(1)
“Ah, crap, I forgot to bring my clothes in.”
“You just realized?”
“Damn it, if you knew earlier, why didn’t you remind me?”
“I only remembered when we were already in the bath.”
Zhu Ying glanced sideways at An Jing and rested her chin on top of her head.
“I’ll go out first, then come back to get your clothes for you.”
“Hurry up…”
“Your clothes are in your bag, right?”
“Yeah, I didn’t bring an extra bag.”
The mist in the bathroom had gradually dissipated.
Zhu Ying stood up, and crystal-clear droplets of water rolled down her fair skin—it hadn’t been possible to see so clearly before.
An Jing turned around in a fluster, facing away from her, and looked through the gaps in the bamboo window at the forest outside—but the gaps were too narrow, and she could only feel a breeze from the forest.
Behind her came the rustling sound, and soon the bamboo door was slowly pulled open.
“Xiao Jing, I’ll go get your clothes.”
“Mm… hurry up…”
An Jing sank half of her face into the bath, blowing bubbles as she mumbled.
From the living room came Wang Xinru’s somewhat puzzled voice, probably asking what was wrong with An Jing.
Zhu Ying answered truthfully, and the latter gave a soft acknowledgment.
But soon, a shout of joy came from the room: “Xiao Jing—! Your schoolbag doesn’t have any clothes!”
“Huh—?”
“Really, there isn’t, I’m not lying!”
Zhu Ying even brought An Jing’s schoolbag to the bathroom door and personally opened it for her to see.
“Look, inside there’s only a thick bath towel, and some odds and ends—a game console and stuff, nothing else.”
“Inside the bath towel I packed a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a towel… Then, where are the clothes? Didn’t I bring any?”
“Yes, don’t look at me like that. Why would I lie to you? That’s really all there is.”
“Uh—”
An Jing bit her lip.
“No wonder I thought the bag felt light. I thought since there was just one set of clothes, I wouldn’t notice the weight…”
“There’s nothing. No change of underwear, no jacket, nothing at all.”
“Ah…”
“Even if you wanted to wear my clothes, Xiao Jing, I can’t, because I only brought two sets of changes. I lent one school uniform to Yuan Lanque, and I’m wearing the other one right now.”
Zhu Ying pointed at the light blue dress with white lace she was wearing.
“See? There’s nothing else for you to wear.”
“Damn it, I even soaked my clothes in water on purpose, thinking I could wash them right after bathing…”
“So, why not just wrap yourself in the bath towel?”
“Um… An’an, didn’t you bring a change of clothes?”
Wang Xinru suddenly came closer, a hint of probing in her voice.
“I brought two sets of changes; I can lend you one.”
“Xiao Ru’s! But the height difference is too big, isn’t it?”
“It’s a skirt. It might be a bit loose, but it should be wearable. To avoid looking too chubby, I specially brought a tighter one…”
An Jing no longer had the energy to comment on the topic of girls always thinking they’re fat.
She twitched the corner of her mouth. If she weren’t in the water bucket, she felt she might step into a void and sink to the bottom.
“No, this time, this time there are so many other classmates! If I wear a skirt, my life would be completely ruined!”
“Just honestly say you really don’t have a change of clothes.”
“No, no, absolutely not!”
“Tch ~ Then Xiao Jing, you can just stay in the water, or wrap yourself in the bath towel and not go out today or tomorrow, and wait for your clothes to dry.”
This May Day summer outing activity lasts only three days.
If she didn’t go out today and tomorrow, only the last day would remain, and on that last day, she’d have to pack up and go back…
If that were the case, she would have come for nothing.
“An’an, maybe… maybe think it over? It’s a very ordinary skirt…”
“No matter how ordinary, it’s still a skirt.”
An Jing’s eyelids drooped.
“Then, then you two bear witness for me later. I was forced to…”
“Alright, alright, we know. Hurry up and put it on! Oh, and you can wear my underwear. I brought two sets too; what Yuan Lanque borrowed earlier was just the school uniform.”
“Und…underwear?”
“You weren’t planning to go without underwear, were you?”
“Is that not allowed?”
“Ew, weird fetish.”
“I said, I said not wearing anything on top! Anyway, it wouldn’t be noticeable, right!”
“The skirt might be a bit thin. It might, might be see-through.”
“Hmm~ Don’t underestimate a girl’s body.”
“…But, but… what if someone finds out…”
“Don’t worry. Mine is white and it’s the seamless type. Unless someone tries to rip your clothes off, it won’t be discovered.”
“Just wear it…”
An Jing completely gave in.
(2)
Wang Xinru had brought a pure white dress.
The fabric was very comfortable and didn’t wrinkle easily.
Originally a short dress, it would just cover most of Wang Xinru’s thighs.
But when An Jing put it on, it became a midi skirt, revealing only half of her calves.
Zhu Ying was very disappointed about that.
But An Jing breathed a sigh of relief; at least this length gave her a bit more security.
