<Kento’s PoV>
“—Hand over your practice uniform.” (Sophia)
After returning to her room and calming down, Frost-san came back to the living room and extended her hand.
“Eh…?” (Kento)
“Don’t ‘eh’ me. It’s probably covered in dirt, right? I’ll wash it before taking a bath, so hand it over first.” (Sophia)
Apparently, Frost-san was planning to wash my practice uniform.
…Frost-san?
What’s gotten into her?
It feels suspicious, like there’s some hidden motive…
“I was planning to wash it myself…” (Kento)
“Doesn’t mom usually do it? You’re not very knowledgeable about laundry and stuff, so I guess it can’t be helped. I’ll do it for you.” (Sophia)
“No, I do know how to wash clothes. I’ve done it myself during trips and training camps…” (Kento)
Since entering high school, the team manager has been handling washing the practice uniforms and jerseys, but back in middle school, I had to wash them myself.
In fact, I even had to wash my senpais’ uniforms, so there’s no way I lack knowledge about doing laundry.
“—Tch. Stop complaining and hand it over already…! If I don’t do it now, the laundry won’t be done, and I won’t be able to go to bed early…!” (Sophia)
For some reason, she seemed adamant about being the one to wash it.
Does she think I’m incompetent or something?
Since this isn’t in English, she doesn’t seem flustered. As she said, she probably just wants to get it done quickly.
“Alright then, I’ll take you up on your offer. Thanks. But don’t get mad if it stinks of sweat, okay?” (Kento)
Her image has been shifting recently, but until a little while ago, I could easily imagine her getting mad despite suggesting to do it herself.
Actually, I’d even imagine her hurling insults my way.
But now—
“Of course, I’d get mad.” (Sophia)
――We were in sync.
“You’ll get mad!?” (Kento)
This was absurd and completely unreasonable.
“Heh, I’m just kidding. If you’re sweating, it just means you’re giving it your all, doesn’t it? I wouldn’t get mad over that.” (Sophia)
Frost-san chuckled through her nose, a smile appearing on her face.
However, the smile wasn’t unpleasant—it was lighthearted, even cheerful.
“……….”
I found myself staring at her.
A joke…?
Frost-san… made a joke?
Tomorrow, it might not just start raining cats and dogs—it might snow.
—Though it’s still summer.
“What is it…?” (Sophia)
Frost-san’s cheeks were faintly flushed as she cast a dissatisfied glance my way.
She must have seen right through what I was thinking…not.
It was more likely that she noticed me staring and glared at me because of it.
“It’s just… I didn’t know you told jokes, Frost-san.” (Kento)
“Even I say them sometimes. Very, very rarely.” (Sophia)
So, basically almost never?
Honestly, this was the first time I’d ever seen her make a joke.
“You should try saying them more often.” (Kento)
“It’s not my style.” (Sophia)
Indeed, I can’t imagine Frost-san joking around on a regular basis.
If I ever saw her cracking jokes nonstop, I’d suspect it was a doppelganger with a similar face. That’s just how rare it is for her to joke around.
“More importantly, hurry up and hand over your practice clothes.” (Sophia)
It was already late, and she clearly didn’t want to waste any more time.
Urged on, I hastily pulled out my practice clothes. And then—
“(Sniff, sniff)…” (Sophia)
For some reason, she started smelling them.
“Oi!?” (Kento)
What on earth is this girl doing!?
“This is… quite the smell.” (Sophia)
“Of course it is!” (Kento)
After sweating so much, the practice clothes were practically soaked. Naturally, the smell was intense, bad enough that even I didn’t want to sniff them.
“…I’ll just wash these for now, so you should hurry back to your room.” (Sophia)
“Eh? Why?” (Kento)
Not understanding why she was urging me to leave, I asked.
“You’re always in your room, aren’t you?” (Sophia)
She had a point—usually, I spent most of my time in my room.
But that was only because I wanted to give Dad and Jessica-san, the newlyweds, some privacy.
Right now, both of them were out. I figured I could just stay here, watch some videos, and wait until she was done with her bath.
“Is it inconvenient for you if I’m here?” (Kento)
When I asked, Frost-san frowned.
“I’m scared you’ll peek into the bathroom.” (Sophia)
Ah, so that’s it—she’s being cautious.
I’ve never tried to peek at her before, nor have I done anything to make her feel unsafe. But perhaps the conversation we had earlier on the way home left a lingering impression.
Plus, it’s our first time being alone together. With Dad and Jessica-san gone, it’s only natural that she’d feel a heightened sense of wariness.
