Mai was in the bathtub, resting her body on the warm water, feeling so comfortable. She let out a sigh of relief and somehow wanted to sleep, but she knew that she couldn't, especially when Shishio was still outside.
When Shishio brought her socks, Mai knew that he got them from the place where she kept her underwear, which made her blush, but she didn't blame him since she knew that he was helping her and if she didn't wear socks, then her body might be all cold and she might need a long time to recover.
Mai also had a feeling that Shishio wouldn't steal her underwear, considering he had a girlfriend, but she was beautiful, and wasn't it normal for him to be attracted to her?
Mai also thought that she might be a bit bold to take a bath when a man was outside.
'If he enters to peek at me, what should I do?'
Mai didn't feel sleepy anymore, and there were many things on her head at this moment, thinking about what Shishio was about to do, but if he decided to peek at her, she knew that she wouldn't blame or hate him that much.
Mai had a good feeling toward Shishio since he had helped her during her weakest time. When she needed someone to see her, he was there, and when she was in pain because of her period, he took care of her patiently with food, warm drink, warm bath, etc.
'If that guy doesn't have three girlfriends...'
Feeling strangely disappointed, Mai rubbed her face with her wet hands, and after a moment, she didn't even see him peeking, so in the end, she stopped and prepared to go out. She was about to dry her body, but she heard him talking with someone.
Unlike her, Shishio wasn't alone, which made her quite depressed.
Mai had never thought to get a boyfriend since no one had ever caught her eye, and she didn't even have the interest to make one, but when she thought about Shishio, who helped her on the beach and helped her before...
"............."
Mai then shook her head and wondered whether she was this easy since she could fall for someone because he saved her during her distress.
Mai knew that her plot was similar to a damsel in distress. She was in trouble, and a handsome prince helped her. Unfortunately, this prince was a scumbag with three girlfriends.
Mai dried her body with a white towel and started to wear thick clothes and shocks since she still felt a bit cold. Walking out of her room, she saw him, sitting on the sofa and talking with someone. She didn't think too much and walked toward the sofa, sitting beside him, and turned on the television. She saw an advertisement about a movie which made her raise her eyebrow for a moment before she let out a low sigh.
"Yes, thank you, Roberta." Shishio glanced at Mai for a moment before he looked away. He ended the call and planned to visit Tokugawa tonight since he thought he could get an apartment for Nana since she had decided to live alone. However, he needed to wait for which apartment she was going to choose since there were a lot of apartments on Suginami.
Shishio then turned and asked, "There's still lemon ginger water. Do you want some?"
"Yes." Mai nodded, and her expression was a bit complicated.
Shishio poured some of the lemon ginger water mixed with brown sugar on the cup and gave it to Mai.
"Thanks." Mai nodded, feeling the warmth from the cup, and gently sipped the lemon ginger water. She let out a gentle sigh, feeling warm and comfortable on her entire body, then she looked at Shishio and asked, "Your girlfriend?"
"I asked someone to pick me up since it is still raining now," Shishio said as he looked at the window of Mai's apartment. He wondered why the rain became harder now, and it made it hard for him to go home. "Anyway, let's talk about your problem. Did you reencounter it in the morning?" He knew why Mai came to see him before was probably that she might encounter the same problem that she had experienced yesterday.
Mai's expression was a bit heavy and depressed, but she nodded. "Yes." Her voice was a bit low since she was afraid that she might go unnoticed like this, and before long, no one would be able to see her again. Such a thought scared her, or rather, she was frightened at this moment. Her body was shaking, but she felt a strong hand holding her shoulder.
"Calm down. Let's search for the solution together, alright?" Shishio said calmly.
Mai looked at Shishio with a complex expression and nodded. "Thank you, Oga-kun." She looked at him and wondered why he decided to help her so much, but before she asked...
"You can thank me after your problem is solved." Shishio shook his head and asked, "Have you ever thought about the cause of your problem?"
Hearing Shishio's question, Mai shook her head and said, "I don't know. Yesterday, I thought that it was just my imagination, so by today, I should be alright, but I didn't expect..." She didn't expect that when she was about to buy breakfast at the convenience store in the morning, the staff seemed to ignore her and at the same time, she realized that she had gone unnoticed again, which made her scared and returned to her apartment again.
If Mai hadn't met Shishio yesterday, she might not have thought of meeting him. Instead, she might spend her time holed up in her room before she tried to search for a solution for her problem, such as trying to attract everyone's attention by wearing a bunny girl costume?
Hearing Mai's story, Shishio thought for a moment and asked, "I just wanted to make sure that this has nothing to do with your physiology problem, right?"
Mai smiled bitterly and asked, "Do you think that I am crazy?" However, she also understood that someone couldn't believe her problem easily and even herself. If she was told that someone had caught a similar situation, she didn't think that she would believe either since it was just too strange.
Suddenly become unnoticed...
