Chapter 171: Chapter 171: On How the Bottom Line Gets Slowly Broken
Last time when the cat secretly sneaked into the bathroom and took a bath together with Kaito, Wakaba Mutsumi had already gone back to her room to rest.
She was a true anti-staying-up-late advocate, her routine extremely regular. Except for a few exceptions when she waited for her brother to return home late, most of the time she went to bed early and woke up early.
Therefore, she knew nothing about what happened in the bathroom that night.
"Last time, when I was taking a bath, Raana barged in and wanted to join me," Kaito paused for a moment and still simply explained the cause and effect of the matter.
He thought Little Cucumber would become Sour Cucumber after hearing it… but unexpectedly, the green-haired girl's entire expression was calm, not even a tremble in her eyelashes, as if she didn't care about this matter at all.
'Could it be that in Japan, young males and females bathing together is actually quite common?'
As if seeing through his thoughts, Wakaba Mutsumi slightly lowered her gaze, then after two seconds raised her head, and asked with a voice as ethereal as wind chimes under the eaves, "Onii-chan, do you think I would get angry?"
Kaito shook his head.
Of course, he wouldn't think so, after all, Mutsumi's overall personality leaned more toward the silent and inward type, with not much emotional fluctuation in daily life.
But she still possessed some girlish tempers, so under this kind of situation, even feeling a little jealous would be quite normal.
It's just that Mutsumi's current reaction was excessively calm.
Generally speaking, in this kind of situation, there are only two possibilities.
Either she doesn't care, so whatever you do has nothing to do with me.
Or she cares too much, thus able to endure every bitterness and sourness.
"I will never get angry with Onii-chan," The girl's voice was still as clear and cold as wind chimes at the eaves, but those golden eyes shimmered with tiny ripples, telling Kaito through actions that she belonged to the latter.
"And also...", Tucking her falling hair behind her ear, Wakaba Mutsumi lowered her head and lightly said, "In Japan, communal bathing is very common, especially among family members."
"That's how it is."
Beside them, Raana also nodded earnestly in agreement, "At my home, I often bathe with Grandma too."
Wakaba Mutsumi ignored this interrupting cat, and after hesitating a little, said softly, "I used to... think Onii-chan would be very opposed to this kind of thing."
"So I never brought it up."
She raised that doll-like delicate face, and in her eyes clear like glass shimmered a barely noticeable trace of hope, "Since Raana can, then... can I too?"
Kaito: "..."
People don't mind having little, but they mind unfairness. If he had never bathed with the cat, he could firmly refuse Mutsumi's request now.
But since Raana had already gone before, rejecting Mutsumi now would inevitably seem like double standards, and might make her sad, even make her suspect whether Onii-chan had a problem with her?
Otherwise, why would he be willing to bathe with a stray cat from outside, but not with her?
His own little cucumber seedling had just started to show some vitality and was working hard to grow toward the sun. Kaito didn't want to dampen her for such a reason.
But... agreeing to the communal bath request just like that felt a little weird.
If Mutsumi were younger, or like the cat with a naïve and innocent personality, then bathing together wouldn't be a big deal, just playing with a child.
But she was already a mature young lady, with a slender figure that had developed elegant curves, each bit of her skin and features vividly beautiful.
Her mindset was far more mature than the cat's. Although she didn't speak much normally, she understood all the things she needed to.
Kaito had a hard time treating her as a clueless little kid.
"If... Onii-chan feels troubled...", Still not getting a response after a long time, those golden eyes dimmed, like a candle about to go out.
Wakaba Mutsumi slightly lifted the corner of her lips, trying to show a light smile, "It's fine if you refuse. It's already late, so I'll go rest first. Onii-chan, good night."
A well-behaved and understanding little sister always evokes extra affection.
Not to mention, Mutsumi already carried a fragile and delicate vibe, which made her aura even more powerful when she looked disappointed, especially effective on her big brother.
"What are you rushing for," Kaito sighed. He could come up with ten thousand excuses to refuse, but in front of those eyes full of himself, he still compromised deep inside, "I didn't say no."
"Then...", The candlelight that was about to extinguish suddenly glowed again. Wakaba Mutsumi bit her lip, seeming a bit hesitant, "Onii-chan, you agreed?"
Kaito nodded slightly.
There was no need to trouble oneself where trouble didn't exist. As long as his conscience was clear and he stuck to his bottom line, there was no need to worry about these trivial details.
As long as he kept his bathrobe tightly on, actually, it wasn't a big deal... right?
———
"I'm sorry."
In the depths where no one knew, the doll-like beautiful girl silently apologized in her heart.
'Onii-chan is a very good brother, like a sun, with warmth and gentleness in his light.'
'But he also has flaws.'
'For example... he always softens toward those close to him.'
Wakaba Mutsumi understood that using Kaito's concern for her, intentionally showing disappointment, retreating to advance, this kind of behavior could not be called upright.
So, she would slowly make up for it.
Starting with becoming Kaito's most perfect wife. [T/N: Perfectly reasonable]
"Can we bathe together now?", Raana tilted her head, pounced into Kaito's arms, and looked up with her sparkling heterochromatic eyes, "Then I want to too!"
"Don't worry, I'll bring you along," Kaito rubbed her little head and didn't refuse.
Since he had already agreed to Mutsumi, adding one more cat wasn't a big deal anyway. The bathtub was big enough to hold three people without a problem.
However, laying down the ground rules in advance was still necessary.
For example, no random touching.
Last time the cat had tried to touch a certain unmentionable place out of curiosity. Although Kaito had stopped her in time, he couldn't guarantee she had given up and wouldn't try again.
"...Fine," Raana puffed her cheeks. Though very unwilling, she still obediently agreed to these terms.
But deep inside, she became even more curious, 'Just what is that place that Onii-chan-chan never let me touch... hiding?'
———
[Ten Minutes Later]
Steam gradually blurred the mirror, painting the reflected girl's body with a charm like spring mountains.
The cat draped in a bathrobe stretched out a little toe, gently touched the water surface, and quickly retracted it.
"So hot!"
Beside her, Wakaba Mutsumi was also wrapped in a pure white bathrobe. Her makeup-free face flushed with a light cherry pink. Her long hair was coiled up, revealing a fair and slender swan neck. Pale blue veins faintly visible in the mist, like newly grown vines winding around a jade column.
Water mist condensed into fine droplets on her eyelashes. The girl stared unblinking at her brother in front of her.
From the smooth lines of his shoulders and neck, to the junction of ribs and muscles, to the well-shaped but not exaggerated abs, clear and distinct, evoking the image of bamboo polished by mountain spring water.
'This is...'
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