Chapter 28: Return and Bathing Together
“I’m back.”
“Oh, welcome back.”
“Why the troubled expression?”
“Because it’s a bit… strange to see myself welcoming myself.”
Ah, I see. That does sound strange.
Also, I’m usually the one who comes home late. It’s usually Keling or Mom who greets me, so I hardly ever get the chance to welcome anyone myself.
I only occasionally welcome Mom and Dad back in the morning after they’ve been working all night. My sisters usually arrive home earlier than me, since I still have evening study sessions.
“Well, come in first. It’s weird to be talking by the door.”
“Is it okay? Xinran and…”
“Xinran and Keling aren’t coming back today. They’re expected to stay at a friend’s house all weekend. Dad and Mom are also busy with work. I called them earlier, and they said they won’t be back tonight.”
“I see. So it’s just the two of us at home again.”
“This is better, isn’t it? You won’t have to hide in your room. I’ve already made dinner. Go wash your hands first.”
“Dinner is ready already?”
“Yes. I prepared the ingredients at noon and came home early before the biology exam ended to finish cooking.”
“I see. Thank you for your hard work.”
After Zi’ai washed her hands, I took off the apron and hung it back up, then sat down at the dining table.
She joined me after a while, wearing my t-shirt and shorts. She must have changed out of her school uniform in her room.
That’s right. She wore my school uniform all day, and it must have been uncomfortable to be bound by the chest wrap. But she’s not wearing a bra, and it’s a white t-shirt, so… she’s not very guarded. I thought about reminding her, but decided against it. Ah, it’s not that I want to look at the “benefits” for longer! It’s just that if I say something, she might end up binding herself again.
Zi’ai pulled out a chair and sat down, then looked up at me, noticing something.
“…You left that seat for me on purpose…”
I shrugged without replying. That’s right, Zi’ai is now sitting in my usual spot, but I’m sitting in Dad’s seat.
During this time, I want to at least give her a sense of home, to prevent her from feeling alienated in “home.” That’s what I thought.
“Unnecessary kindness…”
“Yes, yes, you can just think of it as me not wanting to let ‘myself’ be wronged.”
Zi’ai didn’t say anything else, shrugging like me. As she picked up her chopsticks to take some food, she froze again, looking at the dining table.
I took a mouthful of rice and asked.
“What’s wrong? No appetite?”
“No, it’s just that the dinner menu is exactly the same as what I was thinking of on the way here. I can’t help but feel… a little nauseous.”
Zi’ai said this while covering her mouth with one hand and frowning.
I rolled my eyes and retorted.
“Hey, hey, hey, don’t be so discouraging. Hurry up and eat. I’ve had enough. Did you get stupid from the exam? But looking at that kind of question, the knowledge I revised can only answer about… definitely not just twenty percent of the questions.”
“It was that difficult…”
“Yes, and several people were caught cheating today and got disqualified. It’s all very stressful.”
“If you can’t do it, then forget about it. I was just trying it out, but if you can’t pass, I won’t force you.”
“Hmph, so considerate… So kind it’s disgusting…”
Are you praising me or looking down on me?
I pouted and didn’t reply. Zi’ai suddenly smiled, propped her face on her hand, picked up a piece of garlic, and ate it, then said.
“But I don’t hate it~”
Her smiling eyes curved, and her very natural smile made my heart flutter, and I couldn’t help but stare.
…Oh, cough, cough, that’s good then.
…To be stunned, what’s wrong with me lately…
Yes, let’s eat, let’s eat, no more unnecessary thoughts.
After dinner, we started playing games. We were very coordinated during the two-player games, but during the fighting games, it was very…
“Hey, that’s the character I wanted to pick!”
“Why do you always use the same moves as me!”
SF Light Novel
“Eeeh?! Impossible! Why… you saw through my moves!”
Zi’ai, who always tried to outdo me like this, with a look of defiance, was quite amusing.
“Ah, I lost.”
“Heh, then, as agreed, the job of washing dishes and pots is yours. I’m going to take a bath first.”
“Wait, I don’t accept that! You and I think the same way, so why is your win rate higher!”
“Who knows~”
“Could it be that you’re thinking of the opposite move to what you’re thinking, but if I do the same, then it will be… like a game of rock-paper-scissors where both sides can read each other’s minds, turning a fighting game into a strategy game… Hmph, childish. Does it really need to be this serious for a game?”
“I wouldn’t do that. Like you said, it’s just a game, why think so much about it?”
“Ah! I know! It must be because you read my mind… No, that’s not right either, you shouldn’t be cheating in the game.”