If someone told those other people that they had this kind of problem, they would think of them as crazy!
Looking at Mai, whose eyes were red and almost cried, Shishio quickly held her shoulders again, trying to calm her down, and said, "No, I trust you, but I want to make sure since your situation is unique." If possible, he wanted to hug her since she smelled so nice, but he knew that shouldn't act like a scumbag right now. As a scumbag, he knew that she was at her lowest and weakest point, and even if he pushed her right now, she would accept him, but he didn't want that since even though he was a scumbag, he wasn't trash.
Staring into his eyes, Mai could see clearly that Shishio didn't doubt him, and she also blushed lightly. She felt a bit ashamed when she thought that she got embarrassed by someone who was younger than her and said calmly, "Thank you, but how long are you going to hold me?"
"Sorry, it feels nice to hold you," Shishio said to lighten the mood and raised his hands quickly.
"You have three girlfriends, and that's not enough for you?" Mai asked in a snort.
"..." Shishio was in silence since Mai was wrong and he had four girlfriends rather than three, but he wouldn't say it. "What is important right now is to find a solution for your problem, right? Let's talk about this matter now."
Mai knew that this guy tried to change the subject, but she decided to forgive him and asked, "Do you know the cause of this problem?"
Shishio showed hesitation and said, "You know, after I have heard about your situation, I tried to search some information on the internet whether someone had a similar situation as you, but I'm not sure whether you can believe this information or not since it is an urban legend."
"Urban legend?" Mai was a bit stunned, but then she asked, "What kind of urban legend?"
"Do you want to hear it?" Shishio asked.
"My problem isn't something that someone can't believe anyway, and it doesn't hurt to know more." Mai also felt that her problem was quite weird, and someone with logic wouldn't believe her, so it wouldn't be hurt to hear something like an urban legend, considering how desperate she was.
"Hear me first. I'd thought about two reasons why you are in this situation now."
Mai nodded and told him to go on.
"First, I'd thought that someone hated you and gave you some curse that made you become invisible in the eyes of others." Looking at Mai's stunned expression, Shishio said, "But I don't think that this is the cause since you have been on hiatus for a while, and why does it happen now? Why doesn't it happen when you're still active as an actress? So I think this isn't the reason why this situation happens to you."
Hearing Shishio's words, Mai nodded in silence and also agreed with his explanation. After all, even though it was weird and she didn't believe it that she might be cursed, what had happened to her wasn't something that could be explained by logic, and she also had a lot of competitors in the world of show-biz, so she had been exposed to the human ugliness during her childhood time, and it wouldn't be weird if some people hated her since she had stolen their chance on the show-biz world. However, as Shishio said before, why does it happen now? Why didn't it happen during her active time?
"What about the other reason?" Mai asked quietly.
"It's just an urban legend, but I strangely feel that this urban legend resembles your situation."
"What urban legend?"
"Adolescence Syndrome."
Shishio thought he wouldn't be able to discover about the "Adolescence Syndrome," but since Mai and Futaba were in this world, it wouldn't be weird to find out about these strange, abnormal experiences.
"Adolescence Syndrome?" Mai was confused by this term since it was her first time hearing it.
Shishio wasn't surprised by Mai's reaction and explained what Adolescence Syndrome was.
In simple terms, Adolescence Syndrome, also known as Puberty Syndrome, is a term used to describe abnormal experiences during adolescence as a result of sensitivity and instability.
"Those who have Adolescence Syndrome are susceptible to various events or experiences that would be considered abnormal and irregular." Shishio looked at Mai and said, "In your case, you have become invisible in the eyes of others."
"....." Mai was in silence, hearing Shishio's words, then looked at him and asked, "Then what about the solution?" This was the most important thing that she needed to know.
"Before we search for a solution, we need to know the cause first," Shishio said.
"Cause?" Mai was confused when Shishio asked this.
"Since there is a word of "Adolescence" on the "Adolscenes Syndrome," then it should happen to someone in puberty. In other words, it should happen because of someone's school life." Shishio looked at Mai and said, "I can tell that your school life is quite unhappy, right?"
"....." Mai couldn't refute Shishio's words since he was right.
"Don't worry, since you met me, you're going to have a rose-colored high school life rather than a gray-colored high school life," Shishio said, trying to lighten the mood.
Mai was quite amused by Shishio's words. 'Rose-colored high school life, huh?' She smiled, but at the same time, she looked at him and asked, "Oga-kun, can I ask why you look out at me so much? You know, usually, people don't look out for troublesome girls like me." She looked at him and asked, "Do you want to add more girlfriends?"
"Did you fall for me?" Shishio asked.
"Who is falling for you?!" Mai blushed and denied him without hesitation.
"That's good." Shishio nodded and said, "Don't fall for a scumbag like me, alright?"
Mai's expression became complex when she heard Shishio's words, but she shook her head and asked, "But seriously, why did you help me?"
