The washing machine took up most of the cramped changing area.

Towels and toiletries were crammed onto the shelves, making this the room in Yarai-san’s house that felt the most “lived-in.” Still, it was a little too small for two people to stand side by side.

“For now, I’ll just give these a quick rinse. Leave your clothes in the sink after you take them off.”
“Okay.”
“Well then, take your time.”

With that, Yarai-san’s mother stepped out of the changing room.

“…So, why are you still here, Yarai-san?”

And yet, Yarai-san was still standing right next to me.

“I thought I’d take a bath with you.”
“I see. …Wait, what?”

I turned toward her in surprise—but too late. She had already pulled off her dress and tossed it aside. Left only in her bra and panties. Honestly, I’d expected her to wear something more grown-up and sexy, but it was just a simple light-blue set.

Well—except for the part that bra was barely containing.

Without the slightest concern for my gaze, she unclasped it, and the bra fell to the floor.

Her perfectly shaped, snow-white breasts were bared without hesitation.

She could have been standing in for a nude photo shoot. Never mind that the backdrop was just a normal household bathroom—I almost mistook it for intentional staging.

“Kaidou-san? You can’t get in the bath unless you undress, you know.”
“…Y-Yeah, you’re right.”

That was close. I’d gone past “erotic” and was simply admiring how beautiful she was.

Still, my heart was pounding so hard it hurt.

…No, come on. Anyone would feel a little flustered faced with a body this flawless, even if they were both girls. It wasn’t me that was strange.

It felt unfair, though. Stripping down after her, there was no way I could compete. Compete at what, exactly, I didn’t even know.

I peeled off my miso-soaked clothes and dropped them into the sink, just as her mother had instructed.

Now it was down to my underwear. Yarai-san had already gone into the bathroom, so at least I didn’t have to worry about her watching as I undressed.

Though for someone who claimed to like me, she showed no sign of interest in seeing me naked. That was unexpected. Or maybe my scrawny body just didn’t appeal to her. I’d always thought I had a fairly decent figure, but after seeing hers, I could hardly say that with a straight face.

“Excuse me…”

I stepped into the steam-filled bathroom. As I’d guessed, the water came straight from a faucet filling the tub.

Yarai-san sat on a stool, rinsing herself off.

Seriously though… why was she even in here? Knowing her, she probably didn’t have any particular reason at all.

“Ah, Kaidou-san. Come here.”
“Okay.”

I let myself be guided and ended up sitting down on the stool Yarai-san had just vacated.

She stood behind me, a bucket in hand.

“I’ll rinse you off.”

She scooped water from the tub and poured it over my head, washing away the sticky miso soup clinging to my hair.

When I wiped the water from around my eyes and looked up, I saw the mirror in front of me.

Reflected there was the bizarre image of me getting my back washed by her. What kind of scene was this? It felt less like reality and more like something happening in a mirror-world.

“Is it okay if I use my shampoo?”
“Sure…”
“’Kay.”

But the feeling of her fingers lathering up my hair was definitely real. Not a hallucination, not a daydream.

“Maybe I should cut my hair short too. Looks easier to wash!”
“…I think you should keep it long.”
“Really? Well, I could say the same about you, you know.”
“Doesn’t my current style suit me?”
“That’s not what I meant at all!”

Through the mirror, I could see her frantically shaking her head. Her denial was a little too desperate.

“So why did you suddenly cut it short? I thought for sure you’d gone through a breakup or something.”
“No particular reason. If I had to say… it was hot.”
“That doesn’t sound like you.”

She laughed as she said it. “Doesn’t sound like me,” huh.

I wondered what kind of person I was in her eyes. All I knew for sure was that she overrated me. Beyond that, I couldn’t tell at all.

“So, what exactly do you like about me, Yarai-san?”
“Your face?”
“That’s awfully superficial…”
“Well, it’s not like we’d talked much before. But… let’s see. I think you’re mature, and its kinda cool.”
“…Huh.”

I didn’t really feel “mature,” nor had I ever thought of myself that way.

But when someone praised me so straightforwardly, without hesitation, I couldn’t deny it—it felt nice.

“Close your eyes, I’ll rinse the foam out.”

After making sure I nodded, Yarai-san poured warm water over my hair. For someone who called me “mature,” wasn’t she treating me like a little kid?

Come to think of it, why was I even letting her wash my hair? It had all flowed so naturally I hadn’t thought to question it.

“Next is your body.”

She said it like the most natural thing in the world, holding a foaming net in her hands.

“Uh, no. I’ll handle my own body.”
“You don’t have to be shy.”
“It’s not about shyness… Wait. Yarai-san, don’t tell me you just want an excuse to touch me?”
“What do you mean?”

She tilted her head, either genuinely confused or just playing dumb.

“I mean—well, you like me, right? So maybe this is about, ulterior motives… you know, wanting to touch the person you like.”
“Hm, maybe? I do kind of want to feel your skin, Kaidou-san. But is that what they call ulterior motives?”
“That is the very definition of it!”
“But I’m only washing you. There’s nothing indecent about that, is there?”
“…I can’t tell if you’re being serious or just pretending.”

Even while we argued, her hands didn’t stop. She was already working up a lather with the body soap.

This girl really had no intention of giving up on washing me herself, no matter what I said.

…Well, fine. If she actually touched somewhere she shouldn’t, I could get mad then. Until that happened, I shouldn’t assume the worst.

“All right, fine. I’ll leave it to you.”
“Roger that!”

With a cheerful reply, she pressed her soapy hands against my back.

When was the last time anyone else had washed me like this? At least, in my memory, never. Haircuts at a salon, sure—but having someone else wash my body? That wasn’t exactly a common experience.

“Kaidou-san, how is it? Does it hurt?”
“You’re using your palm—how could it possibly hurt?”
“Good point. Well then, excuse me again—”

Without warning, her arm slid in under my armpit.

And just like that, she rubbed the lathered soap across my chest without the slightest hesitation.

“Kaidou-san, your boobs are pretty big.”

She said it while tracing her hand around the outside curve of my breast.

“…Was that supposed to be a jab?”
“They’re the biggest after mine!”

And what was the point of that? Second place was still second.

Even as we talked, she kept kneading away at my chest, for whatever reason she found it so amusing.

Oddly enough, I felt relieved.

I’d worried—just a little—that if it felt good in the wrong way, I wouldn’t know how to deal with it.
But it turned out it was nothing like that. Sure, being touched felt pleasant in a normal sense, but there was no trace of anything sexual in it, and that was a relief.

“Want me to wash you after this, Yarai-san?”

Feeling better, I offered.

“Yes, please!”

she answered instantly——and right then, there was a sharp snapping sound.

In the next instant, everything went black.