After saying goodbye to Fujiwara Chika, Natsukawa Kanade returned home, changed clothes, washed up, and sank into the bathtub.
The day's fatigue vanished instantly.
—Taking a bath really is one of humanity's greatest inventions!
Ever since he arrived in that world and tried bathing for the first time, he became addicted to the sensation of being wrapped in warm water.
He couldn't go a day without it.
If he paired it with some interesting videos, he could overcome any hardship.
He opened his phone to look for something fun, but his attention was drawn to a message in the notification bar.
—Eri? You want to talk to me, don't you?
The message was blurry, half-hidden by the bathroom steam.
—Excuse me, but… may I ask… where are you…?
—I… Sawamura, I have something… to ask…
Replying was awkward with wet hands.
Typing was hard, but he managed to send:
—Can we talk on the phone?
He thought he'd have to wait, but got an instant reply:
—Yes! Of course! But please wait a moment!
—Alright.
Kanade nodded.
He already had an idea of what Eriri wanted to say.
Meanwhile, in a villa decorated with a mix of Japanese and British styles, a blonde girl jumped up from her chair in a panic.
She dropped her brush, grabbed her phone with both hands, and her eyes sparkled with excitement.
—He got my message! Hehehe…
But her expression changed immediately.
—No, no! This isn't the time to laugh, Eriri! You have to change clothes fast! I can't let Kanade see me looking this messy!
—Wait! Zou just wanted to talk, not video call. Why change?
—But what if… what if Zou really wants to video call me…?
—Ahhh! Whatever! Change clothes first!
Eriri screamed as if trying to silence her useless brain.
She followed her heart.
But the next second, her face twisted in pain.
—Oww! Crisis, crisis!
She was barefoot, and when she hit the table leg, the damage was total.
The pain shot straight to her head.
Looking down, she saw her snow-white foot smashed against the wood.
Her big toe was bent out of shape.
She crouched down, rubbing it hard, groaning nonstop.
The pain was unique… but so was Kanade's chat invitation.
She couldn't delay any longer!
—I just stubbed my toe…
But she'd power through!
She jumped up.
If she moved fast enough, she could ignore the pain!
But what followed was a loud "Duang."
Eriri crouched again, tears in her eyes.
She had hit her head.
Her toes protested, her brain sent warnings…
Did she really not want to talk to Kanade?
Then she had to do it!
Whether it was table legs or cricket hills, she'd knock them all down!
This time she was more careful.
She stood up holding the table corner, made sure not to bump into anything, and ran to the closet.
—What should I wear…?
She couldn't show up in that green work outfit.
But choosing clothes would take time.
What if she made Kanade wait too long?
In that case… there was no other choice!
She looked at the red dress hidden in the deepest corner of the closet.
The one she wore on her first date with Kanade… well, photo shoot.
If anything symbolized emotional connection, it was that.
She grabbed it without hesitation.
Put it on quickly and tossed the work clothes aside.
Then she thought it'd be bad if someone took a photo, so she shoved the clothes under the bed.
—All set now!
But looking around, she saw the room was a mess.
The doll Kanade gave her was lying on the bed, discarded drawings all over the floor…
—Ahhh! How long are you going to keep getting in my way?
Eriri was losing it.
But she had to do it.
She started cleaning again.
It took time, but she managed.
—Finally, everything's okay now…
She sat upright on the bed, breathing hard, hands trembling.
—I-I'm ready!
After sending the message, she got nervous again.
The room was tidy… but what about her?
What if her hair was messy? What if she hadn't done her makeup?
What if Kanade thought she was ugly?
She might as well find a block of tofu and smash her head against it!
But it was too late to regret.
She saw the message marked "read," and instantly received a video call invitation.
—Of course it's a video call!
Eriri was surprised, but also felt lucky.
Thankfully, she had just cleaned up.
Otherwise, Kanade would've seen her as a messy girl.
—Good evening, Sawamura-kun.
Kanade's voice came through the phone.
"…"
Eriri's eyes were blank, but her heart was a whirlwind.
Play, play, play… he's not wearing clothes!
"!!!"
She wanted to scold him for his shamelessness, but couldn't speak.
She was sinking deeper and deeper.
She even forgot to cover her eyes.
That muscular body… those abs…
She couldn't control herself!
—Hello? Can you hear me?
—Kekekeke… it's fine!
Eriri raised her voice, trying to steady herself.
—Sorry to talk like this. I'm in the bath and the screen's a bit foggy, so typing's not easy.
"!"
He's bathing!
Eriri reacted instantly.
No wonder he was naked.
He was just bathing.
What a mistake! Who video calls while bathing? This isn't a fantasy world!
No… on second thought…
Maybe he hit the wrong button?
Meant to call, but tapped video by accident?
The more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
Her little face blushed.
She wanted to admire Kanade's perfect figure, but was afraid he'd notice her staring.
And remind him he was naked?
Why bother?
She needed reference material anyway!
Drawing the human body…
It wasn't the first time Kanade had been her model!
Well… it was the first time.
But still… let's just say it!
What if he wanted to send the video anyway?
If she refused, wouldn't it seem like she cared too much?
She doesn't care!
Not one bit!