However, when Shinomiya picked up the underwear for a closer inspection, her mind froze.
This is… obscene.
Wait, wasn't this the exact same, ridiculously suggestive underwear from her dream last night?! The one she'd worn in her dream while Akira-kun stared with unnerving intensity… Why was the memory still so vivid?!
Hold on… Why was there a pair of underwear inside the pillow?
Whose could it be…?
Logically, Granny Kobayashi was the only other suspect… but would she wear something this… flashy? Weren't elderly women supposed to favor simple, practical thermal wear? This style didn't look like anything a grandmother would own; it looked more like something a hostess in Kabukicho might wear for… professional purposes.
And why hide it in a pillow?
Her cohabitant likely had the answer.
But right now, Shinomiya didn't have the luxury for extended deduction. She faced a critical, immediate choice.
To wear, or not to wear.
In the end, her ladylike sensibilities—specifically, her absolute refusal to go commando—triumphed over her shame. She chose to put on the scandalous garment.
Meanwhile, downstairs, Kuroha Akira had finished washing up and was doing light stretches in the living room. Just as he finished a hamstring stretch, he saw Shinomiya descending the stairs.
"Oh, all sorted?"
Shinomiya, her mind a whirlpool of questions, hesitated for a moment before deciding to confront the mystery head-on. "Akira-kun, I have a question."
"Shoot."
"It's just… I found a pair of underwear inside the pillow."
Thump!
Akira felt his heart stutter mid-beat.
No way! Already discovered?!
It's over. I'm going to be branded a total creep.
All the goodwill I've built up… is it going to crumble on day one?!
Internal panic erupted, but the [Soul Performance S] talent he'd copied yesterday barely managed to keep his expression neutral.
Play dumb! Play dumb at all costs!
"My, my! Underwear growing from a pillow? Could it be a divine gift for a fair maiden?" he offered, though his delivery, lacking the finesse of a true acting proficiency, came off as painfully forced.
Shinomiya was unmoved. She cut straight to the chase. "This underwear is yours, isn't it?"
It wasn't even a question. It was a statement, delivered with the certainty of someone who had already reached a verdict.
"Uh…"
Should he keep denying it?
…No point.
Besides, that pair of underwear was a 'memento' from the class president, an important item. Even if discovered, he couldn't let it go.
Thus, Kuroha Akira decided on a bold strategy: complete, shameless admission. "Yep. It's mine."
A real man owns his actions! What kind of hero hides his… possessions?!
Even a pervert must be an upright pervert!
…Not that I am one.
Shinomiya's reaction was eerily calm. She simply nodded in understanding, her face showing neither disgust nor judgment. It was impossible to tell if she was maintaining her icy composure or genuinely didn't find it a big deal.
After all, a boy possessing a pair of women's underwear—and of such a provocative style—the reason was self-evident. He definitely wasn't wearing it himself, but using it for… 'other purposes.' (Though there might be those who did wear them, Shinomiya doubted Akira was perverted to that degree. If he were, he probably would have tried something 'indescribable' with her last night.)
The thought made her cheeks warm. She also felt the underwear's style was exactly what boys would fantasize about, which had immediately pointed her suspicion at Kuroha Akira. The main catalyst, of course, was last night's unforgettable dream. She couldn't shake the feeling that if she wore this underwear, he would come over, grab her thighs, and bury his face in…
Shinomiya unconsciously clenched her thighs together.
She was currently wearing the underwear he had 'used'…
Could there be any... residue left on it?
Before putting them on, she had, in a moment of utter desperation, leaned in for a cautious sniff. She hadn't detected any pungent, biological odor; instead, there was a faint, clean fragrance... Had he sprayed them with something?
In any case, with no visible or olfactory evidence, wearing them theoretically shouldn't lead to pregnancy.
Ultimately, Shinomiya felt the fault lay with herself. If she hadn't soiled her own underwear, she wouldn't have been forced to wear this pair, whose mere style made her blush and her heart race.
She realized that ever since meeting Kuroha Akira, in this astonishingly short time, she seemed to have surrendered many of her 'firsts'
…
Kuroha Akira watched her fall into a prolonged silence, unsure of her thoughts. A strange sense of guilt gnawed at him, as if he'd been caught red-handed in something shameful, even though he'd been single in his past life.
Unable to bear the toe-curling awkwardness any longer, he took the initiative to speak. "So... do I need to explain why I have that pair of underwear?"
"No... no need..." Shinomiya silently shook her head, then lowered her gaze, mustering her courage to add, "It's just... I'll be borrowing these for now. I'll wash them and return them later."
The scent will be gone after washing... Wait, no—more importantly, her reaction isn't that bad? Could she actually... understand? Understand the actions of a teenage boy driven by... urges?
What a gentle, understanding girl...
Akira, in turn, expressed understanding for her temporary requisition of the underwear. Girls, after all, had those special days.
"It's fine, you can use them. The proper purpose of underwear is to be worn."
"..."
So, these were indeed used by him for... improper purposes...? Shinomiya clenched her thighs again, her posture subtly shifting to an inward-pointing stance.
Kuroha Akira, meanwhile, was immensely relieved he didn't have to explain the underwear's origin. If she knew the owner was another high school girl, she probably wouldn't wear them.
Wearing someone else's underwear—anyone would find that psychologically off-putting, right? At most, there was just a hint of the class representative's sweat scent lingering on them... Hmm, it shouldn't be that dirty, right?
It was a shame, though. He hadn't even had a chance to properly... appreciate the class rep's scent before it was overwritten.
"Also," Shinomiya continued, her voice soft but firm, "from now on, when you need to... 'take care of things,' Akira-kun, you can tell me. I'll step out temporarily... and come back when you're finished."
Since they'd be sharing a room, awkward moments were inevitable. Perhaps they needed to gradually establish some ground rules.
"Oh, okay..." Akira was touched by her consideration, but also felt a pang of injustice.
To be honest, since transmigrating, Kuroha Akira hadn't really... indulged much. Besides burning off excess energy through exercise, being wholly consumed by language learning had temporarily kept such... pleasures at bay. More importantly, he lacked high-quality 'reference materials' on hand.
In his past life, Akira had been, after all, a seasoned gentleman who had perused countless... cinematic works, a mage's apprentice on the cusp of becoming an archmage. Though lacking practical experience, his standards were high and his horizons broad.
But here, in the era of flip phones—unlike smartphones where one could freely browse images and videos—3G internet was painfully slow, and Wi-Fi wasn't even widespread yet. People still relied on traditional videotapes and... printed periodicals for entertainment.
Even though Japan was a leading producer of such adult content, Kuroha Akira, as a penniless student, had no funds to purchase any. He couldn't very well expect to find discarded... magazines in the riverside bushes, could he?
It was tragic. The digital archive meticulously accumulated over a decade had vanished with his transmigration... Ah, speaking of which—the hard drive!
The hard drive hadn't been dealt with yet!
Argh! I don't want my family and friends discovering my... preferences after I'm gone!
For the first time since transmigrating, Kuroha Akira felt an intense, soul-crushing regret about the very act of crossing worlds.
Let me go back! LET ME GO BACK, AHHHHHH!