“…Today…is it all right…if I don’t go home?” For a moment, he couldn’t understand what she was saying to him. As soon as the muffled, near-whispering voice of the girl in his arms reached his ears, Amane’s thoughts screeched to a halt. It took quite a bit of time before he could process the meaning of her words. …Is it all right…if she doesn’t go home today…? She was asserting, however modestly, that she wanted to stay in his apartment and spend the night with him. It was true Amane and Mahiru were dating, and they had even slept in the same bed before, but the circumstances were different. Mahiru was saying, unprompted, that she wanted to stay over. When his train of thought, running many times slower than usual, finally arrived at the meaning of her words, Amane’s cheeks grew as hot as a roaring fire. She wants to stay over. Still, even Amane knew if she was asking to stay the night, she must have already prepared herself for what might happen given the current mood. Since Mahiru was still leaning against him, he could feel it in his body when she stiffened up from nerves or when she trembled a little, either out of bashfulness or nervousness. He’d never expected to hear Mahiru ask for something like that, so he looked down at her in his arms despite himself, and she seemed to feel his gaze on her. Her dainty body shook with a start. After that, with about half her face still buried in his chest, she looked up at him. He could see himself reflected in her misty eyes as they wavered, full of embarrassment and expectation. Amane’s gaze became even more set as the pounding in his chest grew louder. As if to escape from his gaze, Mahiru buried her face in his chest again to try and hide. Amane opened and closed his mouth several times, trying to make some sound. Gradually, he became able to speak, and he squeezed out some words without disguising the tremble in his voice. “…Um, well…wh-what…do you mean?” “I-it’s just…as I said… I don’t…want to be apart from you, Amane. I want to get my fill of you.” Though a suggestion like that was no longer enough to send him into a coughing fit, Amane went completely stiff, as if hearing Mahiru’s words had stopped his breathing. Mahiru glanced up at him. “This isn’t enough… For two days…I’ve been patient. I want to spend more time…together with you, Amane.” “I—I want that, too, but still…um, isn’t it a bad idea?” Mahiru ought to have understood this herself, but Amane was a healthy young man, so if his girlfriend told him she didn’t want to go home in an environment with no one to interfere, things might go a certain way. Amane prided himself on being someone with strong self-control. But ultimately, he was still a high school boy with a powerful sex drive. He feared the moment he got a sweet and seductive invitation from his beloved girlfriend, he would trade his straight face and self-control for a beastly leer and swoop in to attack her. Amane, who didn’t want to let his desires get the better of him, knew he ought to avoid that situation entirely. In this case, he didn’t think Mahiru was suggesting they go all the way. Rather, she simply wanted to spend more time with him. All the more reason why he was hitting the brakes. “If we’re a couple,” Mahiru said, “then it’s normal to spend the night together, right?” “Th-that’s probably something normal couples do, but…” “Are you saying we’re not a normal couple?” “That’s not what I mean. It’s just, we’ve only been dating a few months, and—” “It’s a little late to say that, considering I’ve already stayed over at your parents’ house.” “Urgh.” When she mentioned that, Amane couldn’t argue. He was at a loss for words. Mahiru looked at him with disapproval in her eyes. “…Do you hate the idea that much?” “I don’t hate it!” Her voice had had a lonesome ring to it. Wanting to make sure she understood, he raised his voice without meaning to, and Mahiru stiffened from surprise. Amane was sorry for shouting as he stared directly into Mahiru’s eyes. “This goes without saying, but I’m really glad,” he said. “I can’t believe what a lucky guy I am that you would say you don’t want to be apart from me. I also want to spend more time together, and if we could, I’d sleep next to you every day.” Mahiru’s cheeks flushed red at the words every day, and even as Amane thought he might have said a little too much, it didn’t change the fact that he wanted to be by her side. So he forged on. “But we don’t know what might happen, and I don’t want to feel like I’m rushing you or anything. I don’t want to do anything you don’t want… Haven’t you ever considered that I might do something if you spend the night?” “I trust you, Amane, so…” From the way she answered without hesitation, Amane was convinced that, as he’d suspected, Mahiru was only asking to sleep in the same bed together. He was sure she had only asked to stay over because she trusted he wouldn’t hurt her. If that was what Mahiru wanted, then Amane wanted to grant her request. He made up his mind and tried to steel his resolve. Immediately, he felt a little poke from Mahiru. