Our Secret
She didn't wait for me to answer. She simply walked past me with complete naturalness and stepped into the room like she owned it.
I stood frozen for a second, still holding the door handle.
"…Sure, come in."
Silence.
I sighed.
"I suppose asking permission was optional…"
Yuuna was already walking around the room, looking at everything with curiosity.
"Hmm…"
She moved toward the enormous window overlooking the resort's illuminated pool.
"Your room is a little different from mine."
She turned slowly.
"But it's still very nice. You can tell we're in a luxury hotel."
I closed the door behind us.
Is she… touring my room?
I didn't even know what to say.
Yuuna finished looking around for a couple more seconds before turning slowly toward me.
She held my gaze.
"So."
I felt my heart lurch.
"You can start wherever you want."
The final judgment has arrived…
"U-umm…"
I looked away.
"Do you want tea? Or coffee?"
Yuuna raised an eyebrow.
"I'm fairly certain you don't even know if there's tea or coffee in this room."
"W-but I can check…"
I let out a nervous little laugh.
"…"
She looked at me for a few seconds.
Then pointed at a small fridge next to the TV cabinet.
"I'll take something from there."
Before I could stop her, she opened the minibar door.
No, no, no, no!
Everything in a minibar is always expensive!
Yuuna took out one bottle of soda.
Then another.
She tossed one to me.
I caught it by reflex.
"Here."
I stared at it in horror.
"W-wait… they charge for those drinks later…"
Yuuna looked at me, confused.
"What's the problem?"
I blinked.
"Huh?"
"Hirano-san said not to worry about any expenses."
There was a brief silence.
…
…
…
Right.
I'm not paying for it.
I felt all the tension disappear at once.
"…"
I let out a small awkward laugh.
"Right…"
I opened the bottle with a small psshht.
Yuuna smiled faintly, amused by my reaction.
We both ended up sitting on the enormous sofa in the room.
For a few seconds…
Neither of us spoke.
The only sound was the faint hum of the air conditioning.
I held the bottle in both hands.
Say something.
Anything.
Start somewhere.
What am I even supposed to tell her?
"Turns out I died, got reincarnated, and now a system forces me to sell photos to survive?"
Yeah, that'll definitely work.
I felt my heart pounding against my ribs.
I took a small sip of the soda just to keep my mouth busy.
When I looked up…
Yuuna was still watching me.
I almost choked.
"W-what?"
She let out a small sigh.
"Since when have you been taking those kinds of photos?"
She's not very patient about waiting, I see…
"I think… around a month ago."
Yuuna nodded slowly.
"Hmm."
She took another sip of her drink.
"And what do you do with those photos?"
Here comes the question!
"Well…"
I scratched my cheek.
"They're just photos."
She stayed completely serious.
"Something normal."
Yuuna slowly lowered her bottle.
"That's what I was afraid of."
I frowned.
"What were you afraid of?"
She looked straight at me.
"That you're a hopeless pervert."
She pulled out her phone.
"The school has to know."
"ARE WE STILL ON THAT?!"
I launched myself at her trying to grab her hand.
"Put the phone away!"
"Society deserves to know the truth."
"I AM NOT A PERVERT!!"
"That's exactly what a pervert would say."
"THAT DOESN'T HELP AT ALL!!"
After a few seconds of absurd struggling…
We both sat back down.
I breathed deeply.
"…"
"…"
"Okay…"
I lowered my head.
"The truth is…"
My face was burning.
"The truth is…"
The words just wouldn't come out.
Finally I murmured, barely moving my lips.
"I have… a Lonely Fans account."
Yuuna blinked.
"You have what?"
I closed my eyes.
No going back.
I took a deep breath.
And almost shouted it like I was confessing to a crime.
"I HAVE A LONELY FANS ACCOUNT!!"
Silence.
So much silence.
I slowly turned my head.
Yuuna was completely still.
With an expression that was difficult to read.
"…"
"…"
"You're… not going to say anything?"
She blinked a couple of times.
"Sorry."
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"It surprised me."
She stayed quiet for a few more seconds before speaking again.
"That adult platform… where girls upload erotic photos and videos to receive money and do livestreams?"
I lowered my head.
"Yes…"
Yuuna went quiet again.
"But that's… if the school finds out…"
She didn't finish the sentence, so I finished it for her.
"They'd probably expel me."
I shrugged.
"Though that's not the worst thing that could happen."
I let out a small laugh.
Yuuna stayed completely serious.
My laugh died halfway through.
"…"
"…"
Yuuna set her bottle on the table.
"Why would you do something so risky?"
Even if I told you the real reason you wouldn't believe me…
I sighed internally.
I thought for a few seconds.
In the end I answered with the only part of the truth I could share.
"Let's just say…"
I fidgeted nervously with the bottle label.
"I have some financial problems."
I looked away toward the window.
"And doing this… helps me cover them."
It wasn't the whole truth.
But it wasn't a lie either.
As much as I wanted to deny it…
Thanks to Lonely Fans I'd been able to pay off debts, eat without worrying about tomorrow, and stop counting coins before walking into a store.
That much was real.
Yuuna slowly lowered her bottle.
"Financial problems…?"
Her expression was still serious.
"What kind of problems? What about your parents?"
I felt my stomach knot up.
