Chapter 59 – Please Be Gentle

Please Be Gentle

Riste was lost in thought as she stood under the pouring water.
‘Judging by Ariel’s reaction… there’s hope.’

When she closed her eyes, it came vividly to mind. Ariel’s reaction when she brought her here.
…It wasn’t a misconception. Ariel was clearly conscious of her. As more than just a friend.

“Sigh. Calm down, Riste.”
Hope was in sight. At that realization, my heart started beating uncontrollably.
At first, I tried to be content with just watching from afar, but…

“…Now, there’s no need to hold back anymore.”
Now that I know Ariel is conscious of me, there’s no need to hesitate any longer.
Love is something to be won, after all.

“Um, it’s embarrassing if you stare too much…”
“S-Sorry!”
I hurriedly averted my gaze from Marian.

Marian, who usually shows almost no skin.
For her to be in front of me like this… it felt like my heart might explode.
‘She can’t hear it, right…?’

“…May I lie down next to you?”
“O-Of course!”
Marian carefully asked if she could lie down next to me. There’s no way I could refuse.

“Then, excuse me. I feel a bit cold in this state of dress.”
“R-Right.”
“We’ll have to stay here at least until the rain stops. We need to dry our clothes too. Honestly, I don’t want to put on wet clothes again.”

“I agree.”
The warmth of her body temperature felt through our slightly touching skin made me feel feverish too.
…The rain was surely pouring harder, but the sound of rain was completely drowned out by the loud thumping of my heart.

‘Calm down. It’s too disrespectful to Marian to look at her that way.’
As I was trying to regain my composure by absentmindedly counting the patterns on the ceiling, Marian, lying next to me, spoke to me.
“Ariel, your skin is so white.”

“Huh?”
Huh? Suddenly? My skin is white, but…
While I was slightly flustered, Marian continued in a low voice.

“I just had that thought. I used to be quite fair-skinned when I was young… but now I’ve become like this.”
“But Marian, you’re very fair-skinned too…?”
Of course, compared to me or Riste, there’s a slight difference, but Marian also has fair skin that looks healthy.

Some people might prefer skin like Marian’s. I do, for one.
It’s not like only fair skin is unconditionally beautiful anyway.

“…Thank you for saying that, but I’m just embarrassed when compared to you or Riste. Plus, my palms are full of calluses, and I’m excessively tall. Not feminine at all.”
She looked at her calloused hands and spoke with a bitter smile.

“You know, Marian? I like everything about you – your calloused hands, your tall stature, even your sharp eyes.”
…Hearing that, I felt a bit angry and said to Marian,
“So what if you’re not feminine? Marian has her own charm.”

The reason I was angry was because Marian, my precious comrade, was speaking disparagingly about herself.
The words I just said weren’t mere words of comfort for the dejected Marian, but sincere feelings from the bottom of my heart.

Her calloused hands are traces of Marian’s efforts, and her tall stature and sharp eyes are rather part of her charm.
Hearing my words, Marian stared blankly at my face as if surprised. Did I say something strange?

“…I didn’t mention sharp eyes though.”
“Oh no.”
…In voicing the thoughts I usually have, I ended up making a slip of the tongue.

Worried that I might have offended her, I looked at Marian’s expression, but she didn’t seem particularly upset.
“I’m sorry for suddenly talking about such gloomy things. And, thank you, Ariel.”

“Haha. It’s because of the rain. We sometimes have these serious conversations.”
People tend to get sentimental on rainy days.
“…”

Afterwards, an awkward silence fell between Marian and me.
Marian seemed to be lost in her own thoughts, and I was preoccupied with staring at the ceiling to avoid looking at Marian’s figure.

In the midst of this, it was Marian who broke the silence.
“Ariel. May I ask you for one thing?”
“…What kind of request?”

Feeling a bit puzzled by Marian’s mention of a request, I asked her back.
Then, with a slightly reddened face, Marian spoke again.
“The words you just said… could you say them once more?”

“The words I just said…?”
“Yes.”
…Had my words been that comforting to her?

It was a bit embarrassing, but not a difficult request. I could say it again as many times as needed.
“So what if you’re not feminine? Marian has her own charm.”
“That’s not it.”

“It’s not…?”
Then… what did I say? I just blurted out what was in my heart to comfort the dejected Marian, so I don’t remember well. Ah. I remember. Surely it was…

“I like everything about you – your calloused hands, your tall stature, even your sharp eyes.”
…that’s right.
“Hmm…”

Thinking about it now, it’s a bit embarrassing. You could say it’s a bit cringeworthy.
But seeing Marian’s lips twitch slightly after hearing my words, it seems she liked my compliment.

“I like you too, Ariel.”
“Uh, huh? Thank you…”
Marian saying she likes me while wearing a smile that could make anyone fall for her.

‘She means she likes me as a friend, right…?’
You might be misunderstood if you say it like that, Marian.

Just then, the sound of water from the bathroom stopped. It seems Riste had finished her shower.
‘I should pretend to be asleep quickly…’

“Hmm… Marian. I’m feeling a bit sleepy, so I’ll sleep for a while.”
“Alright. Rest well.”
‘Sigh…’

It’s no use. How could I possibly fall asleep in this situation?
“…”

Moreover, the area of skin touching Marian is gradually increasing.
At first, it was just the tips of our fingers lightly touching, but now my entire right arm is in contact.
I can feel the soft sensation from my arm touching Marian.