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to use my trust in you against you. What I want is…I mean, if you want something…I’d give it to you.” “Huh?” “You’re someone who stands up and takes responsibility for his actions, right?” “O-of course I am. I promise never to do anything irresponsible, as a person and as your boyfriend.” “Well then, there’s no problem, is there?” “I…guess not.” Amane did feel like she was using her trust against him, but Mahiru looked at him with so much confidence in her smile. It was as if she was entrusting everything to him, so there was no way he could let her down. Though he had enormous misgivings about the evening and what would happen to his self-control, if Mahiru wanted to spend the night with Amane, he couldn’t refuse her. Amane also wanted to be by her side. If only he didn’t have to worry about his own body’s urges. In his arms, Mahiru had sounded full of confidence in Amane when she’d spoken. Still, perhaps because she was feeling embarrassed about catching his gaze again, she let her eyes wander a little, then quietly added, “Just, I’d like to ask you to be gentle, wh-whatever happens.” Then she leaned her body against him, so Amane didn’t know whether to be embarrassed or delighted by her behavior as he bit his lip and adjusted his hold on her. …What…should I do? Amane had agreed she could stay over, but now that he’d calmed down and given it some thought, he realized he was crossing a very dangerous bridge. Mahiru would stay over on the condition that he wouldn’t do anything, even though he knew she would allow him to if he tried. But Amane had a feeling the balance between his reason and his instincts was already unsteady and tipping toward instinct. Augh, but if I don’t make a move now, I know I’ll get an earful later. Even though, in his mind, he could hear Itsuki saying, Now’s the time, man!! Amane still didn’t want to force things. He knew Mahiru would be the one hurt if the worst happened. So naturally, he was hesitant. He was fully aware this was egotistical thinking, but even so, precisely because he had these concerns, he was not ready to give up on his self-control. And by no means did Amane believe it must be all right for them to take things too far just because he liked her or she was his girlfriend. “…Uh, well, how about you go home first and take a bath? You can only use ordinary shampoo and stuff over here,” he suggested to Mahiru, looking quite bashful in his arms. Even if she was going to stay the night, Mahiru wouldn’t be able to do her usual routine at his apartment, and she still needed to change her clothes. He made that proposal thinking it would be more convenient for her to take care of all that business at home and then come over again. But Amane felt a jolt go through Mahiru’s body. After he said it, Amane realized he was probably inviting some terrible misunderstanding by bringing up the subject of a bath, especially given the current situation. He immediately froze, but Mahiru wriggled uncomfortably in his arms and curled in on herself. “Y-you’ve got the wrong idea!” he protested. “I didn’t mean it like that, okay?” “H-hey, Amane?” “Yes?” Amane was worried that, as he’d feared, she must have taken his words too directly, but he could see when she lifted her head that Mahiru was not embarrassed. “Your parents…they got in the bath together…right?” “W-well, yeah, I guess so?” “I—I don’t have any hidden motives. I don’t, but, well…s-since I’m finally staying over and all…I—I want to…get in the bath…together.” For a moment, Amane didn’t understand what his girlfriend had just said to him. She had mumbled it so quietly, in such a trembling voice. He just stared. …Together? Getting in the bath was, of course, something one did without wearing any clothes. This meant the two of them would be exposing their bodies completely, not wearing a single thing. If she made him do something like that, even Amane would, naturally, have no chance of effectively restraining himself. He was confident he would leave all reason and control behind and indulge himself in her soft, fair skin. Mahiru was much more aggressive than usual. And Amane, unable to hide his bewilderment, let his eyes wander around the room as he scratched his cheek, which threatened to burst into flames at any