When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was a girl's white butt close to my face.
"What?!"
I jumped out of bed.
When I looked down, I saw that I was naked.
Then my gaze shifted to the equally naked girl. She had a satisfied expression while sleeping.
All I wanted to know was how I ended up in this situation.
"I guess I did this while I was drunk."
I held my head. It felt like someone had stabbed a knife into it and then twisted it inside my brain.
The loud music from the party didn't help either. On the contrary, it felt like my eardrums were being pierced by nails.
"Shit. I slept with some random girl while I was drunk, and now my head feels like it's about to explode."
While I sat on the edge of the bed trying to recover, the sound of my phone ringing pulled me out of my thoughts. It was my sister calling me.
"What does she want?"
I brought the phone to my ear and answered, expecting to hear Lisa's shrill voice.
"Hello? Sis?"
"Alex… Do you know what you did?"
Contrary to what I expected, her voice was calm. Too calm. That scared me more than hearing her scream.
"I don't know what I did. Can you explain?"
A sigh came from the other side of the line, and Lisa's calm voice followed.
"You went to pick up my cosplays from the seamstress. So, where are they?"
The costumes!
I was supposed to deliver them to Lisa this morning. But I forgot and left them in the car!
"Uh… I left them in the car…"
"No problem. Just bring them to me."
I swallowed nervously. How was I supposed to explain this to her?
"Um… Well… I'm in another city right now…"
"What?!"
After that sharp scream, there was silence. The only audible sound from the other side was heavy, almost rough breathing.
"Lisa?"
After a few minutes of silence, Lisa spoke calmly:
"Alex, I don't care how, but I want those cosplay costumes in my hands tomorrow, before noon."
"But—!"
"No buts! You should be able to manage it, otherwise—"
Lisa ended the call before finishing the sentence, but I understood what she meant.
If I didn't deliver those costumes, she would be very upset with me and lose trust in me.
"I'm the best big brother possible. I won't disappoint Lisa!!"
Immediately, I got up and started putting on my clothes that were scattered across the floor.
"Leaving already, Alex?"
A coquettish voice came from behind me. At some point, the unknown girl had woken up and was watching me sleepily.
"Yeah. Call me later."
I said dryly without looking at the girl in the bed, then left the room.
In the hallway, some of my drunk friends tried to start a conversation. But I ignored them too—I was in a hurry.
It was a long drive. I was in Tokyo and needed to reach Kyoto before noon. It was already eight at night. Honestly, I didn't know if I could make it, but I had to try.
Just as I was about to leave the house, I ran into my university friend.
Kirei Ren.
I had brought him with me.
The original plan was to take him back to Kyoto with me since his parents lived there. But I ended up forgetting because of the party, and now the poor guy was curled up in an isolated corner, looking a little dizzy.
"Ren, are you okay?"
"Hic—hic!" He hiccupped before answering shyly. "I'm fine… Just a little… drunk…"
"I'm leaving now. Come with me to the car."
He nodded and tried to stand up, stumbling as he walked toward the car.
After a quick walk, we reached the black car parked in front of the house. He immediately got in and settled comfortably in the passenger seat.
When I got into the car, before I could start the engine, Ren looked at me and asked:
"Alex… Are you sure you can drive?"
I guess he noticed I was still a little drunk, and obviously I shouldn't be behind the wheel. But what could I do?
"Well…" I smiled ironically. "I'm not in the best condition either, but driving won't be a problem."
"Ah… Okay."
Ren seemed to relax at my words and leaned against me, resting his cheek on my shoulder.
Maybe the alcohol made him so loose, because he usually wasn't like this.
I felt something strange in my heart, but ignored it and started the car.
There was no conversation after that.
After a few hours of driving, I was surprised when I looked to the side and saw Ren sleeping peacefully with a serene expression.
That surprised me.
Did he trust me that much?
Grrruuumble!!
My stomach growled loudly. That seemed to wake Ren up, and he quickly pulled away with a flushed face. From the corner of my eye, I could see him hiding his face in his hands.
At that moment, I wished I had the ability to read minds just to find out what this guy—who was usually quiet and reserved—was thinking.
The awkward silence stretched for a few minutes before I broke it.
"Hey! Look over there, a diner is open this late at night." I said, pointing at a brightly lit burger place. Then I added while rubbing my stomach, "We could stop there for a bit. I'm starving."
That was true. At the party, all I did was get drunk and sleep with a girl I didn't even know. So it was normal to be hungry.
"Good idea." Ren said, having calmed down enough to look at me again. "I'm hungry too."
I felt happy. It seemed like I'd finally get something to eat.
I parked in front of the burger place, but when I reached into my pocket, my blood ran cold.
I had forgotten my wallet!
Forget the food—how was I supposed to pay for gas without money? And the car's tank was almost empty!
