Chapter 20: From Now On, I'll Only Let Shunsuke Handle It
Realizing that he might have unintentionally instilled some inappropriate ideas in Mashiro, Shunsuke cleared his throat and said, "I'll take a quick look first. You sit."
"Okay."
Nodding repeatedly like a well-behaved puppy, Mashiro sat on Shunsuke's bed, trying her best to look serious. She sat up straight, chest out, hands resting flat on her thighs, as if ready to take a formal exam.
It seemed like Mashiro only barely resembled a normal person when it came to things she truly cared about.
The reason it was only "barely" was because, no matter how convincing her act was, no normal person would dress like this to ask someone for feedback on their work.
Shunsuke glanced at the manuscript, then couldn't help but steal a glance at Mashiro. He looked at the manuscript again, but his eyes drifted back to her. Finally, unable to resist, he put the manuscript down, walked over to her, and grabbed her golden hair...
Then, taking a towel from Za Warudo, he tossed it onto Mashiro's head and began to rub it dry.
"Shunsuke?"
"Shut up. Wait until I'm done." Shunsuke interrupted Mashiro, maintaining a stern expression. "Remember this for the future: when you meet someone, you have to make sure you're presentable first."
Mashiro stared blankly. "Rita's not here."
"Can't you do it yourself?"
"Like this?"
"Nope, not good enough."
Mashiro tugged at her shirt symbolically, then unbuttoned another button. "How about now?"
"I said it's not good enough."
"Shunsuke, you're so troublesome."
"Me? Really? Is this my fault?"
"Mhm."
"That wasn't even a question! Stop giving me your one-sided affirmations!"
Shunsuke quickly finished drying Mashiro's hair. It wasn't completely dry, but at least it wasn't dripping anymore.
Looking at Mashiro, who was still disheveled, Shunsuke couldn't help but ask, even though he already knew the answer, "Mashiro, do you know how to put on clothes properly?"
"Shunsuke, idiot. Don't underestimate me."
If this were a manga, Shunsuke felt like there'd be a giant symbol of frustration on his forehead.
"Then show me. Put your clothes on properly."
"..."
Mashiro awkwardly stood up, but as she tried to pull up her panties, she somehow managed to trip over them and almost fell forward.
"Za Warudo!"
Shunsuke had developed a habit of calling out "Za Warudo" the moment something unexpected happened, and it worked perfectly. The only downside was that he'd never have a "lucky pervert" moment again.
Although he could technically stage such moments during frozen time, it just wouldn't have the same thrill as the spontaneous "what will happen next" excitement of a genuine lucky pervert moment.
Placing his hand on Mashiro's stomach, feeling the soft and slender touch, Shunsuke let time flow again.
When Mashiro came back to her senses, she found herself sitting back on the bed, but the only difference was that her panties had been torn.
However, Mashiro didn't seem to care at all about this small issue. She quietly buttoned up her shirt, even though the buttons were misaligned. At least, she was technically dressed.
"Shunsuke, I'm done."
"Panties... Where are your panties? Just because they're torn, you're going to ignore it?"
"You didn't give me a new pair, Shunsuke."
"Again, it's my fault?"
"Hurry up, the manga."
"Now you're acting like it's natural to rush me!?"
Shunsuke pinched the corner of his eyes in frustration. "Let's go. We need to get you dressed in your room first. Otherwise, Sagiri might get the wrong idea."
Even though it's a classic scenario, Shunsuke wasn't interested in experiencing it. Love triangles were way too exhausting.
He casually took Mashiro's small hand and, before opening the door, sent out "The World," which had a control range of up to ten meters.
The World passed through the walls without a hitch, looking around as it went. Neither Mrs. Izumi nor Sagiri were around.
After thinking for a moment, The World moved to the second floor and peeked into Sagiri's room.
Hmm... she's curled up in bed with my clothes. Safe.
Then it moved to Mrs. Izumi's door and peeked inside.
