"You see? That's better. No more fighting. Just talk things out. Then hurry up and get married so I can finally be a grandmother~"
Muttering incoherent and illogical words to herself, Youko no longer paid attention to them.
A relaxed, contented smile lingered on her lips as she turned away from the bathroom door and headed upstairs to her own room.
With her departure, Kazusa slowly came to grips with the current situation.
Only now did she realize just how intimate her position was with Chisato, who had been submerged under the water, bubbling away against her chest.
"Mm—!"
Kazusa nearly lost her composure once again.
Using both hands, she furiously lifted Chisato's head above the water, then swiftly wrapped her arms around her chest, curling her long legs up onto the edge of the bathtub.
She shrank into herself like a baby in the womb, desperately trying to cover the parts of her body she was most ashamed to expose.
Chisato, his face flushed red, gasped for breath. He propped himself up from the bottom of the bathtub and immediately stood up straight.
Without a single unnecessary word, he turned around and hurried out of the bathroom, making sure to shut the door tightly behind him.
"Ugh—!"
After he left, Kazusa covered her tear-filled eyes with her hands, letting out a muffled sound that was somewhere between sobbing and wailing. Her entire body was as red as a steamed crab.
"Squeak—"
The bathroom door opened just a crack.
Chisato carefully slipped a clean towel inside, cautiously feeling along the wall before hanging it on the rack.
"Um… Kazusa, I really didn't do that on purpose just now. Also, I put a dry towel here for you…"
"…Go away!"
"Okay, I'll wait for you in the living room…"
"Wait a minute!"
"Huh?"
"Hand me my pajamas too!"
At her words, Chisato glanced over and saw that on the shelf above the dry towels, there was indeed a set of women's sleepwear.
A plain white loungewear set, the same color as the towel—no wonder he hadn't noticed it earlier.
Chisato reached up and grabbed it. The fabric felt incredibly soft, clearly high-quality. Holding it in his hands, he could even faintly catch a lingering scent.
These were the clothes Kazusa usually wore to bed…
His thoughts started going in a dangerous direction, and Chisato immediately stopped himself.
Following the same cautious approach as before, he cracked the door open just enough to slip the pajamas inside.
This time, Kazusa took them from him directly, then instantly slammed the bathroom door shut.
If Chisato hadn't pulled his hand back in time, he probably would've gotten it caught. It was hard to believe such a sudden, unprompted action wasn't intentional.
Still, considering how much he had feasted his eyes just now, he really had no grounds to complain.
If he could experience that situation all over again, Chisato figured getting his hand caught five, six, seven, even eight times would be a small price to pay.
"Kazusa, if there's nothing else, I'll wait for you in the living room."
Chisato repeated himself once more.
Inside the bathroom, Kazusa remained silent.
She had definitely heard him. She just didn't want to respond right now.
With a quiet sigh, Chisato turned to the sink and checked his appearance.
When Kazusa had pulled him down with her, he had fallen into the bathtub as well. The silver lining was that he got to experience just how soft and ample her chest was.
If they had kids in the future, he was sure they'd never go hungry…
The downside was that his entire upper body, down to the waistband of his pants, was soaked through. Water was still dripping from him.
He had no spare clothes to change into at someone else's house. With no other choice, Chisato took off his shirt, wrung out most of the water in the sink, and put it back on.
There was nothing he could do about his pants. At least they weren't dripping anymore. Since it was summer, it wasn't unbearably cold.
After handling the situation as best he could, Chisato returned to the living room.
Since his pants were wet, he didn't sit on the sofa. Instead, he stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the courtyard outside.
The Touma family's courtyard was simple. There were only a few plants, a neatly trimmed lawn, and a small round table with lounge chairs set up on it.
Even so, such a courtyard filled Chisato with a sense of longing.
He imagined a future where he built a home with the person he loved, raising children together, playing in a place like this, or having outdoor barbecues.
What a fulfilling and peaceful life that would be.
His daydream didn't last long before Kazusa emerged from the bathroom.
Hearing her footsteps, Chisato turned around and saw that her face was still as red as before, but her expression had calmed somewhat.
She was approaching him with a slight limp, struggling to walk properly.
Chisato frowned, annoyed at his own carelessness. He had clearly seen Kazusa's foot hit the doorframe, yet he hadn't thought to wait outside the bathroom to help her.
