[CH.57] Signs of a Gradual Change
**TL Notes: So as not to confuse you all, I made a list of the characters that get mentioned in this chapter that you may have forgotten before. Sumire Matsuda: MC Yoko Ando (Yoko-san): Sumire's manager. Azusa Oshima: Sumire's mentor. Maho Iida: Sumire's senpai at the dormitory. Natsumi Shirakawa: Sumire's senpai at the dormitory. |
December has arrived, and the city is suddenly filled with the Christmas spirit. In the midst of this, I had to work from noon, so I left school early and headed to the job site in Yoko-san's car.
Today is the shooting of a TV commercial for a chocolate candy. Even though it's Christmas season now, Valentine's Day sales will start after the New Year and the New Year's mode is over. If we don't prepare the commercials and products at this point, we'll be late.
From the director's instructions to the end of the shoot, it might be my personal record for the fastest finish in just under three hours. There was no one to act opposite to, and I had quite a bit of resistance when it came to handing over beautifully wrapped chocolates with the words "I've loved you for a long time" while feeling embarrassed, pretending the camera was a boy I liked. In the first place, I'm currently a somewhat ambiguous existence, not considering either gender as a romantic interest. Moreover, I have no experience in love, even in past lives, so I didn't have the confidence to feel shy in front of someone I liked.
But by changing my perspective, the main point is that as long as my face turns red, I should be fine with embarrassment and shyness being the same thing. I have plenty of embarrassing memories from past lives, and the number of flashbacks was high, so the memories are vivid. However, I wanted to avoid intense memories that would make me want to bury my head in my hands or roll on the floor. So I searched my memory library while keeping that in mind.
From there, I found the perfect episode, tried it during the actual shoot, and it seemed to work well, as I received an immediate "OK." I thought that the expression on the girl confessing seemed a bit wry, but the director praised, "It looks fresh and nervous, which is nice." When I saw the OK take, it was me with slightly blushed cheeks, extending the chocolate toward the camera, and I felt a sense of charm within myself that I couldn't help but notice.
I had been feeling a bit narcissistic, constantly denying it in my head, and before I knew it, all the makeup had been removed, and I was standing in front of the mirror as my usual self. The natural me isn't bad, but the credit for the camera-me looking so charming despite being understated might go to the makeup artist's painstaking work.
Now, when I thought about heading home, the representative from the confectionery company said, "I'd like to treat you to dinner." Before I could respond, Yoko-san, with a hearty appetite, had already agreed... Well, it's fine. Since I had been planning to accept the kind offer, I was just a bit surprised or taken aback by Yoko-san's eagerness.
I was worried because it was the last minute when Toyo-san would start preparing dinner, but it seemed that when Yoko-san contacted her, she had just begun cooking, so it didn't put too much burden on Toyo-san. Thank you as always, Toyo-san.
We were taken to an upscale Chinese restaurant, and I savored the delicious dishes. I couldn't help but notice Yoko-san, who was sitting next to me and quickly emptied her plate of fried rice and ordered additional dishes from the menu. I shifted my attention away from her and chatted with the representative from the confectionery company. They mentioned that they'd like me to appear in their commercials regularly if I'm willing, and I replied that I'd be happy to do so. I welcome any well-paying job because I want to save money early with enough flexibility to advance to university.
Sipping on the soup with a satisfied smile after receiving a good offer, Yoko-san leaned in and whispered in my ear.
"Sumire, I've told you this before, but don't respond without thinking. If they want to lock you into an exclusive contract, you won't be able to do commercials for products from other companies. There are other conditions to consider as well, so in such cases, just say, 'I'll consult with my agency and get back to you.' Don't make hasty commitments. It's a world where even verbal agreements can become legally binding."
"...Yes, I'm sorry, Yoko-san."
Yoko-san scolded me, and I felt downhearted. She patted my head. Even though I had some experience as a working adult in a past life, I still felt embarrassed that I had made a hasty reply due to the temptation in front of me. I realized that I needed to learn more about various things and reflected on that night.