moment. “Ah, no, that would, um, wouldn’t that be a bad idea? We’d be naked…” “Well, um…i-if I wore a b-bathing suit…wouldn’t that be okay?” “S-sure, it would probably be okay if you wore a bathing suit, but, um…are you prepared to have me touching your body like that?” Even with Amane’s best intentions, if his defenseless girlfriend was there, just an arm’s length away, there was no way to say for sure he wouldn’t do anything. He couldn’t tell whether Mahiru understood that or not as she fluttered her long eyelashes and cast her eyes downward. “I mean, I assumed we’d be touching since we’re going to wash each other’s backs.” “Y-you did?” “I did. And I’m telling you I don’t mind. I like it when you touch me, Amane, and if I really didn’t, I wouldn’t be saying these things.” “…Right.” He could tell Mahiru had no ulterior motive and that she probably just wanted to be a happy couple like his parents, whom she deeply admired. So Amane said nothing more and just nodded. “So basically, um, if I also put on my swimsuit and get in, we can avoid the problem completely.” “Y-yes.” “…Is that all right?” “A woman never goes back on her word.” He wondered whether that line had originally been about a man, but since Mahiru had prepared herself for anything and was the one who had suggested it in the first place, he didn’t want to ignore her feelings. In short, all Amane had to do was exercise self-restraint. Now that he had found the only partner for him—and that Mahiru aspired to have a relationship like his parents’, who were always close—he figured taking a bath together wasn’t a bad place to start. If Amane could control himself, being so close to each other might even be nice. Amane tried to remember where he’d shoved his bathing suit—probably in the back of the trunk of clothes he wouldn’t wear anymore now that summer vacation was over—as he pressed a hand to his throbbing chest and nodded. “Okay.” Amane, who had been first to put on his swimsuit and head into the bathroom, was feeling extremely uncomfortable and nervous. It was going to take Mahiru some time to bring her swimsuit over and get changed, so she had wanted him to go in ahead of her. But the longer he had to wait, the harder his heart throbbed. He had seen her in a bathing suit before, but this would be his first time seeing her like that while they were alone together, not to mention during an overnight stay, in a cramped space where they would be in close contact. Of course he was feeling more nervous than excited. And anyway, isn’t getting in the bath together something men and women with more experience do…? he thought, assailed by uneasiness and embarrassment. He wasn’t even soaking in the hot water yet, but his body already felt feverish. He pressed his lips together, wondering whether he wanted Mahiru to hurry up and come in or just not come in at all, when he heard the creak of the door behind him. His movements were awkward as he turned around, and he saw his girlfriend looking at him timidly. Her skin was dazzling. And the fact that he froze the moment he saw her there was probably inevitable. …This must be the one Chitose mentioned… He recalled Chitose had previously told him Mahiru had purchased two different swimsuits. The one she wore this time was not what he had seen when they’d gone to the pool together. What she was wearing now was a black bikini, a perfect contrast to her porcelain skin. There weren’t any needless embellishments. It was just plain cloth covering her skin. It wasn’t cut terribly small or anything. It was just a regular swimsuit. But the fact that it seemed so suggestive on her anyway was because of her incredible shape. Not that he would have expected anything different, but even when he took a second look, the only way to describe the sight was Magnificent. Everything about her was ideal, from her slim décolletage or her slender neck to the beautiful curves of her chest, waist, and thighs, which he could tell were perfectly soft yet firm. Usually, Mahiru didn’t expose much skin. She was the type who wouldn’t dream of letting people see her chest, so Amane barely had any chance to lay his eyes on her body, and now he alone was being granted this rare privilege. Mahiru was the one who had brought out this ultimate weapon of hers, but perhaps because she felt Amane’s eyes on her, she bashfully tried to cover her front with her arms. But even that gesture was erotic—pressing her breasts together until they met—and Amane found the sight was incredibly alluring. But at the same time, seeing her like that was also extremely tough on him. Figuring it was bad to stare, Amane let his gaze wander. But that seemed to bother Mahiru, who was frowning