The Stand User Of The Daily World

Chapter 122: "Hey, I'm Not Wrapped in a Towel Right Now!"

The alluring and unguarded beauty of Mashiro was once again exposed before Shunsuke. Unlike before, the pet girl, now equipped with a touch of basic awareness, instinctively covered her chest. However, unlike other bashful girls, Mashiro showed no significant hesitation.

In fact, after realizing what she was doing, she calmly lowered her arms again.

"Gulp."

A faint sound of swallowing came from behind—courtesy of Marin.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Shunsuke smiled at Mashiro and said, "Mashiro, you go ahead to the bathroom first. I just have one last step to finish here, and I'll be right over to help you with your bath."

"Okay."

Mashiro nodded softly. Her delicate, jade-like feet lifted slightly as she turned and walked towards the bathroom.

Just before exiting Shunsuke's room, she paused for a moment, glanced back, and murmured, "Shunsuke, you're such a perv."

Without waiting for a reaction, Mashiro quickly left his sight.

Shunsuke glanced at Mashiro's scattered clothes on the floor, then turned to Marin, who was still standing there, flushed. Holding the measuring tool in his hand, he said, "Alright, Kitagawa-san, we still need to measure the spacing for your cosplay outfit. Let's wrap this up quickly."

Marin's face turned even redder. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but no words came out.

After spending time with Mashiro, Marin had come to understand her personality.

So, while she wasn't entirely shocked that Shunsuke would help Mashiro with a bath—after all, neither Sagiri nor Eromanga-sensei's elder sister seemed like the type to handle such a task—it still felt strange.

Back when Mashiro lived at Mrs. Izumi's house, wasn't it Shunsuke who helped her with baths too?

But now, the dynamic between them… the atmosphere…

Shunsuke had insisted that he wasn't dating Mashiro, and Marin believed him—he wouldn't lie. So it must be true. But even if they weren't in a relationship, for them to do something like this…

Unable to find an answer no matter how much she thought about it, Marin eventually gave up.

I'm just not the type for complicated thoughts anyway, she decided.

Letting out a small sigh, she placed her two fingers back on the measuring points for her cosplay adjustments.

—Hmm, when I encounter something I truly can't figure out, I just stop thinking about it. That's my way of life!

—Besides, Mashiro already said she's a pet. Pets in games are like this too. Totally normal, totally normal.

Shunsuke couldn't quite understand what Marin was thinking as she stood there without asking a single question.

He had mentally prepared himself for some intense questioning or backlash, but… that was it?

"Clack."

Shunsuke pulled out the tape measure, pressing one end against the spot where Marin had placed her finger on her cosplay adjustment point, and began measuring with a calm demeanor.

"20 centimeters."

—Is this really a measurement that a first-year high school girl can have?

Jotting the data down in his notebook, Shunsuke fell into a moment of disbelief. If he hadn't measured it himself, he wouldn't have believed such a figure was possible for a student.

"Alright, that wraps up the measurements. I'll find some time in the next few days to buy the materials and get it done before the convention."

"Yay!"

Watching Marin happily flash a victory sign, Shunsuke, almost against his better judgment, blurted out, "Wanna help me give Mashiro a bath?"

"...Huh?"

Marin rubbed her ears in disbelief. What's wrong with me today? Am I just hearing things all the time? No way, I'm still young—I can't already be going deaf!

—I was ready to face this head-on, so how could you chicken out at the last minute?

Seeing Marin's attempt to "play dumb," Shunsuke asked again, "So? Are you coming or not?"

—Why are you even asking me this!?

Marin screamed internally but managed to maintain a polite yet awkward smile. "Senpai, are you sure it's really okay for me to join in on something like this?"

"What's not okay? If I can do it, why can't you?"

"That's… true…"

—True, my foot!

—Sure, it's nice to have such honest moments with senpai, but if Mashiro-senpai is right there too, that's a whole other level of awkwardness. Isn't this really messed up?

—But then again, it seems like Mashiro-senpai will likely continue living with Eromanga-sensei in the future. So even if I succeed in winning over senpai and become a close friend of the teacher, I'll still end up either helping Mashiro-senpai bathe or watching senpai help her bathe…

If nothing else, Marin's pure-hearted nature was probably the only thing stopping her from thinking, Doesn't this mean all my effort to win over senpai would've been for nothing?

"I'll head over first. Come if you feel like it, Kitagawa-san."

Noticing her hesitation, Shunsuke decided not to push her. Instead, he gave her the space to decide on her own. Picking up Mashiro's scattered clothes from the floor, he left the room.

...

Having stripped off his own clothes, Shunsuke stepped into the bathroom, only for his eyelid to twitch involuntarily.

Mashiro was leaning over the bathtub, her fair, delicate figure bent as she attempted to fill the tub with water.

But that wasn't the main issue—the problem was her clueless demeanor. From the way she fumbled with the faucet, Shunsuke immediately knew: Can she even manage to fill it properly like this?

No hot water, no proper bath. What kind of bath is that supposed to be?

Having lived in Japan for so many years, Shunsuke had grown accustomed to soaking in the bath. Without a good soak after washing up, he couldn't feel truly refreshed.

"Alright, Mashiro, sit down. I'll take care of it."

"Oh…"

Mashiro nodded and obediently sat on a small stool nearby.

Shunsuke quickly adjusted the water temperature and began filling the bathtub. Taking the showerhead in hand, he walked behind Mashiro. "Alright, I'm going to wash your hair now. Get ready."

"Okay."

Mashiro obediently closed her eyes like a child.

Shunsuke carefully rinsed her hair, making sure every strand was wet. Just as he prepared to pass the showerhead to Star Platinum and grab the shampoo, the bathroom door suddenly swung open.

Marin entered boldly, fully embracing her natural state. True to her gyaru nature, once she made up her mind, her determination turned into unstoppable action.

"Senpai, from now on, I'll be the one to take care of Mashiro-senpai!"

Snatching the showerhead from Shunsuke's hand, Marin stood confidently before him, making her declaration loud and clear.

—That's right. Even if Mashiro-senpai keeps living here in the future, as long as I take over the job of taking care of her, it'll all work out.

Marin wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but she believed in this straightforward solution.

"No."

Mashiro's sudden, firm voice cut through the air.

"Huh?" Marin froze for a moment, startled.

Turning her head, Mashiro opened her eyes and stared directly at Marin. "I'm Shunsuke's pet, so no."

Marin smiled brightly. "Don't be so quick to refuse, Mashiro-senpai. Today, I'm going to help you with your bath no matter what!"

As the two faced off, Shunsuke—still seated and looking up at Marin—had only one thought running through his mind:

Hey, I'm not even wrapped in a towel right now!

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