As soon as I knocked properly and entered Yuika’s room like usual, it came.

“Souta, I need to buy a new bra!”
“I’m going home for the day. See you tomorrow.”
“Why? Help me!”

As I turned on my heel, she grabbed me tightly.
I was so close to escaping, but I was dragged into the room. It felt like I was in a horror movie.

“I get it! I’ll listen to you for now, but let me go! You know that I’m not good with the occult stuff right!?”
“Who’s talking about the occult? I’m talking about underwear. If you don’t listen to me, I’m going to curse you and destroy your internet connection!”
“That’s where you’re headed, you recluse. No problem, I’ll just use the free wifi outside!”

But I always end up getting involved.
I gave up, put my bag down, and sat down on the carpet on the floor.

“What is all this talk about…?”
“Well, I’m embarrassed to talk to you about it…”
“Don’t worry. It’s pretty embarrassing to listen to.”
“Well, you know? Actually…”

Sitting across from me, Yuika fidgets and clicks her fingers together.

“…The bras I’ve been using finally don’t fit me anymore.”

…Oh, sh*t.
I quietly held my head.
Well, I thought that would be about it. …According to what I’ve heard before, Yuika must have been using the bras from junior high for a long time. She said that it was getting tighter and tighter, but she had finally reached the limit.

“That said, they’re your underwear, so you must have several different kinds, right?”
“I do, but the hook broke on the bra I tried on today when I pulled on it. They’re all similar in size…”
“So the others are likely to be the same.”
“…That’s what I thought too.”

My childhood friend’s shoulders shook in embarrassment.
Her usual uninhibited nature has faded away. Yuika had always been very guarded about sexual matters. …I want to loosen up the mood, but if I say something erotic, she’ll get angry, if anything, it’s hard to do.
I guess that’s why I’m so embarrassed to talk about my underwear too.

“So why am I getting the short end of the stick?”
“It’s fine. It’s between Souta and me.”
“What kind of relationship is it when someone asks you about your bra?”
“Of course it’s a childhood friend thing.”
“I want to say out loud that normal childhood friends don’t discuss underwear.”
“You can say it. Alright, take a deep breath—”
“Normal childhood friends! They don’t discuss underwear! I won’t say it!　What did you try to have me say…!?”

In the middle of my retort, I panicked and had to turn my head around.
Seeing my strange behavior, my childhood friend raised an eyebrow, “Souta?”
When Yuika said, ‘alright, take a big breath,’ I was inflating my lungs as much as I could.
That’s when I saw some skin and a seductive bulge between the buttons of her pajamas… the you know what.

“…You said earlier that the ‘bra you were going to wear today’ was broken, right? Which means that…”
“…Ah”

Finally, she noticed and quickly covered her breasts.
Her cheeks flushed and she looked up at me accusingly.

“…Souta’s a pervert.”
“No, no, no. It was an unavoidable situation. If anything, it’s your fault for not having proper replacements!”
“Shallow! What Souta just said is too shallow! I can’t believe I’ll have to ask my mother to get me a replacement!”
“Just ask her! In fact, just ask your mother for a new bra and you’re all set!”
“Look, another shallow thought!”

My childhood friend looked smug in vain.

“Who do you think I am? I’ve been a recluse for a year and a half since I entered high school! I’m Kisaragi Yuika, a super reclusive beauty who even sneaks out in the middle of the night to take a bath! It’s impossible for me to talk to anyone other than Souta, even if they’re family!”

It was a proclamation that could have been written in the background with a bang.
I held my head, feeling a headache coming.

“Don’t be like that. And don’t puff out your chest. I can see it again. If I can see it, then you allowed me to look.”
“No, not showing. You’ll have to ask your lover to let you do something naughty like that.”

She turned away, her breasts fully guarded by her pajama.
I don’t want to comment on this area. I am staying away from danger.
However, I understand the need to get a bra for Yuika. If she continues to not wear a bra on a daily basis, I won’t be able to keep my mind straight.

