ââ¦â¦Ah, geez.â
While soaking in the bathtub, I repeatedly splash hot water on my face.
The things I just said are stuck in my brain. I canât even close my eyes without being reminded of it.
âItâs not good. Not good, me.â
If you ask me if Iâve ever looked at Nagi that way, I canât honestly shake my head. I have seen Nagiâs feminine side hit me in various ways.
But it is also true that I tried not to look at her in that way. The reason is thatâ
âAbout that. Sheâsâ¦not good with that. Iâm sure.â
I got acquainted with Nagi. Itâs the reason why I helped her. Nagi was molested and that made her afraid of men.
So I might remind her of those things andâ¦..a few years later or something. I selfishly think it will be after we come of age.
[Except for Souta kun.]
âItâs my selfish fantasy. Iâm just imagining that I want Nagi to say something like that.
ââ¦Sigh.â
This hot water is comfortable. I sigh and sink my face into the hot water.
âââ
I wipe my hair and body and change into my pajamas.
Nagi is in the living room. [Iâm fine, but a bath is supposed to be a place of relaxation. Iâll distract myself somehow by reading a book, so please take your time] she said.
As I went to the living room, I stopped and looked at Nagi.
Nagi was reading a book with her back leaning against the sofa, looking concentrated.
Her blue eyes were moving up and down, and her beautiful fingers, as thin as a white fish, were turning the pages.
She would occasionally rest her hand on her chin as if thinking about something. Staring not at the bookâ¦..but at the empty space void.
But it was less than ten seconds.
Her fingers returned to the book. The sound of pages being turned echoes in the room. Nagiâs eyes began to move intermittently from top to bottom again.
âAh, itâs beautiful.
Thatâs all I can say.
It was different from that timeâand from the expression I had seen before meeting Nagi.
It may be rude, but it reminded me of her performance.
Nagiâs expression was serious, not even trying to cover it up. Itâs so beautiful.
I couldnât help but be fascinated by it.
Then, suddenly. The sound of Nagiâs hand turning the page stopped. Her face was lifted up.
ââHm? Souta kun, you finished already?â
âY-yeah. I just came up just now.â
Nagiâs blue, sea-bottom eyes looked at me intently.
And then her well-shaped eyebrows furrowed.
ââ¦â¦Souta kun, please sit here.â
âHm? Y-yeah.â
Nagi put a bookmark in a book and put it on the desk. She tapped next to her.
Although it was late, Nagi was wearing fluffy, sky-blue pajamas. The reason why I was so fascinated with her earlier may be because of the gap between her clothes and the rest of her body.
I sat down next to Nagi while thinking about that. Nagi reached out her hand to my head and touched my hair. And then, she looked at me with squeaky eyes.
âI knew it. You didnât dry it properly, Souta kun.
âAhâ¦â¦.â
Oh no. She realized my half-hearted drying method.
âW-well. It dries pretty quickly.â
âNo matter how much the room is heated, itâs no good. Youâll catch a cold.â
ââ¦â¦Youâre right.â
I canât say anything back. As I reflected on Nagiâs words, I heard a chuckle.
âIt canât be helped. Iâll dry it for you !â
âEh? N-no. Thatâs⦠bad for Nagi.â
âI donât mind. In fact, I think it would be fun to dry Souta kunâs hair.â
Saying that, Nagi stood up and took out a hair dryer from her luggage.
She went behind me on the sofa.
âIâll dry it for you then, okay?â
ââ¦.Yeah, thank you.â
I decided to accept it. When Nagi turned on the hair dryer, I heard the sound of strong wind. But itâs not that loud.
The warm wind was hitting my hair and stroking it with her hand.
âIs it hot?â
âOh, no, itâs fine. It feels good.â
Nagiâs thin fingers brushed through my hair, and my entire head became warm and fluffy.
It feels so good, I canât help but close my eyes.
âIâll give you a light massage too.â
Nagi said so and rubbed my head again. It feels good too.
ââ¦Fufu Iâm glad youâre feeling so good.â
âYeah. It feels so good.â
In response to Nagiâs happy smile, Nagiâs fingers tightened. I almost fell asleep because of how good it felt.
After about five minutes, the sound of the hair dryer stopped.
âWell, thatâs about it.â
âThank you. It was very good.â
âFufu. Youâre welcome.â
So after watching Nagi put away the hair dryerâ¦..I looked at the clock.
I realized it was almost time for Nagi to go to bed, and at the same time I remembered something.
â¦â¦Where Nagi should sleep, what should I do?
No, donât worry. Thereâs a sofa.
âItâs almost time for bed, so you can use the bed in my room.â
I said so. Nagi suddenly stopped and looked back at me.
ââ¦â¦Souta kun, you wonât say youâre going to sleep on that couch over there, will you?â
âHm? Yeah. If I use the cushion as a pillow, I should be able to sleep.
The sofa is not that big, though. â¦Well, I wonder if it will work out.
But.
âNo.â
Nagi said angrily.
âW-well. But, you knowâ¦â¦â
âNo. Iâll sleep with you.â
Nagi stubbornly didnât seem to have any intention of giving up.
â¦â¦But wouldnât it hurt Nagi to refuse too much here?
I thought about it a lot and nodded.
ââ¦â¦I understand.â
Seeing me say that, Nagi showed a happy face.
âYes ! Then letâs go to bed together !â
She didnât mean to do anything strange. But the way she said it bothered me a little.
If itâs Nagi, itâs likely that sheâll say [Shall we sleep together?].
No, Iâm thinking too much. It doesnât make much difference either way.
I walked after Nagi and headed for the bedroom. My heart is pounding uncomfortably.
When I entered the bedroom, Nagi smiled at me and said, .
âWell then, Iâm going to lay down.â
She laid down on the bed. Then, she tapped the side of the bed with her hand.
âSouta kun, please come quickly â!
âYeah, okay.â
I canât tell which one is the owner.
I couldnât help but laugh at that thought, and lay down next to Nagi who was smiling at me.
I had originally bought a larger bed, so it wasnât hard for the two of us to lie down together.
When I turned my head, Nagi was right next to me.
She was lying on her side, staring at me.
âEheheâ¦â¦itâs the first time Iâve ever stayed over. Iâm kind of nervous.â
As it was, Nagiâs small, warm hands clasped my right hand.
ââ¦â¦Yeah, youâre right.â
While trying to keep my beating heart out of my mind. I stared at Nagi.
Her soft eyes looked at me. She squeezed my hand.
Nagiâs smile became deeper and deeper.
âFufu. Iâm so happy to be able to lie down with Souta kun.â
ââ¦Even in the morning. Youâve crawled into bed.â
âItâs different from that time. I feel like Souta kun is closer to me now than he was then.â
Saying so. Nagi moved her body and came a little closer. The sweet flowery fragrance reached my nostrils.
âBut Iâm a little nervous. Itâs my first time sleeping next to a boy.â
ââ¦â¦Donât be so nervous. I donât intend to do anything strange.â
I say this so that Nagi can sleep peacefullyâ
Nagi looked at me again.
Her cheeks turned red.
ââ¦â¦Youâre sure youâre not going to do anything weird?â
It sure sounded like it.
I couldnât help but freeze.