Chapter 36

"Hmm?"

It was late at night.

Yugen suddenly woke up.

He realized his phone was ringing. Still half-asleep, he checked his phone and saw a message from Airi.

"I'm sorry to bother you at this hour.

I need you to come to my room."

That was the content of the message.

"Hmm... I thought I told her to come to me if she needed anything..."

Did he forget to mention it? Yugen tilted his head in thought but headed towards Airi's room anyway.

He made sure not to wake the rest of the family as he made his way to the guest room.

Airi's room was brightly lit. When he opened the sliding door...

"Ah! Ah, Yugen-san..."

Airi's body trembled, and then she seemed to relax a bit.

"What's wrong? Airi. Is something the matter?"

"Well, I... I know it might sound a bit strange, but..."

Airi blushed and fidgeted. Through the slightly open yukata, a glimpse of her white skin and underwear was visible. Yugen couldn't help but swallow hard.

"What's wrong?"

"I, I need you to come with me to the bathroom..."

"The bathroom? ...Didn't I show you where it is?"

He was sure he had explained the location of the bathroom near the guest bedroom. Maybe she didn't understand, or perhaps she forgot.

Yugen tilted his head in confusion.

"No, I remember where it is, but..."

"Okay."

"It's just... I'm scared..."

Airi lowered her eyes, looking embarrassed.

"I see."

Airi, who couldn't sleep without a nightlight, might find it difficult to go to the bathroom alone in the dark. However, a question came to mind: why not just turn on the light?

Before Yugen could ask, Airi explained as if making an excuse.

"Well, I wasn't sure where the light switch was... and I didn't want to bother anyone with the light..."

"I see."

For Airi, who was unfamiliar with the layout of the house, finding the light switch in the dark would be challenging. She must have sent the message because she couldn't find her way to Yugen's room.

This was Yugen's oversight.

"I'm sorry. But just to let you know... this room and our bedroom are quite far apart, and there are multiple bathrooms. As long as you don't make a lot of noise, it should be fine."

The room he had given Airi was a guest bedroom. The Kasegawa residence had several guest bedrooms and living rooms, and of course, guest bathrooms.

"Ah, right... I see. ...I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. I should have explained better. Let's go together, shall we?"

Airi nodded slightly. They walked to the bathroom together, turning on the lights as they went.

"...I'm sorry for the trouble."

After she was done, Airi bowed her head slightly to Yugen. She seemed embarrassed, her face and ears turning red.

"Well, everyone has a few things they're not good at."

Yugen tried to comfort Airi. As they turned off the lights and made their way back, the corridor creaked slightly.

"Ah!"

Airi let out a startled scream and clung to Yugen. She hugged him tightly, seemingly in a panic.

"Hey, Airi..."

Next, it was Yugen's turn to be surprised. He felt something soft press against his arm.

The dim lighting and poor visibility heightened his senses and imagination.

"Well, there's actually another reason..."

"Another reason?"

"Well, I thought I could manage on my own at first. But when I felt the atmosphere, I suddenly got scared..."

"Atmosphere?"

A question mark appeared in Yugen's mind, but he quickly understood. Airi was saying that the house felt haunted.

"I didn't mean to lie, but I thought it might be rude to say that..."

Even though Yugen wasn't interrogating her, Airi was making excuses and explanations. Airi never lied, but she sometimes withheld her true feelings to be considerate of others. Now, she seemed to feel guilty.

"The atmosphere, huh? I hadn't thought of that."

"I'm not saying your house is haunted, but..."

"But now that you mention it, it does have that feel. It is an old house, after all."

Yugen laughed. He decided to treat Airi's "lie" as a joke.

Still, he had to admit that the house did feel haunted when Airi mentioned it. Being an old wooden mansion, it had a certain atmosphere at night, and it did creak sometimes.

In Japan, it's believed that old things can be possessed. It wouldn't be strange for a house like this to have a few spirits.

"Does it really... have spirits!?"

"No, I've never encountered one in my life. I don't think it does."

"That's a relief... but I'm still scared."

She clung to Yugen's arm tightly, not letting go.

(Not good. This is getting complicated.)

The softness and warmth of Airi's skin through the thin fabric were stimulating Yugen's instincts. In the darkness, he had a fleeting thought that he might get away with touching her.

Leaving a scared Airi alone wasn't an option, but he couldn't stay with her all night either.

So...

"Airi, why don't we look at the moon before going to bed?"

"..."

Yugen led Airi to a veranda not far from the guest bedroom, from where they could see the garden and the pond, and the moon reflected in the pond.

"Isn't this a nice 'atmosphere'?"

"Yes... it's beautiful."

Airi nodded in agreement. The Kasegawa residence's garden was always well-maintained by a dedicated gardener, making it a beautiful sight.

"I didn't notice during the fireworks... it's quiet, atmospheric, and beautiful."

Airi squinted her eyes in appreciation. Her flaxen hair shimmered in the moonlight, looking golden.

Airi was beautiful both during the fireworks and under the moonlight. Yugen felt his heart race a little.

Still, this should help ease her fear.

"I'm glad you like it."

Yugen and Airi smiled at each other. In the moonlight, Yugen caught a glimpse of Airi's chest.

He quickly looked away, and Airi tilted her head in confusion.

This was a chapter about the scared Airi.

Of course, being an old house, it might have a few ghost stories.

But the Kasegawa family is quite thick-skinned and wouldn't be bothered by a ghost or two.

If you found this interesting and want to read more,

please bookmark the story and give it a full rating (change the ☆☆☆☆☆ to ★★★★★) at the bottom of the table of contents. It will give me the motivation to continue updating.

The next update is planned for tomorrow or the day after.

By the way, regarding the "True Dere" level:

Last time, I said it was 5%, but after some thought, I've decided it's currently 0%.

They're not thinking about marriage or anything that far ahead yet...

If you're looking forward to the "Dere" level,

please bookmark the story and give it a full rating (change the ☆☆☆☆☆ to ★★★★★) at the bottom of the table of contents. It would be greatly appreciated.