just a little bit. “…Does…it look weird?” “N-no, not at all. It looks great, but…” “But…?” “…How can I say this…? It’s very exciting,” he muttered, just managing to squeeze the words out. Mahiru’s cheeks flushed. Clearly, she was aware of the swimsuit’s effect. It was a clothing choice she normally wouldn’t have made. It was slightly precarious when it came to protecting her modesty, considering it was made of only fabric and strings. “…That’s why I didn’t wear it at the pool. I was embarrassed of people seeing me like this.” “Well then, why did you buy it?” “Th-that’s, well, Chitose said…if I didn’t do something like this, you would never be convinced, Amane.” “What are you planning to convince me to do…?” Shaking his head at Chitose’s remark, he glanced at Mahiru’s figure again. …She could probably convince me to do anything after showing me something like this. That was how much power Mahiru had looking like this. It made him want to crouch and look away entirely until he calmed down. But there was no way he could do that, so he took deep breaths as he tried to recover his composure somehow and glanced at Mahiru again. He felt like running away. There was too much tension in a scantily dressed boy and girl being beside each other in such close quarters. “Uh, so…f-first, should we wash our hair?” “Y-yeah, good idea.” Mahiru agreed in a voice that betrayed her feelings. She hung her head in an effort to hide her flushed cheeks despite the fact that she had not yet stepped into the hot water. From the waterproof bag she had brought with her, which was sitting on the bathroom floor, she pulled out a bottle with liquid in it. Since Amane usually used men’s shampoo, he hadn’t expected Mahiru to use his and had expected her to bring her own. But for some reason, she had an awfully large number of bottles. While he stood there, astonished a girl would use so many products for a single bath, Mahiru looked at him repeatedly and pointed toward the stool. “If you would just take a seat…” Evidently, she was going to wash his hair for him. At least, that’s what she indicated. “N-no, I’ll do it myself…” “…I want to do it.” It was surprising to hear her say what she wanted so openly, even though she had done so mildly, when he had been expecting her to ask him for his opinion. Compelled by her insistence, Amane obediently sat down on the stool. He wondered whether she was getting carried away as Mahiru stood behind him, holding a brush she had brought over. “I’ve been wanting to do your hair at least once.” The tension on Mahiru’s face began to dissolve as she started working through his hair. Actually, for some reason, she took on a joyful expression, and Amane could tell she was really getting into it. This was much better than if she had stayed stiff and nervous the whole time. Since Mahiru had a tendency to forget herself and fall into a trance when it came to Amane, he had a hunch this was no exception. For Amane’s part, even if he was feeling overly self-conscious, he’d been having difficulty with his physical reactions. So he was grateful for a change in mood like this. It allowed him to think about something besides how close their bodies were. Besides, he already knew Mahiru’s deft hands would help him relax. He’d fallen fast asleep once just because she’d stroked his hair while he’d been lying on her lap, so he was sure having her gently tend to his hair would feel good. After thinking that far and closing his eyes, leaving everything up to Mahiru, he heard a quiet giggle behind him. “You’re quick to relax, aren’t you?” “Oh, well, yeah. You said you would do it for me, so I thought I’d leave you to it. I know it’ll feel good.” “I’ll do my best to meet your high expectations.” Mahiru answered him with a smile, apparently happy he was entrusting everything to her. She proceeded to comb Amane’s hair slowly and meticulously. “First, it’s important to remove the excess dirt and grime with the comb, then thoroughly rinse your hair with hot water. But you’ve got short hair, so it’s probably fine either way.” “That makes sense. It’s a pain, though, so I never comb it before bathing.” “Your hair is short, so you probably never really think about it. Mine is long, so it gets tangled easily. I can’t skip that step.” “You maintain it so well despite that. It must be pretty stressful.” He opened his eyes and looked at Mahiru’s hair in the mirror. It was long enough to pass her waist with ease. And yet she had no split ends, and her cuticles were perfect. Her hair’s smooth and soft surface boasted a beauty that would make any girl jealous. As he admired the incredible labor that must go into maintaining her hair, he heard another quiet