Chapter 2: Someone in the Bathroom

“Asano-san, do you have any other clothes you can lend me to wear? I didn’t bring any spare change of clothes.”

“Uh… is a white shirt okay?”

How did things develop into this?

Listening to the pattering water sounds coming from the bathroom, a huge doubt arose in Asano Toru’s heart.

Isn’t this girl treating herself a bit too much like an insider?

We only just met for the first time, right?

We should still be in the category of strangers, shouldn’t we?

Who would directly go take a bath in a stranger’s home?

In other words, is her sense of caution a bit too low….

Asano sighed and casually closed the lid of the open laundry basket.

The bathroom door suddenly pulled open a narrow crack, strands of warm water vapor wrapped in the scent of body wash surged out, and a fair arm dotted with water droplets reached out from the crack in the door.

“Sorry to trouble you, Asano-san, please pass me the clothes~”

Sinful, sinful….

Asano silently recited in his heart and pinched the corner of the shirt to pass it over.

The moment her fingers touched the fabric, Amamiya immediately withdrew her hand and closed the bathroom door with a reverse motion.

Although she had her previous-life mindset as a bottom line, Amamiya wouldn’t go so far as to blush and have her heart race just from taking a shower at a guy’s place, but she still knew the sense of propriety between men and women.

She was also clear that her current behavior was just like that of an ignorant girl who completely lacked common sense and didn’t know how to protect herself outside.

Mm…. but if it’s Asano Toru, it should be fine, right?

In her continuous observations over the days, Amamiya Shizuru discovered that although this guy was doing this kind of work, he had an extremely strong sense of propriety and would never do anything that crossed the line.

So in the end, was it just because of the pressures of life?

Amamiya took a disposable towel and slowly wiped the water droplets from her long hair.

Of course, if Asano really had any thoughts he shouldn’t have, then it would be time for Amamiya to let him know what the secret arts of the Amamiya family were!

The Amamiya family was an old family with a long history in the Tokyo area.

Besides receiving the etiquette education of a young lady from a young age, she also studied kendo, kyudo, karate, and so on.

Her grandfather was an old man stubborn to the bone, firmly believing that children of the Amamiya family, regardless of gender, must be able to protect themselves, so the sweat she shed in the dojo was no less than anyone else’s.

But if it really came to that, it would mean she had misjudged, and she would have to spend effort finding someone else again.

What a hassle.

Amamiya pulled open the door, and hot air carrying a faint fragrance surged out.

Amamiya Shizuru walked in the water vapor, wearing only that oversized white shirt on her body.

The hem of the shirt just barely covered the middle of her thighs, revealing two fair and smooth long legs.

Barefoot on the cool wooden floor, her toes tinged with a pale pink like early cherry blossoms, the collar loosely open, a shallow hollow sunk into her collarbones, wet hair draped over the side of her shoulders.

A soft curve supported at her chest, gently swaying with her footsteps.

Asano shifted his gaze toward the window, but the room was only so big, and even if Asano deliberately averted his eyes, his peripheral vision still couldn’t help drifting over there.

Empty under the hem of the shirt… she couldn’t be…… not wearing anything?

“If you want to look, you can come closer.” Amamiya said nonchalantly.

“Cough cough.. cough…”

He really couldn’t understand.

Did this person completely not regard him as the opposite sex?

To be able to say something like that.

“Amamiya-san, it’s better not to make jokes like that. After all, I am a normal male who is healthy in both body and mind.” 

Asano opened the fridge and took out orange juice.

“It’s fine. It’s normal for Asano-san to have such a reaction. If Asano-san, after seeing me, instead remained calm and unmoved, then I would have to suspect your sexual orientation or that you were plotting something even worse.”

Amamiya never doubted her own charm.

Moreover, Asano’s reaction was exactly what she hoped to see.

“…….” 

Asano originally wanted to say she was overconfident, but upon thinking carefully, he found that Amamiya’s looks were indeed extremely high.

He had never seen anyone as beautiful as her.

In other words, only someone with equally outstanding looks like Asano could be immune to her appearance attack, but even he, upon closer inspection, would unconsciously blush.

How terrifying.

Could she be the incarnation of a goddess of beauty who had descended to the mortal world?

But another doubt arose.

Logically speaking, someone with such outstanding appearance, even if not surrounded by stars, should at least have a group of friends around her.

But from what Asano knew, Amamiya Shizuru seemed particularly isolated at school, with no one daring to approach her.

According to some people who had spoken with Amamiya, as well as rumors from the girls’ side, Amamiya Shizuru was extremely cold and arrogant.

Under her gaze, no one dared to be friends with her, and she seemed to enjoy it.

It was simply isolating the entire school with her own power alone!

“Have you been living here all along?” Amamiya Shizuru looked around.

The room was tidy and odorless, with no embarrassing private items in sight, and the furniture style was also quite understated.

Much better than she had imagined.

Amamiya nodded to herself.

“I’ve lived here for about three months. After all…. Tokyo’s housing prices are very high. Being able to find such an apartment with suitable rent that’s also close to school is really lucky.”

Asano took out a disposable paper cup and poured in the orange juice he had just taken out.

“I hope Asano-san can join my student council.” Amamiya Shizuru got straight to the point.

“W-wait a minute!” 

Asano took out a tissue and wiped clean the orange juice he had just accidentally spilled.

“So, the reason Amamiya-san went so far as to get soaked in the rain to find me is just because she hopes I can join the student council?”

“‘Just’? Does Asano-san think I would demand something more important from you?”

Amamiya was puzzled.

Could it be that her previous behavior had been too proactive?

To the point of causing unnecessary misunderstandings.

It seemed she needed to correct it a bit.

“…No, the point isn’t here. I’m curious what strengths I have that Amamiya-san would take a fancy to.” 

Asano said, “Moreover, as far as I know, the student council elections haven’t even started yet, right?”

“That’s correct, but I am determined to obtain the seats for this term’s student council, and I alone clearly cannot establish it, so I need Asano-san to serve as my assistant.”

Amamiya lightly sipped a mouthful of orange juice.

Regarding this statement, Asano was very convinced.

Just relying on Amamiya’s looks alone, she could harvest a large batch of votes.

Although she had a bad reputation for her personality in school, in this era, the three views follow the five features, and most people wouldn’t care about her true temper.

But… most people didn’t care, Asano did!

In this short time of interaction, Asano Toru understood that this Amamiya-san was definitely not easy to get along with.

If he agreed, in the future he might encounter all sorts of unimaginable “torments.”

This was something Asano could not endure.

“This… please forgive me for refusing.”

She was refused, huh…..

Amamiya blinked her eyes and asked, “Can you tell me the reason?”

“Actually, it’s nothing much.” Asano threw out the prepared excuses, roughly things like “my abilities are insufficient and would drag her down,” “I still need to do part-time work and don’t have time,” and so on.

“Mm…..”

A normal person hearing Asano’s words would generally know the difficulty and retreat, but Amamiya would not.

Since it was someone she had decided on, don’t even think about escaping her palm.

Amamiya sat opposite Asano, lightly leaning her body forward, her elbows lightly propped on the tabletop, fingertips vaguely resting against her jaw, her loose black hair sliding down along her shoulder line.

The collar of the oversized shirt opened slightly with her forward lean, and below her collarbones, one could faintly see the white skin and the outline of the edge of her undergarments.

Why refuse me? 

Is it because I appeared too suddenly, or are the conditions not good enough? Amamiya Shizuru pondered.

This scene was like a light novel illustration, making it hard to look away.

Too close…. one could smell the fragrance of the body wash on the girl’s body.