The Stand User Of The Daily World

Chapter 123: Mashiro, Stay Still for Now

Shunsuke turned and stepped into the bath.

What? He didn't wash himself first?

That doesn't matter right now.

Ah, soaking in the bath is so relaxing.

Leaning against the edge of the tub, Shunsuke stretched lazily, eyes half-closed as he enjoyed the moment. It felt like all his fatigue had melted away. As for what was happening elsewhere, it was none of his business now.

Even if strange noises kept coming from the other side, it wasn't his concern. He had decided to ignore it, and that was final.

Resolve?

Sorry, that was long gone. Right now, he was just too cowardly to care.

After all, Marin never played by the rules!

As Shunsuke muttered to himself, he suddenly felt the water ripple. Opening his eyes, he caught sight of Mashiro's back as she stepped into the tub.

—Wait, could it be?!

Shunsuke's heart tightened as he watched Mashiro lower herself into the bath, her back still facing him.

It was a small tub, just a standard apartment-sized bath. When Mashiro sat down, pressing herself snugly against his abdomen, Shunsuke drew in a sharp breath. A mix of cherry blossom petals and shampoo fragrance filled the air.

—This… this is unfair!

Shunsuke tried to calm himself, forcing a moment of composure before carefully wrapping his arms around Mashiro, who was still leaning into him.

"W-Wait! Don't move… Just stay like this. Don't move anymore, or I won't make it. I'll have to refill the bathwater if you keep going."

"...Okay."

Seemingly satisfied with her chosen spot, Mashiro half-closed her almond-shaped eyes and responded softly.

"...Um, I just wanted to ask… Did you two forget that there's still someone else here?"

Standing at the edge of the bathtub, Marin felt a sudden pang of frustration. Clearly, this was supposed to be a three-person "movie," so why did it always feel like her name wasn't even on the cast list?

"This is so unfair! I want to join too!"

Fueled by a strange surge of determination, Marin swung her long, shapely legs into the tub and stepped in as well.

"Wait, Kitagawa-san, this bathtub is too small for three people," Shunsuke protested.

"Just squeeze in! Mashiro-senpai, scoot a bit closer to senpai's chest."

Ignoring all objections, Marin plopped down directly opposite Shunsuke, her hips landing squarely on his feet.

Then, stretching her legs across the tub, she extended her toes toward him, the pink nail polish on her toenails glittering faintly.

"But you haven't even washed yourself yet! You can't just jump in without cleaning up first. What kind of person are you?" Shunsuke retorted, clearly exasperated.

Marin pouted indignantly. "You didn't wash yourself first either, senpai!"

Shunsuke had no comeback for that.

And so, the three of them soaked in silence, the air heavy with unspoken tension.

Shunsuke had no idea what Mashiro was thinking, but he was personally suffering. If bathing with one person you were a breath away from breaking boundaries with felt like a reward, then doing it with two was pure torture!

No matter how wild his imagination might run, Shunsuke had always been firm: such precious "first times" should never involve a two-against-one scenario. He prided himself on being a one-on-one, focused, attentive, and thorough kind of guy!

At a loss for words, Shunsuke fumbled for something to say. "Mashiro, did you finish your manga already?"

After all, the reason he'd dared to joke around so freely with Marin earlier was that he was confident Mashiro wouldn't be distracted until she finished her work.

But now Mashiro had joined them so quickly, completely derailing his plans.

"No," Mashiro replied flatly.

"If you haven't, then why are you taking a bath now?"

"..." Mashiro didn't respond, choosing to remain silent.

Shunsuke finally realized—so this was all deliberate from the start, wasn't it?

So, at what point did you see through my plan?

"Senpai, how about measuring the bust gap again? It'll definitely be more accurate this time," Marin chirped, quickly drawing attention back to herself by lightly poking at her slightly raised chest.

"Alright, I'll go get a ruler," Shunsuke replied, lifting Mashiro up by the waist as he attempted to get out of the bath.

"Wait!" Marin grabbed his arm. "It's such a shame to interrupt a bath midway. Let's just use a random tool instead! We just need to mark the starting and ending points, right?"

—Would this method even yield accurate data?

Shunsuke swallowed his question as Marin had already pulled his right hand over to start measuring.

Smack!

Mashiro's hand suddenly landed on his.

"Mashiro?" Shunsuke asked cautiously.

"..." Mashiro remained silent.

"Alright, let's get started, Senpai—"

Splash!

Before the situation could escalate, the bathroom door swung open with a loud clatter.

"Who's there?" Shunsuke blurted out in shock.

Marin immediately reacted, crossing one arm over her chest and sinking into the tub, her other hand pressing down on Mashiro to make her submerge as well. Mashiro silently complied, still expressionless.

Bang!

The door was slammed shut again.

From behind the door came a panicked voice: "S-Sorry, Shunsuke! I was lost in thought and didn't even realize someone was in the bath!"

It was Eriri, sounding utterly flustered.

Shunsuke glanced at the two small heads in front of him, then at the misty bathroom around him. As expected of the "loser dog," how had Eriri not noticed anything?

And why did what should have been a "lucky pervert" scenario suddenly take on such a weird twist when it involved Eriri?

When no response came from the bathroom, Eriri panicked further. "I-I'll just go to your room then, Shunsuke—"

"Wait, bridge bean bag!"

"Yes?!" Eriri froze at Shunsuke's sudden outburst, her voice trembling. "Shunsuke, what's wrong?"

A drop of cold sweat rolled down Shunsuke's forehead as he remembered the pile of Marin's clothes lying scattered in his room. There was no way—absolutely no way—he could let Eriri go in there!

"Eriri, my room's a bit messy right now. You should wait for me in the living room instead."

"I don't mind the mess… Oh, oh, I see now! I'll go check on Mashiro, then."

Her face suddenly reddening, Eriri looked as if she'd had some sort of epiphany.

"Wait, hold it right there!"

Shunsuke quickly stopped her again. If Eriri found out Mashiro wasn't in her room, she'd easily figure out she was in the bathroom too!

The fact that Shunsuke often helped Mashiro with her baths was still completely unknown to Eriri.

"Mashiro is at a crucial point in her drawing right now. It'd be better if you waited a bit before checking on her."

"Oh… Alright, I'll just go to the living room, then."

Even Eriri looked slightly suspicious at this point, but as expected of the "loser dog," she let yet another chance to uncover the truth slip away.

"Senpai, what do we do now?" Marin whispered in Shunsuke's ear as soon as Eriri was gone. "All my clothes are still in your room. There's no way I can sneak past Eriri-senpai in the living room to get them."

An unprecedented crisis was unfolding!

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