Chapter 9: I want to take a bath alone
The sneaky and childish prank of shaking an unopened can of Coke before handing it over left my face and clothes drenched and sticky. I wanted to complain about the vigor behind the shake, but seeing Hitotsuba-san who was smiling mischievously at the success of her prank, I decided against it in the end.
At any rate, we ate our pizza while it was still warm. There were two pizzas, one topped with meat and the other one with seafood. We were both hungry, and it had been quite a while since the last time either of us ate pizza. Between the two of us, we devoured the pizzas in no time at all.
“Well. Now that I’m full, I think I’ll have a bath. I can take a bath, right?”
“Of course. We’ve got gas, electricity and water all working, so you don’t have to worry about anything.”
Well, that was a relief. On the way to the bathroom, I explored the house. I opened the doors one by one in wonder but was utterly shocked by the bedroom. There was a king-sized bed with two pillows and a futon. It was like the bedroom of a loving couple. Was I meant to sleep here with Hitotsuba-san?
There was still some time left before bedtime, so I pushed that question to the back of my mind and headed for the bathroom. The bathtub here was also surprisingly large. There was enough room for both of us to stretch our legs and relax together. Huh, did I just think of taking a bath with Hitotsuba-san someday?
“Oh no, thoughts like these…, did something in me just die?”
It might be just a matter of time until Reason-san and Decency-san joined the ranks of endangered species. Also, it wasn’t hard to imagine why the delusions of adolescent boys could be dangerous. Normally, I wouldn’t think of myself to be such a person, but when you suddenly start living together with a goddess-tier beauty like Hitotsuba-san, you never know what sort of mistakes you might end up committing.
“Oh, I don’t mind if mistakes happen. In fact, I would even welcome them, wouldn’t I?”
Huh, that wasn’t my voice who said that! Before I knew it, Hitotsuba-san was standing behind me. Her arms were folded, and she had a calm expression, but her legs were shaking. She said she would welcome them, but clearly she was somewhat intimidated.
“…I’m not going to force myself on someone unwilling. You should only do that when both sides are in love with each other.”
“I haven’t said anything yet, but I’m very happy that you think so, Yuya-kun. But still, you’re always welcome, so please keep that in mind.”
Don’t say things that make my heartbeat skyrocket! At this rate, it won’t be long before I fall in love with you! ‘Sigh’, I huffed in annoyance. My fall from grace is probably already set in stone, but let me at least resist a little. I’d like to get to know you a little bit more, Hitotsuba Kaede.
“So, Yuya-kun, are you planning to take a bath alone?”
“… Hey, Hitotsuba-san. What’s the point of saying these things if you’re going to tremble like that?”
“… Huh, I’m not shaking, am I? The reason why it looks like that must be because Yuya-kun’s eyeballs are shaking, isn’t it? I’m perfectly normal, you know?”
Her voice was quivering, but pointing that out would only make her even more agitated. I shrugged my shoulders. Rinsing the bathtub with the showerhead, I then turned on the tap and pressed the heating button. The temperature of the water was 41° Celsius (Footnote: About 106° Fahrenheit). This was just right for a relaxing bath.
“Of course, I’ll go in alone. You can watch the TV, Hitotsuba-san. Don’t you dare try to peek!”
“Isn’t this just reverse psychology? If you’re told not to push, it makes you want to push. If you’re told not to peek, it makes you feel like charging in. In other words, Yuya-kun, you actually want to be peeped at. You’re just not being honest with me.”
… And you just didn’t want to listen to what people were saying. Also, shouldn’t it be the other way around? Normally Hitotsuba-san should be warning me not to peep at her when she’s taking a bath, right?
“Me? I would welcome you with open arms, wouldn’t I?”
If that’s the case, then why are you turning away and covering yourself with your arms? I’m really confused by your contradicting actions, so please match your words with your actions. Well, your red cheeks and pouting mouth were quite cute though.
“Yes, yes. Okay, fine. Then I’ll go and peek at you when I get the chance. But I don’t like to be peeped at, so please don’t do that.”
Ignoring Hitotsuba-san’s pouting which was quite cute, I took out my underwear, pajamas and bath towel from the suitcase I had packed. For some reason, the house was equipped with TVs, recorders, humidifying air purifiers, and other appliances, but no washing machines or refrigerators. There were pots, pans, and knives, but no tableware. What am I supposed to do without those?