In that case, it’s probably best to comply.
“Got it. Let me know if you need anything.” (Kento)
However—
“Ah, I forgot my bag…” (Kento)
I had only taken my phone with me and left my bag in the living room. I figured I could grab it later after my bath, but if Frost-san noticed it, she’d probably make a fuss.
It should still be fine to go back now without upsetting her.
Thinking that, I returned to the living room—
“…” (Sophia)
—She was still there.
I had assumed she’d head straight to the changing room, but for some reason, she was standing there, holding my practice clothes, completely spaced out.
As I was about to call out to her, I noticed—
“(Sniff, sniff) Yeah, no matter how many times I sniff it, it’s a really strong smell… But… surprisingly, it’s not that bad, I guess…” (Sophia)
—It wasn’t that she was spaced out, but rather that she was sniffing my practice clothes.
What!?
Why is she sniffing them again!?
The shocking sight was so unexpected that I froze in place.
“…” (Sophia)
She was still sniffing them, completely absorbed in the act.
I mean, seriously, what is going on here…?
I really need someone to explain this, because I can’t for the life of me understand Frost-san’s actions right now.
“Um…?” (Kento)
“Eh!?” (Sophia)
When I called out to her, she spun around with a jolt, looking completely startled.
“N-No, it’s not what it looks like…! It’s not like I’m thinking it has a strange but kinda nice smell or that it’s somehow addictive or anything…! this thing stinks and it’s unbearable…!” (Sophia)
She blurted out excuses with a bright red face, desperately trying to explain herself.
She seemed to be speaking so frantically that it didn’t seem like she was asking why I came back. It almost felt like she was making excuses.
She was definitely flustered, but could it be… that she was actually enjoying the smell…?
No, that can’t be it… right?
There’s no way she’s one of those closet perverts?
“I-I’m going to go wash this and take a bath…!” (Sophia)
“Ah, wait…!” (Kento)
She suddenly ran out of the room with the practice clothes in hand, seemingly heading toward the changing room.
“Seriously, what the hell is going on…?” (Kento)
I could only tilt my head, utterly confused by her inexplicable behavior.
◆
<Sophia’s PoV>
“Haa… haa… I never thought he’d come back… I ended up running away without thinking…” (Sophia)
In the changing room, I pressed my hand against my chest to calm myself down.
My heart was pounding loudly, so loudly that it felt almost too much to bear.
Was it because I ran, or was it something else…?
“…This is the clothes’ fault…! It’s… giving off such a… good scent!” (Sophia)
I looked down at the practice clothes I was holding in my arms.
Even though it was soaked in sweat and reeked with a strong odor, for some reason, the more I smelled it, the more I couldn’t stop.
It was strange.
This was definitely wrong.
Is this really just the smell of sweat…?
Honestly, I thought I’d feel more disgusted.
But instead, this smell was making my heart race and making my body heat up.
“Come to think of it, this scent… it was faintly coming from his body too…” (Sophia)
He hadn’t taken a bath yet, so the dried sweat was still on him.
It seemed like he had tried to mask the scent with some kind of spray, but there was still a faint trace of it lingering.
Could it be because of that…?
—No, no, that can’t be it!
There’s no way I would get excited just because of his scent… That would never happen!
I shook my head fiercely, trying to clear my thoughts.
Because, there’s absolutely no way… that could be the case…
“Anyway, I need to wash this…” (Sophia)
For a moment, I thought it would be a shame to wash it, but it was probably just my imagination.
I wasn’t that kind of person… or at least, I shouldn’t be.
That’s right… I’ve never felt like this before, not even once…
When I think about it normally, it’s impossible.
I reminded myself of that and forcibly switched my mindset.
“Okay, let’s see…?” (Sophia)
I began to remove the dirt and sand from his practice clothes, remembering how I watched mom wash clothes before.
Once enough of it came off, I used water to lift the dirt away.
Even if it was just by imitation, I started scrubbing it clean.
—All while trying to ignore the loud, frantic pounding of my heartbeat.
◆
<Kento’s PoV>
“—I’m done. You should hurry up and take a bath now.” (Sophia)
While in my room, Frost-san called out to me through the door.
After that strange incident earlier, I had retreated to my room, hoping to avoid any awkward encounters. Yet, she seemed completely unbothered by it.
Even after all that, her composure is impressive. As expected of a cool, beautiful girl…
“Yeah, I’ll go.” (Kento)
“…(Sniff, sniff).” (Sophia)
“—What!?” (Kento)
As I stepped out of my room, she suddenly sniffed me as we passed by each other.
