Chapter 1663 – In the Cottage Illuminated by Moonlight ⑨
For the time being, I finished taking off my clothes and headed for the bathroom with Alice, towels wrapped tightly around our bodies. For some reason, without knowing why, we somehow ended up holding hands on the way, but there was hardly any conversation between us, and there was this strange tension filling the air.
Perhaps it was because we had changed together, but now even I was caught in this strangely nerve-racking atmosphere. I needed to somehow calm my nerves in this situation. After all, Alice may currently look like she’s unfazed by everything, not having any expression on her face…… but it wasn’t that she was calm by any means. On the contrary, she was on the edge, barely holding it together, and it felt like one more push, she might fall into panic.
And so, if I get nervous and tense up here, it could lead to the worst-case scenario of both of us freezing up and just letting time pass. I need to gather my determination and take the lead to prevent that from happening.
[……Ohh, the bathroom has a unique tropical look to it. There are flowers floating in the water.]
[Y- You’re right. It has this ethnic feel to it. Well~~ This kind of atmosphere is also good.]
From the wooden exterior of the cottage, I had imagined it would have a Japanese-style bathroom, but it turned out to be a stylish bath with tropical red and orange flowers floating in it.
The bath was shallow, allowing one to stretch their legs and lie down comfortably. It wasn’t overly spacious, but it was sufficient for two people to stretch their legs when inside…… No, wait? I guess my senses are off. A bath big enough for two people to bathe side by side and stretch their legs is actually quite spacious.
The bathtub at home is just too big, so it felt like my sense of space had become slightly off.
[For now, let’s wash our bodies individually and enter the bath…… It’s a clear bath, so let’s keep our towels wrapped around our body.]
[Y- Yep, alright……]
Washing each other’s backs in the bathroom is a common cliché, but it’s challenging to do it with Alice’s current state of mind. Moreover, the act of washing each other’s backs could potentially trigger Alice’s trauma, so I decided that we would both wash ourselves separately and enter the bath while our bodies were securely wrapped with a towel.
[Ah, I love the subtle scent of flowers.]
[You’re right. The temperature of the water is a little warmer, suitable for a long soak.]
[I guess so. Well, let’s just relax. In one way or another, we did a fair amount of walking and activities throughout the day.]
[Ahh, errr…… I- Is that alright?]
[Eh? Unnn? You have something you’d like to do?]
[……N- No, not really. It’s just, you know, we’re a couple, and we’re bathing together…… so wouldn’t it be better to have lovey-dovey developments or something?]
The person who was talking about having a trauma regarding mixed baths just a little while ago immediately changed their tune. Well, maybe it’s a sign that she’s gained a bit of mental leeway. The fact that we’re bathing together while our body is wrapped in a towel gives her a sense of security, and that’s probably the factor that makes her feel more at ease.
[I wish you could be more spe……cific……]
[Unnn? Kaito-san?]
[Ah, n- no, it’s nothing!]
[Hmmm?]
I turned to Alice and got surprised…… Arehh? Isn’t her towel…… kinda showing through? No, there’s no doubt that she’s wearing a towel, but it’s somehow strangely see-through, or rather, the color of her skin is quite visible…… and ummm, I got surprise attacked by those, well, protrusions on her defenseless breasts……
W- What’s going on? Our towels were supposed to be quite reliable, something that shouldn’t have become seen-through…… Is it made of such material? Anyway, due to unexpectedly seeing them so clearly, I could really feel a blush creeping up my face.
[……Huh? Kaito-san’s gaze earlier……]
[Ah, wait, Alice!]
[……………………Hwoehh?]
I instinctively tried to stop Alice upon hearing the curiosity in her voice, but I was too late. Alice lowered her gaze…… and immediately stiffened. She seemed to notice the situation with her towel being extremely transparent, and her face started turning incredibly red at an alarming speed.
[Hyaaaaahhh!? W- W- W- W- Why is it so transparent…… I- I- I’m almost naked……]
[C- Calm down…… Umm, I initially saw a bit by accident, but after that, I hadn’t lowered my gaze and I’m not looking now…… Ahh, no, not that, let’s just calm down for the time being……]
I tried to reassure Alice, who was screaming and covering herself with her hands, by averting my gaze upwards and telling her not to worry. However, I was also flustered and felt like I was saying strange things.
[Rather, why is Kaito-san’s towel not transparent!?]
[Eh? Ah, you’re right…… Eh? Is it really possible that there’s such a difference in transparency between our towels?]
When Alice mentioned it, I checked my current state and realized that the towel I had wrapped around my waist wasn’t transparent at all. Well, it did cling slightly to my body due to being immersed in the water, but that was it.
I wonder if there really could be such a difference in transparency using towels provided by the same cottage? As I pondered this question, Alice seemed to have suddenly perceived something, and her expression turned to one of fury.
[……T- That d*mned bitch…… She must have swapped only my towel with a different one…… I- I’ll definitely beat her up for this later……]
I’m not entirely sure why, but she seemed to have an idea who the culprit might be, as Alice’s face was red with fury rather than embarrassment.
Perhaps, that other world God that Alice sometimes talks about may have done something. Unless it was the deed of someone on that level, it would be impossible to swap out Alice’s towel without her noticing……
Makina : [Love events are always indispensable!!! After all, that’s what it says in romance mangas!!! And so, that’s a nice assist…… Well, I’m scared of what happens afterward…… I’m really scared but……]
Serious-senpai : [Agghhh…… T- That’s an unnecessary assist…… Dang it, the sugar content……]