Chapter 243: Senpai, You Pervert
Kouhei ended up singing.
"Wohooooo! You're incredible, senpai!" Yui practically exploded with joy, her whole face lighting up like fireworks.
She clapped her hands excitedly, eyes sparkling with genuine admiration as she leaned forward, practically bouncing in her seat.
"Incredible, how...?" Kouhei muttered, his eyes shifting toward the karaoke screen. The final score glowed in bold 79. He blinked. It wasn't a bad number per se, but it wasn't anything worth celebrating either—not when Yui herself had just scored a solid 90.
But Yui waved it off with a carefree laugh. "Oh, come on! The scores don't really reflect how good someone is. That number doesn't mean squat. You sounded really good, senpai!"
There was something about the way she said it that was so open and so earnest. She wasn't just trying to cheer him up. She meant it. At least, it felt that way.
So, Kouhei chose to believe her. Just like that.
"Ah... That was so good," Yui sighed, placing a hand over her chest with a dreamy smile. "I seriously wouldn't have guessed you had it in you. You've got a voice that could totally compete on stage!"
"I... I don't really know about that," Kouhei replied, awkwardly scratching his cheek with a finger.
The gesture was a nervous tick, a way to hide the sudden heat creeping up his face. Compliments like that weren't something he was used to.
"Geez, don't sell yourself short. Have a little faith in yourself, will you?" Yui leaned closer, her tone filled with light scolding, but her eyes soft with encouragement. "You really have a great voice, senpai!"
She looked so determined and so hopeful, that Kouhei almost felt guilty for doubting himself.
It was clear she wanted him to do more with it and to take a step forward, maybe even perform for real. But things like singing in public or competing just weren't for him.
After all, Kouhei had always been an introvert. A shut-in otaku who'd spent more time inside visual novels than outside in reality. The idea of standing under spotlights, singing while dozens of people stared at him, was downright terrifying.
Even if Yui thought his voice was amazing… he wasn't sure he trusted his own ears. Maybe it wasn't as good as she believed. Maybe her feelings for him—assuming she really felt that way—were clouding her judgment.
It wasn't like he distrusted her, but... sometimes emotions made people see things differently.
Besides, did anyone really know what they sounded like? The voice you heard in your head always came out weird and unfamiliar when played back. And that disconnect? It messed with your confidence.
"Alright! My turn!" Yui chirped suddenly, snapping him out of his thoughts.
She sprang up from her seat with all the energy of a firecracker and tapped through the karaoke machine's screen, selecting her next song with practiced ease.
The track began playing—it was an upbeat anime song, the kind that usually accompanied cutesy romantic scenes. Immediately, her entire body moved with the rhythm, bouncing and swaying like she was a character straight out of that anime.
Her voice, bubbly and high-pitched, filled the room, and despite missing nearly every correct note, there was something oddly charming about her performance.
The song was a perfect match for her personality. It was bright, cheerful, and irresistibly adorable. It was almost as if the melody was written just for her. She kept glancing at him while dancing in place, giving him playful little winks and exaggerated twirls.
Kouhei felt his lips twitch. It was ridiculous... but kind of cute. Her voice was all over the place, completely off-key, but she didn't seem to care in the slightest.
And honestly? That kind of confidence was admirable.
When she finally wrapped up the song, she bent forward slightly, panting with a flushed face and beads of sweat glistening on her forehead.
"Fuuu~... Ahhh~ That really hits the spot!" she gasped, placing her hands on her hips and tossing her head back. "Singing in karaoke is seriously the best! I love this feeling!"
Kouhei chuckled lightly, leaning back on the couch. "You better be careful. At this rate, you might pass out from all the excitement you're pouring out."
"Come on now, senpai. Is that all you've got to say to me?" she teased, puffing her cheeks in mock annoyance before a mischievous gleam lit her eyes. "Why don't you just get up and dance with me instead?"
"D-Dance?" Kouhei blinked. "No way. I'm terrible at dancing."
"You're really such a drag sometimes..." Yui pouted, crossing her arms before smirking again. "Or maybe... maybe you're just bad at it because you've never tried. You said the same thing about singing, remember? But you were actually good. Maybe it's the same with dancing. C'mon, just feel the beat with me?"
