Watching the girl pour body wash into her palm, Kaoru wasn't sure what expression to make—he hadn't expected her to actually agree.

At this moment, due to the earlier back-washing, Ichinose Honami's uniform was slightly damp.

While using the showerhead, water had inevitably splashed onto her, soaking the front of her shirt.

The white fabric gradually turned translucent, revealing skin and delicate collarbones, the faintly indented lines somewhat alluring.

Similarly, the damp shirt clung tightly to the girl's full, perky chest—mature and tantalizing in just that aspect.

Crouched in front of Kaoru, the slightly short skirt hinted at a half-glimpse of something mysterious, while her smooth, snow-white thighs pressed against her calves, outlining plump curves.

Her knees were faintly flushed, utterly endearing.

As she raised her eyes, Kaoru instinctively covered his legs slightly—his desires had been running a bit too high lately, thanks to Karuizawa Kei's.

"Gulp... I shouldn't have agreed to this. It's way too embarrassing."

The moment their eyes met, Ichinose Honami had already turned her flushed face away, clearly realizing the overwhelming impact of facing each other like this.

"Looking at you like this, Honami, you're really adorable—it's almost like a motherly feeling," Kaoru began spouting nonsense again

. "Don't be shy. Just think of me as a baby and help wipe me down."

"How could there possibly be a high school baby?" Ichinose glared at him reproachfully.

But the mention of babies inevitably made her feel bashful.

At her age, she was no longer naive—she knew exactly how babies were made.

"The one right in front of you is one," Kaoru shamelessly retorted—or rather, he had been harboring such thoughts all along.

Ichinose didn't want to indulge him.

Biting her lip, she suppressed her shame and nervousness, slowly reaching out toward him.

With the slippery soap aiding her movements, her palm pressed against his chest, her fingertips tracing the contours of his muscles as if caressing him.

Her face burned, and her heart pounded uncontrollably.

Just as Kaoru seemed to be scrutinizing her body, she too had been stealing glances at his—filled with youthful vigor, brimming with vitality, undeniably strong and robust no matter how she looked at it.

Before this, she would never have paid attention to a boy's physique.

Yet now, she couldn't help but stare, and when she touched Kaoru, her chest fluttered like a startled deer, her entire body trembling with an indescribably strange sensation.

To make matters worse, Kaoru only had a towel wrapped around his waist, leaving the rest of his body completely exposed to Ichinose's gaze.

Considering she had never even held a boy's hand before, this level of impact was simply too much for the young girl!

Unaware of the chaotic thoughts swirling in her mind, Kaoru only felt ticklish under her touch.

Seeing her flushed face, he couldn't resist teasing her, poking her cheek playfully.

"D-Don't move around!"

Ichinose seemed genuinely annoyed, but Kaoru paid no heed to her.

Instead, he chuckled and patted her head.

The girl before him exuded a shy charm—her crimson cheeks, delicate lips, and fiery glare only adding to her allure.

Facing each other like this inevitably led to such situations.

Kaoru could enjoy her attentions while amusing himself by teasing her.

"If you keep moving, I won't help you anymore!"

"Ahem, I just wanted to praise you, Honami. You're doing great—it feels really nice. But your clothes seem a bit wet."

"Because you won't stop fidgeting!"

"My bad. You should take it off then. It's your school uniform—it'd be bad if it got dirty."

"..."

Ichinose felt she really ought to get angry this time.

This guy was getting carried away—not only did he make her wipe him down, but he also kept teasing her.

"Wash yourself. I'm leaving." The girl put on a stern face, rinsing the soap off his body and her hands with the showerhead before preparing to stand up.

"Wait—"

Before Kaoru could finish, he saw Ichinose sway unsteadily as she rose, prompting him to quickly reach out to steady her.

The next moment, Ichinose Honami's legs gave out, and she collapsed into his arms.

Having been squatting for so long, the numbness from poor blood circulation left her too weak to stand, and she instinctively reached out for something to steady herself.

Caught off guard, she ended up sprawled directly across Kaoru's lap.

"Are you okay?" Kaoru asked, supporting her shoulders, his heart pounding with fear.

A fall here could have been serious.

"Guh..." Ichinose didn't respond. Instead, she lifted her flushed face, their gazes locking.

Kaoru immediately realized the gravity of the situation.

He had already noticed where the girl had bumped into him—her entire face had been buried between his legs just moments ago.

