My Tsundere Childhood Friend, Who Was Always Haughty, Suddenly Showing a Sharp Increase in Affection and Directing Intense, Heavy Emotions Toward Me - Chapter 20-21

Chapter 20: I’m Not the Kind of Girl Who Gets Satisfied and Leaves It at That

“What’s that supposed to mean!?”

“I just thought we could shower together. Look, it seems more efficient that way.”

“No, no, that’s not the issue here!”

“Then what’s the issue?”

“We’re a guy and a girl! No matter how you look at it, this is a bad idea!”

Sana’s outrageous behavior left me flustered, only able to raise my voice in protest. And why isn’t she even wearing a towel?

“It’s not a big deal. You’ve seen me naked before, so there’s no need to freak out.”

“That was back when we were in early elementary school!”

“Was it that long ago? Feels like it was just a week ago to me.”

“Don’t just casually make up memories that never happened!”

We’re high schoolers now, not kids anymore. There’s no way it’s okay for a high school guy and girl to shower together—it’s definitely inappropriate.

“Why are you so embarrassed anyway? It’s totally normal for childhood friends to hang out naked together.”

“…Wait, really?”

“Yeah, Haruto, you might not know since you’re not great with people, but all my friends do it.”

Sana said it with such confidence that I started to wonder if it was true. Wait, am I the weird one here?

“So, I’m gonna shower with you.”

“Hey, hold on!?”

Sana stepped right next to me, acting like it was the most natural thing, and turned on the shower. Warm water poured from the showerhead, but the shower wasn’t designed for two people, so it didn’t cover us both evenly.

“It’s a bit tricky with two people at once, huh?”

“Obviously! Showering together is not efficient at all!”

“Well, maybe if we got a little closer, it’d work better?”

“Wha—!?”

Without hesitation, Sana pressed herself against my back. With nothing between us, I could feel the softness of her chest directly against me. I was on the verge of panicking, but Sana remained completely calm.

The fact that she was so nonchalant made me think maybe it *was* normal for childhood friends to do this. My mind was such a mess, I couldn’t think straight.

“Hmm, the water’s not really reaching the parts where our bodies are touching. Feels a bit lacking.”

“See? You get it now. Just give up already.”

“Guess I’ll have you rinse me off then.”

“…Huh?”

“It’s fine, right? Come on, it’s cold, and I don’t want to catch a chill, so hurry up.”

Ignoring my confusion, Sana handed me the showerhead. She gave me a look that clearly said to pour the water evenly over her body. My brain completely shut down, and I just followed her instructions.

“This is good enough. Now it’s your turn, Haruto.”

“No, I’m fine, really. You don’t need to do that for me.”

“Relax, leave it to me. I’m not the kind of girl who gets satisfied and leaves it at that.”

As soon as she said that, Sana snatched the showerhead back and started spraying warm water over my body.

Maybe because I was so tense, I suddenly felt oddly calm, like I’d come full circle. Yeah, back when Sana was that reckless, tomboyish kid, she might’ve lied, but the Sana now wouldn’t lie to me.

So, it must be true that it’s normal for childhood friends to hang out naked like this. I feel like an idiot for being embarrassed about it until now.

—

Chapter 21: Hey, You’re Getting Excited Just Looking at Me

After we finished showering together, a voice from the bathroom remote control on the wall announced that the bath was ready.

“Oh, looks like the bath filled up at just the right time,” Sana said.

“When did you even start filling the bath?” I asked. “I don’t remember you touching the remote or anything.”

“You don’t need the remote anymore. These days, you can fill the bath right from an app on your phone.”

That made sense. Things had changed a lot since we were kids—appliances like that were getting more common. The bathtub was covered with a lid, so I hadn’t noticed it filling up at all. Which probably meant Sana was planning to hop in the bath next.

“So, shall we get in?” she said.

“Whoa, hold on. This tub’s way too small for two people, don’t you think?”

“If we squeeze in, it’ll be fine. Come on, let’s get in already!”

“Hey, wait—”

Sana grabbed my hand and pulled me into the bathtub. I followed, swept along by her momentum. As expected, it was cramped—way too tight for two people.

“It’s been forever since we took a bath together, hasn’t it?” she said.

“Yeah, probably not since we were in early elementary school or something.”

“It’s totally normal for childhood friends to hang out like this, so we should do it more often, got it?”

I nodded in agreement, but deep down, I was starting to think this situation was anything but normal. Earlier, I’d been caught up in the weird vibe and Sana’s bold attitude, so I went along with it. But now that I was calming down, it all felt… off. The more I thought about it, the more embarrassed I got.

“My body’s gotten a lot more grown-up since back then, don’t you think?” Sana said.

“Yeah,” I mumbled.

“Totally different from when we were kids, right?”

“Sure.”

“…Hey, are you even listening? Your answers are way too half-hearted!”

Sana’s voice rose in protest at my vague responses, but honestly, I had bigger problems. Childhood friend or not, having a naked, beautiful girl right in front of me was bound to make my heart race. Maybe some smooth, experienced guy could handle this without batting an eye, but that wasn’t me. I was the opposite—an awkward, unpopular virgin. I was doing my best not to stare at Sana’s body, but apparently, that was the wrong move.

Suddenly, Sana stood up and leaned toward me. Her chest was right in front of my face, and my heart rate was definitely skyrocketing.

“You won’t even look me in the eye. What’s going on with you?” she demanded.

“It’s just… uh, it’s nothing, really…” I stammered.

“…Do you not want to be in here with me?”

Her sudden sad expression and quiet words hit me hard. There was no way I could let her think that.

“No, it’s not that I don’t want to. I’m just… embarrassed, that’s all.”

“Really? You’re not just saying that, right?”

“Yeah, I’m just… kind of getting excited and can’t look at you directly… ah!”

I accidentally let slip more than I meant to. Sana’s face turned bright red, and she muttered under her breath.

“Hey, you’re getting excited just looking at me, huh?”

The confident, casual Sana from moments ago suddenly turned shy. An awkward silence hung between us, so we decided to get out of the bath. At least we’d warmed up our bodies after getting wet in the rain, so mission accomplished, I guess.