A Chick in the Shower

“Pardon the intrusion! Hello, Auntie, I’m Ayato’s friend. We were caught in the rain on our way back, we each now carry ½ of a waterfall, haha!”

The girl with golden hair loudly proclaimed as the both of them entered Ayato’s home, leaving a trail of dripping water behind them.

“Right, I will be borrowing your showers a bit, don’t want to catch a cold at the beginning of the school and all…”

Her words trailed off as she made a beeline for the shower room. As she passed by his mother who was preparing dinner, she did not forget to properly greet her.

“Ayato…?”

His mother came out of the kitchen, soup ladle still in hand, to see Ayato, equally stunned at the arrival of the sudden guest.

They looked at each other for a good second before something finally clicked in her mind.

She grasped what was happening, the shock of which almost caused her to drop the ladle on the floor but she quickly composed herself and grabbed it as it was falling.

“Ayato… Be a dear and change out to something dry, would you? Also, could I trouble you to collect your drenched uniforms? I will wash them for you, both yours and hers.”

She instructed in a voice that divulged more glee than she let on.

“Oh, right! You should look in my wardrobe for a fresh set of clothes for her too. Meanwhile, your mother I will make sure to cook up a feast tonight!”

With her sleeves rolled up, she went back into the kitchen, holding the ladle spoon like she would a serial killer in a horror movie.

Ayato wasn’t shocked about this. He walked off and did as he was told.

Having changed out and holding a set of fresh women's clothing, he knocked on the door to the shower room.

“Ah Ayato, you’ve got my change of clothes. Just drop them by the sink here.”

…But I need to come in to do that…!

“Yeah yeah, don’t worry, just come in! My name is Pip by the way.”

Ayato…but you already know that.

The boy cautiously opened the door, keeping his head down the entire time.

“Hoho, a gentleman now~”

He hastily fumbled for the sink and placed the clothes there in order to leave the awkward situation ASAP.

“You’ve seen the red line above their heads, haven’t you?”

The varied sounds of water hitting the shower floor from different heights raged on as the girl who was showering posed the question.

Ayato felt the shift in atmosphere from the loss of teasing and jest in her voice and decided to stay put, signalling for her to continue.

“Those are their Fates, visual representations of the bond they could share. Only a very special talented few have the sight for them and you are one of them.”

His eyes began to dart around, thinking back to the amusing phenomenon that occurred.

“But unlike the legend of the Red Thread that is famous amongst Easter Folklore, these Fates are not set in stone. They are spontaneous and fickle, appearing and disappearing like a force of nature.”

She spoke as the sound of water gradually became muffled, presumably from landing on her hair full of shower foam, something Ayato could only guess from the environmental cues he was receiving.

“That’s where we come in. We from CERUB (Trademark Pending) specialise in could-have romances like this, identifying them and ensuring they bear fruit.”

…Wh?

“Which is why, partner, you and I, we are matchmakers! Cupids! Harbingers of Love!!”

But I never…

“Too late~ The contract is signed the moment you took my hand! Mwahahaha!”

Ayato turned to face the source of the maniacal laughter. Standing between them is a layer of glass fogged as a result of the condensation of hot water running.

Through the obscurity was the silhouette of a girl with a modest figure, fitting for someone who seemed just ready for a growth spurt.

Yet no feelings of embarrassment or shyness arose in Ayato. His face was instead red with anger.

Anger at the being that dropped him into this situation without his consent.

“Ok ok, I’m sorry~ We are partners now, soul-bound and all. That’s why I can read your thoughts, so don’t be mad, ok?”

So she said but he had a feeling she is not apologetic at all.

“Alright, how about this: For our first bonding event, I’ll let you wash me.”

His anger disintegrated upon hearing something so outrageous that he couldn’t process it.

“Scrub my back, pat my head, you are a budding 15-year-old so…”

He pinched the bridge of his nose with a troubled expression. The urge to barge in and give the immodest girl a wake-up call had overwhelmed him enough that he naturally slid open the glass door separating the two of them.

“Kyaah~ Just kidding, come, come, grab some shampoo.”

For the lack of a better description, it was “A Chick in the Shower”.

Butt naked, white foam covering her parts here and there.

“Don’t just stand there, you would definitely like it! Washing a chick.”

Why a chick?

Ayato stared long and hard at the literal young of a chicken in all of its yellow down-feathery glory, paddling around in circles cheerfully with her petite body around the bathtub.

“Why a rocket launcher? Tomato tomato.”

Fair enough.

Common sense should have been long thrown out of the window and if it wasn’t, he made a mental note to do it now. With reason and logic finally foregone, he washed the chick who fitted snugly within his palm.

It’s… relaxing. Calming even.

“Of course it is! This is an art I have been perfecting ever since Saint Valentine started signing off as “To Your Valentine”!!”

The chick chirped cheekily, puffing its small chest out with pride.

♡♡♡

“Oh right, did I mention? For every successful couple matched, you get a wish.”

Fast-forward to the morning of the next day, Ayato and Pip (now no longer in her chicky form) are now walking to school together as if they are childhood friends.

She left as naturally she would the moment she finished her dinner the night before. The brief side glances Ayato’s mother would occasionally give her did not flinch her at all.

That sounds important! Don’t you think you should be telling me that first?

“Teehee~ I guess I forgot! We are in school now so let’s play it cool for now, ok?”

They soon entered their middle school and left for their separate classes.

How did she even get into the school? I’ve never seen her before…

His mind drifted as the world around him continued to revolve.

He should have paid more attention.

“...”

Every other student was rushing to where they each needed to be so it wouldn’t be surprising if someone accidentally knocked into others.

“...”

But who Ayato knocked into wasn’t any “other student”.

Not a word was spoken between the two but from a simple exchange of eye contact, Ayato knew the guy in front of him was pissed.

The glint emanating from his eyes was becoming so cold and sharp that it could even kill.

In a blink of an eye, the corridor was empty with only the two of them remaining.

“You…”

He grabbed Ayato’s shirt collar with one hand and pulled him in such that the two of them were seeing eye to eye.

“What are you playing at…?”

Though he wasn’t exclaiming or shouting, his even colder voice devoid of rage or joy had more weight than if he did raise his voice.

With his other hand hidden from Ayato’s view, there was no telling what he could do next.

“THAT’S ENOUGH, KUROSAKA-KUN!”

Before he could do anything, a shadow inserted herself between the both of them and separated them with considerable force.

“Lesson’s starting now, don’t you have somewhere to go?”

She said while shielding Ayato behind her tanned well-built body. The『Public Morals Committee』band around her arm shimmered under the sunlight.

“...”

Kurosaka-kun left, shockingly without much more convincing needed.

“And you too, Tsukimoto-kun. Our class is starting soon.”

With a hand outstretched, she offered to pull him to his feet having fallen from her shove earlier.

Yet all he did was stared at her.

“Come on, I have already noted you for 421 counts of running in the corridor, you don’t want to add a count of truancy too, do you?”

No words got through to him,

As his eyes were fixed on the red line that had just materialised above her head, connecting her to the Kurosaka-kun who had just left.

[End of Chapter]