With the conversation ending on a note that satisfied all four of them, dinner finally drew to a close.
Hanadasaki Ame immediately ordered his idle father to clear the dishes and wash up. Hanadasaki Tatsuya did not particularly want to, but after glancing at the Nagasaki mother and daughter—who were clearly waiting for a chance to have a private talk—he could only sigh, shake his head, and start cleaning.
Nagasaki Nozomi, meanwhile, apologized with a smile and took Nagasaki Soyo out into the garden, where she began whispering to her in private.
With nothing else to do, Hanadasaki Ame went off to take a bath.
Cooking had left him smelling of food, with traces of grease in his hair and on his skin. He disliked that sort of thing intensely.
A little while later, the Nagasaki mother and daughter came back inside.
Nagasaki Nozomi headed into the kitchen to chat with Hanadasaki Tatsuya, who was still dragging his feet over the washing up.
Nagasaki Soyo pressed a hand over the object tucked inside the pocket of her long skirt. Her cheeks burned, and she felt so dizzy she could barely think straight.
She had never imagined that at a moment like this, her mother, Nagasaki Nozomi, would choose to teach her certain pieces of biological knowledge!
And then come out with absurd things like, "It's hard for young people to suppress their needs," or, "Make sure you're careful"…
She took several deep breaths, forcing down the turmoil inside her, then sat on the sofa in the living room.
They were brother and sister. There was no possible use for that little box. She should just throw it away and spare herself these wild thoughts!
That was what she told herself.
And yet she made no move to do so.
After struggling with it for quite a while, she took out her phone and started scrolling through the news, trying to distract herself.
Before her brain had even caught up, her fingers—moving by long habit—had already opened a certain social media page. A band photo of five girls in a practice room suddenly filled the screen.
The cheerful mood she had been in earlier gradually sank, and her eyes dimmed as she let out a faint sigh.
Sakiko…
Where was she now?
That band, which had once given her so many beautiful memories, had withered away like falling cherry blossoms right after their first live performance. She still did not even understand why it had fallen apart in the first place.
The matter had remained knotted in her heart ever since, impossible to let go.
She wanted so badly to find Sakiko, ask her why she had left, and somehow pull her back so they could rebuild CRYCHIC.
The band had not disbanded.
Everyone had simply stopped coming.
If Sakiko came back, then surely the others would return as well!
And yet, from the day Sakiko walked away, Soyo had never seen her again.
After sitting in that dark mood for a while, she put her phone away.
Then she heard footsteps upstairs. Hanadasaki Ame must have finished bathing.
After a moment's thought, she decided she could go help him dry his hair. It would be a way to deepen their bond a little—and also shift her mood.
A boy with hair that long had to find taking care of it bothersome, surely.
So she got up and climbed the stairs to the second floor.
The door to Hanadasaki Ame's bedroom was standing open, bright light spilling out into the hallway.
She took a couple of steps toward it, then abruptly stopped.
This might not be the best idea.
What if he was changing clothes right now?
If she walked in on that, it would be awkward for both of them.
So she waited two or three minutes before finally going over. Standing at the doorway, she smiled and asked softly,
"Excuse me… may I come in?"
As she spoke, she glanced around the room.
There was a great deal of stuff in it, but everything was kept in neat order. The single bed sat farther from the door, while a desk stood by the window with two computer monitors on top. Opposite the bed was a wardrobe, and beside it a vanity table. Elsewhere in the room were all sorts of things that looked like souvenirs or collected keepsakes, arranged according to some logic known only to him.
Hanadasaki Ame sat at the desk in a set of white pajamas, using a towel to wring the moisture from his long cherry-pink hair.
Before drying such long hair with a hairdryer, one obviously had to wipe away the visible water first—otherwise, how long would it take?
"Come in."
Hanadasaki Ame answered without even lifting his head.
Only then did Nagasaki Soyo step inside and come over to his side.
"Would you like me to help dry your hair?"
she asked gently.
"Yes, please. Thank you."
Hanadasaki Ame nodded.
Taking care of this sort of thing by himself really was troublesome. Sometimes he even washed only his body and skipped washing his long hair altogether.
Nagasaki Soyo took the towel from him and wrapped it around his hair again, continuing to squeeze out the moisture as she chatted casually.
"Your hair quality is really nice. But boys who keep their hair this long are genuinely rare. Did you grow it out because it makes you look cuter?"
"Not really. I just felt it suited me better. It was a strange premonition, with no real basis behind it. But I often follow my instincts. If I feel I should do something, then I do it first and leave the other questions for later."
Hanadasaki Ame answered calmly.
Of course, the long hair did in fact make him look even more delicate and adorable.
"Are you going to bathe? There aren't any clothes here you could change into, so if you want to, you'd have to make do with mine."
He asked the question, though in truth his clothes might not have served very well. Nagasaki Soyo was developed rather generously in the right places, full and shapely enough that making do with his clothes would be difficult.
After a little thought, Nagasaki Soyo said,
"No. Just one night—I can wash up tomorrow morning."
Her mother, Nagasaki Nozomi, was planning to stay over tonight, which meant Soyo had no choice but to remain as well. Since she had none of her daily necessities with her, it was a little inconvenient, but she would just skip bathing.
When she remembered the small box in the pocket of her dark-blue skirt, she could not help inwardly clicking her tongue again.
When her mother had handed it to her earlier, she had not been carrying just one box!
It did not take much imagination to figure out what kind of thing was expected from an overnight stay like this!
After a little more small talk, the towel had done most of its work, and she picked up the hairdryer.
Under the warm air, Hanadasaki Ame's cherry-pink hair gave off a delicate fragrance that was refreshing and intoxicating. The scent of shampoo seemed to blend with his own body scent, along with some other indescribably lovely note, creating something that cleared the mind and made the heart race.
As she dried it, she could not help leaning down slightly and taking a deep breath near his hair.
It was like the scent of orchids, but warmed by the hot air from the dryer, and tinged with a trace of lingering dampness from the bath. That combination gave it a faintly intimate allure that made her pulse quicken.
She said nothing about it.
She merely continued chatting with him in a calm, ordinary tone.
It took around ten minutes before his hair was completely dry.
Hanadasaki Ame ran a hand through the now-smooth strands and said,
"Thank you."
He normally braided his long pink hair, which was more convenient, but right now it fell straight and loose, hanging like silk.
"No need to be polite. Just remember—you have to help dry mine in the future too, alright?"
Nagasaki Soyo replied with a smile, her voice soft and warm.
Doing this sort of caring thing for someone really did make her feel happy.
"Mhm. I will—if I'm not busy."
Hanadasaki Ame nodded.
"Oh, right. Do you usually practice violin at home? I heard your playing is unbelievably good. Could I hear you play sometime?"
Nagasaki Soyo had replayed that video Yashio Rui sent her many times, and she had been wanting to experience the performance in person. Since the opportunity was here, she asked directly.
"I can, sure. Though I basically never practice anymore. Back when I first started learning a few years ago, I did practice two hours a day."
"Eh!? That little!?"
"The more you practice, the worse your playing gets!"
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 175)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 119)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter105)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter100)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter79)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter125)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 60
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 40
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 73
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 55
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 66
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 64
The Way the Umamusume Look at 63
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 55
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 45
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 31
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 31
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 31
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