"Nii-san... hurry up, take off your clothes, and go take a shower..."
Unintentionally, Sagiri had issued a standard command.
The next second.
Sora's body involuntarily moved.
Grabbing his shirt with both hands, he pulled it off in one go, revealing his upper body with clearly defined muscles that perfectly fit the golden ratio.
"Ehhhhh, Onii-chan, why are you taking your clothes off in the living room?!"
Sagiri's small face flushed red, her heartbeat accelerating. She hurriedly raised her hands to cover her eyes, but her fingers quietly parted, unable to resist sneaking a peek.
"Lewd!"
"H!"
"Everyone is here, hurry up and put your clothes on!"
"..."
Sora remained expressionless. As he took off his clothes, he softly called for help:
"I can't stop, hurry up and take me to the bathroom."
Compared to Sagiri, the other girls, while blushing, quickly understood why Sora was taking off his clothes in broad daylight.
"Oh no."
"Teleporting back from so far away, a side effect really did appear."
"And Sagiri-chan happened to issue a command to take off his clothes..."
"Ahhhh, hurry up and take Sora-kun to the bathroom, otherwise it'll be too late."
"..."
The girls exchanged glances and sprang into action.
Everyone else was one thing, but if Sora stripped completely naked in front of his sister... no matter how you look at it, that's too terrible!
"Sagiri, don't look."
Yanami quickly stepped forward, using her body to block Sagiri's line of sight.
"It's not like I haven't seen it before..."
Sagiri's small face flushed slightly, but she only dared to mutter quietly in her heart, too embarrassed to say it out loud.
Yamada Elf quickly trotted over, hugging Sora's arm:
"Idiot Sora, I'll help you to the bathroom."
Hearing this, Sagiri tilted her head, a worried expression appearing on her small face:
"Wait a minute, why do you need to help Onii-chan to the bathroom? Is Onii-chan feeling unwell?"
Although Sora's body couldn't move, he could still speak:
"Running the marathon was too exhausting. My legs feel like lead right now, I don't have any strength left."
"Onii-chan is so weak..."
Sagiri wrinkled her cute nose, muttering a complaint.
Actually calling me weak?
Replace me with anyone else, and it would be impossible for them to run ten kilometers in a marathon while carrying someone on their back!
"I'll help."
Sagiri stepped forward to assist.
Since her Onii-chan was unwell right now, as the lady of the house, she naturally couldn't let a guest help.
"Leave it to me." Yamada Elf thought quickly on her feet. "Idiot Sora ran forty-two kilometers, he's covered in sweat and smells super bad. Sagiri wouldn't want to get dirty either, right?"
"..."
Hearing this, Sagiri immediately stopped in her tracks.
Although she didn't mind... well, a heavily sweating Onii-chan was indeed a bit off-putting.
Meanwhile.
Sora had already taken off his shoes, then bent down, involuntarily preparing to take off his pants.
"Ruri-chan, hurry up and come help!"
Yamada Elf hurriedly called out.
"C-Coming."
Kuroneko's small face flushed, and she hurriedly stepped forward to help.
The two girls, one on the left and one on the right, worked together to hold Sora's arms and helped him into the bathroom.
"Idiot Sora is so heavy." Elf breathed a sigh of relief, putting her hands on her hips, panting. "No drinking alcohol in the future. If you get drunk, you'll just have to spend the night slumped over the toilet. This lady definitely won't have a way to help you to the bedroom."
Kuroneko: "..."
(Why would you help a mere Sora to the bedroom?)
(The premise of that sentence is assuming you'll be together in the future, right?)
(With Mahiru around, you have absolutely no chance of winning, alright? Unless you accept Sora having a harem...)
As this thought surfaced in her mind, Kuroneko's heart skipped a beat.
(T-That kind of thing is definitely a no-go, right?)
"Sorry for being so heavy."
As Sora spoke, he bent down to take off his clothes.
Rustle.
As the clothes came off, Elf's and Kuroneko's small faces quickly flushed red.
"I-Idiot Sora!" Yamada Elf raised her hands to cover her cheeks, her fingers spread apart, shouting shyly. "At least take them off one by one!"
"I've always taken them off together..." Sora coughed lightly twice, his body moving towards the showerhead on its own. "You guys hurry up and get out."
Gokou Ruri's small face was crimson. She hurriedly grabbed Elf beside her:
"Stop looking, let's hurry up and get out."
Elf still refused to leave. This was a rare opportunity, so of course she wanted to play a prank:
"How about we help Sora scrub his back?"
"No!"
Gokou Ruri exerted force with her hands, quickly pulling Elf out of the bathroom:
"Everyone is right outside, how could we possibly stay and help him scrub his back!"
"..."
Seeing Kuroneko and Elf come out, Angel-sama quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Ruri was there; otherwise, Elf would likely have stayed in the bathroom and refused to come out.