He quickly stepped forward and grabbed her wrist without a word.
"Let go of me!"
"You can barely stand. Stop being stubborn."
Kazusa struggled but couldn't break free, so she let him be.
She had caught the change in his expression just now—genuine concern and guilt. He hadn't said anything, but it still left a small impression on her.
It was only when Chisato got closer that she noticed how wrinkled his shirt was.
Thinking back to what had just happened, she could easily guess what he had done.
Still, even with that, his clothes had to still be damp and uncomfortable.
"…I'm going to my room."
Kazusa pushed Chisato away and expressionlessly turned to head upstairs.
"..."
Chisato followed and, just like before, held her hand to support her balance.
She put up a weak resistance to show her displeasure, but ultimately, she let him help.
Then, as they reached the stairs, Kazusa clicked her tongue and turned her flushed face toward him, gritting her teeth as she spoke.
"Don't push your luck, Chisato. Don't think we're still like we used to be!"
She had just realized that his arm had somehow wrapped around her waist, practically pulling her into his embrace.
Observing Kazusa's expression as she spoke, Chisato saw no real hostility. The warning bells in his head turned off, and a smile flickered across his eyes.
"And what exactly was our relationship like before?"
"Ah—! W-What are you doing? Let me go!"
Chisato suddenly scooped her up in a princess carry, making Kazusa yelp in surprise.
Once she grasped what was happening, she clenched her fists and shot him a warning glare while flailing her legs.
"Your foot is injured. You can barely walk, let alone climb stairs. Let me help. Just stay still—an injured person should act like one."
"You unreasonable idiot! Who asked for your help…? Put me down! Now!"
Kazusa twisted and turned in his arms, punching his chest and even trying to bite his arm.
Gritting his teeth, Chisato endured her resistance and, after a struggle, finally carried her back to her room, gently placing her on her bed.
"Get out!"
This time, Chisato obediently complied. He turned and left without hesitation—but didn't close the door.
Kazusa instinctively lifted her right hand toward his retreating figure, only to quickly retract it, scowling as she grabbed a pillow and furiously smacked it against the bed.
Just as she was fuming for reasons she didn't even understand, Chisato unexpectedly returned.
Seeing her flustered reaction, he said nothing, simply pressing his lips together in a quiet smile.
Kazusa instantly froze.
Damn it. How did he know where we kept the first aid kit?
"It's right on the shelf by the hallway leading to the living room. Hard to miss."
How did he know what I was thinking!?
"Your expression was full of confusion. Too easy to guess."
Ugh! This guy…!
Chisato closed the door, turned on the light, and placed the medical kit beside him. Just like last night, he sat cross-legged at the edge of the bed.
But this time, he extended his hand.
"What do you think you're doing?!"
Kazusa snapped at him, pretending not to know.
Chisato remained patient.
"Your foot got injured just now, right? Let me take a look."
"Cut the act. Who do you think is responsible for this injury?"
"I know it's because of me. So, to ease my guilt, please be kind enough to grant me a chance at redemption."
"You smooth talker. Who would give you that chance..."
Despite her words, Kazusa subtly shifted her injured foot forward—just a little.
Chisato keenly caught this small movement and smirked inwardly.
This kind of interaction really brought back memories.
"Alright, stop being difficult."
Perhaps this was what Kazusa had been expecting all along. Chisato, slightly forceful yet still gentle, reached out and took hold of her injured leg, resting her delicate foot in his palm.
It's often said that boys in love, under the influence of hormones, develop some rather indecent thoughts about every part of their girlfriend's body.
Chisato figured there was some scientific basis to that.
It wasn't just nonsense—because right now, he was living proof. He had an almost irresistible urge to lower his head and plant a kiss on the soft sole in his grasp…
But, thankfully, he resisted. Instead, he focused on examining the swelling around Kazusa's ankle.
Kazusa, whose feet were extremely sensitive, flinched at the light touch of his fingertips brushing over her skin.
Several times, she nearly let out an embarrassing sound, only to quickly mask it with a cold expression and brush it off as pain.
"I'm going to apply the spray now. Don't move."
"...Hmph!"
_______
50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
_______
If any of you noticed an error, please point it out in comments!