“Ahh…”
Letting out a rather unladylike sound, Arisa sank into the bath.
She stretched her limbs out fully.
Whether it was the bath additive meant to relieve fatigue or not, she felt a pleasant sensation, as though the exhaustion was melting away from her body.
Staring vaguely at the bathroom wall, she murmured—
“…Yuzuru-san didn’t look, did he?”
Inside Arisa’s bag—
Along with towels and a change of clothes, there had been… something else.
“…Bringing a school swimsuit was weird, wasn’t it…”
She had brought a school swimsuit.
Just on a whim.
She had briefly—just a tiny bit—considered suggesting they bathe together while wearing swimsuits.
“I’m glad I didn’t go through with it…”
She let out a small sigh of relief.
If they were already a couple, that would be one thing—but they weren’t, not officially.
Even if their feelings were mutual, they hadn’t confirmed it outright.
So getting into the bath together would’ve skipped far too many steps.
(If only he’d just confess already…)
Arisa muttered inwardly.
To be honest, she was growing a little impatient that Yuzuru hadn’t made his feelings clear.
Of course, she didn’t think he was the type to hesitate aimlessly.
And Ayaka—his childhood friend—had told her that Yuzuru was the kind of person who prepared things carefully.
As frustrating as it was, Ayaka had known him far longer.
If Ayaka said he would confess properly, then it was probably true.
Still… that didn’t stop the restlessness.
That was why Arisa had come up with this “massage plan”—to give him a push.
She was aware that her body was attractive to men.
And she knew that Yuzuru found her attractive.
So if they massaged each other—if their bodies touched—
Surely, he would feel a stronger desire for her.
…Of course, she wasn’t hoping for anything improper.
If anything, she believed Yuzuru wouldn’t do anything like that.
Looking back, there had been plenty of moments where she’d been defenceless—
And yet, he’d never made a move on her.
So this time would likely be the same.
His self-control was strong.
“Well… it’s not like I’d necessarily mind… or anything…”
Framing it as “urging him on” sounded nice—
But in the end, what she was doing wasn’t so different from tempting him.
If something did happen, she wouldn’t be able to complain.
Of course, it wasn’t like she wanted that.
And she absolutely, definitely, not even a little bit, didn’t have any kind of perverted desire for him to force himself on her.
She simply thought—
If it was him, and he couldn’t hold back… then it couldn’t be helped.
“I just want him to tell me how he feels already. I just want to stop being stuck in this in-between state. It’s not like I’m hoping he’ll turn into a wolf or anything, and I’m not trying to tempt him. I just… if it happens, I’ll accept it, and forgive him, that’s all. So…”
The protection she’d brought was just in case.
Not because she was expecting anything.
“N-not to mention, we haven’t even kissed yet…”
Her face turned bright red as she sank deeper into the bath.
Just imagining it made her body heat up.
Her chest tightened, her spine tingled, and a strange sensation gathered low in her abdomen.
“I-it’s impossible… this is too embarrassing…”
Even though no one was listening, she muttered that aloud.
Then she stood.
“…I should get out.”
Feeling slightly lightheaded, Arisa left the bath.
“…I’m out of the bath, Yuzuru-san.”
After changing, she called out to him, where he was sitting on the sofa using his phone.
For some reason, he jolted in surprise.
“O-oh… got it.”
He seemed oddly restless.
Then he tilted his head.
“You look… rather lightly dressed.”
“I thought it would be better for the massage. …I brought my winter clothes separately.”
She placed a hand lightly over her chest as she spoke.
She was wearing a thin short-sleeved shirt and short trousers she’d brought to change into.
For a massage, something light and easy to move in made sense.
“…I see.”
She could feel his gaze—
On her chest.
And on her legs, exposed beneath the slightly short hem of her shorts.
…It wasn’t intentional.
It wasn’t like she remembered how he’d occasionally looked at certain parts of her body during the sports festival.
And it wasn’t like she’d deliberately chosen clothes that accentuated her figure, or showed as much of her legs as possible.
She was aware that her chest was attractive to men.
And that her legs would likely be considered “beautiful”.
But she hadn’t chosen this outfit for that reason.
It was purely a coincidence.
Being looked at like that was just embarrassing—
Not pleasing at all.
“…Then I’ll change into something lighter too.”
Yuzuru muttered that.
Yes, as he himself admitted, wearing thin clothing for a massage was perfectly reasonable.
So if he was feeling flustered, that was simply because he was—
Well, a bit hopeless. And perhaps a bit of a pervert.
It had nothing to do with her.
Arisa was completely normal.
Absolutely not the same kind of person as him.
“Alright, I’ll go take a bath.”
“Yes, see you.”
Yuzuru disappeared into the changing room.
Heart pounding, Arisa sat down on the sofa he had just vacated.
“…I might’ve messed up a bit.”
She recalled how she had left her clothes scattered in the changing room.
Her face reddened slightly.
She’d been flustered at the time, too distracted to tidy up.
And she hadn’t expected him to come in—
Hadn’t thought he’d see them.
But because of that carelessness, she’d forgotten her things—
And he might have seen her sweaty clothes… even her underwear.
It was mortifying.
“…H-he probably saw them, didn’t he…”
Maybe that was why he’d been acting so restless.
Yes—that must be it.
And if so—
“N-no way… Yuzuru-san wouldn’t… do anything weird with my clothes, right?”
Thinking back, they might have been slightly out of place…
Or maybe that was just her imagination.
“…It’s not fair if I’m the only one being seen…”
Murmuring that to herself, Arisa stood.
She quietly made her way to the changing room—
And gently opened the door.
Yuzuru was in the bath, the sound of the shower running.
At the very least, he didn’t seem to notice her.
“….”
His clothes were scattered on the floor.
Even his underwear.
“…I’m not doing anything wrong. It’s his fault for leaving them like this.”
After all, he’d seen her clothes first.
…Even if it was technically her fault for leaving them out.
But in Arisa’s mind, Yuzuru was entirely to blame.
He’d done something wrong first.
So it was only fair she got a little payback.
“Yuzuru-san is… probably into smells, isn’t he? Sometimes he tries to catch my scent. Honestly… he’s such a pervert. I can’t believe someone like that is my fiancé. I don’t even know what I like about him… but still, he’s my fiancé, so…”
She had to understand him.
Yes—this was about understanding how he felt.
…Even though she had no actual proof he’d ever sniffed her clothes.
But that didn’t matter.
What mattered was that she had a reason.
Using just her fingertips—as though handling something unpleasant—
Because this wasn’t something she wanted to do, just something she had to do—
She picked up his gym shirt.
It was damp with sweat.
“…”
She swallowed.
Was she about to do something irreversible?
Crossing a line she shouldn’t, as a person—as a girl?
The thought crossed her mind—
But she ignored it.
And brought the shirt to her nose.
Then inhaled deeply.
“…What am I even doing…”
Later—
Arisa sat slumped on the sofa, overcome with self-loathing.
