“Ah, right. After we take a bath, why don’t we watch a movie, Haruyuki-kun?”
“A movie?”
I thought it was too early to go to bed, so maybe a two-hour movie would help us fall asleep?
The current time is 9:00 pm.
If I took a bath at 10:00 pm and then watched a movie, I would go to bed at about midnight.
As I hadn’t seen a movie in a long time, it was a very attractive proposal.
“Okay. What do you want to watch?”
“I haven’t decided yet. I’ve already registered with a video streaming service, so I’m hoping we can choose something together.”
That thing where you pay a monthly fee?
“Now, shall we take a bath together?”
“No, I want to wait… How can you naturally suggest going in together?”
“Eh? Because I want to…”
What a simple and difficult to reject reason.
If the same thing that happened in the bath yesterday were to happen today, my heart probably wouldn’t be able to take it.
“But don’t worry! I won’t tempt you as directly as I did yesterday!”
“I was aware of your tricks…”
“Anyway! I’ve prepared a swimsuit for today, as my own kind of consideration!”
Just as she said this, Tojo-san brought out a folded black cloth from her room.
If you took a closer look, you could see that it was the school’s designated swimsuit for women.
She made a wonderfully smug face and unfolded her school swimsuit in front of me as if to show it off.
“If we both put on our swimsuits, it’ll be just like a swimming lesson at school. If you complain that this is unhealthy, then you are complaining about the way the school does things.”
Tojo-san said as if to remind me, but that logic didn’t apply in the first place since our high school has separate swimming times for boys and girls.
However, I knew that she wasn’t the kind of person who would forget that. So even if I pointed it out, she would probably use another school as an excuse.
Gradually, I was able to predict the theoretical armament that Tojo-san would use.
… Well, I guess it’s better than her rushing in naked.
“… Okay. I’ll accept it.”
“Really!?”
Tojo-san’s face broke into a smile, and she happily took my hand.
“Since that’s the case, let’s go to the bathroom right away! The bathtub has already been filled.”
“… Ehh?”
The bathtub was already ready, and I wondered if she was planning to soak in it with me.
My disturbing prediction soon became a reality.
◇◆◇
“… Ehehe, it seems a bit cramped for the two of us, doesn’t it?”
I was now soaking in the bathtub, wearing my own school-issued swimsuit.
In front of me was Tojo-san, who was also wearing a school swimsuit.
She and I were facing each other, so close that our legs were in between each other’s.
I shrunk my legs as much as possible to avoid skin-to-skin contact, but Tojo-san still tried to rub her legs against mine without mercy.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while now, but Haruyuki-kun is more solid than I thought he would be.”
“… Is that so?”
I looked at my body, but I was too familiar with it to realize it.
“I guess it’s because I’ve done some heavy lifting before. I’m certainly confident when it comes to carrying heavy things.”
I had a regular part-time job as a short-term mover and many other part-time jobs that required me to be on my feet all the time, so I’ve never felt like I was lacking in exercise.
The reason Tojo-san said it was more than she expected was probably that I didn’t have any visible muscles.
In this regard, it seems that my unhealthy eating habits are the cause…
“Fumufumu. So, I can help Haruyuki-kun build his body by managing your diet in the future.”
“Well, I’m sure my body will change quite a bit once my eating habits improve.”
One of the concerns I have is how much fat I’ll gain from the lack of exercise after my lack of part-time jobs.
I’d like to think that my youthful metabolism will keep me in check, but I’m not confident that I won’t gain weight if I eat Tojo-san’s delicious food every day.
“I’d like to buy you some training equipment to help you get some exercise. Or maybe you could go for a run every day… I’m sure we could go out with that.”
There was one thing I’d been wondering for a while now.
“Tojo-san, are you reading my mind?”
“Fufu, how would that be possible? It’s just that your face is so easy to read.”
“Eh, is it really?”
“Yes, very much. To be honest, until yesterday, it was hard to tell because your expression was still grim and tired, but since the two of us ate Häagenda*z, it has been changing rapidly… It’s very cute.”
I wasn’t used to being called cute, so I got embarrassed, and my cheeks heated up.
I guess this was why people said that I was easy to understand then.
It seems that emotions are not something that can be easily controlled, even though the mind is able to think calmly.
“I’d like to see Haruyuki-kun gain some weight, but… I don’t think that’s very healthy, so let’s make time for regular exercise.”
“Ah, that would be great.”
“Fufu, deciding how to live together with Haruyuki-kun, it feels like a dream.”
Tojo-san smiled extremely happily.
I’ve thought about this many times, but her smile was not fair. It has an overwhelming charm that seems to purify all malignity.
It could be called the smile of a goddess.
… Somehow, before I knew it, I might have been influenced by her, and my words became grandiose.
“… Haruyuki-kun, I have a complaint I’d like to tell you if that’s okay.”
“Complaint? Well, if you’re fine with talking to me about it.”
To be honest, I couldn’t imagine a complaint coming out of Tojo-san’s mouth.
What would it be about?
I can’t even imagine her complaining, as she is known as a perfect person.
“Um… This swimsuit was purchased when I was a freshman.”
“… Nn?”
This seemed suspicious.
“When I tried it on today for the first time in a while, it was kind of tight around my chest…”
As she said this, Tojo-san pulled on the fabric around her shoulders.
I wasn’t sure where to put my eyes. Her b*****s were so tightly held by the swimsuit that what she was doing emphasised them even more.
“Fufu, Haruyuki-kun is really cute.”
“P-Please don’t tease me too much…”
“I’m sorry, but I really wanted to see Haruyuki-kun’s reaction.”
“It’s fine when it’s just the two of us, but… can you please refrain from doing it at school?”
“Of course. It would be a shame to show such a lovely Haruyuki-kun to anyone else.”
I just wanted her to stop because I’m embarrassed, but it seems that Tojo-san has a more complicated situation.
In any case, since the talk ended with her promising not to poke fun at me, I felt relieved.
“Speaking of which, is it okay if our relationship is public knowledge at school?”
“I’m fine with it. I don’t mind, and there’s nothing to worry about.”
Tojo-san said it without hesitation, but on the contrary, a sense of resistance was growing in my heart.
She was a famous person whose face was known beyond her grade.
If you’re like me, you’ve never been able to get deeply involved with the people around you. However, there is probably no ordinary student who doesn’t know Tojo-san.
She is popular with both men and women, and to use a single word, she is an ‘idol.’
If they knew that I’d started living with Tojo-san, they’d probably look at me with resentment and shock.
We should not create any unnecessary trouble… With that thought in mind, it’s better to not spread it around.
“… Let’s hide it from people, just in case. It’s fine to tell people about it, but to avoid misunderstandings, we’ll share the details with that person later.”
“If Haruyuki-kun wants to do that, then I’ll comply, but… there’s not much need to hide it, is there?”
“It’s just in case. Just in case.”
With Tojo-san tilting her head, I scoop up the bathwater and pour it over my face.
I was told that my face is easy to read, but if I don’t show my face like this in the first place, I’m sure she can’t read it.
(I can’t say it… can I?)
I can’t believe that I’ve already started to feel possessive about the girl in front of me after saying so many upright things.