"I'm fine," Kouhei said with a shake of his head. "I seriously don't think I'd be any good."
Yui let out an exaggerated sigh and flopped back down. "Well, I guess I'll just dance here in my lonesome then. Hmph. Oh! The next song's up! I love this one!"
Once again, she jumped to her feet as the music played. Her energy was endless, infectious, and yet—just like before—her pitch and timing were a disaster. She was completely missing the tune, but the grin on her face said it all.
She was having fun.
And Kouhei couldn't bring himself to ruin that. There was something irresistibly lovable about someone like her being so tone-deaf and still dancing her heart out.
He hadn't expected that. Not from someone as bubbly, pretty, and outgoing as Yui. But maybe that's what made it all the more endearing.
"Phew... It's really hot in here, isn't it, senpai?" she said, pausing mid-song and fanning herself with her hand. "Ugh, I'm sweating all over... even my underwear's soaked!"
Kouhei's eyes widened. A sudden rush of heat flushed through his cheeks as he instinctively looked away.
The way she said that… soaked underwear... the phrasing was way too suggestive. It hit him in places he wasn't ready for.
"Senpai, you pervert," Yui said sweetly, catching him in the act of glancing away.
"Ugh..." Kouhei groaned, burying his face in one hand as if that might hide his embarrassment.
"Fufufu~ So you do think like that, huh? I was starting to believe you were some kind of saint," she said, her grin widening into a sly smirk. "Even though I've been practically throwing myself at you—and even with that wench Ichinose-senpai in the mix—you never once budged. But I guess... deep down, you're still just a boy after all."
Her words were laced with teasing, and Kouhei knew she was enjoying every second of watching him squirm.
"Well then..." she continued, voice dropping just a bit, more playful now, more dangerous. "What should I do with myself, I wonder? I'm practically soaked through... my clothes, my underwear—and honestly, I feel like stripping naked right here. What do you think senpai would do if I actually did that?"
As she said this, Yui turned toward him with a cheeky smile that sent shivers down his spine.
And then, with deliberate slowness, she began to unbutton the top of her clothes.
"Ah...!"
Kouhei's eyes widened, his breath hitching in his throat.
She was really doing it.
Right in front of him, Yui's fingers moved slowly, deliberately, unfastening the buttons of her top one by one.
Her movements weren't rushed... they were teasing, controlled, and laced with intent.
And even with the karaoke machine blasting upbeat music in the background, somehow, the sharp click of each button slipping through its hole cut through the noise like a knife, echoing through the confined walls of the room.
It was maddening.
Each tiny sound hit his ears like a drumbeat, syncing to the frantic rhythm of his heartbeat.
His eyes couldn't help but follow her hands, but his gaze kept darting up to her face—where that same impish grin lingered, her eyes glinting with playful mischief.
She was staring right at him, like she knew exactly what kind of chaos she was stirring up in his head.
"W-Wait, you don't have to do that. I can just…" he stammered, words spilling clumsily out of his mouth.
Panicking, Kouhei quickly stood up, intending to stop her before this went any further—but fate wasn't on his side.
"Woah!"
His foot tangled against the leg of the low karaoke table, throwing his balance completely off. His body lurched forward uncontrollably, arms flailing in a desperate attempt to catch himself.
And then—impact.
"Kyaaa!"
Yui shrieked as he crashed into her, knocking her backward. Reflexes kicking in, Kouhei thrust his arm behind her, bracing her back just in time to stop her from hitting the hard floor. The full weight of the fall landed squarely on his body as he twisted to shield her, pain flaring up in his side—but he grit his teeth and endured it.
"Ah…! Sorry! A-Are you alright, Yui-cha—"
His words died on his lips as he opened his eyes and found himself hovering just inches above her.
His breath caught again.
Yui was lying beneath him, her face flushed a brilliant shade of red.
Her soft chest heaved as she looked up at him, lips slightly parted, strands of her hair fanned out beneath her like a halo. And then he saw it... Her shirt, now more than half-unbuttoned from earlier, hung loosely around her shoulders. The fabric had parted just enough to reveal the top of her bra, her cleavage accentuated by the way her body arched against him.
A sheen of sweat glistened faintly on her skin, tracing small rivulets down the valley of her chest, catching the light in the most tantalizing way.