It was more of a hassle than it had to be, but I was finally able to open the doors to my new apartment, apartment 22. Though, I had to get the key that was lodged in Neet Trash's door lock. I did it as quietly as possible because it would've been awful if we had met again. Any form of rationality I had would've vaporized the minute I saw her.

That was the extent of my hatred towards Neet Trash and towards any Otakus in general.

After getting inside my apartment, I made it my number one priority to change into new clothes. Even though I was still ticked off, I had to put that aside for the time being. I still had to keep up my end of the bargain with Yui and bring up some items from the moving van. However, the couch would definitely have to wait till Yui got back. As sad as it was to admit, my physical strength was severely lacking.

After changing, I walked outside and left the door wide open. I turned my head towards apartment 23, but there was nothing there except a closed door. Normally at this moment, people would feel a tinge of guilt, but I didn't. The only feelings I harbored towards Neet Trash were simply spite and contempt. The black leather couch was still where Yui and I had left it. It was a couple of inches away from the stairs and resting against the stair railings. After all, it would've been a fire hazard if my couch blocked off the stairs. I couldn't very well live with a good conscience if the entire third floor were to die a fiery death.  

Surprisingly, that even included Neet Trash as well.

I hated her and even told her to go die. However, I didn't really mean what I said to her. I disliked her, but I was indifferent to whether she chose to live or die. I just didn't want my couch to kill her and the entire third floor. After all, the couch had already claimed the life of an elderly grandmother. It doesn't need any more blood on its hands or, should I say, blood on its seats.

Though, with that being said, I would have still loved to press Neet trash's face against the heated leather. The couch had been soaking up the sun's intense rays for an hour now. Since she was an Otaku, she deserved no less than to have her face branded with the leather couch's imprints. She committed a grave sin by being an Otaku, and it was only right that she atoned for those sins. However, despite being painful, scaring her face was mere poultry in terms of atonement. She would have to do much more before she was even fit to be considered a Japanese citizen again. 

Aside from Neet trash's atonement, another thing weighed on my mind.

Do I take the stairs or use the elevators to get my items?

It was ironic because, despite its triviality, it could've been the most important question asked in the entire universe.

Well, it was to me, anyway.

Since it was rather hot right now, I wouldn't want to use the stairs. However, the stairs would provide good exercise. I was packing a bit of weight since it was too cold to do anything active in the winter. The struggle of trying to be productive and the convenience of being lazy were at odds in my head. Both choices were appealing, but my body unconsciously chose the healthier option.

Obviously, I had chosen to take the elevator down.

After all, what's healthier than not exerting yourself on a hot day? I was still young, but that didn't mean I was heatstroke-proof. 

After getting inside the elevator, I made my way to the first floor. I had left the moving truck defenseless for nearly 30 minutes. However, I doubt there was anyone dumb enough to do a robbery in the middle of the day. The apartment complex was along the side of a busy street, so the thief couldn't have gotten far without getting caught.

Once I stepped out of the elevator, I was met with the sounds of cars coming to a stop at an intersection. Pedestrians were chatting with each other as they walked alongside the chipped sidewalk. There were pigeons perched on powerlines, and their chirps intermingled with the rustling wind. Sakura blossom petals fluttered and traveled along with the spring breeze. After a snow-filled winter, some warmth on my skin was nice. 

I then walked to the curb of the sidewalk where the moving van was parked. As expected, everything was still in the van when I went inside, even the small flat-screen tv I owned. Honestly, that might have been the second most expensive thing I possessed. As for the first item, I hid that away in a very plain-looking box. I didn't want the item to be noticed by anyone. I would've simultaneously been embarrassed and ruined if the contents of the box were to be revealed. Consequently, if the item was stolen, certain aspects of it couldn't be replaced. It was physically the most expensive item I owned but also the most sentimental.

Yui should be returning any time now. It couldn't possibly take that long to walk to the convenience store. Though for what it was worth, I was grateful that she took her time. After all, if she knew that I got my crotch scalded by boiling ramen soup, I don't think she'd ever let me live that down. That was just the type of woman she was. She was beautiful, but she also had a sharp tongue and wit. She was always ready to hurt me with her words, laugh at my pain, and kick me when I was already down. 

Sometimes the only thing appealing about Yui was her H-sized boobs. Her personality may never be suitable for filling a man's heart, but her boobs could certainly fill any man's hands. On top of that, she also had a nice firm ass. Maybe that was why I evolved to have two hands, just so I could grab Yui's ass and boobs at the same time. That was some nice food for thought, but I had to get back to my task.

Though I picked up a medium-sized box in the van, I overheard the idle chit-chat of two loud men passing by. 

"Did you see Emi-chan's stream last night? She was so frustrated that she had to retry the level 20 times."

"Yeah, I can't wait for her collaboration with the other Holo Life members. Emi-Chan is cute, but I'm more into the dominant idols. What I wouldn't give for Hori-Sama to step on me."

"Wait, isn't that the idol based on a T-rex? Her feet would be all scaly."

"Exactly why I want her to step on me in the first place."

Holo Life?

Idol?

Being stepped on?

