Episode 01: "The Mysterious Door"
"Hey, have you heard about the room you can't leave without having sex?"
During lunch break, as I—Yuki Kusano—was slumped over my desk sleeping, I overheard that conversation from the group of popular kids sitting at the next desk.
"Oh, that urban legend, right? The one where a guy and a girl get locked in and the door won't open unless they have sex, or something like that."
"Yeah, that one! Apparently, the door only appears when a guy and a girl who aren't particularly close but are compatible are alone together. Rumor has it someone at our school got locked in one too!"
"No way!? What happened to them?"
Seriously, what kind of conversation is this? Talking about sex, sex so loudly in the classroom... this is why popular kids are...
Well, it's true I've been hearing rumors like that a lot lately. But if you think about it normally, there's no way a room like that exists...
And they're bringing up a dirty topic way too suddenly. There are girls here too... Look, Seo-san looks troubled, doesn't she?
Maybe it's okay because they're popular, but if someone like me mentioned sex in the classroom, I'd totally creep out everyone in class.
[Suddenly stand up and shout "Hehehe... Sex!"]
▶[Keep pretending to be asleep slumped over the desk]
What's with that top choice...? The bottom one is the only possible option.
Still, I woke up at the most troublesome time. I have a feeling nothing good will come from getting up now, so I'll just pretend to be asleep again and ride it out.
As I was thinking that and closed my eyes again, that's when it happened.
"Hey, don't suddenly start talking about weird stuff! Don't tell dirty jokes in front of Haruna!"
Illustration (By Mitemin)
A gal-like girl from the popular group scolds the guys who were loudly telling the dirty joke. It's Miyu Watanabe-san, Seo-san's best friend.
She's the class mood-maker, and despite her gal-like appearance, she has a kind, caring personality, which makes her popular with the guys too. She's a good person who even greets loners like me normally.
"S-sorry... My bad, Seo-san..."
The male student deflates at Watanabe-san's single remark. It seems even these popular guys can't stand up to her.
"No... I don't mind. And, well, the... sexy part aside, if a door really appears suddenly, that's a mysterious story, isn't it? I wonder what kind of mechanism it is?"
Seo-san smiles gently. Being able to respond to a dirty topic like this with a smile... she really is like an angel.
I sneak a glance at her face.
Illustration (By Mitemin)
—Haruna Seo-san
Well-proportioned features, glossy black hair in a two-side-up style. Translucent white skin. Despite her pure-looking appearance, she has a large chest and a good figure that's noticeable even over her uniform. And she's not just cute; she's good at sports and smart too.
They say heaven doesn't bestow two gifts, but in her case, it's not two, but three or even four. She's truly the perfect example of a girl who is both talented and beautiful.
She exists in a completely different world from me, a loner with otaku tendencies who's average at both sports and studies. Well, she's too much of an unattainable flower for me to even think about dating her.
If you asked if I want to have sex with her, I'd answer yes without hesitation, but the idea of me and Seo-san having sex... that would only be possible if we ended up in something like a "room you can't leave without having sex."
"..."
Maybe I'll try imagining it a little...
—Seo-san! It seems we've been locked in a room we can't leave without having sex!
—Huh!? This is that place? What do we do!?
—That's right! So, let's have sex and escape from this room!
—What? Absolutely not! I'd rather stay locked in here forever than have sex with Kusano-kun!
"..."
Pathetic... Even in my imagination, having sex wasn't allowed.
(Sigh... How stupid... I should stop thinking about pointless things and take a nap.)
Thinking that, I turned my head and made eye contact with Seo-san.
"What's wrong, Kusano-kun?"
"Ah, it's nothing..."
"Fufu, you're a strange one, Kusano-kun."
She says that and chuckles.
(Damn... My face might have turned red because I was thinking weird things... How embarrassing...)
While engaging in the negative self-talk characteristic of loners, I avert my face from Seo-san and slump back over my desk.
◇◇◇
Before I knew it, school was over.
Today is my cleaning duty day, but the girl I'm paired with is absent with a cold, so if things stay like this, I have to clean the classroom alone.
Even if I tried to ask someone else to do it, there's no way a loner like me could talk to a girl...
Before I knew it, everyone had left the classroom.
(If I awkwardly try to talk to someone and stutter or something, that would be the worst... It's probably more relaxing to just do it alone.)
Thinking that, I quickly start moving the desks by myself. Then, suddenly, someone calls out from behind.
