Chapter 477: Do You Want to Try This Kind of Panties? (3)

The atmosphere suddenly froze. Everyone's expressions became solemn, and cold sweat began to bead on their foreheads.

"If you think about it, this scenario isn't entirely impossible," Ibusaki muttered, lowering his head in thought.

Given Isshiki-senpai's eccentric tendencies, this wasn't beyond the realm of possibility.

"No way... Isshiki-senpai, could he really be secretly wearing panties like these in his room?" Soma muttered in disbelief.

The mental image made everyone shudder.

"Isshiki-senpai, haven't he also worn those embarrassing swimming trunks?" Daigo pointed out.

"True." 

Everyone nodded, recalling Isshiki's notorious second apron form.

Just then, Isshiki returned from the vegetable garden, carrying a hoe.

"Hey, what are you all talking about?" he asked, cheerfully oblivious.

Marui quickly hid the panties behind his back.

"Haha, nothing important," Soma said, trying to brush it off.

Isshiki grinned. "I see. I harvested a lot of fresh vegetables today! Let's have them for dinner tonight!"

As Isshiki walked past them, his smooth, bare skin peeked through his apron, and everyone watched in silence.

"In any case, Isshiki-senpai has become the top suspect now," Marui remarked, adjusting his glasses.

The others nodded in agreement.

"Speaking of which, since you all live in the same dorm, shouldn't you recognize who these belong to?" Sui asked, eyeing the group.

"They usually dry their clothes in their own rooms. We've never seen these before," Daigo said, sounding disappointed.

Sui shot him a sideways glance. What's with that regretful tone?

"Besides, if they're worn secretly, they wouldn't be hung up to dry openly," Ibusaki added, his voice calm.

"So, could they belong to Miss Erina? Maybe she dropped them on her way here," Soma suggested, raising his hand.

"No, she's wearing white ones today—with a kitten pattern," Sui said matter-of-factly. Recently, the typically tsundere Erina had been leaning into a more girlish style.

As soon as he spoke, he realized everyone was staring at him. "What's wrong?"

"Wow, you sound like…Damn, I'm jealous!" Daigo commented, his tone teasing.

At that moment, Erina emerged from the kitchen. Noticing the boys huddled together suspiciously, she walked over, curiosity piqued.

"What are you guys up to?" she asked.

"Ms. Erina!" Marui quickly tried to hide the panties again.

"Well, you see…" Sui decided to explain the situation to her.

When Erina caught sight of the panties, her face immediately flushed. "These aren't mine!" she stammered.

Sui rolled his eyes. "I know they're not yours. Why are you so eager to deny it?"

"Hmph." Erina blushed even more, but her curiosity got the better of her. Who among Ryoko and the other girls would wear such... interesting panties?

"There's a way to find out," Marui suddenly said, a glint in his eyes. "Every girl has a distinct scent. We could smell the panties and maybe figure out the owner."

Everyone, including Erina, stared at him like he was a pervert.

Marui blushed, realizing how his suggestion sounded. "Why are you looking at me like that? Don't you want to know the owner?"

"Well, yeah, don't state the obvious," Daigo replied.

"Then go ahead, take a sniff," Marui urged, holding the panties up with two fingers.

Soma, Ibusaki, and the others leaned in to take a whiff.

"Uh, are all boys this disgusting?" Erina whispered to Sui, the corners of her mouth twitching.

"…Please don't lump me in with them," Sui responded, exasperated.

"I don't care. You're not allowed to smell it!" Erina huffed, grabbing his hand firmly.

"I wasn't planning to!" Sui protested, nearly choking on his words. 'I don't have that kind of hobby!'

Meanwhile, the faces of Soma and the others lit up as if they were basking in spring air, clearly enjoying themselves.

"Wow, this smells so nice!" Soma said.

"Yeah, I didn't expect a girl's panties to smell this good," Aoki added.

"Why don't we smell it a bit longer?" Aoki suggested eagerly.

"That's not the point! We're just trying to figure out who it belongs to," Marui said, though he still brought his face closer to the fabric.

"Aoki, could you stop licking it?" someone complained.

"I wasn't licking it!" Aoki protested.

"I saw you!" 

"I just got too close by accident!" 

Sui and Erina: "..." 

Just then, Grandma Fumio walked in.

"What are you boys doing here?" she asked.

"Ah! Nothing!" Marui quickly tried to hide the panties again, but Grandma Fumio's sharp eyes had already spotted them.

"Oh, those! I dropped them while collecting laundry earlier. Where did you find them?"

She grabbed the panties from Marui and rubbed them against her cheek, a bashful smile on her face. "It's so embarrassing that you all saw it."

The entire group froze.

"Wait… these are Grandma Fumio's?" Sui asked, barely containing his laughter.

"Yes, it's so embarrassing," she repeated with a girlish blush.

The realization hit the boys hard. Marui and the others suddenly felt lightheaded. Daigo bolted out of the room, presumably to vomit.

Watching him flee, Sui and Erina shared a silent moment of sympathy.

——

After dinner, Sui and Erina returned to the mansion hand in hand.

"I can't believe that panty belonged to Grandma Fumio," Erina said, giggling as she recalled the horrified expressions on the boys' faces. "She's still a girly girl at heart."

"Yeah, I guess she is." Sui couldn't help but chuckle too, though the whole situation still puzzled him.

But then, his thoughts drifted to the girl beside him.

'When should I buy a few pairs like that for Erina? Maybe I could convince her to try them on…'

"Sui, what are you thinking?" Erina asked, noticing his contemplative expression.

"Huh? Oh, I was just wondering if I should buy you a few pairs of those," Sui said, half-jokingly.

"W-Why?" Erina stammered, her cheeks flushing hotly as she remembered the embarrassing panties. Yet, despite herself, a tiny part of her felt... curious.

"Well... it wouldn't be impossible…" she murmured softly, blushing even more.