Chapter 46 – The Puddle Under the Bed (Patreon)

"Kouma, did you see where my mom went?" Miko asked curiously as she returned to her room.

"I think Mrs. Yotsuya went out just now..." Kouma answered vaguely, his peripheral vision faintly catching a glimpse of white fabric under the bed.

"Honestly, Mom sends me off to shop, and then she disappears on me! You have no idea how heavy those bags were—I carried them all the way back myself!" Miko plopped down onto the bed with a huff of complaint.

From her cramped hiding spot beneath the bed, Mrs. Yotsuya listened to her daughter's grumbling and found it equal parts exasperating and amusing. If the bags were so heavy, why did you rush back so quickly...? she retorted silently.

This was a complete miscalculation on her part, one that had forced her to scuttle under her daughter's bed like a fugitive. Anyone who saw her would think she was caught stealing her daughter's boyfriend!

The space under Miko's bed was quite tight—barely enough for one person to squeeze in while lying flat. And with Mrs. Yotsuya's naturally shapely curves—her backside and chest were both quite prominent—she had no choice but to press herself up against the underside of the bed frame. The slightest shift could cause a telltale creak.

"Hey, why does the bed feel a bit raised here?" Miko suddenly noticed something off.

Mrs. Yotsuya's heart lurched at her daughter's words. This girl—usually so clueless, but suddenly sharp when it matters most...

Just as Miko considered lifting the bed skirt to check, Kouma spoke up to defuse the situation. "It's probably just the muscle soreness from carrying all those heavy bags, Miko-neechan. Your body's playing tricks on you."

"Really?" Miko tilted her head but didn't dwell on it. "I'm going to the bathroom. Kouma, feel free to keep playing on the computer." She got up and left, muttering about how her mom had promised a big dinner but was nowhere to be found.

"Mrs. Yotsuya, you can come out now." Once Miko had left, Kouma spoke softly toward the bed. A few seconds of silence passed before Mrs. Yotsuya's embarrassed voice came from beneath it.

"Kouma... could you give me a pull?"

With some tugging and maneuvering, Kouma helped the flustered Mrs. Yotsuya crawl out from under the bed. She brushed off her dress with relief—thankfully she swept and mopped every day, or her brand new white dress would have been ruined. Here I am, a mother, hiding under my own daughter's bed in my own house... What kind of madness is this?

But then she turned her gaze to the sho[ta] beside her, her eyes glistening with tenderness. Despite the indignity, every moment alone with Kouma had been more than worth it.

"Kouma, would you come over more often so I can massage you...?" She hardly realized how much her tone sounded like an adult trying to lure a child.

Kouma might have been a sho[ta] in appearance, but he was a succubus at heart. "As long as you enjoy it, Mrs. Yotsuya."

A satisfied smile bloomed across her face as she began planning tomorrow's menu and excuses to have him over again. "Keep playing your game. I'll start making dinner now."

Just as she turned to leave, Kouma's voice called out behind her. "Mrs. Yotsuya... you might want to change your dress. It's a bit dirty underneath."

White dresses were the most unforgiving—even the smallest stain stood out immediately. Mrs. Yotsuya looked down and her exquisitely made-up face flushed scarlet. Too embarrassed to meet the sho[ta]'s eyes, she hurried back to her room.

Once there, she changed into a casual house dress, her hand pressed over her racing heart. Her memories of being alone with Kouma were still vivid, so much that they surfaced every time she closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she headed to the kitchen to start cooking.

...

A few minutes later, Miko came out of the bathroom and spotted her mother in the kitchen. "Mom, where did you disappear to? And why did you have me buy so many ingredients..."

After a few quick exchanges of their usual bickering, Miko returned to her room, scooped Kouma into her arms, and went back to gaming.

Soon, the party chat lit up again with furious messages from the same brash young girl they'd queued with earlier.

"HEALER, I'VE HAD IT WITH YOU!"

"You were AFK before, and now you're just spamming random skills!"

"If you've got Parkinson's, go see a doctor!"

"SAY SOMETHING!"

"Are you too scared to reply?!"

Staring at the screen where the healer was twitching in place and casting spells at random, she was genuinely starting to wonder if this player was deliberately trolling her.

"If I lose this round too, humanity might as well just go extinct!" The girl's voice grew increasingly exasperated.

Miko bit her lip, wanting desperately to reply, but afraid that the moment she opened her mouth, her voice would come out... strange. And this wild, uncontrollable gameplay—no matter how hard she tried, her body refused to cooperate.

Just then, Mrs. Yotsuya's voice came from the kitchen. "Miko, take out the trash!"

Miko started to get up, but Kouma pressed her back down. "I'll do it. You finish the game first—otherwise your teammate really will explode." Withdrawing his hands from Miko's body, he padded over to the kitchen.

"Mrs. Yotsuya, I'll take care of it!"

"No, let that lazy girl—" Before Mrs. Yotsuya could finish, Kouma had already grabbed the trash and dashed out. She sighed and called after him, "Just throw it in the recycling bin at the end of the street!"

Kouma disposed of the bag quickly and was about to head back when a surprised voice stopped him.

"Kouma?"

He turned to see a beautiful woman in a white T-shirt and jeans staring at him in surprise.

"Auntie Sawamura?"

"It really is you! I knew there couldn't be another sho[ta] this adorable anywhere in the world!" Without another word, Sayuri took his hand and pulled him into her house.

"Kouma, what are you doing here?"

"I came to play at Yotsuya-neechan's place."

"Yotsuya...? Oh, the neighbors next door!" Sayuri was pleasantly surprised. She hadn't expected to run into Kouma in such a way—and right at her new doorstep. Kouma, equally surprised, glanced around at the still-unpacked cardboard boxes and ventured a guess.

"Auntie Sawamura, did you just move here?"

"Smart boy!" Sayuri tapped the tip of his nose playfully, then sighed with a hint of melancholy. "Our old place was damaged by a monster attack—half the house was destroyed. We'll be staying here until it's fixed."

Such incidents were regrettably common in this world, though it was fortunate no one had been hurt. Kouma nodded solemnly. "Monsters are terrible. They'll definitely get what they deserve!"

Sayuri smiled warmly and ruffled his hair. "Let me wash some grapes for you—"

Grapes again? Kouma blinked, about to politely decline, when she added, "Eriri is upstairs. You can go play with her first!"

Now that piqued his interest. He wanted to see how far Eriri's doujinshi project had progressed. Eriri's room was easy to spot—a cute chibi self-portrait hung on the door.

He turned the knob and pushed the door open, but as he did, a muffled, strained sound came from inside.

Click.

"Eriri-neechan—"

The words died in his throat. Inside, a red-faced Eriri was frozen, caught in the act of using a familiar little red pill. Their eyes met.

Time stopped.

The air turned solid.

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