Chapter 80

......It's a little awkward to say this, but Ha-neul, So-hee, and Su-a each have, well...... completely different bust sizes.

The original story never gave exact measurements, and I obviously don't know my three friends' sizes with any precision, either.

That said, even if the illustrations were done with basic drawing tools, the original story did have art, and in this world where those illustrations have been faithfully applied, the reality matched what I already knew.

So...... comparing the sizes of the heroines, Ye Sa-ra included, the order went: Shin So-hee > Lee Su-a > Yu Ha-neul > Ye Sa-ra.

Setting aside the game's protagonist Yu Ha-neul for a moment, it's basically a case of "we've got every size covered." A petite heroine, a well-endowed heroine, a definitely well-endowed heroine—likely the creator's way of saying pick your type and go for it. Probably.

Within that, Lee Su-a was the "well-endowed heroine."

She's the same height as Ye Sa-ra, so a little shorter than Yu Ha-neul, but her bust was noticeably larger. In other words, Lee Su-a was the cute character with the unmistakably nice body.

Su-a, whose traits seem to have carried over intact from those original Lee Su-a settings, was just as...... large.

Obviously she was smaller than So-hee, who was right next to her, but, how should I put it. Lee Su-a is considerably shorter than So-hee, after all. Proportionally speaking, that one area was especially emphasized.

Besides...... this also feels odd to say, but don't I see So-hee's bare chest almost every day? On top of that, her easygoing personality and her habit of casually leaning against me meant I'd grown somewhat accustomed to it.

But the Su-a in front of me right now...... the whole atmosphere was completely different. No, it's not the atmosphere; it's a sight I never get to see. Although, if I'd seen So-hee walk out of the shower in that state, that would ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠have been a shock in its own right.

The bandage had fallen off. Beneath the towel, the abrasion on her outstretched thigh was still visible. Her left arm showed a faint bruise, and there was a wound on her forehead, too. Because her skin was even paler than the already fair Ye Sa-ra's, those injuries stood out so starkly it made my chest ache.

But at the same time, with her naturally blonde hair undone from its usual twin tails and left damp, the sight of her was utterly pitiable. Her face, flushed red against her pale skin, was far more visible. The way she hurriedly averted her eyes the moment our gazes met felt so jarringly mismatched with her attire, if you could even call it that, given how little it covered.

Yes. It looked incredibly sexually charged.

......But why on earth would she come out dressed like that while being so embarrassed? Is it basically the bathhouse vibe with friends?

Still, even among girls, I don't think you normally come out of a friend's shower dressed like that.

Whatever I might have thought, Su-a padded softly over to the table where So-hee was sitting. After meeting So-hee's blank, upward stare for a beat, she picked up one of the chairs and turned it slightly.

Then she sat down with her back to me.

A beautiful cascade of damp blonde hair now faced my way.

"S-Sara."

"Uh, yeah!?"

Startled out of my daze, I'd been unknowingly staring at her the whole time, I answered. Su-a spoke in a small voice.

"Um, could you...... dry my hair for me?"

Ah, right.

Last time, Su-a had dried my hair.

"W-well, I'll do it—"

So-hee said that, half-rising from her chair, but

"No."

Su-a cut her off with a firm refusal in a tone I'd never heard from her before. Her voice itself didn't change. It was the way she spoke. It was still soft and quiet, like always, but the emotion behind it was perfectly clear.

"Still, it's literally my job—"

So-hee tried protesting, a little timidly, but

"No."

Su-a's resolve didn't waver.

"Oh, okay. Alright then......"

So-hee, who had half-risen, sat back down. After stealing a glance at Su-a, she turned bright red and averted her eyes elsewhere.

......Did they fight?

No, now that I think about it, they might not be as close as I remember. I'm close to Su-a and So-hee individually, but these two might not be that close with each other. Haven't we all experienced that? You're talking comfortably and happily as a trio, but the instant the friend in the middle steps away, things get awkward and everyone clams up. This felt like one of those cases.

Now that I considered it, even when the four of us hung out together, the three girls usually directed most of the conversation toward me. They rarely seemed to chat amongst themselves.

If they're on slightly awkward terms, having someone dry your hair could be a bit uncomfortable.

"Sara."

Su-a called my name again. She tilted her head slightly toward me, but her long hair obscured her expression.

"Uh, uhh......"

I answered vacantly and got to my feet.

Finding the hairdryer took a little time. I don't pull it out normally. Still, I'd watched Yang Hye-in put it away a few times, so it didn't take too long. The whole time, Su-a just waited for me without a word.

I plugged it in, stretched the cord out, and moved behind Su-a.

"Alright then, I'll start......?"

"Okay......"

