Chapter 24: Yoshimi Uehara's Little Secret

“Ding, the player has acquired a weakness of Kasumi Uehara.”

With the system’s prompt echoing in his mind, Haruhi Harano could barely contain his anticipation as he glanced over.

[Kasumi Uehara: After her husband passed away, she single-handedly raised her daughter and is renowned in the neighborhood as a kind-hearted lady. All her relatives and friends have always spoken of her gentle and virtuous nature. In her daily life, Kasumi Uehara strives to embody the ideal daughter-in-law and mother, doing her utmost to fulfill everyone’s expectations of her.]

[But who has ever truly understood her? This is not her true self, and no one has ever asked her opinion. She simply doesn’t know how to refuse… What everyone sees is merely Mrs. Uehara, not Kasumi Seiji. Beneath that virtuous exterior lies a restless heart yearning for excitement!]

[Kasumi Uehara’s Weakness #1: Years of suppressed desires have reached a critical point, and she is already growing weary of her uneventful life, though she dares not show it. She craves stimulation in particular environments, such as her family’s very own supermarket…]

[This weakness costs ten points.]

Haruhi read the description over and over, finally confirming that this was indeed a worthy purchase—far better than the previous, useless one about her daughter. Rubbish!

Who would have thought that beneath the gentle facade of Mrs. Uehara hid such a turbulent soul? It was oddly enticing…

Rubbing his smooth, stubble-free chin, Haruhi began to scheme.

[Ding!]

[As this is the player’s first use of points, the system will present a thoughtful hint.]

The system’s voice sounded again. A hint? Haruhi was puzzled, his eyes drifting to the virtual panel, where lines of text scrolled by:

[Upon reading the prompt from your great romance assistant, and after inwardly praising its wisdom, you suddenly remember the sweat stain in the crotch of Mrs. Uehara’s black jeans when you saw her this afternoon. But why would anyone sweat in that particular spot? Now it’s late at night, the sky is dark, and after two months of work you know no customers ever come at this hour.]

[You glance at the storeroom door. What could Mrs. Uehara possibly be doing in there? Could she be continuing something left unfinished this afternoon? Curiosity piqued, you press your ear to the door, but hear nothing. Impulsively, you throw the door open! There stands Mrs. Uehara—!!!]

The text stopped abruptly, almost making Haruhi cough up blood.

Where did you learn this kind of abrupt, cliffhanger editing? Why does it always cut off at the crucial moment?

Damn! What happens next? What on earth is Mrs. Uehara doing in there? For heaven’s sake, just tell me!

This could kill a man.

After a bout of silent cursing, Haruhi glanced out at the pitch-black, empty street.

Go? Or not?

There was no need to hesitate. Haruhi left the cashier’s counter, locked the supermarket’s double glass doors, and slowly made his way toward the storeroom.

It wasn’t for any other reason but concern for Mrs. Uehara’s safety. After all, the damn system hadn’t told him what happened next.

Anything was possible. What if Mrs. Uehara, due to her ample chest, found herself short of breath and fainted inside, only to be rescued by him? Yes, the system’s words might lead one astray, but that could very well be the reason!

The more he thought about it, the more Haruhi felt convinced he was right—he was fighting for justice now! A champion of love and righteousness!

To save the unconscious Mrs. Uehara!

Come on, Haruhi!

Standing before the storeroom door, Haruhi felt his throat run dry, his heart pounding wildly. His right hand, poised on the doorknob, trembled slightly.

He took a deep breath, as if steeling himself, and suddenly flung the door open.

The storeroom was shrouded in darkness—no lights on.

But with the faint glow from the main supermarket hall, Haruhi could just make out a puddle gleaming on the floor.

Why hadn’t she turned on the light? Mrs. Uehara was clearly inside, and what was that shimmering liquid?

“W-wait, Haruhi-kun! Don’t turn on the light!” A flustered voice echoed from the darkness, accompanied by the rustling sounds of hurried dressing.

Haruhi reacted at once, and with all the speed he could muster, slammed his right hand against the wall switch. He swore this was the fastest he’d ever moved—he could almost hear the air whistling in his wake.

Click.

With a snap, the storeroom was suddenly bathed in light.

Some people are dead yet still living; others are alive yet already dead.

Kasumi Uehara was in that latter state.

Standing in the doorway, Haruhi couldn’t help but swallow hard at the scene before him.

Her tousled chestnut curls framed a delicate face tinged with a blush. Her wrinkled white T-shirt slipped off one shoulder, revealing a slender strap of black lingerie.

Haruhi had just flicked on the light, and Kasumi Uehara, mortified to death, was still frozen in shock, her hands clutching her half-removed jeans. Her pure white, shapely thighs were exposed, leading the eye upward to—

The sight was so intoxicating that Haruhi didn’t dare blink.

At last, Kasumi Uehara was the first to recover herself. She quickly pulled up her jeans, clearly too embarrassed to meet Haruhi’s gaze.

Neither spoke; the silence was almost oppressive.

Haruhi wanted to say something—anything—but what could he possibly say?

Should he claim, “Actually, Mrs. Uehara, I’m blind, there’s no need to worry”?

Or perhaps, “Mrs. Uehara, you looked beautiful just now. There’s no need to hide; I could help you”?

Damn it, how would that make him any different from that rotten system? He’d come with the resolve to save Mrs. Uehara—a righteous man!

“Um… Mrs. Uehara, I actually didn’t see anything just now,” Haruhi managed to stammer out after a long struggle.

He immediately regretted it. He might as well have claimed to be blind!

Kasumi Uehara straightened her clothes, head bowed, face still crimson as she walked slowly toward him.

Oh no, was she going to silence him for good?

Seeing her approach without a word, Haruhi couldn’t help but guess.

Yet, he almost hoped she’d try to use force—then he could claim self-defense and retaliate!

Damn it! Scoundrel Haruhi!

But Kasumi Uehara simply stopped in front of him and bowed deeply, her voice trembling.

“Please, Haruhi-kun, don’t tell anyone about this!”