The Indecent Relationship between Four Lovers Chapter 5

I aroused from slumber with a heavy heart.   “…Yet another needless dream.”   Lately I’ve been having frequent dreams about the incident back in elementary school. I don’t know why this is happening.   While reminiscing on the bed, I glanced at the clock on the wall. It was earlier than usual. It should be fine to relax a little longer.   But the bed sheet was damp from the aftermath of last night’s commotion where I had to wipe Yeon-hee down.   “Haah…”   I let out a sigh reflexively. I must’ve pa.s.sed out while it was still wet. That explains why I couldn’t sleep well last night.   Well, I might as well get up then.   “…?”   But my body felt strangely heavy. It wasn’t because I was exhausted. Something was holding onto me.   “……”   I slowly looked down.   And there I found a girl asleep hugging my thigh, with her head resting on my right side as if it was a pillow.   “…Oh my G.o.d.”   The sleeping girl who had snuck into my bed was none other Yeon-hee.   To boot, she was not in her usual clothes. She had nothing but a floaty pink slip on her.   Was this the pink that I saw when she was mounting me on Sat.u.r.day? Since when did she start wearing such cute yet slightly adult lingerie…? Wait, don’t tell me she’s not wearing anything underneath?!   ‘Ahn Yeon-hee Time’ is from 9 p.m. until 7a.m. the next morning at home. That means her offensive isn’t over yet…!   “H-How should I deal with this?”   Should I just wake her up right now?   No, I don’t know what she might do again if she wakes up. It’s best to escape her hold quietly and run for it.   I moved my body cautiously as to not awake Yeon-hee. Pus.h.i.+ng away her limbs to the sides that were wrapped around my thigh, I began to pull out my body carefully.   “Mmm… Oppa…”   But suddenly at that moment I heard Yeon-hee’s faint voice. I flinched but noticed that her eyes were still closed— she was sleeptalking.   Relieved, I tried to pull out my leg, but at that moment Yeon-hee muttered in a coquettish voice.   “No, Oppa… If you do it that violently… it’s going to break… You’re being too wild, Oppa…”   “?!”   J-Just what kind of a dream is she having…?   What the h.e.l.l are you doing to the Yeon-hee inside the dream?! I won’t forgive you as her brother!   “Geesh… You’re so mean, Oppa... How could you indiscriminately cut up a cabbage like that…?”   …Ah, so it’s just cooking. Don’t get me all confused. I thought it was a weird dream.   “Aah, Oppa… Placing the cabbage on my body like that… Ahn… It tickles when you use your mouth like that, Oppa…”   It is a weird dream!   I have to wake her up! I have to wake Yeon-hee up before the me inside the dream defiles her any further!   “Yeon-hee!”   I grabbed her shoulders, and just when I was about to give her a shake—   “Wh-What are you doing…?”   I heard a thud from the direction of the bedroom door.   When I turned around… I saw Yuyu, who had dropped her schoolbag, looking this way with a devastated expression on her face.   …Why is she here?   “Ah, Gla.s.ses, y-you’re clothes… Aaah.”   Yuyu’s face reddened and she covered her eyes with the palm of her hands. ...But her fingers were spread apart, letting her peep through them.   Only then I realized I was wearing only swimming trunks. I pulled the covers up in a hurry and covered myself. …Somehow, it feels like the positions have reversed.   “How... did you get in?”   Having woken up from the noise, Yeon-hee set her body upright and asked.   “Y-Yesterday I went to the café where Gla.s.ses works after finis.h.i.+ng the evening self-study session! Gla.s.ses wasn’t there, but… Han Ka-ryeon lent me the key when I told her you were… doing q-questionable stuff with your sister in the morning!”   Oh yeah, Ka-ryeon has the key to our home. She really shouldn’t lend our house key to other people so casually...   “Questionable stuff?”   “He’s doing it right now! He has his sister by the shoulders and is trying to pull her towards his p-private place… I came by early just in case, but you were really …”   What the h.e.l.l is she talking about?   At that moment, Yuyu spotted something on the corner of my bed and her eyes widened further.   “Th-There really is a…!”   When I looked, the hair dryer that I used to dry Yeon-hee was lying there. I must’ve forgotten that on the bed, too.   “A-Also a pair of r-rubber gloves… H-How many s.e.xual deviancies are you guys into?!”   “…I have no idea what you’re talking about.”   That’s a surprise; Yeon-hee said something that I completely agreed with.   “The relations.h.i.+p between me and my brother is not a s.e.xual deviancy. It’s a perfectly pure love.”   And right afterwards she said something that I can’t ever agree to.   “Y-Yeah right! How can you call it that when you… have swimsuit and lingerie roleplay first thing in the morning!”   …What is this ‘roleplay’?   “First thing in the morning? ...It has been intense since last night. You can’t tell from this drenched bed?”   “Oi oi, don’t lie. …And you, don’t believe her.”   I advised Yuyu, who fell on her rear with a shocked look. …A little more and her panties would’ve been visible, she needs to be more cautious.   “I-I knew it. You are in that kind of relations.h.i.+p with your sister... Endless i-immoral nights of carnal desires... Taboo…. Domination..... Discipline.”   “Like I said, don’t believe her! Listen to what I’m saying!”   “That’s right. We have a pa.s.sionate relations.h.i.+p, so outsiders can go take a hike. Come again after I have completely satisfied my brother. If you need it, would you like me to lend you my brother’s underwear while you’re waiting?”   “You too, Yeon-hee! Stop saying weird things!”   Sheesh… Where has my peaceful morning gone to…?   “I-I can’t let you do that!”   At which point Yuyu burst forth on her feet and strode closer towards the bed.   “So that he can be s-satisfied by other girls beside his sister, I’m going to rehabilitate him!”   “What’re you talking about?!”   “Even if you aren’t related by blood, doing this sort of stuff between siblings is wrong! I’ll s-s-s-satisfy him myself!”   Shouting that, Yuyu started unb.u.t.toning her school uniform.   “Hold on a second! Don’t do weird stuff!”   “You can even compare me together with your sister if you like! It’s fine! I’ve read many erotic comic books where they do it with three people!”   “You really do read a lot!”   “O-Or I can even become your little sister! O-Oppa, p-please violently punish your lewd little sister…!”   “Why are your lines so similar?! Is there like a set pattern?!”   Fortunately, perhaps due to being agitated, Yuyu wasn’t able to undo her b.u.t.tons properly. I quickly got off my hand and took hold of her wrists.   “Ah, O-Oppa, if you wanted to undress me yourself… Kyaa.”   “Who are you calling ‘Oppa’?! Give it a rest!”   “Yeah, the only one who’s allowed to call him that is me.”   Yeon-hee followed me from behind and threw her arms around my waist. And I don’t know what’s she’s thinking, but Yuyu was in front of me sticking her b.r.e.a.s.t.s out with her eyes shut and face red.   Such a conundrum, what am I going to do with these two...   “I want to hurry to school and study…”   Heaving a long sigh, I drooped my shoulders.     ◇   ◇     As such, my Tuesday began with a rowdy morning as the starting point.   “Haah…”   Walking my way to school, I sighed. Mornings were supposed to be refres.h.i.+ng, but it had turned into a complete sticky mess.   Yuyu is currently following just a little behind me. Thinking she overdid it earlier, it seemed like she was reflecting on her actions.   “Yuyu.”   “Y-Yes?”   For some reason, Yuyu had a happy look on her when I called her name.   The thought that she was like a dog that got its owner’s attention crossed my mind, but I quickly erased it and spoke to Yuyu.   “What you did earlier, don’t do it anymore.”   “E-Earlier?”   “And like what you did at lunchtime yesterday… Anyhow, don’t try to create suggestive situations like that anymore. Things like ‘I’ll know once we try it’, or ‘check and see what underwear you’re wearing’, or that ‘your body is all hot and you can’t endure it any longer’… They are absolutely forbidden from this day forward.”   “…I don’t recall those last two situations, though.”   Yuyu stared at me with doubtful eyes.   “Anyway, don’t do it from now on. Doing such a thing when my relations.h.i.+p with you girls is uncertain is anabsolute no. I can put up with it and refuse, but there’s also a limit to that. I’ll tell the other girls as well, so follow what I said.”   “B-But…”   “If you attempt to do weird things again, I’ll call off on trying to recover my memories together with you girls. I won’t eat lunch nor commute to school with you like this.”   “N-No, not that…!”   Yuyu shouted, her complexion changing. I was a bit surprised by her reaction that was much more intense that I had expected.   “I-I don’t want that…”   “…Then just don’t do stuff like seducing me.”   “I-It’s an everyday routine, not a seduction…”   Yuyu said that with a desperate expression but, as for me, I have no reason to believe everything that she says.   “Our daily lives consisted of only doing that every day?”   “Wh-What?!”   “I’m asking you if our relations.h.i.+p was the kind where we did that at every chance.”   As I inquired sharply, Yuyu’s face turned bright red.   “Wh-What are you saying?! I-I’m not that lewd, okay? You make it sound as if I was seeing you with that as my sole purpose!”   “No, I didn’t go as far as to say that…”   “I-I don’t particularly like that sort of stuff! I only accepted it reluctantly because that’s what you wanted!”   “Then we’ll stop doing it. There, don’t ever bring that up again.”   “Hauu?!”   Realizing her slip of the tongue, Yuyu looked like she was ready to cry.   “N-No, th-that’s not w-what I…”   Eventually Yuyu, who was stammering in panic, grabbed my arm and clung on with tears in her eyes.   “Y-You’re right, I’m a lewd girl. I’ll admit it, I’ll admit that I’m a girl with nothing but dirty thoughts on her mind, so…!”   “Okay... The conversation is starting to go awry.”   It seems this girl forgot what her objective was from the look of it and is just spewing whatever comes to her mouth.   Thinking I shouldn’t let her get out of control any further, I lightly tapped Yuyu on the head.   “So let’s not do that stuff. If it’s a wholesome romance, I’ll do it as much as you like. So let’s just do wholesome things.”   As I said that, Yuyu looked up at me with wide round eyes.   "You'll r-really go out with me?"   “That’s what we said we’ll do originally.”   Although it’s solely for recovering my memories.   “Y-Yeah! Okay!”   I don’t know why, but Yuyu clenched her fist with an expression burning with motivation.   “I’m confident in becoming a good girlfriend! I’ll do my best to be to your liking! I can do much better than the other girls!”   “No, I’m telling you to do as we did before, not to do better from now on…”   This girl, I still can’t tell what her objective is.       And it was lunchtime again.   Although we got out of the cla.s.sroom separately and walked toward the Audiovisual Reference Prep Room again this time, there was something a little different than yesterday.   “A-Actually, today I came prepared with this!”   The item that Yuyu took out and placed on the desk was a large lunchbox. It wasn’t the lunchbox that I saw yesterday, but one that was family-sized for picnics.   “What is it?”   “I-It’s your lunch!”   “Ah…”   I nodded with an ambiguous look.   “What’s with that reaction! Your girlfriend brought you a homemade lunch. Shouldn’t you be happy about it?”   “I don’t have memories of you being my girlfriend.”   “Still, you should at least give me a compliment!”   “Yeon-hee prepares my lunch too, you know.”   They provide meals for both lunch and supper at Collegiate High where Yeon-hee attends. However, students in our school have been bringing their own lunch after an issue with the school meal since last year. As for supper, packaged meals via group order are limited to those who want it.   That’s why Yeon-hee has no need for a lunchbox, yet she makes mine every single day. She truly is an excellent sister.   “But you don’t have yours today!”   “Thanks to a certain somebody...”   Due to the commotion in the morning, Yeon-hee wasn’t able to properly prepare breakfast, and of course lunch as well. After comforting the depressed Yeon-hee, I got out of the house in a hurry.   I was thinking of buying bread for lunch from the cafeteria, but Yuyu said I didn’t need to and told me to come to the Audiovisual Reference Prep Room empty-handed. I was wondering why; guess it’s because she had the lunch prepared.   “Anyway, I appreciate it. Thanks.”   "...Why didn’t you just say that from the start?"   Grumbling, Yuyu sat down in her seat.   Rice b.a.l.l.s, seafood nuggets, calamari rings, braised Burdock roots, braised fishcakes, pickled radish, and apparently apple slices for dessert…   “The side dishes feel similar to yesterday.”   