snicker behind him. “Well, I’ve always had nice hair, so I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s stressful, but…it is true I take care of it. Having pretty hair makes you look nice no matter what clothes you have on, after all.” “…You’re a real lady. No doubt about that.” “I just want to be a version of myself I can be proud of.” She said that as she finished brushing; he saw out of the corner of his eye that she had picked up the showerhead. He understood she was going to rinse his hair with water, and he quietly closed his eyes. “I’m turning on the water,” Mahiru said gently, then sprayed warm water from the showerhead onto Amane’s hair. “Now let’s go ahead and fully prewash your hair. When you’re using styling products, it’s best to wash them out to some extent at this point.” “The lesson starts now, I see.” “You’re lucky enough to have nice hair to begin with, Amane. It can be even better if you try to take good care of it.” “Still, doing this every day must be a real bother.” “It’s one thing you really shouldn’t slack off on.” He heard the exasperation in her answer. Perhaps because his tension faded a little while she washed his hair, the awkwardness between them vanished, and they began talking like usual. “Well, assuming we’ll bathe together in the future, I guess I’ll probably start doing it automatically, so cut me some slack for now.” Amane was lazy and thought the routine Mahiru had described following every single day sounded like a pain, so he said that without thinking it through. But after she had wet Amane’s hair down with the showerhead, Mahiru froze. She stayed frozen behind him for ten long seconds before finally thawing out and turning off the shower. Then she silently took out some shampoo and was lathering it up on a net sponge when he glanced at her reflection in the mirror. “Ah, um, Mahiru?” “…The fact that you say things like that so naturally is one of your faults.” “Uhhh…?” After building up quite a lather, Mahiru began to work it into his hair. Her face was red. It seemed like she was doing sloppy work, but Amane figured it must be his imagination. “…I’m happy to hear you say it, but you can’t pretend to be shocked by your parents anymore.” He more or less understood what Mahiru was trying to say. It took him a while, but Amane also went red when he finally realized what he had said. Despite how shocked he had once been by his parents getting in the bath together, he had gone and implied once he and Mahiru were married, they would take their baths together every day. He had no room to laugh at his parents anymore. “If you don’t zip your mouth up, Amane, I won’t know what to do.” “I’ll be more careful.” The shyness between them that had finally faded away came right back. After that, Mahiru gave her undivided attention to silently washing his hair as both she and Amane continued blushing. Before long, Mahiru finished her work, even applying conditioner. Once she had thoroughly rinsed his head, Mahiru looked somewhat hesitant as she pulled out a bottle labeled BODY SOAP. “…So, um…next is…your body.” Amane understood what Mahiru was trying to say, and he froze. He knew that was naturally the next step, but it exceeded all his expectations to hear her come out and say she would wash him. Sure, they had agreed they would wash each other’s backs, and yet he didn’t think either of them had meant they would really do it. “N-no, that’s, uh, y-you really don’t have to force yourself!” “I-I’m not, okay?! It’s just…th-this is something even I can do. Um, you can do the f-front by yourself… J-just your back, okay?” “Th-that would be great, please.” Indeed, things would likely take an awful turn if he let her wash his front, too, so Amane quickly agreed with Mahiru. He hung his head, and he could feel the embarrassment steadily rising back up within him. On top of that, his body was overheating, maybe because his hopes had gotten out of control. Mahiru seemed to be diligently lathering the body soap on the net sponge behind him. He could hear the sound of cloth rubbing against cloth. The bathroom, echoing with the sounds of his sighs and the lathering of the soap, felt extremely awkward, and he could hardly stand to be there any longer. “…Um, all right, then. Pardon me…” Mahiru must have finished lathering. She whispered in a timid tone of voice, and he felt a fluffy, puffy sensation gently touch his back. Of course, he knew it was just the painstakingly lathered body soap. But since she was so close to him in a place like this, wearing only a swimsuit, for a moment, because he was a guy, Amane couldn’t help but wonder if maybe a particular part of her had bumped into him. Something about