I turned to Ren with a stiff expression and said:
"Um… We have a problem… I forgot my wallet at the party."
"No problem!" Ren pulled out his wallet with a smile. "I brought money."
I felt relieved, but my mood collapsed when I saw how much he had.
4,000 yen.
I quickly did the math in my head. We'd spend 3,500 yen on gas, leaving only 500 yen for food.
A hamburger cost 300 yen… Not enough to buy one for both of us…
"Unfortunately, we won't be able to satisfy our hunger with that money."
He tilted his head and asked in surprise:
"Why not?"
"Because we need to buy gas too. There'll only be enough left for one hamburger." I paused before adding, "Buy one for yourself. It's your money—you have that right."
"We can share."
A laugh escaped my lips at that answer. We were both starving. One hamburger wouldn't be enough for the two of us.
"One hamburger for the two of us? That's unrealistic, you know?"
Ren blushed and looked away at my response.
He looked really cute when he was embarrassed, but he also seemed upset—and that bothered me for some reason.
"Alex! Look over there, they're having a special promotion."
"Hm?"
When I looked closer, I realized it was true. There was a sign outside saying they had a Valentine's Day promotion: two burger-and-soda sets, but couples would only pay for one.
Ren seemed excited for some reason, but I had to pour cold water on his fantasies.
"Ren… We're not a couple."
"Ah?!…"
A strange sound escaped Ren's lips. I noticed his eyes getting slightly watery and his shoulders shrinking.
"That's true…" he replied in a whisper.
Seeing him like that bothered me.
A thought crossed my mind.
Killing two birds with one stone.
"But that doesn't mean we can't pretend to be one."
I pulled one of the costumes stored in a dark plastic bag from the back seat and tossed it onto his lap.
"What is this?!" Ren asked in surprise, looking at the black bag in his hands.
"Open it and you'll see," I said while holding back a laugh.
He shot me a suspicious look and began opening the bag. His face turned completely red when he saw the contents.
It was a magical girl costume.
"A-Alex, you want me to wear this?!" he stuttered.
"Exactly."
There was a hint of anticipation in my voice. I didn't even know why I felt eager to see him dressed like that…
Ren stared at me wide-eyed, the bag trembling in his hands.
"You've got to be kidding me…"
I crossed my arms and gave him a sly grin.
"Do you want free food or not? This is the perfect opportunity."
He stayed silent for a few seconds, clearly in inner conflict, before letting out a defeated sigh.
"You're impossible, Alex…"
I tried to hold back my laughter when he unzipped his hoodie and took it off, revealing the tight black shirt underneath. Then he took off his jeans too, leaving only gray boxer briefs.
My heart beat strangely in my chest.
It wasn't the first time I'd seen my friend in underwear—after all, we had shared rooms during trips—but maybe because of the situation, it seemed… sexy.
"Stop staring at me like that," he said with a blush, grabbing the folded costume from the plastic to hide his body.
"I'm not staring. I'm just… making sure you put it on right," I lied shamelessly, looking away a bit too quickly.
Ren sighed again and began putting on the light blue flared skirt, adjusting the waistband around his waist.
The scene was so surreal I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing out loud.
Soon he pulled on the white blouse with pink details, which shaped his torso in a… surprisingly convincing way.
When he put on the gloves and the shiny "magical girl" tiara, I couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing.
"You look… absolutely beautiful!"
"Shut up!" he protested, his voice higher than usual, probably from embarrassment. His face was red all the way to his ears.
I looked him up and down, and for a moment I almost forgot it was my best friend standing there. If someone passed by right now, they'd swear he was a real girl.
Ren noticed my gaze and crossed his arms, turning his face away.
"S-stop looking at me like that… It feels weird."
I smiled, leaning a little closer.
"Relax, Ren. You look perfect. I guarantee no one will suspect a thing."
He averted his eyes, biting his lower lip as if he didn't know whether to feel annoyed or flattered.
And for some reason, I didn't know what I was feeling either.
Seeing him like that left me surprisingly… excited.
I shook my head to chase those strange thoughts away. He was my friend… right?
It must be the alcohol. I always get horny for no reason when I'm drunk.
After checking my appearance in the mirror and making sure I looked good, I got out of the car and opened the door for him, extending my hand while laughing.
"Come on, my girlfriend."
He shot me an irritated look, but took my hand.
"Of course, my boyfriend~"
For a split second, I could see a shy smile on his lips. But it disappeared so quickly that I wondered if I had imagined it.
"Ready?"
"Ready," Ren said firmly, intertwining his fingers with mine.
Ren… that's going beyond the role…
That's what I wanted to say, but for some reason I ignored it and walked with him toward the burger place.
"…"
And for some reason, my heart was racing.