Su-a nodded. She made no attempt to look back at me.

I tried desperately not to look over Su-a's shoulders. The problem was, the towel was stretched taut around Su-a's body, and from above, the view was...... impressive in many ways. I fixed my gaze on Su-a's hair as much as I possibly could.

But even doing that, I couldn't avoid seeing Su-a's back, where the wet strands clung to the skin.

Likewise hidden by the tightly drawn towel, her back looked far more delicate than when I saw it through her school uniform. Su-a normally wore her uniform a little loose, but seeing her now, it was clear that only certain areas stood out while her frame itself was slender.

I fought not to swallow. No matter what, doing something like that with a friend right there would feel unspeakably mortifying. Even if the sound of the hairdryer might cover it up.

Usually tied in twin tails, Su-a's hair hadn't looked that long. Let down, though, it was longer than my own hair. Drying it was clearly going to take a while.

Besides, I have no knack for this kind of thing. I'd never had a reason to touch a girl's hair before. Normally Yang Hye-in dries my hair for me, after all.

Back when I was a guy, drying my hair meant cranking the hairdryer to max and roughly toweling it with my hands, but I couldn't dry a girl's hair that way, especially hair that looked so meticulously cared for.

I recalled the method Yang Hye-in had taught So-hee earlier today while she dried my hair.

Low setting, held at a distance. Gently comb through with your fingers.

I tried that, but maybe because her hair was so thick, there was no sign of it drying easily.

I brushed through it bit by bit with a comb, drying it gradually from the outside in.

The more her hair dried, the more it smelled of the same shampoo I use.

The scent of some nameless flower.

*

Maybe because I'd been concentrating so hard for so long, by the time Su-a's hair was fully dry I felt completely drained. I was rotating my arm and letting out a soft sigh when Su-a lifted her head with a start.

She looked up at me, her eyes narrowing slightly. Like a cat when you stroke its head.

"Thank you, Sara."

"Y-yeah."

I averted my eyes in a hurry and nodded. When Su-a raised her head and her hair moved aside, the area beyond it was suddenly in very prominent view.

"See? Harder than it looks."

So-hee, who'd dried my hair for the first time today, put on an air of fake superiority. I just shot her a sidelong glance and didn't bother to reply.

"......And you, put some clothes on already."

So-hee kept her gaze on Su-a as she said that. She had a weirdly cool look in her eyes. Well, there's no reason for the two of them to fight, so it must've just seemed that way. It only looked cold because the way she talks to me is unusually friendly by comparison.

Anyway, had So-hee's offer to dry Su-a's hair earlier been motivated by personal interest? If she's a lesbian character...... hmm, or is that a prejudice? Come to think of it, Shin So-hee in 'If You Wish' was a character who was a lesbian and felt attraction to Yu Ha-neul; I don't think she was some pervert character. Meaning, she wasn't one of those stereotypical gag characters you see in some Japanese manga who openly drools over any handsome or pretty person of the same gender.

That said, if a romance target were that kind of character, that would be pretty unappealing in its own way.

Rather than that, she was more like the female version of the delinquent senior archetype. A proactive character who teaches the protagonist how to break the rules, stays by her side to the end, and helps her find hope in life through means other than just studying.

Why that cool character is now standing in front of me wearing a maid uniform, I honestly have no idea.

"But I'm—"

Before Lee Su-a could say anything in reply, a beeping sound came from the door.

And with a soft mechanical slide, the door opened,

"I have made the purchase, in the sizes you requested."

Yang Hye-in announced as she stepped through, a paper bag in her hand. It was from the same store I'd gone to with Ha-neul last time.

"......."

Only then did I remember the fact I'd forgotten, and I was horrified.

Right. At this very moment, Su-a had no underwear to put on. Understandably, she wouldn't want to put her used underwear back on.

Before I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠could even offer to lend her any, Yang Hye-in had noticed the situation, which means...... of course at this moment Su-a was not wearing underwear.

Top or bottom. At all.

The only thing covering her body was a single bath ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠towel.

That unmistakable three-dimensional shape visible past the bath towel...... meant that it was all, in other words, completely natural and bare.

"—The underwear for me to wear, is in there."

Even so, it must have been incredibly embarrassing for her to say that out loud. Su-a pointed toward the bag Yang Hye-in was carrying as she ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠said it.

"......."

Yang Hye-in's eyes shifted among me, So-hee, and Su-a in turn. Only then did Su-a's expression turn into one that looked like she wanted to crawl into a hole.

And So-hee's face flushed redder than before.

My face was probably the same.

"......Would you care to get dressed?"

With a perfectly serious expression and a perfectly serious voice, Yang Hye-in held the paper bag forward. Su-a immediately scrambled to her feet.