"All right, Kikukawa-san, rest here for now. Let me know if it gets too cold, and I'll adjust the air conditioner."
"Thank you, Doctor-oneesan~"
"Oh my, such a sweet talker."
In the infirmary, the nurse handed a fresh towel to Kyo, who sat comfortably on the small bed. With practiced ease, Kyo lifted her shirt and quickly began drying the sweat that had accumulated from just the brief walk from the cafeteria.
Sometimes, it really is easier interacting with adults, Kyo thought idly.
Adults treated her as a child, viewing things from entirely different perspectives than her peers. Especially among women, changing clothes or drying sweat was something she could comfortably do in front of them without any embarrassment.
Kyo carefully wiped her front, deftly reaching beneath her clothes to address areas prone to sweating, such as around her waistband where her skirt trapped moisture and the sensitive junction between her waist and legs.
She was also meticulous about drying under her arms. At moments like these, Kyo was quietly thankful her figure hadn't developed extensively in certain areas, sparing her from additional complications that girls normally faced—even those without her excessive sweating.
However, when it came to drying her back, Kyo found it awkward and uncomfortable to do alone. Naturally, her back was always the worst sweat zone.
This was another advantage of interacting with adults. Kyo turned toward the nurse without hesitation, "Doctor-oneesan, could you help dry my back, please?"
"Of course."
The nurse agreed promptly, without hesitation. If it had been someone else… Kyo mentally imagined the reactions of her friends.
Sakiko would lecture her about modesty and manners first, blushing with eyes tightly shut while reluctantly helping. Anon might actually be quite carefree about it, considering how openly bold she'd been at Kyo's home before. Tomori would freeze, struggle with words, then encourage herself internally and vigorously start wiping.
Soyo, being naturally considerate, would likely do it without embarrassment—unless it required actually taking clothes off, of course. Rikki's first reaction, regardless of what happened afterward, would definitely be a puzzled "Huh?" As for Mutsumi… Haha, Kyo genuinely couldn't predict whether she'd silently accept the towel with a blank expression or blush shyly and avert her eyes. Both seemed equally possible.
After handing over the towel, Kyo sat up straight, exposing her back by lifting her shirt up to her shoulders and entrusting it to the nurse.
"Slender, proportionate, fair-skinned—and not too thin. Just right," the nurse remarked in a tone that seemed oddly academic. "You really have a beautifully balanced body, Kikukawa-san."
Hmm... why does "academic observation" sound oddly suspicious? Maybe blame that particular influencer from a certain trendy platform…
"Even your choice of underwear is sensible. Honestly, you girls try far too hard to act mature. At your age, wearing 'ordinary' clothes is healthiest. Dressing in those supposedly 'sexy' styles isn't suitable for kids..."
The nurse muttered quietly, mildly annoyed. Years spent as a high school nurse had exposed her to plenty of outwardly innocent students who secretly wore far bolder lingerie beneath their uniforms.
Seeing such made her unsure how to react other than gentle admonishment—though most students hardly took the advice to heart.
Finding someone as refreshingly wholesome as Kyo was genuinely rare.
With satisfaction, the nurse quickly dried Kyo's back, aware that prolonged exposure in the air-conditioned room wasn't good either.
"All done. Rest well now. And if this excessive sweating persists, I'd suggest visiting a proper hospital. You could develop heat rash easily, so don't ignore it just because it's only sweat."
"Yes, I understand."
Kyo's excuse for coming to the infirmary was obviously her abnormal sweating condition, which required no further pretense.
Though, interestingly enough, she'd never once developed a heat rash. Her body seemed perfectly adapted to handling such constant moisture.
She comfortably settled onto the infirmary's white bed, even pulling the blanket up. It felt surprisingly cozy in the air-conditioned room.
With some time left before class ended, Kyo decided to use this break to consider what she needed to handle in the coming days.
First was the band. Even before she'd officially joined, the others had already added her to the LINE group chat. Based on their recent discussions, it seemed they weren't planning to meet this weekend.
She hadn't yet informed Anon, Tomori, or Rikki about joining the band. That day at her home, soaking in the bath had muddled her thoughts. She'd nearly fallen asleep afterward, forgetting to share the news with the other two girls.
But it wasn't a big deal—she could save it as a pleasant surprise when they finally met up. After all, they hadn't even settled on a musical direction yet, so her joining wouldn't disrupt any existing plans.
That left her weekend conveniently open to revisit the agency where she'd gone during summer break for her Sumimi activities. Ms. Shu had already messaged, saying her new Sumimi-style outfit was ready.
If she started practicing a new song this week, releasing it just as Sumimi's popularity began waning slightly would be perfect for renewing her momentum.
I've heard that Uika often skips school for idol activities… perhaps I'll need to request leave as well.
Then there was Wakatama-ji Wakaba-san's project. What had initially been planned as just a simple video shoot had evolved into hosting a livestream at VA-11. That sounded like it would be very interesting.
Wakaba-san seemed extremely motivated to boost her social media channel's growth lately. She'd even recently asked if Kyo knew of any entertainment-industry opportunities like photoshoots that might help her gain exposure, clearly ambitious.
Reflecting on everything, Kyo realized she had quite a packed schedule ahead.
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T/N: Rikki is Taki's nickname! cute isnt it