“I say, we should go shopping tomorrow. We’ll go to an electronics store in the morning to pick out a washing machine and a refrigerator. Then we’ll go to Kappabashi (Footnote: A district in Tokyo for products for the kitchen such as kitchen utensils.) to pick out some dishewares. I can pick them out on my own, but I want to go shopping with Yuya-kun…”
When I asked her about it while waiting for my bath to be ready, she told me that this was what she had planned to do. I could understand why a man and a woman who had just started cohabiting together would go shopping with each other, but should this really be applied to high school students? And what about the money? I mean, your father is the president of an electronics company, right? Why don’t you just get them all there?
“My father said we should choose the things that are related to our daily life such as refrigerators and washing machines by properly looking at them ourselves and listening to the shopkeeper’s recommendation. Isn’t that so?”
I didn’t have a choice in this matter, and if I had to say, I agreed with him. Most people think anything will do so long as it gets the job done, but when it comes to something that you use every day, it’s better to check out the items personally before choosing. Besides, isn’t it exciting to shop for your own appliances?
“Yeah, I also agree. We’re going to live together from now on, so let’s choose something we’re both happy with. Hmm. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
It was like a dream. I thought I was going to become Taka-san’s younger brother when my sh*tty father fled overseas after getting into debt. But Hitotsuba-san saved me, and in return, we decided to live together and get married in the future, regardless of my intentions. To the outsiders, this might seem like a win-win situation. And in fact, I thought so too.
“Now that the bath is ready, let’s go in. I’m going to wash your back.”
“Don’t try to go in with me so naturally. Even if you’re okay with it, I’m still embarrassed. So please stay outside.”
I gently flicked her forehead and headed into the bathroom alone before quickly locking the door to prevent any intrusion. The doorknob rattled.
“That’s strange! Yuya-kun! What should I do! The door won’t open!”
Hitotsuba-san was making a lot of noise, but I ignored it. The rattling sound was eventually replaced by knocks which then turned into loud bangs. But I also ignored all of these noises.
“Huh… I don’t want to become dependent on you.”
I wondered how many days I could endure. No, maybe I already…
I thought to myself as I slowly soaked myself in the bathtub.
… Oh right, there was also the bedroom problem. What should I do? Do we have to sleep side by side on the same bed?
Chapter 9: I want to take a bath alone
The sneaky and childish prank of shaking an unopened can of Coke before handing it over left my face and clothes drenched and sticky. I wanted to complain about the vigor behind the shake, but seeing Hitotsuba-san who was smiling mischievously at the success of her prank, I decided against it in the end.
At any rate, we ate our pizza while it was still warm. There were two pizzas, one topped with meat and the other one with seafood. We were both hungry, and it had been quite a while since the last time either of us ate pizza. Between the two of us, we devoured the pizzas in no time at all.
“Well. Now that I’m full, I think I’ll have a bath. I can take a bath, right?”
“Of course. We’ve got gas, electricity and water all working, so you don’t have to worry about anything.”
Well, that was a relief. On the way to the bathroom, I explored the house. I opened the doors one by one in wonder but was utterly shocked by the bedroom. There was a king-sized bed with two pillows and a futon. It was like the bedroom of a loving couple. Was I meant to sleep here with Hitotsuba-san?
There was still some time left before bedtime, so I pushed that question to the back of my mind and headed for the bathroom. The bathtub here was also surprisingly large. There was enough room for both of us to stretch our legs and relax together. Huh, did I just think of taking a bath with Hitotsuba-san someday?
“Oh no, thoughts like these…, did something in me just die?”
It might be just a matter of time until Reason-san and Decency-san joined the ranks of endangered species. Also, it wasn’t hard to imagine why the delusions of adolescent boys could be dangerous. Normally, I wouldn’t think of myself to be such a person, but when you suddenly start living together with a goddess-tier beauty like Hitotsuba-san, you never know what sort of mistakes you might end up committing.
“Oh, I don’t mind if mistakes happen. In fact, I would even welcome them, wouldn’t I?”
Huh, that wasn’t my voice who said that! Before I knew it, Hitotsuba-san was standing behind me. Her arms were folded, and she had a calm expression, but her legs were shaking. She said she would welcome them, but clearly she was somewhat intimidated.
“…I’m not going to force myself on someone unwilling. You should only do that when both sides are in love with each other.”
“I haven’t said anything yet, but I’m very happy that you think so, Yuya-kun. But still, you’re always welcome, so please keep that in mind.”
