Stepping out of the shower, Lu Chen paused when he saw Noshiro.
Noshiro had changed into an oversized white shirt. Her fair, smooth, long legs were exposed to the air. Because the shirt was too large, it slipped down her rounded left shoulder, revealing a delicate piece of her collarbone.
"...How long are you going to stare?"
"That shirt doesn't seem to fit very well," Lu Chen said, trying to make conversation.
Noshiro looked down, lightly twirled a lock of black hair over her chest, and said softly, "I took this from your closet. I didn't bring a change of clothes. You don't mind, do you?"
"Of course not, but it would be even better if you wrote a self-critique," Lu Chen teased. Any minor transgression on his part would result in Noshiro demanding a self-critique. Although the girl didn't truly mean it, Lu Chen couldn't resist using it to tease her.
"I'll write one after you hand in yours," Noshiro sniffed. "Alright, now it's my turn to shower."
"I'll go out then," Lu Chen took two steps, then turned back and asked, "Didn't you not bring a change of clothes? Why are you washing your clothes then?"
"I forgot," Noshiro stuck out her tongue. A momentary lapse—she treated this place like her own home.
Lu Chen said, "Should I go next door and borrow one for you?"
"No, that's okay. My school uniform will dry overnight in the dryer. At most, I won't wear black stockings tomorrow." As Noshiro spoke, she looked at Lu Chen, noticed a hint of regret in his eyes, and paused. She said softly, "I heard the temperature is supposed to drop tomorrow. Go next door and borrow a pair of black stockings for me. Anywhere from 30D to 80D will do."
"Alright," Lu Chen felt Noshiro's beautiful legs were too exquisite. Not having them enhanced by black stockings would be a great waste. Although her bare feet were also delicate, who would complain about an improvement?
So, he knocked on Friedrich's door and sought Hutten's help.
"Ha? Want to borrow my black stockings?" Hutten looked at her own legs and said teasingly, "I'm wearing garter stockings today, so I can't give you my original scented black stockings. Want to make do with this pair? Or I could provide an on-site service. Why use props when you can have the real person here? I told you I'd do anything."
"It's not for me; it's for Noshiro. Her black stockings are dirty, and she needs them for school tomorrow."
Hutten smiled slyly. "You think she's particularly suited to serving you with her feet, right? I think so too. Her legs have great form. I knew you wouldn't be able to resist. But I'm not bad either. Want to try mine?"
"It's just for washing clothes; it has nothing to do with me," Lu Chen sighed. "Do you have a pair? If not, forget it."
"I do. I have everything here," Hutten hurried away and returned quickly. She magically produced a pair of black stockings. "Ta-da! Brand new, unopened black stockings. Guaranteed to show off your official girlfriend's greatest charm."
"Thank you."
Lu Chen reached out to take them, but Hutten dodged him quickly. She smiled, "You can't have these for free. I have a condition."
"What condition? I won't agree if it's too much," Lu Chen said, headache setting in.
Hutten folded her arms. "Relax, the condition is simple. Come to the maid café tomorrow after school. It's my first day of work, so come cheer me on, so I don't get embarrassed by having no customers."
"That's simple, no problem," Lu Chen took the black stockings from her hand. He had intended to go anyway, wanting to check out Noshiro's work environment and admire her maid outfit.
"In exchange, I can offer you a special service at the café, you know," Hutten winked. "So, don't play too hard tonight. Save some of it for me tomorrow…"
Before she could finish, Lu Chen closed the door on her. He was still terrible at dealing with delinquent girls.
Back in his own living room, Noshiro was still in the bathroom. Girls take much longer to shower than boys, and Lu Chen wasn't so impatient that he couldn't stand being away from Noshiro for a second. He looked around and turned on the TV.
The television was a quick way to understand the current state of this world. Even faster was his phone, so Lu Chen decided to use both.
Lu Chen had a habit that many people shared: sitting on the couch playing with his phone, with the TV on as background noise. No particular reason; he'd grown used to it since childhood.
But this time, his attention wasn't immediately focused on his phone, because the program on the TV was interesting.
Five girls were singing and dancing on a huge stage under the lights. It looked like a concert by an idol group, not much different from what he remembered, but the appearance of these idol girls was truly outstanding.
A blue-haired Kuudere, a brown-haired charismatic older sister, a valiant yellow-haired girl, an ivory-gray-haired girl with covered eyes, and another yellow-haired girl who seemed like a loser?
Why did a sense of being a 'loser' waft from that one yellow-haired girl? Was she a tsundere type?
After the song ended, the five bowed to the camera. The valiant yellow-haired girl picked up the microphone and shouted, "Thank you for coming to the 'Polaris' concert! I'm Cleveland, the drummer for the band. As the most sensible one in the band, I'll reluctantly speak on behalf of everyone. Please support us if you like our work!"
"Also, a quick advertisement: 'Polaris' Phase Two is now recruiting trainees! Girls who want to be idols and perform with us, girls with idol dreams, please don't miss this opportunity! Alright, break time is over! Let's get fired up again!!!"
"The quality of the idols in this world is high," Lu Chen muttered. But then again, Noshiro, who was just a normal JK, already had top-tier looks, and the two neighbors next door were no less beautiful, not to mention the academy students… Hmm, this world seemed to have no ugly women.
That's great.
The idol girl just now said her name was Cleveland, right? Lu Chen picked up his phone and typed the characters for 'Cleveland' onto the screen. Immediately, a large amount of related information appeared before him.
"Let me see. Cleveland-class Light Cruiser, Ship One, Cleveland. A ship's name? Is that a stage name? And a related folder found in local storage?" Lu Chen frowned at the pop-up folder named 'Cleveland.' Why would he have a folder with her name? Was he a fan of hers before?
Lu Chen tapped the folder. What greeted him were several private photos of Cleveland. There was no nudity, but the poses were revealing, and they were taken from a near-selfie angle. In a few of them, she was smiling brightly at the camera.
Yes, it was the same idol girl who had just appeared on the TV.
Lu Chen tremblingly clicked on the location of the folder. The parent folder was named 'Polaris.' There were four other folders on the same level as Cleveland's, named Akagi, Gascogne, Hipper, and Sheffield.
The situation was far beyond his imagination.