Chapter 37: Very Moist

The afterglow of the setting sun spilled over the bustling Commercial Street, plating the passing pedestrians in a layer of golden light.

After leaving school, the three of them headed toward the Maid Cafe.

Walking in front, Chu Youyu suddenly seemed to remember something and skidded to a halt. Her black twin tails whipped through the air in a sharp arc.

She spun around, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Su Ruanruan and Saginomiya Shiori.

“Oh! I almost forgot!”

Chu Youyu placed her hands on her hips and tilted her chin up proudly. “Didn’t we agree in the clubroom? We’re going to add that ‘Pipi Daifuku’ to the cafe’s new menu!”

“Eh? But aren’t we going to work?” Su Ruanruan, clutching the hem of Shiori’s sleeve, stopped like a little penguin and tilted her head in confusion.

“Work can wait for a bit!” Chu Youyu grabbed Su Ruanruan’s left hand without allowing any room for argument. “Let’s go, let’s go! We’re going to that shop right now. We’ll buy several different flavors to take back so the chef at the cafe can stay up tonight and study how to replicate them!”

“Hey, hey, walk a little slower, Youyu…”

And so, Su Ruanruan was pulled along by the impatient Young Lady Chu, turning into a small alley that led to a viral dessert shop.

When the three of them arrived at the newly opened dessert shop, they were instantly stunned by the scene before them.

Some major influencer must have promoted the place, because the line outside the shop currently rivaled a train station during the peak holiday rush. A dense sea of people snaked around the corner—schoolgirl uniforms, trendy outfits, and street fashion were all mixed together, and the noise was deafening.

“Uwah… so many people…” Su Ruanruan looked at the crowded heads, and her social anxiety immediately spiked. She quietly took half a step back. “Should… should we come back next time?”

“In your dreams! We have to get them today!” Chu Youyu’s competitive spirit was completely ignited. “It’s just a line, isn’t it? Charge!”

However, Young Lady Chu had clearly underestimated the popularity of this viral shop.

“Hey, don’t push!”

“Hurry up in the front!”

The crowd was like an out-of-control beast, erupting into a wave of forward pressure.

Chu Youyu was already petite. After being bumped by several tall girls, her hand slipped, and she was pushed directly to the other side of the line.

“Youyu!” Su Ruanruan cried out.

“Ruanruan!” Saginomiya Shiori, who had been following behind, experienced a sudden change in expression. She tried to step forward to protect her, but she was pinned in place by several older women carrying large bags. She couldn’t squeeze through no matter how hard she tried.

In the blink of an eye, Su Ruanruan was swept into the middle of the surging crowd, completely separated from the others.

“Ugh… it’s so crowded…”

Having lost her protection, Su Ruanruan was like a little white rabbit dropped into a wolf pack, helplessly sandwiched in the middle of the crowd.

The air became hot and stifling, surrounded entirely by strangers. People were practically pressed against each other; the slightest movement resulted in the sensation of unfamiliar body heat and friction.

In another surge of pushing, Su Ruanruan completely lost her balance. Her small body fell uncontrollably to the left, slamming heavily into a petite figure who was almost swallowed by an oversized hoodie.

“Ah! I—I’m sorry!” Su Ruanruan apologized quickly, trying to regain her footing.

At that moment, the person who had been bumped—Eri Chanya—felt her expression freeze behind her sunglasses and mask.

As the most popular National Idol of the moment, she had finally managed to ditch her manager today, sneaking out fully disguised to buy the viral dessert she had seen online.

A flash of displeasure crossed Eri Chanya’s eyes. She was about to coldly push away the person who had accidentally bumped into her.

However, when she turned her head and saw the person who had hit her, her movements suddenly froze.

A head of silver hair, as pure as moonlight, was slightly disheveled from the crowding. That palm-sized face was fair with a hint of pink. Especially those red eyes—filled with apology and glistening with tears because of the collision—looked very much like fragile rubies.

‘A bit cute.’

Under her oversized hoodie, Eri Chanya’s breathing remained as steady as a calm sea. Her gaze unconsciously lingered on Su Ruanruan.

Beneath the short skirt of the St. Lilith Academy uniform was a pair of exceptionally symmetrical, smooth legs. As the crowd pushed, that petite and soft body kept rubbing against her arm because she couldn’t stand steadily.

Just as Su Ruanruan stood on her tiptoes, desperately searching for her companions—

The crowd gave another violent shove.

Eri Chanya was hit hard by the person behind her. Her entire body leaned forward uncontrollably, and her hand instinctively reached out to stabilize herself. As a result, it landed squarely on Su Ruanruan’s pert buttocks.

“Ya!”

Su Ruanruan’s entire body stiffened like a cat that had its tail stepped on, and she let out a short, sharp gasp. The sensation was far too clear!

Her face flushed bright red, and her two small hands immediately covered her backside. Like a startled hamster, she stared with watery red eyes and looked around alertly.

‘Who was it…’

Her gaze scanned the area and finally fell on the silver-haired girl right next to her left side.

That girl was wearing a baseball cap, a black mask, and exaggeratedly large sunglasses. At the moment, she was standing stiffly in place, her hand still hovering in mid-air.

Sensing Su Ruanruan’s scrutinizing gaze, Eri Chanya tilted her head slightly.

She slowly raised her hand and took off the sunglasses that covered most of her face.

Those were a pair of purple eyes that seemed to contain an infinite starry sky—deep, mysterious, and even possessing a coldness and emptiness that felt almost divine.

