/
Chapter 68: Baths Are Healing Places
In the morning, Aina woke up and immediately headed to her own room.
She carefully opened the door and found Hayato and Kanade still asleep on the bed. Hayato was sleeping facing the ceiling, and Kanade, with a contented sleeping face, was snuggled up close to him. Aina couldn’t help but smile at their blissful sleep.
“They look so happy sleeping
 They’re really adorableâ™Ș”
Leaning her elbow on the side of the bed, Aina gazed at the two of them.
Yesterday, she had intended to be the one to comfort Hayato, but she gave way to Kanade this time.
Kanade wasn’t officially Hayato’s girlfriend, and in his mind, she hadn’t yet crossed the boundary of being just a sister. Still, Aina wanted Kanade, who was burning with passionate love, to experience the taste of Hayato as a first step.
“Hey, Kanade-chan, do you want to be with Hayato-kun?”
“What do you mean?”
At first, Kanade didn’t understand what Aina meant and tilted her head. However, when Aina made the suggestion, Kanade did blush, but she nodded without hesitation. At that moment, Aina became convinced once again—Kanade was indeed a person on this side.
“Well, it seems like nothing happened after all.”
There were no signs of anything untoward on the bed, and their pajamas weren’t disheveled, so they must have slept normally. Even if things had turned that way, it might have been because it was Aina’s bed, so they refrained. But Aina didn’t particularly mind.
“It looks like no matter what, Kanade-chan will always be Hayato-kun’s sister
 Well, it depends on what happens from now on, but I want Kanade-chan to be happy too, if possible.”
Well, it ultimately depends on Hayato’s feelings.
Aina can only watch how Hayato chooses to face Kanade. Regardless of the answer he gives, Aina cannot force it upon him.
“Hmm~?”
“Oh, you’re awake?”
Kanade was the first to wake up.
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she turned her gaze to Aina and, for some reason, her eyes became watery as she reached out her hand to Aina.
“Aina, Onee-chan.”
“!?”
She tightly reached out her hand and held Aina’s hand.
Putting aside the adorable gesture for now, Aina felt her heart sway at Kanade’s sweet voice. Aina strongly wished that Kanade could truly become her little sister, finding Kanade’s gestures incredibly cute.
And then, after everyone woke up.
“Um
 Aina-san?”
“What is it?”
Aina was there in the living room, hugging Kanade.
She sat deeply on the sofa, holding Kanade’s body between her legs. Hayato and the others, who hadn’t heard Kanade’s “Aina, Onee-chan” remark, tilted their heads, but they still wore smiles, watching their close interaction.
“Hey, Kanade-chan, I really want you to become my little sister.”
“Oh
 I also want to become your little sister, Aina-san.”
They truly became close.
*****
“Onii-san
 If it’s alright, I would like to come to your house next time.”
“Sure. Whenever you want to come?”
“Ah
 Yes!!”
The day after Kanade stayed at the Shinjo household, they spent time together until evening, but of course, she had to go home. They made that promise before she left
 and it didn’t seem unlikely that it would be put into action soon.
Well, though, I want to try to fulfill the requests of my adorable little sister as much as possible.
“Well then, Hayato-kun, let’s take a bath together today, okay?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“Yeah, Aina, what are you talking about?”
It’s nice that they’re fighting over me like this
 Yeah, it’s a luxurious dilemma, isn’t it? After a little back-and-forth, in the end, Aina suggested we take a bath together.
“I’ll wash your back~â™Ș”
“Please do~”
The warm water flowing down my back makes me relax.
When it was Kanade, I couldn’t let go of the towel, but now that the other person is Aina, there’s no need to hide anything.
After Aina washed my body, I stood up. Aina then looked intently at my lower body.
“What’s wrong?”
“Oh, um, no, I was just thinking that seeing Hayato-kun naked like this has become part of my daily life now.”
It’s the same for me too.
Just as I’m not hiding anything, Aina isn’t hiding anything either. We can see each other’s upper and lower bodies completely, and while there might be a slight sense of embarrassment from being seen, we can show ourselves proudly.
