Chapter 184 – Bath, and Hair Care

Amane put on the swimsuit, entered the bath, and felt so tense and restless.

Mahiru said she would need time to put on her swimsuit, so she had Amane go in. The more Amane waited, the more his heart pounded.

He did see Mahiru in a swimsuit before, but it was the first time they would be alone in a cramped space, making contact. He was more nervous than delighted in this sense.

In any case, would not a couple bath together only after they did the deed…so Amane wondered, and felt ticklish and embarrassed inside.

His body was already hot before he could soak in the hot water.

He yearned for Mahiru to arrive earlier, and yet hoped for her not to arrive. He felt so conflicted, not understanding why, and pursed his lips. Then, he heard the door creak open behind him.

He turned his head around gingerly, and his lover with a dazzling skin was staring at him timidly.

He froze the moment he caught sight of her, but that was to be expected.

…Is this what Chitose talked about…?

He remembered Chitose mentioning that Mahiru bought two swimsuits.

The one worn this time was not the type seen when they went to the pool.

She was wearing a black bikini which formed a stark contrast to her glistening white skin.

There was no excessive decoration on it, just a simple cloth covering her skin. It was not particularly risque.

Despite that, she just looked so sexy, probably because of her fine body.

After all, the only word to describe her was, exquisite.

No excessive fats, fine slopes on the lumps, smooth curves on the waist, and taut, tender thighs. Such were the ideal of a girl.

She looked so alluring even as she bashfully covered her front with her arms. They were gathered at the cleavage, forming a wondrous sight to a male, but it looked so awkward to him in this situation.

“…Is it strange?”

“No-no, not at all. It suits you, but…”

“But…?”

“…Well, it’s too stimulating.”

Amane eked out this voice, and Mahiru clearly blushed.

“…This is why I did not wear it at the pool. It is embarrassing showing this to others.”

“So why did you buy it?”

“B-because, Chitose-san said…that Amane-kun will not fall if I do not go this far.”

“What do you want to fall…?”

If his sanity fell, Mahiru would be the one in trouble. It seemed Mahiru did not understand these words from Chitose, put a hand on his forehead, and looked towards Mahiru again.

…Anyone will fall in the face of that thing.

Mahiru was so destructive in such a state, and Amane was about to get down on his knees, going all see no evil.

However, he could not do so, of course. He took a deep breath, trying to regain his calm, and looked towards Mahiru’s face, not down below, which could allow him to calm down further.

“…So…erm, now what? You’re going to take care of my hair?”

“Y-yes. I brought all the equipment.”

“I-I see…erm, just do as you please…but it’s still embarrassing.”

“E-erm, same for me…and I was the one who suggested this.”

Mahiru did not manage to hide the blush on her face completely, and her eyes too wavered due to the sight of Amane in his swimsuit. She seemed to have made up her mind, for she took out something appearing to be a haircare product from the waterproof bag.

“A-anyway, shall we start?’

“Y-yes. Please do.”

Amane too would feel awkward if he kept staring at Mahiru, and it would be great if she could move out of his sight.

He obediently sat on a chair, his back turned towards Mahiru, and heard a little groan. Perhaps this too was awkward.

However, she did not stop her preparations, and there was some rustling heard from behind.

“…First, we comb the hair.”

“O-okay.”

Mahiru sounded a little hesitant. Once she said so, she waited for Amane’s response, and then slowly inserted the comb into the hair.

She was very delicate, as far as he could feel.

“It is very important to start off with combing to remove the excess dust and grime, and wash off with hot water.”

“I see. I don’t like the hassle though, so I never comb the hair before then.”

“Your hair is short, and does not tangle together easily. That is why you will not think of combing first. For us girls, we have to do this first.”

“Guess you definitely put in lots of effort to have such pretty long hair.”

Mahiru’s hair grew past her waist, had no split ends, and was glossy. The silky smooth surface was so beautiful, many a girl would have admired so.

It’s definitely tough to maintain hair like this, Amane felt impressed, and heard a wry chuckle from behind.

“I already have good hair to begin with, so I do not need to spend that much effort…but I do pay some attention. A pretty person remains so no matter what she wears after all.”

“…Well you’re a girl after all.”

“I want to be proud of myself.”

Mahiru said, finished combing, and picked up the shower head. Amane glanced aside, understood that she was going to wash his hair with hot water, and gently closed his eyes.

I shall begin, she muttered, started the hot water, and rinsed Amane’s hair.

“I shall soak it once through. It is best to do so before styling your hair.”

“So the lecture begins.”

“You already have good hair to begin with, Amane-kun. It will be better if you spend some effort to care of it.”

“…Why does it feel like a hassle to do this every day.”

“…You cannot lax on this.”

Goodness, a dumbfounded voice came.

The tension and shame might have faded a little during this hair wash, for neither of them were being stiff, and they were conversing as normal.

“We’ll be doing so when we bath together in the future. Let’s just ignore this for now.”

Amane found it a hassle, and was too lazy to do so, thus his comments. However, Mahiru froze with the shower head in hand.

After ten seconds or so passed, Mahiru finally recovered, and switched off the water.

She then silently rubbed the shampoo in her palms, and this sight flashed by on the mirror.

“E-erm, Mahiru-san?”

“…You speaking of this so naturally is a flaw, Amane-kun.”

“Eh….?”

Mahiru summoned bubbles, and rubbed his hair. Her face was really red.

Amane sensed that she was not acting as delicately as before, but wondered if he was overthinking it.

“…I am glad, but you cannot nitpick at Shihoko-san anymore.”

Amane had a vague idea of what Mahiru was getting at, and was a tad later in understanding what he did, so he too blushed.

He did see his parents bath together, and was dumbfounded that many times. At this point, he said they would be bathing together every day once they got married. Truly he could no longer laugh at his parents anymore.

“…I will feel awkward if you do not zip your mouth, Amane-kun.”

“…I’ll pay attention.”

The shame that finally subsided blared up again. Both parties were left red faced, and silently focused on washing their hairs.