Episode 187: The Creature Called a Man

Sara-san started clearing away the dishes from dinner, so I stepped in a bit forcefully to help.

Maybe she’s gotten used to it, or maybe she just reached a compromise, but she’s finally started letting me help out. Even if it is only carrying the dishes to the sink.

「Kazunari-san, I’ll be there in just a moment, so please wait for me in the bathroom.」

I knew it.

I figured that would happen since Sara-san seemed fully intent on pampering me today. It wasn’t a surprise.

I can already feel a battle coming… my own lonely battle.

But it’s okay. My self-restraint won’t lose.

…But in reality, Sara-san is way too defenseless around a man like me.

Whether it’s the bath or when we sleep, what if I misunderstand? What if I lose control?

It wouldn’t be a mystery if things took a turn for the extreme.

I don’t really want to think about these things… or rather, I’ve been trying not to, but no matter how pure and innocent Sara-san is, there’s no way she doesn’t know about「those things」as general knowledge.

Of course, I have zero intention of asking her directly, so this is just my own guess… but maybe what she doesn’t know is「what a man is actually like.」

Sara-san has rejected men until now, but, and it’s embarrassing to say, she’s opened her heart to me for the first time. In other words, until now, she had absolutely zero contact with men even as friends, and she had no interest or concern for men in general.

So, she doesn’t realize at all that her actions might lead a man to「misunderstand,」and she’s probably never even considered it. That’s my theory. I don’t think I’m far off.

That’s exactly why I think she’s so pure and innocent.

I’m certain Sara-san is devoted to me out of pure affection. Even if something like sharing a bath is a bit embarrassing for her, she’s doing it because she thinks I’ll be happy.

So if I understand that from the start, then my only job is to wish for her to stay exactly as she is while I fight with myself to make sure I don’t misunderstand or lose control.

Mayumi-san probably realized that too, which is why she said it would be fine as long as I was the one being careful.

Alright, analysis complete!

The reason I suddenly thought all this was just to remind myself that I understand the situation.

It looks like there’s going to be a lot to deal with today too.

Sigh… this waiting time always makes me nervous…

I sit on the bathroom stool and wait for Sara-san to arrive.

I can already hear her moving around in the changing room, so she’s probably getting… ready.

「Kazunari-san, excuse me.」

Click

After calling out through the door from the changing room, Sara-san opened it.

I caught her figure in the corner of my eye to avoid staring, and it looks like she’s wearing a bath garment this time.

Thank goodness. If she did that bath towel thing again, I might actually collapse…

「I am sorry to keep you waiting. Were you not cold?」

「I’m fine. It’s not winter ye…」

Pat… pat…

Sara-san’s warm palms slowly touched my shoulders and upper arms.

Wh-what is she…

「You’re a bit cold… I’m sorry, let’s warm you up first.」

Sara-san picked up the shower nozzle and let it run for a bit to check the temperature before muttering,「It’s fine now.」

Then she started spraying the shower on my shoulders, moving it slowly from side to side. The warmth felt great.

She took my right arm and spread it out slightly, spraying the water there too.

「…Oh?」

Suddenly, Sara-san let out a small sound as if she noticed something.

「Eh? Is something wrong?」

I wonder what it is. Nothing should be different…

「…No, my apologies. I’m sure it was just my imagination.」

?

I’m not sure what that was about, but if she says it’s her imagination, I’ll let it go.

Honestly, I’ve got my hands full just keeping it together, so I can’t really worry about other things.

But even though she said it was her imagination, Sara-san still seemed curious as she kept patting and stroking my shoulders and upper arms (my biceps and triceps) as if to confirm something.

「U-um, Sara-san? That’s a little ticklish…」

「Eh?」

Apparently, she’d been doing it unconsciously. Sara-san let out a bit of a dazed sound and stopped moving when I pointed it out.

Maybe she’s finally realizing that she was just stroking my shoulders and arms? Her hands are still touching me, and though she’s silent, I can feel them starting to tremble.

「I-I am so sorry!! How rude of me…」

Sara-san pulled her hands away abruptly, and in her panic, she even dropped the shower nozzle.

It happened to be pointed right at me, and the hot water hit me square in the head, soaking me completely.

「Whoa!」

I accidentally let out a yelp at the sudden spray, which only made Sara-san panic even more.

「Ah! I-I am so sorry!!」

Sara-san hurried to turn off the water and pick up the nozzle.

「Uugh…」

Even without looking, I could feel how dejected she was from behind.

I should probably follow up on that.

「Um, Sara-san? We’re in the bath anyway, so it doesn’t really matter if I get soaked or get water on my head. It just saves me the trouble of wetting my hair to wash it.」

「……Then at least, could you let me wash your hair, Kazunari-san?」

Eh?

Well, I guess letting her wash my hair is fine.

「Um, sure. If you’d like.」

「Yes!」

Hearing her voice brighten up instantly, I felt her presence move closer to my back.

It looks like she’s stepped in.

「Well then, excuse me.」

Scrub, scrub, scrub…

Sara-san gently washed my lathered head.

She even threw in some movements that felt like a massage, kneading my head with her fingers.

It felt so good that I let out a satisfied sigh.

「Fufu…」

I heard Sara-san let out a tiny giggle near my ear.

「Something up?」

「No, I’m just happy. Being able to wash your body like this, and even your hair today… Kazunari-san, you accept everything I want to do for you, don’t you?」

「…I’ve already decided to accept you as you are, Sara-san.」

「Yes. Being able to actually feel that makes me happy.」

She rinsed the foam off with the shower, and my head was finished.

Next is my back… or so I thought, but it didn’t come.

