effect kicked in, her comfortably full stomach had instantly emptied out, leaving her ravenous.
If I remember correctly, blockhead made cookies yesterday. Lala and Sanae aren't exactly gluttons, so there might be some left...
As her brain involuntarily conjured up the rich, buttery aroma of baked cookies, Anna swallowed hard. Throwing her clothes back on, she slipped out of her house, carefully avoiding her parents.
Since Kihara lived right across the street, she dashed into his yard, stripped down, hid her clothes inside the bushes by the wall, and tiptoed into the house on her bare feet.
The moment she stepped inside, Lala walked right past her, giving her a mini heart attack.
(What the—?! Why are you walking around with just a bath towel wrapped around you?!)
(Where's Sanae? Isn't Sanae going to keep her in check?!)
"Kihara~ The bathroom is free! Go take a shower!"
"Got it!"
Anna, who had been planning to make a bee-line for the kitchen, suddenly found her body moving toward the bathroom completely against her will. By the time she snapped out of it, Kihara was already walking in. It was too late to back out now.
Watching him strip off his clothes, Anna's eyes went wide. She clamped her lips shut to muffle her ragged breathing, using her right hand to firmly pin down her left hand, which was currently itching to reach out and touch his abs.
Even though she was transparent, Anna could feel her face burning as hot as a furnace. A scene that had previously only featured in her dreams was now unfolding right before her eyes, and she couldn't stop her lips from curling upward.
"Strange... why do I feel like someone's staring at me?" Kihara muttered.
His words nearly made Anna's heart leap out of her chest. Fortunately, he didn't dwell on it. Grabbing a towel, he casually swung the door open and stepped into the shower.
Anna seized the moment while he was hanging up his towel to slip inside, crouching down in a corner and clamping both hands over her mouth to resume her grand voyeuristic endeavor.
Though a voice deep in her soul kept chanting that this was terribly wrong, the thrilling rush of breaking a taboo urged her to take the risk and feast her eyes.
(Wow, blockhead's actually in really good shape... I don't think I've seen him like this since middle school. Then again, he's an actor... being fit is a job requirement. Totally normal.)
Kihara showered at a speed that defied Anna's expectations. Washing his hair and scrubbing his body took less than five minutes tops before he sank into the bathtub.
(I haven't seen enough yet!!)
She wailed internally, but there was nothing she could do. The rising steam was beginning to limit her options, and she figured staying put in the corner was her safest bet to avoid exposure.
However, Anna had overlooked the wall she was leaning against. Because parts of her body were pressed flush against the tiles, those spots remained completely untouched by the moisture. Consequently, a very conspicuous, peach-shaped silhouette gradually materialized against the blue tiles.
Out of the corner of his eye, Kihara caught a glimpse of this bizarre anomaly. At first, he thought it was just a fluke, but as he closed his eyes to relax, a sudden scent drifted over—a distinct aroma of pudding that definitely didn't belong in a bathroom.
His eyes snapped open, and he called out to Shinobu in his mind: [Take a look at that corner. Is there something weird there?]
[It is indeed quite peculiar, master. It feels as though an invisible person is crouching right there.]
[Invisible?]
After a moment's thought, the scent of pudding immediately reminded Kihara of the food Lala had whipped up earlier today using her gadget.
[Don't tell me the side effect of that pudding is turning invisible?]
[But did thou not emerge entirely unscathed?]
[Everyone's constitution is different. Sanae is outside cooking, Lala just got out of the shower... Someone crouching in the corner smelling like pudding? It can only be Anna.]
[What dost thou intend to do?]
[I'll just pretend I don't know. It's not like I'm losing anything by being looked at anyway.]
Knowing that Anna was peeping, Kihara lost any desire to keep soaking. He quickly got out of the tub, dried himself off, and prepared to leave.
Meanwhile, because she had been crouching for so long, the blood circulation in Anna's legs had cut off. As she tried to move, her left foot tripped over her right, and she pitched forward, tackling the still-drying Kihara straight to the floor.
Thud!
(I'm completely doomed!!)
Anna wished the floor would open up and swallow her whole. Peeping on her childhood friend was one thing, but accidentally tackling him to the ground?
Was he going to call the cops on her?
"I was fully prepared to act like I didn't notice a thing, and yet you choose to launch a surprise attack..." Kihara grumbled, his face clouding over with exasperation as he tried to push her off.
Suddenly, his hands froze. The smooth, velvety sensation beneath his palms caught him entirely off guard.
The texture was unmistakably that of bare skin. With his twitching lips forming a straight line, he flipped his towel over and draped it across her. The fabric immediately draped over a pair of perky, well-defined mounds, leaving him utterly speechless.
"Anna... you're not wearing any clothes?"
"Y-You've got the wrong person! I am an alien from Planet Invisible!"
Seeing her stubbornly dig her heels in, Kihara found himself amused. "Is that so? In that case, I'll have Lala contact the Space Patrol to arrest you. Breaking and entering and voyeurism? That's easily ten to fifteen years in space prison."
"Wait, wait, wait! I was wrong, Mu-mu! It's me, it's me!"
"Oh, the classic 'It's me, it's me' phone scam?"
"No! I'm your adorable childhood friend, Yanami Anna!"
Deliberately teasing her, he knitted his brows, feigning complete disbelief. "Impossible! Anna isn't an alien from Planet Invisible, of that much I am certain!"
Anna was so panicked she was on the verge of tears. How could she have known that the random alien race she just made up actually existed? To make matters worse, she couldn't just willingly deactivate her invisibility to prove her identity. Frantic and out of options, she pinned him right back down to the floor.
The towel slipped, draping back over Kihara instead.
Click.
"Kihara, I keep hearing voices in the bathroom..."
Sanae opened the door, only to look down and find Kihara sprawled flat on the floor like a total degenerate trying to look up someone's skirt. She instinctively took two steps back, her expression darkening.
"What kind of scandalous posture is this?"
"You might not believe me, but I am currently being pinned to the ground by an invisible Anna."
"Invisible?"
Anna found herself caught in a terrible dilemma. If she spoke up now to back Kihara's claim, she could escape the threat of the Space Patrol, but she would forever cement the dark history of peeping on Kihara while completely naked.
But if she kept quiet, she could at least salvage what was left of her dignity in front of Sanae, rather than being branded a certified pervert.
Before she could weigh her options, Sanae utilized her wind perception to "see" a transparent figure straddling Kihara. Judging by the hair and body shape, it was indeed Yanami Anna.
(But... why isn't she wearing any clothes? Is this some kind of new, kinky game they're playing?)
"Well, since nothing is wrong, I won't disturb the two of you."
Flashing a sweet, gentle smile, Sanae promptly closed the bathroom door and left.
"Hey, Exhibitionist Anna, do you plan on pinning me down like this forever?"
Feeling a sudden, distinct prod from a rigidly upright "spear" beneath her, Anna shuddered and bolted to her feet in an instant.
.....
Thank you for reading.