A sudden visitor.
And with them, the bitter regret of missing my chance to touch her.
The blood that had been plummeting toward my lower half like a runaway roller coaster finally surged back to my brain. My perverted delusions vanished in an instant, replaced by the cold, hard clarity of sage time.
"Based on how panicked Yuria was, it didn't seem like a simple delivery... Don't tell me Rui actually showed up?"
But Rui was in the middle of the Inter-High. It shouldn't be possible.
If it wasn't her, then it was either Airi, a neighbor, or maybe one of Yuria's relatives.
"The way they rang the bell..."
That was what Yuria had whispered.
The way she spoke made it sound like she could identify the person just by their rhythm on the intercom. That implied it was someone who visited her frequently.
But our friends were all busy... which meant... could it be a boyfriend!?
Even though Yuria claimed she didn't have one, she was a genuine, modern-day gyaru. It wouldn't be the weirdest thing in the world if she actually had a guy, right?
If it was a boyfriend, everything made sense—the panic, the frantic outfit change, and the way she practically bolted from the room.
"You finally showed your tail, Yuria... To think you actually had a boyfriend while doing such lewd things with me..."
Wait, if her boyfriend was actually here, this was a disaster! Everything I'd been doing would turn me into the villain of some NTR story!
"I—I have to change, fast! Wait, the clothes I took off are in Yuria's bedroom!"
While I was spiraling into a private panic, a very lively voice echoed from the entrance.
For now, I had to try and overhear what they were saying.
Yuria's otaku room was right next to her bedroom, but unlike her room, it was closer to the front door. If I pressed my ear against the wood, I could just barely make out their voices.
Wait. The visitor's voice was... high-pitched.
"That's not a guy's voice."
It seemed it wasn't a boyfriend after all.
I felt a wave of relief wash over me. I wasn't sure if I was relieved because I wanted to believe Yuria when she said she was single, or because it meant I could keep touching her thighs without the guilt. Honestly, I couldn't tell the difference.
Either way, it meant I could go back to worshipping those legs with a clear conscience.
...But if it wasn't a boyfriend, then who on earth was it? That was the new problem.
Unable to contain my curiosity, I cracked the door open a sliver.
Through the gap, I saw a girl in a white T-shirt with a massive, explosive bust... wait!
"Heeey! Sorry for dropping by without calling, Yuria!"
A-A-Airi!?
Maybe because of the sweltering heat, Airi was standing at the door dressed like a kid out to catch beetles, wearing a thin white T-shirt and a pair of half-pants.
The reason Yuria recognized the intercom rhythm was because it was Airi?
But that didn't make sense. Airi was supposed to be at her part-time job today.
"What are you doing here? Didn't you say you were busy today, Airi?"
"Um, the one-day jo—I mean! My plans! The manager messed up, so they were canceled at the last minute!"
"What do you mean, 'manager'? Seriously, what kind of plans were they?"
"U-Um, anyway! I realized I still hadn't returned that fashion magazine I borrowed from you, and since summer vacation is about to start, I figured I'd bring it over!"
Apparently, Airi's shift had been canceled, leaving her suddenly free, so she'd decided to return the magazine.
I wondered how she hadn't been caught yet with that kind of clumsy acting... well, she did have that "boyfriend" lie going for her, so I guess she was managing to gloss over the details.
"I bought some ice cream as an apology for keeping it so long."
Are you serious? Ice cream on a day this hot, Airi?
I get that it was scorching out, but if you brought ice cream over in this weather, then what happened next was inevitable—
"Hey, the ice cream is going to melt, so let me in, Yuria. I want to get into the AC!"
Just as I feared, the conversation flowed toward her entering the house.
Come to think of it, I remembered Airi mentioning that the air conditioner at her place was ancient and barely worked.
(That Airi... I bet returning the magazine was just an excuse. She brought the apology ice cream specifically so she'd have a reason to camp out in Yuria's air conditioning...)
Of all the possible times to visit... Yuria, what are you going to do?
Yuria had hidden my shoes, but Airi had a sharp nose for this kind of thing. At this rate, we were in deep trouble.
"Um, okay. Come on in."
After a brief moment of hesitation, Yuria made her choice.
It wasn't like she could say, "Sorry, I'm in the middle of a lewd cosplay session with Ryouta, so you can't come in."
"Pardon the intrusion! Whoa! The hallway in your house is ice-cold, Yuria! This is the best!"
It might have been ice-cold for her, but my heart was hammering against my ribs.
As I watched them through the crack in the door, the smartphone tucked into the apron of my maid outfit vibrated.
"Hm? From Yuria?"
[Yuria: I think you get the gist, but absolutely do not come out of that room. Understood?]
Yuria... I-I got it.
I replied with an anime stamp that said "Roger" and tucked the phone away.
But if I thought about it rationally, I'd be safe as long as I stayed put. Airi would probably just eat her ice cream and leave; she wouldn't stay long.
I guess I'd just kill time by browsing through Yuria's otaku collection...
"...Oh, wait."
It happened then.
I reached down and softly placed a hand on my lower body.
"This is bad... Between the sage time and the relief of being safe, it's finally hitting me..."
The urge to pee. And it was hitting me hard.