Shiina Mahiru relaxed, turned towards the kitchen, poured barley tea, and brought it out on a tray:
"Everyone, have some tea. Save the last cup for Sora-kun."
After taking care of the guests, Shiina Mahiru turned and headed outward:
"I'm going back to take a shower first."
Even though she didn't finish the whole race, Mahiru was still sweating profusely, her clothes long since soaked. For the super hygiene-conscious Angel-sama, she super wanted to bathe and soak in a tub.
With everyone in the living room, there was no need to worry about Sora being in danger.
As for the 'involuntary' side effect, it had already been verified before; she just needed to wait a while, and he would be perfectly fine.
"Mahiru-chan, I'll walk you back."
Yanami turned and walked over.
Although the two were 'enemies', 'Inmate Eight' was kind-hearted and naturally couldn't just stand by.
"No need to trouble yourself..."
Shiina Mahiru instinctively declined politely.
"Let's go, let's go~" Yanami stepped forward, supporting Mahiru's arm, her voice crisp and bright. "It's just a two-step walk."
"...Thank you, Yanami."
The two quickly arrived at Mahiru's front door.
"I'll head back first." Yanami stopped in her tracks, waved her hand, smiling brightly. "Mahiru, keep your phone handy. If you feel unwell anywhere, contact me anytime."
"Okay."
Shiina Mahiru nodded gently in agreement.
Watching Yanami leave, Angel-sama pursed her beautiful lips, changed into slippers, and quickly headed to the bathroom.
Splash, splash.
Warm water poured down.
Shiina Mahiru stood under the showerhead, washed her body clean first, and then sat into the bathtub.
"Phew..."
Shiina Mahiru let out a soft sigh, her eyes quietly curving into crescents.
After washing clean, comfortably soaking in the perfectly temperate bathtub, happiness suddenly materialized.
Unfortunately, there's a phrase called 'extreme joy begets sorrow'.
Just as Mahiru happily narrowed her eyes, she suddenly found the world before her blurring and twisting.
"Eh, what's going on?"
A bad premonition quickly welled up in her heart.
Before Shiina Mahiru could react, the next second, a feeling of weightlessness quietly struck.
Plop.
Water splashed everywhere.
Space shifted in an instant. A bathroom both familiar and unfamiliar appeared before her eyes.
Familiar because she had cleaned it before.
Unfamiliar because...
"Is this Sora-kun's bathroom?"
Amidst her shock, an incredibly familiar voice entered Mahiru's ears:
"Mahiru?"
"...Sora-kun?!"
Shiina Mahiru quickly turned her head and saw a familiar face appearing right before her eyes.
Their eyes met.
Angel-sama quickly understood what had happened.
"Is this... the side effect of spatial teleportation?"
Feeling Angel-sama's delicate and smooth pressure, Sora's rationality rapidly plummeted. Unfortunately, his body was still immobilized at the moment:
"I was soaking in the bathtub, and Mahiru suddenly appeared. Aside from a side effect, there shouldn't be any other reason."
Shiina Mahiru quickly snapped back to reality, her pretty face flushing red at a speed visible to the naked eye.
It wasn't the first time they had encountered the side effect of spatial teleportation, but teleporting into the bathtub was just too terrible!
Splash.
Water splashed in the bathtub.
Shiina Mahiru hurriedly covered her chest, getting off Sora with a face full of shame. She quickly hid on the other side of the bathtub. Thank goodness it was a two-person bathtub; otherwise, she wouldn't even have a place to hide.
"Phew..."
Angel-sama breathed a quiet sigh of relief, subconsciously glancing into the water, and instantly averted her gaze in a panic.
"W-Where are the bubbles?"
The bathwater in the bathtub was crystal clear, everything could be seen clearly.
Sora sat leaning back against the bathtub, completely unashamed:
"There were no bubbles when I got in. Clearly, Sagiri didn't use a bath bomb when she drew the bathwater."
"Sora-kun, sit properly." Shiina Mahiru's pretty face was burning hot, even her neck had turned crimson. She took the towel off her head to block her chest. "That posture... is so terrible."
Even though his body can't move, he actually still has a... Lewd!
Sora-kun is truly too H!
Sora's tone was very innocent:
"My side effect hasn't ended yet, I can't move right now."
Shiina Mahiru: "..."
As they spoke, Elf's crisp laughter suddenly sounded from outside, startling Mahiru into holding her breath.
If I'm discovered, no matter how you think about it, it's too shameful.
Taking a deep breath, Shiina Mahiru's voice was filled with shame, whispering:
"Sora-kun, close your eyes. I-I'm going to activate Time Stop and go back..."
"It's best if you don't." Sora was full of righteousness, seemingly thinking entirely of Mahiru. "Remember when we went to the zoo together, jumped down into the gorilla enclosure to save someone?"
