Bathing Together?

(Sun Yao)

The music that had started somewhere suddenly stopped, the dazzling lights faded, and the beach returned to silence, bathed in a dim, silvery moonlight. I collapsed to the ground, exhausted, watching as the large drones carrying the Octopus Monster's corpse left Nabu Island, disappearing without a trace.

After the live stream ended, Miss Sirius walked up to me as if nothing had happened.

"Ceruno- chan, you did really well for your first time! You only danced with me twice this afternoon, right? And you didn't make a single mistake on the beat. You really studied hard!"

"No, it's because Miss Sirius taught me so well..."

This isn't me being modest; I know very well that I don't have any special talent.

Miss Sirius's four-hour training session, although it left me so exhausted I could barely stand, did provide me with guidance on posture and dance, and she even led me in practicing the dance for a new song.

So when I realized it was the intro to this song, I changed my mind and danced along with her... After all, I wouldn't dance to any other song.

Miss Sirius then asked, "When you're under the spotlight, do you feel that?"

"That?"

I didn't quite understand what she meant.

"Confidence!"

Confidence...?

Miss Sirius's overwhelming stage presence and unparalleled presence truly stem from her absolute confidence, which is also an essential quality for an idol.

But I don't seem to possess that quality.

"It seems I didn't feel anything."

"No? You seemed pretty relaxed during the second half of the jump."

"Was it Miss Sirius's aura that influenced me? If I were standing on the stage alone, I definitely wouldn't be able to even jump up."

She patted me on the back and comforted me, "Take it slow, you're just not used to it yet... Boyfriend, what do you think of Ceruno's performance?"

As soon as Yezi walked over from the dock, Miss Sirius struck up a conversation with him, and the latter gave me a series of winks.

He replied, "Well, I did alright; at least I didn't make any mistakes."

"Hey, can't you just praise her more directly? With this attitude, do you really want to be a manager?"

After being told that by Miss Sirius, Yezi touched her neck.

He continued, "You danced very well just now. Although it was your first time and you only practiced twice, you kept up perfectly with Miss Sirius's rhythm without making any mistakes... You really worked very hard and have every right to be proud."

My face felt a little hot, and I suppose it was a bit red.

Yezi's straightforward praise left me speechless.

It may sound greedy, but simply having "the right to be proud" isn't enough. I want Yezi to be proud of me too.

I can't bring myself to say those words.

In the end, I just lowered my head and said "Mmm".

Back in the guest room of the mansion.

The feeling of exhaustion washed over me like waves crashing against the shore, making my eyelids so heavy I could barely lift them. I was already jet-lagged and had accumulated a considerable amount of fatigue; I felt like I would fall asleep the moment my head hit the pillow.

But I still decided to take another shower.

Although I never liked getting dirty, after becoming a magical girl, it seems to have developed into a kind of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Even if I sweat a little, I feel uncomfortable if I don't have a chance to wash myself clean.

And this time there's no rush, so there's a chance to take a nice, relaxing bath.

With a large clump of hair piled up on her head and covered by a shower cap, she stepped into the bathtub and then carefully sat down.

"Call--"

Using so much precious freshwater for a bath on an island might seem a bit extravagant, but once the hot water soaks through your entire body, even that little bit of guilt disappears.

Comfortable...

My weary body has been healed; if I were to fall asleep like this, I might drown.

Another thing has been confirmed.

A girl's breasts do indeed float in water.

Due to the interaction of buoyancy and gravity, eventually one-third of it emerges from the water, and it appears even more **.

But...

Miss Miluno, Miss Yin Wei, and Miss Sirius —given their figures, they certainly couldn't possibly know about something like this, right?

"Hmph~ Hmph~"

I couldn't help but hum Miss Sirius's single, fully enjoying this hard-won moment of relaxation.

Knock knock--

The sudden knocking startled me.

"Hmm! Who is it?"

I don't have the habit of locking the door when I take a shower, so if someone barges in...

"Idiot, hurry up! I haven't washed yet!"

It turned out to be Yezi.

It would be too late for me to wash him after I finished soaking, and I would feel bad for him.

But it's difficult for me to get out of the bathtub now, since my body and mind are completely captivated by this soothing warm water...

Therefore, I came up with a compromise.

"Then come in and shower, the shower is empty."

Since I don't want to go out, why don't we just let him come in and shower together?

"Huh? What are you doing?"

"I'm taking a bath in the bathtub~"

"Then how could I possibly get in?"

Yezi called from outside the door, "Hurry up and come out after you're done washing!"

I thought for a moment, then said in a low, distorted voice, "What, you don't consider me a brother anymore?"

"But you're a girl now... um, your voice?"

"I've turned back into Sun Yao, are you still too scared to come in?"

"Huh? You turned back to normal?"

"Um."

Of course, it hasn't changed back, but there's an opaque waterproof curtain between the bathtub and the shower, so it's perfectly fine even if Yezi comes in to take a shower.

The bathroom door was opened.

"Then I'll come in?"

Yezi and I often go to public bathhouses, so the idea of "being completely naked" isn't unacceptable to us... Of course, this only applies when both of us are male.

As I put the Yezi in, I realized I couldn't remain indifferent, but he seemed to have already started taking off his clothes.

Why?

It's clearly not a big deal...

I barely dared to make a sound, and I shrank further underwater, my face burning hot.

At this moment, I regret my rash behavior.

Do you want to change back?

"You idiot, what do you think of what happened today?"

I was huddled in the bathtub, feeling incredibly embarrassed, when Yezi just happened to strike up a conversation with me.

The sound of water coming from outside the curtain was faint. I still asked in a rough voice in a low voice, "... What is it?"

"It's about that Monster. Nabu Island isn't in a region where wormholes frequently occur, yet that octopus attacked you regardless of Sirius... Why do you think that is?"

I knew I was being targeted by Monster.

But I don't know why I'm being targeted.

Perhaps my presence has some impact on their intrusion activities...

"Have no idea."

I answered softly, but Yezi said, "I'm wondering if there's some untapped function in your magic? Perhaps your magic can prevent them from passing through the wormhole and end the battle before it even begins?"

Why are we chatting like this? I clearly didn't want to say anything more!

"If I truly possess abilities that even I am unaware of, then how did the 'The Other Side' know about them?"

I responded softly, but Yezi added, "Perhaps they have some kind of ability to foresee the Future. After all, humans have no idea what's going on on the Other Side, and the abilities of these Monsters are all sorts of things."

"Let's hear what Miss SpiCa has to say. Discussing it here won't get us anywhere... Hmm!"

Suddenly realizing she had forgotten to lower her voice, she covered her mouth and stopped speaking.

But Yezi seemed to have realized it, and therefore fell silent.

For a moment, only the sound of water from the showerhead hitting the floor remained.

The bathroom was filled with a substance known for causing embarrassment...

What should I do?