I Got Cheated On, so I Thought I’d Cheat Back and Went to a Group Date, I Ran Into a Classmate Who Used to Boss Me Around and Now We’re Living Together

“―You’re not doing anything dirty with my photos, are you?”

After Nene-san invited me to take a bath with her tonight, I couldn’t give a clear answer and left it hanging. Then I went to campus for my afternoon classes. That’s when I bumped into Umi in the hallway, and as we passed each other, she suddenly hit me with that question… Geez, what the hell is she asking out of nowhere?

“D-dirty things…?”

“Yeah… you took not only my full nudes but even wilder shots. So I can’t help but wonder… that maybe you did something with them?”

Umi asked with a restless look on her face, still as beautiful as ever. Her long black hair was tied into a ponytail today, and she wore a white short-sleeved blouse with a beige flared skirt. She’s the type who doesn’t show much skin even in summer, but she showed me everything yesterday. And just like she said, those shameless photos are still sitting on my phone right now.

And last night, I used them… there’s no way I could honestly admit that, so to dodge the question, I shot back with,

“…What about you? You’re not doing anything weird with my photo, are you?”

After all, she’s got that shot of me standing at full attention.

“I-I’m not… don’t look at me like that…”

“…Really?”

“R-Really… I did look at it for reference. The way the veins run… It’s useful material.”

…Just thinking that such a stunning beauty is studying the veins on my thing to draw erotic manga makes me realize how strange the world can be. Then again, I’ve heard rumors that many erotic manga artists are actually quite attractive… Maybe it’s not impossible.

—No, impossible… Our situation is way too abnormal to be compared.

“At least… don’t ever leak my dick pics, alright?”

“I could say the same to you… I’ve shown you everything, after all…”

It really was a beautiful shade of pink… but I should stop myself from going into more detail.

◇

By the time evening came, all my classes for the day were finished.

I dropped by my seminar for a bit, and when I finally left campus, the sky was already starting to grow dark.

“—Oh, welcome back.”

“Yeah… I’m home.”

When I got back to the apartment, Nene-san was in the kitchen, cooking dinner. Looks like she didn’t have work today.

I still hadn’t given her a clear answer about the bath invitation. Because of that, there was a slight awkwardness between us. For now, I just changed into my loungewear and sat down at the dining table.

“…What’s for dinner?”

“Tonight’s main dish is pork belly stewed in tomato sauce. I thought plain rice wouldn’t go too well with it, so I’m making butter rice instead.”

…That’s guaranteed to be delicious.

Ten minutes later, the table was filled with butter rice, pork belly in tomato stew, and potato salad on the side.

Just as I thought, it all looked amazing.

With my left hand finally healing up, I picked up my chopsticks and went straight for the pork belly. Instead of thin slices, the meat was cut into chunks of about a hundred grams each. Still, it came apart easily with chopsticks, so I quickly popped a piece into my mouth.

“—So good…”

The moment I bit into it, the meat crumbled apart, and rich juices spread through my mouth. The pork belly had been seared before stewing, so the outside was crispy, giving a nice contrast to the tender inside. And above all, the sauce was incredible. Within the tomato, sweetness was a deep and rich flavor. No way this came from just simmering canned tomatoes…

“How is it? That’s pork belly simmered in whole tomatoes and red wine.”

Ah, red wine… that’s what gave it that flavor.

Nodding in understanding, I switched to a spoon and tried the butter rice… Perfect. I have nothing else to say.

As for the potato salad, I’d had it a few times before. It was naturally great as always.

“Nene-san, thank you for another wonderful dinner.”

“You’re welcome. ―By the way…”

She sat down across from me, joining me at the table, and then suddenly asked.

“…It’s okay if I take a bath with you tonight, right?”

I almost choked.

“W-Wait, Nene-san…”

“Do you want some water?”

“N-No, I’m fine… But seriously, do you really want to get in with me?”

“Yeah.”

She said it so casually, like it was nothing at all…

“I already said this morning, but it’s not about anything pervy, okay? Think of it as me showing thanks by washing your back.”

“Honestly, if it’s about gratitude… just helping with the housework and cooking is more than enough.”

“Then let’s say it also covers the trouble caused by my ex-friend.”

“…Rinne’s mistakes have nothing to do with Nene-san.”

“Fine then, consider it an apology for the past.”

“But that’s already over and done with…”

“Anyway, come on. There’s no downside to taking a bath with me, right?”

“Well… I guess…”

If anything, it was nothing but benefits.

That was exactly what scared me.

The risk of drowning.

In my own desire.

But now that I was single, no one could blame me for what I chose to do. Forcing myself on her was out of the question. But going along with her invitation… There was nothing wrong with that…

So…,

“…Alright.”

Before I knew it, the word had already left my mouth.

“If it’s just washing my back, could I ask you for that…”

“…Really?”

“Yeah… I want to try it.”

I wasn’t even sure what kind of interest I meant by that.

Was it simple curiosity? Lust? Or maybe something else…

I wasn’t trying to chase down some grand answer.

But if it meant getting closer to Nene-san and making things easier between us, then I was willing.

So, I went ahead and stepped into the bathroom first.

“…I’m sorry to keep you waiting.”