“I can buy a new one, but do you know what your size is? I thought you said before that you don’t know what size it is now.”
“That’s okay. I just measured it.”
“What were your measurements?”
“Eighty-nine on top, sixty-five underneath, so maybe an F cup.”
“…………”

…Why does she say these things so casually? I tried to keep a cool manner when I asked.

I noticed a measuring tape on the table and jerked a little, but kept my cheek on the table as I continued.

“So what am I supposed to do to help you?”
“Go to the lingerie store in front of the station and buy some. I’ll give you a map on my computer.”
“This is some unprecedentedly reckless!”

I was taken aback.
Is this girl trying to get me in trouble with the police?

“Hey, you said before you’d storm the lingerie store for me!”
[TLN: Chapter 1 “I’m prepared to storm the lingerie store for my cute childhood friend.”]

Ah-ho, that’s how the conversation went. It was a joke.

“Alright, I got it. Yuika, I’ll make it out of cardboard. So just bear with it. Okay?”
“How can I bear with it? Bras are not a child’s toy, is it?”
“It doesn’t matter, because I’m the only one you’re going to see!”
“I’m going to see Souta, so I want to wear something real! Why don’t you understand?”
“I don’t understand!? In fact, in this case, if I did, it would mean something weird!”
“Oh come on!”

Yuika used the laptop on the table.
It opened up to a lingerie shopping site.
Turning it towards me, she looked away shyly.

“I’ll wear a bra of Souta’s choice. So… Souta can choose.”
“…”

…For a moment, I felt like I was going to explode.
No, no, no, I have to keep my cool.

“Are you sure about that?”
“It’s okay. We’re childhood friends.”
“…Being childhood friends is a perk.”
“That’s right. You should live your life with the good fortune of having a beautiful girl like me as your childhood friend, Souta. In the meantime, tell me what’s Souta’s favorite from this site.”
“Well then, let’s see…”

I put my finger on the mouse wheel and scrolled the page.
The screen of Yuika’s laptop is small. Yuika poked her head next to mine to take a look.
Her 89 cm br**sts almost hit my elbow, and I thought, “ooh…”
In the meantime, my childhood friend, who had a loose guard when it comes to the most important things, doesn’t notice me at all and started smiling at the screen.

“Oh, so Souta likes lacey things like this? The maid outfit the other day had a lot of frills on it, too, didn’t it?”

“You’re wrong. This one was just displayed by accident.”
“You have to choose the one you like. How about this black lace one?”
“Get away from the lace for now. It’s more than I can handle… and I think you should find one that suits you better, Yuika.”
“Hmm, so what do you think would look good on me?”

She looked up at me closely.
She has her arms around her breasts, but she makes an effort to show off her body.
Her pajamas were from junior high school. They are already small here and there, but the curves of her body are clearly visible.
The line of her waist and hips was clear, and it was impossible not to imagine her in her underwear.
No, it’s more like the way this conversation is about…. imagining her in underwear, right? Isn’t that a little too much for a childhood friend!?

“Oh, Souta is embarrassed. You’re so cute♪. Your face is all red.”
“I-I’m not embarrassed.”
“You’re embarrassed. Look, your cheeks are all red. Ooh ooh!”

She grinned and poked my cheek with her fingertips.
Ah, so depressing! So cute! Annoying! So Adorable!

“I mean, can’t you just buy it from this shopping site?”
“No, you can’t. Mail order sites require a credit card, right?”
“Have you ever heard of cash-on-delivery, you naive girl?”
“…Oh!”

Oh, that’s a good idea! She clapped her hands with a smile on her face.
As a result, the problem was solved by using a mail-order and cash-on-delivery service.
On the way home, I told Yuika’s mother about the situation, and she agreed to pay the bill (although it was quite embarrassing…).

But….
Later on, Yuika got a taste of it and went shopping for DVD boxes and manga sets, and for some reason, I ended up getting a big kick from my mother.
My Mikami family and Yuika’s Kisaragi family have been friends since my parents’ generation, so the kids are all in the same boat and Yuika’s spending is my spending.
I want to say this out loud. This is unreasonable…