CH 2.4

Translated and Edited by: ynlucca.

Common Honorifics:

-san: A polite suffix, but not excessively formal.

-kun: A common suffix among friends and younger people.

-chan: A common suffix among people you’re close with, mostly used for feminine nicknames and girls, since it’s cutesy and childlike.

I soaked myself shoulder-deep in the bathtub, the water swishing around me.

Since I began living alone, I usually took a shower since washing the bathtub was a hassle, so I wasn’t expecting to take one for a while. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this warmed up, both in body and in mind.

As the steam rose and filled the room, my voice leaked out involuntarily. My mind wandered to everything that’s happened today. It’s almost as if I could wake up at any second, and my reunion with Yuki was all a dream.

“But it’s not a dream… And I’m so glad it’s not…”

Even as I relax here while taking a bath, Yuki’s probably cleaning up the dishes. She said she wants to repay me for what I did, so she’s trying to show that with actions, and not just words.

I never thought or expected anything like this when I became Yuki’s friend, back when her face was all wrapped up by bandages. It hadn’t crossed my mind once that she was so gorgeous below the gauze. The fact I’m going to live with her also came out of the left field.

From tomorrow onward, we’ll not only be seeing each other at school but also at our house. We’re classmates and I don’t plan on joining any clubs, so if she does the same, we’ll be able to go to and from school together.

All of these facts stun me, but make me oh so happy. We’ve been close for such a long time, and now we can be close once more…

Taking a bath was a good decision. It calmed me down, and the excitement of having a happy daily life from now on fills my heart.

After finishing the bath, as I got up to leave, I could hear a noise coming from the changing room. Mom’s not home anymore, which means Yuki must be there—What the hell is she doing?

“Yuki? I’m still here.”

“Ah, don’t mind me.”

She said through the door. I strain my eyes and focus my listening through the frosted glass to see what on earth she was doing.

I could see Yuki’s silhouette through the glass, her hands grabbing and pulling, followed by the rustling of clothes. These sounds echoed through the opaque glass as I finally realized what she was doing: taking off her clothes. I was still inside the bathroom, yet she had already finished and put her hand on the door.

“Y-Yuki?!” I raised my voice, but it was already too late.

The door opens, and I see the sight.

Yuki’s skin was immaculate as a pearl. Her well-toned body, adjourned by two fruits full of life, and her curvy waist, only accentuated her feminine charms to the fullest.

She stood right in front of the door, and I could barely keep my wits. The only thing that kept me sane was the fact she wasn’t completely bare, wearing only her underwear.

While she did say she wanted to do everything for me, I hadn’t expected her to assault me like that. I was cornered in the bathroom.

“Ehe~, I’m going in,” She closed the door behind her and walked in.

She didn’t look the slightest bit embarrassed—rather, she wore an ecstatic smile. I couldn’t understand how she wasn’t the slightest bit flustered, even though she was alone in the bathroom with a naked man.

“W-Why are you here?”

“I want to wash your back, Haru-kun. When I was bullied and they splattered mud all over me, you prepared a change of clothes for me and washed my body clean, right? This is my way of thanking you for that.”

“I-It’s true that your clothes were muddy, and I gave you a clean pair… And I cleaned you up, b-but that was when we were in elementary school…”

“Oh, is it a no-no then?”

“I-I’m in high school now… Yuki may not feel anything, but I’m a guy and you’re a girl, so this could lead into all sorts of trouble, right…?”

“Well~ I don’t mind getting into all sorts of trouble with you, Haru-kun.”

No, no, no, wait, wait! Even though we were close when we were in elementary school, it’s not a good idea to get into trouble on the first day we meet again. Also, though it’s a parent-approved cohabitation, it’s not good for my own reason! There’s a big chance I’ll get carried away and do something wrong.

With all of these things in mind, I turned my back on Yuki’s almost bare self.

“Haru-kun?”

“Get dressed and go back to your room before your body gets cold, please. I’ll tell you when I get out of the bathroom.”

“Don’t say that… It’s just the back, pretty please…” She said with a trembling voice.

I hugged my knees in the bathtub, trying my hardest to calm the chaos raging inside my mind. Though the more I tried, the more my thoughts strayed in the wrong direction.

The devil on my shoulder—my instincts—whispered to me.

Think about it: A beautiful girl, basically a goddess to the whole school, is right next to you wearing only her underwear, saying she wants to wash your back. Isn’t it too much of a waste to refuse her like that? It’s just washing your back, that’s all. You just need to endure it a little bit.

I agreed with that little rascal and slowly turned my head around. “W-Well, if you insist… I’ll have my back washed, I guess…”

Any trace of sadness she had suddenly vanished at my words.

“Yes! I’ll do my very best for you, Haru-kun,” she replied with a big smile on her face.

I climbed out of the tub and sat down on a small chair in the bathroom so that she couldn’t see my treasure. Through the mirror, I could see her lathering up the body soap.

“Well then, I’ll clean you up,” I felt the soft foam brushing against my skin along with her sultry voice.

As her hand touched me, I was afraid she’d be able to feel the messy, unstoppable thumping of my heart—Until she gently removed her hand from my body.

I wonder what she looks like now. Maybe she doesn’t feel anything about washing my back and sees this situation the same as the one back in middle school: smiling and laughing, just enjoying the process of cleaning.

So I looked up and sneaked a peek at her through the mirror—I froze up immediately.

From her lips, thin pants spilled as her crimson cheeks almost burned. My heart was about to jump from my chest when I saw her shoulders slightly trembling. She doesn’t feel anything? Of course, she did.

She hid her embarrassment with an innocent facade. That meant she recognized me as a man, as someone from the opposite sex, and even then she still wiped my back, pushing through her bashfulness.

That previously bandaged girl was just like any other, and she went through puberty just like everyone else.

Yuki rinsed off my back in the shower and said, “Well, I’ll wait for you to get out of the bath…” and walked out of the bathroom.

Even after she left, I couldn’t get up from the chair. I stare at the ceiling as the feeling from earlier still lingered on my back.