Unintended Cohabitation

I'd had my suspicions when Rito suddenly mentioned his disciple, but when it turned out to be Yuu of all people, my head started throbbing. 'Ah, why the hell is Yuu popping up here?' I already knew she'd been the one connecting me and Rito from before, but I hadn't expected her to want to meet in person like this. We'd already met once in Japan, after all.

With those thoughts in mind, I carefully typed out a reply.

I'd been planning to politely decline pretty much any in-person meeting unless it was unavoidable, but since it was Yuu, I figured it was fine. We'd met once before, and we'd been chatting up until now, so we weren't total strangers. Still, just ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to be sure, I asked.

'If I'm just overreacting on my own, it'll be embarrassing.'

With that in mind, I waited a bit, and a reply came right away.

"Ah. She told you that much."

How much did she spill, exactly? She didn't describe what I look like, did she? I let out a sigh.

'This has gotta be the weirdest person I've ever met in real life.'

Of course, ever since reading Electric Man, I'd thought this guy wasn't exactly normal, but I never imagined he'd be this unpredictable. Sighing again, I replied.

With that, I messaged Yuu immediately.

As soon as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I sent those—

Yuu replied instantly. Looked like she'd been waiting.

Sighing, I typed back.

Then the reply came a little slower, like she was embarrassed.

"Next week..."

Since it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was break, I had nothing going on. No one to meet anyway.

Replies came in rapid fire.

And then the status popped up again.

"Whoa..."

She really lives life on her own terms. No wonder who Kenji was modeled after—she straight-up copy-pasted her own personality. Utterly ridiculous. I sent one more message, half in disbelief.

*

Time flew by—

"Ugh..."

Before I knew it, Monday had arrived. It really passed in the blink of an eye. I hadn't streamed at all lately. I'd gotten hooked on doing commissions instead.

Ah, not the naughty ones, of course. Though they do pay well...

'Gotta avoid naughty stuff if I wanna last long-term.'

I didn't need to take commissions like that anyway—plenty came in from legit sources. No need to risk it. Besides, I only draw naughty art when I'm in the mood. Like a female version of Shandel. Or a female Kenji.

Stretching, I headed out.

Rumble—!

The airport was packed, as expected. 'Didn't think it'd be this crowded on a Monday.'

I'd figured a Monday meant fewer people. Good thing I came to pick her up. Rito had given me Yuu's flight details separately, or with her personality, she'd probably have gotten lost. Standing at arrivals, I wondered when she'd come out. Hope it's soon.

Tap tap. Fidgeting with my stress ball—

Rumble—.

The arrivals door swung open, and people poured out. The humid airport air mixed with the sound of rolling suitcases.

'At this rate, I need the sign.'

I'd brought it just in case, but actually using it was kinda embarrassing. Still, I held it up.

Nothing fancy—just a welcome.

How long had I been standing there with it?

"Ah..!"

A familiar voice, even though I'd only heard it once before.

"Nice to meet you...!"

It was Yuu. The author of Electric Man, prized pupil of Komai Rito. And—

"Fashion.. good..!!!"

—someone who looks innocently sweet but has a black heart underneath. Sighing inwardly, I greeted her warmly for now.

Ah, our languages didn't mesh perfectly, so I planned to stick to simple greetings and use the translator app for anything tricky.

"Where we go...?"

Eh? What?

"...You speak Korean?"

Why's it so good? Her pronunciation was a bit off, but she was fluent. Worlds better than when I'd heard her in Japan or on stream with Suihwa.

"A little..? But I know not to be half-assed..!"

"Where'd you learn it..?"

"Dramas, movies, etc.."

Ah. That route. Makes sense. No wonder her skills improved so fast.

"Had to learn Korean to get close to Sino-oniichan.."

An unexpected reason too. Hmm. Kinda embarrassing. Feeling sheepish, I led her to a taxi. It'd cost a bit, but for Yuu, it was worth it. We had history, after all.

We loaded her suitcase in the trunk and took off. Then she muttered softly.

"Kitai shiteimasu...!"

I didn't know Japanese well, but I caught that one. "Looking forward to it."

Anyway, I had a question of my own, so I asked carefully.

"...Ever been to Korea before?"

Something told me she had. When I asked—

"Ichido mo arimasen (Not even once).."

No trips at all. Hmm, that's gonna be a hassle. Guess I'm leading the way.

We took the taxi to Seoul without issue. But then, a problem.

"No hotel booked?"

"Nope.."

Yuu hadn't booked a place. Unbelievable. How do you fly to another country without accommodations?

"Better book one now or you'll be homeless. Hurry up and open an app."

"Hm..?"

Ah, spoke too fast. I fired up the translator and repeated it.

Her response?

"Ah...?"

A face like she had no clue how. Sigh. Totally hopeless. Guess I'd have to book it myself.

As I pulled out my phone to search—

"Aren't you gonna let me crash...?"

An unexpected line slipped out.

"...Me?"

What? Why would I offer that? Ridiculous. If we were the same gender, maybe I'd think about it, but we weren't, so no dilemma. Obviously not.

"I'll book you a separate place."

"No..! Zettai ni muri...! (Absolutely impossible...!)"

But Yuu shook her head fiercely. Like she'd been waiting for me to offer.

"Impossible impossible.. Sleeping outside impossible..!"

She'd been fine with Korean earlier—where'd she pick up that weird phrasing? Must've learned from all sorts of media. But no means no. As I tried to refuse politely—

Ding!—X-Net notification. From Komai Rito. Perfect timing.

I checked it, ignoring Yuu's stare.

Ah, hold up. Couldn't refuse if Rito put it like that.

"...Fine, come on."

Screw it. I'd put up a room divider or something. It was just one night anyway.