D-Don't Stare at Me Like That, You Idiot....

Thanks to the idiot who agreed with the kids saying we were dating, my mental state took a bit of a hit—but luckily, I'm feeling more or less okay now.

…Honestly, more than him agreeing, it was when Han Seojin said afterward that he hadn't meant it that way that I came to my senses and wondered why I'd agonized over it.

‘I spent so long trying to figure out what to do back then…!’

Remembering how my heart had raced and my face had gone hot the moment I first heard it, like my brain had overloaded, only made me more annoyed.

Right. That idiot's too stupid to know things like that. He's too stupid for me to think of him that way.

For the sake of my mental health, that seemed like the right way to think about it.

Anyway.

-Mom, where are you going?

-It's a secret~ I bet Siyeon will love it!

-…?

After Mom said something that left me with no choice but to tilt my head in confusion, I ate the dinner she'd prepared ahead of time by myself, then went to take a shower since it was evening.

If Mom were home, she'd tell me not to shower in the evening because it was cold… But honestly, even in my previous life, showering at night had always felt refreshing and nice.

Besides, I'd always been a night owl.

Of course, now that I was an elementary schooler, I'd become a proper kid of this new era who went to bed at ten and got up at seven. Still, I felt more comfortable at night than in the morning.

I washed my hair the way Mom had taught me, set the hair dryer to cool, and slowly dried it, finishing my shower in a good mood.

…Even though my hair was short, it still didn't dry very well with the cool air. I considered switching to hot air, but remembered Mom scolding me that it would damage my hair, so I didn't.

I could only regret not drying it more thoroughly.

Back when I was a guy, I just used shampoo and called it a day. But now that I was using things like hair treatment and conditioner, I really felt like I'd become a woman.

…Honestly, I still don't know what they do, but Mom told me I had to use them, so they must be good for something.

Thinking that, I switched off the hair dryer, left Mom's room where it was kept, and trotted over to mine.

“What should I wear…?”

I wondered what to put on as pajamas.

…Which is better, the bunny pajamas or the cat pajamas?

Since I liked both rabbits and cats, I couldn't help agonizing over which of the two to wear.

They were both cute, super soft, and comfortable, so I wore both of them all the time these days.

…When I first got them, I had a pretty serious moment of wondering what I was doing wearing something like this. But that feeling passed quickly, while the softness lasted.

Besides, no one but Mom ever saw me in my pajamas, so I didn't need to worry about what other people would think.

“Ugh, I can't choose.”

If there were only one pair, that'd be one thing, but having to pick one of two was incredibly painful.

If I chose the cat pajamas, the bunny ears bothered me. If I chose the bunny pajamas, the cat tail bothered me.

Of course, those were just details, and basically the pajamas were the same. You could say there was no need to fuss over it that much, but I'm a hardcore otaku, so I have to care about even the little things…!

‘…If I hadn't lived as an otaku, I wouldn't have been possessed into this stupid dating sim.’

Still, I was living a pretty satisfying life, so maybe it was all right.

“It's cold, so I need to put something on….”

It was still cold in March, so it wasn't easy to stand around in my underwear before putting on pajamas.

As I agonized over it again and again, the door opened with a clunk. For a moment, I was relieved.

Usually, when I couldn't make up my mind like this and asked Mom, she'd say something like, “I think this one would be nice today!”

And when I put it on and looked in the mirror, I was always really happy with her choice. I was about to ask her when I looked toward the front door….

“Mom's home! …Oh.”

“I'm home! …Huh?”

Who was that idiot behind Mom?

When Mom left, she was definitely by herself, so why was she coming back with that idiot?

And what was that reaction about?

‘Why are they reacting like that when they're in our house?’

Their strange reaction made me feel like something was off. I wondered why they were acting that way and felt a little hurt, then—

I suddenly remembered something.

‘…Wait, am I wearing clothes right now?’

I hurriedly looked down at myself. I was still flat, but aside from the bra I wore to cover my chest and my panties, I wasn't wearing a single stitch of clothing.

“Ah? Ah, ah…?”

My mind came to a complete stop.

…Right. If it had only been Mom, I could probably have brushed it off. She was family.

But showing my body to that guy hadn't even crossed my mind…?

-Bang!

‘I'm doomed, I'm doomed…!’

I hurriedly shut the door, then grabbed the blanket on my bed and kicked it as hard as I could, trying to do something to ease my embarrassment.

