I didn't expect to have a roommate at all after yesterday. Room 3-C was too spacious, too well-furnished, and too quiet. So when I heard the front door handle rattle at 4:32 PM, I thought it was Akemi again.
I was wrong.
The door swung open like it had been kicked, and in strolled the loudest burst of color and energy I'd seen since arriving on campus. She wore a tight, plain white tank top that barely contained her chest, and a skin-hugging grey miniskirt that might as well have been stitched onto her body. Her muscular thighs gleamed under the dorm lights, and her waist had that sharp hourglass curve that practically demanded attention. She kicked off her sneakers mid-step, leaving them wherever they landed, and dropped a duffel bag beside the desk without a care.
Her hair was wild and long, tied up in a high ponytail that whipped with every step. Deep green with bold orange streaks, her hair looked like it was drawn by someone who didn't believe in subtlety. And her emerald eyes—mischievous, sharp, and full of chaotic energy—locked right onto me.
She grinned.
"Sup, dork."
I blinked. "Uh… Hi?"
"Name's Yumi. Looks like we're bunking together, huh?"
"Wait—what? I thought this was a single!"
"Yeah, well, housing messed up. Deal with it," she said casually, walking right past me. She scanned the room like it was hers already. "Damn, you scored with this place. Not bad. Not bad at all."
Then, without asking, she flopped backward onto my bed. Her massive chest bounced slightly on impact.
"You comfy over there?" I asked dryly.
"Way better than that hard-ass bunk in my last place. Yours smells nice too. You wear cedar soap or something?" She smirked, patting the sheets beside her.
I opened my mouth. Closed it. Then opened it again. "You're really... casual about personal space, huh?"
She rolled onto her side and reached into the snack box I hadn't unpacked yet. She pulled out a bag of spicy chips, tore it open with her teeth, and started munching.
"I don't do space. I do snacks. And naps. And if you're lucky, compliments."
"…Lucky?"
She winked. "Hey, I just said you smelled good. That counts as flirting, right?"
I sat at my desk and tried not to react. "You do this to all your roommates?"
"Nah. You're just hot."
I choked on air.
She laughed hard, spraying crumbs. "Relax, man. You blush like a virgin schoolboy."
"I am a schoolboy. And you're sitting on my bed. With my chips."
"Oh no. Are you gonna punish me, senpai~?" she said in an exaggerated moan, fluttering her lashes.
I sighed. "You're impossible."
She grinned wide, then stretched, arching her back. Her tank top rode up slightly, exposing her toned midriff and the underside of her breasts—just enough for my imagination to sprint off into the distance.
"Eyes up here, Kujo."
I snapped my gaze to her smirk.
She threw a chip at me.
"I'm teasing. Stare all you want. Just don't expect me to sit still for it."
I turned back to my desk and tried to focus on unpacking. Behind me, she hummed a low tune, crunched chips, and kicked her feet rhythmically against the bed.
Every few minutes, I caught her glancing over at me.
Not just watching. Studying.
When I finally got up to change into pajamas, she wolf-whistled. "Nice back. You work out or just naturally blessed?"
"Do you ever not comment on everything I do?"
"Nope." She flashed a cheeky grin. "And now I'm claiming the big bed."
"Excuse me?"
"Too late," she said, already pulling the comforter over herself like a queen settling into her throne. "You can take the floor. Or sleep next to me. I don't bite."
"…Often," she added with a smirk.
I grabbed a pillow and blanket, dropped them on the floor, and tried to ignore the sound of her shifting and sighing above me.
That night, I had weird dreams. Something about being hunted by a tiger in a skirt.
When I opened my eyes the next morning, I realized two things.
One: I wasn't on the floor anymore.
Two: I was spooning Yumi.
Her body was soft and hot against mine. Her ponytail tickled my face, and her back was pressed snugly against my chest. My arm was loosely draped over her waist.
And she was definitely awake.
"Morning, sunshine," she murmured, not moving.
"Why… are you in my bed?" I asked, my voice hoarse.
"I said it was cold. You didn't argue. So I pulled you up here while you were snoring."
"I don't snore."
"You do when you're drooling."
I sat up, flustered. She rolled onto her back lazily, arching again—very deliberately—and gave me a view that nearly stopped my heart.
"Don't worry," she said with a wink. "I didn't do anything to you. Yet."
"…Can you not say things like that first thing in the morning?"
She sat up with a loud yawn and stretched, her chest threatening to spill out of her top.
"Only if you ask very nicely."
I turned to get dressed and heard her giggle again behind me.
It was going to be a long semester.