Mud beads

Echigo Koshima stood in the mist, staring at her, his chest still heaving violently.

He took two deep breaths before reaching for the showerhead and adjusting the water temperature to slightly cool.

Yu Zhu's nightgown was completely soaked, the fabric clinging heavily to her body. Yue Jianche casually pushed the hem of the skirt up to her lower abdomen and bent down to rinse her legs, which were covered in hot soup.

A few seconds later, the soaked fabric fell down again, covering the reddened skin.

He frowned, lifted his skirt, and flung it up again.

Yu Zhu stood quietly.

After spilling that bowl of beef noodles, she suddenly became compliant. He told her to stand, and she stood. Her soaked skirt fell down again and again, only to be lifted up again and again by him, but she didn't react at all, her face always bearing a peaceful smile.

After his skirt slipped down for what seemed like the umpteenth time, Echizen Toru finally couldn't take it anymore and looked up. Upon seeing the faint smile on Yu Zhu's face, a vein throbbed on his forehead, his back teeth clenched, and his jawline instantly sharpened.

"Raise your hand!"

He threw down the showerhead, grabbed her skirt with both hands, and almost roughly ripped the unruly nightgown off her head. The soaking wet dress crumpled into a ball and was carelessly tossed into a corner of the bathroom with a dull thud.

Yu Zhu stumbled as the fabric tugged at her, her body swaying slightly, but she quickly regained her balance.

She did not back away, nor did she try to cover herself.

It was as if the body exposed to the mist at that moment did not belong to her at all.

Water accumulated in her short hair trickled down her forehead and cheeks, with a few drops hanging on her slightly raised chin, refusing to fall.

She was still smiling.

It seemed that the angrier he got, the more amusing she found it.

Koshima Toru bent down to pick up the showerhead and aimed it back at the scalded area on her leg. The water continued to wash over her reddened skin, but his long fingers gripped the handle tighter and tighter.

A few minutes later, he finally took a deep breath, looked up, and turned off the water with a "snap".

"Stop laughing!"

The bathroom suddenly fell silent, with only the sound of water droplets falling from the walls and hair.

This was the first time Yu Zhu had heard such vivid emotion in Echizen Toru's words.

"Ha." She turned to him, tilting her head, "Ha."

Echizen ignored her.

He pulled a folded bath towel from the bathroom cabinet shelf, unfolded it, and wrapped it around her entire body. The soft, thick fabric carried the scent of washing, wrapped around her shoulders, and was then tightly pulled together at his chest.

Above the snow-white bath towel, only a clean and indifferent face was visible.

Yu Zhu was pushed out of the restroom by him.

He was indeed very angry.

Once outside, Toru Echizen simply grabbed the corner of the bath towel, carrying it like a disobedient piece of luggage, and led her all the way into the bedroom.

He walked to the bedside and pushed it away.

Yu Zhu slumped onto the edge of the bed, the mattress supporting her body as she swayed up and down a couple of times.

Echigo Koshima's footsteps left the bedroom and gradually disappeared into the distance.

A series of clanging and banging noises soon filled the living room. Drawers were pulled open one after another, only to be pushed back in irritation. After a short while, the noise stopped.

"Yes, burn ointment."

He seemed to be on the phone with someone.

"Hmm, it's okay. The second one, right? Got it."

The phone call ended abruptly, and footsteps approached again.

Yu Zhu remained seated on the bed, motionless.

The bath towel was pushed up to her thighs, and then warm fingers covered her. Echizen Toru seemed to calm down a little, and his movements became lighter, but it was still far from gentle.

The ointment was spread out little by little.

The stinging sensation subsided slightly where his fingers moved away, and the exposed skin, now exposed to the air, quickly felt a slight coolness.

Yu Zhu lowered her head, intently feeling the lingering pain, her calves slowly swaying back and forth along the edge of the bed.

"Was it good?" she asked with a smile.

The fingers on the leg visibly paused for a moment.

Koshima Toru raised his head.

He was still squatting beside her legs.

Yu Zhu's face was facing the right direction. The bedroom light fell from above her head, making her empty eyes appear even more deep and unfathomable, nestled in the shadows of her brow bones.

Koshima Toru put away the burn ointment and slowly tightened the lid.

"That's great," he replied with a cold laugh.

Yu Zhuyang's lips, which had been raised all night, finally slowly fell back down.

She lowered her head and remained silent for a long time.

You disgust me.

Koshima Tetsuya did not respond.

He stood up and left the bedroom again. He walked through the living room, then quickly returned, this time carrying a hairdryer.

Yu Zhu had already crawled into bed.

She casually tossed the bath towels onto the corner of the bed, a small pile, like old snow swept up on the street.

Echigo stood by the bed and looked at her for a moment.

Then he went around to the other side, sat down next to her pillow, and plugged in the hairdryer.

The whistling sound of the wind quickly filled the bedroom.

Yu Zhu raised her hand to cover her ears and closed her eyes tightly.

Koshima Toru held a hairdryer in one hand and tousled her short hair with the other. His long, slender fingers impatiently ran through her hair, occasionally tugging at the tangled ends, causing her brows to furrow even more.

As he played the flute, the slight irritation in Echizen Toru's heart gradually disappeared.

His fingers moved slower and slower, lighter and lighter. Eventually, as he stroked her scalp in the warm breeze, he felt a tremor in his soul, as if he were whispering sweet nothings in her ear.

Only after his hair was completely dry did he realize there was no need to continue, after repeatedly parting the same spot of dried hair.

The sudden silence even made him momentarily disoriented.

Echizen sat by the bed for a while, his hands hanging limply, as fatigue gradually seeped out from the depths of his body.

He bent down to pick up the bath towel from the floor, and walked back to the bathroom with the hairdryer.

He finally had a little time to sort himself out.

The man in the mirror had disheveled hair and his pajamas were mostly wet. The vanity light made his angular face appear smooth, but the dark circles under his eyes were still clearly visible in the soft light.

The electronic display in the lower right corner of the mirror showed 5:13 AM.

He raised his hand to take off his clothes and stood under the shower.

Back in the bedroom, the wall lamp by the bed was still on. Yu Zhu had her back to the door, huddled under the covers, with only a small section of her short, dried hair showing.

Koshima Toru did not walk towards the long sofa by the window.

He went straight to the other side of the bed, lifted the covers, and lay down.

The mattress sank gently under his weight.

Yu Zhu probably hasn't fallen asleep yet.

When he approached, her body visibly stiffened for a moment, and her breath caught in her throat for a beat, but she didn't jump up and punch him as usual.

Echizen Toru didn't touch her either.

The two people stood back to back, each occupying one side of the bed.

All night without incident.

Moth

In the early morning, the thin sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains and fell on Echizen Toru's eyelids.

He turned over in his sleep, his arm unconsciously resting on the waist of the person beside him.

He suddenly opened his eyes.

Yu Zhu is still asleep.

She turned her face to the side, her body slightly curled up, her brows furrowed even in her sleep. The thin morning light fell on her delicate nose and cheeks, making her thin face almost transparent.

Echizen looked at her quietly.

A corner of my heart slowly collapsed again.

He couldn't help but lean closer, wanting to place a light kiss on her cheek.

But soon, he suddenly stopped.

The gray pillow beneath Yu Zhu's face was damp with sweat.