This 2 chapters are in honor of @Daoist6mM4Ra
Thanks man for supporting the fic and leaving a review, may you live hella fine.
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In that moment, Utaha was utterly stunned.
The look on her face was no longer one of feigned fear—she was genuinely terrified.
It was like someone reacting instinctively in the face of real horror, a desperate survival response.
Not far from the corpse pit, there was a source of light and the sound of tourists outside—it was actually the exit. This setup was deliberately designed to create a sense of narrowly escaping death, rather than an environment of total hopelessness.
After all, a fully enclosed horror attraction could genuinely cause serious problems.
That would be troublesome.
So at that moment, when Utaha spotted the light, she let out a sob—not even a proper scream. She was too scared to speak. Staggering to her feet, falling, then scrambling up again, she fled toward the exit in utter panic and embarrassment.
As for Yazuki, he was completely ignored. Her survival instincts overrode everything else.
A bit disappointing—he didn't get to see all the reactions he wanted—but this much was more than enough to prove she'd been thoroughly scared.
...
In the blink of an eye, they were already waving goodbye.
Utaha had been so frightened she wasn't feeling well and apologized, saying she couldn't continue the outing.
The twin-tailed girl had apparently been rushed by a phone call—likely a deadline—and was also forced to leave.
Who was left? Ah, there she was—wearing a white beret and dress, fair-skinned legs... completely lacking presence, that girl decided to head back with him.
"Ikaros, wait for me here. I'll go get your clothes."
Since they were out for fun, it wasn't practical to carry a bunch of bags around. The clothes they bought were still at the clothing store, so before leaving LaLaport TOKYO-BAY, he went back to pick them up.
So, once again he entered the women's clothing store. A suspicious-looking man, heavily disguised, walked in—immediately drawing wary glances from the female staff and customers.
Their gazes were like they were seeing a bug.
The store clerks moved quickly into a defensive formation designed for just such suspicious individuals, keeping a close eye on his every move.
"Excuse me, sir, can we help you with something?"
One of the female clerks asked with a strained smile, masking her vigilance.
"Hmm, I'm just looking~"
The suspicious man responded in a slightly disguised voice, which only heightened the clerk's alertness. Another female clerk soon joined her, and the two began watching him carefully.
If the man did anything even slightly strange, they would have no qualms about calling for backup. He needed to let them know what was going on—subtly.
"Section B1. There's an outfit I liked there."
Upon hearing that, the clerks were momentarily taken aback and eased their guard slightly.
Section B1 carried some very specific types of clothing—regular customers wouldn't normally shop there, at least not openly—so they started to get the idea.
Even so, they remained cautious.
The suspicious man was escorted by the two clerks to the almost deserted section.
The clothes in this area were the kind that would make one blush just looking at them. Even the clerks were slightly embarrassed stepping into that zone.
"That one."
The man pointed to an outfit—a combination of a school swimsuit and a maid costume.
"Right away, sir."
At the register, as the suspicious man pulled out his wallet to pay, one of the clerks froze upon seeing it.
"Oh! So it was you, sir~"
She gave him a knowing smile.
"I'm not—I didn't—Don't say weird things!"
The man's muffled, slightly panicked voice came from beneath his mask.
"Don't worry, we don't reveal our customers' identities here. Here's our business card. If you ever need anything, we offer discreet home delivery."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
He said that, but still took the card without hesitation. After paying, he left with the shopping bag in hand.
He had only taken a few steps when—
"Ah—!"
He bumped into something soft and both parties stumbled and fell.
Upon realizing who he had run into, the suspicious man immediately broke into a cold sweat. In a panic, he shoved the fallen box back into the bag and quickly ran off.
"Seriously! Not even an apology?!"
The blonde twin-tailed beauty who had been accompanying the bumped girl was visibly annoyed.
As for the one who had been knocked down, it was none other than the beautiful and very well-endowed Utaha Kasumigaoka.
That's right—the two were Eriri Spencer Sawamura and Kasumigaoka Utaha, who had originally planned to head home.
Utaha didn't seem angry at the man's rudeness—if anything, she seemed worried.
She hurriedly shoved the box that had fallen back into the bag, visibly tense, as though afraid of its contents being seen.
"Utaha, you're acting pretty suspicious. That box doesn't have something lewd in it, does it?"
"What's it to you? Not like someone with your body could even wear clothes that enhance a woman's charm."
Utaha shot a contemptuous glance her way. Her concern wasn't because the box held some risqué outfit. If that were the case, she might've actually been relieved.
No—what she feared was the box held some of the clothes she had just changed out of. If Eriri found out, she'd never live it down.
"Hah? What the hell is that supposed to—?"
"Let's go, Megumi."
"Oh."
"Hmm? Got something to say?"
"Well, just that there's something you really might want to know, but I'm not sure if I should say it…"
"Megumi, you're being so sly. Saying that makes me curious. Now I really don't want to hear it."
"Uh—well, it's kinda embarrassing though."
"If you know it'll embarrass me, why bring it up? Just don't say it."
"But—okay, fine."
...
Elsewhere, the suspicious man—oh wait, no—the otaku and part-time hentai illustrator Yazuki, had returned to Ikaros' side with a bunch of bags.
In no time, they were back in a taxi, heading home to the apartment.
He asked Ikaros to wait in the living room, then rushed to his room alone. From one of the bags, he took out a box.
Ahem. Yes, that suspicious man was him.
Originally, he had just gone to pick up Ikaros' clothes, but he had unexpectedly stumbled upon an outfit almost identical to what he had imagined. Before he knew it, he'd fully disguised himself and bought it on impulse.
Of course, there was no way he'd actually ask Ikaros to wear it. That would be too much to bear. So he decided to keep it purely as a collector's item.
"Let's open it up one more time."
He opened the box—and was instantly dumbfounded.
What the hell?
Who swapped it out?
Inside were a pair of black tights and panties—already worn, and slightly damp.
"..."
So... was this a loss?
Or… a gain?