Chapter 84

Perhaps she simply found it interesting.

At least it's quite enjoyable to see all the little thoughts and tricks these young girls have.

Her date isn't over yet; she paid for it.

Before they knew it, it had gotten dark, and the sound of running water could still be heard in Haihara's house.

Haihara didn't do anything else; she simply picked up a photo frame from the table.

She doesn't take many photos. Apart from ID photos, she doesn't take any selfies. The few photos she does have are either group photos with former students or photos with former acquaintances.

In this white photo frame, it was taken when she had been a teacher for less than two years, probably the year her daughter entered high school.

The photo shows a gloomy woman with short hair, while next to her is a bright-smiling girl with black hair and black eyes, wearing a butterfly-shaped hair clip, who looks to be only high school age.

After seeing the photo, Haihara's gaze calmed down, as if nothing had happened, and she placed the photo frame flat on the table.

Perhaps she's been a little forgetful lately.

However, teachers should maintain an appropriate distance from students, which is good for both. Although she is not a teacher of high moral character, she will not forget this point in the future.

Inside the bathroom, Takanashi Shiori slightly raised her head, bathing in the hot water pouring from the showerhead. The warm sensation slid down her forehead, face, and neck, spreading throughout her entire body.

The milky white foam was rinsed away by the hot water, revealing delicate, pinkish-white skin, as tender as cream, and the previous cold and damp feeling slowly faded away.

Slightly tired, she looked at the mirror covered in mist, reached out and wiped the surface, and the girl's image was reflected in the mirror.

Slender yet beautiful limbs, graceful and fluid lines, thick, water-stained gray-gold hair, and eyes that are blurred in the mirror.

It seems like... it's been a long time since I've seen myself like this.

Because she used Magic to cleanse her body for a long time.

Although it's cleaner than taking a bath, it still doesn't feel as good as actually taking a hot shower.

Looking at her naked reflection in the mirror, Takanashi Shiori stared blankly for a while.

Slender fingers traced the smooth surface of the mirror, suddenly touching a handprint still lingering in the fog.

Slightly bigger than her hand...

It must belong to the teacher, right?

At that moment, Takanashi suddenly realized that the woman used to stand here naked, staring blankly at her reflection in the mirror, or touching the mirror for some other reason.

"..."

What does that woman look like when she takes a shower?

Her hair would probably be wet, and her skin would be shiny and smooth because it had just been washed.

However, although that woman was very thin, there might be something unexpected about her after she took off her clothes...

Just as she was thinking about these random things, she accidentally saw herself in the mirror again, but it seemed that she saw some colors that were not quite what she had imagined.

She vaguely sensed that her reflection in the mirror had turned gray, long and cascading over her shoulders, like an elegant oil painting. Her skin had also become paler, bloodless, and gave off a slightly cold feeling.

The person in the mirror had a pair of calm, deep purple eyes, long and beautiful, Takanashi Shiori felt that it didn't quite resemble herself.

The face looked very much like her own, as if she had grown up. At first, she didn't feel too much of a sense of incongruity, but soon she felt something was off, since she didn't have that kind of hair and eyes.

The woman in the mirror looks more like...

She shook her head, thinking she must have misread it.

However, when she looked at herself in the mirror again, all she saw was a gray-blonde-haired girl; there was no unfamiliar gray-haired woman.

Am I hallucinating?

For Magic girls, it's not uncommon for them to occasionally experience sudden bursts of Magic inspiration and hallucinations.

After washing up, she dried herself thoroughly with a towel, but because she hadn't done this in a long time, her movements were a little clumsy.

After that, she looked at the clothes in the laundry basket, intending to change into them, but then she paused for a moment in a daze.

Not only were there white cotton yukatas, but even underwear was prepared inside.

This underwear is definitely not hers.

But the style looks somewhat familiar...

I think I saw it in that lingerie store today.

Takanashi Shiori picked up the Peacock- blue bra adorned with lace embellishments. The patterns inside were as intricate and beautiful as butterflies, and it looked like the kind of bra a sexy, mature woman would wear...

She picked up the bra, pressed it against her chest, and compared it to her skin.

"..."

Surprisingly, the size was just right.

Unable to pinpoint whether it was shame or some other emotion, Takanashi, though still expressionless, had a faint blush creeping onto her face.

But this seems quite expensive...

In the living room, Haihara was still engrossed in looking at the lingerie photos of a recent new actress.

The lingerie I bought today is the same style as the one in the photoshoot.

She even thought it looked pretty good.

She had originally intended to buy one for herself, but she was more interested in seeing others wear it than wearing it herself.

Sometime later, the sound of water in the bathroom stopped, followed by the sound of the door opening. Haihara casually put down the photo album of beautiful women, looked up, and saw a somewhat unexpected scene.