“Then, how about you wash me this time?”
“Roger.”
We changed positions, and Aina handed me a towel.
The body soap has a pleasant scent, the same one I used, and I apply it to the towel, pressing it against Aina’s back. I wash her delicate and beautiful skin carefully, so as not to cause any harm
 But no matter how many times, I’m still quite cautious.
“Aina, your skin is beautiful
”
“Fufu, I never neglect my skincare routineâ™Ș I want you to say I’m beautiful when I get naked in front of you, now and in the future.”
“
I see. I’m a little happy, so I’ll give you a squeeze.”
“Yeahâ™Ș”
I momentarily set aside the towel and embrace Aina’s body.
Naturally, my hands slip due to the slippery sensation from the body soap, but this slippery feeling isn’t unpleasant either.
“Oh, Hayato-kun, you’re such a teaseâ™Ș”
Well, when we’re embracing each other naked like this, a little mischief is to be expected. However, I don’t forget to properly wash our bodies. I use my hands to thoroughly wash every part of Aina’s body.
“
Ah, uh-oh.”
“Hayato-kun?”
I sneezed a little, feeling my nose tickling.
Even though the bathroom is warm, it’s winter now
 It’s probably not a good idea to get carried away and overexert myself.
“Hahaha, don’t catch a cold while you’re too focused on my body, okay? Come on, let’s rinse off and soak in the hot water.”
“Got it.”
Seems like I got a little too absorbed.
We rinsed off the foam from our bodies, and Aina and I both got into the bathtub together. But instead of sitting side by side, I held Aina in between my spread legs. It’s the same position Aina took with Kanade in the morning.
“
Fuh, it’s warm.”
“Yeah. Not just the water, but when I embrace Aina like this, my heart feels warm too.”
“
Yeah, Hayato-kun really loves us, huh?”
“Is that what Aina’s saying? Don’t Aina and the others love me too?”
“Of course! We can’t live without you anymore, Hayato-kun.”
It might be going a bit overboard, but I couldn’t deny it.
Not only do I feel that way, but I understand, whether I like it or not, just how significant my presence is for them. If I were no longer here, they would lose their reason to live. That’s something I’ve come to realize, to the point where I can’t help but think that way.
“Fufu, I love you, Hayato-kun.”
“I love you too.”
And so, in the bathtub, with the sound of splashing water, Aina and I faced each other and exchanged a kiss.
“
Oh, speaking of which, why has Aina been growing her hair out recently?”
It has been on my mind lately. Aina was growing her hair longer. It wasn’t as long as Arisa’s or Sakuna-san’s, but it had definitely grown a bit compared to when we first started dating.
“Well, you see
 Hayato-kun, you prefer long hair, right?”
“
Huh?”
“Oh, was I mistaken?”
Upon hearing that, my eyes widened.
I had never particularly had a preference for hair length
 Oh, but now that I think about it, I might have touched Arisa’s and Sakuna-san’s hair quite often. Of course, I touched Aina’s hair too
 Hmm.
“Oh, I thought maybe you preferred longer hair
 So I thought I’d let mine grow a bit too.”
“Is that so? Well, honestly, I don’t have much of a preference in that area. I love you because you’re Aina.”
“Hmm
 So my assumption was premature, huh?”
“It might be. Whether your hair is long or short, I think you’re wonderful. You’re a girl full of unchanged charm.”
“Mufufu~â™Ș I see, Hayato-kun loves meâ™Ș”
“Oh, hold on
!”
I managed to catch Aina as she leaped at me.
We continued to cuddle and play in the bath without getting out, but it was a given that Arisa would eventually come to check on us and scold us.
“Aina! Learn to restrain yourself! Even I want to indulge in all sorts of things with Hayato-kun in the bath and completely lose control, but I’m holding back! So that we don’t cause trouble for those who come in later, like you or Mom! Do you understand!?”
“I-I understand, Nee-san
”
Aina and I reflected on our actions together.
And at that moment, it was also decided that tomorrow I would definitely take a bath with Arisa.