The useless girl

The inn

Entering the inn Kasumi, as always quick and diligent, walks briskly up to a woman behind a small desk and introduces herself. The woman sees out of the corner of her eye Gojo, carrying a practically unconscious boy, a fact that doesn't seem to please her too much, but she stretches out her arm without saying much and hands Kasumi a key.

After expressing apologies and exaggerated bows she looks up at the stern gaze watching her and takes the key almost feeling a drop of sweat running down her forehead.

Satoru glances at the number engraved in wood on the key ring that comes with the key and although he is surprised that it's the one to his own room he makes no effort to rectify the innkeeper's mistake. He is not amused by the idea of dragging a body with him down more than one corridor.

Kasumi, with extreme haste opens the door and is surprised to find a bag lying on the floor and turns to Satoru. Her dismay is obvious, so as he carelessly tosses away Tetsuo's limp body, and clears up her doubts.

"The landlady got confused and gave you the key to my room, but it's no big deal. I'll just take my things to the other room."

She nods.

"We should take his shoes off."

"You think so? Better leave it alone."

"He'll be uncomfortable. I'll take off his shoes, you take off his tie and jacket."

"Yes!" replies Satoru in an almost military tone.

She, crouched at the foot of the bed, is quite delicate in her manner, but doesn't seem embarrassed to be undressing a man. Perhaps they are already quite familiar or perhaps she loses her prudishness if the task is to help a friend.

"Please don't tell Tetsuo I did this."

"Huh? What's the problem?"

"I'm sure he won't be able to look me in the face tomorrow cause he got so drunk, he wouldn't say a word to me if he knows I helped undress him."

"What a nice person you are, Kasumi. If you want, you can help me undress later."

Miwa's face incinerates, the white complexion turns magenta, a red so bright you could boil a cup of tea on her cheeks.

"I'm only joking."

"Do you make these jokes very often?" she replies, turning her attention back to the second shoe.

"Not as often as you might think."

"If I had seen you drinking perhaps I could excuse this behavior, Gojo-san. But you're completely sober..."

"Oh, you make me feel like such a pervert. What's wrong with making advances to a pretty girl? In fact, you're exactly my type now that I see you closer."

"Your type?"

He nods confidently, undoes the knot of Tetsuo's tie and sets it down on a small table next to the bed.

"My type of woman."

To him it would have seemed impossible that the skin on Kasumi's face had the ability to turn redder, but to his surprise it's capable. Immediately upon hearing it she becomes a bundle of nerves, she struggles to untie the laces of Tetsuo's left shoe and purses her lips, unable to look up.

He doesn't pay too much attention to her, returns to his task of undressing the poor assistant he incited to drink himself into unconsciousness and does it without a hint of guilt. He removes one sleeve, still not making much sense of what he is doing. How could he feel uncomfortable sleeping when he can't feel anything at all? He doesn't even wake up when there is a whole conversation taking place in front of him, even though he is manipulated like a rag doll. However, he doesn't refute Kasumi's words and does the job he's been asked to do.