The good times of the holiday always felt far too brief.
By the time Amane finished giving her dorm room its first proper deep cleaning, it was already close to 6 p.m.
Come to think of it, this was the first time she'd tidied up her little nest since moving in so many days ago.
After putting away the cleaning supplies, Amane opened the fridge. After browsing for a while, she finally settled on a chilled coconut drink. She then fetched some homemade ice cubes from the freezer.
She poured the coconut drink into a glass, then casually dropped in a couple of fresh milk ice cubes.
The sensation…
A shiver ran through Amane's entire body.
It wasn't that it was that delicious.
She was just seriously chilled.
After carefully putting the remaining ice cubes away, Amane decided to just grab a simple bite to eat.
After all, if Suzune wasn't around, she didn't need to go to great lengths planning her meals every single day. Getting by with three simple meals was perfectly fine.
But…
It did feel like something was missing, didn't it?
If Suzune were here, she'd always hypocritically claim the food was 'just okay,' then proceed to clean her plate spotless every time. She'd even complain, saying since Amane had such a big appetite, she should just cook more.
Those really were wonderful times.
Munching on her instant pasta, Amane browsed the school's internal forum, seeing if anything new was happening.
Just as she came across a post saying that Karuizawa and Hirata had started dating—before she could even finish the thought about how Hirata was truly the class exemplar, famous even in other classes—her phone suddenly rang.
Picking it up, she saw it was Kushida-chan calling.
Usually, Amane and Kushida's communication was mostly via text. Phone calls were rare… This was probably the first time Kushida had ever called her since Amane saved her number.
Must be something important, right?
Amane pressed the answer button.
"Hello? Is this Amane-san?" Kushida's voice sounded a bit rushed, seeming very anxious.
"It's me. Did something happen, Kikyo-chan?" For Kushida to be this worried, it probably wasn't a small matter, right?
"Well, I was just taking a shower, and right in the middle, the water heater broke! I called Meiyu and Ruri-chan, but Meiyu said she's watching Ruri-chan's club competition… You're the only one who can help right now, Amane-san. Please!"
Kushida's words made Amane blink in stunned confusion.
Wait… you need hot water for showers this time of year?
She'd always taken cold showers.
The only time she'd used hot water was that once when Horikita made her.
She'd thought Horikita was just afraid of the cold.
Now it seemed like she was the weird one!
"Of course, no problem! I'm in my dorm right now. Just bring a change of clothes and come over," Amane agreed readily.
After all, having the water heater break mid-shower… no matter how you thought about it, that was a real headache, right?
"Thank you so much, Amane-san! I'll be right there."
"Mhmm."
After hanging up, Amane went ahead and turned on the water heater to start warming the water, making sure it'd be ready the moment Kushida arrived. She was pretty thoughtful about these kinds of things.
Roughly three minutes later, Amane heard a knock at the door.
The moment Amane opened the door, Kushida, draped in her school uniform, swiftly slipped inside.
Amane didn't quite see what had darted in at first.
Only after closing the door did she realize just how Kushida was…
"Kikyo-chan, why did you come out dressed like this?"
Amane's face flushed slightly as she pointed accusingly at Kushida's attire, before finally just covering her eyes—though her fingers were spread quite wide.
"Sorry, I just never expected the water heater to break like that. I'd already washed my casual clothes, so this was all I could wear," Kushida said bashfully, covering her chest with her hands.
Kushida's current outfit consisted of a towel wrapped around her body, with her school uniform jacket worn backwards over it. The lower half was more normal—just the school's notoriously drafty mini-skirt, and… ahem, black…
Amane declared she saw nothing.
"Eeeh, Amane-san, no peeking!"
Unlike the always-serious Horikita, even though Kushida said that, she didn't really make much effort to cover up. She just drew a cute 'X' in the air in front of Amane with her finger, then took off the school jacket.
What was wrapped in the towel was a figure rather… advanced for their grade level.
Now that she thought about it…
Amane glanced down at her own.
'This is a worthy rival,' she thought.
"I would not peek," Amane retorted, without much confidence.
"Heehee, I'm just teasing. Well then, I'll go take my shower. I'll borrow your bathroom, Amane-san. Of course, if you want to, we could always shower together~" Kushida, who had already started towards the bathroom, stopped and looked back, winking at Amane.
Th-this… this…!
This was definitely Kikyo-chan hinting at something, right?!
Before Amane could even formulate a response, she heard the bathroom door click shut.
"Phew… Good thing my will is forged of steel. Anyone else would've…"
"Amane-san, could you bring me my toiletries?" Kushida's apologetic voice came as she peeked her head out from the bathroom door crack.
Amane finally noticed the toiletries bag sitting by the desk. She picked it up and handed it to Kushida.
"Sorry for the trouble, Amane-san."
"It's fine…"
"Amane-san, your face…"
"Don't worry, I'm perfectly fine!!!"
"Ha… haha… Is that so?" Kushida was a little taken aback by Amane's expression—a complex mix of many emotions.
It was only after she heard humming start up from the bathroom that Amane finally managed to calm down a little.
So the difference between looking at your own and looking at someone else's was this big!!!
It's a pity Suzune's was still a bit…
Not as visually impactful as what Kushida had just presented.
Kushida-san was kind, spoke gently, was great at socializing, and had a very nice figure.
She seemed like the perfect template for a girl.
But for a girl like this, there hadn't even been any rumors about her being close with any boys. That seemed a bit unusual. Outgoing girls should find partners more easily than introverted or solitary ones, right? Karuizawa was an example.
As for the 'solitary' part, Amane insisted she wasn't subtly referring to anyone.
Kushida's shower was quite quick.
Since Kushida's uniform was already soaked, Amane had to take her clothes to dry them. She let Kushida wear the spare one Horikita had bought for her as a temporary measure.
You can't very well have someone sit around wearing nothing while chatting with you, right?
Not that Amane would mind… ahem.
Just as Amane was pretending to look at her phone while actually letting her mind wander, a sudden knock came at the door.
Acting on instinct, Amane went to open it.
"Amane…"
It was Horikita outside.
But what was she wearing?
Horikita was drenched, her white shirt soaked through, her hair still dripping wet.
Puzzled, Amane glanced outside. It wasn't raining.
"Horikita-san, what happened to you?"
"Sigh, well, I was taking a shower, and right in the middle, the water heater broke, so…"
"Your water heater broke too, Horikita-san?"
Horikita, hearing another voice from inside the room, couldn't help but glance past Amane.
There was Kushida, looking back at her with a mischievous expression. And she was wearing the clothes she had bought for Amane!!!
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T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.