What the hell were these men talking about? I reluctantly heard every word, but none of it made sense. The most cohesive thought that I strung together was that idols were now being designed to look like T-rexes. Though imagining a girl in a T-rex suit singing and dancing was laughable. Was Japan really running out of ideas that idols now had to dress up as prehistoric reptiles? Rather just what lengths were the Japanese entertainment industry willing to go to just to have something new and fresh? Though with that being said, I could still relate to one of the men.

I, too, understand the appeal of being stepped on. Yui's soft and delicate feet pressing against my bare skin were definitely something that I wanted. However, I needed to stop thinking about that; otherwise, I was gonna give myself blue balls. Getting my crotch singed by boiling broth was bad enough. I didn't want any more injuries down there.

By the time I left the moving van, the young two young men were gone. However, Yui was sprinting down the sidewalk, clutching a brown paper bag against her enormous breasts. Luckily, due to the bounce of her steps, I could see her huge breasts swaying up and down as she made her way back to the apartment complex.

God, I wish I were in that bag right now. Forget Yui's delicate feet pressed against me; I'd rather be pressed between her gigantic sweaty H-cups.

Yui must've seen me as well because she slowed down her pace. I wasn't gonna lie. I was a bit disappointed about that. Due to dampening forces such as air resistance and her shirt's friction, Yui's boobs swayed less and less till they came to a complete stop. 

It was sad, but it was only fair. As physics giveth, physics must also taketh away.

"Sorry for taking so long, Yusei. I got a bit held up at the convenience store."

Yui said that between a mixture of what sounded like heavy breathing and gasping for air.

"You didn't have to run all the way here, you know, I would've been fine just carrying a few things on my own"

"Actually, Yusei, you were an afterthought. I just really wanted to get away from some guys who were hitting on me."

When Yui said that, I wasn't all that too surprised. After all, there were only two types of boys that wouldn't be attracted to Yui: either they were blind, or they were gay. It could've only been one or the other. Though I felt bad that she had to tire herself out by running back here, a sweaty Yui was still an immaculate sight. The glistening sweat against her pale skin only served to highlight the tightness of her clothes. In turn, this appealed more to her boobs and her butt. However, something was eating away at me when I saw her like this.

There was something that I had to tell her no matter what.

There was no way that I could keep my primal urges in check anymore.

I walked towards Yui, met her brown eyes with mine, and said,

"Yui, go to a love motel with me."

When I said that, Yui's cheeks flushed.

She stood there, petrified, as I reached my hand towards her hair. I then plucked out a single stray sakura blossom petal and placed it between her eyes.

"Wow, Yui, you're turning as pink as this petal. Did you think I meant I was actually serious? You must be more perverted than I thought."

I said this smugly, confidently, and arrogantly. After all, this was an opportunity to be the teaser and not the teaser finally. I was looking forward to what Yui would say in response. 

However, I should've learned that I never get what I want...

PWAP!

My right ear when momentarily deaf, and my right cheek started to swell with pain. I didn't know what happened, but Yui made sure to bring me up to speed right away.

"Wow, Yusei, You're turning as red as my palm."

Then she fueled her sharp tongue with malicious intent and said, 

"Wanna see my palm get redder."

Normally Yui had brown eyes. However, at this moment, her irises were pitch black, as if she were the spawn of the devil. 

I trembled in fear, but I eased the pain in my cheek by resting my right hand on it. Then, I noticed that the brown paper bag was almost filled to the top.

"Did you go grocery shopping too? I thought you were only buying lunch?"

Yui reverted to her normal self as if a switch had gone off. She then said with a smile,

"Some boys at the store bought me a lot of snacks when I told them I was helping you move in. Although they did ask me for my phone number."

Even though a mental health facility had never tested her, I was sure she had bipolar disorder. After all, flip-flopping between two very extreme personalities was by no means normal. Even so, she was still the cousin that I had become quite fond of. I then decided to follow along with the conversation and said,

"Certainly, you weren't stupid enough to give them your real phone number, right?"

With a wide smile, she said,

"Of course not, I'm not that dumb. I gave them your number instead."

When she said that, there were dots that were starting to connect in my head. Specifically, I had been getting random text messages and phone calls from unknown phone numbers for the past several months. At first, I thought they were spam. However, I'd get the occasional text message with a picture of a man's penis attached to it. Even so, the dick pics weren't the worst part. There was something much more awful about it, and I was about to explode in front of Yui.

"IT. WAS. YOU. YOU'RE THE REASON WHY MY PHONE BILL HAS BEEN GOING UP EACH MONTH. YOU KNOW LAST MONTH MY BILL WENT UP BY 500 YEN. YOU KNOW WHAT I COULD HAVE SPENT THAT 500 YEN ON?"

If there was something I hated more than Otakus, it was probably wasting money. Forget about grabbing Yui's ass, being smothered in her breasts, and being stepped on by her.

Right now, the only thing I wanted to do to her grabbed the nearest pillow, smother her with it, and step away from her lifeless body.

Besides hurting me with her words, laughing at my pain, and kicking me when I was down, Yui made it her life mission to get on my nerves any way she could.

Even though Yui had a sharp tongue and wit, those weren't the most annoying things about her. Perhaps, what truly bothered me the most was that she made herself out to be a sharp thorn.

Yui was like a sharp thorn that prickled me any chance she got.

Though as crazy as it may seem, that was probably why I adored her.

After being prickled by her for so many years, I couldn't forget her if I tried. 

Yui was always going to be there.

The thorn at my side.