Following behind Natsuha Shinomiy, Alistair took note of her attire.
Perhaps because she was at home, Natsuha Shinomiy's clothes were casual. She wore a sleeveless vest top.
Alistair wasn't sure if Natsuha Shinomiy was wearing anything underneath. With Anna Komiya's example in mind, Alistair now hesitated to assume whether these girls wore a bra or not. Even if she wasn't wearing pasties, Alistair had seen innerwear similar to a vest that wouldn't show nips. For example, he had seen Chiaki wear one; although she had nothing underneath, not even pasties, it was impossible to tell from the outside, like some kind of black technology.
For her lower body, she wore a pair of loose shorts that reached about halfway down her thighs. There wasn't much to see, it was just a casual look. However, even the loose shorts couldn't completely conceal her firm, perky buttocks.
Alistair's observation was completely undisguised. He openly scanned Natsuha Shinomiy's back, making her feel hot all over, her face burning, and her heart fluttering.
Natsuha Shinomiy raised her hand to touch her face; it was indeed warm. She wanted to turn around and reprimand Alistair for his brazen behavior, but a certain impulse within her kept her silent. Instead, she walked ahead silently, feeling a subtle mix of pleasure, anticipation, and a peculiar thrill of betraying her childhood sweetheart. The combination of feelings made her a little excited.
Was she enjoying this? I feel like we've been around this bend before.
Alistair looked at Natsuha Shinomiy walking quietly ahead. He vaguely sensed that her pace seemed to have slowed down, and they had already made one or two turns. Why hadn't they arrived yet? Even if this house was twice the size of his single apartment unit, going to the kitchen shouldn't take this long.
After passing two more rooms, Natsuha Shinomiy finally led Alistair to the kitchen.
The kitchen here wasn't a traditional style. Stoves, refrigerators, and everything else were fully present. The entire kitchen was essentially modern, which wasn't surprising. In this day and age, using a traditional kitchen would be too inefficient.
Natsuha Shinomiy didn't talk to Alistair. She walked in, opened the refrigerator, and took out a large bottle of tea, likely Oolong or barley tea. Then, Natsuha Shinomiy grabbed a tray from the side. Alistair didn't just stand there doing nothing; he grabbed a few cups and placed them in front of Natsuha Shinomiy.
"What's wrong, Shinomiy-san? Do you dislike me? You won't even look at me."
Alistair teased her, looking at Natsuha Shinomiy, who was still looking down, fiddling with the cups, and preparing to pour the tea.
"Of course not. I just need to pour the tea right now, so I don't have the mind to speak with Alistair-san."
Natsuha Shinomiy kept her head down, pouring the tea into the cups one by one while replying to Alistair.
"You seem nervous."
Alistair suddenly leaned in, blocking some of the sunlight. The shadow covered part of Natsuha Shinomiy's vision, and Alistair's sudden proximity caught her off guard.
"Ah... Mgh..."
Natsuha Shinomiy felt Alistair's sudden closeness. Already feeling somewhat guilty, she was startled into a yelp. Her hand shook, and the bottle of tea was about to slip out. Alistair, quick as lightning, caught the tea bottle Natsuha Shinomiy had thrown off, and his other hand covered Natsuha Shinomiy's mouth, stopping her scream instantly.
"I imagine the soundproofing here isn't very good, is it? If you scream and draw your childhood sweetheart, what was his name, Eita Yamano, here, seeing us like this, what do you think he'll think? He'd probably think the childhood sweetheart he always trusted has betrayed him, wouldn't he, Natsuha?"
Even though Alistair and Natsuha Shinomiy's current actions wouldn't be easily misinterpreted by anyone—after all, they were just two people getting drinks, and there were no overly inappropriate actions. If someone else came, they probably wouldn't misunderstand, at most thinking Natsuha Shinomiy had dropped the bottle while pouring and Alistair caught it.
However, Natsuha Shinomiy's heart was already in chaos, and her mind was blank. She unconsciously followed Alistair's words without any thought. For Natsuha Shinomiy, who still wanted to be with her childhood sweetheart, this was an undesirable outcome. So, she quickly sealed her mouth and looked at Alistair in a panic.
"Why do I feel like you're actually looking forward to something? Like me taking advantage to do something good to you while your childhood sweetheart isn't around? Doesn't that thought make you feel great?"
Alistair watched Natsuha Shinomiy, whose fingers were nervously twitching by her sides and whose body was trembling slightly, asking with interest.
Alistair could feel the difference between trembling caused by fear and trembling caused by excitement. Natsuha Shinomiy's current slight trembling was clearly not from panic or fear, but from excitement!
"..."
Natsuha Shinomiy subconsciously bit her lip slightly, showing a bit of tension from being exposed, but she still remained silent, neither denying nor confirming Alistair's words.
"Not going to talk? Then I'll take that as a yes?"
Alistair's hand, which had just been removed from Natsuha Shinomiy's mouth, moved to caress her smooth, fair shoulder. Her soft, delicate skin felt incredibly comfortable to touch. Alistair's other hand also put down the tea bottle and moved to Natsuha Shinomiy's other shoulder.
Natsuha Shinomiy felt Alistair's hands gripping her shoulders without reservation. Her body involuntarily shivered. She lowered her head, preventing Alistair from seeing her expression. Her face, directed towards the floor, actually held an excited smile, though she was struggling to control the corners of her mouth, making her face look slightly strained—but Alistair couldn't see it anyway.
Alistair held Natsuha Shinomiy's shoulders, fully enjoying the softness of her skin. Then, he felt Natsuha Shinomiy's body shift back slightly. Alistair didn't think much of it and took a step forward, following Natsuha Shinomiy's movement. In no time, the two of them reached the wall.
Natsuha Shinomiy leaned against the wall, with nowhere left to retreat. Her head remained bowed. She showed no resistance to Alistair's increasingly intimate movements, even subtly cooperating. Whenever Alistair traced the curves of her body, enjoying the fullness and softness of her figure, Natsuha Shinomiy would appropriately shift her body to make it easier for Alistair's hands to explore.
However, Natsuha Shinomiy's head remained lowered, as if she didn't want Alistair to see her expression. Only her slightly erratic breathing proved her internal turmoil.
Thump, thump, thump...
The sound of footsteps gradually approached.
Whoosh!
The shōji door slid open.
"Natsuha-nee, what's wrong? Is something the matter?"