The Beautiful Girl I Accidentally Helped Who Has Somehow Become Attached To Me. - Chapter 43: Bigger is Not Better.

Bigger is Not Better.

Afterward, I heard someone calling me, but since it wasn’t an urgent request for help, I ignored it.

Mikami-san was doing everything she could to summon me back to the bathroom. Sorry, but I’m all out of MP. I have zero energy left to move.

While I was just lying there, zoning out, I heard the bathroom door open.

Looks like Mikami-san finished her shower. She’s calling me again, probably another trap. I don’t have the energy to blindly walk into that.

As I was enjoying a bit of rest with my eyes closed, her footsteps grew closer.

“Thank you for letting me use the shower.”

“Yeah.”

“Having you wash my hair… it felt really nice. Can we make this a weekly thing?”

“Yeah, no.”

“I see. Thank you; it’s something I look forward to every day.”

“Were you even listening?”

“Thank you for the pleasant agreement!”

Her voice came from behind the sofa, and my casual responses kept getting twisted into enthusiastic agreements. I’m sure I declined. Why is it turning into a cheerful acceptance?

Well… fine. Even if it isn’t.

“Oh, and thanks for the clothes. They’re a bit big, but I like how comfy they feel.”

“Well, that’s good…”

“Something wrong?”

“Just making sure… you’re wearing something underneath, right?”

The clothes I usually wear are pretty loose-fitting. If Mikami-san put them on, they’d obviously look oversized.

I understand that, but… the sight before me of post-shower Mikami-san was… risky, to put it mildly.

The long, oversized shirt barely covering her legs is mesmerizing, but the issue is precisely that—her legs are the only thing visible.

Could the shirt be so baggy that it hides the shorts I lent her? I mean, sure, there’s a size difference, but it shouldn’t be that big.

“If you want, you can lift it and check.”

“…You’re definitely not wearing them, are you?”

“How rude. I’m wearing underwear. The shorts were too big and kept slipping, so I gave up on them.”

“Don’t give up! This is a guy’s place… Being in just your underwear is a bit…”

“The shirt’s big enough to cover me, so there’s no problem.”

There’s definitely a problem. She’s way too defenseless.

If this were her house, or at worst, if she were only around female friends, I’d be more inclined to overlook it.

But I’m a high school guy, in the prime of adolescence. The fact that she could even think to do something this brazen in front of me…

Sure, maybe if she’s just standing there, she’s covered.

But with any movement, her thighs are bound to show, and if her upper body shifts, she could easily end up half-exposed.

She seems completely confident there’s no issue, but Mikami-san’s current “attire” is seriously lacking in security.

It baffles me that I’m the only one concerned about this. A bit of modesty would be a more fitting response for a regular girl, don’t you think?

“By the way… just a simple question, but why did you bring a change of underwear but not a regular set of clothes?”

“I figured as long as I had a fresh set of underwear, I could manage even if I needed to change. You know, they say a large solution can cover a small problem.”

“Well, it’s not covering the ‘small problem’ at all, which is why we’re in this risky situation!”

“…Well, it doesn’t matter, does it? I don’t mind if you see me, so don’t worry about it.”

And this is where we end up…

She’s so defenseless it’s beyond a mere pleasure to look at—it’s basically a hazard to my eyes.

“Kirishima-san, Kirishima-san.”

“No.”

“…I haven’t even said anything yet.”

“I can tell from your tone; it’s going to be another impossible request, right?”

“Impossible request? That’s rude. But since today you’re my butler because of that penalty game, refusing isn’t an option.”

Ah, that’s right.

No matter how much I try to say no, Mikami-san always manages to twist my refusals around.

Resistance is futile. It might be easier if I just accept and skip the back-and-forth.

“…What is it, milady?”

“I want you to dry my hair.”

“…I guess I can do that much.”

Honestly, I was caught off guard.

I thought she’d have another outrageous request, but this is lighter than I expected.

(…Not that it’s light, exactly.)

I was surprised at myself for even thinking that.

Compared to giving a massage or almost bathing together, this is tame. But it’s still a girl’s hair I’m entrusted with.

I see.

This must be the “door-in-the-face” technique at its finest. When the request level drops from something high, it becomes easier to accept.

They successfully got me to concede with a “well, that’s fine, I suppose.”

Well, in my case, even the high-level requests end up accepted because of Mikami-san’s relentless persistence, so I guess it doesn’t really make a difference.

As I grabbed the hair dryer, preparing to get started and wondering about the best way to go about it, Mikami-san called out to me.

“Kirishima-san, please sit down quickly.”

“…Fine.”

“Could you spread your legs a little?”

“Hm…”

“Well then, excuse me.”

As I sat on the sofa and did as she asked, spreading my legs slightly, Mikami-san settled herself down between them, leaning back against me.

“Um… isn’t this a bit awkward to do?”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“…Alright, then. I’ll start. If there’s any problem… just tap my leg.”

To be honest, I’d let my guard down a bit, so this sudden closeness had me slightly flustered.

She was so near, warm from her recent shower, and since we used the same shampoo, her scent was the same as mine… if I focused too much, it might turn into something dangerous.

Before things got out of hand, I switched on the hair dryer, sinking my fingers gently into her hair.

I kept my touch light to avoid scratching her, carefully tracing over her scalp as I dried her hair with warm air.

“Your fingers feel so nice, Kirishima-san.”

“Glad to hear it. But try not to lean too much; it’s harder to do from this close.”

“It’s just… it feels so good I can’t hold myself up.”

Mikami-san was fully relaxed, leaning into me like I was part of the sofa.

She wasn’t heavy, so it wasn’t an issue in itself, but it made drying the back of her head rather difficult.

“If you don’t sit up a little, I’ll just tickle your ears instead. How’s that?”

“Ah! Wait, that’s… unfair… ah!”

When I playfully went for the spot I’d discovered during her shower, her body reacted instantly, lifting just enough to create some space. I took advantage of that moment to dry the back of her head properly.

“—”

As I worked, I thought I heard her murmur something, but the sound was lost under the noise of the dryer.

However… I couldn’t help but notice her cute ears, peeking out from her hair, flushed a deep red. That much, I was sure, wasn’t just my imagination.