Chapter 28: Anyone who likes horror games is clearly a masochist

“Ko, Koga-yang.”

“Hm?”

“Uh, um, th-that… would it be okay if you stayed at my

house tonight?”

“…What?”

What is this? Is she trying to seduce me?

That thought briefly flashed through Suzuha’s mind.

Of course, that thought quickly disappeared, but the

heat that had already flushed Suzuha’s face showed no

signs of fading.

“Th-the thing is, there’s no one at home today, and

being alone is, um, scary….”

Suzuha knew, of course.

Izumi’s words were meant exactly as they sounded.

But the sight of Izumi, sitting in a chair, wrapped up in

a blanket, and looking up at her…

“C-couldn’t you?”

What should I say?

It was only natural for such a thought to cross her

mind, given how sensuous Izumi looked.

Her eyes, slightly pink from earlier tears, and her blue

pupils, trembling with fear, were moist.

Looking up at her like that, wrapped in a blanket and

shivering…

This is totally unfair…

Suzuha covered her face with her hand, making

excuses to herself that thinking such things was only human.

“S-still, it would be a bother, wouldn’t it? Now that I

think about it, y-you have a broadcast later, too. I-I’m sorry….”

“Ugh…”

Honestly, saying it wouldn’t be inconvenient would be a lie.

Just like Izumi mentioned, after this offline

collaboration, Suzuha had her solo broadcast

scheduled at 10:30 PM. That was partly because Suzuha

was a night owl, but the key point was that she did

have a broadcast planned tonight.

But…

“I-I’m sorry for being so selfish and inconsiderate….”

How could she easily leave behind this small,

trembling girl, who looked like a frightened pet?

At least, for Suzuha, it was impossible.

If all of this was just an act, Izumi surely had a talent for acting.

With that thought, Suzuha lowered her head and let out a sigh.

“Alright. I’ll stay over tonight. I can explain and take a day off from the broadcast.”

“…Huh? But th-that would be such a b-bother….”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. After all, I knew you’d be scared, yet I

still made you stay up until dawn. Think of it as me

making amends. And tonight’s broadcast was just going

to be a casual chat anyway.”

Earlier, during the broadcast, Suzuha had ego-searched

through various online communities to check the

feedback on today’s offline collab. Among the

comments, the one that stuck with her the most was:

“[Mei-chan always seems to get completely swept

around by Suzuha, it’s hilarious lol]”

Suzuha wanted to tell the commenter,

On the surface, it might look that way, but in the end,

I’m always the one getting swept around by Izumi.

“…Though she probably doesn’t even realize it.”

“Huh? Did you call me?”
“Nothing.”

Suzuha looked at Izumi, still trembling with fear, and

smiled softly, letting out a small sigh.

“So, what do I do about pajamas? I don’t have any.”

At those words, I glanced over at Koga-yang’s outfit.

A white short-sleeved shirt and summer jeans.

It definitely didn’t seem like the right outfit for sleeping.

“Hmm.”

Some might forget this, but Koga-yang is shorter than me.

And yet, here she was, dressed in such a mature casual outfit.

Even though she’s older than me, something about this

feels oddly mismatched… and strangely sinful.

Even if I stare at her with impure thoughts, it can’t be

helped. It’s all Koga-yang’s fault….

“You’re thinking weird thoughts again, aren’t you, Izumi?”

“N-no, I’m not!”

How does she know?!

She’s always seen herself as a master of the poker face,

yet Koga-yang seemed to see right through her. Maybe

Koga-yang really is a mind reader….

“So, what about the pajamas?”
“Hm, hmm…”

If the me from my past life were asked what to do

without pajamas, I’d have simply said, ‘You’re only

staying for one night, so just sleep in those clothes.’

I never really saw a need to separate pajamas from

regular clothes, after all.

Well, in any case, back then, she always brought

pajamas whenever she visited my house.

But now, I know better.

Sleeping in pajamas is far more comfortable!

Even my own pajamas are made of soft, fluffy fabric,

yet they are incredibly breathable.

Lying in bed and rolling around in those pajamas is

nothing short of heaven.

And considering Koga-yang’s comment about not

having pajamas, she too must be a victim, just like me,

addicted to the drug that is pajamas.

“Pajamas… you sinful thing….”

“What are you muttering about all of a sudden?”

“N-nothing at all….”

“Hmm. I was waiting outside for so long earlier that my

clothes are sweaty. I’d like to change.”

Of course, I had pajamas.

I have several sets, and since both my mom and sister

wear pajamas to bed, we naturally have plenty of extras.

But the problem is that all those pajamas would be too big for Koga-yang.

Even the smallest ones in the house, which are mine,

wouldn’t fit her. Let alone lending her my sister’s or

mom’s pajamas—it would be absurd.

We had already thrown away all the clothes from a few years ago.

What should I do?

As I bowed my head in contemplation, Koga-yang

cleared her throat and spoke up.

“Even if it’s a bit loose, I’m fine. Just lend me anything.”

“B-but it might be uncomfortable….”

Especially considering Koga-yang was only staying

because I asked her to.

