Chapter 348
Chapter 348
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 348
Chapter Title: The Room You Can't Leave Without Sex (8)
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Minami couldn't make sense of the situation unfolding right before her eyes.
Why Haito, and not Shohei?
Just to be safe, she'd even asked Shohei to keep his smartphone on him... but the one who actually matched up was Shohei's uncle, Haito. Minami hung her head in utter dejection. And what the hell was this "Soulmate Mission"? Now facing the prospect of kissing Haito, her eyes reddened with resentment.
"Um, Sakura... did you tap the match button, by any chance?"
"...W-what?!"
At that moment, Haito pulled out his smartphone with a somewhat awkward expression. Shockingly, the "Fuck or Stuck" app was installed on his phone. Seeing this, Minami was left speechless. The fact hit her harder than the mission forcing a kiss—her mind went completely blank, like a white sheet of paper.
"Truth is, after that day, I've been investigating 'that room' nonstop. Can't just sit around waiting to get dragged into another mess like that, right? So for the past few days, I looked into the rumors you mentioned... and that's how I stumbled on this 'Room You Can't Leave Without Sex' app."
"Ahh..."
"I had just installed it to check it out when suddenly everything went dark... Haha, next thing I know, I'm back here again."
"Ugh."
"That's why I'm asking... did you tap the match button?"
"Th-that..."
To make matters worse, Minami panicked completely. Her face burned like a fireball. Asking if she'd hit match was basically asking if she'd planned to have sex with Shohei. She couldn't muster any response.
"I-I mean..."
She had tapped match, but she could never admit it outright. As she trembled and stammered, Haito sighed, shook his head, and tried to soothe her.
"Sigh, no... It's an app even Siwoo doesn't know about—you wouldn't have tapped match. Sorry, Sakura. I jumped to conclusions. Probably some glitch with the app itself."
"N-no, it's not..."
"But... you had no idea this app even existed, right?"
"Y-yeah... f-first time seeing it."
"Hard to believe, huh? But this ridiculous app actually exists... Sigh, that's what makes it such a problem. Me and Siwoo are fine, but if Chiaki gets trapped in here... Whew... Oh, right. And be careful—it can install itself without warning."
"......On its own?"
"Yeah. Some virus or whatever. It showed up on Siwoo's phone without him knowing. I deleted it, but I'm worried it'll come back. So Sakura, check your phone whenever you can. Otherwise, you end up like this... Well, too late now... Damn."
"Wh-what did you say?!"
Minami shouted in shock without thinking. Only now did the situation click for her. If Haito was telling the truth, it all made sense. Damn, she should've checked Shohei's phone for the "Fuck or Stuck" app to confirm... She'd jumped the gun again with her hasty judgment.
Haito being trapped in "Fuck or Stuck" with her instead of Shohei was, regrettably, Minami's mistake. And the price? A kiss... her very first kiss in life. Realizing this, tears streamed down Minami's face.
"S-Sakura?! Ah, sorry... If I hadn't installed this app..."
"No... It's not your fault, sob... It's not..."
"No, anyone can see it's my fault. If I was gonna investigate, I should've done it somewhere empty. But stupidly, I did it at home... right when you came over... Damn it, this is all on me. I'm really sorry..."
"Don't blame yourself, sob... I-It's not your fault..."
Minami burst into tears, and Haito comforted her. But the more he tried, the heavier her guilt grew. She'd made the mistake, yet innocent Haito was apologizing... It made her feel so sorry she thought she'd lose her mind.
"Sakura..."
"Sob, waaah... Haito..."
"Whew... Okay, it's not my fault. But that doesn't mean it's yours either, right? So... let's calm down. I'll calm down too, so no more crying, Sakura."
"Haito..."
Haito spread his arms and embraced the trembling Minami. Held in his warm embrace, she hesitated for a moment... then hugged him back. He wasn't Shohei, but Haito was just as reliable and dependable. Feeling his hand gently stroking her hair, Minami cautiously closed her eyes.