“So, didn’t I just say, it’s just a game, no need to think so much. – Let me tell you the truth, I wasn’t thinking at all! Haha, I just reacted instinctively with my body, and the rest was pure luck!”
“…To think you have such a move!”
Hehehe, I’ve mastered the “One Mind Spell”! I can already reach a state of calmness! I can enter that “sage mode” anytime I want!
And so, it was happily decided that I would go take a bath first.
Yesterday, Zi’ai’s sudden appearance prevented me from fully enjoying a bath.
Of course, since I didn’t know if that bathtub had any transmigration effects, I took a bath in the bathroom on the first floor. I thought having two bathrooms at home was a bit redundant before, but I never expected one to be useful.
The bathwater was already filled before we started playing games. It should be at the right temperature now, perfect for a soak.
I took off my clothes, washed myself, and then got into the bathtub. The bathtub on the first floor is even larger than the one on the second floor; I can stretch my legs out completely. It’s so comfortable.
I stretched, feeling the fatigue in my body slowly dissipate. Even though zombies don’t need sleep, I still feel tired, which is strange.
“Juncheng, are you in there?”
“Hm? I am. What’s wrong?”
SF Light Novel
“Then I’m coming in.”
“…Ah?! What! Wait!”
Before I could stop her, she had already entered the bathroom, and she wasn’t wearing any clothes!
Zi’ai didn’t even wrap herself in a towel. She walked into the bathroom completely naked. The bathwater wasn’t that hot anymore, and of course, there was no steam. As a result, I saw everything.
…This is bad, too stimulating, this is too much! Why am I so agitated?! That’s me! Although the gender is different, it’s… No, it’s precisely because the gender is different that I feel this way!
I had a sense of seeing something I shouldn’t, and it was more intense than usual. This wasn’t like looking in a mirror; I wasn’t seeing my reflection.
Although she’s another me, she’s also a beautiful woman. It’s impossible not to be affected.
“What… what are you doing?”
“Hm? I’ve already washed the dishes and pots.”
“I asked why you’re coming in!”
She’s not here to watch me bathe, is she? But then she wouldn’t need to take off her clothes!
No, I just can’t understand what Zi’ai is thinking. This is the first time… If it were ‘my’ thoughts, I could understand them, but when it comes to a woman’s thoughts, I really can’t figure out what she’s thinking!
To… to scrub your back for you… and also, um, when it’s my turn to wash, the bathwater will be cold, so I thought…
“Together?! Are you really that stupid?!”
“It’s me anyway! It doesn’t matter, right?!”
“How could it not matter!”
Your expression says otherwise!
With your face so red, you say it doesn’t matter. Who are you kidding!
If you’re shy, then don’t do such things!
“I don’t care! I’ve already taken off my clothes! It would be more awkward to put them back on!”
It’ll be even more awkward this way! But this “since it’s already done, might as well go all the way” attitude is quite similar to mine… Dammit, this stubbornness is also the same, it’s troublesome!
“Ah~~ Annoying! Are you even a man?! Since you’re a man, and a woman wants to bathe with you, shouldn’t you happily accept it! It’s good to consider others, but living like this is too tiring!”
“Are you saying that to yourself?!”
Isn’t your personality the same as mine?
However, Zi’ai put on a grand air and lectured me, puffing out her chest.
“Hmph, as a woman, considering others is a sign of ‘virtue,’ but you, a grown man, worrying about this and that, are annoying! Kindness is good, but too much kindness becomes ‘indecisive’! Women also like a man’s strong side. A man who can’t be relied on at crucial moments is terrible (useless)!”
“Hm, that makes sense… –Hm, your chest, well…
Could you cover that up… I might not feel shy if I saw it, but coming in with the superficial thought that… You’re as foolish as I am in that regard, it’s quite embarrassing.
Zi’ai’s face turned even redder, but she showed no signs of retreating. She rinsed herself with the showerhead and got directly into the bathtub, startling me into pulling my legs up.
“Uh, since you want to soak, I’ll go out first…”
“No!”
I intended to leave the bathroom first, but Zi’ai grabbed my hand.
“Um, I still need to scrub your back.”
“You don’t have to do it in the bathtub.”
It seemed like she couldn’t find an excuse anymore. Zi’ai didn’t say anything further, but she still pulled me back into the bathtub and then leaned into my embrace.
I was completely bewildered, not understanding Zi’ai’s thoughts at all anymore.
…If you want to do something, I won’t resist…
Shocking…
What did I just hear!
The other me actually said something like that to me!
Could it be that my first time will be with ‘myself’?!
