He checked the time. Yuna should be just about finished with her bath, so he grabbed his change of clothes and headed toward the bathroom.
The frosted glass door of the bathroom was closed. No light came from inside, and there was no sound of running water.
(Yuna should already be done, right?)
Thinking this, Yuma casually turned the doorknob and pushed the door open—
"Kyaa!"
A short, startled cry rang out.
The bathroom was not empty as he had expected.
Lingering steam still hung in the air, carrying the fresh scent of body wash.
Tsubakihara Nina stood right in the center of the bathroom—completely naked!
Damp orange hair clung to her smooth shoulders. Droplets of water trailed down the graceful line of her neck, over her delicate collarbones, and finally disappeared into the unexpectedly full and perky softness between them.
Her skin glowed with a faint pink flush from the heat, appearing even more delicate and alluring in the hazy steam.
The snowy peaks stood high, yet the pink tips were slightly inverted, creating an exciting and majestic sight.
Her bath towel was still draped over the nearby rack—clearly she had just undressed and was about to step into the tub.
"!"
Yuma's breath caught in his throat. For an instant, his gaze uncontrollably lingered on that completely exposed youthful body—
From her slender waist, to her flat stomach, to those long, straight, fair legs…
"S-sorry!"
He snapped back to his senses, immediately turned around, and hurriedly backed out of the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him.
Leaning against the bathroom door, Yuma felt his heart pounding wildly. The breathtaking, erotic glimpse from moments ago kept replaying in his mind.
(Nina… she's actually this stacked… and… that type…)
Normally, whether in her school uniform or loose loungewear, there was no hint at all of how voluptuous her figure really was.
Those full, snowy peaks were on a scale that could rival most mature women.
And that unique feature at their tips carried a kind of innocent yet secretly seductive charm.
From inside came a flurry of panicked movements—the sound of Tsubakihara Nina hurriedly grabbing her towel, mixed with an extremely embarrassed whimper.
After quite a while, the bathroom door opened just a crack.
Tsubakihara Nina had already tightly wrapped herself in the towel, but her face was still flushed so red it looked like it might drip blood. She kept her head lowered, wet strands of hair hanging beside her cheeks, not daring to meet Yuma's eyes.
"I… I saw that Nee-san was finished, so I thought I'd go next…" Her voice was as quiet as a mosquito's buzz, trembling with obvious shame and embarrassment.
"I… I was just getting my pajamas in my room and got delayed a little…"
"It was my fault for being too careless. I should've checked first," Yuma quickly apologized again, his tone utterly sincere. Right now his own mind was in complete chaos.
Tsubakihara Nina gently shook her head.
"N-no, it's fine… It was me… I forgot to turn on the light…"
"I'll head back to my room now. Yuma, you can go ahead and shower."
With that, as if she would faint from shame if she stayed even one more second, she kept her head down, clutched the towel tightly against her chest, and hurried past Yuma—bringing with her a faint breeze scented with body wash—before fleeing back to her room like she was escaping.
[Name: Tsubakihara Nina]
[Favorability: 87 → 89 (Feeling extremely embarrassed because of the earlier accident)]
Watching Tsubakihara Nina's flustered retreat and seeing her favorability rise instead of fall, Yuma let out a small breath of relief—but at the same time, an odd, indescribable feeling stirred faintly in his heart.
He shook his head to dispel the chaotic thoughts, then stepped into the now-empty bathroom.
In the lingering steam, the faint, sweet fragrance of the girl's body still seemed to remain.
.
.
.
.
Yuma stood under the showerhead, warm water cascading over his body, yet it could hardly wash away the embarrassing, heart-racing images still lingering in his mind.
(Rena like that…)
He shook his head forcefully, trying to fling those scenes away, but the faint, restless heat stirring somewhere in his body honestly betrayed the turmoil inside him.
After a quick shower, Yuma roughly dried his hair with a towel, changed into clean pajamas, and walked out of the bathroom.
The living room lights had already been dimmed, leaving only a floor lamp beside the sofa casting a soft, gentle halo.
And right in the middle of that halo of light sat a figure—
It was Tsubakihara Yuna.
She was wearing a pale pink silk camisole nightdress, the style rather daring.
Thin shoulder straps outlined her rounded shoulders, while the low-cut design left a large expanse of snowy-white skin and a deep, enticing cleavage completely exposed under the light.
The fabric of the nightdress was soft and clung closely to her body, faintly tracing the full curves of her chest and the subtle, slightly raised peaks at the tips.
The hem only reached the top of her thighs, and her long, fair legs were crossed, gleaming with a delicate luster in the soft light.
(This nightgown…)
Yuma's breathing hitched slightly; for a moment he didn't know where to look.
"Yuma, you're done showering?" Tsubakihara Yuna looked up, a gentle smile on her face. Her emerald-green eyes looked especially moist and luminous under the light.
"Mm." Yuma gave a vague reply, trying to keep his gaze level and avoid staring at the overly tempting sight. "Yuna, you're not sleeping yet?"
