Chapter 39: The Walk of Shame (Again)
Morning hit like a truck. A really inconsiderate, no-warning, full-speed truck.
Yuriko cracked one eye open, immediately regretting it as sunlight speared through the window. Too bright. Too rude. Too… judgmental, like it somehow knew she had made several questionable life choices in the last twelve hours.
Her body ached. Everywhere.
She shifted slightly and—yep. Big mistake. Her hips felt like they had been used as a stress toy, her waist was sore, and her legs? Absolutely useless. She barely stifled a groan as she rolled onto her side, and that's when she saw it.
Or rather, her.
Shizuka, lying next to her, breathing soft and steady, her blonde hair a mess. Peaceful. Like she hadn't just turned Yuriko's whole night—and possibly her life—completely upside down.
Shit.
They had met literally two days ago. And now here they were, in the same bed, sore, sticky, and—
Yuriko cut that thought off fast. No need to relive the details this early. Or ever, preferably.
Carefully, she tried to slide out of bed without waking her, but as soon as she moved—
A hand clamped onto her wrist.
Yuriko froze.
Shizuka mumbled something incoherent, tightening her grip like a clingy drunk friend.
Yuriko sighed. "Oi, I need my hand back."
No response. Just a sleepy grumble and some weak snuggling.
"Shizuka," Yuriko tried again, shaking her arm.
Shizuka finally cracked one eye open, blinking groggily. "Mmm... five more minutes..."
Yuriko stared. "Five more minutes? You don't even know what time it is."
Shizuka stretched, then winced. And there it was. That moment of delayed realisation. She blinked up at Yuriko, her face cycling through sleepiness, confusion, and then—oh.
Oh.
Yuriko saw the exact second everything came flooding back to her.
Shizuka turned pink. "Uhh…"
Silence.
Shizuka sat up a little, rubbing her face. "We, uh…" She cleared her throat.
"Mhm."
Shizuka exhaled, then fell back onto the pillow. "What did I do?"
But… she didn't regret it. It had been necessary—to save her friend. And, if she was being honest with herself… she had fun.
After a few deep breaths, they managed to slide out of bed.
Both of them picked up their clothes, shaking off the lingering haze of sleep—and everything else—before slipping them back on.
They didn't want to stay in that room any longer. Without a word, they both stepped out at the same time.
And then—it happened.
The walk of shame again.
At least for Yuriko.
Because standing right there in the hall was Saya.
The moment her eyes landed on them—her mother and Shizuka, together, —her entire face turned crimson.
Yuriko tensed. Shizuka blinked. Saya opened her mouth.
Silence.
She looked between them. Once. Twice.
Yuriko braced herself. Here it comes.
Saya finally found her voice. "You—what—I—WHAT!?"
She couldn't believe it—or maybe she just didn't want to.
Her mother—in a threesome.
The way they had been howling in pleasure last night, begging, moaning—it had reached her ears loud and clear.
And she could guarantee that Saeko heard it too.
She felt like she had lost all her dignity by now.
Two nights.
For two whole nights, she hadn't been able to sleep—because of her own mother's actions.
But Yuriko was not sticking around for this conversation. Face burning, she muttered something unintelligible and hurried off to her room, wanting to be anywhere but there.
Shizuka, ever the expert at dodging awkward situations, quickly followed suit. "Ahaha… I should, uh, check on Rika!" she blurted before making her escape, leaving Saya standing there, still processing the absolute madness of the last two nights.
Saya gritted her teeth, arms crossed so tightly her nails dug into her skin.
This was for herself too.
To satisfy that hunger. That need.
But Saya knew it wasn't just lust. There was another side to it—one she couldn't ignore. Her mother was doing this for survival, for them.
And that? That was the part that made Saya's stomach twist the most.
She couldn't let her mother carry the burden alone.
After all, she was the one who made the deal first.
I can't hide anymore. I need to be active too—otherwise, the consequences might be problematic.