What About You?

"I'm fine with anything," Fushimi Makoto called back.

"Okay, I'm coming in."

Matsukaze Mayu opened the bathroom door. In front of her was the sink, and to the left was a slightly fogged-up stall door.

She couldn't see Fushimi Makoto, but she could hear the occasional sound of water from inside.

"Just leave the clothes there," Fushimi Makoto said, knowing she was looking at him through the door. He made a point of speaking up.

"Oh."

Matsukaze Mayu answered, but didn't leave.

She thought of the other day, when she'd come out wrapped in a towel and Fushimi Makoto had clearly been captivated by her, unable to tear his eyes away.

After three seconds, she took a deep breath. A little hopeful, a little nervous, she asked, "Makoto."

"Huh? Teacher Matsukaze, are you still there?" Fushimi Makoto sounded surprised.

At his words, Matsukaze Mayu began to hesitate again, despite having just worked up her courage.

But the next second, she heard Fushimi Makoto say lazily, "I was just thinking, if a bath feels this good, it'd feel even better if someone helped wash my back."

Matsukaze Mayu froze, then blurted out, "I can."

"You can what?"

"Um, I mean, how would you feel if I washed your back?"

"Then it'd feel like a proper life."

At Fushimi Makoto's reply, Matsukaze Mayu smiled shyly instead.

She really had thought about washing his back just now; she just hadn't been brave enough to ask.

Inside the bathroom.

Fushimi Makoto contentedly rested his arms on the edge of the bathtub, thinking that he was about to face another test.

But he hoped he'd get plenty more tests like this!

Two minutes later, the stall door creaked as someone pushed it open.

Fushimi Makoto instinctively looked up.

He only glanced at her, but still froze for a full two seconds.

Matsukaze Mayu had changed into a different outfit!

No, it wasn't even an outfit. It was just a bath towel!

She held the towel in place with one hand, covering her full, fair body, but such a simple covering couldn't hide her alluring curves.

Whether from the heat of the bathroom or embarrassment, her face was flushed, and her eyes darted about in a dreamy haze. Her beautiful, pale legs stepped onto the tiled floor. Along with the shy, almost coquettish look in her eyes, she seemed especially alluring and breathtakingly beautiful.

"I was worried my clothes would get wet, so I changed for the moment," she said, blushing.

All right, all right. So that's how we're playing it?

This was clearly speeding.

If she dared speed now, she'd be overtaking people next!

Fushimi Makoto didn't call her out on her flimsy excuse.

"Don't stare at me. Turn around first." Her voice was soft and sweet, tinged with embarrassment.

Fushimi Makoto obediently turned around.

Behind him, he heard a splash as she got into the bathtub.

The water rippled, and so did she.

Watching the water splash gently, Fushimi Makoto found himself thinking of Guts's formula: dense splashes, streams of water that lingered...

A moment later, Matsukaze Mayu noticed something strange.

"Makoto, why are you bending over the whole time?"

"Nothing. I'm just having a bout of localized stiffness."

"???"

Chapter 20: What About You?

Steam drifted through the bathroom, finally condensing into beads of water on the white walls and falling one by one.

Two charming blushes had long since spread across Matsukaze Mayu's cheeks. She held a towel in one hand and carefully washed Fushimi Makoto's back. Her other hand grasped his arm, and the warmth of his skin in her palm made the beautiful teacher's heart burn, too.

Suddenly, she noticed that Fushimi Makoto seemed to be breathing faster.

She couldn't help asking, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just feel comfortable and relaxed," Fushimi Makoto said.

Matsukaze Mayu chuckled. "I'm glad you're comfortable. I was worried you wouldn't like it, since this is my first time doing something like this."

That sounded a little strange.

Fushimi Makoto thought that if it had been Nakano Ichika doing this, those words might have been deliberate teasing rather than something she'd said without thinking.

Matsukaze Mayu didn't read too much into it. His satisfied reply made her happy, and eased some of the embarrassment in her heart.

Gradually, her technique grew more practiced. The way she washed his back, like the look in her eyes, was full of care and tenderness.

Whether you called it acceptance or indulgence, she simply wasn't thinking that much about it.

She had come to make her way in a big city, and now she'd finally met a man who cared about her and whom she liked. By a happy coincidence, he even lived in the same apartment building. Of course she was glad.

Perhaps she felt that the silence might make things awkward, so she started a conversation. "When I was chatting with Mrs. Yukinoshita today, she specifically mentioned Sawamura Eriri from our school. Do you know her?"

I successfully won her over during a Time Loop.

Fushimi Makoto thought to himself.

That "Blonde Loser Immortal" was practically a textbook example of a tsundere.