Looking at Mai, who showed a serious expression, Shishio knew that Mai wouldn't let her go until he explained why he decided to help her. The truth was there wasn't much of a reason why he decided to help her. She needed help, and he helped her, that's all. He didn't have a strange reason or anything, but he had to admit that her situation was quite similar to him.
Shishio was alone in this world, and he couldn't scream, he couldn't ask someone for help, and all he could do was solve his problem by himself after becoming Shishio Oga.
Luckily, one month after Shishio became Shishio Oga, there was a system, and he also met a lot of wonderful girls who had helped him solve his problems.
Mai was in a similar situation. She was alone, facing her problem, without anyone's help.
Luckily, Mai happened to meet Shishio on Enoshima before.
Not sure which one was lucky, but with Shishio, Mai wouldn't be alone to solve her problem until she made a crazy decision by wearing a bunny girl costume in the middle of the street.
"Well, you just resemble me a bit," Shishio said quietly.
"Huh?" Mai was confused by Shishio's words.
Shaking his head, Shishio said, "Do you need a reason to help someone? You need help, and I just happen to be the person who saves you. My role can be changed by anyone. Rather than thinking about the reason why I'm helping you, isn't it better for you to tell me more about yourself so we can understand why this problem happens to you?" He was wondering why someone always wanted to make something so complicated. He just wanted to help, that's all. Why did someone need a reason to help someone?
Shishio had to admit that Mai was beautiful, and as a man, he would be lying if he wasn't tempted, but he had four beautiful girlfriends. Even though he didn't mind adding more, it would be weird if he actively chased Mai, and she would think of him as trash. Also, if he actively chased after her now, his chances of getting her would decrease rather than increase.
Shishio also felt that he had enough reward, and he also knew that he should be strong enough to protect his women. He also felt that having four girlfriends should be enough, but he wouldn't reject more girls.
Joking aside, if he had to choose Sakurajima Mai and four of his girlfriends, wasn't it obvious who he should choose?
Lastly, could Sakurajima Mai, who was one of the most popular child actresses, accept sharing her man with other girls?
Shishio wasn't sure, but he knew that Mai was prideful, but it was normal since, with all of the achievements that she had gotten from her childhood time until now, it would be weird if she didn't feel pride toward her achievements.
Still, even so, Shishio knew that Mai was a kind girl, and it was also quite easy to get her since he knew that she was just a girl who starved for love and would fall for anyone who would be a little nice to her but even though it was all good to receive all of those rewards from the girls, he didn't feel comfortable taking advantage of those girls.
As for the original MC, who helped Sakurajima Mai, Shishio didn't think too much and decided to ignore him since this guy was practically harmless.
Hearing Shishio's words, Mai stared at his face at a loss, but then she shook her head and said, "Not all people are willing to jump into the river to save someone who is drowned." She had seen a lot of ugliness in humans, and of course, she knew that not all people would be willing to believe and save her like Shishio, and somehow she understood why he had three girlfriends at the same time.
"What?" Shishio pretended that he didn't understand Mai's words.
"Nothing." Shaking her head, Mai was at a loss again when she thought about Shishio's previous words.
'Don't fall for a scumbag like me, alright?'
Mai then looked at Shishio and asked in a teasing manner, "Okay, Mr. Nice Guy, what do you want to know?"
"....."
"It's a little funny that you can call a scumbag like me as a Mr. Nice Guy." Shishio raised his eyebrow.
"Oh, I don't mind calling you that from now on." Mai looked at Shishio with a charming smile.
"Stop it. It creeps me out." Shisho shuddered.
One thing that Shishio hated was called "Nice Guy" by a girl since it wasn't praised. Instead, it was an insult for him.
"Can you tell me how your school life is?" Shishio asked. He could guess more or less what kind of high school life that Mai lived with, but even so, he needed to ask since that way, he could understand better what kind of girl Sakurajima Mai was.
Hearing Shishio's question, Mai sighed and said, "It isn't something fun."
"If it's fun, then will you have this problem now?"
"....."
"Okay, but I hope that you won---"
"I will go home."
"Wait a moment!"
Holding onto his wrist, Mai blushed for a moment before she let go of his wrist. She let out a sigh, then said, "Then I'll tell you, but don't you dare to spread it around."
"Yes, yes, so can you tell me now?"
"Why you're not so gentle with me? You're so gentle with your girlfriend..." Mai pouted and grumbled.
"Because you're not my girlfriend."
"..."
"So Sakurajima Mai-san, can you tell me now?"
Looking into his eyes, Mai let out a long sigh while wondering why this guy had a girlfriend.
"I'll tell you, but stop calling me by my full name. It creeps me out."
"Is that a payback, Mai-san?"
Mai looked at Shishio for a moment with some amusement, holding the cup filled with warm lemon ginger water with both of her palms, and started to tell him her uninteresting school life slowly.