“Hmm….”
Mizuki’s bathroom was surprisingly spacious.
Honestly, I had worried about it being cramped after suggesting we wash together, but there was no need for such concerns.
The bathtub was big enough for two people.
Well, Mizuki would probably take a while due to cleaning and laundry, so it turned out to be an unnecessary worry.
“Fwaaa….”
After washing my hair and finishing my shower, I soaked my body in the bathtub.
The water temperature was just right, slightly hot.
It felt like my whole body was relaxing…
“Fwaaaa….”
By the way, when I asked Mizuki to wash together earlier, she averted her gaze like she was really sorry.
Thinking about it, Mizuki was meeting with me to apologize for yesterday, and now she made another mistake today, so I could understand her reaction…
But I really don’t mind; there’s no need to feel burdened.
Nobody goes through life without making mistakes.
Hmm.
Once Mizuki comes out after washing, I should comfort her.
Of course, Mizuki is older than me by age, but in Star’s Flow, I’m her senpai, and if we include our previous lives, I’m older.
I should think of something cool to say.
As I made that resolve, I sank back into the bathwater.
★
“M-Mizuki.”
“Yeah?”
“D-Do you want to wash together?”
“…Huh?!”
At Izumi’s sudden remark, Shoko’s head momentarily heated up.
“…?”
Seeing Shoko’s reaction, Izumi tilted her head as if asking if there was a problem.
“T-That is…”
Right. Let’s not think weird thoughts.
Kaya-chan is just being considerate for me, drenched in orange juice.
Shoko took a deep breath and thought.
“Um… I’ll wait outside. You go ahead and wash, Kaya-chan.”
“B-But Mizuki will also be sticky from the orange juice….”
See? Kaya-chan is sincerely worrying about me, right?
In the end, I also need to wash since, like Kaya-chan said, I’m covered in orange juice.
So let’s stop any weird thoughts and tell Kaya-chan to wash up first.
I’ve got to clean the orange juice spill on the floor, after all.
…As if to mock Shoko’s resolve, Izumi opened her mouth again.
“If you’re sorry for me, you don’t need to worry about it…. It was a m-mistake, after all…?”
“I-It’s because I’m sorry in a different way…!”
“…Huh?”
“N-Nothing! For now, I need to clean the spill, so Kaya-chan, go wash up first.”
Hahaha… At Shoko’s awkward smile, Izumi finally nodded.
“Then I’ll go wash first…”
“Okay….”
At Shoko’s response, Izumi hesitantly entered the bathroom.
“Haah…”
Seeing that, Shoko let out a sigh.
Proposing to wash together on our first meeting, what on earth was going on… but Shoko already knew.
She had heard from the other members of Star’s Flow.
Izumi’s sense of distance was a bit on the strange side.
But knowing this and experiencing it firsthand was an entirely different matter.
So Shoko, although she hadn’t really done anything, began to clean the orange juice-stained floor with her tired body.
“Whoa… Kaya-chan’s clothes make her look even smaller….”
Of course, she didn’t forget to put Izumi’s discarded clothes into the washing machine.
★
“Here, you can wear this, Kaya-chan. I think it’ll be a little big…”
“It’s fine.”
The clothes Mizuki handed me after I washed up were a white shirt and black dolphin shorts.
After handing me the clothes, Mizuki went in to wash.
But these clothes… feel familiar.
“…Ah.”
As soon as I put them on, I realized where this familiar feeling came from.
This is… my old outfit!
While it may not be called my boyfriend’s shirt, the oversized white shirt definitely barely covered the dolphin shorts.
Mizuki, please… don’t tell me you planned this?
These must just be clothes she prepared for me to be comfortable at home, right?
Let’s believe that.
“Fwaaa….”
Whirr!
As I dried my hair with the hairdryer, I sighed.
Every time I dry my hair, I feel how inconvenient having long hair is.
It takes forever to dry, and my arms hurt because of it.
So I thought about getting it cut short, but… Mom’s vehement opposition stopped me, claiming cutting my hair would be a loss to the world.
Even now, my sister is against it, so even though it’s my hair, I can’t do as I please.
