A few minutes into Grass Wonder's massage, her hands gradually moved farther forward.
"Grass Wonder!?"
"Yuki-chan hasn't only gained a little here. Even this area feels softer now."
Grass Wonder smiled as she spoke, her breath brushing past Shirayuki's ear and sending a ticklish feeling through her.
"G-Grass Wonder... that's not somewhere you can just touch casually..."
Feeling something strange in her body, Shirayuki hurriedly escaped from Grass Wonder's hands, curled herself up, and turned her back to her.
Even if they were best friends, this was a little too much.
"Is Yuki-chan embarrassed?"
"This isn't about being embarrassed..."
If even that was okay to touch, wasn't that crossing a line? Shirayuki felt as if the next step would be sharing a bed. Could it be that Grass Wonder also liked girls? That couldn't be true, right? Were there really that many girls like that in this school? Mejiro Dober's feelings had changed because of her complicated fear of men. But what about Grass Wonder? It wasn't as though she also had androphobia.
"I don't mind, you know. Yuki-chan can do whatever she wants."
What!?
"Hehe~"
Grass Wonder let out a soft laugh. Through the faint steam, Shirayuki could vaguely see Grass Wonder's graceful figure, carrying a strangely alluring charm.
Grass Wonder, are you trying to tempt me?
"I see Yuki-chan as my dear friend, so no matter what, I can accept it."
As she spoke, Grass Wonder drew Shirayuki back into her arms. The girl's face pressed closely against her, and Shirayuki was surrounded by a soft, warm, faintly milky fragrance.
Grass Wonder had always been saying things like "best friend," but did best friends really do this kind of thing? Shirayuki could no longer understand where the boundary between girls was. The things she did with Grass Wonder did not seem that different from what she did with Mejiro Dober. What counted as someone she was dating? What counted as a best friend? Shirayuki could no longer tell.
"Yuki-chan, best friends are supposed to accept each other wholeheartedly. I will accept Yuki-chan with all my heart, and I hope Yuki-chan can accept me too."
"When Grass Wonder says accept, does that mean..."
"It means being honest with each other. Let's help wash each other's backs."
Grass Wonder smiled.
"What's wrong, Yuki-chan? Isn't that very normal? I often bathe together with El too."
"Is that so?"
"Of course. We often go to hot springs together. El even complains to me that her body hasn't grown at all."
"Ha..."
Looking at Grass Wonder's expression, it did not seem as though she had any special intentions toward her. It really did seem like an ordinary interaction.
Could it be that I'm too sensitive?
Thinking this, Shirayuki leaned back against Grass Wonder again.
"If it's just helping wash each other normally... then it should be fine."
"Right? As expected, good friends should understand each other properly."
Grass Wonder looked at Shirayuki in her arms, whose face was slightly red. A long time ago, Grass Wonder had started feeling this way. Shirayuki's inner self felt somewhat like a boy, and she did not understand many things between girls. Yet her usual behaviour also fit the image of a girl very well.
That gave Grass Wonder the feeling that Shirayuki herself was a boy acting out the perfect girl in his mind. Could someone have stuffed a man's soul into her body?
How could something so absurd be possible?
Of course, for Grass Wonder, none of that mattered. She did not like Shirayuki because Shirayuki was a girl. She liked Shirayuki because of her wonderful personality, her attitude of caring for others, the words she spoke, and the things she did.
Even if Shirayuki were a boy, Grass Wonder would undoubtedly still fall for her.
So this had nothing to do with gender. What Grass Wonder liked was Shirayuki.
"Then let's continue, Yuki-chan."
Grass Wonder's face was red. Since she had received Shirayuki's permission, she could finally do some of the things she had wanted to do while Shirayuki was awake. Otherwise, always waiting until Shirayuki was asleep before acting felt, how should she put it, not satisfying enough. There was no voice and no response, so more than half the pleasure was missing.
As expected, watching Yuki-chan become embarrassed is the most interesting.
