Let's Take a Bath

A few more days had passed since Arisa started dropping by to visit.

My body had been steadily improving. My right arm was starting to move a little, and overall it felt like discharge was finally drawing near.

And today was the long-awaited bath time. Even so, it still came with a nurse's assistance. Apparently they weren't quite ready to let me bathe alone yet.

"Shouya-san, your bath is ready."

It was Nakano-san who came to tell me the bath was ready, and she would be the one helping me today, too.

I answered right away and headed for the bath attached to my hospital room.

"Excuse me, your clothes…"

After Nakano-san wrapped a towel around my waist, she helped me out of my lower garments. I could tell she was being careful not to look at my naked body any more than absolutely necessary.

Her hands came around from behind, undoing the buttons of my shirt one by one. Every time her fingers brushed my skin she would apologize, and I could feel how tense she was.

When I shifted my body to make it easier for her, the only thing left covering me was the towel.

"All right, Shouya-san, please soak in the tub and warm up. Call me when you're ready. And please be careful not to let the towel slip off."

If the towel slipped off, after all, Nakano-san would end up seeing my thing. I'd have to be careful.

"Understood."

I took her warning to heart and lowered myself into the tub. The fatigue and stiffness that had built up in my body felt like it was melting straight into the bathwater, the sensation spreading through every part of me. Whoever called a bath "laundry for the soul" really had a point.

Hospital life was basically just lying in bed all day, so on the surface it didn't seem like I should be tired. The moment I got into the bath, though, I realized just how much fatigue had been piling up. The thought of being able to take regular baths from now on made me happier than I could stand.

The bath and the changing room were both unbelievably spacious, too. When I considered that this was the standard treatment for men in this world, I felt something well past mere surprise.

I was musing on things like that when Nakano-san's voice came from outside.

"Shouya-san, how's the temperature?"

"It feels really nice!"

"You can take your time soaking, okay～"

I answered Nakano-san's caring voice through the door and went on enjoying the bath, and before long my body was thoroughly warmed and sweat was beading on my forehead. Time to ask Nakano-san to wash me, I supposed.

"Nakano-san, I'm ready whenever you are."

I called out to her as I settled onto the bath stool, getting ready to be washed. Even if we wouldn't both be naked, having someone as beautiful as Nakano-san wash my body was nerve-wracking.

While I was sitting there fidgeting, I heard the door open behind me.

"Excuse me," she said as she stepped in, and I saw she'd changed clothes.

She'd switched into a T-shirt and shorts, probably so she could get wet. With more skin showing than in her nurse's uniform, I wasn't sure where to look.

Her white, softly-fleshed thighs peeked out from the shorts, and her T-shirt was being pushed up by her large breasts, the shape of her bra clearly visible through the fabric.

"I'm sorry… with a figure like this… you're not feeling uncomfortable, are you?"

In this world, being tall or having a large chest could sometimes scare men. That was probably why Nakano-san was so on edge. She was taller than me, and her chest was big.

She had her arms crossed in front of her, probably trying not to draw attention to them, but it was having the opposite effect. Her breasts were squished together from both sides, and her T-shirt was straining violently around their shape.

"I'm fine, really."

Desperately fighting down the itch in my groin from looking at her chest, I answered her.

"Th-then, I'll start with your head. Please close your eyes."

Reassured by my words, Nakano-san put some shampoo on her hands, worked it into a light lather, and began washing my hair. Her supple fingers stroked my scalp gently.

"Is the pressure all right? Please let me know if anywhere itches."

"It feels really nice."

Her technique was incredibly careful, like she wasn't going to let a single speck of dirt escape, yet never too rough.

Then, as she was reaching forward to wash the front of my hair, two soft things pressed against my back.

"I-I'm so sorry!"

The softness pulled away immediately, along with her apology. Even after she withdrew, though, the sensation of those two soft things lingered vividly on my back.

"You're not feeling uncomfortable, are you?! I'm really, truly sorry!"

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

In a world where some men hated busty women, pressing your chest against them was completely out of the question. But I didn't dislike big chests. In fact, maybe I even liked them… still, seeing how flustered Nakano-san was, it really wasn't the time to be savoring the lingering feel of her chest.

"Nakano-san, I'm fine, so please calm down."

Doing my best to sound composed, I tried to help her settle down.

