Ch. 44 - Bathing Together

After filling the bathtub with hot water for Nogami, Harutaki had to head over to his sister Chiaki’s room to borrow a spare towel.

He was only doing it to keep things “fair.” The makeup and pajamas had already been borrowed from Ayaka, so going to her again for a towel would just feel awkward.

As for why he didn’t ask Fuyuno…

Well, all of her stuff was child-sized anyway, no one could use it even if they wanted to.

In truth, Harutaki had only asked that question earlier as a sort of test, still thinking about how he’d respond once Nogami turned him down in embarrassment, never expecting that she’d actually agree.

He had clearly underestimated just how seriously people from Japan took their baths.

The whole situation, this rare feeling of “taking care of his girlfriend,” stirred something nostalgic in him, but he quickly pushed that thought down.

After all, the one in the bath was Nogami. She was better left as the kind of girl you think about in dreams, not in reality.

Knock, knock, knock.

After rapping on the door with Chiaki’s nameplate, he waited for a while. The room stayed dead silent, like no one was there.

No answer?

That was strange, Chiaki’s the type to hole up in her room all day. Where could she have gone?

He knocked again, this time a little harder.

“Chiaki, you in there?”

Crash, clatter!

Suddenly, a mess of noises burst from the room. It sounded like someone, or several people, were frantically scuffling inside. Countless things clanged and thumped against tables and the floor.

“You okay in there, Chiaki? Did you trip or bump into something? Need me to come in and help?”

“N-No! Don’t come in, Haru, Harutaki!”

She sounded flustered, her words stumbling all over each other, her voice weak and breathless.

Sounded like quite the fall.

“H-Harutaki, what… what did you need?”

He wanted to ask why she wasn’t opening the door, but considering how shy and introverted she was, he figured she’d probably already changed into her pajamas and didn’t want him to see her like that.

“You’ve got some new spare towels, right? Mind lending me one? Please?”

Borrowing… a towel?”

Leaning against the door, Chiaki froze.

Why was her brother asking for a towel out of nowhere?

Wait, was it for… that kind of thing?

Should she give him the one she used last night before bed? Or maybe the one that was still a little damp from earlier? Or perhaps, 

“It’s not for me, It’s for Nogami-san. A new towel, and she’s a girl, so you don’t have to worry. I’ll buy you another one over the weekend, okay?”

Oh. So that’s all it was…

Chiaki let out a breath of relief, though a small, unexplainable disappointment came with it too.

“Okay, wait a sec.”

She scanned her room to make sure nothing embarrassing was lying around, then crept away from the door to fetch a brand-new towel sealed inside a dustproof bag from her closet.

A moment later, Harutaki saw the door crack open just a sliver. A slender, pale arm carefully reached out, offering the neatly folded towel through the gap.

“Thanks.”

Seeing that Chiaki clearly didn’t want to talk, he took the towel, thanked her, and wisely turned to leave, jogging back toward the bathroom.

…Something was off with his sisters today.

He sighed. Having been an only child all his life, trying to figure out three sisters’ moods was way beyond his skill set.

He’d just have to let it go and focus on the task at hand.

“Nogami-san, I hung the towel on the bathroom door handle. You can grab it later.”

“T-Thank you…”

So stripping down really does make people more honest, huh?

Amused by his own thought, Harutaki chuckled as he turned to leave, but his gaze drifted to the laundry basket nearby.

Ah, crap. He caught himself about to tidy it up out of habit, like he used to when living with his ex.

Inside the woven basket sat Nogami’s neatly folded clothes.

Normally, girls would leave their underwear on top to keep it from getting dirty, but hers was tucked underneath her uniform skirt instead. She must’ve realized he’d probably see it and rearranged it on purpose.

A wise move, though it wouldn’t stop a determined pervert.

Still…

Listening to the soft splashes and the faint trickle of bathwater being stirred, Harutaki suddenly really felt it sink in, 

One of the school’s most beautiful and famous girls was right there in the next room, completely naked, soaking in his family’s tub.

Splash. Splash.

Was she running warm water along those delicate collarbones right now?

Splash. Splash.

Or maybe she was sitting in the tub with only her head above water, her body hidden but shifting gently beneath the surface…?

Dammit.

Harutaki slapped both his cheeks hard, using the sting of pain to jolt himself out of his wandering thoughts.

“Hoshikawa… are you still there? What are you sneaking around for?”

“N-Nothing…”

She’d been alert this whole time?

Even the sound of him smacking his own face hadn’t escaped her. Thinking back to how carefully she’d arranged her laundry, it was no wonder she was nervous.

“Do you… want to come in and bathe together?”

If you’re gonna flirt, Nogami, at least learn how to do it first!

“Ah, right, you’re bored, huh? Want me to grab Fuyuno’s old inflatable duck from storage? Or are you more into that middle-aged guy vibe, rough towel and all? Sorry, we don’t have that kind of thing here.”

“Hmph, you’re imagining it, aren’t you? You’re picturing me in the bath right now, aren’t you?”

Nogami, realizing she was losing ground, fired back, but her forced bravado only made it worse.

And really, how was he supposed to answer that?

One of the prettiest girls in school was bathing in his house, who wouldn’t imagine it?

“Yeah, I’m imagining how the water rolls down from your collarbones, glides over your chest, and traces your stomach before disappearing beneath the surface, wondering how the light plays off every drop as it moves…”

“Shut up! You shameless pervert! You absolute trash heap full of dirty thoughts!”

He smirked. Too easy.

If you’re gonna play that game, Nogami, you’re gonna lose every time.

With a quiet snicker, Harutaki crab-walked his way back to his room.

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