After deciding to give up, I became popular

Of course, he loved her, which was why he cherished her so much and felt that everything should happen naturally.

After accidentally refuting her somewhat lonely words loudly, Kanade Natsukawa reflected on his actions while gazing into the eyes of the angel-like Mahiru, who seemed frozen in surprise.

He felt he needed to explain himself appropriately.

"Of course, I'm very happy, because Mahiru, you saying you don't want to leave me makes me feel happy, and I want to be by your side forever. If possible, I'd even like to fall asleep and wake up with you every day."

Seeing her face flush red at the word "every day," Kanade Natsukawa began to wonder if he might have gone a little too far, but to express his desire—his wish for Mahiru to stay by his side—he didn't look away.

"But, I don't know what will happen next, and I don't want to be the only one who seems too anxious and eager… mainly because… I don't want to do anything you don't want to do…" Kanade Natsukawa's tone was a little helpless as he looked at the angel-like girl with a hint of questioning. "In the end… haven't you thought about what I might do if you stayed over?"

Wasn't it too sly to push all the responsibility onto him? When did his angel-like girlfriend turn into such a child?

"Because I trust you," Mahiru replied earnestly.

Hearing her unwavering answer, Kanade Natsukawa truly understood. He realized that her only wish was indeed just to sleep together, and that she was making the request to stay over on the premise that she trusted him not to harm her.

So, Kanade Natsukawa made up his mind, preparing to brace his rationality, thinking that he had to fulfill his girlfriend's wish no matter what, but he was quickly poked gently by Mahiru—

"Kanade, don't misunderstand, I don't mean to use your trust to do the opposite. I mean… if your wish is… wanting me… it's okay, I'll accept it head-on!"

"…Ah?" Kanade Natsukawa was dumbfounded.

"Kanade… will take responsibility… right?" The angel-like girl's cheeks were still flushed, but her eyes were full of sparkling starlight.

"Of course! As a man, and also your boyfriend, I swear I will never do anything irresponsible!" Kanade Natsukawa nodded very seriously at her.

"Then there's no problem, right?"

"Is… is that so…" Kanade Natsukawa was completely confused.

Was that really okay? Or rather, wouldn't that kind of statement guarantee that something would go wrong?!

He even felt that Mahiru wasn't giving him a sense of reassurance at all, but was clearly encouraging him to do something in a roundabout way!

"…"

But despite his doubts, Mahiru gave him a sincere smile, as if she really wanted to entrust everything to him, so Kanade Natsukawa began to think that he couldn't betray her feelings.

Although he didn't know what would happen to his rationality…

Kanade Natsukawa sighed, starting to feel uneasy about tonight, but if Mahiru wanted to spend it with him, he wouldn't, and couldn't, refuse her.

Mahiru, full of confidence in his arms, finished speaking, as if she really felt she could handle all sorts of situations, but when Kanade Natsukawa's gaze met hers again, she seemed to realize it belatedly and finally started to feel shy. Her eyes wandered in the air for a while before she added in a small voice, "Um… if it really happens… I, I hope you can be gentle…"

Then she snuggled into his arms completely. Kanade Natsukawa didn't know whether to feel shy or happy about her attitude, so he could only respond with action, hugging her even tighter than before.

She said that… what should he do?

Kanade Natsukawa started to worry again. Although he had accepted her request to stay over, when he tried to calm down and think carefully, he realized that he was taking a big risk.

Even though he already knew that Mahiru would accept him, this stay-over was based on Mahiru's request to simply sleep together, but he truly felt that the scales of reason and instinct were swaying, and were constantly tilting towards instinct.

Honestly, if they didn't take it a step further in this situation… not only would he be considered useless, but on the other hand—what situation would be more suitable to take it a step further? That kind of thought was even more vexing.

However, even though the little devil in his head kept shouting things like "Now is the time to push her down!", Kanade Natsukawa was unwilling to create a fait accompli by going with the flow, and if something really happened, it wouldn't just be the two of them who would be troubled.

Kanade Natsukawa understood that he was sometimes selfish, especially at times like this, but it was precisely because he had this thought that he didn't go to the point of losing his reason. Because he loved her, because she was his girlfriend, so it was okay to have a relationship. He found it difficult to unilaterally agree with that kind of idea.

"Ah… um… why don't you go home and take a shower first? After all, I don't have your usual shampoo here…" Kanade Natsukawa suggested hesitantly, also feeling that perhaps letting Mahiru leave for a little while would make it easier to think of an answer.

After all, she was currently lying in his arms with such a shy and obediently cute appearance that it was impossible to refuse her from the bottom of his heart.

However, there were other considerations as well. Although they had decided to stay over, Mahiru couldn't do her usual maintenance in this house. He had heard that girls were meticulous about this, with unique needs for various parts of their body, such as the palms, forearms, and upper arms. Even on their face, they seemed to divide the nose area, cheeks, and forehead into separate sections for skincare…

He couldn't understand any of that. At most, he could only distinguish between skincare and shampoo.

