"Please look forward to the moment I wear it." Ultimately, Mahiru did not inform Amane of the swimsuit she bought, and instead, she slyly diverted the topic.
Amane did remind Chitose, but he was unsure if she would listen. He was worried that she would excitedly choose a swimsuit with high exposure for Mahiru, going all "You'll like this Amane."
"Please, nothing too fancy."
His mutter echoed in the bathroom, and only he could hear it.
Since Mahiru offered to do so, Amane let her deal with the leftovers and the dishwashing, and took a bath to wash away the sweat. He was thinking about the swimsuit the entire time.
As a high school boy, Amane too would have delusions, wondering what swimsuit she would wear.
There was no doubt that Mahiru would be mesmerizing if she showed her slender body to everyone. She always had such a fine figure, and if she wore a bikini, Amane would surely be unable to look at her.
The mere imagination of it had his heart pounding wildly, his body fiery. It was also partly due to him being in the bathtub, but he was getting hotter in another sense.
...Well, I guess any clothing suits Mahiru well, but I'll be embarrassed to look at her. Can I really stand by her side?
Amane had the right to look at Mahiru, and the right to stand by her side, but if he did stand by her side, he would look inferior in many ways.
He looked at his own body, which did not have much muscle.
Perhaps his body was not one to get much muscle mass, for there was no visible effect even after his exercises.
Thus, no matter what he wore, Amane's would appear to be on the thinner side. He was skinny, actually, and did not have much flesh. He clearly did not look sturdy.
He felt it would be better if he bulked a little more, but since his parents were rather skinny too, it appeared to be hereditary, and not something he could resolve.
"Ahh...I should've trained myself more."
It was too late for him to regret it.
Muscles do not simply grow immediately, and it would take some time to see the results. It was July, and even if he put in the effort, Amane did not think there would be visible results by the time his summer vacation swimming trip with Mahiru arrived.
He sighed, and buried half his face into the water.
Amane imagined the sight of Mahiru in a swimsuit, and also how he would be frustrated standing next to her. He ended up soaking in the water for far too long.
Typically, he would bath for only 10 minutes or so, but this time, he exceeded half an hour. It was obvious how bothered he was.
He spent so much more time bathing, and it was past 10pm. Amane had a look at the waterproof clock placed there, and confirmed the time.
Mahiru would usually return home at 10pm. She should be back.
*Well I guess she went home. *Amane concluded as he wiped the droplets off his body, and quickly got changed.
As he had soaked for too long, his body was hot, and he did not wear a shirt. He intended to dry himself using the air conditioner.
He put on his jersey shorts, along with a towel on his head, and left the changing room for the living room. If his parents saw him in this state, it was likely they would say, "You're sloppy" or "Don't hurt your tummy now".
He wondered if there was any program being aired on the TV as he went to the living room, and found a familiar flax colored hair dangling on the backrest of the sofa.
She's not going back?
Mahiru typically would not stay around; it was rare for her to remain.
She lowered her head slightly, and moved her elbow, seemingly looking at her hand. It appeared she was finishing the revision she should be doing at him.
Amane was impressed to see her working hard as usual, and approached her.
"It's rare to see you here at this time."
He said as he picked up the remote control from the table and switched the channel. She lifted her head, seemingly having noticed Amane, and froze.
"Ah, eh, eh..."
"What now?"
"...Wh-why, is your upper body exposed...?"
Amane would usually dress like this after bathing in the summer, and it was nothing out of the ordinary to him. Mahiru clearly was panicking however as she covered her face with her hands.
One could see red skins between the gaps of her fingers.
"Well, that's because I'm feeling hot."
All Amane wanted to do on this day was to embrace her, get her used to it, and not do anything more.
He stared at her intently as he answered honestly. After her eyes wavered, she stared at him nervously, her face still beetroot.
However, she showed no sign of refusing.
"...Well...e-erm...pl-please go easy..."
After saying this with a teeny-weeny voice, Mahiru cautiously reached her arms out.
Amane opened his arms wide to receive her, embraced her, and her body was clearly shivering as she shriveled in his arms.
It appeared she was wondering where to put her face, so she did not put it on his body. However, she hesitantly put her cheek on his flat chest.
"It is smoother than I thought."
"Thought, as in...?"
"...And, your heart is pounding faster than I imagined..."
Given that Mahiru had put her cheek onto Amane's chest, it was likely she could hear his heartbeat, loud and clear.
"Do I look that relaxed?"
"...Yes."
"How can I be? Erm, there's no way I can hug anyone like this, when you're my first girlfriend, Mahiru."
It was Mahiru and Amane's first relationship, and obviously, neither of them experienced such body contact.
This mere embrace had Amane so embarrassed, his body heated up once again. Yet at the same time, he felt delighted.
He could not hide his heartbeat while faced with such an embrace.
"...You are a boy too, Amane-kun."
"What do you think of me as?"
"I-I did assume so the last time. Y-you did remind me..."
This last time she spoke of was probably about the lap pillow reward after their tests.
Amane pushed her down to remind her, since she was overly careless. Back then, her face was blushing, and she realized there and then that Amane was a boy.
Amane was worried if she had forgotten that he was a boy, but it seemed she did remember as she lifted her head on his chest, saying with while still blushing,
"...Amane-kun, you are thin..."
"Sorry about being thin. I don't seem reliable, right?"
"Not at all. But, erm, y-you are sturdier, th-than I thought. I am surprised..."
Mahiru traced the center of Amane's chest with her finger.
He did not have much muscle, but he did have lumps. Her finger slowly glided by the abs that seemed to be there, and yet not.
"I have not touched a man's body before. It is a new feeling for me, so I am shocked..."
"...You can touch if you want, but if you go overboard, I'll touch you, Mahiru."
Amane patted Mahiru's waist jokingly, and she shivered.
He reflected upon how carried away he was, but Mahiru did not seem to hate it and merely covered her face with her palms.
"E-erm...next time, if, it, is just a little..."
"...Eh?"
"...I do not dislike it."
Mahiru whispered as she appeared to be somewhat bashful , peeked at Amane, before covering her face completely once again. Amane could not resist as he groaned, and embraced her with more strength.
*Author's comments: After this, Mahiru returned home as usual.
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