"Ah, that feels so much better."
After finishing her bath, Yutsuki walked out of the bathroom looking refreshed.
"Kotori-chan, Yoshino-chan, I'm done washing up. You guys can go in now."
"Mhm, we'll go in right away. We just finished up on our end too."
Hearing Kotori's words, Yutsuki couldn't help but feel a bit curious.
"Hm? What were you guys doing, Kotori-chan?"
"Ah, Shido just brought out the kotatsu, and we just finished wiping it clean."
"A kotatsu?!"
Her eyes widening in surprise, Yutsuki quickened her pace into the living room. Looking at the kotatsu placed in front of the TV, she couldn't help but exclaim.
"Oohhhh—Is this the bottomless black hole of the harsh winter in Japanese urban legends, the sinful hotbed that breeds laziness—the kotatsu?"
"Yutsuki-nee, do you have so kind of misunderstanding about Japan..."
Kotori retorted speechlessly. Sighing with a bitter smile, she said,
"Well, it's true that the kotatsu can be said to be a symbol of Japanese people. We originally planned to bring it out earlier, but because so many things happened, we unconsciously delayed it until now."
"Hey, hey—Kotori-chan, can I try using this kotatsu right now?"
Looking at Yutsuki's eager expression, Kotori couldn't help but chuckle and nodded.
"Of course, we brought it out to use it. We'll go take a bath, you can just go right in, Yutsuki-nee."
"Yay."
Just as she was about to get under the kotatsu, Yutsuki suddenly paused, looked around, and asked curiously,
"Co to think of it, why haven't I seen Shido around?"
"Shido-san... said he wanted to quickly wash the mud off his body... so he went to the public bathhouse nearby."
Yoshino answered softly.
"Ah..."
Hearing this, a bitter smile appeared on Yutsuki's face, and she vaguely understood the situation.
(He's probably worried about the incident of barging into the bathroom earlier, afraid it'll be awkward when he sees ... Honestly, he's already conquered so many Spirits, yet he's still as innocent as a virgin who's never touched a girl. In a way, this could be considered a kind of talent, right?)
"By the way, Yutsuki-chan, Shido-kun was in a huge hurry when he left, and his face was completely red. Don't you think he got involved in so perverted incident with soone?"
"Well~ Who knows?"
Brushing off Yoshinon's question with a leisurely tone, Yutsuki took a bowl of mandarin oranges and placed them on the table. After laying down a cushion and sitting comfortably, she slipped her legs under the kotatsu.
"Oooooh~~~~"
Yutsuki couldn't help but widen her eyes.
This is bad. This kotatsu might be even more dangerous than I imagined.
————————————
"Hah—"
Itsuka Shido couldn't help but let out a long, lancholic sigh.
"What on earth am I doing..."
Just now at the public bathhouse, under the surprised gazes of others, Shido first poured several basins of cold water over himself in succession, then soaked blankly in the bath for half an hour. Finally, after being blown by the cold wind on his way back, Itsuka Shido had completely cald down.
"What kind of expression should I make when I face Yutsuki now..."
Shido muttered to himself with a bitter face.
Just a slight recollection, and the scene of Yutsuki bathing would clearly surface in his mind.
Honestly, strictly speaking, Shido didn't see anything inappropriate for minors or scenes he should respectfully ignore. At the ti, the bathroom was filled with steam, the bathwater had dark-colored bath salts mixed in, and Yutsuki was almost entirely subrged in the bathtub.
So, what Shido saw at the ti was only the parts above Yutsuki's shoulders.
For example, that pinned-up long brown hair, with the damp tips clinging to her forehead.
In the steam, those luminous amber eyes that seed to speak, a bit hazy within their relaxed state.
Those soft, bright cherry lips that exhaled a fragrant breath.
That alluring neck, as pink, tender, and smooth as white jade.
And that incredibly sexy water droplet slowly sliding down the curve of her crystal-clear collarbone, rging into the bathwater.
...
...
.....
I take back what I said! Erotic! Too erotic! This is practically a foul, Coach!
It wouldn't have been so bad if he hadn't recalled it, but once he did, Yutsuki's words at the ti echoed in his mind like a demonic incantation.
[Co in.]
"—!"
Shido felt his cheeks, which had finally cooled down, instantly turn fiery hot again.
"...At least have so sense of self preservation."
Covering his face with his hands, Shido, reaching the extre and bouncing back, started complaining about Yutsuki.
Although it was his fault, Yutsuki, who hadn't locked the changing room door, also bore so responsibility. Perhaps she didn't mind Shido's appearance because she was male in her past life, but she should at least understand that he was still an adolescent high school boy. Popping out a line like that at such a crucial mont... If he had been a second later, Shido wasn't confident he could have maintained his rationality.
Moreover, it wasn't just Shido who saw Yutsuki; Yutsuki had also seen Shido completely naked.
If it were Tohka, she might just shyly and awkwardly avoid Shido for a while. But considering the person was Yutsuki, Shido was well aware of her past life as a male.
Although he felt it was unlikely, what if, after returning ho, Yutsuki looked at him and let out a sneer...
He would definitely be struck down to the point where he couldn't stand back up!
"Ah... This is so awkward."
Shido was certain that if he t Yutsuki now, his expression would definitely be incredibly subtle—in every sense of the word.
However, before Shido could figure out how to face Yutsuki, his feet had unknowingly carried him to his own front door.
...It's just walking into my own house. What am I so nervous about!?
After hesitating for a mont, Shido speechlessly scolded himself, pinched his thigh, and opened the front door in one vigorous motion.
...
"—Nom. It's Shido... Welco back."
In the living room of the Itsuka household, Yutsuki was nestled under the kotatsu, draped in a blanket. She lazily rested her cheek on the table, peeling and eating a mandarin orange while watching a cody program on TV.
"..."
"Ah... Co to think of it, the program I want to watch is about to start. Remote control~ Remote control~"
Under Shido's silent gaze, Yutsuki, lying on her back on the freshly cleaned floor, lazily rolled over and reached out her hand towards the remote control, which was about one and a half ters away.
"Eh? I can't reach..."
Seeing the remote control still less than ten centiters away from her hand, Yutsuki frowned slightly. Refusing to give up, she stretched her arm straight, trying to close the gap with the remote.
However, contrary to her wishes, that re two-centiter distance was like an insurmountable chasm, utterly out of reach.
Of course, if Yutsuki chose to co out of the kotatsu right now, getting the remote control would be a trivial matter. However, this option apparently didn't exist in her mind at the mont.
"Ah... I give up."
Weakly dropping her arm, Yutsuki sat back in her original position and ate a piece of mandarin orange with relish.
"Shido, could you please pass the remote control?"
"..."
Shido wordlessly picked up the remote control and placed it on the kotatsu table.
"Thanks."
"You're welco."
After a nodding reply, to avoid disturbing Yutsuki, Shido silently retreated from the living room.
"What on earth... was I worrying about earlier..."
Returning to his room, Shido lay on his bed staring at the ceiling. After a long while, he let out a long sigh and muttered in a tone doubting his own existence.
"What a waste of emotions..."
User Comments
0 comments from readers