Although the menu was a bit different, it felt similar overall. Like the color of the braised side dishes, or the weight given to the frozen food.   “Don’t tell me it’s actually you’re mom who—”   “What are you saying?! I always pack my own lunch!”   Ah, was that so.   “That’s amazing.”   “A-Amazing?”   “I know from watching Yeon-hee that it’s no ordinary task.”   Although it’s the same for making breakfast, to wake up early and prepare lunch every day is not an easy task for a highschooler .   “I think it’s truly amazing.”   “Waah... C-Comparing me to her is…”   Despite muttering that, Yuyu lowered her head while looking embarra.s.sed. She was red up to her ears.   …I guess I shouldn’t tell her that her actual culinary skill feels a bit inferior to Yeon-hee’s.   “Anyway, let’s eat. Thanks for the food.”   “O-Okay.”   I held the pair of chopsticks from Yuyu and began eating.   …Unlike their appearance, their taste rivaled the ones made by Yeon-hee.   “Wh-What do you think? Do they taste good?”   “Huh, they’re tastier than expected.”   Honestly, they had exceeded my expectations. They weren’t too salty or too bland, yet savory to keep eating without any trouble.   “You could get married right now.”   “Eh?!”   Yuyu widened her eyes at the remark I said as a joke. Then she covered her face with both hands and lowered her head.   “W-We can’t. My heart is not ready for a marriage yet… It’s too early…”   “…I didn’t say a word about you getting married to me, okay?”   When I pointed that out quickly, Yuyu made a crestfallen expression.   Then smiling bitterly, she muttered.   “It’s the same.”   “What?”   “We had this kind of conversation in the past, too.”   Leaning against the back of the chair, Yuyu spoke in a lonely voice.   “Me bringing your share as well for lunch, you praising me when I told you it was homemade, and my heart fluttering from your remark about how I could get married right now... It has happened before. Although you may not remember.”   “…I’m sorry.”   “It’s fine. Just keep eating.”   Because Yuyu said that to me with a bitter smile on her face, I resumed eating as per her offer.   “Hmm…”   “What is it?”   “So we’ve had eaten your homemade lunch together like this before, huh…”   There should be a similar scene like this saved inside my lost memories.   Somehow it feels like I may remember…   “C-Could your memories be…?”   “…No good, I still can’t remember.”   My memories didn’t return to me no matter how hard I tried.   It’s a similar feeling to when the answer to a question is on the tip of your tongue.   “By any chance, did we talk or do anything peculiar while we ate lunch together like this?”   “P-Peculiar…?”   Like how one could recall [things starting] from a certain point through sequential memorization, my lost memories might come back if I’m given a peculiarity.   “O-Oh yeah!”   After looking troubled for a moment, Yuyu got up awkwardly from the chair with a bright countenance as if she had thought of something.   Then she picked up the seafood nugget with the chopsticks and held it out toward my face.   “A-Ahnn…”   Blus.h.i.+ng, Yuyu opened her mouth a little bit.   “…What is this?”   As I stared vacantly without a clue, Yuyu got mad at me.   “How could you not understand what it means for a girl to hold out food to her boyfriends mouth?!”   “…Ah.”   She’s trying to feed me.   I couldn’t have even guessed since I had never experienced it in my life. There was only this one time where Yeon-hee spoonfed me some porridge when I was bedbound from severe fatigue.   “We’ve done this before?”   “W-We have!”   Although it was more difficult to believe that I had done such embarra.s.sing act than having done indecent stuff at school, I couldn’t refuse since I promised that I’d do as much wholesome things as she wants.   As I reluctantly opened my mouth, Yuyu put the seafood nugget inside my mouth with her trembling hands.   “Mm…”   Nom nom.   The taste isn’t bad for a frozen food. A well pan-fried sea nugget with its coating neither burnt nor undercooked.   “Thank you for the…”   I swallowed the food and looked at Yuyu again, but I noticed she was acting somehow strange.   “Ehe, ehehe…”   Covering both cheeks with her hands, Yuyu was fidgeting and twisting her body while smiling foolishly.   …It was to the point where she seemed a bit stupid.   “What’s wrong?”   “I’ve always wanted to try it… Putting food in your mouth like this…”   “...Wait, what?”   I thought we’ve done it before?   “N-No! I meant I’ve wanted to try again! Since we’ve done it before!”   Startled by my words, Yuyu waved her hand and corrected herself.   “W-Well then, one more time!”   “Again?”   Like a nestling being fed by its mother, I helplessly ate the food given to me.   “Here, have this one next.”   “…Just how long are we going to do this?”   I grumbled, being slightly tired of it, but it seemed Yuyu had no intention of quitting. And she looked so excited, holding out the chopsticks with foolish smiles, that it was difficult to even talk about stopping.   However, I was certain that Yuyu was going to stuff me with the entire contents of her lunchbox at this rate. I had to say it.   “Stop. I’ll feed you this time.”   “…Eh?!”   Yuyu made a surprised look and dropped the chopsticks. After I quickly caught them before they hit the floor and placed them on top of the lunchbox, I picked up my pair of chopsticks and said to her.   “I’m sure to have fed you as well. Or did I only do the eating?”   “B-But…”   With even her ears dyed red, Yuyu was fidgeting.   “If I didn’t, then that’s that.”   “N-No! You did! You filled up my mouth over and over again!”   “…That’s a weird way to put it.”   I picked up a calamari ring with my chopsticks.   Although Yuyu had an expression of mixed emotions, she shyly gathered her hands in front of her chest, closed her eyes, and opened her mouth.   I’ll feed her a few times like this and call it quits. Thinking that, I carried the calamari ring to her mouth. But at that moment—   “H-Hold on!”   Shouted Yuyu, suddenly covering her mouth with her hand.   “What now?”   “N-No. It’s embarra.s.sing to have my mouth open …”   What’s that supposed to mean?   “You can see inside my mouth… A-And if I have my mouth open in front of you like this, it’s as if…”   “As if?”   “A-Anyhow, it’s indecent! No is a no!”   Yuyu blushed while still shouting nonsense.   “Well, then we’ll not do it.”   “I-I don’t want that!”   “What do you want me to do…”   “Uu… S-Since I’m embarra.s.sed because you’re looking at me…”   Yuyu spoke hesitantly.   “F-Feed me with your eyes closed...”   What kind of play is that?   But I couldn’t even be bothered to argue anymore, so I decided to attempt a feat of feeding someone with my eyes shut in the end.   “Ah, not there… Okay, slightly to the right, no, you went too far down now. Ah, keep going… O-Oww, not there!”   It felt like I touched something, but it appears it wasn’t her mouth and I was a little off.   It’d be a whole lot easier if I could just open my eyes and adjust the position myself, but I don’t think she’ll let me.   “Ah... Yes, r-right ther- Mn! ...Ith toh bih, ith wun guh in...”   Guess the calamari ring was too big to eat in one bite. I had no choice but to open my eyes, cut it in half, and try it again.   At the least, it succeeded with ease this time around. Looking happy, Yuyu chewed energetically and swallowed with a bright smile.   “Th-Thank you for the food…”   …Mm, what an odd sense of accomplishment.   Seeing Yuyu saying that with her face turned red, I started feeling weird for some reason.   “O-One more time…”   “We’re ending it here.”   “...Ehh!?”   Yuyu seemed like she was ready to cry, but I left her alone and started eating the lunch on my own. I had a gut feeling that I shouldn’t keep feeding her like this.   Apparently giving up, Yuyu also started eating her lunch again, and eventually both lunchboxes were cleaned empty.   “Thanks, it was delicious.”   After another word of thanks, I finished eating. There was no sign of my memories returning, but it didn’t feel bad at all, perhaps it was because I had a different lunch from usual.   “So what did we do next after lunch?”   Feeding each other had taken quite amount of time, but was still some left until the fifth period.   “Wh-What did we do? Of course we…”   “Aside from unwholesome things.”   “Uu… We would just talk…”   “And?”   “…Study.”   I thought as much. After all, that was the reason how I came to start eating my lunch here.   “Ah, come to think of it, I didn’t bring stuff to study.”   It was obvious since I came here completely empty-handed.   “I have some with me.”   Yuyu then took out a stack of printouts and a pencil case from her bag for the lunchboxes. No wonder the bag was so big.   “Here, take it.”   “Th-This is?!”   My eyes opened wide after looking at the printouts that Yuyu held out to me.   “Th-These are from the renowned math teacher that works at the nearby academy…?!”   I could tell at a single glance. These printouts contained only the questions with the highest level of difficulty.   Such question would only appear about once on a test, but for those people like me who don’t want to miss that single question, these questions were extremely helpful.   “Sometimes I lent you the printouts I got from the academy…”   “I-I see. That’s really…”   For me, who’s not able to attend an academy due to financial circ.u.mstances, these were really valuable printouts. Touched with overflowing emotions, I bowed my head to Yuyu.   “Thank you, thank you very much!”   “I-It’s fine… Gla.s.ses, you’re being so happy that it’s a bit disgusting…”   Yuyu had an irritated look for real, but I was in no state to be concerned about that. Bursting with excitement, I borrowed a pen and lined papers from Yuyu and started solving the questions on the printouts.   “……”   Yuyu watched me with complicated feelings for a while, then she smiled bitterly, got her printouts out, and started studying as well.   While studying, we asked each other about the parts that we weren’t sure or certain about. As expected of someone who’s second in school rank, we understood each other really well.   Like that, we studied together until lunchtime was over. Although it was a study session with an unfamiliar atmosphere that my amnesiac self experienced for the first time… It wasn’t a bad time.     ◇   ◇     “So you studied with Miss Yuyu during lunchtime again today?”   “Yeah, pretty much.”   Today is Wednesday. It’s been three days since we started this pseudo-romance to get my memories back.   Like always, I was working part-time at Café Saint after school. Now it felt I got accustomed to working with my junior.   “Even though I told you not to study.”   Ka-ryeon let out a sigh and muttered.   Currently the Manageress was in the kitchen preparing ingredients for the evening, and only Ka-ryeon and I were on the floor.   “Telling me not to study is like telling a shark not to swim.”   “…That sounds more serious than just saying ‘I will die if I don’t study.’”   If sharks don’t swim, they sink to the seafloor and die from hypoxia.   “Is it because you studied? I feel like you’ve become more relaxed than you were in the beginning. Even when I tease—I mean, express my affections—it doesn’t seem to sway you much.”   “Did I hear you say ‘tease’ just now? You said ‘tease,’ right?”   “You were so composed yesterday too, saying ‘Don’t seduce me any further, baby. If you do, you’ll get burnt from my hidden Fire Blade☆’. You meanie.”   “ ...Your delusions are increasing.”   This girl tried to seduce me yesterday as well like when she raised the hem of her skirt the other day. That’s why I emphasized that I won’t accept such acts from now like I did with Yuyu. However…   She was standing by in the staff room in her underwear today, matched to the time that I arrive. Then when I knocked on the door, she nonchalantly replied ‘I’m fully changed, so it’s okay to come in~’ and was waiting for me to enter. But because I sensed something was suspicious and asked the Manageress to go in there, I was able to avoid the situation of seeing this girl in her underwear personally.   …But I don’t why she is this obsessed over showing her underwear. Maybe to get something on me…? She can’t be doing this because she wants to show off her underwear.   “Anyhow, you better really stay focused today. If you work like you did yesterday…”   I said sharply to Ka-ryeon, recalling her work att.i.tude yesterday that was completely different from Monday.   “But I don’t feel like working when you don’t dote on me…”   “Can’t you just work…?”   “Boosting the female junior’s will to work by satisfying her s.e.xually is an important duty that the male employee of this store has been a.s.signed with. I’ll inform the Manageress for neglect of duty if you don’t push me down on that table right now and violate me wildly.”   “Go ahead, be my guest. Let’s hear what the Manageress has to say after hearing her little sister say stuff like that.”   “That’s harsh, Sunbae. How could you give me the cold shoulder when I worked so hard to satisfy your s.e.xual appet.i.te all this time?”   “At least decide first which side is satisfying which…”   “In my opinion, trust built through s.e.xual relations.h.i.+p increases workplace efficiency.”   “Just get back to cleaning!”   As we pa.s.sed the time chatting in whispers so that the Manageress in the kitchen wouldn’t hear us, customers started coming in one by one.   I took the orders and served the food, and moved about busily while sometimes casting a scowl at Ka-ryeon when she’s slacking off.   But even during those busy times, there was something that continued to bother me.   “Hey.”   “Yes, Sunbae.”   “That girl over there… It’s her, right?”   “...I believe you’re right.”   Verifying with Ka-ryeon, I sideglanced at the female customer sitting by herself at the table in the corner.   Her appearance was suspicious in that she had a hat and a mask on even though it was indoors. She was stealing glances at me and Ka-ryeon at every opportunity.   I understand stealing glances at Ka-ryeon since there are people who visit this store to see her beauty among other customers. However, it’s a bit weird to glance at me as well.   Especially when Ka-ryeon is near me, she looks this way with glaring eyes.   Just like now.   ‘What are you doing, Yu Yuyu…’   The customer who came here under a disguise was none other than Yuyu. Although she had changed her clothes and her hairstyle in addition to hiding her face with a hat and a mask, she was immediately recognizable due to her distinctive figure.   “What’s with her? She could just eat normally if she wants to have a meal here.”   “Let’s leave her alone for the time being.”   After saying that, Ka-ryeon lightly walked into the kitchen and brought the crabmeat cream pasta that Yuyu ordered. Then after she put the food down on table where Yuyu sat, she even smiled and said ‘Enjoy your meal’ before leaving. All in a very natural manner.   “…Why are you working so hard all of a sudden?”   “Because it’s an amusing situation.”   “Please work normally…”   I let out a sigh while sideglancing at Yuyu who was worried if she should remove the mask in order to eat.     And when dinnertime was over.   Yuyu remained still in her seat and sipped on the cup of water until all other customers left.   “G.o.d, I’m tired… Here, eat up you two…”   The Manageress came out of the kitchen bleary-eyed and put our meals down on the counter.   “Hah… I wish we had some customers besides the evening… Even one person would be nice…”   Despite that one customer was presently seated in the store; it seemed it wasn’t entering the Manageress’ eyes that were half-shut from fatigue. Then again, even if she did see, she’d have thought of it as a hallucination.   After the Manageress crawled into the staff room and closed the door, the store turned quiet. In the silence, I let out a sigh and asked:   “So, what are you doing, Yuyu?”   Yuyu, who had her lips on the cup of water, flinched at those words. But then she continued to sip on the cup of water again as if nothing happened.   You already drank all the water...   Looks like I have to call her again.   “…Yu Yuyu.”   “Don’t call me that!”   With the mask on her chin flapping, Yuyu suddenly stood up.   But she soon realized her mistake and blushed.   “Why are you here? You normally request packaged meal for dinner.”   “I, I had a feeling that it wouldn’t taste good today…”   “The evening self-study session is on now, why aren’t you heading back?”   “I, I have cram school on Wednesdays, so I naturally miss it.”   “Then why aren’t you at the cram school?”   “I, I got a text message a while ago saying the cram school is off today…”   “……”   “I-I’m sorry! It’s a lie! I’m just playing truant! I admit doing wrong, so please don’t look at me with such scary eyes…!”   “Sunbae… As expected, you reaction is different when it’s related to studies.”   Ka-ryeon stared at me in strange amazement.   I cleared my throat and opened my mouth again.   “So why are you here?”   “U-Um…”   After Yuyu took off her hat and mask, she said while blus.h.i.+ng:   “B-Because I wanted to see my boyfriend working… C-Can’t I?”   Speaking shyly with her eyes gazing up at me, Yuyu looked inexplicably cute.   “Of course not.”   But Ka-ryeon’s sole response to such cuteness was a cold reply.   “Did you forget? The time that Miss Yuyu is allotted to spend with Sunbae is from 7am until 4pm. He’s your boyfriend only at school. It’s currently ‘Han Ka-ryeon Time’, so you shouldn’t interfere.”   “Th-That’s…”   Not even able to get angry over the fact that she called her by her full name, Yuyu stared at me as though she was struck speechless. But I had nothing in particular that I could say. Eventually, Yuyu looked at Ka-ryeon again and raised her voice.   “S-Still, I’m curious! You might try to do weird things to Gla.s.ses, s-so I came to keep a close watch!”   “And what are these weird things?”   “Th-They’re …”   “Rest a.s.sured, we don’t do weird things like the ones you’re thinking about."   “R-Really?”   “We just engage in obscene acts normally.”   “That’s not normal!”   Although I shouted abruptly, Ka-ryeon paid no attention.   “Well, whether or not Sunbae and I engage in obscene acts, that’s not really an important matter.”   “No, I think it is important…”   “Anyhow.”   Looking at Yuyu, Ka-ryeon spoke.   “Whatever I do with Sunbae, that’s my freedom. It’s not something you should concern yourself with.”   “But…”   “I’ll have you know.”   Cutting off Yuyu, Ka-ryeon said tersely.   “Like you, I’m serious as well.”   “……”   Yuyu stared at Ka-ryeon as though lost for words.   “I’ll at least treat you to a cup of coffee. Please leave when you’re finished.”   Yuyu couldn’t say anything further to Ka-ryeon’s resolute voice. She lowered her head a bit when she took the coffee from Ka-ryeon shortly after, and that was it.   “…Well then, Sunbae, shall we eat?”   “Wait, hold on.”   Although I was still kind of feeling daunted due to Ka-ryeon’s sudden seriousness, I stopped her because I thought it was wrong to have dinner like usual in this current situation.   “Eating at the counter like usual when there’s a customer is a bit… Shouldn’t we eat inside the kitchen or something?”   “Ah, y-you don’t have to mind me!”   Yuyu said, raising her head. Still, I couldn’t do that.   “That’s true. But we can’t leave this place completely unattended …"   Ka-ryeon thought for a moment.   “…No, let’s just eat here.”   “But we have a customer…”   “You don’t have to treat me as a customer! Act like usual!”   “We should do as she says.”   That was quite unexpected, coming from Ka-ryeon.   It’s obvious that Yuyu will watch if we eat here together… I thought she didn’t like her being here.   “Well, okay then.”  