I need to be careful about how much I tell her…
If she also finds out I work as a stripper…
The mere thought made the heat rush all the way to my ears.
No, no, no!
That I definitely can't tell her!
"Hey."
I looked up.
Yuuna was watching me with her brow slightly furrowed.
"What's wrong?"
She tilted her head a little.
"You're very red."
"Huh?"
I pressed both hands to my cheeks.
"N-no! I'm perfectly fine!"
I shook my head so fast I almost got dizzy.
"It must be… the air conditioning."
Yuuna raised an eyebrow.
"…"
"That doesn't make any sense."
"Well precisely because of that!"
"…"
"…"
"Forget it."
I let out a nervous little laugh.
"The truth is… I live alone."
The smile faded a little from my face.
"I don't have parents."
I looked absently at the bottle in my hands.
"And well…"
"You know…"
"It's hard for a student to work, pay rent, and all those things."
I tried to smile again.
It came out pretty crooked.
Yuuna didn't respond.
She just watched me.
Too intently.
Why is she looking at me like that…?
Say something…
Anything…
The silence started becoming unbearable.
"K-Kanzaki-san…"
I laughed uncomfortably.
"You make me nervous when you don't say anything…"
She stayed thoughtful for a few more seconds.
Finally she nodded slowly.
"I understand…"
She took another sip of her soda.
"I feel like you're still hiding things from me."
I felt a shiver.
"W-but…"
Yuuna set the bottle on the table.
"I'm glad to know about the photos."
I blinked.
"You're… glad?"
For the first time since she'd walked into the room, a small smile appeared on her face.
"I was worried you were prostituting yourself…"
She paused briefly.
"Or involved in something even shadier."
I made an involuntary grimace.
…
Well…
If Ryuji weren't the current head of the family I might actually be a prostitute instead of a stripper.
I'd definitely rather not imagine that timeline.
I shook my head to chase away the thought.
"…"
I looked at Yuuna again.
She was smiling with relief.
I couldn't help giving her a much softer smile back.
"You're a good person…"
She looked up.
"Kanzaki-san."
For a moment she seemed thrown off.
Then she looked away slightly.
"W-what?"
She cleared her throat quietly.
"It's what anyone would do."
"I don't believe you."
Her face went completely red.
"What do you mean you don't believe me?!"
I couldn't hold back a small laugh.
"Because…"
"Well…"
I scratched my cheek.
"You don't seem like it."
Yuuna's eyes went wide.
"Do I really give that bad an impression?!"
"N-no, that's not what I meant!"
I waved my hands quickly.
"I meant, Kanzaki-san…!"
"…"
She looked away, still flushed.
She murmured something so quietly I barely heard it.
"Yuuna…"
I blinked.
"Huh?"
This time she spoke a little more clearly, though she was still avoiding looking at me directly.
"I want you to…"
She took a breath.
"Call me by my name too."
She was quiet for a moment.
"Like you do with Fujii and Hirano."
I went completely still.
I hadn't expected that.
After a few seconds, a small smile appeared on my face.
"Alright…"
I noticed my own cheeks warming slightly.
"Yuuna-san."
She shook her head immediately.
"Just Yuuna."
"No formalities."
I couldn't help laughing quietly.
"O-okay…"
I took a small breath.
"Then…"
I looked at her directly.
"Yuuna."
She smiled.
It was a small smile.
But a very sincere one.
After a few seconds she spoke again.
"Can I do the same?"
This time she held my gaze.
Though she was still a little flushed.
I nodded slowly.
"Of course, I don't mind."
"Then…"
Her smile grew just a little wider.
"Aika."
Hearing my name come from her lips made my heart give a small jump for some reason.
There was a brief silence.
I thought the conversation was over.
But then, suddenly…
Yuuna took my wrists.
"Huh?"
Before I could react, she pushed me gently backward.
My back sank into the sofa.
"Y-Yuuna!"
She was leaning over me, still holding my wrists.
"Even so…"
She watched me steadily.
"There's something I don't understand."
I swallowed.
"W-what?"
"You say you do it for the money."
I nodded.
"Yes…"
"But when I was taking the photos…"
Her face moved a little closer.
"You were making very indecent poses and expressions completely naturally…"
My heart started racing.
"It seemed like you were enjoying it."
T-that's the system's fault too!
I don't do it because I want to!
…Or do I…?
What the hell am I thinking?!
Of course not!
It must be the Camera Instinct skill.
That's definitely it.
Yes.
It has to be.
…Right?
I felt like my own mental argument was going to drive me insane.
Yuuna kept watching me.
Without looking away.
Very slowly…
She brought her face a little closer.
"I think…"
Her voice was barely a whisper.
"Deep down…"
She paused and smiled.
"You actually are a pervert."
"I-I'm not…!"
My protest came out much weaker than I'd intended.
She was…
Too close…
Very close.
I could feel her breath.
My heart was beating so hard I was convinced she could hear it.
What… what is she doing…?
Why does she keep getting closer…?
Is she going to…?
Without realizing it…
I closed my eyes.
Then…
Knock. Knock. Knock.
We both startled.
A sweet voice came from the other side of the door.
"Aika-san…"
It was Mei.
"Do you have a moment? It's me."
I felt all the blood drain from my face at once.
…Huh?