With Touka staring at him like that, saying those words...
Byakuya momentarily froze.
"...Staying isn't impossible, but don't you only have one room? Though I suppose I could sleep on the living room couch..."
Byakuya said.
"Idiot—who said anything about the couch? Just sleep in my room with me."
Touka was exasperated. Could he really not read the situation?
"Isn't that a bit...?"
Byakuya's hesitation was making Touka anxious. "What's wrong with it? Or are you saying... I have zero appeal to you?"
Byakuya hadn't wanted to think in that direction, but with Touka being so direct, how could he not?
At that moment, Touka grabbed his hand and forcefully pulled him to sit on the bed.
Just as she was about to take matters into her own hands, she suddenly remembered something was missing. "Oh right—before doing that, we should probably shower first."
"Yes, but..."
Byakuya voiced his concern. "Your exams are coming up. And besides, how should I put this... you're not quite at the right age yet."
"So what? It won't affect my exams. And this is something we both want."
Touka argued her case. "Besides, I'm already an adult. Do you still see me as a child?"
Though her adulthood was quite recent, Byakuya's attitude made her feel like he still viewed her as a kid—and that bothered her.
"..."
Byakuya's main concern was that Touka was a graduating student about to take exams. Getting distracted by this at such a crucial time didn't seem ideal...
But seeing her so determined, he realized further protests would be pointless.
"I just thought with your exams so close, you shouldn't be affected by something like this. But thinking about it... if I turned you down for that reason, it would probably affect you even more?"
Byakuya spoke frankly.
"So you're going to accept?"
Touka spoke from the heart as well. "It's fine if you refuse. If this makes you uncomfortable, we can pretend nothing happened—don't worry about affecting me or anything."
She was completely serious. If Byakuya truly didn't want to do this with her, she wouldn't force him.
"There's no way I'd dislike it—that's exactly why I'm worried about you."
Byakuya's left hand was still in Touka's grasp. Now his right hand gently covered hers. "If you're serious about this, I have no reason to refuse."
"Do you even need to ask? Of course I'm serious."
Touka declared immediately. "So... I'm going to shower first!"
With that, she fled to the bathroom in a slight panic.
As she undressed, she grumbled to herself.
Byakuya, honestly...
If he'd just acted on impulse and taken her right then, she wouldn't be this embarrassed.
But no, he had to overthink everything about her situation...
Though it did show how much he cared about her...
During her shower, Touka gradually calmed down.
But the calmer she became, the more nervous and shy she felt.
This is all Byakuya's fault—making me lose my momentum.
But having come this far, she definitely wasn't giving up halfway.
As she washed, her hands glided over her body. When her fingertips brushed across her chest, a slight tremor ran through her.
Touka's cheeks flushed.
Because her mind kept dwelling on what was about to happen, her body had unconsciously become sensitive.
Normally she showered exactly like this, but tonight was different...
With a faintly restless feeling, Touka finished her shower. She wrapped herself in just a towel before stepping out.
Her face was flushed—whether from embarrassment or the shower's steam, it was hard to tell.
"I'm done. Your turn."
Touka's gaze drifted slightly, clearly more from shyness than anything else.
"Mm."
Byakuya nodded and headed into the bathroom.
After he went in, Touka sat on the bed waiting.
She didn't bother putting on pajamas—they'd be starting soon anyway, so what was the point?
The waiting was agonizing. Sitting there, Touka couldn't help her racing thoughts.
She slapped her reddening cheeks and stood up, walking toward the bathroom.
...
Byakuya had just finished washing his hair when he heard a gentle knock at the bathroom door.
"Byakuya, I'm coming in..."
It was Touka's voice.
"I'm not done yet—maybe wait a bit?"
Byakuya instinctively assumed Touka had forgotten something in here.
But Touka didn't care. She pushed the door open and walked right in.
Byakuya turned to look—and nearly dropped the soap in his hand.
Because Touka was wearing nothing at all. She wasn't even holding the towel in front of her body.
"Touka..."
For a moment, Byakuya didn't know what to say.
"..."
Touka said nothing either. She simply walked straight toward him, the blush on her cheeks never fading.
Reaching him, she stared unblinkingly at a certain part of him.
So that's what Byakuya's looks like...
Touka decided that being impulsive was definitely the way to go. She didn't feel as nervous or shy now—instead, excitement was gradually building.
Being stared at like this made Byakuya feel somewhat awkward.
He quickly broke the strange atmosphere. "If you want to wash up some more, we could get in the tub together..."
"There's nothing more to wash."
But Touka was quite direct. "We can start now. I don't really know much about this stuff, but I think it goes something like this—"
She attempted to position herself.
But right at that moment, the doorbell rang.
Touka jumped, startled—because aside from her father and Ayato, virtually no one ever showed up at her door unannounced. Even Yoriko would give her advance notice.
Could it really be them?!
...
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