After enjoying a light drink at Iris’ bar, Kaori was shown to the guest room she would be staying in, and then headed to the bathroom to take a bath.
To avoid any accidents like unexpectedly running into each other in the bath, they had discussed things beforehand: Kaori would contact Kaito after she finished bathing, and only then would Kaito go in.
[……It’s huge.]
Having undressed and moved into the bathing area, Kaori muttered involuntarily. She had been told in advance that the bath was large, but seeing it in person, it was bigger than not only a private ho’s bath, but even an average public bathhouse’s, giving off an overwhelming presence.
(……Whoa, I knew it was big, but this is amazing…… And it’s ridiculously clean too. Even the magic tools like the shower, these aren’t the kind you’d find in a normal household. It's that type where you can finely adjust the water pressure and everything.)
After looking around with admiration, she first moved in front of the shower to wash her body and hair.
[Errr…… touch the magic crystal next to the magic tool……]
She was told that there’s a storage-type magic tool right beside the shower’s magic tool in the bathroom, and she's free to use whatever shampoo, treatnt, and other items are inside as she likes.
When Kaori touched the magic crystal, part of the wall slid aside, revealing shelves lined with shampoo and treatnt bottles.
(So many kinds!? Errr, Kaito-kun said the one he uses is in an orange container…… Ah, is it this one?)
Since everyone living in Kaito’s house used this bathroom, there were many different kinds of shampoos and such. Among them, Kaori picked up the shampoo and treatnt that Kaito had said she could borrow.
(……Co to think of it, I didn’t ask, but could this be so amazing high-end shampoo? Maybe I should’ve checked beforehand…… Well, it’s too late now, so I’ll just use it.)
In fact, it might have been better not to ask about the ingredients. After all, the shampoo and treatnt Kaito used were made by Alice, who had suggested making so for Kaito while she was creating pet shampoo. While the ingredients differed from the pet version…… they shared one common elent: fruit from Nebula’s World Tree.
(Mmm, it slls so good…… The foam is so fine and smooth too. This is really nice shampoo. If it were sold comrcially, I’d totally buy it…… though it’s probably expensive.)
Ignorance truly is bliss. Unaware of the raw materials, Kaori washed her hair and body without a second thought and then moved to the bath.
Soaking up to her shoulders and stretching out both legs, Kaori smiled in contentnt.
[Mmm~~ a big bath really is the best~~ the sense of openness is totally different.]
Murmuring to herself, she narrowed her eyes comfortably…… and after a short while, a sowhat amused smile appeared on her face.
(……No, this is bad. I can’t stop grinning…… I keep thinking about that conversation with Kaito-kun from earlier.)
What ca to Kaori’s mind was the conversation she’d had with Kaito shortly before going to the bar. When the topic of mixed bathing ca up, she’d known it wasn’t good to tease him too much, yet she couldn’t help herself and ended up dragging the conversation out because she was happy.
She did reflect on that afterward, but even more than regret, a sense of joy welled up inside her.
That was because, to Kaori, Kaito was soone who far surpassed her in romantic experience, and she viewed him as soone well-versed in dealing with won.
He often naturally told her that she was beautiful or charming, which made her very happy…… but at the sa ti, sowhere deep down, she had also wondered whether he truly saw her as a woman at all.
One reason was that Kaito’s lovers and acquaintances were all beautiful won, but more than that, it was because up until now Kaito had never once shown any behavior toward Kaori that hinted at ulterior motives.
Even when he invited her to the house this ti, and when he suggested that she stay overnight, Kaori hadn’t sensed any hidden intentions from him. She understood that he was interacting with her purely as a friend, without any improper thoughts, and from Kaori’s perspective, that was reassuring.
However, at the sa ti, it was also true that feeling like she wasn’t being seen as a woman at all was, in its own way, not very satisfying.
That was why she rembered it. When the topic of mixed bathing ca up, Kaito’s reaction, easy to read because he tended to show his emotions on his face and had been flustered at the ti…….
(……At the very least, he does see properly as a woman…… as that kind of person, too. He was clearly conscious of it and looked embarrassed……)
Of course, she didn’t think it was in a romantic sense, but she could at least understand that she fell within the range of people he could feel desire toward.
For Kaori, who harbored affectionate feelings toward Kaito yet also felt that soone with her level of looks might not be taken seriously, that reaction made her happy and inexplicably raised her spirits.
(Ehehe, this is bad…… I’m acting just like a maiden in love. Ahaha, but well…… I guess it’s hard to completely deny it either.)
Perhaps because no one else was around, Kaori bathed the entire ti with a slightly softened, relaxed smile on her face, looking cheerful throughout.
Serious-senpai : [Not "like", you’re completely a maiden in love there! And wait, my body’s swelling up again!? How many tis is this going to happen!?]
Makina : [Next ti, let’s mix so chocolate with you before eating.]
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