“Auntie, what's wrong with Siyeon?”

“She must be embarrassed~”

Just as I started to calm down, I heard them talking outside, and my head went hot all over again. I could only keep kicking the blanket.

==========

“Have you calmed down?”

“…Yes.”

Once I'd calmed down a little,

I decided I should at least put something on, so I put on a shirt and pants, then came out hesitantly. I answered Mom in a voice as tiny as an ant's, my head bowed.

…I'm so embarrassed!

If it had only been Mom, maybe I could've handled it, but the fact that that idiot had seen my body was so embarrassing that I twisted and squirmed all over.

Why did that idiot's parents have to go on a business trip right now, meaning he'd have to stay at our house for a few days…!

‘Right, can't I just pretend he's not here?’

If I couldn't see him in front of me and he didn't say anything, maybe it would be a little easier to pretend he wasn't here.

That idiot isn't in our house right now. That idiot isn't in our house right n—

“What are you doing?”

“Eek…!”

I glared at him a little, resenting him for speaking right on cue as if to remind me he was here. Then what had just happened came back to me, and I had no choice but to drop my head again with a groan.

…Looking at that stupid face only reminds me of what just happened.

Still, I couldn't keep my head down when someone was right in front of me, so I started to lift it—then lowered it again, embarrassed all over again by the fact that I'd shown him my body.

I kept repeating the same thing, twisting and squirming all by myself. I felt stupid, but I couldn't help it, and kept looking at his face and then looking away.

“So, where are your pajamas, Siyeon?”

“Y-yes…?”

At last, the inevitable question had arrived.

I usually wore nothing but pajamas at night, so Mom must've found it strange to see me in a plain cotton T-shirt and asked where my pajamas were.

…Right, those pajamas were entirely to blame!

If I'd only had one pair of pajamas to begin with, I wouldn't have had to agonize over which one to wear, and I wouldn't be dying of embarrassment like this.

“I-I still haven't decided which pajamas to wear….”

“Oh.”

If I'd asked why she bought me two pairs, my filial piety would've gone up in flames and disappeared. So I simply told her the truth.

It wasn't the first time I'd agonized over which pajamas to wear, so Mom just accepted it and moved on—

“Seojin, which do you like better, cats or rabbits?”

“Huh?”

“Uh, Mom?!”

Maybe something had occurred to her, because Mom gave a sly smile and asked the idiot beside her whether he liked rabbits or cats better.

At that, I jumped up as if I'd been shocked, then sank right back down, quiet again when I remembered he was watching. I stole a glance at that idiot.

…It wasn't anything like that. I was just curious what he liked.

“What is it, sweetie?”

“N-nothing….”

Maybe Mom thought my reaction was funny, because her cheerful voice as she called to me sounded like the voice of a devil today.

“So, Seojin, which do you like better?”

“Hmm… Cats!”

“You heard that, right, sweetheart?”

“W-What?”

When Mom asked whether I'd heard the idiot choose cats, I answered rather curtly.

…Maybe I'll wear the cat pajamas tonight.

I-I wasn't thinking about that idiot or anything. I just suddenly felt like wearing them.

Yeah, yeah. That's all it is.

‘For now, I absolutely have no intention of letting that idiot see me in them.’

I knew he'd be staying here with us for a few days, but I absolutely wasn't going to let him see me wearing my pajamas.

…It's embarrassing. Showing myself like that to anyone besides Mom.

I was teasing him inwardly, sticking out my tongue even if I wasn't actually doing it, when—

“Then, Seojin, what do you think Siyeon would look like in cat pajamas?”

“…Uh, Mom?”

“She'd be super cute!”

“W-What are you talking about, you idiot…!”

“You want to see, right?”

“Yes!”

“That's what he says, sweetheart.”

Thanks to Mom suddenly kicking things off, the mood shifted to one where I was going to have to show them what I looked like in my pajamas.

In the end, despite my embarrassment, I went into my room and quietly changed into my pajamas.

“……”

“Wow….”

“D-Don't stare at me like that, you idiot....”

Then, once I'd changed completely and came back out, I lightly scolded him as he stared at me with his mouth hanging open. But something about it made me shiver.

…M-Maybe I'll let him look as much as he wants just for today.

Thinking that, I decided to let him off this once and looked at him.

I mean, it'd be kind of strange not to show him when he likes it so much. Yeah, that's all it is.