Just Being Alive Is Amazing: Starting Life Over in a Chastity-Reversed World - Chapter 9: Let’s Take a Bath

Chapter 9: Let’s Take a Bath

Several days have passed since Arisa started visiting me.

My condition has improved significantly, and I can now move my right arm a little, so it feels like discharge is getting closer.

And today is the long-awaited bath time. That said, I still need assistance from a nurse. As expected, they won’t let me bathe alone yet.

“Takuya-san, the bath is ready.”

It was Nakano-san who informed me that the bath preparations were complete. She’s the one assisting me with bathing today.

I immediately replied and headed to the bathroom attached to my hospital room.

“I’ll take your clothes off now, excuse me…”

Nakano-san wrapped a towel around my waist before taking off my lower clothes. I could feel her trying to be considerate by avoiding looking at my naked body as much as possible. Nakano-san’s hands came around from behind, unbuttoning my clothes one by one. Each time her hands touched my skin, she apologized, and I could tell she was nervous. As I twisted my body to make it easier for her to undress me, the only thing covering me was the towel.

“Now, Takuya-san, please soak in the tub slowly to warm up, then call me. Be careful not to let the towel slip off.”

If the towel slips, Nakano-san would end up seeing my private parts. I need to be careful.

“Understood.”

Following Nakano-san’s advice, I soaked in the tub, and a sensation spread through my body as if all the accumulated fatigue and tension were melting into the water. They say a bath is like washing your soul, and it’s true.

Hospital life seems like just lying in bed, so it doesn’t feel like you’d get tired, but taking a bath shows how much fatigue has built up in your body. Thinking that I’ll be able to bathe regularly from now on makes me incredibly happy.

That aside, the bathroom and changing area are unbelievably spacious. When I think that this is standard treatment for men in this world, I feel an emotion that goes beyond surprise.

While soaking in the tub and thinking about such things, I heard Nakano-san’s voice from outside.

“Takuya-san, how’s the water temperature?”

“It feels really good!”

“You can take your time soaking, okay~”

Responding to Nakano-san’s caring voice from the other side of the door, I enjoyed the bath. My body warmed up sufficiently, and sweat started to bead on my forehead. It’s about time to ask Nakano-san to wash my body.

“Nakano-san, I’m ready.”

Calling out to Nakano-san, I sat on the bath chair to prepare for her to wash me. Even though we’re not completely naked, having a beautiful person like Nakano-san wash my body makes me nervous.

As I waited anxiously, I heard the sound of the door opening from behind.

Saying “Excuse me,” Nakano-san entered, but she was dressed differently from before.

Perhaps to avoid getting wet, she had changed into a T-shirt and shorts, but the increased exposure compared to her nurse uniform made it hard to know where to look. Her white, well-proportioned thighs were visible from the shorts, and her large chest pushed up against the T-shirt, clearly outlining the shape of her bra.

“I’m sorry… Does my figure make you uncomfortable?”

In this world, being tall or having large breasts can sometimes scare men. That’s probably why Nakano-san seems a bit nervous. She’s taller than me and has a large chest.

However, perhaps to downplay her chest, she crossed her arms in front, but it had the opposite effect. Her breasts were squished from both sides, causing the T-shirt to distort dramatically.

“I’m fine.”

Desperately suppressing the tingling in my groin from looking at Nakano-san’s chest, I spoke to her.

“Th-Then, I’ll start with your head. Please keep your eyes closed.”

Reassured by my words, Nakano-san put shampoo in her hands, lathered it slightly, and began washing my head. Her slender fingers gently stroked my scalp.

“How’s the pressure? If there’s anywhere itchy, please let me know.”

“It feels really good.”

Nakano-san’s technique was very thorough, washing my head carefully without missing a single spot, yet with just the right amount of pressure.

Then, when Nakano-san moved to wash the front of my head, two soft things pressed against my back.

“I-I’m so sorry!”

The softness disappeared quickly along with her apology. However, even after they were gone, the sensation of the two things lingered vividly on my back.

“Did you not feel any discomfort? I’m really sorry!”

Even with my eyes closed, I could sense Nakano-san bowing profusely behind me.

In a world where some men dislike large breasts, pressing them against someone must be unthinkable. But I don’t dislike large breasts. In fact, I might even like them? But seeing how flustered Nakano-san was, I couldn’t stay lost in the afterglow of that sensation.

