On the Other Side

"I'll start the water."

"Okay!"

Mira begins removing her white top as the faucet slowly fills the tub. In the background, the sound of the microwave leaks from the main room.

"Seriously, that guy is the worst…"

Stella curses at the water as she also removes her rather smelly clothes. Complain as she might, she can't deny the relief she feels to have the chance to wash up. The situation would be perfect if this were at home, but it can't be helped that Mira has to live here.

"No no no no no no no!"

The distraught screams of the young man one wall over echo into the bathroom. Following every syllable is a loud thud that shakes the entire building.

"What the heck is he doing…"

"Grrr…"

Still by the mirror, Mira struggles to unhook the deep blue brassiere. Stella promptly steps in to assist.

"How has the underwear been serving you?"

"It feels a little itchy sometimes…"

"That does happen at first. It should go away soon."

Mira stares at her naked form in the mirror and smiles. In the end, this organisation will always be the most comfortable.

"Hm?"

Her eye catches the view of the older girl behind her in the mirror. She wears a matching set of underwear that is the exact same colour as Mira's. However, the most notable detail comes after the garments have been removed.

"They're bigger…"

"Huh?"

Confusion sits behind her glasses before she looks down and realises the part in question. Rather than looking embarrassed, Stella seems annoyed.

"Not much bigger than yours. By all accounts, we're both small."

"Weird…"

A heavy knock on the bathroom door causes the two to jump. By this point, they both have nothing on and there isn't a lock to maintain privacy. Fortunately, only the voice of the boy comes through.

"Hey, I have to go downstairs for a bit. I'll be back soon."

"You didn't have to tell us! Just go!"

Noa's sigh is barely audible, but present nonetheless. Footsteps grow distant and the walls shake once more with the opening and closing of the apartment entrance. The final thud was just in time for the water to finish forming the small pool for the two of them to relax in.

"Let's get ourselves clean."

"Yup!"

The tub is slightly cramped, but still large enough to hold the two girls without issue. Stella, still seeing a world of red, watches as Mira begins fiddling with her bottle of body wash.

"I've never taken a bath like this before! It's like we're swimming!"

"It's definitely more relaxing than standing under a shower head. Here, turn around."

Water splashes about as the two shuffle around in the tub. Stella reaches over the rotating Mira and up to a shelf on the wall for the pink bottle of shampoo. When the tides settle, her snow white hair is back to being mostly submerged as she holds a long series of blue strands. Her nose is greeted by the sweet smell of roses as she begins thoroughly scrubbing the scalp beneath that blue fluff.

Mira is slow to begin cleaning herself as her head is knocked around by the hardworking hands.

"Stella, so rough…"

"You have to clean it properly."

"But Noa did it so much softer…"

"Huh!?"

Stella could feel the vibrations of her sudden surge of rage threatening to shatter the fragile glass before her eyes. Mira's words can only refer to a situation that leads to an immediate death penalty. A flash of white and a trail of red will be the last thing Noa will ever witness.

While one girl is empty, the other is quietly humming away as she moves around the washcloth.

"Seriously, it's always about Noa with you…"

"Hm?"

Mira attempts to turn around so that she may tilt her head in usual fashion, but the hands on her head turn her back to facing forward.

"You've had a whole life before meeting Noa. It seems like he doesn't even know any of it."

"It's more fun when Noa is around."

Stella's hands continue working. She didn't receive the answer she was looking for, but Mira wasn't going to understand that. The young girl may be at the age to almost finish middle school, but she still shows a blissful perspective on the human world. Mira probably wouldn't understand all of the complicated emotions girls her age can deal with.

Despite knowing this, Stella insists on pressing further.

"What do you think about Noa?"

"What do I think?"

"Like…"

The skin of her lips feels a hint of pain as her teeth grind down on them.

"That question was weird. Let's try something simpler."

Mira rests the washcloth over her chest as she awaits the next question. Noa is still nowhere to be heard, so Stella can only ask the question now.

"Do you like Noa?"

"I like Noa."

"That was rather quick…"

The young girl continues to rub the cloth across her body without a second thought at the question. Stella can only sigh.

"I guess that's good enough."

She clears the fog forming on her glasses and starts cleaning herself.

"If the two of them can maintain this peaceful relationship, then I guess it'll be fine…"

"Hm?"

"Don't worry about it."

A wave of soapy water is sent into the back of Mira's head, startling the young rabbit.

"What was that for!?"

"I simply found it comical."

"No fair! Take this!"

The laughter of the two girls can be heard by the young boy as he enters the apartment room. He obviously wasn't expecting to hear splashing water in the small tub and dreads the idea of cleaning up the water mess on the floor. Regardless, listening to them can't make him upset.

On the other side of the door, Stella falls into thought as she hears Noa return. She looks at the pure girl sharing this bath with her and imagines what their future might hold. While most of the details are unclear, one particular pair of scenarios pops into her head. Their lifestyle right now is ideal, but the chances of their relationship staying static like this is slim.

"I wonder who'll break first? Noa or Mira?"