Sweet Cohabitation Romcom With My Senior Girlfriend and Alcohol Starts At Twenty - Volume 1 Chapter 5.3

The Bathroom

“Se-Senpai… isn’t this going a bit too far…? It’s more than just punishment…”

“Oh, now you say that? It stopped being a punishment the moment we entered the bath together.”

“Not a punishment…? Then, what is this…?”

“It’s obvious, isn’t it… I just want to be close to you.”

“!”

I let out another voiceless gasp at the words Kureha Senpai released after a slight pause.

That’s right. If I think about it, there’s no penalty for this to be a punishment.

It’s not like she’s forbidding me to go to the bathroom like last time, nor is the teasing severe.

It’s just more physical contact than usual. Just a closer distance.

The biggest proof is that Senpai is unusually honest.

This time can’t be a punishment. By the time I realized that, the softness on my back had already spread.

“Ahahaha, you’re startled~”

“W-well of course I did!! Right now…you’re not wearing anything!!”

“Didn’t I properly wrapped in a bath towel?”

“Isn’t it just covering up? I doubt a single bath towel can really diminish the feeling…”

“Takashi-kun, do you dislike it?”

“…I like it, but”

It’s not that I like the softness feeling in general. I like it because it’s Senpai’s softness.

Feeling Senpai’s breath close to my ear, I questioned myself.

Just a single bath towel. Yet, it’s only one.

The thinness of a mere bath towel is ignorant of Senpai’s softness that refuses to be contained.

“Isn’t it fine if you like it? Should I just take it off?”

“No way! I said I like it, but we still need to keep it moderate…! We’re still students!!”

“Well, that’s true.”

She tries to remove the bath towel whenever there’s a chance, without knowing how I feel. I really wish she would give me a break.

Rather, it’s not just whenever there’s a chance, but whenever there’s “like.”

Even though I said I like it, it doesn’t mean it’s okay to do it.

If I were to feel Senpai’s softness directly, our relationship would undoubtedly change.

To avoid such a situation, I had been content with erotic books, but inviting Yuu, my only friend, to hide those books has led to the current predicament.

What to do now?

I had a vague understanding of Senpai’s jealousy over the yakiniku matter, but to experience her jealousy as this softness is quite characteristic of my relationship with Kureha Senpai.

“But I want to be lovey-dovey!”

“It’s not about ‘but’! At this rate, it won’t just be lovey-dovey anymore!!”

“When that time comes, it comes.”

“We have to make sure that time doesn’t come!?”

Trying to stop Senpai, who prioritizes impulses of the moment, is also typical of us.

However, words alone won’t stop Senpai, and even now, a softness is still attacking my back.

While feeling her sultry breath in my ear, the softness assaulting me dulls my thoughts.

As my senses are thrown into disarray, it even makes me think it will be okay with being overwhelmed by it.

Every move Senpai makes is too fatal for me.

It’s not just because we’re in the bathroom right now.

It’s because I’m hopelessly in love with Senpai. I’ve fallen for her, and I’ve even come to want to monopolize her.

I wonder how much others know about Senpai’s sloppy yet charming side.

How much can others imagine the gap between the usual Senpai and the current Senpai?

How much can others seriously take Senpai’s affectionate behavior?

After much thinking, pondering, and deliberation, I conclude that it’s best if only I understand Senpai.

That’s what it all comes down to.

“I understand. I’ll hold back. It would be pointless if I’m too selfish and you come to dislike me.”

“I wouldn’t dislike you, but… well, it would help if you could restrain yourself a bit.”

“Sure. I’ll be careful.”

Yes, I won’t come to dislike her. Senpai and I will only part ways if Senpai gets tired of me or when there’s no more fun in teasing me.

While I want to keep the stimulation of Senpai’s teasing, I also want to live a life that’s harder to be teased about.

With these complex feelings, I feel a sense of loneliness as the softness slowly moves away from my back.

As our breaths parted together, my heart raced, yet I felt a sense of calm settling in.

It was too soon to think that everything was alright.

“Sorry, but can I do just this one last thing…?”

“―――Huh?”

Just as the softness was about to completely leave my back, I suddenly felt a ticklish sensation on the nape of my neck.

It was warm, reminiscent of the warmth I had felt in my ears.

Gradually, that warmth drew closer, and then, resting on my shoulders, were the familiar, beautiful, slender fingers of Senpai.

They seemed so fragile that they might break with just a little pressure.

These slightly annoying fingers had always been between our lips, interrupting our first kiss.

Looking for the owner of these fingers, I could still feel her presence behind me.

She was adjusting the bath towel wrapped around her body, and I could tell from the reflection in the mirror that her face was somewhat flushed.

Then, right after she said it was the last time, something unexpected happened.

“Thank you. For loving someone like me.”

As she spoke, she gently, yet fervently, pressed her lips to my neck.

It was a light kiss, nothing compared to the deep ones we had shared before, but it felt different from all the others, and I couldn’t bring myself to leave the bathroom for a while.