Sleeping Beauty and the Drunkard. Part Two

“Ah, but I can take off my coat myself. Look, look.”

Shigure-san, all fluffy and puffed up, slid her coat off with a slurp.
A knitted vest layered over her blouse. My gaze threatened to drift towards the swollen chest area, and I hastily averted my eyes.
　Ugh. It’s winter wear, so there’s no real exposure, but the vertical stripes on the knit right at her chest were perfectly accentuated. The modesty was actually rather sexy. To put it mildly, I wanted to sink into it.

“Alright, alright. Let’s just go to the living room first. You can change into your loungewear there—”

“I-ba-ra!”

“Waaah!”

With a sudden jolt, Shigure-san threw herself into my arms. Eh? Eh? Eh? What? What is this? Some kind of bonus stage? When did I enter this?
I was hugged tightly. She also ruffled my hair vigorously.

“Mmph, Ibaraaa. You’re so cute today too. Oh, good girl, good girl.”

“I’m not a pet, you know!”

Maybe because she’d just taken off her coat, her body odour was thick enough to make me feel stuffy. It was the smell of alcohol mixed with sweat. Blimey, this is bad. What is this? It’s affecting my brain. I want to bottle it up in a glass jar. Then, on days when something awful happens, I’ll sniff it little by little. That’s what I’ll do.

“Haaah, I’m tired. Hey, Ibara, I can’t walk, so carry me on your back.”

“…………. Sorry, I can’t carry you. You can hold onto my shoulders though…”

I thought about it hard, but probably couldn’t manage it. I’m out of shape. In my prime, I might’ve had a chance.
I offered my shoulders, and we started walking like a three-legged race. Midway, Shigure-san’s legs faltered, so I gently wrapped my arm around her waist and carried her sideways.

“Mmm?”

“Ah, sorry, did that hurt⁉︎”

“…Ugh… That tickles, so please don’t touch me there too much…”

Huh?
Eh, what is this… erotic cuteness… and so on.
Please.
I quit being an idol and I’m out of shape, but I’ve been running and lifting weights every day, you know. Thanks to Shigure-san, I’m in much better shape now than when we first met. I’m pretty confident I’m stronger. Physically.

　──Non-consensual contact is a crime.

I tightened my grip with the hand wrapped around her waist.

“Hii!”

“B-bear with it.”

“Unh…”

Our bodies pressed closer together. Her breath brushed my ear, her scent growing stronger. My palm felt the slender softness of her waist.
But it was still safe. This far was still okay.

“I’ll leave some loungewear here, so change into that.”

Somehow I rolled her onto the bed and tossed the pyjamas over too. Makeup and skincare were obviously out of the question, so I’d have to ask her to skip that. At least this was a relief… I retrieved my coat and handbag and put them away.
Approaching the bed again, Shigure-san was stiff as a board, like she was dead.
Eh? She’s still alive, right? Are you alright?
I spoke cautiously.

“Er, are you sleepy? Shall we skip changing and just sleep?”

“…No. Clothes get all wrinkly…”

“All wrinkly…” But she still had that bit of sense left. Good. Was that good?

“Well, you’ll have to take them off then. I’ll be over there.”

“…Alright…”

　At that moment, I thought I saw a slight blur in Shigure-san’s eyes.
As if noticing I was there for the first time, her eyes widened.

“…Eh? Why are you here…?”

Come on, you can’t be that drunk, can you?

“Well, of course I am. We’re in a semi-cohabitation situation, after all.”

The phrase ‘semi-cohabitation’ felt too embarrassing to say properly, so I glossed over it. But Shigure-san seemed to get it, nodding as if to say, ‘Ah, I see.’

“Ah, right.”

“Can you take your clothes off?”

“Hmm, no. Take them off for me.”

Doesn’t this count as sexual consent now?

“Take it off…”

“…Y… You have to take it off yourself…”

“Eh?”

Bloody hell. My self-control is bloody amazing.
Yet Shigure-san, her face brimming with discontent, flopped onto the bed and stretched both arms out towards me.

“It’s cold. For once, you take mine off.”

“What do you mean ‘for once’… You’re far too drunk, Shigure-san.”

“That’s right. Ame is drunk so I can’t take my clothes off. So take them off, won’t you?”

POW!
The second explosion of the day. My incredibly strong self-control shattered by this older sister’s infantile regression.
I can’t do this anymore. It’s not my fault.

“…I won’t be responsible for whatever happens. This is entirely your own fault, Shigure-san…”

Muttering apologetically, I knelt on the bed.
The springs in the mattress creaked loudly, almost unnaturally so.
My fingertips trembled.
My heart trembled just as much.
It’s alright. She asked me to “take them off”. Shigure-san was drunk and couldn’t get undressed herself, and if she stayed like this she’d be uncomfortable sleeping and her clothes would get creased. So what I was about to do was perfectly legal. It would surely be recognised in court.
I knelt over her on all fours and peered at Shigure-san’s face once more. Just to double-check, for form’s sake.

”?”

She looked like she was saying, “Haven’t you done it yet?”…
　I meant to convey, ‘Are you sure?’ but it doesn’t seem to have got through at all.
Enough. I’ve decided.
I’ll take it off.
Having made up my mind, I look down again. Shigure-san really suits that vertical-striped knit vest. It’s so cute it’s irritating to look at. Not that it’s anything special, really. There’s hardly any skin showing at all, but ultimately, this is the sort of thing that appeals to men. And to me too, for that matter. Ugh, so cute. Is it really okay for her to wear this to work? Won’t the entire staff fall in love?
The vest has side ribbons, so it’s easy to take off. I undid the ribbon with a shurushuru sound, lifted her upper body with my palm, and pulled her head through.

“Puhah!”

When I pulled her head through, I wish she’d stop giggling with her hair all messed up. It’s too cute, it’s a problem.
　Right, next problem: the white blouse.
We live together, sort of cohabiting, but we keep our private zones strictly separate. I’ve never seen Shigure-san in her underwear, and I haven’t shown her mine either. Though I have shown her the underwear I’ve taken off.
Well, probably because she wears a camisole or something underneath, so it’s not like I’m seeing her actual underwear.

“Taking it off…”

Slowly, I reach for the buttons.
With trembling fingertips, I pop them off one by one. See? She was wearing a camisole after all. Proper cute and… erotic. Oops. I meant… proper.
Anyway, the way her décolletage shows through the blouse’s opening is seriously suggestive. Utterly naughty. I want to suck on her collarbone. Ah, the slightly creepy thoughts are because my rationality blew a fuse. Twice.

“…also”

“What?”

“My waist feels tight, so the skirt too.”

Snap.
Another sound rang in my head. Probably not rationality this time, but the sound of my patience snapping.