the feeling of the bubbles being gently spread across his back was kind of ticklish. Mahiru was thorough in her work, but because she was so careful in applying the body wash, Amane became impatient. He wasn’t used to it since he was never so delicate when he washed his back himself. “…Your back is broader than I thought.” When he was sufficiently covered, and his whole back was spread with bubbles, he heard Mahiru mumble quietly. “It is? …I guess it’s pretty big compared with yours, but…” “Maybe it seems extra broad because it’s you, Amane…but I feel like this is a back I can rely on.” He felt the palm of her hand against the area near his shoulder blades. “Do you remember that time I sprained my ankle, and you carried me?” “Yeah, I remember. That was when you got hurt trying to rescue a cat, right?” “…Back then, I was really happy, you know? Though I didn’t show it on my face.” “That always really confused me, yeah.” “…Now I’m sure you would find me out, Amane. You always find the real me.” Smoothly, she slid the hand on his back to his flat chest. Then, without pausing, Mahiru closed the distance between their bodies and clung to Amane. She rested her chin on his shoulder. Amane felt something heavy and round pressing against his back. They were so soft that the bubbles paled in comparison. Amane softly let out a sigh. “If it’s what you want, Mahiru, I’ll carry you as much as you like and support you. After all, I’ve already promised I’ll never let you out of my sight and never disappear on you.” “…Mm.” “But listen, it’d be hard to carry you now, given how I’m sitting, so could you back up a bit?” Usually, when he implied certain things were touching him, Mahiru leaped back dramatically all at once, but she showed no signs of pulling away. “…Even if you’re not carrying me on your back, I want you to snuggle up close to me. I’m not going to impose all my burdens on you… Because we’re going to walk through life together.” “…That’s right.” “Someone told me you would be really happy if I did this when I stayed over.” “Chiiitoooseee!” Amane groaned despite himself, confident Chitose must have put the idea in her head, half as a joke. But Mahiru answered soothingly, “Chi-Chitose just gave me some advice. I wanted to do this myself,” and squeezed her arms tightly around him again. The only thing Amane could do was groan again as she gave him more of that soft, tender feeling. It wasn’t unpleasant, and he was happy, but she was steadily filing down the shackles restraining him. She hadn’t bumped into him accidentally. Mahiru was pressing up against him on purpose. That, more than anything, was chipping away at Amane’s self-control. “I—I get it already, so please let go. You’re making this difficult… I don’t want to be red as a lobster before we even soak in the tub.” It would have been great if he could have boldly enjoyed her offering, but Amane didn’t have the luxury. He was doing his best to hold himself together, so he wanted to get a little distance and give his mind and body a chance to cool off. To his surprise, Mahiru obediently pulled away when he asserted as much. He could see Mahiru reflected in the mirror, and after she let go of him, she seemed to get embarrassed and bashfully shrank in on herself. Mahiru didn’t seem to know whether to be bold or not. She went straight to hugging her own shoulders and moaning sadly, and Amane found himself thinking she shouldn’t have done it if she was going to be ashamed of it right after. For Amane, the relief he’d felt when she’d pulled away was more substantial than any shame he’d been feeling, so he smiled a little and turned around to face Mahiru, gently taking the foamy net sponge from her hands. “I’ll do the rest by myself, so you go do your own hair, please.” “…Fine.” “Any objections?” “N-no, nothing like that…j-just, I was ready, so it’s kind of a letdown.” “What did you think I was gonna try in a place like this…?” “W-well, I thought…you might wash my back.” “This was your suggestion in the first place, Mahiru, but…are you saying you wanted me to wash your back?” “Th-that’s exactly what I’m saying! It’s, um, you don’t touch me very often, Amane.” Amane almost broke into a spontaneous coughing fit when he heard her extremely provocative statement. When he glared at her with a mixture of shame and judgment, Mahiru’s face got even redder. “…I—I mean, Shihoko and Shuuto said they scrub each other down all the time.” “I get mixed feelings about my parents mentioning stuff like that in front of you, but… A-anyway, first of all, my mom and dad are married, and it’s still early for us… Besides, um, if…if you want to touch, I think it would be better to do it when we’re relaxing