I Will Do Everything In My Power To Bring Happiness To The Enchanting Beauty Who Can No Longer Smile. - Chapter 36: She and the bathrobe.

She and the bathrobe.

It felt like time had stopped.

Her hair was damp, glistening slightly with moisture. Her skin, flushed pink from the hot water, radiated warmth.

I’d seen her like this before—just last night, or the night before.

But what left me frozen wasn’t her face or her hair. It was everything below that.

She wore a bathrobe. A garment I’d rarely seen in real life—practically never, in fact.

So I hadn’t known. Just how incredibly… defenseless someone could look in nothing but a bathrobe.

My first thought—unfortunately—had been of her chest. The neckline was wide open, leaving little to the imagination, revealing just how stunning her figure really was.

A single droplet fell—slipping from her hair to her cheek, down her jawline, and finally landing between the soft curves of her chest. It vanished there. For a teenage boy in the throes of adolescence, it was too much. I forgot how to breathe.

It was the first time I’d ever seen her so vulnerable. Even in her modeling work, she never exposed much skin. She always wore neatly styled outfits, even in summer fashion magazines.

That’s why I froze.

“Hey—”

“How long are you going to stand out there? Aren’t you coming in?”

I had just started to mumble an apology when Tsubame interrupted me, tilting her head with a mildly puzzled expression.

“Oh, that’s right. Shigure-kun, can you dry my hair again for me?”

“…”

“Shigure-kun? Something wrong?”

Still wrapped in just the bathrobe, she tilted her head again ever so slightly.

…I needed to step inside. If someone saw her like this, it’d be a disaster.

“Tsubame, your outfit…”

“This? It’s a bathrobe. Haven’t you ever worn one?”

“Well, yeah, once. When I traveled for a cousin’s wedding as a kid.”

That was the only time. Aside from that, I’d only seen bathrobes in TV commercials or online ads.

Back then, I hadn’t thought anything of them. Just thought they were kind of odd or fancy-looking, maybe. That was all.

But seeing it now… I finally understood. Just how exposed it made someone look.

“This hotel’s bathrobes are super comfy.”

“I-I see. Um, Tsubame…”

“…?”

It was difficult—no, nearly impossible—to put into words. I stumbled, and she tilted her head again, clearly confused.

Then she softly gasped, “Ah,” as if something had clicked. I thought she’d realized what I was struggling to say—but I was wrong.

Tsubame spun around in a slow, playful twirl. Then she turned her back slightly, peeked at me over her shoulder, and struck a coquettish pose.

“How do I look? Does it suit me?”

“—Uh.”

That pose was… incredibly dangerous.

But even so—I could never say it didn’t suit her. Not even as a joke. Not even if my life depended on it.

“It suits you… a lot.”

“Yay. I’m glad.”

A soft smile bloomed at the corner of her lips.

I wasn’t even sure if I was breathing. My own heartbeat thundered in my ears, drowning out everything else.

“T-Tsubame, could you… I don’t know, put something else on?”

“I’m wearing the bathrobe, aren’t I?”

“Yeah, but still… it’s not really enough.”

A shirt, maybe. Even something like an undershirt would be fine. That’s what I was trying to suggest—but then, Tsubame’s expression changed slightly. She looked… troubled.

Had I ever seen her look troubled before?

Before I could think more about it, she spoke.

“…I don’t really like how tight underwear feels.”

“…Huh?”

Even I was embarrassed by how dumb my voice sounded. Whether she noticed or just pretended not to, she continued—her cheeks a little redder than before.

“But I have to wear it for modeling. Otherwise things sag… So, when I’m staying at a hotel, just for the short time between getting out of the bath and going to bed, I give myself a break and don’t wear any.”

“Wait—hold on a second.”

Her words weren’t registering properly. I was overwhelmed.

Was she saying she wasn’t wearing anything underneath?

For a moment, my rational mind short-circuited. Instinctively, my eyes flicked downward—

“Are you curious?”

“Ah—s-sorry!”

“It’s okay. I’m happy you are.”

Even that fleeting glance hadn’t escaped her notice. Of course it hadn’t. Those kinds of looks are always obvious… and in this case, she had every reason to notice.

“More importantly, Shigure-kun, could you dry my hair? I don’t want to catch a cold.”

“B-but…”

“Please?”

She stepped closer with soft, deliberate steps. Then she looked up at me, eyes pleading sweetly.

“…Fine.”

There was no way I could say no to that.

***

“…♪”

Tsubame swayed gently from side to side as I dried her hair with a surprisingly quiet hairdryer.

I tried—tried desperately—not to let my thoughts drift. But no matter what, she remained in my field of vision.

“You’re in a good mood, huh, Tsubame?”

“Mm.”

I spoke just to shift my focus away from her. To anchor my mind.

“You know, once, a girl around our age saw me changing by accident. She’d walked into the wrong dressing room.”

A story from her past. I had a feeling it wasn’t a happy one, so I stayed quiet and listened.

“She apologized and left right away. …But later, I overheard her talking to someone.”

“What did she say?”

“She said, ‘That didn’t even look like a normal human body.’ I think she meant it as a compliment… but it still hurt.”

Her voice and expression seemed tinged with sadness. But only for a moment—then it faded, replaced by her usual calm smile.

“That’s why I’m glad. Shigure-kun sees me as a regular girl.”

“…”

I searched my mind for the right words. But nothing came.

No gentle, indirect way to ease the pain in her heart.

…This wasn’t like me at all.

“Well, like I said earlier… I still am. My heart’s still pounding.”

“I know. I’ve noticed. I can feel your gaze sometimes.”

“Uwaa… well, yeah, I mean—”

“It’s okay. You can look as much as you want, Shigure-kun.”

“D-don’t say stuff like that to me. It—it’s hard to handle.”

“I like seeing you flustered, too.”

The glint in her eyes as she looked at me—mischievous, almost teasing.

…A little troublemaker.

If it were anyone else—I know that’s a meaningless thought.

Maybe if she ever got truly scared… No. That wasn’t an option. I couldn’t allow that.

…Anyway, I had to hold myself together.

I told myself that, just as I finished drying her hair.

“All done. I’m gonna take a bath now.”

“Ah, Shigure-kun. …Never mind.”

“Hm? What is it?”

“I’ll tell you after your bath. Don’t worry about it.”

“…Okay.”

“Mm. Oh, here—this is the bathrobe. It’s really comfy.”

“Ah—yeah. Thanks.”

As I reached into my bag to take out a change of clothes, Tsubame handed me a bathrobe. …I guess I’ll just bring my underwear.

With that, I picked up a towel, the bathrobe, and a few other things, and made my way to the bathroom.

Tsubame watched me silently, a faint smile on her lips.

But those eyes—those eyes reminded me of something I’d seen long ago. Eyes that could only belong to someone plotting something.