I'll Take Nanase-san, Who Is Small And Adorable, Away From Her Cheating And Clueless Ex And Make Her Happy. - Chapter 297: Hiyori-san, Me, and a Profoundly Meaningful Autumn (if you know what I mean).

Hiyori-san, Me, and a Profoundly Meaningful Autumn (if you know what I mean).

“Yes,” Hiyori-san said with a bright, carefree laugh.

She probably wasn’t bothered by any of this in the slightest, but my face remained flushed red with embarrassment and awkwardness.

As I continued to listen to her laughter, she let out a small sigh and, in a nostalgic tone, said:

“This reminds me of the first time I stayed over. Back then too, when you saw my underwear, you were all flustered.”

“Well… yeah… that’s only natural, right?”

“Ahahahaha! Yeah, I guess so! But… don’t you think it’s about time you stop reacting like that?”

I couldn’t see her figure through the frosted glass, but I knew exactly what kind of face she was making right now.

She was probably wearing that playful smile she always had whenever she teased me, letting out a little huff through her nose before continuing.

“Back then, we were just friends. But now we’re dating, you know? It’s been quite a while since we got together… Isn’t it about time you got used to these things?”

“Uh… uaaaw…”

Just as she said, we had started dating before summer began, and a few months had already passed since then.

As I’ve mentioned before, it wouldn’t be strange for our relationship to progress further… When I think about it like that, it starts to feel like I’m the one acting strangely.

(I’ve seen her in swimsuits, in her pajamas… panicking over her underwear now is what’s weird, isn’t it…?)

I recalled the day of the cultural festival when Hiyori-san told me she wanted me to make a move.

Thinking about how much courage she must have gathered and how she overcame her own hesitations to say that… made me feel like I was the one being insincere.

I couldn’t imagine ever being the kind of guy who wouldn’t be fazed at all seeing her naked or seeing her underwear lying around… but at the same time, I knew I couldn’t remain someone who always averted his eyes in a panic, either.

If I was determined to keep moving forward with her, I needed to start preparing myself for the day that would inevitably come. With that resolve, I took a deep breath and spoke.

“You’re right, Hiyori-san. I should… try to get used to it, little by little.”

“Oooh? Well then, shall we take that first step right now?”

Her voice rang out brightly in delight as she said that, and she opened the bathroom door just slightly.

Her sudden action made my heart jump. From the small opening, she peeked out with a smile, extending one arm towards me.

“Could you pass me the body soap?”

“Ah, ah… yeah…! R-right, that’s what you needed…”

Come to think of it, that’s why she called me in here in the first place.

I glanced down at the bottle of body soap in my hand, then back at her arm extended towards me, her smile shining even through the steam.

Maybe it was because she was in the shower, but there was something almost sultry about her atmosphere right now that made me hold my breath.

Between us stood a thin wall that had once completely blocked her from view, but now, just slightly, I could see parts of her.

Her wet skin and hair, the blush colouring her cheeks… it was a side of her that, aside from her family, no one else had probably ever seen. Seeing even a glimpse of it filled me with nervousness.

She extended her arm further, speaking in a teasing yet gentle voice.

“Come on, hurry up~ If you keep me waiting like this, I’ll catch a cold, you know~?”

Even though her words sounded like she was teasing me, her smile didn’t seem like she was seriously rushing me, and that calmed me down a little.

(She’s just her usual self…) I thought as I reached out to hand her the body soap… but at that moment, I saw something that made me freeze.

“…!?”

Hiyori-san’s body, hidden behind the frosted glass, had a part of it pressed right up against the door.

Because she was reaching out so far towards me, her weight had shifted slightly forward, causing that part of her to press firmly against the glass.

I couldn’t see any details – it was just a silhouette – but the shape and softness pressing into the glass were unmistakable.

Caught off guard by what I saw, my gaze was locked there for a moment before I snapped back to my senses and frantically held out the body soap to her.

“H-here! Um… could you handle refilling it yourself, please?!”

“Okay, okay~ Got it!”

She replied nonchalantly and closed the door with a clack.

I couldn’t tell if she did that on purpose or if it was purely by accident… but I was sure she knew exactly what I had just seen.

A wave of embarrassment and guilt welled up inside me, but I desperately swallowed down the apology that almost spilled from my lips.

This was fine. It was fine like this. If it was just a harmless accident, the so-called “lucky pervert” moment, then as a couple, we didn’t need to feel ashamed about it.

It wasn’t like I had been forced to see something I didn’t want to, and it wasn’t like Hiyori-san had been seen against her will, either.

In that case, there was no need for apologies.

“Alright, I’ll head back to the living room. Call me if you need anything else.”

“Okay! Thanks, Yuusuke-kun!”

After calling out to her, I made my way back to the living room.

As I lay down on the floor, looking up at the ceiling to calm myself after witnessing the overwhelming impact of her presence, a stray thought crossed my mind.

(If it had been her butt pressed up against the glass instead, would I have been able to handle it…?)

It wasn’t like there was any deeper meaning to that question. I had seen her cleavage plenty of times during swimsuit outings, so I’d built up a bit of resistance to that.

But her butt… her lower half in general… I’d barely ever seen it up close. So I figured that might have been even more dangerous for me.

It’s not like I’m some kind of butt fetishist or anything. Really, I’m not. I don’t particularly like butts, so calling me that would be inaccurate.

Well… it’s true that Hiyori-san’s butt is attractive. But that’s only natural – everything about the girl I love looks beautiful to me.

Which means… I’m not weird after all… right? I pondered up to that point before deciding to stop thinking entirely.

(One day… I’ll see the parts that were hidden behind that frosted glass…)

As that vague thought drifted through my mind, I concluded that I needed to come to terms with these feelings properly, and with a long, deep sigh, I lay there staring up at the living room ceiling.