…Huh?
I instinctively averted my eyes from Yuno and turned back toward the mirror.
As I rinsed the soap away under the shower, my mind was racing.
Wait, why?
Hold on.
What am I supposed to do in this situation?
I tried to force myself to stay calm by thinking about work, but I was clearly panicking. My heart had been hammering against my ribs for a while now.
I clicked the shower off and spoke without looking at Yuno. If I faced the mirror, I’d see my entire body. In the end, I had no choice but to keep my back to her and look down.
“I mean, why are you coming in here?”
“There was a paranormal show on TV earlier, and I got scared being alone.”
It was a ridiculously innocent reason.
“You’re the one at fault for watching that stuff.”
“It didn’t seem that scary at the start!”
“Regardless, don’t just barge in.”
“Oh, come on. I’m just taking a quick shower.”
Despite my cold dismissal, she brushed it off effortlessly. Talking to Yuno always made me feel like I was punching a curtain. No matter how hard I pushed, there was nothing to resist.
Yuno reached for the body wash right next to me.
The moment she leaned forward beside me, her breasts slid into my field of vision. I felt my heart give a heavy, dull thud.
Don’t look. I absolutely cannot look. Get a grip.
I squeezed my eyes shut. I thought I was done with romance, yet here I was, feeling pathetic for reacting so strongly to a woman’s body.
Was Yuno oblivious? Or was she teasing me again? Either way, she was dangerous.
Regardless, I just needed to wash up, apply my treatment, and get out of here. I had wanted to soak in the tub, but I had to give up on that.
This was not a situation where I could linger.
“Hey, Big Sister.”
Yuno’s voice came from behind me.
“Did you wash your body?”
“…Not yet.”
“Turn around. I’ll do it for you.”
“I don’t need you to.”
“Just let me. Come on.”
As soon as she spoke, Yuno grabbed my arm and spun me around to face her.
I reflexively jerked my head away, but the moment we were face-to-face, Yuno’s body leaped into my sight.
She really is pushy.
She always closes the distance so innocently. I find myself being swallowed up by her pace.
We stood there, facing each other.
I tried to keep my gaze as low as possible, focusing only on her feet. But before I knew it, unconsciously, my eyes were tracing a path from the bottom up, scanning her with a half-closed gaze.
Her skin was white and translucent. Wet strands of hair clung to the nape of her neck. The curve of her waist was strikingly sensual, and the shape of her breasts was beautiful… Honestly, she was eye candy of the most dangerous sort.
Yuno slowly and carefully lathered the body wash, then gently placed her hands on my hips.
Her hands glided smoothly over my neck, shoulders, and arms, enveloping me in foam. Even then, I couldn’t meet her eyes.
The movement of her foam-covered fingers was strangely delicate; every time she touched me, my body jumped in response.
And then, those hands moved… to my chest.
“…!”
The sensation of the foam softly enveloping my breasts. The moment she lightly pinched my nipple through the bubbles, my throat tightened.
I fought with everything I had to keep from making a sound.
My face was hot. My ears were burning.
I stole a glance at Yuno’s expression; she was looking only at her hands, applying the soap meticulously as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Only the corners of her mouth were turned up slightly.
Her downcast eyes looked sultry, but I couldn’t tell what she was thinking behind them.
When our eyes finally met, she narrowed them and gave me a little smile. It was something between innocent and devilish. That smile felt painfully cute, and a sharp ache throbbed deep in my chest.
Then, Yuno’s gaze shifted toward my lower half. Her hand began to move in that direction.
“Wait, wait, wait a second!”
“Hmm?”
When I hurriedly stopped her, she tilted her head and looked at me with a blank, puzzled expression.
“That part… obviously, I’ll wash it myself.”
I started fumbling around, sounding pathetic and incoherent as I moved my own hands. Even the thought of her watching me wash there was embarrassing.
In the end, I gave up on the bath. I rinsed my body under the shower as if escaping and bolted from the bathroom.
“Well, goodnight.”
As usual, I went to the queen-sized bed, and Yuno went to the living room sofa.
I know I’m a cold person.
But it would be unnatural to invite her to sleep with me now, and I didn’t possess enough kindness to give up the bed for her.
Somehow, without ever speaking of it, this ambiguous arrangement had become our norm.
“A-choo!”
I heard Yuno sneeze from the darkened living room.
“A-choo, a-choo!”
A series of small sneezes followed.
Peeking through the gap of the bedroom door into the living room, I saw Yuno curled up small inside a blanket.
For some reason… I couldn’t stand it.
…Fine.
I got out of bed and called out to her by the sofa.
“Hey.”
“Hmm? What is it, Big Sister?”
Yuno, with only her eyes peeking out from the blanket, looked up at me. Her eyes, slightly relaxed from sleepiness, were strangely cute.
“Why don’t you sleep in the bed over there?”
“Eh?”
“It’ll be a pain if you catch a cold. I’ll sleep here.”
I added the last part bluntly, keeping my gaze fixed on the bed.
“Then…”
Yuno sat up and gently took my hand.
“Why don’t you sleep with me, Big Sister?”
“No, I’m fine. You can have the whole thing.”
“It’s mean to make the homeowner sleep on the sofa. The bed is so big, after all.”
Half-forcibly, I was dragged back into the bedroom.
I never thought the day would come when I’d regret buying a queen-sized bed just to show off.