"I am sorry again for the trouble that this little one has caused and... me."
In front of him was his beautiful neighbor, who apologized as she bowed her head.
Naturally, Nifuji wasn't naked as he had already dressed up.
Still, while their relationship wasn't close, it was limited to a greeting, such as a head nod, before evolving to a good morning or good night when they met each other.
Frankly, he could tell that his neighbor was socially inept, as she was startled when he started to greet her, and inwardly, he wondered whether she thought of him as a creep, but somehow, as they often met, and they lived so close, along the way, as he took the intiative to greet, she also started to greet him, but that was it, and this would be their first time to have a proper conversation.
Also, while he had never voiced it out, he sometimes thought of her as a shut-in, or NEET, but the world was different from the past, and there were many ways for one to work without leaving their home, so he thought that she worked in such a place, especially when he could see how careful she was with her dress and appearance.
A short, yet stylish haircut, paired with clothes that looked elegant yet casual at the time, without giving the impression that she tried too hard, made her a beautiful, adult woman.
Still, even so, when he also knew that she could also easily be mistaken as a handsome, feminine man, considering her bust, which was of a nice size, he felt that only blind people would mistake her as such.
Yet, he had to say, he also felt awkward, considering their meeting. "No... I should be the one who apologized."
Still, he was surprised that this woman took the initiative to meet him and even apologized, as he thought that she would just remain quiet, without doing anything.
"...I-I am the one who showed you an unsightly sight..."
As Nifuji thought that he was just wearing boxers as he smoked on the balcony, but then his body was seen by his beautiful neighbor, thinking that he might scare her, but—
"N-No, it's not unsightly! I-It's rather erotic!"
"...." 2x
"I-I am sorry!"
As she saw his lost expression, the woman was even more in a panic as she bowed her head again, apologizing repeatedly.
Even Nifuji wasn't even sure how to react when he was told that he had an erotic body.
If it were a man who praised a woman, he understood, but it was a reversal, and the strange creature, who had shown him a note before, suddenly entered his place, looking around curiously and even sniffing his shoes.
"....."
"Thank you for your praise, but... what's wrong with your pet?"
"Y-You! What are you doing?! You shouldn't enter someone else's home without permission!'
The woman was even more panicked and tried to reach her pet, which clung to Nufuji's shoes, shaking them and even showing them to its owner, as if to say it had a good smell.
"...what are you saying?"
Yet, even so, it was only then that she realized what she had done, and that she had also entered his place without permission.
"I am sorry! I am sorry!"
"...no, it's fine. Don't worry."
"I-If you don't mind, please accept this. This is a rare tea from Taiwan. I got it from a friend. Please accept this as an apology!"
"..."
Nifuji was reluctant to accept gifts from others, especially those he didn't know well, or even those who were lonely. He knew well that it was wrong, or even that it wasn't as good as it seemed, as he had some prejudices against others, but could you imagine receiving homemade food with a lot of pubic hairs mixed in?
Whether it was men or women, in many cases, they just hadn't grown up and hadn't learned what one could do and couldn't do, yet, probably, in their minds, as they couldn't possess the one that they loved, they might as well destroy it, he felt, but as it was a tea, and from Taiwan instead of a unique coffee from Indonesia (my country), it should be fine, right?
"Well, if you don't mind, do you want to enjoy it together?"
Nifuji had invited her as a polite gesture, expecting her to refuse, but she unexpectedly sat in his living room with her pet, looking around curiously. While he was a bit helpless, fortunately, he had worn his clothes, a simple white t-shirt and loose, grey sweatpants, which made his neighbor look at him occasionally, thinking of his naked body, which was unexpectedly nice.
'Though his room smells good...'
It was her first time entering a man's home, and frankly, it made her heart skip.
'Also, that big bulge...'
Her heart raced even harder!
"Um, Fuji-san."
"Y-Yes, Hirotaka-san."
Yup, her name was Fuji, and naturally, she also knew his name.
"Is it okay to prepare a Taiwan tea like the usual?" Nifuji asked since it was his first time getting a Taiwanese tea.
"..."
"I-I will get the tools to my place. Is that okay?"
"Is that okay? Won't I trouble you?"
"It's fine. It will be more delicious this way. Wait a moment. I will get it."
As Fuji said, she left for her place to pick up the tea tools, leaving Nifuji with the strange pet that seemed to communicate with humans.
As he stared at it, this creature also stared at him before it approached him, and patted his feet, as if telling him to pick it up.
"..."
Nifuji lifted this creature up and walked to his sofa, staring at it curiously, as it also sniffed at him, seemingly comfortable with his scent. "...are you a dog?"
Nod, it gave a nod to his question.
"...." Nifuji.
"Are you a tanuki?"
It violently shook its head and even made an "X" gesture with its two paws.
"...." Nifuji.
Yup, this thing was a tanuki, a supernatural creature in the legend of this land, but—
"Yup, you are a dog, a rare, mixed breed at that."
It nodded in satisfaction at Nifuji's words.
"...."
Probably, because he was from the sales department, it was easy for him to talk even with a rare breed of dog, but he had to say it was a strange experience.
"Um... sorry for coming, but did I bother you two?"
As he turned along with the tanuki on his hands, they looked at Fuji, who had entered with the tea tools, as she looked at him with a gentle smile, somehow, as if a single mother, who was happy to know the guy who approached her, could get close to her child.
Nifuji hadn't tried to go after a single mother, but probably... this was how he should do it?
Rumble!
Still, somehow, Nifuji and the tanuki heard a rumbling noise, and it definitely didn't come from a giant, since even if a tanuki existed, a giant shouldn't have existed, right?
"..."
Right?
Yet, no one could share his worry, and he just put this worry aside, as he could see how Fuji had grown so red that she might wish to escape, running away from his home, so to make her to feel at ease, he said, "I am little hungry if you don't mind, how about we have lunch together as we have that tea?"
---
By the way, Fuji is from "Ame to Kimi to."
It's a relaxing and peaceful story; you should try it.
And as I have promised, I will start giving two chapters for this story!
Lastly, what do you think of the heroine of a different country?
Let's say Nifuji has to leave his country for work.
Which countries do you want him to visit?
South Korean? America? England? Central Asia?
Also, can you give me a recommendation for a story from a different country?