Chapter 120 - The Cloth That Kills the Hero
I tell myself this as I sit down in front of the table.
Mobilizing all the power of reason, I shift my gaze from Rio to the floor.
...I won.
I suppressed the beastly instinct to stare at the floating bra, and prioritized my morals.
It was the moment I triumphed over the evil lurking within me.
Truly, I was a Hero.
Some might say I'm exaggerating just for looking away from a high school girl's floating bra, but come on, this is Rio we're talking about.
She's young, beautiful, and openly declares she's in love with me. And on top of that, she's the spitting image of Elsa in her youth.
It takes an extraordinary amount of willpower to avoid looking at someone who has all these factors combined.
Honestly, it's tougher than when I was exterminating demons in the other world. Those guys would quiet down if you hit them, but I can't do that with Rio. If anything, if I hit her, she'd probably just get more disheveled and cling to me even more.
I let out a sigh, and take a deep breath.
At that moment, a sweet scent entered deep into my nostrils.
"?"
It's not perfume, not soap, and it's different from shampoo too.
It's not that kind of artificial smell, but a fragrance like a mix of flowers and human skin.
And what's more, it's coming from the spot where Rio was standing just a moment ago...
I see.
So this is her lingering scent.
You smell incredibly good, don't you?
What's the deal with that body? Is your staple food violet nectar or something?
Here I am, taking all this trouble to be careful not to look at your back or your butt, and you go and ruin it all with your body odor.
Now I'm all worked up, aren't I?
What are you going to do about this?
I feel like complaining that even freshly-washed Angelica doesn't give off such a provocative scent.
Isn't it about on par with the scent that Ayako-chan wafts from the nape of her neck when she's lightly sweating?
Or rather, shouldn't I be surprised at myself for becoming a sommelier of teenage girl scents?
Shouldn't I be past the point of saying anything about Gondo?
"...I'm messed up..."
Also, for the sake of Angelica's honor, I should mention that her best condition is the first hour after she wakes up.
Her hair, washed the day before, releases a jewel-like fragrance after being left to rest overnight. If limited to the scent at that time, it surpasses all other objects.
And here I am, thinking about this with complete seriousness, which means I am defeated in every sense of the word.
"Here's your tea."
Just as my head is filled with thoughts befitting a criminal, someone calls out to me from right beside me.
At the same time, a hand holding a teacup stretches out towards me.
"Sorry."
I take the tea while keeping my eyes averted, and sip it brusquely.
Staying unfriendly to the last, so as not to let my agitation be noticed.
Making a conscious effort, I open my mouth.
"Well then, let's get down to business. About that forgotten item you mentioned—"
"Why aren't you looking at me?"
"Could you just hurry up and bring it? I have someone I need to meet after this today. I want to get this done quickly."
"Hey. Why are you avoiding me?"
There's no way I can say it's because I feel like I'll get turned on if I look directly at you.
"Are you mad or something?"
"...Not really."
"You're lying. You're definitely in a bad mood. What's gotten into you all of a sudden? Did I do something bad?"
"This has nothing to do with you."
"...Hmm."
A voice full of distrust.
Her Affection Level has definitely dropped, but I continue the conversation regardless.
"I have my own circumstances. I can't take it easy."
"...This person you have to meet, is it a woman?"
"No, it's an old guy. Someone work-related."
"...I see... okay."
Rio's voice sounds blatantly relieved.
I almost get swayed by her pitifulness, but I harden my heart and act businesslike.
"If you understand, hurry up and bring it."
"I already brought it, though."
"Huh?"
Where? I think, and involuntarily look up, meeting eyes with a frowning Rio.
"You finally looked at me."
"...Where is it?"
"Do you hate talking to me that much?"
"It's not that I hate it."
"...You got a real girlfriend, didn't you?"
"Huh?"
"You started going out with one of the girls who comes and goes from your house, didn't you? I can tell these things."
"What are you talking about?"
"You've been cold to me all day. I can't think of any other reason."
"Look. I'm just... wait, are you crying?"
When I look, Rio's eyes are red, and she's starting to sniffle.
Th-this is why young women are...
Even the strong-willed ones start crying at completely unpredictable times.
It's like an invincible mode limited to dealing with men, and it's the most troublesome thing ever.
Naturally, it works well on me too, and right now I'm being flustered to a ridiculous degree.
"No, that's not it. Listen to what I have to say. Okay?"
"You're tired of me, aren't you..."
"Tired of you or whatever, we're not even going out in the first place, are we!?"
"...You kissed me even though you had no intention of going out with me... Huh..."
"Oh, for crying out loud!"
What a pain. What am I supposed to do? What would a normal guy do at a time like this?
What's the correct way to handle it when a high school girl you carelessly ended up hugging and kissing in the bathroom accuses you over woman troubles?
I'm at a loss because the only thing that comes to mind is "turn yourself in."
"Uh, well... it's not that I got sick of you, or that I found another woman..."
"...Or?"
"Today is... well... you know."
"You know?"
In the first place, I'm not very good with words.
I spent all my time in the other world cutting and killing monsters, so that kind of skill hasn't developed at all.
I'm a clumsy person whose hands move before his mouth.
So the only thing I can do is tell the truth with sincerity.
I can only speak my true feelings like a Hero, and walk the righteous path.
"Uh... when I look at you... I feel like I'm going to get turned on... so I was trying not to look at you directly."
"..."
"You're creeped out, right? You're creeped out, aren't you? Be creeped out. Damn it. Is it fun teasing an old man?"