"Because Honami is so cute, so—"

"N-no, don't say it!" Ichinose cut him off, her face burning with embarrassment, as if trying to reassure herself.

"I know it's just a normal physiological reaction! It's no big deal, not a problem at all!"

Liar.

How could it not be a problem? She had practically thrown herself onto it.

If not for the towel blocking the way, her lips might have touched it.

Uwah, why did it have to press up against her while she was talking?

The distance was so close that Ichinose couldn't help but notice the suspicious bulge in the towel right in front of her.

Only a few centimeters separated her from it—as if she might accidentally brush against it at any moment.

"N-no! Absolutely not!"

Panicked, Ichinose scrambled to get off him, moving as fast as a frightened rabbit.

However, she failed to notice what she was still clutching in her hand.

"Wait, Honami!" Kaoru had already realized, but it was too late to stop her.

This time, Ichinose didn't fall.

She managed to stand up smoothly—but in doing so, she also took Kaoru's towel with her.

Swish—

Ichinose snapped back to reality, sensing something off about the texture in her grip.

She looked down at the towel in her hands, then instinctively turned her gaze toward Kaoru—only for her pupils to tremble in shock.

"UWAH—?!"

Her scream was practically an air-raid siren.

The sight was far too impactful for the young girl's soul—especially the sight of that intimidating thing.

It was her first time seeing the real deal, and her face burned so hot she thought steam might shoot from her head.

She covered her cheeks with both hands.

"N-not now! I-I'm not ready yet! Absolutely not!"

Watching her peer through her fingers, face crimson as she stared at him, Kaoru was at a loss for words.

He could only shield himself below while standing up.

"It's a normal physiological reaction, and I wasn't planning to do anything to you tonight."

Whether he had any such intentions beforehand or not, his priority now was to calm Ichinose down.

He softened his voice.

"Uh… could I have my towel back?"

"Eh? The towel?" Ichinose froze.

She suddenly realized that while covering her face, she was still holding Kaoru's towel—meaning she had pressed it against her own cheeks.

"Guh—!"

A despairing shriek echoed through the bathroom, followed by complete chaos.

"Honami, don't run around!"

"H-here's your towel back!"

"Watch the floor!"

"Uwah!"

With a dull thud, the panicked little rabbit slipped and suddenly fell backward.

Had Kaoru not anticipated this, she might have hit her head on the ground.

Ichinose Honami cautiously opened her eyes and realized she was lying on something soft rather than the cold floor.

"Hiss—"

A pained hiss came from above.

Only then did Ichinose realize she had fallen into Kaoru's arms, her head bumping against his abdomen.

"Does it hurt?"

Instinctively, Ichinose tried to sit up, but her arm accidentally brushed against a certain spot, eliciting another sharp inhale from Kaoru.

"Wait, Honami, don't move there."

Ichinose looked down and saw that she had been pressing down on him earlier.

Gone was his usual imposing demeanor—now he looked like a severely injured caterpillar.

"This is all my fault," the girl said guiltily. "I'll call a doctor right away. You can't die."

Seeing her on the verge of tears, Kaoru felt both helpless and amused.

Weakly, he reassured her, "I won't die. My body isn't like an ordinary person's. I'll recover quickly."

"You can't lie to me," Ichinose bit her lip tightly, scanning his body before reaching to check his head, afraid she might find traces of blood.

"Really, I'm fine." Kaoru slowly sat up.

Thanks to past rewards that enhanced his physical abilities, his body, though seemingly ordinary, was actually special.

Ichinose stared at him silently, like a child who had done something wrong.

"You should go out first. I'll join you for dinner after I shower, or the food will get cold," Kaoru said softly.

He wasn't sure how to comfort her—it wasn't like he could just straighten up and regain his usual imposing air.

"I'll wait for you outside." Ichinose handed him the towel, glancing back repeatedly as she stepped out of the bathroom.

Once she was gone, Kaoru checked himself over—nothing seemed broken.

Though he had claimed he was going to shower, he only soaked briefly before quickly stepping out.

He hadn't been lying about one thing: Ichinose really was a great "mother."

Her cooking skills were exceptional.

Even though he'd tasted her homemade lunches before, these dishes still impressed him.

Kaoru had originally planned to call it a night there.

After all, Karuizawa Kei had been frequently visiting his room lately, and with Ichinose around too, it wouldn't be long before others took notice.

However, he hadn't anticipated Ichinose's reaction.

"Kaoru… should I take a look?"

After dinner, the girl nervously made this request.

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