“…Sorry. I was pushed.”

Eri Chanya’s voice was cold and flat, without any fluctuation, as if she were an emotionless broadcasting machine. She slowly withdrew her hand and tucked it into her hoodie pocket.

Looking at those eyes that were too beautiful to be real, Su Ruanruan’s brain stalled for two seconds.

‘Her build is basically that of a stoic little girl! Her gaze is so empty and clear, so it probably wasn’t on purpose…’

“I-It’s okay.” Su Ruanruan shook her head awkwardly and looked away. She even felt a hint of guilt for her earlier suspicion.

However, she had no idea. The very second she turned her head, Eri Chanya’s fingers inside her pocket were carefully reminiscing about the soft sensation she had just accidentally touched.

That texture…

The line moved forward a bit more, and the crowd erupted into pushing again.

Using the shove as cover, Eri Chanya “once again” fell forward with a blank expression. Her entire body pressed against Su Ruanruan in an extremely natural, almost entitled manner.

“…Pushed again,” she said in that flat, declarative sentence. She didn’t even offer an apology, as if she were merely stating an objective fact.

“Be careful!” Because of her earlier guilt, Su Ruanruan was not only off her guard but also kindly reached out a hand to steady the girl’s arm.

In the moment while Su Ruanruan was holding her and her attention was completely diverted, Eri Chanya’s hand, which had been in her pocket, slid out silently with a clear purpose this time.

She continued to stare forward blankly, but her hand was like a flexible viper. It slid down Su Ruanruan’s skirt and pressed precisely against that bare, white thigh!

The moment her cool fingers touched the warm skin, Su Ruanruan sucked in a breath of cold air.

“Ngh!”

This sensation was completely different from before!

The hand was not satisfied with a simple touch. Instead, it practiced an extremely skillful and gentle stroking motion against the delicate, sensitive inner thigh. It even followed the edge of her calf socks, using the pads of the fingers to create a trail of shivering, numb electricity that slowly slid upward.

“Mmph…”

A strong current of electricity instantly surged from her thigh through her entire body. Su Ruanruan’s legs went weak, and she nearly failed to stand.

Someone was definitely touching her on purpose! And the movements were incredibly practiced and lewd!

Su Ruanruan’s breathing became rapid, and her cheeks turned so red they looked ready to drip blood.

But because of the crowding, the view of the outside of her thigh was completely blocked. She couldn’t see whose hand was doing the deed at all.

“Don’t… don’t touch…”

Su Ruanruan’s voice carried a hint of trembling and shame.

She wanted to pull away, but there were people in every direction. The hand on her thigh actually gripped tighter because of her struggle, and it even wickedly pinched a bit of that soft flesh.

‘Who is it…’

Su Ruanruan bit her lip, trying hard to find the culprit in the crowded mass of people.

But there were too many people, and everyone was pushing and shoving. It was impossible to tell who it was.

“…What are you looking for?”

The perpetrator, Eri Chanya, tilted her head slightly and looked at Su Ruanruan with the cold gaze of someone observing an interesting specimen. Her voice still lacked any fluctuation.

And the hand hidden in the blind spot was still wandering back and forth.

“S-Someone is touching me…”

Su Ruanruan said in a small voice, her face flushed. She was too embarrassed to be too explicit, but her eyes kept searching the surroundings for suspicious people.

“…Is that so?”

Eri Chanya looked around the area with a blank expression and then said in that flat voice, “There are too many people. I can’t tell.”

Just then, a strong wave of killing intent suddenly surged from behind.

“Move!”

Saginomiya Shiori had finally pushed through the crowd.

She pulled Su Ruanruan behind her in one move, scanning the surroundings alertly.

Chu Youyu also squeezed over from the other side. Seeing Su Ruanruan’s face was beet-red, she immediately became nervous. “Ruanruan! What’s wrong? Your face is so red!”

“Someone… someone touched me…” Su Ruanruan said softly, her eyes still searching the crowd. “But there are too many people. I can’t find who did it…”

Shiori and Chu Youyu’s gazes were like two sharp swords, staring fixedly at the people nearby. Finally, their eyes landed on Eri Chanya, who was closest to Su Ruanruan.

Eri Chanya stood there without a single expression. She slowly tucked her offending hand back into her pocket and put her sunglasses back on.

Faced with their scrutiny, she didn’t even blink, acting as if nothing had happened.

“It probably wasn’t her…” Su Ruanruan tugged at the hem of Shiori’s sleeve. “I just asked her if she saw anyone suspicious, and she even helped me look…”

Upon hearing these words, Eri Chanya took a deep look at Su Ruanruan through her sunglasses with those empty, starry eyes.

“…Goodbye.”

Leaving behind that flat phrase, Eri Chanya turned and walked into the crowd.

“Let’s go, Ruanruan. It’s too dangerous here.” Shiori gave that departing back a cold glance. Although she had no evidence, her intuition filled her with hostility toward that silver-haired girl.

Chu Youyu didn’t care about buying the daifuku anymore either. The two of them closely guarded Su Ruanruan as they left the crowd.

Watching the three figures depart, Eri Chanya stood in place.

She slowly removed the hand that had touched Su Ruanruan from her pocket, pulled down her mask, and brought her fingers to the tip of her nose. She took a deep breath of the strawberry scent that remained on them.

“…Su Ruanruan.”

She repeated the name in a low whisper with that emotionless voice. Then, a faint, sickly smile appeared on that icy face once more.