When Two Wounded Hearts Find Solace In Each Other, Snow White (The School's Beauty) And I Were Mistakenly Labeled As A Silly Couple. - Chapter 52: Washing each other's backs with Snow White.

Washing each other’s backs with Snow White.

“Phew… the bath feels so good.”

After having dinner, I decided to take a bath.

The water temperature was just perfect, and it seemed like the fatigue of the day was slowly melting away.

Although it’s not a spacious bath, being in the warm water is undeniably pleasant. I could stay in here for hours without getting bored.

“How’s the water temperature?”

Himeno’s voice reached me from beyond the door.

Her silhouette was faintly visible through the frosted glass, casting a somewhat enchanting image.

In romantic comedy anime, there might be scenes where the heroine joins the protagonist in the bath, but that’s definitely not something that would happen in real life.

Especially since we’re not even in a relationship.

“It’s perfect,” I replied to Himeno’s question, letting out a satisfied sigh.

“Is that so… then excuse me for a moment.”

“Huh?”

With a rattling sound, the door opened, and Himeno, wrapped in a bath towel, entered with flushed cheeks.

Although she shouldn’t have been in the bath yet, her whole body seemed to be turning red, either from embarrassment or something else.

“Um… I’d be embarrassed if you saw too much.”

“S-Sorry.”

To avoid staring too much, I averted my gaze from Himeno.

While I had seen her in underwear before, for some reason, her appearance in a modest bath towel seemed more stimulating.

My body began to feel unusually warm, and it wasn’t just because I was in the bath.

“W-Why are you in the bath…”

I asked the question while keeping my gaze averted.

“I thought I’d wash your back, Taka-kun… It’s a thank you for helping me dispel my loneliness.”

No matter how much you want to express your gratitude, usually, people wouldn’t try to wash someone’s back in the bath.

Just cooking for me or playing together is already more than enough as a thank you, and besides, I’m the one being comforted here.

So, she doesn’t need to go through the embarrassment of doing something like this.

“We’re not even in a relationship, you know? You don’t have to go that far…”

“I know we’re not officially dating, but it’s really embarrassing… but, because it’s you, Taka-kun… because it’s you, I want to do it.”

Himeno gently touched my shoulder as if she truly wanted to wash my back.

Knowing that there’s no risk of being attacked might be why she was comfortable being in the bath like this.

If I had the courage to attack, she probably wouldn’t have been here by my side.

“Thank you. Well then, I’ll let you wash my back.”

With overlapping hands, I decided to let Himeno wash my back.

Entering the bath together is quite embarrassing, and her doing this meant she must have been prepared for something substantial.

Even though she knows there’s no risk of an attack, it’s still embarrassing for a girl with zero romantic experience to expose her skin to the opposite sex.

“Um, please cover the front with this.”

“Oh, got it.”

She handed me a bath towel.

I couldn’t show something shabby to Himeno, who is still maintaining her purity. So, I nodded and covered the front with the bath towel before standing up.

Stepping out of the bathtub, I turned my back to Himeno and sat down.

Having a girl wash my back is something I haven’t experienced since Marika did it back in elementary school. The embarrassment feels like my heart is about to explode.

“Excuse me, then.”

Himeno lathered up the body soap in her palms and gently washed my back with her soft hands.

“Is there any itchy spot?”

“I’m okay. It feels really good.”

Feeling a bit too embarrassed to speak loudly, I still managed to answer Himeno’s question.

The sensation of being washed was indeed pleasant, and I wished she could continue doing it forever.

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Himeno, making cute sounds while washing, continued her task. I thought she was truly adorable, but I savored the moment.

“Um… please wash the front yourself. I can wash your arms if you want.”

“Oh, got it.”

It would be awkward if she washed my front, even though I was covering it with a bath towel. There was always a chance of an accidental encounter, so I politely declined.

“I’ll wash your arm, then.”

While Himeno washed my left arm, I used my right hand to wash the rest of my body.

***

“Sigh, feels refreshing.”

Having finished washing my body, I stood up to immerse myself in the bathtub.

“W-Wait a moment.”

However, Himeno grabbed my arm, preventing me from getting in.

“Um… could you also wash my back?”

“Huh?”

Though she spoke in a soft voice, I heard her. I was just unsure why she suddenly brought this up.

Washing a man’s back and a woman’s back is different, after all.

“People say it’s best to wash your body with your hands, right?”

“Yeah, I remember that.”

I had indeed heard that on TV before.

“But with hands, there are parts on the back that are hard to reach, so I wanted to ask you, Taka-kun…”

She fidgeted a bit, moving up and down, seemingly embarrassed but desperate to have her back washed.

“Alright, I get it.”

Since she had washed my back, it seemed fair to reciprocate.

“Could you, um, turn around, please?”

“S-Sure.”

To wash the body, you need to remove the bath towel, so I followed Himeno’s request and turned around.

The faint sound of removing the bath towel echoed in the quiet bathroom, and I swallowed the little saliva in my dry mouth.

“It’s okay now.”

In response to her voice, I turned back to see Himeno sitting, her back exposed.

With her long hair pulled forward, her white and beautiful back was clearly visible. It made me happy to witness a back she probably hadn’t shown to anyone of the opposite sex, but for now, the task was to wash her back.

“Well then, let me wash it.”

My words unintentionally took on a strange tone as I lathered up the body soap in my palms and slowly approached Himeno’s back.

“Mmm…”

The moment my hands touched her back, Himeno let out a sweet moan. It seemed her back might be a bit sensitive.

Considering she rarely had her back touched, it wasn’t surprising if it were sensitive.

“By the way, Himeno, you have Russian blood, right?”

I asked, trying to ease the embarrassment of washing her back.

“Yes, I’m a quarter Russian.”

“Can you speak Russian?”

“Yes. I used to speak Russian with my mother.”

“I might want to hear it sometime.”

Although I didn’t understand Russian at all, I was curious to hear Himeno speak it.

“Sure. Then…”

After taking a deep breath, Himeno opened her mouth.

“я тебя люблю.”

It was something entirely unfamiliar, unlike English learned at school.

“By the way, what does it mean?”

“P-Please don’t worry about it.”

It seemed she wouldn’t tell me the meaning. Himeno lowered her head, looking embarrassed.

***

“I can’t believe you said ‘I love you’…”

Seeing Himeno mutter softly, Takashi decided to ask his parents, who were currently on a business trip to Russia, about the meaning.