"Not sleepy yet." She lightly patted the empty spot on the sofa beside her. "Come sit, Yuma."
Yuma hesitated for a second, but still walked over and sat down—though he deliberately kept a small distance between them.
As soon as he sat, Tsubakihara Yuna noticed his still-dripping hair.
"Your hair is still so wet—you'll catch a cold." She frowned slightly, her tone filled with concern. "Let me dry it for you."
"No need," Yuma instinctively refused. "My hair's short; just toweling it is fine."
He usually just rubbed it carelessly a few times and called it done—he rarely used a hairdryer.
"No way," Tsubakihara Yuna insisted softly, yet firmly. "Yuma, you always just messily wipe it and leave it looking all chaotic and messy with no style at all."
She stood up, walked behind Yuma, and gently placed both hands on his shoulders. "Today let me blow-dry it properly for you, okay?"
[Name: Tsubakihara Yuna]
[Favorability: 86 (I want to do something for you)]
Seeing the favorability prompt floating above her head, and feeling her body—so close, carrying the fresh, clean scent after a bath—Yuma swallowed the refusal that had been on the tip of his tongue.
"…Then I'll trouble Yuna."
"Mm!" Tsubakihara Yuna happily agreed, turned, and went to get the hairdryer.
When she bent down to take the hairdryer from the lower cabinet under the TV stand, the hem of her nightdress rose slightly, revealing even more of her fair thigh roots—and faintly, the soft edge of her panties came into view.
Yuma quickly averted his eyes, feeling his throat go dry.
Tsubakihara Yuna returned with the hairdryer and knelt on the sofa behind him.
"It might be a bit hot—bear with it for a moment, okay?" she said softly, then switched on the hairdryer.
The low buzzing filled his ears as warm air flowed through his hair.
Tsubakihara Yuna's slender fingers gently threaded through his strands, carefully combing every lock. Her movements were gentle, afraid of pulling too hard.
Because of the position, the back of Yuma's head would occasionally brush lightly against her chest.
Through the thin silk of her nightdress, he could clearly feel the astonishing softness and elasticity pressing against the back of his skull. Every accidental touch sent a subtle tremor through him.
Even more unsettling was the faint, sweet fragrance coming from Yuna—shower gel mixed with a girl's natural scent—that drifted continuously to the tip of his nose with her movements.
(She smells so good…)
He unconsciously swallowed.
"Yuma's hair feels really nice to touch," Tsubakihara Yuna murmured while gently playing with his strands.
Her voice was right beside his ear; every now and then her warm breath brushed his earlobe, bringing a ticklish sensation.
Yuma gave a muffled "mm," trying to stay calm, but his body's reaction was harder to control.
He could feel his heartbeat speeding up, blood flowing a little faster.
The hairdryer's hum continued, warm air and the girl's gentle fingertips weaving together an atmosphere that was both ambiguous and warmly intimate.
Tsubakihara Yuna seemed completely unaware of how much "trouble" her current posture and attire were causing the boy in front of her; she remained focused on tending to his hair.
Once again her chest unintentionally pressed closer, making the softness even more distinct.
Yuma instinctively held his breath.
(This is way too…)
He felt like he was about to lose his outward composure.
"Done."
After what felt like forever, Tsubakihara Yuna turned off the hairdryer and looked at the neatly styled hair she had personally arranged, satisfied.
"Now it looks much cleaner and neater."
She set the hairdryer aside, placed both hands lightly on Yuma's shoulders, leaned forward, and tilted her head to the side to check his front view.
This movement caused the softness of her chest to almost fully press against his shoulder blade. The deep cleavage was right in front of him; the alluring scent of her skin mixed with her body fragrance flooded his nose even more intensely.
"Y-Yuna…" Yuma's voice came out a little hoarse.
"Hm? What's wrong, Yuma?" Only then did Tsubakihara Yuna seem to realize how close they were. A blush spread across her face and she hurriedly straightened up, pulling back a little.
Her eyes darted away shyly; her fingers nervously twisted the hem of her nightdress.
[Name: Tsubakihara Yuna]
[Favorability: 86 → 88 (Feeling shy because of the earlier intimate contact)]
(So she did notice…)
"N-nothing…" Yuma took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. "Thank you for drying my hair."
"You're welcome…" Tsubakihara Yuna replied softly, cheeks still flushed. "Well… it's getting late. Yuma should rest early too."
"Mm. Good night, Yuna."
"Good night, Yuma."
Clutching the hairdryer, Tsubakihara Yuna scurried back to her room like a startled little rabbit.
Only Yuma remained in the living room.
He reached up and touched his now neatly arranged, fresh-smelling hair. The sweet fragrance still seemed to linger at the tip of his nose, and the soft sensation on his back felt like it hadn't completely faded.
(Really… this is killing me.)
He gave a wry smile, shook his head, adjusted his posture, stood up, turned off the living room light, and returned to his own room.
(I need to calm down a bit first… then think about how I'm going to face Kasumigaoka-senpai tomorrow.)