Chapter 51

No, seriously, what.

What is going on here.

Fine. Lee Su-a volunteering to dry my hair—that I could understand. Obviously, I have no way of knowing how girls actually hang out together, not when I was a guy in my last life. But drying and playing with each other's hair? I could kind of picture that....Maybe because it showed up so much in all the anime I watched as a teenager. I'm not sure.

But the other two besides Lee Su-a—

"...You're actually going to wear that?"

I looked at Shin So-hee, who was clutching one of my school uniform shirts to her chest as if she dared anyone to take it.

"Yep, this is all I need. I just wear a shirt at home too."

...She wears nothing but a shirt at home? Is that a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠thing?

I mean, I never had a sister, so I can't say for sure. Still, the image of someone in nothing but a shirt and underwear doesn't exactly scream "indoor loungewear" to me. The only thing that comes to mind is that scene in movies, the one right after the love scene, where ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the heroine is wearing the boyfriend's shirt.

Then again, I have heard one of those girl group members mention that everyone just hangs around the dorm naked. If that's what she finds comfortable, I guess it's a thing. Billions of people in the world—taste isn't exactly uniform.

Sure. Shin So-hee is a dating sim character. The sprite art never had proper fanservice scenes, but if her way of thinking feels a little dating-sim-heroine-like... I tried to convince myself, tried to accept the situation.

Not that I understood why she was saying all this while staring at me with burning eyes instead of at the female lead.

It was hard to believe she'd gotten that attached to me in less than a week of knowing each other... So, yeah, I should just take her claims at face value and move on.

But even if I take several steps back and try to be understanding, there's something I simply cannot make sense of.

"There's no way that shirt is going to fit you."

Exactly.

Ye Sa-ra did 'have' a chest. She was a dating sim character, after all; she didn't suffer the tragedy of "your stomach sticks out more than your chest." When she wore thin clothes, it was still obvious she was a woman.

...It was the kind of figure that made you wonder if she even needed a bra, but anyway.

And what about Shin So-hee?

Even in the sprite art, she was unmistakably big-chested. No, she might even be teetering on the edge of the definition of huge. She was tall and well-proportioned, so it didn't feel exaggerated, but still—one look and the thought "Oh, they're big" would pop into your head without question.

Meaning, comparing her to Ye Sa-ra in size was utterly pointless.

And it wasn't just the chest. Her height was different, her build was different. Honestly, even if the cup size matched, I couldn't imagine Shin So-hee actually fitting into that shirt.

"Eh, it's fine if it's a little small. I might not look it, but I'm pretty slim, you know?"

I don't think slimness is the issue here... Well, judging by the look of things, even if I offered to lend her different clothes now, she wouldn't listen. I decided to let it go for the moment.

Whirrr, the hair dryer hummed softly. Sshk, sshk. It was a little different from the way my personal maid Yang Hye-in did it, but I liked the feel of Lee Su-a's touch, she combed carefully so my hair wouldn't tangle or hurt.

Before I knew it, my eyes were half-closed. Ha-neul spoke up.

"I'm gonna wear this!"

Ha-neul held up the black t-shirt she had picked out for me on Saturday. Hm... Yu Ha-neul was about my height, but I was skinnier. Chest-wise, Yu Ha-neul was noticeably bigger.

But a t-shirt stretches, so whatever. It wouldn't be a catastrophe. At worst, the chest area would get a little stretched out.

"And this too!"

"......."

This one, however, was a problem in its own way.

What Ha-neul held up so shamelessly was a rolled-up pair of mine, well, Ye Sa-ra's, panties.

Yes. Panties.

Sky-blue panties.

"...You're really okay with that?"

I asked again. Is sharing underwear between girls actually that normal? Do girls borrow each other's underwear? I genuinely do not know.

By my standards from back when I was a guy, I would've freaked out if a male friend asked to borrow my underwear. Sure, in the army, supplies are scarce, so it wouldn't be weird if some guys stole and wore someone else's, but in civilian life, there's no need for that. You can walk into a 24-hour convenience store and buy spare underwear on the spot.

And even if you couldn't get spares, I'd have no problem telling a friend to just wear what he had on yesterday.

But girls—

What's more, this world isn't the normal world I lived in. It's a world inside a dating sim. One where you can pursue girls. One where it's somewhat accepted for girls to date each other.

So it makes me think even weirder thoughts. Is lending underwear between girls really normal?

Look, Shin So-hee is watching Ha-neul with narrowed eyes too. And Shin So-hee already bought underwear at the convenience store.

"It's fine."

But when she answers so confidently, well... I don't have a comeback either.

If that's what she says, what can I do?

I have no choice but to accept it as the common sense of this world. I mean... I don't have a reason to feel weird about it either. She's going to wash them before wearing them anyway.

"Sara, your hair is really nice. Do you get it treated every day?"

Treatments... I guess so, right? In the morning, after I wash up half-asleep, I just sit there and Yang Hye-in takes care of everything. I think she puts various things in my hair too. In the evening, she just dries and combs it, though.

