Before this, Chihaya Tetsuya had never held any particular views on the female form. Or rather, in his eyes, a woman's body only influenced the style and size of the clothes she chose. As for how to express the aesthetic of different body types, he had always designed things by the book.
That was why most of the clothes he designed were loose, one-size-fits-all styles that anyone could wear, regardless of their figure.
However, as his intimate contact with the girls around him increased, his constantly awakening instincts gradually made him realize the magic of the female body.
If it were the him of today... he was confident he could create clothes that showcased the figure better than anything he had made in the past! (T/N: This is genuinely what the original text said..)
"What's wrong, Tetsuya?"
Looking at Tetsuya, whose face was gradually flushing, Nagasaki Soyo asked with a nonchalant expression.
"You look a little flustered."
"...It's nothing."
Tetsuya struggled to shift his attention from his right arm, which was buried in softness, to somewhere else.
"I just suddenly thought... there's a reason people mistake Soyo for a college student."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
Soyo smiled, then squeezed his arm a little deeper into her embrace.
"So then, besides holding you that night... did they do anything else?"
"Nothing else."
Tetsuya shook his head.
"They really just held me in bed."
Except they weren't even wearing this thin nightgown...
Tetsuya forcefully swallowed the truth he had left unsaid.
Soyo, hearing this, blinked in surprise.
"Much more well-behaved than I imagined. In that case, I won't cross that line either."
With that, Soyo just gently snuggled closer to Tetsuya, resting her cheek against his arm.
The warmth so close, and the faint scent that was uniquely his, filled Soyo with a sense of complete fulfillment. Although his arm wasn't as soft as a pillow, it still brought an incredibly happy smile to her face.
Meanwhile, feeling this restraint, so completely different from Ai and Anon, Tetsuya fell into deep thought.
He understood that Soyo's feelings for him were in no way less than the other two's. But even so, she had never shown him a single shred of greed or possessiveness. Instead, all she asked for was this bare minimum of fairness and a few small, girlish desires. The rest was just her usual gentleness.
"...Hm? Is it my imagination?"
Soyo gently squeezed the inside of Tetsuya's arm.
"It feels a little softer than before."
"Mhm, thanks to you."
Tetsuya nodded slightly.
"Ever since you took charge of my meals, I've finally started to slowly put on some weight."
"That's because your lifestyle before was just terrible."
Soyo couldn't help but retort.
"Staying up all night, not eating on time, and paying no attention to nutrition. It would be a miracle if you were healthy."
Fortunately, however, Tetsuya was a rather obedient adult.
Under her careful guidance, he was recovering his health at a visible rate.
At this rate, in another year or so, his physique would be completely back to a normal level. And by then, this already handsome guy would surely become even more charming...
This sense of satisfaction, of raising her ideal lover with her own two hands, filled Soyo with anticipation for the future.
Meanwhile, hearing Soyo's words, Tetsuya couldn't help but think back on how his life had changed since she moved upstairs.
This insecure girl, after choosing him as her future place to belong, didn't try to take from him, but rather integrated herself into his life by actively giving. From the initial coffee set to now handling a series of household chores including cooking, Soyo had become a full-fledged member of this household. And all she asked of him in return was a little bit of reliance to feel secure, and a long-term companionship that sought no official title...
Just like now. She could have easily been much more aggressive with him, like Ai and Anon were that night. Yet, she showed no greed at all, only wanting to prove her importance to him by maintaining this sense of fairness.
Although he had indeed been threatened by her into getting on the bed, compared to that night filled with crisis and lust, this embrace, in which he could feel not a single trace of greed or desire, evoked a different emotion in his heart.
He wanted to try and do something for this girl proactively.
"Is just this really enough?"
Tetsuya suddenly asked.
The abrupt question caught Soyo off guard.
"Eh? What do you mean?"
"The reason you're doing this is just to make sure you have the same standing as Ai and Anon, right?"
Tetsuya turned to look at Soyo and said in a gentle tone.
"If that's the case, then those two were much greedier than you that night. Although I can't really replicate it to that extent, we should at least be a little more intimate than this..."
"Eh..."
Hearing this, Soyo for a moment couldn't even believe her ears.
"But, for you, Tetsuya, going any further would be crossing a major line into intimacy, right? I wouldn't go so far as to make you force yourself to do that—"
"From the very first time I drank the coffee you made for me, I had a faint feeling. If I kept staying with you, I would definitely become more and more inseparable from you."
Before Soyo could finish, Tetsuya interrupted her.
"I know that for you, everything you do is to make yourself feel at ease. But... I'm not shameless enough to just sit back and enjoy everything you do for me without a second thought. So, I also want to satisfy your requests as much as I can."
"Tetsuya..."
Hearing his words, Soyo felt her heart being completely filled with an indescribable warmth.
She had never dreamed of being understood by him to this extent, just as she had never actively expressed her dependence on belonging to anyone during her time in [CRYCHIC].
Her past in a single-parent family, lacking companionship, had forced her into an anxious way of thinking. She was terrified that if what she asked for was too heavy a burden for him, he might come to resent her for it.
And now, not only did he completely understand these feelings she had never spoken of, but he was even offering to grant her wish...
Just hearing those words, Soyo already felt a happiness she had never known before.
Honestly, even if Tetsuya really did do something with Hoshino Ai or Anon from now on, she wouldn't feel jealous at all. Because at this moment, she had, against all odds, gotten everything she had ever hoped for.
"...Ah, right. That one time I slept with Anon, I think she really wanted me to do this."
Just as Soyo was about to tell Tetsuya that she didn't need anything more, he suddenly acted.
He first pulled his arm from her embrace, then, under her incredulous gaze, he moved closer and wrapped both his arms around her, pulling her into a full hug—
"How does this feel, Soyo?"
Tetsuya asked the girl in his arms.
"Does this make you feel a little more at ease?"
"..."
A warmth and fullness that enveloped her entire body.
Soap, shampoo, and an indescribable scent that made her heart flutter.
A whisper so gentle it could melt her body and soul.
And a heartbeat, so close and so clear.
An unimaginable sense of satisfaction and happiness completely robbed Soyo of her ability to speak.
This sense of security and tenderness, something even her parents had never given her, made her involuntarily close her eyes.
In this unprecedented tranquility, the fatigue accumulated from running around all day, and the sense of release from having a wish of many years fulfilled, combined into a wave of drowsiness that swept over her consciousness.
And just like that, under Chihaya Tetsuya's gentle caress, Nagasaki Soyo fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.