Of course, I’m used to my long hair now, but a true beautiful girl looks amazing with short hair—why can’t they understand that…?
“Ugh…”
My arms were starting to get numb, but my hair was still wet.
I missed Koga, who would gently dry my hair without saying a word…
While I was drying my hair, Mizuki came out into the living room.
“Y-You came out early…?”
“Ah, yeah. I thought I shouldn’t stay in the bathtub too long…”
Mizuki said that with an awkward smile.
Did she think it would be rude to leave me alone since I was a guest?
She didn’t need to worry about such things.
Thank goodness Mizuki’s cheeks were flushed, showing she had definitely relaxed in the tub.
“Kaya-chan seems to still be drying her hair?”
“Ah, yes… it takes a bit longer because my hair is l-l-long…”
Well, I suppose Mizuki also came out early.
“It’s a hassle, isn’t it?”
“Yes…”
“Yeah, I used to cut my hair short because it was a hassle.”
So there was a story behind Mizuki’s short hair.
I’m jealous…
“If it’s too hard, should I dry it for you? But then you have to dry my hair, Kaya-chan!”
“Is that okay? My hair is l-long, and it takes a while to dry, and I’m not good at drying….”
“It’s fine, it’s fine! Actually, I think of it as a reward to be able to dry Kaya-chan’s hair.”
Hmm… If Mizuki wants that much.
“Okay then.”
As I handed her the hairdryer, Mizuki happily hummed a tune as she gently stroked my hair.
“Wow… Your hair is really nice, Kaya-chan. …By the way, Ayaka said that Kaya-chan doesn’t take care of her hair at all during the hot spring travel broadcast. Is that true? Or a lie?”
“It’s true…”
“No way…”
Is that truly that surprising?
Ah, speaking of which, Mizuki mentioned Utsumi earlier, and it reminded me.
“Mizuki.”
“Yeah?”
“When it’s just us two, or among the members… could you call me Izumi?”
“Ah, do you feel uncomfortable thinking it seems like we’re close?”
“Huh? I-It’s absolutely nothing like that…!”
I think nicknames are nice.
That means they consider me familiar.
Nonetheless, I hope the members of Star’s Flow call me Izumi.
Because….
“Our connection is with Star’s Flow…. It’s hard to explain, but I really like all the members here….”
“Eh…?!”
“So the name ‘Kainoh Izumi’ is precious to me… I like when the members call me Izumi. If they call me by my real name all the time… it feels like our connection would mean nothing….”
It’s hard to explain and also embarrassing, but that’s how it is.
I genuinely like everyone I met in Star’s Flow.
It doesn’t matter if we just met today or if that’s the case.
What matters is that Mizuki is also a member of Star’s Flow, my junior, and that we met, which is important to me.
Just that is enough… I like Mizuki.
“Ah, I get it. I’ll call you Izumi-chan. Is that okay?”
“Yes…!”
“Wow, really! How can you say such beautiful things, Izumi-chan?!”
“Wah?!”
Mizuki said that, turned off the hairdryer, and hugged me tightly from behind.
But really, Mizuki is a strange person…!
Anyway, after Mizuki made a fuss drying my hair, it was now my turn to dry Mizuki’s hair.
With black short hair similar to my mom’s.
Even though she envied my good hair condition earlier, Mizuki’s hair was also very nice.
Well, when I think about it, all the members of Star’s Flow are beauties…
I wouldn’t be surprised if they considered looks when deciding on members.
Well, after all, Star’s Flow is an idol production, so I guess that’s natural?
As I thought about that while drying Mizuki’s hair, I caught a refreshing lemon scent.
…Since I just washed at Mizuki’s place, is the same scent in my hair too?
I usually use peach-scented shampoo at home.
As I slightly turned my head in curiosity, just as expected, I caught the lemon scent.
“Hehe…”
“What’s up, Izumi-chan?”
“Ah… My hair smells the same lemon scent as Mizuki’s….”
“…Izumi-chan, are you doing it on purpose?”
“Huh?”
★
[【Off-Collab】 Chatting Broadcast with Senpai Izumi!!! #MizukiShoko #KainohIzumi #Star’s Flow]
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