That was exactly why she was the easiest girl for Fushimi Makoto to win over, in his experience.

He answered aloud, "I've seen her. I heard she's pretty popular among the new students. I expect she'll eventually catch up with Yukinoshita in popularity."

"She's that amazing?" Matsukaze Mayu asked, surprised. She hadn't known.

"She's cute, petite, and has that blonde hair. It'd be hard not to notice her."

"That's true. Sawamura really is cute."

Matsukaze Mayu smiled gently and continued, "Mrs. Yukinoshita seems to have some connection with the Sawamura Family. She seemed to really hope the two girls would become friends."

"Yukinoshita and Sawamura?"

"Mm. But Yukinoshita seemed a little reluctant at the time and didn't agree outright. The woman was quite understanding, though. She didn't pressure her daughter."

Understanding, huh?

Fushimi Makoto didn't argue.

For now, it seemed that the woman was being so understanding because Yukino had become friends with him, and he'd helped the Yukinoshita Family close a difficult deal.

If nothing unexpected happened, Mrs. Yukinoshita was probably wondering about his family background.

His parents were ordinary people, yet he knew so much about the Yukinoshita Family's circumstances.

"By the way, Makoto, were you serious when you said you wanted to get into film and television?" Matsukaze Mayu remembered the matter at hand.

"I was. I'm going to start by forming a club."

"Then you'll need two more members. A club needs at least three people, and you'll also need a nominal faculty adviser."

"You don't need to find an adviser. Don't I have you?"

"So you'd already planned everything out?"

Matsukaze Mayu smiled brightly.

Forming a club was a small, ordinary matter, but she couldn't help feeling pleased that he'd thought of her first.

Just then, Fushimi Makoto spoke up. "I think you've finished washing my back, haven't you?"

Matsukaze Mayu paused, then nodded. "Mm, pretty much."

She hesitated, wondering whether she should leave, when Fushimi Makoto asked, "Then shouldn't you wash the front, too?"

"Eh?"

Matsukaze Mayu froze.

The embarrassment that had just eased came rushing back all at once.

Fushimi Makoto waited patiently, staying quiet.

Nearly a minute later, her soft voice spoke up. "Then you're not allowed to open your eyes."

Fushimi Makoto said, "I'll try my best to open them as wide as possible."

"You can't."

Matsukaze Mayu scolded him, flustered. Pressing down on his shoulder, she whispered, "Honestly... just this once."

Just this once. I can't keep indulging him like this.

That was what she told herself.

Monday morning.

In the classroom, Fushimi Makoto saw that male student slumped over his desk again.

Just like before, the other boy had brought milk to class. He lay over his desk with the straw between his lips, playing on his phone with his left hand.

He was still vigilant, looking up to check his surroundings every so often.

When he met Fushimi Makoto's gaze, his smile was no longer as awkward as before. "I brought two more cartons of milk today. Want one?"

"No thanks." Fushimi Makoto was full.

The other boy grinned. "You said the other day that you were full just from looking. I thought about it for ages when I got home before I figured it out. The supermarket's been having a milk sale lately, so you must've bought a ton to take home. That's why you said you were full just from looking, right?"

How did I not think of that explanation? Fushimi Makoto thought.

The male student asked, "So, did you get full from looking yesterday, too?"

Fushimi Makoto shook his head. "No. I was making soy milk yesterday."

"Huh? I've had soy milk, too. I just didn't think you'd make it at home. That sounds like a hassle."

"It really is."

Fushimi Makoto hadn't been entirely accurate.

He hadn't made the soy milk. Matsukaze Mayu had.

After all, in that sort of suggestive atmosphere yesterday, it was only natural to accidentally make a mistake... right?

"Good morning, Fushimi."

"Good morning, Itsuki."

Nakano Itsuki greeted Fushimi Makoto, then sat down, seeming distracted.

After a while, Nakano Itsuki tugged at his sleeve. When he turned around, he saw the girl hesitate before asking, "You still can't tell me Ichika's secret?"

Fushimi Makoto guessed the reason. "What did Ichika do over the weekend?"

"She mostly slept until lunchtime, then hurried out in the afternoon and didn't come back until evening."

As she spoke, Nakano Itsuki seemed to find an outlet for her frustration. Frowning, she said, "I don't know what she's doing. Yesterday she didn't get home until nine. It's really bothering me."

Fushimi Makoto understood. Ichika had probably gotten another bit part.

Nakano Itsuki now seemed a little worried. "Fushimi, if you still don't want to tell me, could you answer one question?"

"What question?"

"Could Ichika's secret put her in danger... No, danger might be too strong a word. Could it get her into trouble?"