“So this is the seamless type? It feels like a bandage…”
“I can’t wear these. They slip off easily…”
“With Xiao Ru’s figure, of course you can’t wear them. Geez—are you showing off?”
“No, no…”
“Hmph.”
“Xiao Ying, are you jealous?”
“Jealous of what? I’m bigger than you!”
“I’m not a girl, I have no interest in comparing sizes there.”
“But you’re completely a girl’s body.”
“I’m talking about the soul, the soul!”
“How can we make Xiao Jing become a girl in both body and mind?”
“Don’t just say such a scary thing out loud!”
“Maybe we can think of a way to speed it up?”
“Hey, hey!”
“Pfft, just kidding.”
Zhu Ying lightly covered her mouth.
“Alright, sit on the chair and I’ll comb your hair. This dress really looks better with long hair. It would be great if you had long hair, Xiao Jing…”
“At least before junior high graduation, there’s no way I can grow it long.”
An Jing quickly replied, then turned her head to look at Wang Xinru.
“Wangwang? You go wash up. Maybe there will be some group activity later.”
“Huh? Um… okay.”
Wang Xinru snapped out of her daze, quickly nodded, hugged her change of clothes, and hurried into the bathroom.
Zhu Ying carefully combed An Jing’s short hair, making her look especially well-behaved.
“Xiao Jing, how does the dress feel? Is it too loose?”
“A bit loose is more comfortable, I guess. It’s actually okay, but it feels really empty around the chest, like wind gets in.”
“After all, it’s Xiao Ru’s clothes. That’s how it is.”
“The shoulders are a bit loose too, but they probably won’t slip off, right?”
“Mm—it’s fine, it just shows a bit more shoulder. Xiao Jing’s shoulders are really cute.”
“Huh?”
“Crescent-shaped, like this? The curve feels so nice to touch.”
“…Yours are pretty much the same, aren’t they?”
“It’s different! Touching someone else feels different!”
“But short hair is nice—it dries fast. Without even using a hair dryer, just a wipe and air-drying for a bit, and it’s almost dry.”
“The hot weather also helps.”
An Jing squinted.
“See, the sun is shining right on me now.”
“Come to think of it, Xiao Jing seems completely unafraid of getting tanned.”
“…… What is there to be afraid of?”
“Most girls are afraid of getting tanned. They put on sunscreen, or carry an umbrella when going out.”
“…Sunbathing feels nice. I don’t mind. What about you, Xiao Ying? Do you get tanned too?”
“Of course I do!”
“Huh? Oh, now that you mention it, you were a bit dark in elementary school…”
“Don’t bring that up!”
“But how come I’ve never seen you tanned now?”
“Just use sunscreen, skincare products, and protect yourself. Besides, a little sun exposure is fine.”
“Tomorrow we’re probably going to the seaside, right? I heard it’s easy to get tanned at the seaside.”
“Hehe, don’t worry. This time I brought the best sunscreen from home. My dad gave it to my mom for her birthday. It’s really strong—even at the seaside, you won’t get tanned! Do you want to put some on later, Xiao Jing?”
“I’ll pass. And do you have to spread it all over your body?”
“You have to apply it wherever the clothes don’t cover. The most important part is the face, of course!”
“Too much trouble, no thanks.”
An Jing touched her cheek.
“If no one calls us to gather downstairs, I’m not going down. At most, I’ll go down for dinner.”
“What? I was thinking of taking you out for a walk.”
“Am I a dog or a cat? I don’t want to embarrass myself!”
“Oh, right, here’s this. I didn’t expect you to bring this.”
“Ah… this… this is mine… I don’t know when I put it in…”
“As I thought, Xiao Jing likes cute things, doesn’t she?”
“Yeah, I like it best when Xiao Ying is being cute.”
“Am I not cute now?”
“Right now you’re a bit… mm… perverted?”
“How am I perverted?!”
“Wow, don’t choke me!”
An Jing hugged the black rabbit in her arms.
It was the one they had won from a capsule machine when they went out last time.
It looked like an ordinary plush toy, but it was actually a small bag.
However, it wasn’t very roomy—at most it could hold keys and a wallet, and maybe a GBA console at best.
“Do you want to play the game console, Xiao Jing?”
Zhu Ying pressed her cheek against An Jing’s, pulled up a chair and sat beside her, then touched the slightly hot copper kettle.
“Xiao Ru boiled some water, just in time—I’m thirsty.”
“Mm, I’ll play for a bit. I’m bored anyway, and if we’re going downstairs, we need to go with Wangwang.”
“Then I’ll watch you play.”
“Watching me play… will that be interesting?”
“It’s interesting. Seeing you so focused is really interesting!”
“Are you watching me or watching me play games?”
“Both! But of course, mainly watching you, Xiao Jing.”
Thus, an hour passed with the electronic music of the game.
In the bathroom, which had been quiet for a long time, Wang Xinru finally came out with a flushed face, steam still rising from her…