Volume 1 - CH 1.5

I parked my bike in the front yard and opened the door to my house. I muttered, "I'm home," and tossed my bike key into the key case at the entrance.

As I was taking off my shoes, I heard the door open with clang as I thought about how I would go to bed early because I have club activities in the morning tomorrow.

I looked up and saw Izumi, dressed in a thin T-shirt and shorts that seemed only to cover her butt, coming out of the door of the dressing room.

Our eyes meet. She stops moving with a snap, looking at me with round eyes like a startled rabbit.

"Ah, w-welcome home."

She said awkwardly, like a poorly made robot from an old comic book.

"I-I'm home..."

Izumi and I remained rigid with each other for a few seconds. Her skin was glistening, her hair was freshly dried, and steam was rising from her hair. She was wearing only a T-shirt, and the bulge around her chest looked rather vivid. The neck of her shirt was a little loose, and the skin around her collarbone peeked out in white.

"O-Oh, um..."

Izumi said in a gasp and in a slurred voice,

"U-Um, auntie told me to take a shower first......Um, i-it was nice hot water..."

"I-Is that so. That's good to know..." 

Silence.

A hint of awkwardness oozed from each other. I was in a hurry to find out what to do about the atmosphere.

"Kenichi, are you back?"

My mother's voice came from the living room. It brought me back to my senses. 

"I'm back! I'm going to my room!"

Well then, take your time! I said to Izumi, and I walked up the stairs with a thud, entered my room, closed the door behind me, and let out a deep breath. What do you mean, "take your time"? Am I an employee of an inn or what?

I walked quietly to the bed and sat down.

The room was quiet and I could even hear my own heartbeat. My heart beats faster, even if only for a moment.

If it is just normal shorts, it probably does not bother me so much. In the summer, there are many girls in school who wear a revealing skirts, and I also see girls in rhythmic gymnastics clubs and swimming clubs wearing revealing outfits. If you open the Internet, you will find an abundance of erotic images, and that level of stimulation is nothing nowadays.

But that vividness is dangerous. I mean, it was the first time I had ever seen a girl up close and personal after taking a bath.

I wondered if she was upset, I thought. I tried not to be concerned about it, but the image of Izumi from earlier came back to me vaguely.

The realization that I now had a new roommate, someone my own age, something I hadn't felt much of before, became a reality when I saw Izumi's defenseless figure earlier.