September 1st.
At exactly 5:59 a.m., Kuroba Akira opened his eyes and turned off the alarm a second before it rang at six.
He still felt like sleeping in, but his mind was already clear—no trace of drowsiness left.
This youthful body gave him plenty of energy, though perhaps too much.
Resigned, Akira got out of bed.
In Japan, high school classes didn't start until 8:30 a.m., with only six periods a day. So waking at six gave him a generous block of time to do as he pleased.
Up until now, his mornings had been spent memorizing vocabulary—an old habit from his high school days in his past life. Not just him—back then, everyone in morning self-study was hunched over their books, grinding through bird-speak words.
But starting today, that era was over. No more cramming alien-looking characters.
Those words had been the biggest hurdle in getting his Japanese proficiency to Level 1.
At first, learning hiragana and katakana had gone smoothly. Grammar wasn't too bad either. But the moment he had to start memorizing vocabulary, Akira had hit a wall.
You'd think someone who already knew traditional Chinese characters would have an easier time with Japanese kanji. Ironically, that prior knowledge turned out to be his biggest obstacle.
Take the word 切手 for example. Just from looking at it, who'd ever guess it meant "postage stamp"?
And that was just one case. A lot of kanji not only meant something different than expected, but were also notoriously easy to write wrong.
It was like how most people in China could read traditional characters, but if asked to write a few from memory? Good luck.
Recognition ≠ Production.
That's the maddening beauty—and pain—of logographic languages.
No wonder people say Japanese is easy to pick up, hard to master. After seriously studying it, Akira could confirm: it was true.
Still, he wasn't trying to become a translator. As long as he could blend in without raising suspicions, that was enough.
Now that he no longer had to memorize vocabulary, his mornings suddenly felt empty. He'd need to figure out a new routine soon.
But as for this morning—he already had a plan.
Quietly, Akira got out of bed and looked up at the top bunk.
He could hear the steady rhythm of her breathing—his "roommate" was still lost in peaceful dreams.
But wicked Akira had no intention of letting her sleep in.
He climbed up the bedframe, bracing a foot on the lower bunk, and poked his head up over the edge of the top.
Still sleeping like a baby… even drooling a little.
So even a beautiful girl could drool in her sleep. Made her feel more down-to-earth, really. Once she got famous, a candid sleeping pic like this would win over a whole army of fans.
Akira extended a finger and gently poked Shion's cheek.
Not only was her face exquisitely shaped, but the texture was amazing—soft and springy, like a baby's skin.
Most people would wake up with oily cheeks after a night's sleep. Shiginomiya Shion had that too, but instead of looking greasy, it gave her bare skin a healthy glow. A bit slick to the touch, sure—but somehow, it only added to her charm.
No fancy skincare routine, and she was already at this level. Truly, a chosen beauty.
Still, she wasn't the type to sleep like the dead. The moment she felt something on her cheek, she frowned slightly and slowly opened her bleary eyes.
"Ssss…"
She instinctively sucked in a bit of drool.
Akira greeted her cheerfully.
"Morning, Makka Pakka."
"…Huh? Morning… wait, what?"
Shion was still groggy, unsure where she was or who this was in front of her.
Then, all at once, memories from last night flooded back. Her eyes shot open and she bolted upright.
"Ah! It's morning already?!"
Akira jumped off the bed and landed on the tatami with a thud, hands on his hips as he looked up at her.
"Yup, it's morning, dear Miss Shion. As much as I hate to disturb your beauty sleep, our professional voice actress training plan starts now."
"Ugh, I'm getting up…"
"But first—wipe your mouth."
"Ah…"
Blushing, Shion wiped the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand.
So embarrassing. She'd never drooled in her sleep before—not even during kindergarten naptimes.
And the first time she ever did, he had to be the one to witness it. Now he'd probably think she looked like a total doofus in her sleep.
Was it because she'd been too tired last night? Too relaxed?
"I'm up now… ah—!"
As she began to sit up, her mind finally caught up with her body—and she froze.
Down there, in the center…
Sticky…
This… this sensation…
No way…!
"What's wrong?"
"N-Nothing. Um, Akira, can you step out for a bit?"
"Why?"
"I—I want to change clothes…"
Akira looked puzzled.
"Change? But don't you not have any clothes to change into? Didn't you wash your uniform last night?"
"Ugh…"
She wanted to check her underwear—but not with him standing there!
Akira noticed her conflicted, slightly embarrassed expression and started to speculate.
Could it be… that time of the month?
Right. Sanitary pads were essential for girls too.
She probably just wanted to take care of her stained underwear. Definitely something a guy should give her space for.
So, acting innocent, Akira raised his hands and nodded.
"Alright, I'll go wash up. I'll be downstairs."
"Okay."
The moment Akira stepped out, Shion reached a hand down into her secret garden and swiped across it.
She pulled her fingers out and spread thumb and forefinger slightly.
A glistening, transparent string of liquid stretched between them.
"…"
You've got to be kidding me.
Drooling in her sleep was bad enough.
But this…?
I'm gonna die. I'm actually gonna die of shame.
Shion collapsed onto her knees on the bed, burying her face in the pillow and thrashing her legs wildly against the mattress in a silent, frantic tantrum.
Why… why did this happen…
This had never happened before!
No, no—now's not the time to wallow in embarrassment!
She shook herself out of it and quickly slipped off the sweatpants she'd borrowed.
Then she inspected the crotch area closely.
Whew… at least I didn't stain Akira's sweatpants.
Good thing she'd kept her panties on last night, even though she hadn't worn a bra—sleeping with one on was just too uncomfortable.
The pants were safe. That was the silver lining.
But her own underwear… was done for.
The fabric at the center was visibly damp. Technically, still wearable—but Shion refused to put them back on.
It wasn't like they were wet from water. Once the sticky fluid dried, the cloth would stiffen and become rough—awkward and uncomfortable to wear. Not kind to her delicate parts.
But she had no clean underwear left…
What do I do?
Don't tell me I have to… go commando?
Hell. No.
Absolutely not!
Even if she had nothing else, going out bare like that was unthinkable. This was a matter of a maiden's pride and dignity!
Only a shameless pervert or exhibitionist would step outside with no underwear!
Just then, she noticed something poking out from the side of her pillow.
Curious, Shion tugged at the cloth—only to find exactly what she needed: a clean pair of panties.
Her eyes lit up.
Wait… could this be… a divine gift from the gods?