Mandarin Orange, Kotatsu, And A Found Cat

It was now time to stay in the same hotel room with a young member of the opposite sex, and she was waiting for me to come over.
The distance between me and her was unsettling, and on top of that, none of this felt real.

Amidst this, I saw Mashiro standing before me, with only a towel on.

“S-Satou-san. Um, I don’t know how to…”

Mashiro opened the door from the bathroom and her eyebrows furrowed in an apologetic manner.
My mind was consumed by the sight of her thin, white body, but I manage to grasp the situation.

Behind her, the shower head was lying in the tub spewing water flying everywhere.
The clinking noise I had heard earlier was the sound of the shower head falling from her hand.

“S-Sorry. The water turned out very cold…”
“That’s why. Don’t be sorry, it is my fault for not telling you earlier.”

The showers in these places are often different from those found in ordinary homes.
The bathroom in this hotel was no exception, which was pretty hard for first-timers.

I gave her a lecture on how to use the shower while trying not to look at Mashiro, who was standing next to me.
The more I tried not to be conscious of it, the more my eyes were drawn to her every move, and even though I was not in hot water, I felt as if I was lightly intoxicated.

In addition to how to use the shower, I also shared a little etiquette with her.
This outing was an opportunity for Mashiro to increase her general knowledge of the world. It is the role of parents to cherish such opportunities for growth.

…It is heartbreaking that I, as a guardian, have such guilty feelings toward the subject…

“…Satou-san?”
“W-What?”

In the middle of my explanation, Mashiro unexpectedly called my name.
I turned in response, but quickly averted my head back. Puzzled, she moved in front of my sight.

I averted my head once again, and she followed up as well.
Seeing this series of actions, Mashiro spoke up.

“So…why aren’t you looking at me?”
“…”

That question hit the mark. I remained silent and refused to look at her.
If this was anyone except Mashiro, all I had to do was tell them to knock it off, but this is Mashiro, and her genuine and pure nature is making matters worse for me.

Just a few minutes ago, I struggled with my hazy feelings for Mashiro, and now she is, half-naked next to me.
It would be crazy for any girl to ask him to look at her, but Mashiro didn’t put any thought in that direction and instead was puzzled.
At this point, I should probably tell her to be more mindful of these things.

“…I believe I had said this before, Mashiro should be more cautious sometimes.”
“Cautious…Why?”
“You might not know, but men are known as wolves. If you are not cautious, they will attack you.”
“Attack…What is this about?”
“That, is…well, you know.”
“?”

It was difficult for me to explain this concept because of Mashiro’s pure nature, so I had to choose my words carefully and beat around the bush.

“…Mashiro, do you not feel any hint of embarrassment right now?”

Unable to come up with any better words, I had to approach this from a different angle.
Compared to me, who is feeling a little guilty in this matter, Mashiro was feeling as usual and gave it a serious thought.

“Well, a little. But Satou-san is special to me.”

She said it simply.

As for me, I have no clue what her ‘special’ meant.
Was it because I saved her? Was it as a family, who had spent time together? Or could it be…

“Mashiro.”
“Yes…hiyah?!”

I grabbed her right hand with my left hand and placed my right hand on her cheek.
The expression on her face, which had been entirely unperturbed earlier, changed to one of surprise. Seeing this, I felt a little bit of the haze I had felt earlier lifted.

“S-Satou…san?”
“…”

Even for Mashiro, this was a situation where it is difficult for her to comprehend.
I didn’t respond to her call, instead, I pulled her closer to me.
As our faces got closer, she seemed more stunned than ever.

Gradually, her face slowly turns red, and we began to feel each other’s warmth through our hands.
Following up on that sense of immorality, I moved my right hand up on her head.
I brushed through her silky hair, delicately moving my hand to her ears, and carefully rubbing it.

“Nyan. D-Don’t touch that part…”

At that moment, a squeal escapes from Mashiro and my hand stops in response.
She twisted her body tightly to the right and looked at me.
That innocent expression on her face earlier has disappeared, and her eyes were fixed on me with a teary eye.

Then our faces got closer together as if drawn to each other.
Before I knew it, my attention was drawn to her lips, and I couldn’t take my eyes off it.
In turn, Mashiro slowly closed her eyes, prepared─

Before our lips touched, I firmly pressed my hands against her shoulders.

She just looked at me in silence, and I avoided her gaze.
Thinking about what was about to happen, my body heated up.

I have no clue if Mashiro understands the meaning behind my actions, but in any case, she seemed to have just accepted it right then…
Wait, no, I have to clear this misunderstanding first…

“M-My fault. T-That just now, it was not what it seemed like…”
“U-Um…”
“Uh, that…yes. T-That was what it meant to be attacked. So from now on, you should be more cautious─”
“Hey─ S-Satou-san…”

While I was fumbling to make excuses, Mashiro raised her voice.
Interrupted my channeling, I lost track of my words and turned to her…

“Y-You can’t just do that!”

At the same time, my vision went dark from Mashiro’s hand clamping it down.
The only sense of relief was that my mouth was not blocked, so I called out to her, yet, there was no response.
However, I could feel that she was trembling as my hand was still on her shoulders.

“…Don’t, don’t look at me right now.”
“What now…?”
“I-I’m saying don’t at me right now, if you look, no food for you tomorrow.”
“Please, anything but that…”

To be blunt, I don’t think the expression is something that I want to show her, so I closed my eyes and held my face in my palms.

Although Mashrio threatened me with food, it didn’t take long for her to tell me that I could open my eyes.
As I opened my eyes, I saw Mashiro wearing the same tint on her face as mine, with her towel wrapped more tightly than before.

[TLN: EMMM, this chapter really isn’t about the bathroom but ok, where the toilet-kun at.]