Chapter 10: The Visit, Part 2

What a weird night, Yumeji thought to himself as he heard the shower turn on beyond the bathroom wall. Right now, in his apartment, Namiko Toro was completely naked. Not only was she naked, but she was lathered up and soaking wet, too! It was an exciting thought, to say the least.

Not now, idiot, he thought to himself as he slapped the side of his head. He would have the rest of his life to fantasize about this night, but right now he had to stay focused on impressing Namiko. Or, at the very least, not coming across like a weird pervert. Either would be a difficult task for a sex starved guy in their twenties in a position like the one young Yumeji found himself in, but he was determined to stay strong.

What should he do when she finished showering? Should he ask her to stay? No, that would come across terribly, he thought. Should he offer to walk her home? What, the whole ten feet back to her apartment? That's even more weird than asking her to stay.

"Oh, I know!" he said out loud to himself, almost as if he was too proud of his idea to keep his thoughts inside of his head. He walked back to his door and picked up his bag of groceries. He placed it on his table and retrieved his ace in the hole, his perfect plan for dealing with Namiko when she returned from her shower; a can of Wild Cheach soda! He would offer her a refreshing soda to help her relax after what sounded like a rather stressful evening. It was a perfect plan. He stood there, a can of Wild Cheach in each hand, waiting for her to finish showering.

It was the perfect plan, except for one thing. As he heard the shower turn off, he caught a glimpse of something from the corner of his eye. Sitting there in the sink, totally visible, was that weird doll.

A wave of panic washed over him as he thought about the possibility of Namiko seeing it and thinking that it was his. If she hasn't already, there's nothing that'll convince her that I'm a weirdo more than finding a creepy doll in my apartment! Not today, he thought as he rushed over to the sink and grabbed the doll. But what to do with it? In the silence he heard Namiko step out from the shower and onto the bathroom tile, he had to act quickly. He chucked the doll across the room and behind his futon.

"Wahhhhh!" he heard Namiko scream from the bathroom, followed by a loud thump and the sound of tearing fabric. Without thinking he barged into the bathroom to check on her.

"Hey, are you alright?!?" he yelled as the door flew open. In a second he turned completely red when he saw her there in front of him, rubbing her head in the bathtub, her legs in the air, completely naked save for a convenient narrow strip of what used to be his shower curtain.