What on earth is this girl doing!?
“Wait, why are you sniffing me!?” (Kento)
“I-I just thought you smelled sweaty, that’s all!” (Sophia)
When I called her out, Frost-san replied, clearly flustered.
Wait, could it be that she actually likes the smell of my sweat…?
The sudden sniffing, her nervous reaction when I pointed it out, and the fact that she was sniffing my practice clothes when left alone—all of it seemed to point in that direction.
“Just go take your bath already…!” (Sophia)
She kept speaking in English as she pushed me toward the bathroom.
She was probably telling me to hurry up and get in.
“I’m going! I’m going! Stop pushing me so hard!” (Kento)
She shoved me so insistently—maybe to hide her embarrassment—that I scrambled to stop her.
Since I could hold my ground easily, I wasn’t actually being moved, but leaving her flustered and panicking near the stairs felt too risky.
“I-It’s not like I have some kind of smelling fetishist or anything…! Don’t get the wrong idea…!” (Sophia)
What on earth has she been desperately trying to excuse herself for this whole time?
Moments like these really make me feel how inconvenient it is when she’s speaking in English.
“Frost-san, please calm down…!” (Kento)
“Ah…” (Sophia)
My voice seemed to finally bring her back to her senses.
Realizing how out of control she had been, her face flushed a bright red.
—Wait, isn’t this the same mistake all over again!?
“It’s fine. I didn’t see or hear anything. For now, I’ll just go take a bath, right?” (Kento)
Though quite forceful, I changed the subject abruptly to stop her from spiraling out of control again.
“Y-Y-Yeah. If you don’t go in, I can’t start the washing machine” (Sophia)
Perhaps relieved by the change in topic, Frost-san began speaking in Japanese again.
Seriously… Dealing with her usual cool demeanor is one thing, but handling her panicking state is its own challenge.
That said—when she’s like this, it’s oddly not a bad feeling at all.
In fact, sometimes, I even find her a little cute.
“Just put your clothes in, and I’ll run the washing machine. For towels and underwear, if you put them in the usual basket, I’ll—” (Sophia)
She suddenly stopped mid-sentence, as if realizing something.
I have a bad feeling about this.
“If you touch my underwear, even by mistake, I won’t forgive you.” (Sophia)
Her gaze turned icy as she said this.
In our household, the process for laundry is typically the same: first, clothes are washed, then they are hung in the bathroom to dry, while towels and underwear are placed in the washing machine and run through a wash and dry cycle.
So, things like underwear and towels that we don’t put in the washing machine immediately are placed in the laundry basket.
This time, it seemed we would follow the same procedure.
In other words, since she went to take a bath first… her underwear is currently in the laundry basket.
“I’ve never touched it before, so why would I start now?” (Kento)
“You never know. Our parents aren’t here today. Besides, there is no way for me to verify that you haven’t touched them all this time.” (Sophia)
It seems the fact that we’re alone together is making her feel on edge.
I wish she could trust that I’ve never touched anything even behind her back but… from her perspective, I understand why she can’t feel completely safe.
“Just rest assured. I’m not going to take such a risk.” (Kento)
I’m not Shouta, so I wouldn’t do something so dumb.
The risk far outweighs any potential benefit, anyway.
“If you sniff it, I won’t forgive you!” (Sophia)
“Why would I sniff it?! I’m not a pervert!” (Kento)
Being accused of something outrageous, I couldn’t help but retort.
However—
“S-Shut up…!” (Sophia)
For some reason, I ended up being scolded.
“Wait, why am I the one getting yelled at…?” (Kento)
Not understanding how the conversation had taken this turn, I tilted my head in confusion.
Given the situation, it should have been perfectly natural for me to deny it.
Then why did I get scolded…?
“J-Just forget what I said…” (Sophia)
It seemed I wasn’t in the wrong after all. She turned her face away awkwardly.
“Forget about it…? Is that really okay?” (Kento)
“It… it’s not okay… but just leave it at that…” (Sophia)
What exactly is she bothered about?
Was there something inconvenient about continuing the conversation?
A part of me wanted to press her further, just to fluster her as payback but—yeah, I kind of feel sorry for her somehow.
TL Notes:
Thanks for reading!
Yeh man, MC ain’t a pervert, like sniffing someone’s clothes behind their back? Who would do such a thing… oh.
I’m looking forward to Sophia’s slow realization into finding out that she’s a pervert.
Footnote:
- None