in the tub.” If she got all slippery, there was a good chance his hands might slip somewhere they shouldn’t, so he said that because he thought sitting in the bathwater was safer. But in response to Amane’s words, Mahiru spoke up in a determined voice that sounded like she was wringing out the words. “…I…I see.” Oh, did I maybe say something terrible…? The doubt rose in his mind, but before it could produce a heat wave of shame, Mahiru forcefully said, “I’m going to take care of myself, so face the other way, please.” Following her command, Amane obediently turned his back to her. He could see in the mirror that Mahiru’s ears were bright red where they poked out from her hair, but pointing that out would expose the fact he had peeked, so he pretended he’d never seen anything and kept his back turned, feeling ashamed as he washed the rest of his body. It was obvious that, unlike Amane, Mahiru would take quite a bit of time, so Amane was the first in the tub. But now Mahiru was done and glancing over at him, so he wasn’t sure what to do. He couldn’t quite tell what she was trying to say. Without a doubt, his earlier suggestion that they could touch in the tub was at the top of her mind, but the way Mahiru was looking at him, he was pretty sure she wanted him to do something. Her caramel-colored eyes were locked on Amane, wavering—not with caution, they were but troubled in some other way he couldn’t exactly read. “U-um, where do you think I should…get in?” Amane blinked once at the word where. Amane’s apartment was built for one or two people, and the bathtub was only so big. It would be a little bit cramped if they didn’t watch their legs when they got in together. But Amane hadn’t stretched his legs in anticipation of Mahiru getting in, so she should’ve had plenty of space. The fact that she’d asked him that question despite that must have been because she was working off what Amane had said earlier, which had almost been a slip of the tongue. “…Uh, well, it’s open… You can get in anywhere you like, can’t you?” Even though he had been the one who had said those words earlier, there was no way he could tell her to sit down in his arms, so he threw the decision back to Mahiru. She stiffened her lips just a bit and pouted, then slowly dipped one foot into the tub. Just as Amane thought he would get to see her pure white skin without a trace of suntan, a flaxen curtain blocked his view. A gasp slipped out of his mouth as Mahiru gently lowered herself to sit between his loosely crossed legs. He had said she could sit anywhere, but he’d never expected her to actually come to him, and he had no idea how to react. Whether or not she knew how Amane was feeling, Mahiru reclined, leaning her full weight back against his body. She had tied her hair up in a bun so he could feel her bare skin directly, which was undeniably arousing. “…You said anywhere was fine, right?” As hesitant as she was, Mahiru looked back at him with a triumphant smile. Her cheeks were red. But Amane’s face and body were on fire, so he was in no position to point that out. He couldn’t say much of anything back. It was all he could do to answer with, “R-right.” “Well then, there’s no problem, is there?” Mahiru said decisively as if trying to encourage herself. She started pressing her head back against him, and even though it didn’t hurt, it still made him feel uneasy, both mentally and physically. He gently touched Mahiru’s shoulders in an attempt to stop her. The moment he did, her whole body jerked dramatically, and the sound of waves splashing echoed around the small bathroom. “On second thought, some distance might be better.” “N-no, it’s not bad…I just…w-wasn’t expecting you to touch me.” “…Aren’t you the one who said it was all right for me to touch you?” “That’s true, but…” Mahiru’s words and actions had been inconsistent from the beginning. Amane could certainly understand why. But with a sly smile, he slowly wrapped his arms around her body. He could quickly feel her stiffening, so he stayed like that, embracing her loosely to get her to settle down. “…Could you please not misbehave?” Even if he didn’t say anything, he knew perfectly well she would behave herself, but just in case, he whispered gently into her ear, which made her body twitch again. But then she obediently stopped moving around. Or rather, she curled herself up into a ball in his arms. Though he was happy she’d settled down as he had hoped, it was obvious that, with the way things were going, they both would end up overly embarrassed and barely touch each other at all. …I should have known. It’s just as impossible for me to casually touch her as it is for her.
Chapter 154
30 min read