Shower
I love showers.
Not simply as a process of washing away sweat or dirty dust—I also think of them as a way of shedding the fatigue and hard times of the day.
Of course, setting that aside, I just like them because they feel refreshing.
The warm streams of water pouring down soaked my hair at a rapid pace. The blood that had been clinging to my body was gradually washed away by the ticklish currents flowing down along my contours. When I slightly lowered my head, I could see my body growing cleaner, and the floor tinged with a faint red from the blood that had been rinsed off.
That too would soon flow into the sewer and vanish without a trace.
Unlike usual, the blood on my body was my own rather than someone else's. My mood was somehow subtle. Should I call it the feeling of part of myself being washed away?
That didn't mean I was going to stop washing now or anything, though.
I used shampoo, conditioner, and body wash to clean every nook and cranny thoroughly. Something I always feel, but washing my body with body wash is always a fresh experience. Well, of course—I'm gently touching even the parts I wouldn't normally have occasion to touch, right?
When I feel the curves and firmness of my own body with my own hands, it always feels new. Really, is it okay to have a body this perfect? And recently, after special training with Cecilia, my figure had gotten even better.
"My chest seems to have gotten a little bigger too."
I muttered to myself as I kneaded my chest with both soapy hands. Bouncy and soft. And right now, with soap on them, they were even silky smooth.
"Does exercise normally make your chest bigger?"
Or was it just my imagination? I should measure my size sometime soon. Come to think of it, I'd never measured it once.
After rinsing my body with water one last time, I wiped off the moisture with a towel. Fortunately, the blood that had been on me seemed to have been properly washed off—no red marks appeared on the towel.
Now for clothes…
"I didn't bring any."
I hadn't expected my friends to suddenly barge into my house. No choice! Speed was of the essence. I had no choice but to dash out quickly, grab clothes from the dresser, and put them on!
I roughly hung the towel I'd been shaking my wet hair with around my neck and burst out the door. In that instant, the steam from the bathroom escaped outside as cold air rushed in—and the scene of the house where my friends were came into view.
Having been inside the steam-filled bathroom and then coming out, the world seemed to look even clearer. Like going from 360p to 1080p?
Holding both ends of the towel draped around my neck with both hands, I stood proudly and admired the room that had improved in resolution. I looked around this way and that, searching for what my friends were doing.
"Ugh-ek."
Tania, who had been blushing, flopped face-down onto the bed the moment our eyes met.
"……"
Adele, who had likewise been looking at me from on the bed, suddenly closed her eyes and entered meditation.
"Uh… um."
Looking at those two and then turning my head the other way, there was a mafia boss staring fixedly at me with sleepy eyes.
"Ooooh~."
For some reason, uncharacteristically for her, she had her mouth slightly open in admiration.
"…Haa."
And her little sister, who was embracing that boss while looking at the scene in the room and letting out a sigh.
Rina, who had been looking at each of them one by one, finally looked at me and said,
"Please put some clothes on already."
"Yes'm."
I scurried over to the dresser and pulled out underwear first. Pitch-black underwear not much different from what I'd taken off earlier. As I started putting them on one by one, I heard another sound of admiration from the side.
"Ooooh~."
As expected, Luna recognizes the beauty of my figure! I'd been a little disappointed that no one was appreciating it…! For her sake, I started putting on my clothes in slightly more provocative poses. Like sticking my butt out unnecessarily far back! Or pretending to stretch all of a sudden and thrusting my chest forward!
Luna, watching that, tried to clap lightly in admiration again but was stopped by Rina.
"Eek."
Rina's hand covering Luna's eyes was a bonus. Luna grunted and struggled, but Rina never removed her hand.
But that didn't mean I had any reason to hurriedly put my clothes on. Because Luna wasn't the only audience member…!
There was one person who had flopped onto the bed pretending to faint while secretly watching. A woman pretending to meditate while squinting… no, now she was openly staring wide-eyed—Adele! Not only that, but Rina, who covered Luna's eyes yet was herself keeping her eyes wide open…
"Just put them on already!"
"Kyaang!"
In the end, Rina-nim, unable to hold back her temper, kicked me in the butt. Not a bad kick, Rina!