Don’t say things that make my heartbeat skyrocket! At this rate, it won’t be long before I fall in love with you! ‘Sigh’, I huffed in annoyance. My fall from grace is probably already set in stone, but let me at least resist a little. I’d like to get to know you a little bit more, Hitotsuba Kaede.
“So, Yuya-kun, are you planning to take a bath alone?”
“… Hey, Hitotsuba-san. What’s the point of saying these things if you’re going to tremble like that?”
“… Huh, I’m not shaking, am I? The reason why it looks like that must be because Yuya-kun’s eyeballs are shaking, isn’t it? I’m perfectly normal, you know?”
Her voice was quivering, but pointing that out would only make her even more agitated. I shrugged my shoulders. Rinsing the bathtub with the showerhead, I then turned on the tap and pressed the heating button. The temperature of the water was 41° Celsius (Footnote: About 106° Fahrenheit). This was just right for a relaxing bath.
“Of course, I’ll go in alone. You can watch the TV, Hitotsuba-san. Don’t you dare try to peek!”
“Isn’t this just reverse psychology? If you’re told not to push, it makes you want to push. If you’re told not to peek, it makes you feel like charging in. In other words, Yuya-kun, you actually want to be peeped at. You’re just not being honest with me.”
… And you just didn’t want to listen to what people were saying. Also, shouldn’t it be the other way around? Normally Hitotsuba-san should be warning me not to peep at her when she’s taking a bath, right?
“Me? I would welcome you with open arms, wouldn’t I?”
If that’s the case, then why are you turning away and covering yourself with your arms? I’m really confused by your contradicting actions, so please match your words with your actions. Well, your red cheeks and pouting mouth were quite cute though.
“Yes, yes. Okay, fine. Then I’ll go and peek at you when I get the chance. But I don’t like to be peeped at, so please don’t do that.”
Ignoring Hitotsuba-san’s pouting which was quite cute, I took out my underwear, pajamas and bath towel from the suitcase I had packed. For some reason, the house was equipped with TVs, recorders, humidifying air purifiers, and other appliances, but no washing machines or refrigerators. There were pots, pans, and knives, but no tableware. What am I supposed to do without those?
“I say, we should go shopping tomorrow. We’ll go to an electronics store in the morning to pick out a washing machine and a refrigerator. Then we’ll go to Kappabashi (Footnote: A district in Tokyo for products for the kitchen such as kitchen utensils.) to pick out some dishewares. I can pick them out on my own, but I want to go shopping with Yuya-kun…”
When I asked her about it while waiting for my bath to be ready, she told me that this was what she had planned to do. I could understand why a man and a woman who had just started cohabiting together would go shopping with each other, but should this really be applied to high school students? And what about the money? I mean, your father is the president of an electronics company, right? Why don’t you just get them all there?
“My father said we should choose the things that are related to our daily life such as refrigerators and washing machines by properly looking at them ourselves and listening to the shopkeeper’s recommendation. Isn’t that so?”
I didn’t have a choice in this matter, and if I had to say, I agreed with him. Most people think anything will do so long as it gets the job done, but when it comes to something that you use every day, it’s better to check out the items personally before choosing. Besides, isn’t it exciting to shop for your own appliances?
“Yeah, I also agree. We’re going to live together from now on, so let’s choose something we’re both happy with. Hmm. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
It was like a dream. I thought I was going to become Taka-san’s younger brother when my sh*tty father fled overseas after getting into debt. But Hitotsuba-san saved me, and in return, we decided to live together and get married in the future, regardless of my intentions. To the outsiders, this might seem like a win-win situation. And in fact, I thought so too.
“Now that the bath is ready, let’s go in. I’m going to wash your back.”
“Don’t try to go in with me so naturally. Even if you’re okay with it, I’m still embarrassed. So please stay outside.”
I gently flicked her forehead and headed into the bathroom alone before quickly locking the door to prevent any intrusion. The doorknob rattled.
“That’s strange! Yuya-kun! What should I do! The door won’t open!”
Hitotsuba-san was making a lot of noise, but I ignored it. The rattling sound was eventually replaced by knocks which then turned into loud bangs. But I also ignored all of these noises.
“Huh… I don’t want to become dependent on you.”
I wondered how many days I could endure. No, maybe I already…
I thought to myself as I slowly soaked myself in the bathtub.
… Oh right, there was also the bedroom problem. What should I do? Do we have to sleep side by side on the same bed?
