Lenny Twinklespark was doing research.
No, seriously.
It was for… uh… science. Emotional science. Or possibly psychology. Or maybe relationship enhancement? Look, he wasn't completely sure, but the point was, he was alone, curious, and had just typed "anime girl steps on guy's face lovingly" into his search bar.
And, well…
One tab led to another.
And another.
Until he was three windows deep in something he could only describe as mildly cursed but surprisingly educational.
On screen, a purple-haired girl with bouncing physics and eyes the size of dinner plates moaned something about "forbidden eels."
Lenny paused the video.
"…What am I watching?"
He didn't stop it.
He leaned back in his chair—shirt half-on, snacks within reach, hoodie hood pulled up like he was committing a crime.
Because, in a way, he was.
He was watching hentai.
And it wasn't even the normal kind. This was full-on fantasy nonsense. Floating thighs. Catgirls with rocket launchers. A suspicious amount of glowing orbs.
"Okay. This one's… artistic," he mumbled, then reached for the popcorn.
He was so engrossed in the chaos of animated sound effects and confusing anatomy that he didn't hear the front door open.
Or footsteps.
Or the light knock on his bedroom door.
He did, however, hear the exact moment Cassie barged in.
"Lenny, guess what—"
SCREEEEEE
The sound that came from his throat was half human, half malfunctioning fax machine.
He scrambled for the keyboard. Missed. Slammed his mouse. Accidentally opened a second tab.
Now two girls were moaning in sync.
Cassie stood frozen in the doorway, eyes wide.
"…Are those… tentacles?"
Lenny had gone full tomato. "I-it's not what it looks like!! I mean—okay it is what it looks like but it's not like—like I'm not—wait, let me just—"
Cassie slowly walked over.
Paused.
Then burst out laughing.
"You—" she wheezed, "you were watching Monster Maid Academy: Love Tentacle Edition??"
"It was recommended to me!!" he wailed.
"I bet it was!!"
She collapsed on the bed, wiping away tears of laughter while the cursed music from the paused scene continued to softly play in the background.
Lenny finally shut the laptop.
Dead silence.
"I've made mistakes," he whispered.
Cassie rolled over, still giggling. "Babe. Honestly? Same."
"…You watch hentai too?"
She winked. "Let's just say, next time, I'm choosing what we watch."
He blinked. "So you're… not mad?"
"Mad? No way." She grabbed a pillow and smacked him with it. "Embarrassed for you? Absolutely."
And just like that, the Tentacle Incident was immortalised in their relationship lore.
He would never live it down.
But strangely?
He didn't mind.