Hmm... she's sprawled out, still asleep. Safe.
Once he confirmed everything was clear, Shunsuke opened the door and led Mashiro to her room.
What greeted him was a heap of clothes piled on the bed, with a few stray pieces of underwear scattered on the floor.
Shunsuke froze, stunned. "How... how is it this tidy?"
Having read the original novel, Shunsuke couldn't believe his eyes.
Seeing his reaction, Mashiro's lips curled slightly, about the width of a fingernail, as she displayed a proud expression.
Shunsuke walked over to the bed, casually grabbed a pair of panties, and handed them to Mashiro. "Hurry up and put these on."
"No."
"What's wrong?"
"They're not cute."
"Then why do you still have them?"
"Rita bought them. She always gets uncute ones."
"No one's going to see them anyway, so why are you being so picky?"
"But... Shunsuke is looking..."
Shunsuke was at a loss for words. Then, carefully, with two fingers, he picked out a classic blue-and-white pair from the pile. "This one is definitely cute!"
This time, Mashiro obediently took it.
Then, Shunsuke carefully selected a white lace bra. "Put this on too."
"Okay."
Mashiro softly replied with a simple "Mm," and without giving Shunsuke a second thought, she stood directly in front of him. Right there, in full view, she casually removed the shirt she had just struggled to put on, exposing herself without any hesitation.
Shunsuke was on the verge of losing it.
Even though he had The World on his side, he was barely holding it together.
But to make a move on the innocent, naïve Mashiro, whom he had only recently met, would be beyond despicable. Even worse than Itou Makoto. Shunsuke really didn't want to be that kind of person.
At the very least, he needed to wait a few more days!
But he was really at his limit!
Someone? Anyone? Mrs. Izumi, can I come to you for help right now!?
"Shunsuke, help me," she said, completely ignoring Shunsuke's internal struggle as she handed him the white lace bra.
"You can't put it on yourself?"
Mashiro gently nodded.
Even for a normal girl, putting on a bra can be a bit tricky, let alone for Mashiro.
Though Shunsuke wasn't much better at it himself, there was no way he could ask Sagiri for help in a situation like this. He had no choice but to proceed.
He instructed Mashiro to turn around and raise her delicate arms. Shunsuke guided the bra straps over her arms, positioned it properly, but then struggled with fastening the clasp.
"Hurry up, Shunsuke. You're tickling me."
"I don't want to be doing this either!"
In the end, it was once again The World's A-rank precision that came to his rescue, fastening the clasp neatly.
Thank you, The World.
Since he had already come this far, Shunsuke decided he might as well finish the task. He asked Mashiro to lift her leg so he could help her put on the panties as well.
For the record, Shunsuke turned his head when Mashiro lifted her leg.
Snap
As he released the waistband, the panties snapped against Mashiro's slightly raised bottom, making a sound, and the soft sensation his fingers accidentally brushed against made Shunsuke feel like he was ready to take up monastic life immediately.
Kanda Sorata—what an unbelievably (and terrifyingly) self-controlled man.
With thoughts of Sorata's impressive willpower in mind, Shunsuke pressed his hands firmly onto Mashiro's shoulders, adopting a serious expression. "Mashiro, remember this: from now on, you must never let any other man do this for you. Not even women, except maybe your mom... Okay, let's exclude Mrs. Izumi. But apart from me and your mother, no one else is allowed to help you with this, got it? Even Rita has to get my permission. No exceptions."
"Mhm."
Mashiro's deep, untainted eyes gazed directly into Shunsuke's, so pure that they seemed to reflect the world itself. As Shunsuke's guilty conscience urged him to look away, she finally nodded softly and said, "From now on, I'll only let Shunsuke do it."
"..."
Though Shunsuke felt like Mashiro might have misunderstood something, at the same time, it seemed like she hadn't.
He felt a strange mix of happiness and inner conflict.
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