"I remember." Shiina Mahiru blinked her bright eyes, quickly realizing. "Sora-kun is saying, Elf will see?"
"Better safe than sorry."
"..."
Seeing Mahiru biting her lower lip and remaining silent, Sora whispered his proposed solution:
"My side effect is almost over. Mahiru hide in the bathtub for now, don't move. Once the side effect disappears, I'll teleport you straight back. It's 100% guaranteed no one will find out."
"But..."
Shiina Mahiru's gaze involuntarily shifted to the water's surface, her pretty face burning hot.
But the bathwater in the bathtub is crystal clear, everything can be seen clearly. It's really too shameful.
"Just make some bubbles and it'll be fine." Sora signaled with his eyes. "The bath sponge is hanging on the hook right above my head."
"Eh?"
Shiina Mahiru looked up and quickly spotted the small item hanging on the adhesive hook.
Sora said seriously:
"I can't move right now, so I have to ask Mahiru to whip up the bubbles."
Shiina Mahiru: "..."
Good news.
As long as she whipped up bubbles, it wouldn't be as shameful, and she could barely accept soaking in the bath with Sora-kun.
Bad news.
The bath sponge was hanging a bit high. To reach it, she had to stand up... She would definitely be exposing herself, right?
Shiina Mahiru lightly bit her lower lip with her pearly white teeth. With a blushing pretty face, she agonized for several seconds, suddenly getting a flash of inspiration, and looked at the towel in her hand.
Using a towel to cover her body wasn't large enough, but if used to...
Shiina Mahiru's pretty face was burning hot, quickly making up her mind. She picked up the towel to cover Sora.
The corner of Sora's mouth twitched slightly, unable to resist asking:
"Mahiru, what are you doing?"
"To prevent Sora-kun from peeking, I have to cover your eyes..."
Shiina Mahiru shyly explained while using the towel to block Sora's face.
"..."
In this situation, Sora suddenly felt an incredibly strong sense of déjà vu.
Back then, when Yin Zhiping defiled Little Dragon Maiden, he used a veil to cover Little Dragon Maiden's face, right?
Now the genders are just reversed!
"Where's the trust between people?" Sora's tone was faint. "I would definitely close my eyes, alright."
Shiina Mahiru's pretty face was flushed. She leaned against the bathtub and stood up, covering her body with her left hand and reaching for the bath sponge with her right:
"Even if Sora-kun closes his eyes, I'm still very worried..."
"Got it."
Shiina Mahiru's eyes lit up, and she hurriedly moved to sit back down. But she forgot about the injury on her foot. Accidentally pressing on the wound, the sharp pain instantly caused Mahiru to lose her balance.
Thump.
Shiina Mahiru lost her footing and stumbled, falling onto Sora. In the chaos, she even knocked off the towel covering Sora's face.
Their eyes met.
Sora's gaze lingered slightly on Angel-sama's pretty face, then was drawn by an unknown gravitational pull, involuntarily drifting downwards.
His gaze skipped over her slender neck and exquisite, cute collarbone, reaching straight to...
In short, the moonlight was very white.
"D-Don't look!"
Shiina Mahiru's pretty face was burning hot. She swiftly reached out and covered Sora's eyes.
He's already seen it perfectly clearly, it's too late to cover his eyes now!
"Sora-kun, close your eyes, you're not allowed to open them."
"Yes."
Shiina Mahiru bit her lower lip with her pearly white teeth, her pretty face almost dripping blood. She used the towel to cover her body, sat on the other side of the bathtub, and then used the bath sponge in her hand to whip up bubbles.
Before long, snow-white bubbles surged forth, quickly concealing both of their bodies.
"Phew..."
Shiina Mahiru breathed a sigh of relief as if a heavy burden had been lifted, but she quickly bit her lower lip resentfully again.
Although the bubbles are whipped up, but... but I've already been seen completely naked just now, right?
Sora kept his eyes closed: "Can I open my eyes now?"
Hearing this, Shiina Mahiru averted her pretty face, her voice shy:
"...You can."
"Right after finishing the Tokyo Marathon, Mahiru promised to give me a massage." Sora opened his eyes, looked at Angel-sama bathing with him, his gaze burning. "How about right now?"
"Eh?"
Shiina Mahiru was both hesitant and shy:
"Everyone is outside..."
"It's just a leg massage, not doing anything else." Sora was full of righteousness. "Besides, if you don't do anything while soaking in the bath, you won't be able to help letting your imagination run wild, right?"
"I-I understand..."
Angel-sama hesitantly agreed. Now the bathtub was full of bubbles, so the towel was no longer needed. Both hands were free, so a massage was indeed no problem.
With a blushing face, she grasped Sora's calf:
"Then I'm starting the massage?"
"Deeply grateful."