I can’t let her suffer such discomfort….

“Pajamas are supposed to be loose; that’s what makes

them comfortable, right?”

“Huh?”

Loose pajamas are fine?

Loose… pajamas?

“…Oh. I-I think I have something.”

“Hm?”

“A-a pajama for Koga-yang. I think I have one.”

I remember it being in my mom’s closet….

“This is… comfortable.”

“Hehe.”

What Koga-yang wore after her shower was a cat-shaped animal pajama that I handed her.

Mom bought it last year on her way back from a

business trip, but since my current pajamas were more

comfortable, I only wore it once and then never again.

I thought it would stay hidden in the closet forever, but

it turns out it found a use after all.

It’s primarily for winter, so it might be a bit warm, but

if we turn on the air conditioner, it shouldn’t be a problem.

In fact, it could even be called a luxury.

Wearing winter pajamas under a thick blanket with the

air conditioner on full blast—it’s the kind of luxury

even the King of Hell himself would recognize as pure

happiness.

Besides, those pajamas were also loose on Koga-yang,

so they should be well-ventilated.

“…I never thought I’d wear something like this at my age.”

Koga-yang let out a sigh as she said that.

Sure enough, when I first showed her the pajamas, she

gave me a look that said, “You want me to wear this?”

But Koga-yang, we need to acknowledge something.

Self-awareness is extremely important.

For example, while my true self is a super-cool middle-aged man with white hair and the mental age of someone in

their 40s, the reality is that I’m just a shy, socially awkward high school girl.

I only hide my true self because the world is too fragile to handle it yet….

Anyway, even though Koga-yang is technically an adult, her appearance is still that of an adorable young girl.

No matter how much “Mommy Energy” she radiates as a 24-year-old, with her appearance, animal pajamas suit her perfectly.

So my choice was undeniably the right one.

“Well, the laundry’s going… What should we do now?”

At Koga-yang’s words, I glanced at the computer monitor, which showed the time as 8:32 PM.

“Shouldn’t we have dinner?”

“I don’t mind, but are you okay, Izumi? We ate lunch late.”

“I’m f-fine, too.”

We did eat lunch late, but if we delay dinner as well, it’ll mess up my routine.

It’d be better to have a light dinner instead.

“Alright. Let’s order something simple for dinner. I’ll pay.”

“Huh? I-if we’re ordering, I-I should pay….”

“If you let me pay, it’s easier for me to enjoy the meal. So just relax.”

“…O-okay.”

If I were in Koga-yang’s shoes, I probably would’ve said the same thing.

But…

“S-saying that while wearing that outfit….”

“…What?”

“Eek… I-I’m so sorry…!”

At my words, the life instantly drained from Koga-yang’s eyes.

It was far scarier than the giant zombie from the game earlier, and I had no choice but to lower my head and

apologize immediately.

Ugh. All I did was state the truth, but I’m being treated like this.

“Has freedom of speech fallen…?”

“Stop saying weird things and just tell me what you want to eat.”

“Ah. I-I’ll have chicken….”

“Chicken? Alright, we can order one and share it.”

But? If there’s chicken? Then maybe it’s okay if freedom of speech collapses.

Chicken is invincible, and cola is divine.

Ah, this is bliss.

---

Late at night, past 11 PM.

Of course, I was pretty sleepy by now.

I had taken a weird nap in the afternoon, and then I stuffed myself with chicken and cola for dinner.

Naturally, that didn’t mean I could fall asleep right away.

Whenever I closed my eyes, the image of the giant zombie from that horror game popped into my head….

I should avoid playing horror games from now on.

People who enjoy those kinds of games must be masochists, no doubt.

“Izumi. Are you asleep?”

“Ah, no, I’m still awake.”

“Hmm.”

Koga-yang was lying on a blanket beside my bed.

At first, I felt guilty about forcing Koga-yang to stay over, so I had suggested that we just sleep together in the bed.

After all, we’re both small, so there was plenty of room for the two of us.

But when Koga-yang heard my suggestion, for some reason, she blushed and asked me to just lay out a blanket for

her on the floor.

…Honestly, I only suggested sharing the bed because I was scared of sleeping alone.

But there was no way I could say something that embarrassing, so I ended up setting a blanket on the floor for her,

and now I was left alone in bed, too scared to fall asleep properly.

“Are you unable to sleep because you’re scared?”

“A-actually… yes. To be honest, I’m still a bit scared.”

“Then, should we just talk a bit more until you fall asleep?”

“O-okay.”

What a relief.

If Koga-yang had already fallen asleep, I probably would have gotten down on the floor and cuddled up next to her

by now.

…I mean, I can’t help being scared.

“Then I’ll start. There’s something I’ve been curious about.”

“S-sure! I-I’ll answer whatever you want!”

“Do you remember the promise we made a month ago? About collaborating once a month.”

“O-of course I remember. Hehehe….”

That promise is precious proof that Koga-yang still considers me a friend.

“You weren’t just nodding your head because you felt pressured, were you? If that’s the case, we don’t have to do

regular collaborations.”

“…Huh?”

What… are you talking about?