"Huh? Kusano-kun, are you cleaning alone?"
Turning towards the voice, Seo-san is there.
"Yes, that's right. Yamada-san is absent today, so I'm doing it alone."
"Ah~, I see. Well then, I'll help you instead of Yamada-san."
Seo-san puffs out her ample chest with a proud look.
Hmm, this high level of communication skill, calmly talking to a guy she's not particularly close with while they're alone... If it were me, I could never bring myself to talk to her even if she was alone and in trouble. Is this the power of being popular?
Thinking such things, I reply.
"Eh? Is that okay? Thank you."
"It's fine, it's fine. We're in the same class, no need to hold back."
"Well then, I'll take you up on your offer."
"Alright then, Kusano-kun, you move the desks! The heavy work is for the boys! I'll go get the brooms!"
Seo-san gives instructions efficiently. The two of us cooperate and start cleaning, dividing the tasks.
We work silently, progressing with our tasks without much conversation.
This is probably one of the points that makes Seo-san popular. She's not just cute; she's kind and considerate too. The fact that she senses I'm not good at conversation and doesn't force small talk on me is the best.
Well, it's fine since I never thought we could date from the start, but if we were a bit closer, it seems like a lot of guys would probably misunderstand.
Then, once we finish cleaning the floor and moving the desks by the window together, Seo-san turns towards me.
The evening sunlight streaming through the window illuminates her, and I thought she looked very beautiful. Despite the situation, I can't help but stare.
"Alright! That's the end! Good work, Kusano-kun!"
Seo-san praises me with a smile, but I couldn't look directly at that smile.
"G-g-good work..."
I couldn't speak well due to nervousness. Yeah, it seems impossible for someone like me to date a girl like Seo-san... I get so nervous just being with her that I can't even talk properly.
"All that's left is to take out the trash————"
Seo-san's words cut off there. She's staring at the blackboard with a look of shock.
Following her gaze to look at the blackboard, there————
————an unbelievable sight unfolds.
Illustration (By Mitemin)
A white door had appeared, as if embedded in the blackboard.
It was definitely a normal blackboard until just a moment ago. Why is there a door in the middle of the blackboard?
I rub my eyes and look again. The door is still there. It's embedded in the blackboard as if it had been there from the beginning. What in the world is this?
Seo-san runs over to the door.
"Huh? What is this door? It definitely wasn't here before, right? This is the classroom we're in every day. There's no way I'm mistaken... And no matter how you think about it, a door in the middle of a blackboard is weird! What's going on?"
I stand next to Seo-san to check too. I can definitely say with certainty that this door absolutely was not here before. However, aside from the fact it wasn't here until now, it just looks like an ordinary, unremarkable door.
"Hey, what should we do? Kusano-kun, should we try going in!?"
Seo-san asks me with eyes full of curiosity.
It is suspicious if you think about it, but a door appearing suddenly... it really stirs up a sense of adventure.
"Kusano-kun, where do you think this door leads?"
Seo-san asks me in an excited manner. Honestly, I have no idea where it leads, but I should probably answer honestly here.
"Umm... A-another world, maybe?"
The world beyond the door was another world.
And I would obtain a cheat ability and embark on a grand adventure with Seo-san. Overcoming numerous hardships, the two of us would eventually be united—that kind of development would be the best, but that's probably too much wishful thinking...
Seo-san makes a slightly surprised face, then laughs happily.
"Fufu... Fufufu! You're such an otaku! Kusano-kun! Fufufu! I imagined something like *that* kind of room. You know, the one where you can't leave unless you do that... sexy thing!"
Tch... So what if I'm an otaku! A virgin! Got a problem with that! And you, Seo-san, with that pure-looking face, the first thing you think of is a sexy room!
There's no way I could say lines like that, and I just fall silent, feeling embarrassed.
Seo-san looks at me like that and giggles, then turns back towards the door again.
"Hey, let's go in after all, Kusano-kun. Maybe it really does lead to another world or something? If we leave it like this, I'll be so curious I won't be able to sleep tonight."
Illustration (By Mitemin)
Saying that, Seo-san reached her hand out towards me.
I hesitated for a moment, but unable to resist my curiosity, I timidly took Seo-san's hand.
Smiling, Seo-san pulled me along and jumped into the door.
The next instant, enveloped in a dazzling light, a strange scene spread out before our eyes.