Kanade Natsukawa also suggested this because he thought it would be more convenient for her to take care of things at her own home, but the angel-like girl's body suddenly shuddered.

Kanade Natsukawa: "?…!"

Ah, he suddenly understood why.

Because this was a continuation of the previous conversation, so… saying to take a shower in this state was simply causing a huge misunderstanding, right? Maybe in Mahiru's heart, she had already begun to complain about why he was in such a hurry!

So, Kanade Natsukawa's body also began to stiffen, his hands and feet nowhere to put. At the same time, the angel-like girl in his arms also looked awkward and at a loss.

"That, um, I… I didn't mean it that way, okay?" Kanade Natsukawa tried to salvage his image.

"Um… that, um… Kanade…" The angel-like girl clenched her small fists, as if trying to cheer herself up.

"Um…" Kanade Natsukawa nodded.

He was actually a little worried that Mahiru would misinterpret his meaning, but he found that the angel-like girl who raised her head didn't seem to be shy about it.

"That… if it's a couple… it's okay to shower together, right?"

"…" So Kanade Natsukawa's brain crashed again.

Together means…

There was no mistake, bathing was certainly a behavior that involved taking off clothes, after all, the purpose was to cleanse the body, but this wasn't some lighthearted phrase like "scrubbing his back," but a more advanced statement like "showering together," which meant that they would see each other naked…

If they were just lying in bed and doing nothing, Kanade Natsukawa tentatively had the confidence to control himself, as long as he always remembered the idea of "cherishing Mahiru and not hurting her," but if it became this kind of situation…

He believed that he would definitely enjoy her soft skin without any reservations.

《Driving》.jpg

Extra, an invitation to bathe (Angel chapter)

"I, I don't mean anything else… Although I don't mean anything else, that… I just feel… it's, it's rare to stay overnight together… I want to, together, take a bath…" The angel-like girl said these words intermittently.

Hearing his girlfriend's trembling whisper, Kanade Natsukawa didn't react for a moment and stared at her stiffly.

Faced with Mahiru, who was more proactive than usual, Kanade Natsukawa couldn't hide his inner confusion, scratching his cheeks that were almost burning, his eyes wandering in the air.

"No, it's not, that, won't something happen? If we're naked…"

"That… I, I'll wear a swimsuit, would that be okay?"

"Wear… wearing a swimsuit?" Kanade Natsukawa was a little silent. Honestly, he really didn't understand if wearing a swimsuit would have any effect. In fact, a large part of the skin was still exposed to the air, but this was also clearly different from going to the swimming pool or the beach. This was in a private place! So it was actually no different from underwear, right?

Moreover, the half-covered posture was indeed the most seductive.

"That being said… are you mentally prepared to be touched a little?" Kanade Natsukawa took a deep breath.

In fact, no matter how much of a gentleman he was, if his defenseless girlfriend was within reach, he couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't do anything.

He didn't know if Mahiru understood this. Her slender eyelashes trembled, and then she lowered her eyes.

"If we're washing each other's backs, we'll naturally touch each other, right…" The angel-like girl muttered.

"Oh? Oh…" Kanade Natsukawa belatedly nodded, although that wasn't what he meant.

"Really… I, I already said I don't hate it, and I also like the feeling of being touched by you. If I really hated it, I wouldn't say such things," the angel-like girl shook her head.

"I see…" Kanade Natsukawa's cheeks suddenly felt a little hot, because it seemed like an invitation for him to touch her, which was a bit too tempting, right?

His girlfriend was really pure but seductive.

However, Mahiru didn't mean anything else by saying that. She probably just yearned for his parents' harmonious relationship, unlike her own—which was just a marriage of convenience that ended up involving her…

Although in his eyes, his parents weren't as harmonious as she thought, and they occasionally argued, but for Mahiru, she probably couldn't find a better comparison.

Kanade Natsukawa understood her thoughts, so he didn't say much and nodded in agreement.

"So, you mean… as long as I also wear a swimsuit, we can resolve this peacefully, is that what you mean?" Kanade Natsukawa probed, although it would be strange to wear a swimsuit in the bathroom. After all, he usually wouldn't even wear underwear.

"Yes, yes."

"…Are you sure?" Kanade Natsukawa asked again.

"A gentleman's word is his bond," the angel-like girl nodded.

Kanade Natsukawa thought, isn't that a line for boys? But seeing that she seemed to have made up her mind to make this suggestion, Kanade Natsukawa didn't want to ignore her determination.

In short, Kanade Natsukawa just had to endure it.

For him, he had now found his only one. He thought it would be good to start with taking a bath together, as long as he could suppress his desires, deepening their relationship would also be a good thing.

Kanade Natsukawa recalled the swimsuit that he thought he wouldn't wear again after the summer vacation and had put away in the depths of his closet. He covered his pounding chest and nodded, replying, "I understand."

