Mori Shinra's words were not without reason. In Sakurajima Mai's current situation, getting a hotel room was definitely not possible.
The end result would just be using his ID to check in, and he would have to come back again tomorrow for check-out. It was far too troublesome. She might as well just stay at his place.
After all, his apartment was quite large. There were two guest bedrooms alone, complete with bedding. Although they weren't brand new, they were definitely cleaner than a hotel's.
It was more than enough for one night.
But since they were already downstairs, he decided to go to the supermarket to buy a few things before heading back.
He looked at the still-hesitating girl beside him and decisively made the decision for her.
"Let's go. We're already downstairs. Come with me to the supermarket to buy some food. We can buy your toiletries for the night at the same time."
"Oh."
She responded, it was unclear whether she had agreed or not. Anyway, he took it as a yes.
Even if she didn't agree, she had no other choice. She couldn't possibly sleep on the streets tonight, could she?
It had just rained, and the temperature at night was much lower than usual. Even a homeless person would have to find a warm shelter, let alone a delicate girl like her.
And she had even given him her pantyhose, which offered a certain degree of warmth!
Since they were buying toiletries and a late-night snack, the 24-hour convenience store downstairs obviously couldn't meet their needs, so the two of them chose to go to a nearby supermarket.
Although it had been three or four hours since dinner time, one could still see some office workers in suits, just off work, selecting ingredients inside.
Sakurajima Mai walked ahead, constantly picking out ingredients. She had taken the initiative to be in charge of the late-night snack. Shinra naturally had no objections and pushed the shopping cart behind her.
Freshly made is definitely better than pre-packaged. And it was being made by Sakurajima Mai herself. If this were sold to her fans, wouldn't it be 100,000 yen a meal?
"It feels like my girlfriend is about to spend the night at my place for the first time and is going to cook for me."
"If you keep fantasizing about such stupid things, you'll really become stupid."
Mai picked up the carrot in her hand and, as if waving a teacher's pointer, tapped it in the air towards him.
If she were wearing her bunny girl outfit right now, it would be even more perfect.
"Alright, let's talk about something serious then," Shinra said with a shrug.
She looked at him suspiciously. "You know how to talk about serious things?"
"Mai-san, in other people's eyes, what state is the carrot in your hand in? Is it floating in the air?"
Hearing this, she found a nearby middle-aged woman and waved it in front of her.
"They probably can't see it."
"But if you put it in my hand, they would be able to," Shinra said, thinking back to when they were downstairs. The moment she had handed the trash to him, the building manager had immediately reacted.
"True," she nodded, then a question suddenly occurred to her.
"Does that mean... anything I touch becomes invisible?"
He pointed to the ground. "By your logic, the Earth would have disappeared by now, wouldn't it?"
"Playing for such high stakes?"
"That's a man's perspective."
"Yes, yes. Only little boys would emphasize such meaningless points."
Sakurajima Mai perfunctorily agreed, not forgetting to use this opportunity to show off her maturity as an older girl.
"In that case... what would happen if you hugged me?"
"Are you indirectly asking me for a loving hug?"
"It's just an experiment. Besides, loving hugs can only be given by a mother or a partner. Which one are you?"
"Neither! Since you put it that way, then let's not hug."
Seeing that she wasn't taking the bait, he could only say, "Alright. I just wanted you to hold my arm, like over there."
He pointed to a young couple not far away who were picking out fruit. The girl was clinging to the boy's arm like a koala, looking very much in love.
"Ew~"
Although she let out a sound of strong disgust, a happy smile appeared on her face. She stood in place and waited for him to come over with the cart, then reached out and tightly linked her arm with his.
A soft and warm sensation covered the right half of his body. Her tall figure was quite impressive. They were so close that he could almost count her long eyelashes.
Before long, a faint, fresh scent drifted from her. It was the scent of the body wash he often used.
When a familiar scent appeared on a beautiful girl who was practically a perfect ten, the lethality was maxed out. Even Mori Shinra had a hard time withstanding it.
"You're thinking about something lewd, aren't you?" she said, as if sensing something.
"In fact, it's a hundred times more excessive than you think. Do you need me to tell you?" he shot back without showing any weakness.
She probably hadn't expected him to answer like that and was so startled that she let go of his arm.
Then she heard him say, "I didn't expect the mature Miss Mai to care about such trivial matters."
"Hehe, I was just going to grab an ingredient," she said stubbornly.
After putting a box of curry into the cart, she linked her arm with his again. The grip was even tighter than before, and she pressed closer.
"It's just a boy younger than me having fantasies about me. It's... it's nothing."
Now it was his turn to be in trouble.
"Um... Mai-san?"
"Still not satisfied?"
"No, on the contrary, you're so close that it's starting to affect my walking." He was just glad that he was wearing loose casual pants today. If they were tight, it would have been a disaster.
But even with casual pants, once his spirits were roused, given his size, it would be quite obvious.
If an outsider were to see this, he would become a pervert who suddenly got worked up while walking.
"Oh? You can't take it already?" her tone was provocative. Hearing him say this, she, on the contrary, didn't want to let him go so easily.
"Please think carefully, Mai-san. If you start a fire, you have to be responsible for putting it out," he reminded her kindly.
Hearing this, Sakurajima Mai immediately behaved. She still had to stay at his place tonight. If he really went wild, in her current state, she could scream her lungs out and no one would pay her any mind.
Although, based on her understanding of him, he didn't seem like someone with so little self-control.
But then again, she wouldn't dare bet her chastity on the self-control of a boy his age.
"Why did you let go completely?"
"It's a dry season. Be careful with fire."
Sakurajima Mai scurried to the front of the shopping cart, not giving him any chance at all.
After paying, Shinra carried the heavier groceries, while she carried her toiletries. The two of them walked out of the supermarket together.
And just as they stepped out, he heard a familiar voice.
"Oh my? Isn't that Shinra-san?"
Following the voice, he saw Yukinoshita Haruno standing not far away, a shopping bag in her hand. And beside her was a very reluctant-looking Yukinoshita Yukino.