Squish.
…Even without looking, I could guess which part of Marian was touching my arm.
‘Marian is bigger than I thought…’

Sorry to Marian, but I want to feel this sensation a bit more.
“…Are you asleep? Ariel?”
Now Marian’s voice sounds so close, as if whispering right into my ear.

Is she trying to check if I’ve fallen asleep?
…Though I wonder if she needs to get this close.

“It seems she’s asleep. Ariel is.”
Riste’s voice was heard shortly after the bathroom door opened with a creak.
Due to the tension, my heightened senses involuntarily caught even the sound of Riste putting on her underwear.

…She’s probably wearing that black underwear. The one with a slightly smaller area, which I didn’t think was Riste’s.
Typically, when you try not to think about something, you end up thinking about it more.

Thanks to that, far from sleeping, I had to struggle to maintain my composure so as not to reveal the sound of my pounding heart.
“Yes. She just fell asleep. She seemed quite tired.”

“…Hmm. I see. Marian, shall we talk for a moment? Please come over here.”
Riste quietly called Marian. What does she want to talk about?
“What do you want to talk about… Alright.”

Probably worried that talking right next to me might wake me up, Marian carefully got up from lying beside me.
I felt a bit regretful at the loss of Marian’s body heat and touch. Is that too perverted…?

“Th-That’s a crime, isn’t it!”
“So, are you not going to do it? Marian. Opportunities like today don’t come often. And if my guess is correct…”
“If it’s correct?”

“…Let’s check first.”
Marian and Riste seemed to be having some conversation, but their voices were so low and drowned out by the heavily pouring rain that I couldn’t hear.
‘Huh? Is the room cold…?’

But why is it? Despite being in a warm blanket, why do I have goosebumps?
“I-I have no experience with such things…”
“It’s okay. I’ll guide you from the beginning.”

‘What are they talking about?’
From what I could barely hear, it seemed like they were discussing experience and guiding or something like that.
…I should ignore it. I should just sleep.

“…”
Their conversation continued for a while longer. Just as the excitement and pounding in my body were finally calming down and I thought I might be able to fall asleep,
Marian and Riste got onto the bed.

“Hey, Ariel. You’re really asleep, right?”
The two who got on the bed each lay down on either side of me.
‘Wh-What?!’

And for some reason, slowly, very slowly. The blanket covering my body gradually went down.
…Eventually, the blanket was pulled down to around my knees.
As a result, my body in underwear was exposed to Marian and Riste.

“Phew, stay calm, Riste…”
When I slightly opened my eyes to check who had pulled down the blanket, I saw Riste in her underwear.
Even though the image was slightly blurry due to my squinting, it was beautiful enough to make me lose my mind.

Pure white skin without a single blemish, wide hips compared to her thin waist. Her pubic bone, visible due to the slightly small area of the underwear, was truly worthy of being called a divine sculpture.
“Sigh. Are we, really, doing this? Riste?”

“…Yes.”
However, there was something strange about their state.
Riste’s appearance, breathing heavily, and Marian, for some reason, covering her face with both hands.

Gulp. The sight of the two, viewed through squinted eyes, was so alluring that I unconsciously swallowed.
Meanwhile, for some reason, Riste’s face was getting closer and closer to me.

Eventually, Riste softly whispered in my ear.
“You know what, Ariel? When people sleep… they don’t swallow.”
“Eek?!”

When Riste’s cold hand gently caressed my side, a strange moan involuntarily escaped my lips.
Oh no. She caught me pretending to be asleep…

“See? Marian. Didn’t I tell you?”
“…It’s true.”
A glint of desire flashes in the eyes of the two looking at me.

Instinctively, I tried to back away… but we’re on a bed. Of course, there’s no space to retreat to.
“G-Guys?”

Just as I was flustered by the sudden situation, Marian and Riste made their bombshell declarations.
“I like you, Ariel.” “I-I like you, Ariel.”
Marian and Riste, with faces flushed red and trembling voices, confessed to me.

“Eh?”
While I was in a state of confusion from their completely unexpected words, they gradually approached me.
‘I-I didn’t mishear, did I…?’

My head couldn’t keep up with the situation. But my heart was already beating so fast it felt like it might burst.
…Did Marian and Riste just confess to me? Really?

“You can answer later, Ariel.”
Then Riste lay down next to me on the bed.
As I felt her soft skin and warm body temperature, my head became hazy as if I might faint at any moment.

“Hmm… i-it tickles, Riste.”
In a situation where I didn’t know where to look, Riste started gently caressing my thigh.
…Her hand gradually moved upwards. Slowly, softly.

“M-Marian. Help me…”
I sent a pleading look to Marian, who was blankly staring at me, but…
“I’m sorry, Ariel. Please forgive me. …No, it’s all your fault. When I hear such words, how can I control myself?”

…Marian lay down next to me along with Riste.
“This is your only chance to say no, Ariel.”
“Now, there’s no turning back.”

Marian and Riste, their eyes already half-crazed.
Sandwiched between Marian and Riste, I said to them as they pressed against me, breathing warmly:
“P-Please be gentle…”