That expression of wanting to resist but being unable to resist was also far too irresistible.
"Grass Wonder... did you forget why I came here today?"
"Wasn't it to deepen our friendship?"
"No! I came here to lose weight."
"Ah..."
Grass Wonder covered her mouth. She really had forgotten.
Although she also quite liked Shirayuki's slightly softer feeling, Shirayuki herself did not seem to like her current condition. And if her weight increased, her steps would slow down, which would be bad for racing.
After weighing the matter, Grass Wonder decided to help Shirayuki solve the problem first.
After leaving the bathroom, Grass Wonder took several packets of tea leaves from her desk and placed them into a small bowl, then crushed them with a wooden pestle. The amount used varied depending on the type of tea leaf. Soon, a pleasant fragrance floated through the room.
Fujiwara Shirayuki sat beside her, watching Grass Wonder's movements without blinking.
Grass Wonder's long brown hair flowed smoothly down her back. Her sky-blue eyes shone with a moving light. Combined with her graceful Yamato Nadeshiko-like aura, the sight of her preparing tea looked as beautiful as a painting.
A ripple stirred in Shirayuki's heart. She took out her phone and secretly took a photo of Grass Wonder from behind, then saved it.
As though sensing something, Grass Wonder's ears moved slightly, and the corners of her mouth curved almost imperceptibly.
A few minutes later, she handed the prepared tea leaves to Shirayuki and instructed her.
"Drink one cup every day after taking a bath. Also, sleep early and wake up early. As for food... Yuki-chan should try to eat a little less. In a few days, your weight should come down."
"Thank you, Grass Wonder."
"It's nothing."
While Grass Wonder was brewing the tea, El Condor Pasa opened the door and walked in, her face ashen.
"No!! I'm finished! My homework is gone! I searched everywhere, even the training ground, and I couldn't find it! Ah... Yuki-chan! Yuki-chan, I'm finished!"
She hugged Shirayuki and started crying loudly.
"El, have you checked your schoolbag? Maybe you just missed it."
"Impossible. I couldn't find it in my bag, so I—wait, it's actually here!"
El Condor Pasa rummaged through her schoolbag a few times and really did pull out the notebook that had been caught inside.
"I'm alive! I'm alive!! Grass Wonder, how did you know?"
"Because you are always this careless. Here, Yuki-chan, your tea."
Shirayuki looked at El Condor Pasa, who was crying from relief, and Grass Wonder, whose face was full of smiles. For some reason, a strange association came to mind.
After drinking the tea, whose flavour was almost like a sweet drink, Shirayuki said goodbye and left the room. Before she left, Grass Wonder pulled her aside and spoke softly.
"Yuki-chan, come to my room again when you have the chance. I'll treat you properly."
"I'll trouble you then."
"Mm."
Grass Wonder nodded. While El Condor Pasa was not paying attention, Grass Wonder gently kissed Shirayuki on the cheek.
"This is a kiss symbolizing our friendship. Goodbye, Yuki-chan."
Shirayuki froze for a moment, then nodded.
Special Week had once kissed her like this too, so Shirayuki was not too surprised. But it seemed like others were always kissing her, while she never kissed others. Since Grass Wonder said it was a kiss of friendship, Shirayuki felt she should respond as well.
Under Grass Wonder's gaze, Shirayuki also kissed her lightly on the cheek.
"See you tomorrow, Grass Wonder."
With that, Shirayuki left the room under Grass Wonder's stunned gaze.
"Eh? What was that just now? A kiss? Yuki-chan kissed you, Grass Wonder? Ah!?"
El Condor Pasa, who had witnessed the kiss, hurried over in a panic. Her noisy reaction was so annoying that Grass Wonder could not help raising her fist and lightly striking her in the stomach. El Condor Pasa immediately rolled her eyes and lost consciousness.
After tossing El Condor Pasa onto the bed, Grass Wonder gently touched her cheek.
Her face was completely red.
Yuki-chan.
You really are a child who makes it hard to endure.