---
"I'm back!"
As I said while taking off my shoes at the dorm entrance, I heard hurried footsteps, and Maho-san and Natsumi-san came to greet me. However, they usually don't come to the entrance to welcome me like this, so I wondered if something was going on.
"Welcome back, Sumire! Did you have dinner? If you did, go take a bath. Do you want to bathe with me, or with Natsumi?"
Feeling overwhelmed by Maho-san's enthusiastic welcome, I turned to Natsumi for an explanation. Usually, she would offer me some assistance with a response like, "Well, it can't be helped," but today, it seemed that Natsumi was on Maho-san's side and joined in trying to persuade me.
"There's something Maho and I want to talk to Sumire about, and we couldn't decide who should talk to her, so we thought Sumire could decide."
"Um, what does that have to do with taking a bath?"
"Huh? Important conversations are meant to be had in the bath, right? It's like getting along in the nude."
I understood that the two of them had something they wanted to talk to me about, but I was puzzled about why we needed to bathe together. When I asked, Maho-san gave me a curious look and asked Natsumi to repeat my question. I wondered where they had heard this mysterious information. Well, I couldn't deny that taking a bath together might help us become closer, even though I wasn't entirely sure where they got that idea.
I realized that I needed to choose one of them to bathe with to get released, so I decided without hesitation to bathe with Natsumi. This decision led to complaints from Maho-san, so I explained my choice concisely.
"Because, Maho-san, when we bathe together, you tend to touch me in various places. Natsumi-san doesn't do that."
Even though being touched by Maho-san was not particularly harmful, I'd rather not experience the occasional painful sensation of having my chest squeezed. Compared to Maho-san, Natsumi-san didn't engage in such behavior when we bathed together. At most, she might sit on my lap and hug me tightly from behind.
In the end, while Natsumi-san was calming down Maho-san, I went back to my room, changed from my school uniform into casual clothes, and brought my bath set to their room. Maho-san seemed unhappy, but she had given up on bathing together. However, for some reason, tonight, we were going to sleep together in the same bed.
While I was still pondering how we ended up in this situation, Natsumi led me to the dressing area, helped me remove my clothes, and before I knew it, I was pulled into the bathroom. At this point, there was no use hesitating, so I decided to quickly wash my hair and body and get into the bathtub. It seemed that Natsumi was planning to wash my entire body. It feels nice when someone else washes your hair, so I decided to trust her and let her do it. She washed my hair carefully, applied conditioner, and left it for a while. During that time, she also rinsed my back.
"By the way, Sumire, it looks like you haven't grown any hair yet. I envy you for not having to deal with that."
Well, there's no sign of hair in my armpits or groin at all, but what can I do? I returned a wry smile to Natsumi while making excuses for myself. Eventually, hair will grow, and my chest will surely start to develop. I'm sure of it.
In return, I washed Natsumi's hair and body, and then we both got into the bathtub. Natsumi got in first, and I sat on top of her, which allowed both of us to stretch our legs comfortably. I tried to float my body to avoid being a burden due to my weight, but Natsumi said, "It's okay, lean on me," and she had me rest on her upper body. I could feel her shapely breasts pressing against my back, and they were soft and comfortable.
"So, about what I was talking about earlier..."
We lounged in the warmth of the bath for a while, and then suddenly, I heard those words whispered in my ear, making my body jolt. I had been feeling a bit drowsy, but I instantly became wide awake.
"Yes, I remember! You have something to tell me, right?"
"Why are you so surprised? Is everything okay?"
Natsumi's slightly puzzled voice reached my ears as she gently stroked my head. Thanks to her, I calmed down, and I was ready to listen to what she had to say. Perhaps she sensed that I was prepared, as Natsumi started speaking.
"It's about me and Maho. We've decided to move out of this dorm next spring."