"Yes… thank you so much…"

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

"Shouya-san, you really are kind. If anyone did that to another man, in the worst case they could get arrested."

"I'm not really like other men… I don't dislike women that much. So I really don't mind. Please don't let it bother you, Nakano-san."

"It really is wonderful that you're not afraid of women. But please, you mustn't force yourself."

Nakano-san kept fussing over me the whole time as she rinsed my hair with the shower.

"What about your body?"

My left arm worked now, so there was no need for her to do all of it. When I told her I'd just like her to wash the spots I couldn't reach with my left hand, she smiled at me in the mirror and agreed.

After I finished what I could wash on my own, she took care of the rest and rinsed me off.

When we moved from the bath up into the changing room, she gently patted me dry with a towel, and while she dried my hair with the hairdryer, I took another look at my own face.

Glossy black hair with a reddish sheen, wide eyes, black irises. The face in the mirror plainly told the story of how I was Kaede's twin brother.

"You really do look just like Kaede-chan ♡"

Nakano-san seemed to be thinking the same thing, gently combing through my hair as she dried it.

Come to think of it, even with the hairdryer running, it was quiet enough that I could still hear her voice. So men-only facilities really did get the best equipment. A strange thing to be struck by, I thought.

"Shouya-san, I really am sorry about earlier…"

It seemed she was still bothered by her chest touching me, and she brought it up again.

"I really don't mind. If anything, it was soft and felt nice."

I decided to lean into something that bordered on sexual harassment, so she'd actually believe what I'd said earlier about not being afraid of women.

"Th-that can't be! I'm sorry for making you feel like you had to be considerate…"

Hmm. Looked like she still wasn't going to take my word for it.

That was it! What if I caused the same situation again, only this time from my side? Maybe then she'd believe me.

With that in mind, I took two steps back, and Nakano-san's chest pressed against my back again.

"Ah ♡ Sh-Shouya-san!"

"See? I told you, didn't I? It's fine."

Feeling a little playful, I let my tone slip into something more casual. The sweet little voice she'd let out near my ear made me want to hear more of it, so I pressed my back into her chest and squirmed.

"Ah… ♡ mm… ♡ Shouya-san, you can't… ♡"

Even as she said 'you can't,' she made no move to pull away, and I found that so amusing that this time I pulled away myself.

"Ah…"

Nakano-san let out a small, regretful-sounding sigh, then collected herself and went back to drying my hair.

"Mm! I get that you're not afraid of women, Shouya-san, but you really mustn't do anything like that anymore. Not being afraid of women is a truly wonderful thing."

She was right. In this world it should be something I got praised for. What I'd been thinking after reading through Ichijou-san's materials had just been confirmed.

"How-ev-er! If you go around tempting women like that, one day it really will turn into something you can't take back!"

For a brief moment I'd thought I was being praised, and now I was being scolded. It really shouldn't have been a bad thing, though…

"If you got assaulted, Shouya-san, your whole family would be heartbroken all over again."

Th-that was no good! I'd just made everyone worry the other day and felt awful about it. How had I not even thought of that?

The moment I realized Nakano-san was genuinely worried and scolding me out of care, my excited mood cooled down on the spot.

"I'm sorry…"

"As long as you understand. And like I said before, it really, really is a wonderful thing that you're not afraid of women and that you're kind to us ♡ The fact that you were trying to be considerate of me did come through ♡ Okay? ♡"

Nakano-san gently hugged me from behind as I sat there dejected.

I made up my mind that from now on I'd save the teasing for people I was close with, and never cross any lines.

"Understood. But you and I are close, Shiori-san, and I trust you, so is it all right if I tease you a little?"

Today's bath time had made me feel like the distance between Nakano-san and me had really closed, and I worked up the courage to call her by her given name.

"Y-your given name… ♡ I-it's only me and Akari-chan! ♡ Who you're allowed to do this kind of thing with! ♡ Not with the other nurses! ♡"

Looked like the name thing had taken effect right away. She hadn't really minded the teasing itself to begin with, either, so I wanted to keep building up that kind of physical closeness with Shiori-san from here on.

And I wanted to get closer with Houzawa-san, too… no, with Akari-san.

After Shiori-san finished drying my hair, my face got slathered with toner and the like, and once I was tucked into bed, sleep came on so quickly that I just gave in and dropped off.