Only after I finished getting dressed did I notice that the bloodstains I'd left half-wiped earlier had already been cleaned thoroughly by them. As a bonus, the rag used to wipe the blood had been put away too.
As I was marveling at that, Adele, who had been sitting on the edge of the bed, spoke first.
"Well then, shall we start talking."
"Hm? About what?"
At my question, Adele looked at me with eyes that seemed to say What do you mean, about what, completely unimpressed.
"About the photo you took and sent earlier, of course."
Photo? Did I send a photo?
Beside me, Tania, quick on the uptake, held out my phone. I took the phone and tapped the basic lock screen that had no lock set at all, and my selfie that was set as the wallpaper came into view.
Ha, no matter when I look at it, it's a well-taken photo. What do they call that? A life shot? Anyway, it was such an all-time great photo that I had no choice but to set it as my wallpaper. The reason I don't put a lock on it is because of that too. It would be a shame if only I got to look at such a well-taken photo of myself! If I lost my phone, who knows if the person who picked it up might look at the wallpaper and help find the owner?
As I was grinning at the wallpaper, Rina, who had been peeking at my phone screen from the side, said something.
"…At least put a password on it?"
"Huh? Why?"
"Please don't make that face like you're dying of annoyance… Think about it."
Then she pointed at my phone with her finger.
"What kind of people's contacts do you think are saved on that phone?"
"Hm? Yours!"
"…Then what kind of people are we?"
"Pretty and cute friends?"
"…Thank you. No, that's not it."
Rina, slightly furrowing her brow, pressed her forehead.
"Even if we set me and my sister aside, Elysia unnie's phone also has Tania unnie and Adele unnie's numbers saved. And both of them hold important positions in their respective organizations."
With a solemn expression, Rina pointed at my phone again with a sharp gesture.
"If the person who picked up that phone got bad ideas… it wouldn't be strange if a war broke out, exaggerating a bit."
There's also the possibility they wouldn't use Elysia unnie's phone directly but just steal personal information like our numbers. Muttering that, Rina looked down at her sister. Luna was still thrashing about with her vision sealed by Rina.
…For some reason both of them looked happy, so I decided to just leave them be.
Tania, who had been listening quietly from the side, chimed in with Rina's words.
"Rina's right. Ellie doesn't seem very aware of it, but…"
She trailed off for a moment.
"Depending on what actions we take, it wouldn't be strange for a war to break out at any time."
And Adele beside her also nodded slightly.
"They say peace has continued since the Great War, but there's no knowing how long this half-baked peace will last."
"……"
When the Great War was mentioned, the atmosphere in the room went cold as if cold water had been dumped on it.
…Although I'm not someone who experienced the Great War firsthand, I know well what the Great War means to the people of this world. And what it means to those who experienced the Great War directly. Although I only read Siyun's story… Is it any wonder people even avoid mentioning it? There's a good reason people avoid it.
Wanting to lighten this chilled atmosphere, I opened my mouth in as bright a voice as possible.
"I'll put a password on it a little later… About the blood I spilled earlier."
When I spoke first, their gazes all locked onto me in an instant. Ah, me receiving the full attention of beautiful girls…
Lowering my phone slightly, I could see the photo of the blood-soaked floor that I'd uploaded to the group chat. I didn't remember actually sending it, but taking photos of interesting things that happen and showing them to my friends is kind of a habit of mine. I might have done it unconsciously.
Anyway, I don't know where to start explaining what that blood was, or how I ended up coughing up blood. …Because I don't know why I coughed up blood either!
Scrolling up a bit in the group chat, the photo of the black ring I'd sent before that came into view. The ring that had been rolling on the floor earlier was also sitting nicely on the desk, as if someone had placed it there.
Since I don't even know how to explain it anyway, I decided to roughly summarize and just say it cleanly.
"I put on that black ring and suddenly coughed up blood!"
"……?"
The kids all tilted their heads in unison as if they couldn't understand what I was saying. Ah, explaining one by one is such a hassle… Wouldn't they all get it if I just showed them me coughing up blood again? Cleaning it up again would be annoying, though…
With that thought, I picked up the black ring and tried to put it on the ring finger of my left hand again, but—
"…Huh?"
As if trying to bring the same poles of a magnet together, some force pushed it away and made it impossible to put the ring on.
…Looks like I have no choice but to explain one by one after all.