"Could you be a little less blunt?"
Even Eriri felt rather helpless in the face of Shirai Mio's blunt answer.
"Can't help it. My body's just a touch too sensitive."
"Is that something you should be saying?" Even as Eriri retorted, her gaze drifted, on its own, onto Shirai Mio.
Actually, she'd already seen it from that deep kiss before dinner: for someone whose mouth was normally so unbearably stubborn, her body was awfully honest.
Putting her scattered thoughts away, Eriri dug an outfit out of the wardrobe and tossed it to Shirai Mio.
Taking the clothes, Shirai Mio went into the bathroom as well.
Before long, the pattering of water sounded from inside.
Though she couldn't see a thing through the door, Eriri still couldn't help stealing the occasional glance toward the bathroom, and her mind even started filling in an image of Shirai Mio in the shower on its own.
Wait—just what am I thinking about.
The white-haired little bitch is taking a shower; what is there for me to be imagining.
Twenty-some minutes passed before Shirai Mio finally came out of the bathroom. Toweling her hair, she said, "Eriri, this nightdress actually fits me pretty well, doesn't it?"
"I bought it by mistake. Just think of it as putting junk to good use."
"How come I never saw you take it out before? And it looks brand-new, too. Don't tell me you bought it specially for me?"
"Ha?" Eriri shot Shirai Mio a sidelong glance. "Do I look like the kind of person who'd go out of her way to buy you pajamas? If I really had bought them, wouldn't that be the same as me hoping you'd stay over at my place? No matter how you look at it, that's impossible."
Eriri's whole string of answers left Shirai Mio a little dumbfounded.
Normally, wouldn't you just answer with a flat "impossible" and be done with it? Why did Eriri need to say so much? It was almost as if she were deliberately using a tsundere manner to tell her that this nightdress really had been bought specially for her.
Noticing Shirai Mio's gaze, Eriri cut her eyes aside a little sheepishly, then said, "What are you looking at me for? Didn't you say earlier that you'd clear this game today?"
"Oh, right. I'd have forgotten if you hadn't brought it up."
After drying the droplets from her hair, Shirai Mio sat back down in front of the TV and picked up the game she still hadn't cleared.
Eriri went over and sat down next to her.
She'd originally meant to watch Shirai Mio play, but as she watched, her gaze wandered onto Shirai Mio all on its own.
This time she didn't pull away from Shirai Mio the way she had before; she simply watched her quietly like this.
That fixed, unwavering stare was something even Shirai Mio noticed. "Um, is there something on my face?"
"No. I'm just looking at you."
"I know I'm good-looking, but if you keep staring at me like that, even I'll get embarrassed."
"Don't just say you're embarrassed with your mouth. Have your body react a little too."
Eriri was more than familiar with Shirai Mio's brand of verbal wordplay.
After this exchange, though, she put her observation of Shirai Mio on hold for the time being.
She got up, walked over to her worktable, and began drawing her unfinished new work.
Time ticked by, and Shirai Mio's game finally reached its ending. Seeing that she'd found the true childhood friend at last, Shirai Mio couldn't help stretching.
Switching off the now-cleared game, Shirai Mio got up and came around behind Eriri.
Eriri noticed Shirai Mio's approach, but she didn't pay it much mind and only said softly, "It's getting late. You sleep first. I'll go to bed once I've finished this drawing."
"Then I'll sleep first. Don't you stay up too late either."
"Mm."
After a glance at Shirai Mio, who had already climbed into bed, Eriri turned her attention back to her drawing.
And so it went until two in the morning, when she finally accomplished her little goal.
Eriri stood up to stretch her body, then slowly walked over to the bedside. She could see that Shirai Mio was already fast asleep.
She'd done that kind of thing to her right before dinner, and yet now the girl didn't have her guard up in the slightest. Wasn't she afraid Eriri might sneak something strange on her during the night?
Well, she wasn't so far gone as to do anything weird to Shirai Mio while she was asleep.
Then again—does a kiss even count as something strange? It probably doesn't, right?
Eriri carefully leaned down, brushed aside the hair that had fallen across Shirai Mio's face, and prepared to secretly steal a kiss.
But at that very moment, Shirai Mio suddenly opened her eyes.
The instant she saw it, Eriri sprang upright and went rigid.
Fortunately, the groggy Shirai Mio didn't notice anything off about Eriri; she only mumbled indistinctly, "Did you finally finish? Then hurry up and go to sleep."
"Ah—mm."
Watching Shirai Mio close her eyes and drift back to sleep, Eriri quietly let out a breath of relief.
Though, honestly, she'd already openly kissed Shirai Mio that afternoon, so even if her little move just now had been discovered, it probably wouldn't have been a problem.
Putting her scattered thoughts away, Eriri carefully slipped under the covers and turned off the light in the room.
Feeling the faint fragrance drifting off Shirai Mio, Eriri couldn't help thinking back to what her mom had said to her that afternoon.
Though she really didn't want to admit it, it seemed she truly had fallen for Shirai Mio.
Over spring break she'd been home the whole time, and she would find herself thinking of a certain white-haired little bitch now and then; whenever she saw Shirai Mio, her mood would shift, too.
She truly had never imagined she would fall for a girl.
So what on earth was she supposed to do now?
Maybe it was because the hour had grown late, but as Eriri lay there thinking, she soon slipped off into dreamland.
By the time she woke again, it was already ten in the morning the next day.
The first thing Eriri did upon waking was glance at the space beside her—and sure enough, there was no sign of Shirai Mio.
So she immediately rolled out of bed, went over to the wardrobe, took out a clean pair of panties, and then peeled off the pair she had on.
That damp feeling was really uncomfortable to keep wearing.
It was right then that the bedroom door suddenly opened, and Shirai Mio, walking into the room, caught sight of Eriri changing her panties at a single glance.
After the two of them exchanged a look, Shirai Mio silently backed out of the room.
And on Eriri's fair cheeks, a faint flush instantly rose.
She'd assumed Shirai Mio had already gone home, which was why she'd changed right there in the room—never in her wildest dreams had she expected to be seen in such an embarrassing scene by the other girl.
So that raised the question: with what kind of expression was she supposed to face Shirai Mio in a moment?
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