"...I'm not teasing you."
Rio stares at me intently, neither angry nor embarrassed.
This reaction is a bit unexpected.
I had thought, just a little, that the usual Rio might be happy about this? So this is surprising.
"Nakamoto-san, you looked at me and got turned on?"
"...It was an act of God."
"So a thirty-two-year-old guy, the kind who even appears on TV, got lustful over sixteen-year-old me?"
"...You made me that way..."
"What part of me did you look at that made you feel dirty?"
"Huh?"
"Tell me. Tell me what part of me you looked at that made you feel weird."
"Is there a need to tell you that?"
"What. So it was a lie after all. You really don't care about me at all, do you?"
She sniffles loudly, and shows signs of starting to cry again, so I confess in a great panic.
"Your bra! I saw your bra showing through the back of your shirt, and it made me feel weird! Are you happy now!?"
"...Bra..."
Rio lowers her gaze slightly, staring at her own chest.
"Nakamoto-san, do you like girls' underwear?"
"Don't talk about people like they're some special kind of pervert. It's not that I have a fetish for underwear... I-I was just made conscious of the fact that you're a woman too. You get it, right? Don't women get this kind of thing? ...Ah, damn, I'm starting to not even understand what I'm saying myself..."
"Do you become conscious of a woman just by seeing a bra?"
"...W-well, it's something specific to women, isn't it, that thing... I can't help but imagine what it's wrapping up..."
"So do you like the bra? Or do you like me?"
What is this girl trying to make me say?
"...I-I think, probably, it's that you wearing a bra is attractive."
"If I wasn't wearing a bra, I wouldn't be attractive?"
"That's not what I mean... it's like adding strength to an ogre... something that's already erotic feels even more indecent..."
"Hmm. So I'm erotic."
"No... it's probably me, finding sexuality in you, who's erotic."
My flustered state has completely lost any trace of a Hero's dignity. Even I think I'm pathetically pathetic.
What Rio felt seeing me like this, I don't know, but she primly tosses her hair with a composed look.
"Well, I think I get the gist of it."
"...Get the gist of what?"
"That Nakamoto-san is definitely a man too."
"Huh?"
"It's okay. I'll forgive you now."
I teased you a bit too much, Rio says, sticking out her tongue. Instantly, her expression becomes childish and mischievous.
"I'm glad. You were properly looking at me as a member of the opposite sex. I feel kind of relieved."
"...Were those fake tears earlier?"
"They were real tears, but Nakamoto-san was panicking so much that I gradually calmed down."
"...Is that so."
The strength drains from my shoulders in disappointment.
What a sorry sight, a thirty-two-year-old being toyed with by a sixteen-year-old girl.
Feeling exhausted, I wipe my forehead with the back of my right hand.
Apparently I sweated quite a bit in this short time; it feels damp.
"That's a lot of sweat. Are you okay?"
"I'm not okay. It's your fault."
"Geez. I'll wipe it for you, so don't be mad."
Maybe because getting one over on me cleared her mood, Rio now has the face of a completely devoted wife.
Being with her is bad for my heart... I'm thinking, when I hear a sound like rustling clothes.
...Rustling clothes?
I timidly look towards Rio, and she's doing something, reaching her hands behind her back and fidgeting.
Huh.
Why does she need to take that kind of posture to get something to wipe my face with?
"...What are you doing?"
"I told you I'd wipe your face."
"...You're going to use a handkerchief or something, right?"
"Going to get one is a pain. So I thought I'd use something Nakamoto-san likes, if I'm going to do it anyway."
"...Something I like... hey, stop it, quit it, this isn't funny!"
Rio grins broadly, and shows it off with a "ta-da."
A bra she just took off.
The pale pink underwear that was directly wrapping her breasts until a second ago.
She pinches the hook part with her fingertips, and dangles it right in front of my eyes.
"...Are you in your right mind...?"
"The inside of the cup is made of material that absorbs sweat easily, so isn't it perfect?"
"...Th-the inside means it's the cloth that was touching your chest, right? Are you seriously trying to rub that on an old man's face?"
"Don't phrase it so weirdly every time. It's just a substitute for a handkerchief."
She thrusts the inside-out bra close to my nose.
I sense a faint smell of sweat mixed with the clean scent unique to girls.
And no wonder. The chest area is a part of the body with relatively many sweat glands. For women with body odor, a distinct smell can even be emitted from their bust.
Rio doesn't have body odor, so it's probably just a case of a lot of odorless sweat being secreted.
Thanks to that, it doesn't smell unpleasant at all; on the contrary, it's a scent that could even be called sensual.
Isn't this practically the same as having her chest rubbed against me? I mean, it's not an indirect kiss, it's an indirect nipple, right?
"Don't move. ...Or rather, you're frozen stiff, so are you okay?"
The soft cloth is pressed against my face, which is rigid like a wax figure.
From forehead to cheek, cheek to chin, nose to mouth. My entire face is wiped with the cup of the bra.
As if being marked, Rio's scent is smeared all over me.
"Angelica wouldn't do this kind of thing for you, right? In that regard, I could do it for you every day, though~"
Wouldn't do it or whatever, you're the only one who would even think of such a shameless act.
I want to retort with all my might, but the words won't come out.
My throat just quivers slightly, as if it's forgotten its function to produce sound.
I'm completely at her mercy.
Time just passed as I surrendered myself to this immoral sweat-wiping.