My room had completely frozen over the moment Miyama read that title aloud.
My brain ground to a halt as I processed the situation.
To think my favorite "content"—and I mean that in the lewdest sense possible—had just been exposed to girls from my class...
"Ryo... Ryouta... you..."
Yuria’s face was beet-red, and her lips were trembling with visible agitation.
"Actually, Airi? I've decided I want some ice after all. While we’re getting the snacks and juice ready, could you go down to the kitchen and get some for us?"
"Yup! Got it, Rui-chan!"
For some reason, Kuroki maneuvered Miyama out of the room, and Miyama took off like a dog chasing a frisbee.
"Now then, Ryouta-kun? I’d like to ask you something—exactly what is 'that'?"
The moment Miyama left, Kuroki turned to me with a beaming smile.
Anyone could tell that her smile was a smile in name only.
Sensing the danger, I immediately dropped into a formal seiza position on the floor in front of the TV. From their vantage point, the two of them were literally looking down on me.
This was nothing short of a full-blown interrogation.
"Ryouta... seriously, why the hell are you watching something so perverted?! And who even buys physical copies anymore? Normal people watch this stuff online!"
"Well, I... I’m just the kind of guy who prefers the big-screen experience, I guess..."
"H-Huh!?"
"Fufu, that’s so like you, Ryouta-kun."
"Hey, Rui! Why are you acting like that makes sense!?"
While Yuria was losing her cool, Kuroki remained strangely composed.
She gave off an air of confidence, as if she already knew everything there was to know about my sexual preferences... No, no, what could you possibly know about me?
"So, Ryouta... what do you actually do with this?"
"What do I do, you ask... Well, there's really only one thing to do with it."
"Are you serious..."
"Now, now, Yuria. Ryouta-kun is an adolescent boy, so it’s only natural for him to watch things like that."
"...Hey, I just thought of something. Why are you acting like his sympathetic partner, Rui? Weren't you and Ryouta just in the same Junior High School?"
"Eh? W-Well, Ryouta-kun and I are... aren't we?"
Kuroki gave me a suggestive look, her eyes turning moist and lingering as she spoke.
H-Hey! What was with that meaningful, "we have a deep history" vibe she was throwing out?!
"W-What's that supposed to mean? Are you two... dating in secret or something?"
"We are not! Kuroki and I were just in the same Junior High School—"
"But isn't it weird? Rui, you've hated guys since our first year and you're cold to everyone else, but your attitude toward Ryouta is totally different."
"Fufu. If you're going to say that, Yuria, you're usually cold toward boys too, yet you and Ryouta-kun seem remarkably in sync, don't you?"
"That has... nothing to do with it! Besides, the reason I'm getting along with Ryouta is partly because we're acting partners in the drama... I-I'm asking about the relationship between you and Ryouta right now."
The two of them began a tactical back-and-forth, probing each other and sizing the other up.
Both Yuria and Kuroki likely believed they were the only ones who shared a secret with me.
It was only natural, since I was the only one who knew about Yuria’s otaku hobbies and Kuroki’s calculating perfectionism.
(Somehow, the conversation has suddenly gotten way more complicated because of Kuroki’s suggestive remarks.)
Sigh. If it was going to be like this, I’d rather they just kept making fun of my secret Blu-ray... Wait.
(C-Could it be that Kuroki did this on purpose to divert the topic away from the video...?)
To protect me after my "material" was exposed, Kuroki had deliberately...
Just then—the door was suddenly flung open with a bang.
"Everyone! I brought the ice! Hurry up, let's play the Porori-whatever game!"
"""We're not playing that!!"""
"Hohe?"
Miyama seemed to truly believe it was a video game.
☆☆
"Wait, Rui-chan, you're too strong! One more time!"
"Fufu. Then, if Airi loses next, I think I'll have you give me a shoulder massage."
"Ehh—"
A lot had happened, but in the end, without the contents of the Blu-ray being revealed to Miyama—and thanks in part to Kuroki—Miyama and Kuroki had started playing a fighting game in my room.
With nothing else to do, Yuria and I sat side-by-side on the bed, watching them play.
"Ry-Ryouta...? Sorry about earlier. Given my position, I had to be a bit harsh with you."
Suddenly, Yuria apologized in a low whisper.
"Don't worry about it. It’s only natural. If a gross loner like me is caught watching something like that, it just makes me seem even grosser."
"......"
"Yuria?"
"Actually... I-I’ve seen that same one before..."
"Huh...?"
I couldn't hide my shock at her sudden confession.
Y-Yuria had also watched Heart-Pounding! Former Gravure Idol Swimming Meet! Nothing but Wardrobe Malfunctions?... are you kidding me?
(And why would you choose now of all times to come out with that?!)
"Doesn't this feel kind of like... destiny?"
"I really don't want that kind of destiny."
From now on, Yuria is strictly forbidden from getting mad at me for anything related to dirty jokes. We’re kindred spirits, after all.
"So, Yuria, you don't just watch 2D Breast-Kyun, but you actually watch that kind of stuff too?"
"R-Ryouta might not know this, but... girls watch that kind of stuff more than you’d think. Though, since there are pure and slightly airheaded girls like Airi, maybe it's just that my sex drive is on the high side."
Yuria’s face flushed even deeper than before as she spoke.
A high sex drive... that’s kind of erotic. Actually, it's way too erotic coming from a gyaru like her.
"Ah—enough, let's stop talking about this! I'm sweating so much my bra is going to show through."
See through it. Please.
"Anyway, there's something I wanted to ask Ryouta."
"Hm? What is it all of a sudden?"
"Look at the Lucky & H volumes on that bookshelf. Why is Volume 1 missing?"
"Volume 1 of... Lucky & H?"