A Fair Look at Each Other?

"Bai Yao, why is your face still so red?"

Called back to his senses, Bai Yao looked up to find Kong Wu's handsome face right in front of him.

Kong Wu had just changed into an old-man-style undershirt, which made his brawny muscles even more conspicuous.

In a flash, Bai Yao's face turned red again.

"I'm just hot. The weather's so hot today, of course my face is red," Bai Yao insisted stubbornly, quickly looking away from him.

"Why don't you take a bath first, then? I just put together a bathing stall." Kong Wu stood up as he spoke and pointed to the fruits of his labor.

At the mention of a bathing stall, Bai Yao's interest was genuinely piqued.

He looked over and saw that it was indeed a bathing stall, though a rather crude one, built out of hay from who knew where.

Although it looked rather ordinary, it did offer decent privacy.

"Those big hands of yours really are impressive. You wash first," Bai Yao said.

He did want to take a bath and cool off, but he wasn't sure whether something might go wrong while he was using the stall.

Even if something went wrong, no one would get hurt, but if it collapsed, that would definitely be embarrassing.

So it was better to let Kong Wu try it first.

"Sure. I got filthy putting this stall together anyway, so I'll go wash first. Don't peek!"

The teasing in Kong Wu's voice as he said the last sentence couldn't have been more obvious.

Bai Yao might have been blushing, but he wasn't about to admit defeat in a battle of words.

"What have you got that's worth peeking at? It's not like you have anything I don't."

After firing back, Bai Yao hurried into the house.

No, if they kept talking, something could happen.

Guys were childish like that. Sometimes a conversation could easily stir up their competitive streak, and they would compare all sorts of strange things. Most commonly, though, they compared sizes, which was pretty blush-inducing.

Back in his room, Bai Yao gathered his change of clothes for after his bath while repeatedly reminding himself that Kong Wu was a straight man and that he shouldn't read too much into it.

They still had a long time to spend together. It was just a hug and a look at some muscles. Once they'd spent more time together, he'd probably see even more outrageous things, so he had to keep his composure.

To put it plainly, he had seen too little with his own eyes and had never experienced this kind of visual impact.

Once he'd seen it more often, he'd probably become immune.

Still, to be fair, Kong Wu's muscles really were beautiful, and his skin was a healthy wheat color. If sweat were to dampen it, then...

"Ahem, stop thinking! Stop thinking right now!"

He touched his nose.

Good, it wasn't bleeding.

Bai Yao took a deep breath to calm himself, then started thinking about other things to distract himself.

"I'll go to the commune tomorrow. I can bring back some soda and watermelon to account for them openly. I also need to visit the recycling station. I said I'd buy some newspapers last time, but I never did, so I'll have to get them this time."

Before, he would have had Kong Wu give him a ride.

Now, though, he'd better go by himself. It would give his overheated brain a chance to cool down.

Just as he was thinking this, Kong Wu's voice came from outside.

"I'm done washing, Bai Yao. It's your turn."

"Oh, coming."

Bai Yao answered and headed out with his clothes, only to realize his timing was far too coincidental.

He was going out, and Kong Wu was coming in.

The important part!

"Why aren't you wearing a shirt?!" Bai Yao suddenly felt that the cool, aloof image of Kong Wu in his mind was about to crumble to dust.

"Huh? I'm wearing pants, aren't I?" Kong Wu said, pointing to his somewhat damp pants.

Bai Yao: ...

All right, he was making a fuss over nothing. Although this era had the crime of hooliganism, going shirtless in one's own home wasn't a crime.

But Bai Yao didn't want to answer. He had to leave quickly, or he might get a nosebleed if he kept looking.

"Move, don't block the door." With that, Bai Yao gave Kong Wu a push.

"Oh," Kong Wu replied, letting Bai Yao's push move him aside from the doorway.

Once outside, Bai Yao hurried away as if a dog were chasing him.

At the same time, he couldn't help muttering about Kong Wu in his heart.

That touch just now had been enough for him to feel how good Kong Wu's skin was. It really was good, enough to make him envious.

"Sigh... I need to put more effort into taking care of my skin."

Thinking this, Bai Yao made his way to the bathing stall.

As for the bathing water, it had been left out in the sun during the day.

Because the weather was quite hot, the water that had spent the whole day in the sun was now warm, just right for a rinse.

Before he started, though, Bai Yao was still uneasy, so he spread out his senses to keep watch.

The thing was, he habitually extended his Mental Power over a ten-meter radius, and this time was naturally no exception.

But that range also encompassed Kong Wu's room.

And at that very moment, Kong Wu happened to be getting ready to change out of his damp pants.

By sheer coincidence, Bai Yao "saw" everything.

Bai Yao: !!!

Oh my god! I really didn't mean to!

When Bai Yao realized what had happened, he hurriedly withdrew his Mental Power.

His face was crimson, and his mind was filled with that shocking sight.

It's over! I'm tainted! I'm not pure anymore!

"Don't worry. I only saw it with my Mental Power. Kong Wu couldn't sense it, so he won't know," Bai Yao comforted himself.

After taking a moment to recover, he quickly rinsed himself off and hurried back to the house. He felt he couldn't look Kong Wu in the eye for the time being.

But just as he was about to enter, he happened to run into Kong Wu, who was heading out.

The situation was just like before.

Except this time, they both blushed after meeting each other's eyes.

Kong Wu: "It's too hot inside. I'm going out to cool off."

Bai Yao: "Mm-hmm."

After that brief exchange, one went in and the other went out. As they brushed past each other, each caught the other stealing a glance.

Without saying anything else, they went in and out, each with a red face.

Once inside, Bai Yao discovered that he had fastened only two buttons on his shirt.

Bai Yao: ...

What did this count as? A fair look at each other?

Oh, it was all Kong Wu's fault anyway. If he hadn't changed clothes at that moment, Bai Yao wouldn't have seen such an explosive sight, his brain wouldn't have stopped working properly, and he wouldn't have failed to button his shirt properly.

As for whether he was the one who had accidentally peeked?

Bai Yao refused to acknowledge that.

He wasn't going to make himself feel bad.

With that thought, Bai Yao changed his clothes and decided not to go out again.

Things stayed that way until the next day.