K – Return of Kings: Prelude c2

Neko Bathtime Trouble by Raikaku Rei

Foam was everywhere.

Although Neko was a very cat-like creature, unlike ordinary cats, she didn’t dislike bathing.

After coming under the attack from “jungle” in s.h.i.+zume-chou, where the attacker poured gasoline on Neko, she and Kuroh returned to their room on the School island. Kukuri, who was there to meet them, was very surprised and immediately took Neko to the bathroom.

And at the moment, thanks to Kukuri’s efforts, Neko was almost completely covered in foam.

“Okaaay, does it itch anywhere?” Kukuri asked, applying a good measure of shampoo to Neko’s hair and ma.s.saging it into a lather.

“No. It feels good!”

Kukuri’s fingers were rubbing Neko’s scalp with just the right amount of pressure. The foam of the honey scented shampoo was now covering Neko’s long hair on its whole length. The fluffy foam was even sliding off her hair and onto her body, gradually covering it as well. It was as if she was being enveloped in foam. Neko had yet to develop any liking for clothes, but being clad in this foam felt good and not in the least restraining, she thought. She even seriously deliberated for a few moments if it wasn’t somehow possible to live your life wearing foam instead of clothing.

“Still, to be splashed with gasoline, just what on earth happened?”
“Some bad guys attacked us!” Neko complained, shaking her fist in the air angrily.

She was almost burned alive, and on the way back she smelled so, so bad that it was unbearable. Hot water alone was not enough to rid her of the stench, but Kukuri was applying the shampoo generously, and the disgusting acrid smell was soon completely replaced by the nice fragrance of the shampoo.

“Bad guys? How awful. So degenerates like that do appear, huh. Did you go to the police?”
“N-No… I don’t like the police.”
“Eh? Why is that? Did you do something bad, Wagahai-chan?” Kukuri asked jokingly, but Neko didn’t know how to answer.

Something bad. What exactly is “something bad”?

She did a lot of food snitching. Before Kuroh started cooking meals for her, her eating menu was practically made up of stolen food.

She also deceived people. With her powers, it was possible to deceive anyone Neko wanted. She even deceived her precious, precious s.h.i.+ro. And Kukuri, who was was.h.i.+ng her hair at the moment, too. And because Neko deceived Kukuri, planting the false image of s.h.i.+ro into her mind, Kukuri forgot all about s.h.i.+ro once the deception had been undone.

Did it count as “something bad”?

Looking at Neko, who was lost in thought and becoming progressively more dejected, Kukuri chuckled.

“Haha~n. From the looks of it, you did do something bad, eh, Wagahai-chan?”
“Ugh…”
“But don’t worry about it. You’re a good girl, Wagahai-chan. If you do something bad, just reflect on it and ask forgiveness.”

s.h.i.+ro had forgiven Neko. Would Kukuri forgive her, as well?

“Uh-huh.” Neko nodded, scooped some of the foam in her hand and brought it to her nose. What a nice scent. “This shampoo smells so yummy.”
“It’s honey scented. I’m glad you liked it, Wagahai-chan. Ah, but don’t try to eat it, OK?”

Neko was about to do just that when Kukuri stopped her. She had to give up on trying to lick the foam and simply blew on it instead. A few bubbles separated from the foam and took a slow flight across the bathroom.

“Kukuri, I will do my best!”
“Hm?”
“I will fight with all my might, and if you’re ever in danger, we will protect you!”
“I see, I see. You’re so reliable.”

Neko was serious, but Kukuri seemed to take her statement as a joke and let it slide. “I’m going to rinse you now, okay?” she said and turned the shower tap, was.h.i.+ng the foam off Neko’s head.

Neko blew up her cheeks with a displeased puff.



‘So you were attacked right after I mentioned the possibility, huh.’ On the other end of the line, Kusanagi Izumo sounded as lightly as ever, but thoughtful seriousness was underlying his tone.

While Neko was in the bathroom with Kukuri, Kuroh contacted bar Homra. Since it was an establishment and not a person, he quickly found the number in yellow pages.

“I also despise the way "jungle” does things, but if they’re so dead set on it, then I’m going to accept the challenge. Sorry, but I’d like to request that you share information with us.“
'Understood. On my part, the more sources of information I have the better, so if anything happens, let me know immediately. I’ll ask our guys to be on the lookout, as well. Can’t have our opponents make light of us when we’re on s.h.i.+zume-chou’s turf.’

As Kuroh was discussing a couple more matters with Kusanagi, he heard the two girls’ laughing voices coming from the direction of the bathroom. It looked like they were ready to come out of the bath.

A few seconds later, the door opened with a bang, and a naked girl - naked Neko - leaped into the room.

"Pheew!!! Now I feel better!!!”
“Wagahai-chan, your clothes! Put on your clothes!”

Kuroh acted fast.

Despite feeling his face heat up at the sight of the shameless girl jumping at him, he promptly looked away as soon as he caught the first glimpse and, groping blindly with his right hand behind him, grasped at the sheets, stripping them off the bed.

As if casting a net to catch an animal, Kuroh made a throw, covering the naked Neko with the sheets and wrapping them securily around her. Carrying the resulting huge struggling bundle as if it were luggage wrapped in a cloth wrapper, he presented it to Kukuri, who was half leaning out of the bathroom door to peek inside the room. Needless to say, Kuroh made sure to keep his eyes elsewhere and off Kukuri.

“Sorry, but could you please make her put on her clothes?”
“Ah, y-yes, of course!”

Although Kuroh was careful to look away, he couldn’t help accidentally catching a glimpse of Kukuri with his peripheral vision, noticing that she herself still had only a bath towel wrapped around her. The shampoo scented stream that a.s.saulted him was almost too much to bear. Still, he endured it long enough to hand the Neko bundle over to Kukuri, even though his face looked like it could burst into flames any moment.

Kukuri dragged the bundle back into the dressing area of the bathroom. “Jeez, Wagahai-chan! You need to be more careful!”
“Nyaa… Just when I was finally feeling so good! Why can’t I go around without these annoying clothes for a bit!”

Kuroh turned his back on the grumbling Neko and returned to the room, face still flushed bright red. Picking up the PDA he dropped in the middle of the conversation because of Neko off the floor, he apologized, “h.e.l.lo? I’m sorry for this, I had a bit of trouble.”
'What happened? Don’t tell me “jungle” attacked you guys again…?’
“No, it’s Neko… Just when I thought she was finally becoming used to wearing shoes and clothes like all normal people do…” He lamented sighing deeply.

The person on the other end fell silent for a few seconds, apparently lost for words. ’……… Can’t say I get it, but looks like you, too, have your share of troubles to deal with, huh.’

For some reason, Kusanagi’s voice at that moment held more compa.s.sion and pity than Kuroh heard in it for the whole of today