While I was wondering what was up, I felt the sensation of two palms pressing against my back.

And then, there was another sensation right between them… what is that?

「You’re so warm… my beloved Kazunari-san’s back…」

The sensation on my back moved slightly along with Sara-san’s voice. Is that… her face? So she’s leaning against my back with her hands and her face?

「Sara-san?」

「Every time I saw the girls in my group washing each other’s bodies in the bath during the trip, I thought about how much I wanted to wash your body once I returned, Kazunari-san. And now, seeing your back right in front of me, I truly feel like I’ve come back to you… Being able to touch you like this, instead of through a phone screen, makes me so happy…」

Sara-san explained her feelings slowly, sounding a bit hesitant as if she was searching for the right words.

You only realize how much you appreciate the mundane things once you can’t do them anymore. When you can’t meet or touch someone every day, you realize just how precious those moments were.

So both Sara-san and I truly felt just how happy we were to be able to do this right now.

Sara-san kept her face pressed against my back as she gently moved her hands in a stroking motion.

It was a bit ticklish, but I endured it.

「It’s hard to tell when you’re wearing clothes… but look, even when I do this, it’s still so broad. Your back is so big, Kazunari-san.」

Sara-san spoke with a bit of a playful tone, pressing her face and hands against my back like she was leaning against a wall.

「Kazunari-san… it doesn’t have to be every day. Even if it’s just when I wash your back in the bath like this. Is it alright if I… act like a pampered baby again?」

「I’m usually the one being pampered, so if anything, I should be the one…」

「I’m sorry, I am a selfish woman. I do want to be pampered like this sometimes, but I still want you to be the one leaning on me more in our daily lives. So please, pamper yourself with me as much as you want for the rest of today. I want you to. But…」

She leaned even closer as she said that, pressing her whole body against my back.

「Just for now… please let me be pampered by you…」

Even though we were in the unusual setting of a bathroom, the atmosphere was very gentle and full of affection. I felt so much love for the warmth of Sara-san against my back that I would’ve turned around and hugged her instantly if the situation were different.

「You really are so warm… Kazunari-san… I love you…」

Sara-san’s gentle voice reached my ears like a whispered confession.

Honestly, Sara-san is just so kind, so cute, and so precious…

If Sara-san is going to be this pampered, I find myself thinking that I wouldn’t mind being the one to invite her to the bath myself.

Though, the invitation itself would probably sound incredibly dangerous…

The bath time, which I thought would be a battle with myself, turned out to be a time of pure happiness that left my heart feeling warm and full.

Sara-san is in the bath now, so I’ll get the futons ready in the meantime.

I know that even if I leave a gap between them, Sara-san will just fix it immediately. So I’ll just lay them down side-by-side from the start… though it’s a pretty wild sight as always.

While I was thinking about that, the changing room door opened with a click, and Sara-san stepped out after her bath. She headed straight for her trunk and tucked some things away, then seemed to pull something else out.

Noticing that I was watching, she raised it to the side of her face to guide my eyes and gave a little wave with it between her fingertips.

Yep, that’s definitely an earpick.

With a bright smile, Sara-san took my hand and led me to the bed, then sat down on the edge. Since she was still holding my hand, she gave it a little tug, and I ended up sitting right next to her.

Then she let go and started patting her lap to make her point.

「Um…」

「Kazunari-san, let’s clean your ears too, okay?」

It looks like that earpick wasn’t for her, but something she’d prepared specifically to use on me.

Meaning, she’s going to clean my ears while giving me a lap pillow?

Realizing that, I didn’t hold back and slowly lowered my body. Sara-san placed her hand on my head to guide me into position.

Following her lead and being careful not to bump her, I slowly rested my head on her thighs. Maybe because of the thin pajama fabric, the soft sensation and warmth of Sara-san’s thighs were transmitted directly to my face.

Maybe it’s because she’s fresh out of the bath, but that cozy warmth felt incredible.

「You mustn’t move, okay? Just relax and make yourself comfortable.」

She made that declaration while stroking my head, then placed her hand on my head and turned my face to the side. It looks like we’re starting with the left ear.

「I’ll begin now.」

I relaxed and leaned into her as she said, and I felt the sensation of something being gently inserted into my ear.

Humming…

Sara-san started cleaning my ears while sounding very cheerful.

She seems pretty used to it, but…

「Sara-san, have you ever cleaned someone’s ears before?」

「Actually, I had Natsumi help me with it before; I practiced on her.」

「Practiced?」

「Yes. I wanted to be able to do this for you eventually, Kazunari-san.」

Sara-san kept talking to me without stopping her hands.

I couldn’t see her face, but her tone sounded a bit bashful.

「I’m happy that the time has finally come to show you the results. But from this point on, I actually haven’t practiced. I only received oral instructions from my mother the other day, so I hope I can do it well…」

From this point on?

Is there anything else you’re supposed to do with an earpick?

While I was wondering, it seemed she finished the internal cleaning and flipped the earpick around.

「Since I haven’t practiced this, it might be a little ticklish, but please bear with it.」

The white, fluffy end… she started tickling the surface of my ear with the bonten, and a ticklish sensation ran through me. But it felt good, too, so it wasn’t like I really had to「bear」with it.

So the thing she hadn’t practiced was this…

「Alright, now for the finishing touch.」

「The finishing touch?」

「Yes. Be a good boy, okay?」

Sara-san leaned forward slightly, bringing her face close to my ear.

At the same time, something soft descended…

「Fuuuuuuuuu…」

!!!!!!!!!!??????

…I don’t think I’ll ever forget that shock for the rest of my life.

Actually, I still have one ear left.