"...Huh?"
To the sudden bombshell announcement, I instinctively turned my shoulder to look back, but Natsumi grabbed and held me to prevent me from turning too quickly. If we had collided, we might have hurt each other. However, at that moment, I was too confused to even consider that possibility.
As Natsumi continued to explain sporadically, it became clear that they had harbored doubts about whether it was right to continue under Ms. Azusa's protection. Both of them had once debuted as child actors from a different agency but faced setbacks along the way. They were picked up by Ms. Azusa and, thanks to her name and influence, started receiving work and became relatively busy. However, they had received very little direct guidance from Ms. Azusa, and they had carried a sense of guilt for benefiting from her name. They also sensed jealousy and resentment from those around them.
As they became high school seniors, they had put a lot of thought into their future paths. That's when they decided to move out of this dorm. They were aiming for the same university, and if they both passed the entrance exams, it would be great. However, even if one or both of them ended up retaking the exams, leaving this dorm was a decision they had made.
"So, are you planning to take the common entrance exams?"
"Sumire, you seem to know some mysterious things sometimes. The common entrance exams ended last year, and starting this year, we have a new test called the Center Exam. The common entrance exams didn't apply to private universities, but with the Center Exam, the results can be used for private university admissions as well, so it might make it slightly easier to get in."
Natsumi's laughter in the background suggested that competition would be fierce, so the actual outcome was uncertain. I hadn't known that the common entrance exams didn't apply to private universities, and I was surprised to learn that this year marked the first administration of the Center Exam. It made me realize that I should pay more attention and gather various information with a heightened awareness. While I have a general sense of the atmosphere since I lived in the past, I'm currently doing things I didn't experience in my previous life. In this age, knowledge doesn't come to you automatically like in the 21st century, you have to actively seek it out. I thought I should become more ambitious in that regard.
"Ai-san will still be here, but I think from spring onward, the only pure dorm residents will be Yumi and Sumire. How about it? Are you sad?"
As I was lightly embraced from behind and asked this question, I hesitated, my words catching in my throat. Saying that I wasn't sad or that I'd be fine would likely come across as insincere and a façade. I might want Natsumi and the others to persuade me to stay, and words that catered to my desires came to mind, but probably, that wasn't the case. I believed that this was the answer they had arrived at after a long time of contemplation and discussion.
So, all I could do was offer my support. To ensure that the two of them could approach the exam day without worries, and even after the exams were over and they started a new life elsewhere, they could return here when they felt tired or lonely. I expressed these sentiments to the best of my ability, hoping they would understand my feelings.
"I'll miss you, but I'll support Natsumi-san and Maho-san since it's their decision. However, Yumi-san and I will still be here as we always have been. If anything happens, please come back and take a break. At that time, I'll do my best to make delicious meals to help both of you feel better!"
I wished I could express myself more eloquently, but as I struggled to string my words together, Natsumi held me tightly. She brought her lips close to my ear and said in a firm voice, "Thank you, I'll do my best." If my words had even slightly contributed to Natsumi's determination, I would be incredibly happy. With those thoughts in mind, I enjoyed the warmth of the water and the closeness of Natsumi's body for a while during bath time.
While Natsumi and I were savoring ice cream after our bath, Maho hurried into the room and, with my arm around her, she quickly prepared for bed. Although I wasn't sleepy, Maho placed me in the bed and pulled the covers over me. After hearing the story from Natsumi, I listened to it from Maho as well and offered words of encouragement for the spring ahead. We had lived together for a little over two years, like a family, so I genuinely wished for their happiness on this new journey.
As Maho, who was moved to tears, held me close, I felt a bit breathless but also the softness and warmth. Eventually, I fell asleep without realizing it. The next morning, I woke up, and as I made eye contact with Maho, who was facing me, we both shared a shy smile. It was just the beginning of an ordinary day, but for some reason, it felt even more radiant than usual.
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