“Okay! I got it already! I’ll go wash my hands!” I yelped, quickly fleeing from the terror that was my little sister.
I stood at the sink, letting the water run over my hands.
“If only you had done that from the start,” Shigure muttered with a sigh. “Make sure to scrub under your nails, too.”
“Are you my mom?” I asked.
“Would you like me to tuck you in with a warm glass of milk?”
“You’ve crossed into grandma territory there,” I joked while lathering my hands with the foamy soap.
“Hi-yah!” Shigure shouted, nudging me to the side with her hip. “Scoot over. This sink is really small.”
“Okay, okay.”
Considering our apartment didn’t even have a changing room, luxuries such as a bathroom sink weren’t exactly afforded to us. We did everything—from washing our hands to brushing our teeth—in the kitchen.
I quickly moved out of the way, allowing Shigure to fill the empty space. She ran the water over her hands, then pressed down on the soap bottle’s pump a few times.
“Huh?” she blurted, tilting her head in confusion. She swatted the pump a few more times for good measure, but was only rewarded by a small trickle of soap.
“None left?” I asked.
“Yep, looks like we’ve run out. Do we have any refills?”
“Uh, I don’t think so. We used them all up recently.”
“Talk about embarrassing—how could I, of all people, have allowed this oversight?”
“So much for the ‘protector of the kitchen,’ am I right?”
“Touché. I guess that means I’ll just have to borrow some from you.”
“Borrow some? What do you meEEAAAN?!”
My innocent question had quickly turned into a pathetic squeal as Shigure grabbed my hand mid-sentence. Hey, it’s true that she was my little sister, but she was still a girl in the end!
“Wh-What are you doing?!” I cried.
“Isn’t it obvious? Since you used the last of the soap, we have no choice but to wash our hands together.”
“That’s just gonna make our hands dirtier, isn’t it?!”
“Not at all. Look, we’re killing every microbe of bacteria as we speak. Oh, wait—are you getting all flustered from holding my hand? How naughty of you. Aren’t you going out with my wonderful sister?”
The corners of Shigure’s mouth loosened into a smile, revealing that malicious grin once again, which always seemed to say, “You’re impossible not to tease.” At the same time, she looked overjoyed to see me embarrassed.
You wanna play that game, huh?
“I said this before, right?” I asked. “You’re not even on my radar. Use my hand however you like.”
“Oh, really now? Then don’t mind if I do.”
“Gah!”
Her pale, slippery hand began to caress mine. The stimulus sent shivers down my spine, but so what? Compared to how I’d felt when holding Haruka’s hand, this was nothing! Seriously.
“Oh my,” Shigure said. “You seem quite composed.”
“You’ve belittled me for long enough. For any man in a loving relationship, this level of contact is child’s play. Just so you know, I held hands with Haruka over a week ago!”
“Only a week ago? That’s, uh, quite something... Still, I’ll admit I’m a touch disappointed. I was hoping to see you act a little more flustered.”
Heh. I’ve got this one in the bag.
Shigure’s constant mocking and mind games had finally started to grate on me. I needed to win a few rounds.
“But when I look at you in this light, you really are a man,” she noted.
“What do you mean?”
“Look—when we line up our hands, yours are clearly thicker and larger than mine.”
“Yeah, that’s just common se—”
“Hi-yah!”
“Eep!”
Shigure took advantage of my slip in concentration to unleash a swift assault. While our hands were pressed together to compare sizes, she’d slipped her fingers between mine and squeezed tightly. Her fingers, slick with soap, wriggled around and tickled the ultra-sensitive webbing of my hand. Unable to bear that squirming sensation, I ended up letting out another squeal.
“That wasn’t a very manly yell,” Shigure laughed. “You sounded so adorable... and a little erotic.”
“Gah!”
My pathetic response caused Shigure to grow even cockier, if such a thing were possible. Her pale fingers slithered and coiled around mine like a snake, the sudsy bubbles slipping and squeaking with each movement. The bubbles inflated as her fingers danced around my hands until they burst. A slippery, suggestive sound echoed throughout the crimson, sunset-lit room.
“Looks like I’ve ruffled your feathers a bit,” Shigure giggled. “Now that you’ve experienced this level of pleasure, you’ll never be able to forget it. I bet every time your fingers entwine with your beloved girlfriend, you’ll remember the sensation you felt with her twin sister—what an awful boyfriend.”
“Ugh...”
This is bad news! We’re just washing our hands, but it feels like we’re doing something incredibly dirty!
She was right—if this little game continued for much longer, I really would think of it each time we held hands. Obviously, I couldn’t let that happen. However, when I opened my mouth to yell “stop,” that cursed girly squeal nearly escaped my lips for a third time.
Damn it, how can Shigure be so calm?
It wasn’t like she was wearing protection—her hands must’ve felt the same way mine did. Skin sensitivity didn’t vary that much between people. I mean, if something tickled, that was that.
No. There’s no way she’s as composed as she’s letting off.
In any case, I couldn’t remain passive forever; it was time to go on the offensive. I’d twist that poker face into something shameful. I psyched myself up, then squeezed Shigure’s hand in return.
“Ah...” she gasped.
Now, let’s have a look-see. Show me your pathetic—
I turned my gaze toward Shigure, but my thoughts immediately came to a halt and my heart leaped into my throat when I saw her face.
“Urgh!” I shouted. “I-I’ve had enough of this!”
“W-Wait, Big Bro! I still haven’t cleaned under my nails.”
“Clean them yourself! You should have enough suds by now!”