After putting on his swimsuit and entering the bathroom, Kanade Natsukawa felt very nervous and restless.

Mahiru said that it would take time to get the swimsuit and change, so she asked him to go in first. As Kanade Natsukawa waited, his heart beat faster and faster.

Although he had seen Mahiru wearing a swimsuit, this was the first time that only the two of them were in close contact in a small space, so the tension he felt was definitely stronger than the joy.

In the end, wasn't showering together something that experienced couples did? Thinking about it, Kanade Natsukawa was overwhelmed by a feeling of goosebumps and shame.

His body was already burning even though he hadn't soaked in the hot water yet.

He didn't know if he wanted Mahiru to come sooner or if he didn't want her to come at all. In this entanglement that he couldn't even figure out himself, Kanade Natsukawa closed his eyes tightly and tried to empty his brain. At this moment, he heard the creaking sound of the door opening behind him.

Kanade Natsukawa turned around stiffly, only to see his girlfriend, whose skin was so white that it was dazzling, looking timidly at him.

The moment the angel-like girl's figure was reflected in his eyes, Kanade Natsukawa froze.

Was this what Mairu was talking about? His sister really got him a good benefit…

Kanade Natsukawa remembered that Mairu had once said that Mahiru had bought two swimsuits.

This time it wasn't the one she wore when they went to the pool.

What she was wearing now was a black bikini, almost the opposite of her fair skin, without any extra decorations, just a simple style that covered her skin with fabric. The fabric area wasn't the extremely narrow type, nor was it anything that bandages could imitate. After all, Mahiru was still a very curvy girl, so in the end, it was just an ordinary bikini—

But even so, the reason why it looked so suggestive was all due to her beautiful figure, right?

Sure enough, after taking a closer look, only the word "exquisite" could describe it.

Her slender neck with no excess fat, the steep rise of her chest, the smooth curve of her waist, and her tight but moderately soft thighs, it could be said to be the ideal figure.

Mahiru rarely revealed her skin usually, and her clothing tended to cover herself more, so let alone the chest area, these were sights that she almost never had the opportunity to admire, but now they were displayed in front of Kanade Natsukawa alone.

This was probably the ultimate weapon she had brought out, but perhaps feeling Kanade Natsukawa's gaze, she shyly covered her front with her hands, and even that action was very sexy. Kanade Natsukawa could see her breasts being squeezed and bulging between her arms. As a man, he could assert that it was a very beautiful sight, but placed in this situation, it was unbearable.

In any case, it wasn't good to stare straight at her, so Kanade Natsukawa subtly shifted his gaze, but Mahiru seemed a little concerned, and slightly furrowed her brow.

"...Is it strange?"

"No, no, it's not, no... it suits you, but..."

"But?"

"...How should I put it, it's too stimulating." Kanade Natsukawa squeezed out the words. After all, he found it completely incomprehensible that swimwear was okay. In his view, it clearly added an extra layer of temptation.

Then Mahiru's face visibly reddened. She herself should have been most aware of this.

Normally, she would never have chosen this style. That bikini, made up of only strips of cloth and strings, didn't seem to cover much skin, making her feel insecure.

"That's why I didn't wear it at the swimming pool. It would be too embarrassing to be seen by others."

"Then why did you buy it?" Kanade Natsukawa asked, somewhat puzzled.

"That, that's because, Suzushiro-chan said... if I don't go this far, you won't fall for me." The angel-like girl weakly replied, her cheeks indeed flushing red instantly.

"Fall for what..."

At such a statement, Kanade Natsukawa covered his forehead and retorted, then glanced at the angel-like girl's figure again.

Seeing this appearance, it was indeed possible to fall for her.

The current Mahiru had such great destructive power, so powerful that Kanade Natsukawa wanted to immediately squat down and exclude her from his sight until he regained his composure. Unfortunately, he couldn't and was somewhat unwilling to do so, so he could only take deep breaths to try to calm down while stealing glances at Mahiru. It felt like sitting on pins and needles. The lightly dressed man and woman were alone in this small space, making him very restless.

"Ah—that... well, let's wash your hair first." Kanade Natsukawa's gaze was fixed on the corner of the room.

"Y-Yeah!" Mahiru nodded in response with a slightly raised voice, lowered her head to cover her cheeks that were flushed red even though she hadn't been in the hot water yet, and then took out a bottle filled with liquid from the waterproof bag she had brought and placed on the bathroom floor.

Kanade Natsukawa himself liked to use men's shampoo, didn't think Mahiru would use it, and knew she would bring her own, but just thought there were a particularly large number of bottles.

Girls use so many bottles and jars separately when they take a bath... Kanade Natsukawa was impressed for a moment. Mahiru glanced over here from time to time, and pointed to the direction of the chair, saying, "Sit on the chair first..."

This meant she was going to wash his hair.

"No, no need, I'll do it myself."