While Wandering Around Naked, I Met An Exhibitionist, The Most Beautiful Half-Nordic Girl From School. - Chapter 13: Rain, rain, pour, pour.

Rain, rain, pour, pour.

For exhibitionists, there are several natural enemies.

Among them are mosquitoes thriving in the peak of summer, the freezing cold of winter, the patrol officers maintaining social order and peace…

Discarding both the concept of clothing, devised by humans for self-protection, and even societal morals, it could be said it’s only natural.

Among them, there’s another, a natural foe: rain.

“On rainy days, it’s really… tough.”

There are various reasons, like quickly depleting energy with a wet body, or catching a cold. While there might be a reduced risk of being seen by others, everything else is negative.

Personally, I think it’s cool to go out naked in the rain, but it’s a double-edged sword with the risk of falling ill in the following days. It wasn’t an easy decision to make.

If I were to do it, I would need to stay within a 1km radius from home and have the bath ready beforehand.

And now, I was desperately protecting my body using an umbrella borrowed from school as I made my way home in the pouring rain.

While protecting myself, I couldn’t help but notice a familiar color at the edge of my vision.

Gold. It was an unusual color to see in the city.

Curious, I moved my gaze, and there she was, seeking shelter from the rain under the eaves of a shuttered store: Shirogane Emmy.

“What are you doing?”

“…Taking shelter from the rain.”

That was obvious.

“Forgetting your umbrella and getting caught in the rain on your way back?”

“….”

Shirogane didn’t answer.

It was one of those situations where a person chose silence instead of a simple yes or no response.

Either they despise the person they’re talking to so much that they don’t want to converse, or they’re feeling so down that even a simple reply feels burdensome.

I didn’t want to believe it was the former, so I concluded it was the latter.

“It’s not good to catch a cold like this.”

“…I don’t care. It doesn’t matter.”

“I think it’s not good.”

“No one cares about me anyway.”

She seemed somewhat despondent.

The incident with the girls at school must have had a significant impact on her.

Indeed, it was a frightening situation. It sent shivers down my spine to think about being in the same position.

“I do though.”

“…?”

“You shouldn’t catch a cold, so it’s better to hurry home.”

“I don’t want to go home…”

It seemed there was some issue at home, too.

For students, their world is very narrow.

Especially for loners like her, those two places are essentially their entire world.

If a problem arises there, it’s understandable that they would feel mentally exhausted.

The Shirogane in front of me looked like a pedigree dog that had been abandoned.

That’s why I said, without thinking,

“Then, do you want to come to my place?”

“…?”

I said it without thinking.

***

“I-I’ll be intruding.”

“You’re not intruding.”

My home was a single room in a three-story apartment. Yes, despite being a high school student, I lived alone. There were various complicated circumstances leading to this situation, but it didn’t really matter.

More importantly, right now, warming up Shirogane took precedence.

“It’d be best if you went to take a bath first. It’s right through that door.”

“But you’re wet too. I can wait.”

“I can’t put a lady off. I’m a gentleman.”

“A perverted gentleman, I’d say.”

“I won’t deny it.”

Even if I’m a pervert, as long as I’m a gentleman, it’s okay.

“So, please, go ahead.”

“No, the homeowner should go first.”

“Please, after you.”

“No, I insist you go first.”

She was quite stubborn.

I wonder what’s making her so insistent.

“If you’re going to insist that much, how about we go in together?”

It was a suggestion I thought would definitely be rejected due to the hassle. She’d probably relent and go in first.

That’s what I thought, but her answer was far from what I expected.

“Fine. That works.”

“Huh?”

“It’s more efficient that way.”

To my surprise, she agreed.

It was so unexpected that it took me a few seconds to grasp reality correctly.

Even though we were both exhibitionists, I thought she wouldn’t want to share such private time as bathing. What on earth was she thinking?

“Come on, let’s go.”

She took my hand and led me into the changing room.

Since our place had a separate bathroom and toilet from the washroom, two people could easily fit in.

But what’s the point?

After all, it’s unusual for same-aged men and women, especially those not in a romantic relationship, to bathe together. It’s something you’d expect from childhood friends who are practically engaged.

Shirogane and I had only recently met.

It was definitely strange, and I should refuse.

But the trembling I felt in her hand gripping my arm made rejecting her difficult.

“…Got it.”

I reluctantly agreed.

“But having men and women naked together in a home bath… it’s not appropriate.”

“It’s even worse to be naked outside the house.”

“So, let’s make wearing swimsuits mandatory.”

“But I don’t have a swimsuit with me.”

“Then just with towels.”

I decided to wrap a towel around myself.

With that decided, I headed to the living room to get some clothes to change into.