"Feeling better now?"
"Y-yeah... Thank you... Ah?!"
"Yeah? Haha... Your shirt's soaked. You cried a lot, huh?"
"Th-that's..."
"It's fine, it's fine. Anyway, now that you're calm... how about we talk this over?"
"Ughhh... You mean the mission?"
"Yeah. Soulmate Mission... Probably another glitch, right?"
It probably is, Minami replied awkwardly. But deep down, she knew. Her compatibility with Haito was 100%. The Soulmate Mission wasn't a glitch. Sure, "soulmates" here meant perfect sexual chemistry... but either way, they now had to do more than just sex—they needed to kiss too. For a full hour.
"I'd love to ignore it... but it feels like we have no choice."
"Me too..."
"So, I'm gonna ask... Have you done it with Siwoo?"
"......No."
"Sigh... I figured. This is bad. If it was just something casual, no big deal... Whew, sorry Sakura, but mind if I grab a beer?"
"Huh?"
"I saw some in the fridge last time. Haha... Can't handle the stress without a drink. Just one can."
"O-okay... Sure."
Before Minami could finish, Haito stood up. He unbuttoned his damp shirt and walked over, opening the fridge door. He grabbed a beer and chugged it down in one go. The glugging sounds made his throat bob enticingly. For some reason, Minami found the sight incredibly attractive.
"Phew... This is like draft beer. So damn good."
Come to think of it, the original was a handsome guy... Recalling his face hidden under shaggy hair, Minami blushed.
"Really? Is booze that tasty?"
"Hmm, taste-wise not really... but with beer, the crispness and how it goes down matter too."
"Hmm... Can I try one too?"
"What?"
"I'm stressed too... And kinda curious about the taste..."
"Sure thing. Cheers together?"
Haito approached with a grin at her request. Minami took the beer and mimicked him—crack it open and chug. But she ended up coughing and hacking. Tastes good, my ass... She pouted her lower lip.
"Hahaha. What's with that face."
"Tastes bad..."
"Told you, it's not about the taste."
Haito kept chugging away regardless. Strangely, watching him made it look tasty again. He could film a commercial... Minami muttered inwardly and reached for another can.
"Kuh..."
"Pfft, what was that sound? Some old dude?"
"Hmph, I was imitating youuu."
Still tasted bad. But not awful. Maybe because she'd ditched her expectations? She didn't get the crispness or whatever, but... as she kept drinking, it started making sense. The rough carbonation flowing down her throat cooled her stuffy heart bit by bit.
"Hey, hey. Easy does it. You said just one can."
"I said I'd drink one... Heh, never said just one can..."
Is this why people drink beer? Having discovered its appeal, she cracked open a second... then soon a third, fourth. Maybe from all the stress built up over the past few days, Minami showed no signs of stopping.
"Hic... More beer?"
"Nah, that's all there is. Time to quit. You've had plenty."
"Really... Hehe... But why do you keep shaking your head?"
"Sigh... You're totally wasted."
"Me? Not drunk... Hehe, says I'm drunk. Haha, that's hilarious."
Before long, Minami was drunk for real. In her good mood, she grinned ear to ear at Haito, as if she'd never cried. All her unpleasant worries had vanished long ago. Her high spirits made her look happier than anyone.
"This won't do. Mission later—let's just crash for today."
"Mission... Oh yeah... Gotta do the mission... Haito, come here a sec."
"Huh? What now?"
But the alcohol had simplified her thoughts too much. Fixated on the kiss, Minami called Haito over and lifted her face to press her lips to his.
"Mmph... Y-you okay with this?"
"Haa... I just kissed... Hehe, what now..."
"Sakura, mmph?!"
No shame or embarrassment. No guilt over Shohei. Just a thrilling rush of pleasure. So this is a kiss... she murmured softly, pulling Haito into an embrace.
Soon, Haito hugged her back. Feeling a flutter at his touch, Minami parted her lips.
Their first kiss tasted like beer.