At the bathroom door, a girl of about sixteen years old stood there, her body slender and graceful. Because she had just come out of the bath, her tender skin was still wet with water droplets, and her damp hair hung lightly in front of her thin collarbone.

The girl's fair body was clad only in blue lace lingerie, exuding a pure innocence mixed with a hint of budding womanhood.

Takanashi now has his hands behind his back and has turned his face away.

Haihara looked at her curiously:

Why aren't you wearing clothes?

You just took a shower; you're likely to catch a cold like this.

"... Didn't you buy this for me? So I'm letting you take a look."

Takanashi Shiori lowered her head, blushing with embarrassment, and whispered.

That's not wrong.

Haihara thought for a moment, then beckoned with her finger, signaling for Takanashi Shiori to come over. The girl, still shyly hugging herself and barely covering some of her skin, reluctantly walked over.

The woman gently pulled the arm the girl was using to cover herself, then smoothly moved the girl to sit on the other side of the sofa, her gaze slightly shifting to watch Takanashi.

From this angle, what's most eye-catching is the girl's slender waist; along her fair skin, a seductive line reveals her beautiful and sexy navel.

Out of sheer mischievousness, Haihara reached out and poked the girl's soft belly.

Takanashi felt a poke in her sensitive waist, and her whole body trembled.

"It's quite cute, you can have this lingerie."

Haihara said calmly.

Then, her hand moved upwards and landed on the girl's still-damp hair:

"Let me dry it in a bit."

"It's also possible to wait until I do it myself..."

She doesn't really like hair dryers; sometimes she gets burned, and occasionally she smells a burning odor, making her feel like she's being baked.

But the woman simply pinched her face without any gentleness.

Takanashi's face hurt a little from being pinched; actually, the woman hadn't used much force, but she was afraid of the pain.

She felt the woman move closer, so she looked up and met her gaze.

As she got closer, she could smell the woman's fragrance.

The woman, however, said in a somewhat indifferent tone:

"The service isn't over yet, do you remember what you were supposed to call?"

"Mother..."

Although Takanashi Shiori instinctively shrank back a little, she couldn't help but move closer to the woman, wanting to feel her presence more.

After hearing the word "Mom," Haihara kissed the girl's wet hair with satisfaction.

"Good boy."

Chapter Sixteen: Short Stories After the Rain

After that, Takanashi Shiori put on a yukata and dried her hair. It was getting dark outside. Actually, it was still afternoon, but perhaps because of the rain, it got dark exceptionally quickly.

After sitting down, she gently nestled against the woman without saying a word, and the other woman seemed to acquiesce.

The TV wasn't on, the curtains weren't drawn, and even the lights weren't on, but nothing seemed amiss, since they didn't have anything else to do.

Even in the dim light, you can see snakes sleeping inside the glass enclosure.

What a strange woman.

This was her first time visiting Haihara's house, and it wasn't quite what she had imagined. She had thought it would be an even colder room, although she wasn't really sure what kind of places people in this world lived in, having only seen such places occasionally on television.

Living in a place like this in the future wouldn't be bad.

With nothing to do, Takanashi Shiori picked up the woman's hand and casually looked at it, while the woman simply let her play with her hand.

Haihara's hands are beautiful, with slender, long fingers. She wears a silver ring on her index finger, Takanashi doesn't quite understand what it means to wear a ring on the index finger in this world.

"This ring is quite pretty."

She said it casually.

"A friend gave it to me." Haihara also looked at her ring.

This ring was given to her by Kougami Kage when they were in high school. Her childhood sweetheart was about to go abroad, and he gave her this ring before he left.

In retrospect, this gift was a bit too expensive.

Outside, the sound of cold rain could be heard. In the dimly lit room, the girl and the woman nestled together on the sofa, remaining silent for a long time.

Takanashi Shiori's eyes closed slightly, as if she were sleepy.

I'm a little hungry.

"May I have dinner here tonight?"

She shook the woman's arm.

"Whatever you want."

"When are we eating?" Takanashi nuzzled Haihara expectantly.

"Hmm..." Haihara pinched her chin. "Now then."

It seems this little girl is indeed hungry.

Will you do it?

Order takeout.

There wasn't much food at home, and she was also a bit tired after playing all day.

But the girl's stomach was already growling with hunger.

Takanashi lowered his head listlessly, his previously expectant look turning dejected.

"So hungry..."

Haihara thought for a moment:

"And the bread I baked this morning, should I heat it up for you?"

Then the girl nodded like a chick pecking at rice.

Haihara stood up listlessly and went to the kitchen to heat up the bread from breakfast.