"Probably. I don't do it myself."

"O-oh, I see."

Lee Su-a sounded a little flustered. Fair enough. Even most rich families don't have a live-in maid on staff twenty-four seven. And on top of that, Yang Hye-in was young and beautiful. Bringing in someone like that to do housework... Ah, well, I've already heard what Yang Hye-in's annual salary is, come to think of it.

Honestly, if the Chairwoman were a man instead of a woman, my imagination would definitely have run wild in a certain direction. Not that it doesn't do that at all just because she's a woman, but... fortunately, I know full well the Chairwoman hardly ever comes to this mansion. So at least I don't have to suspect anything like that.

"By the way, aren't you guys going to wash up?"

When I asked, a sudden silence fell over the three of them.

They just glanced at each other. Had they not decided on an order yet?

Swsh, swsh.

At the sensation of gentle strokes along the back of my head, I found my eyes half-closing once again.

"It smells nice. Do you use something special?"

Lee Su-a asked while stroking my hair. I answered without turning around, in case I disrupted the brushing.

"Uh... I don't really know the name. Should I ask my maid tomorrow?"

"Please do. I'd like to use the same one. That way we'll smell the same."

"Oh, uh, s-sure...?"

Is that normally how you say you want to use the same shampoo...?

*

"Alright, I'll wash up first."

Shin So-hee said, getting to her feet.

Truth be told, even as she stood, she felt uneasy. She couldn't help being bothered, heading into the shower while leaving behind Yu Ha-neul, who obviously had a personal interest in Sara, and Lee Su-a, who was right then touching Sara's hair with evident pleasure.

Lee Su-a, whom Shin So-hee had thought wasn't showing much interest in that way, had turned off the hair dryer but was still running the comb through Sara's hair. Sara, seemingly aware or maybe not, just sat there with her eyes half-closed like a cat getting its neck scratched.

But Shin So-hee had seen it. Just moments ago, Lee Su-a had casually lifted a strand of hair with the hand holding the comb and brought it to her nose. Sara, who hadn't turned around, wouldn't know what had happened.

...Sara had been completely off guard.

Still, Lee Su-a's expression hadn't shown any blatant emotion like Yu Ha-neul's. That action of briefly smelling the hair looked as if it really was just curiosity about the scent.

But you had to remember: Lee Su-a wasn't as wealthy as Ye Sa-ra, but she still came from plenty of money. Hiding her expression was probably easy for her.

...Even so, the fortunate thing was that those two were every bit as cowardly as Shin So-hee herself.

Lee Su-a was still hiding her feelings, so it was hard to tell, but Yu Ha-neul—she let her affection show that openly and yet still couldn't bring herself to confess to Sara. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠She just initiated physical contact whenever she felt like it.

If they weren't sure of their own feelings, then nothing was going to happen while Shin So-hee showered... probably.

Shin So-hee comforted herself with that thought. She had to wash up anyway. Her turn would come once the others had gone in.

...Still, let's get it done as fast as possible.

Shin So-hee thought as she looked at Sara, whose eyes were half-closed as if savoring Lee Su-a's touch.

*

"I'm done!"

Huh?

It felt like she'd just walked in there a couple of minutes ago.

I mean, sure. If you want to wash fast, you can wash fast. But there's still a lower limit. Never mind getting used to a shower you're using for the first time, figuring out where everything is, or thinking the water temperature is too hot or too cold, Shin So-hee's hair is pretty long. Washing it with shampoo ought to take a while.

Nothing much happened after Shin So-hee went into the shower. Lee Su-a kept touching my hair, and Ha-neul watched Lee Su-a with envy in her eyes. I'd been sitting there, losing track of time while I quietly felt those soft touches, when suddenly Shin So-hee yanked the shower room door open and came out.

"All done—whoa!"

I turned toward Shin So-hee without thinking, and involuntarily gasped.

...Somehow, Shin So-hee was wearing my shirt.

She was. 'Wearing' it. A piece of clothing that did not fit her body.

Maybe her waist is ridiculously thin. She'd managed the buttons over her stomach well enough, but the chest area, obviously, was a different story. The button right below her chest was barely fastened, clinging on dangerously as if it might pop off at any second.

Of course, she hadn't been able to fasten anything above that. It was even more disorienting than when she walked around with three buttons undone. How to put it—pressed tight from both sides, making it seem even deeper... That part, anyway, was vividly on display.

Since she was taller, the shirt was incomparably shorter than the boyfriend's shirt a movie heroine might wear. Meaning, her underwear below was clearly visible.

At least the fabric was generous, maybe because it was convenience-store underwear.

"...Wouldn't it be better if you wore something on the bottom too?"

Judging by all appearances, she hadn't put on a top undergarment either, but I didn't have the nerve to point that out, so I went with that question—

"I usually sleep without ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠anything on the bottom, so."

Ah, okay. Plenty of guys just sleep in boxers too.

"......."

In the end, with all my arguments exhausted, I chose to keep my mouth firmly shut.