"Shirayuki, the bathroom is free now."
Fresh out of the bath, Mejiro Dober wiped her hair with a towel and called out to Fujiwara Shirayuki from outside.
There was no response for quite a while, so Mejiro Dober leaned out and looked toward the room.
"Shirayuki?"
At some point, Shirayuki had already gotten into bed.
"Are you already asleep?"
"Mm... I'm getting ready to sleep, Dober-onee-chan."
The girl's voice came muffled from beneath the blanket. For some reason, it was trembling badly.
"Then I'll go drain the bathwater, alright?"
"...Okay, thank you, Dober-onee-chan."
Her voice was so faint it was almost like a mosquito's buzz.
Did I wake her up after she had already fallen asleep?
Though she found it a little odd, Mejiro Dober did not think too deeply about it. After draining the water, she stepped out of the bathroom, sat down in the chair, and began drying her hair with the hairdryer.
Still, why had Shirayuki gone to bed so early today? Usually she would read for a while, then go play Old Maid with Special Week and the others.
But today, she had gotten into bed unusually early.
Mejiro Dober looked at the mirror, then at the Fujiwara Shirayuki wrapped up in a bundle on the bed. What she did not know was that Shirayuki was currently enduring an unprecedented trial.
As wave after wave of pleasant sensation passed through her awareness, Shirayuki felt her consciousness drifting far away.
There was no way this kind of feeling could be endured through willpower alone.
Shirayuki breathed deeply, but her heart only beat faster and faster.
After nearly twenty minutes, Fujiwara Shirayuki's throat was dry, and sweat covered her whole body. Her underclothes and sheets were already soaked through, and the bedding was bunched into a complete mess. Her body already retained heat more easily than other people's because of her skin, and after enduring all of this, she felt as though she had practically been washed in water on the bed.
So hot...
Turning over, Fujiwara Shirayuki wiped her forehead.
"Shirayuki?"
"W-What is it, Dober-onee-chan?" Hearing her voice, Shirayuki tightened the blanket around herself and carefully turned her head.
"Are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine."
"You're sweating so much..."
Mejiro Dober could not help but say it when she saw the shining strands of hair stuck to Shirayuki's forehead.
"I'm probably just tired today." Fujiwara Shirayuki's voice sounded hoarse, and she forced out a very stiff smile.
"Really...? If you're tired, it might be better to take a bath and relax."
"T-That's true." Supporting herself against the bed, Fujiwara Shirayuki forced her limp body upright. "Then I'll go take a quick shower."
"I already drained the bathwater. Should I fill it again for you?"
"No, no, that's fine. I'll just rinse off. I don't need to soak."
"Are you really sure?"
"Of course. I'm just a little tired."
Fujiwara Shirayuki laughed awkwardly, waved a hand, and climbed out of bed. The moment Mejiro Dober saw her properly, her eyes widened.
Shirayuki's clothes were plastered to her body with sweat, and her damp skin gleamed under the light. Hair white as snow clung to her forehead and cheeks. At that moment, she looked like some spirit out of a dream, giving off a strange and beautiful radiance.
The sight shocked Mejiro Dober so much that it took her a full five seconds to react.
"I'm going to take a shower, Dober-onee-chan."
"...Go ahead. It's still warm in there."
Mejiro Dober's eyes seemed glued to Shirayuki's body. She could not look away.
Only after Shirayuki disappeared into the bathroom did Mejiro Dober finally pull her gaze back. She pressed a hand to her heated forehead and swallowed repeatedly.
The longer she spent with Shirayuki, the deeper her feelings became. It could be said that over these past few months, Mejiro Dober's feelings for Shirayuki had long since gone beyond sisterly affection and turned into romantic love.
She already regarded Shirayuki as her other half.
And yet she still had not pierced through that final layer between them, always hiding behind the label of sisters.
After all, this was also the first time Mejiro Dober had ever felt this way about someone. Speaking honestly about it would require a great deal of courage.
But recently, her emotions had been piling up more and more.
Every time she held Shirayuki in her arms, the sight of that pale nape made Mejiro Dober want to kiss her. She wanted to leave the mark of her lips on Shirayuki's skin, but because they had not made their feelings clear yet, all she could do was watch helplessly.
That feeling was unbearable.
So maybe it was time to go one step further.
To tell Shirayuki how she felt, and make their relationship clear.
Nothing too grown-up, but surely holding hands every day and stealing a kiss on the cheek ought to be allowed, right? Mejiro Dober had even fantasized about the day Shirayuki would kiss her lightly on the cheek to wake her from sleep, make breakfast for her, and then say, "Come home early, Dober-onee-chan."
Just imagining that kind of life made her tremble with happiness.
"Shirayuki... my adorable girl..."
Thinking of Shirayuki wearing an apron and cooking for her, Mejiro Dober's heart became unbearably restless. She threw herself onto the floor and rolled around, trying to calm the agitation in her chest. Without meaning to, she bumped into Fujiwara Shirayuki's bed, and the blanket hanging off the edge slipped down.
The damp bedsheet landed right on Mejiro Dober's face, and Shirayuki's scent rushed into her nose.
Bliss.
Mejiro Dober inhaled deeply several times, taking in the sweetness of sweat and skin.
Lifting the blanket, Mejiro Dober stood up with a flushed face.
That said... why had Shirayuki sweated this much today?
The training had not been especially intense, and there had not been any extra self-practice in the evening. Yet Shirayuki's bed looked as though it had been washed.
The bedsheet too was wrinkled beyond belief.
Seeing her adorable younger sister's bed in such a state, Mejiro Dober decided to tidy it up for her. With that much sweat, there was no way Shirayuki could sleep comfortably. She definitely needed a fresh set of bedding.
Listening to the sound of water running in the bathroom, Mejiro Dober hurried to finish before Shirayuki came back out. She happened to have a spare clean set of bedding that Shirayuki could use.
As Mejiro Dober started removing the cover from Shirayuki's blanket, her hand brushed against a cool patch. Unlike the rest of the soaked bedding, the texture there stood out sharply.
Hm...?
Mejiro Dober looked at her hand, puzzled.
It felt almost like someone's saliva.
But why would saliva be there? And in that spot, of all places?
Spreading the removed cover flat, Mejiro Dober saw an odd sheen on it, like something had been spilled across it.
What on earth had Shirayuki been doing under here...?
Mejiro Dober shook her head, unable to make sense of what Shirayuki had gotten onto the sheets. Shirayuki surely had not been secretly drinking something under the covers. Even if she could be a little gluttonous, she would never do something that messy. Shirayuki understood proper lady-like etiquette and would never behave so clumsily.
And in any case, a drink would not spill in a place like that. Other than sweat or saliva, what could possibly cling to a blanket like this?
As Mejiro Dober continued changing Shirayuki's bedding, a sudden flash of realization crossed her mind.
She arrived at a possibility that felt both absurd and, somehow, far too plausible.