“Nakano-san, I’m fine, so please calm down.”

I spoke as calmly as I could to help Nakano-san relax.

“Yes… Thank you.”

Taking a deep breath, Nakano-san resumed washing my head.

“Takuya-san, you’re really kind. If this happened with another man, I could be arrested.”

“I’m not like other men—I don’t really dislike women… So I’m not bothered at all. Please don’t worry about it either, Nakano-san.”

“Not being afraid of women is a wonderful thing. But please don’t push yourself too hard.”

Nakano-san rinsed my head with the shower, all the while keeping my comfort in mind.

“Would you like me to wash your body?”

Since my left arm is now movable, I don’t need her to wash everything. I told her to only wash the parts I can’t reach with my left hand, and she smiled through the mirror, agreeing.

After I finished washing the parts I could, Nakano-san washed the rest and rinsed me off.

Stepping out of the bathroom into the changing area, she gently dried my body with a towel and then dried my hair with a hairdryer. This was the first time I saw my own face.

Reddish-black hair, large eyes with black pupils. The reflection in the mirror confirmed that I’m Kaede’s twin brother.

“You really look just like Kaede-chan.”

Nakano-san must have been thinking the same thing, as she gently combed my hair while drying it.

Come to think of it, the hairdryer is so quiet that I can hear her voice even while it’s being used. I couldn’t help but feel, in an odd way, that the facilities in this male-exclusive ward are top-notch.

“Takuya-san, I’m really sorry about earlier…”

Nakano-san still seems to be bothered by her chest touching me, bringing up the topic again.

“I really don’t mind. In fact, it felt soft and nice.”

I decided to say something borderline inappropriate to convince her that I meant it when I said I’m not afraid of women.

“N-No way! I’m sorry for making you feel like you had to say that…”

Ugh, it seems she still doesn’t believe me. Wait! What if I recreate the situation from earlier, but this time on my own initiative? That might convince her.

Thinking this, I took two steps back, and my back pressed against Nakano-san’s chest again.

“Ah♡, T-Takuya-san!”

“See? I said it’s fine, didn’t I?”

I couldn’t help but tease her a little, slipping into a more casual tone. Hearing Nakano-san’s sweet voice close to my ear made me want to hear more, so I wiggled my body, pressing my back closer against her chest.

“Ah♡… Nn♡… Takuya-san, you can’t…♡”

Even though she said “you can’t,” Nakano-san didn’t try to pull away, which I found amusing, so I stepped away from her myself.

“Ah…”

Nakano-san let out a disappointed sound, but she quickly composed herself and continued drying my hair.

“Ahem! I understand that Takuya-san isn’t afraid of women, but you mustn’t do that kind of thing again. Not being afraid of women is a truly wonderful trait.”

That’s right. In this world, that should be something to be praised for. Reading Ichijo-san’s materials had made me think so, and now I was certain.

“HOWEVER! If you keep tempting women like that, one day you might really get into irreversible trouble!”

Just when I thought I was being praised, I got scolded instead. It shouldn’t be a bad thing, though…

“If Takuya-san were to get assaulted, your family would be sad again.”

T-That’s no good! I just felt the pain of worrying everyone the other day, so how did I not think of that? Realizing that Nakano-san is genuinely worried and scolding me for my sake, I quickly shifted my mindset from getting carried away.

“I’m sorry…”

“As long as you understand, that’s enough. And like I said earlier, it’s really, truly wonderful that you’re kind and not afraid of women. I can tell that you were being considerate of me. Okay?”

Nakano-san gently hugged me from behind, comforting me as I felt dejected.

I decided that from now on, I’d only tease people I’m close with and make sure not to cross any lines.

“Got it. But since Shiori-san and I are close, and I trust you, is it okay if I tease you a little?”

It felt like today’s bath time brought me a lot closer to Nakano-san, so I boldly tried calling her by her first name.

“C-Calling by first name… O-Only me and Akari-chan, okay! You can only do this with us! Not with the other nurses!”

The name-calling seemed to have an immediate effect. She didn’t seem to mind the teasing itself, so I want to keep having lots of physical closeness with Shiori-san from now on. And with Yoshizawa-san… no, Akari-san, I want to get closer in all sorts of ways too.

After Shiori-san finished drying my hair, she slathered my face with skincare products, and as soon as I got into bed, I felt sleepy, so I decided to go to sleep obediently.