After I sat at the counter first, Ka-ryeon sat to my right.   ...So closely that her arm was firmly pressed against mine.   “…Why are you so close?”   “This is the usual distance.”   “No, it isn’t… Also, I can’t eat like this!”   How am I supposed to eat if you stick to my right arm like that!   “Ah, my mistake.”   Muttering, Ka-ryeon stood up from her seat with her plate.   Then she sat to my left.   “Here, Sunbae♡”   Whispering in a soft voice, Ka-ryeon grabbed my left hand.   “You loved touching my thighs while sitting closely like this. You were always saying ‘the spice that makes food most delicious is a highschool girl’s thighs.”   “Don’t lie!”   I pulled out my hand, startled.   “Just what are you doing when there’s someone watching behind us!”   To my response, Ka-ryeon turned her attention to Yuyu sitting behind her back. I looked back as well, and sure enough, Yuyu was on the verge of tears, looking this way.   “So stop it with the…”   The moment I turned my head to Ka-ryeon, I saw a small smile crossed her lips.   “Don’t tell me…”   This is to keep Yuyu in check?!   Now I understood why Ka-ryeon wanted to just eat here. Since she can’t force Yuyu to leave right away, she intends to keep her in check by showing what kind of relations.h.i.+p she has with me while Yuyu is present.   ‘S-Scary…”   Women are frightening creatures…   “Sunbae.”   As I was eating while seized by such astonishment, Ka-ryeon spoke to me again.   “What?”   I wonder what kind of nonsense she’s going to say this time.   Thinking that, I replied without turning my head. Then her calm voice reached my ears.     “The reason why you didn’t go out with girls was because of a trauma from elementary school, right?”     I nearly dropped my spoon.   “…What trauma?”   “The one where you confessed to a girl in the same cla.s.s and got rejected because you had poor grades.”   I looked at Ka-ryeon in the eyes with a stiff expression on my face. Her hands still, she was looking at me calmly.   And probably, behind my back, Yuyu was looking at me while swallowing her breath.   “…I even told you about that story?”   “Yes, since I’m your fiancée.”   Ka-ryeon answered so without a change in her expression.   Why on earth are we talking about this now? Is this also to keep Yuyu in check?   “……”   I wanted to turn my head and check Yuyu’s reaction.   Did I tell Yuyu about this story, too? It should be fine if she had heard about it like Ka-ryeon, but it could cause a misunderstanding if she’s hearing about it for the first time today.   I don’t feel like it, but I’ll have to clarify on that. I sighed and opened my mouth.   “If I had told you about that story, I should’ve had also stated that it has nothing to do with me going out with girls. The reason why I have no interest in girls is simply because I want to devote myself to my study. Although it’s not completely unrelated since it’s true that I started studying due do that incident, it’s not like that made me hate girls or anything.”   Precisely speaking, I don’t really think about girls. I never got involved romantically with a girl since then, and was never conscious about it.   “It’s not something like a trauma. It’s just an embarra.s.sing memory.”   “That’s what you’ve said before as well, Sunbae.”   Ka-ryeon nodded while replying casually.   “However, can you say for certain that it had no impact on you at all?   “…What do you mean?”   Ka-ryeon didn’t answer.   As I stared at her still, Ka-ryeon rested her chin in her hand and spoke.   “The girl you liked when you were a kid… Despite the fact that she had no feelings for you, she treated you intimately in order to take advantage of you, right?”   “That’s…”   You could say she was keeping me on the hook.   “Then you must’ve come to hate people who approach you with ulterior motives, right?”   “…No, isn’t that the same for everyone?”   “But don’t you think you have come to hate those people all the more through that experience? I think it became difficult to accept.”   I was lost in deep thought momentary at that question. People who approach you with ulterior motives, huh…   “That’s you!”   I shouted at Ka-ryeon.   You’re the one who approached me with the ulterior motive of wanting to become a NEET!   “It’s not an ulterior motive since I’ve already confessed my true intention. Besides, a seemingly obvious motive is rather cute.”   “That’s not the…”   At that moment, I heard a rattling noise from behind.   “…I’m leaving. Thank you for the coffee.”   Yuyu put the money down on the table and got up from her seat. Then she left the store right away without a chance for anyone to speak to her.   I couldn’t see her face because her head was hanging way down.   “What’s with her?”   Bewildered, I stared in the direction of the door that Yuyu walked out of, and then I heard Ka-ryeon’s quiet voice.   “I was only planning to feel her out a little, but her reaction is beyond what I’d expected.”   “…What?”   In a daze, I looked at Ka-ryeon who was seated beside me. She was smiling with her chin resting in her hand.   “Just what are you doin—”   “Sunbae, I told you.”   Sweeping the hair up around her ear, she spoke in a calm voice.   “I am serious.”   Saying such words, her eyes were like a deep pond.   They were the kind of eyes where you couldn’t see the bottom.   “……”   At a loss for words, I averted my gaze from her.   When I turned my attention to the seat where Yuyu had been sitting, I saw the money she had left on the table. Looking at the ten thousand won bill was enough to leave over change even after combining the costs for the dinner and coffee, I imagined what kind of thoughts Yuyu was thinking right now.   But for me who has lived without great interest in girls— no, in other people—there was no way I could figure out her feelings.   “Hey, Kyeong-hyun. I’m sorry, but could I ask you for a favour?”   It was at that very moment that the Manageress came out of the staff room with a stiff expression.     ◇   ◇     It was raining outside before we knew it.   After checking the dimly lit streets with the rain pouring down, I closed the door and returned inside the store.   “At this rate, wouldn’t it be better to just close the store?”   As I muttered so while sitting at the counter, Ka-ryeon, who was standing up against the table, replied.   “Even so, my sister is a stickler for following the business hours no matter what. There’s nothing we can do about it.”   “…She should think about the electric bill.”   I sighed and looked inside the empty counter.   Currently, the Manageress was on her way to the hospital after hearing that her friend had a traffic accident.   Her friend that had a traffic accident is one of the people who help out in the store on weekends. I’m also a little worried because I’ve seen her a few times before.   “My sister said she wasn’t badly hurt, so it should be okay.”   Ka-ryeon said in a composed voice.   “I’m sorry. For making you stay late because of my sister’s personal circ.u.mstances.”   “No, well, this much is fine.”   I was staying behind in Manageress’s stead.   Saint’s business hour is to 10 pm. Usually, I leave work a bit before nine o’clock, so I’m working an extra hour.   Although there’s really not much work to do because of the absence of customers, I have to attend the store with Ka-ryeon in any case, clean up the place and return home.   “You’ll get paid overtime, so don’t worry.”   “No, there’s no work to be done, so… staying late for a day is all right. By the way, are you done with the cleaning?”   Just now, I was mopping the hall and kitchen floor, and Ka-ryeon was wiping the tables. The reason why I checked outside earlier was because I had nothing to do after finis.h.i.+ng my areas, but Ka-ryeon should have yet finished cleaning all the tables.   “I don’t like working on rainy days.”   “You make it sound as if you work hard on days where there’s no rain…”   As I said that, Ka-ryeon touched her lips with her hand and laughed coquettishly. It’s really a needless coquettishness.   As I let out a deep sigh, Ka-ryeon drew closer with her skirt rustling and sat beside me. Then she rested her head against my shoulder.   “Hey.”   When I tried to pull away, Ka-ryeon spoke sullenly.   “Isn’t this much okay...?”   “You’re going to start saying weird stuff again while we’re like this anyway.”   “Sunbae, it’s troubling for me if you think I’m a girl who’s in heat round the clock.”   “If it’s not round the clock, then how many hours is it?”   “An hour a day at the most?”   “Okay, then a.s.sign that one hour to the time when I’m not present.”   *Fufu* Ka-ryeon laughed to those words of mine.   “You really are an interesting person, Sunbae.”   “…What is so interesting about me?”   “Your reactions are interesting.”   As I tried to pull away again, Ka-ryeon caught hold of my arm.   “Please let me stay like this for a while.”   Then she whispered quietly.   “I won’t do or say anything weird. Please let me stay like this just for a moment. It doesn’t have to be as your fiancée, so…”   I looked at Ka-ryeon, feeling caught off guard. She had gently closed her eyes and was smiling tenderly.   “I, too, have occasions where I want to entrust myself to my significant person and spend some quiet time.”   I was lost for words.   As I remained still, Ka-ryeon spoke in a dreamy voice.   “It’s quiet.”   “…You can hear the rain, though.”   “It’s quiet, because the sound of rain erases all noise.”   Hearing her say that, I listened carefully to the sounds coming from outside.   As I closed my eyes and listened carefully, the only thing I could really hear was the sound of rain. It felt as though everything in the world had vanished and I was sitting inside the rain by myself.   The sensation of becoming farther apart from the current situation where I was suffering from complicated problems, especially my entanglement with the three girls.   “…No.”   However, I immediately corrected myself in my mind.   At the very least, I could feel her presence beside me even amidst this sound of rain.   “…Han Ka-ryeon.”   “Yes, Sunbae.”   Turning my gaze to Ka-ryeon who replied in a docile voice, I asked her a question.   “Do you find working difficult?”   “I don’t think a person who wants to become a NEET would find working comfortable.”   “No, what I meant was… Do you find it difficult attending customers?”   “What makes you think that?”   “Although you often slack off, you treat customers politely with a smile when you serve them. You don’t have a bad att.i.tude.”   “I’m happy to hear your compliment.”   “But the moment you turn your back against a customer, though it’s for a split-second, you have a worn-out expression on your face.”   Ka-ryeon closed her mouth for a while.   “…I’m embarra.s.sed to know you were gazing at my face like that. Since when did you become unable to take your eyes off me?”   “I thought recovering my memories would also become easier by getting to know you girls better.”   I flat out told Ka-ryeon, who was trying to give an evasive answer.   “To tell the truth, I noticed it when I was trying to make sure you were working properly. When I kept observing you just to make sure, you were always like that.”   “You shouldn’t do that to a girl, you know.”   Ka-ryeon sighed a little and took her head off my shoulder.   “I don’t think it’s a good idea to force yourself to work.”   “Still, it’s my sister’s store.”   Said Ka-ryeon, straightening her hair.   “I’ve always found the act of exchanging conversation with other people itself exhausting. You see, I have sociophobia.”   “But you talk to me just fine.”   “It’s because you’re a special case.”   “Sunbae, my sister… Recently, Miss Yuyu and Miss Yeon-hee would be included as well. Aside from the few people that I wish to be involved with, I find it tiring to even face them. I’m not cut out for the service industry.”   “It’s not like I’m particularly suited for the service industry, either.”   “But you’re diligent, and I’m not.”   “I’m not particularly diligent, it’s just—”   Ignoring my protest, Ka-ryeon cut me off and said in a drowsy voice.   “That’s why I want to become a NEET fast. I want to marry a person that I want to be with and live without seeing anyone else except him.”   Then she added with a sweet smile.   “Like that, I’d pa.s.s the time carefree inside the house all day long.”   I couldn’t keep looking at her straight, so I looked away.   Despite the fact that she was saying something so shameless and selfish, her smile was excessively beautiful.   No matter what self-centered things she may say, her charms were real.   My heart was beating from her smile, so much as to feel the future of living with her appealing.   “…Han Ka-ryeon.”   But I set such feeling aside to corner of my mind and opened my mouth.   “Did I really make a promise to marry you?”   “You still can’t believe it?”   Sighing, I said to her.   “I feel it the more I talk with you: I don’t think myself before the memory loss would’ve accepted you. Each time I talk with you, I feel certain about it.”   “Why is that?” Ka-ryeon no longer had a smile on her face. Instead, she stared at me with a serious look. “Do I upset you for saying such shameless things?”   “…I think other people would criticize you without doubt.”   “By any chance, are you criticizing me in your mind as well, Sunbae?”   Ka-ryeoned asked me while looking into my eyes. I felt as though I’d be sucked into those deep pupils.   “No,” I answered without hesitation. “I find it perplexing, but I don’t think it’s particularly bad.”   “Really? To people like Sunbae who study and work hard, doesn’t a lazy person like me seem pathetic?”   “There’s no way.”   I study and work because I want to. Saying who’s diligent or whatnot with those would be barking up the wrong tree.   On the contrary, I think badly of people just because they don’t work hard in those areas. Although I’d be hard on my juniors if I saw them neglecting their work, I wouldn’t think of that as a human flaw in particular. After all, there are times where I also cut corners on jobs that I don’t want to do.   “Everyone has their own way of living. I think it’s an irresponsible act to evaluate and grade that in detail. There’s no right answer, so you can live the way as you want to live.”   That, of course, comes with responsibility.   “If you can endure everything you’ll come across on the path you’ve chosen, you have nothing to be ashamed of no matter what others may say.”   Ka-ryeon was staring at me wordlessly with her mouth closed.   “Then why won’t you accept me?”   Finally, Ka-ryeon inquired in a subdued voice.   “Is it because I’m of no use in your life?”   “You’re the one who said it’s worth it for the fact alone that I’ll be able to have you.”   Sighing, I retorted.   “It’s not that. That’s not the reason.”   “Then why?”   Ka-ryoned asked as if pressing for an answer.   However, instead of answering her, I threw a question of my own.   “How many years have you lived until now?”   Ka-ryeon had an expression like she was caught off-guard.   “How many years has it been since you’ve had this way of thinking like now?”   Before Ka-ryeon could even open her mouth to reply, I kept questioning her.   “How much time has pa.s.sed since you’ve met me and wanted to live together with me?”   Ka-ryeon, who was waiting for a chance to speak, opened her mouth in a hurry.   “Even if my time spent with you is short, my feelings are real.”   Ka-ryeon said while placing her hand across her chest.   “Of course, as a family member, Miss Yeon-hee would have spent a long time with you that’s incomparable to mine. And Miss Yuyu, who goes to the same school, would have spent more time with you than me as well. But…”   “No, that’s not it.”   I said, shaking my head slightly.   “How many years are you going to live with me after our marriage?”   “How many years…?”   “One year? Two years? Five years? Ten years?”   “What are you talking about, if we get married…”   “That’s right, we’ll have to live together for decades if we were to live with each other.”   I said to Ka-ryeon.   “I believe that is something we should decide on after much more prudence and further contemplation.”   “……”   Ka-ryeon was looking at me with her eyes wide open.   I said to her while trying hard to get as much of my thoughts across as possible.   “It’s not like we can get married right now, anyway. Then you still have a lot of time.”   She has to think much more not only about her decision of choosing me as her marriage partner, but her dream of becoming a NEET after marrying.   “Even if you marry and become a NEET, you’ll still have to graduate from high school. Then you have almost three years left. You can keep thinking during that time. Is the path I have in mind really the one that I should tread… A different conclusion might appear while thinking that. Then it would be troublesome when you’re engaged to someone.”   Even if that person isn’t me.   “Of course, you don’t need to limit it to when you’re attending school. You can keep contemplating even after graduating from high school. There’s no need to get married right away.”   “I don’t want to go to university, and I also don’t want to work.”   “Then you can remain as a NEET. If even you don’t marry me, just live as a NEET in your current home.”   “That would be too much for my sister!”   At that moment, Ka-ryeon raised her voice for the first time.   “Continuing to put burden on my sister when there’s nothing I can do to repay her is too shameless…”   For Ka-ryeon who wants to live a comfortable life, the only factor that was restricting her was her feelings for her sister who had brought her up by herself.   But she should know this well, too.   “There’s no way that the Manageress would consider looking after you as a burden.”   Ka-ryeon was caught off-balance by my comment.   “Is she the sort of person who would feel burdened from supporting you? I’ve only known her for a year, but she’s absolutely not that kind of person from how I see it.”   For someone like her who has looked after her little sister on her own without anyone’s help, who always lives every day to the fullest even when the store she set up through blood, sweat and tears isn’t working out the way she thought it would... There’s no way she would feel burdened from that.   “Don’t take her lightly. If you get married and tell her that you’re leaving the house, she’d probably cling onto you and ask you not to leave her behind.”   I can easily predict the Manageress’ state of mind because I have a little sister, too. Even if I was in a situation where I had to work to support Yeon-hee, I would never think of it as being a burden.   …Of course, I wouldn’t do so because it’d be bad for Yeon-hee if I were to take care of her forever. After all, I don’t have a sister complex!   “Have more faith in your sister. She’ll wait as much as you need for you to decide your way of life.”   Ka-ryeon was staring at me motionlessly.   “I went off on a tangent for a bit, but—”   I said, clearing my throat.   “Anyhow, I could only think like this after hearing your story as my current self. Of course, the pre-amnesiac me may have different. But if it was my current self, I would’ve told you to give it a bit more thought.”   Even if her words were from her heart in earnest.   “I wou