The air in the girls' bathroom was unusually hot these days, and Nene had to wonder which between the sweltering heat and her parched throat would kill her first— not that Hanako would mind either option, to be honest.
She pushed herself to scrub the tiles extra-shiny today, especially after they got all that disgusting mermaid-slime all over the place — nothing some Gleanex and a heavy-duty scrubber can't fix, really. The biceps workout was also nice.
Now, if only it could help with her ankles, too, everything would be perfect.
Nene's mind wandered to the Danxercise series she'd been (trying to) binge during her off-time — now that guy's one fine specimen she would be willing to follow 'til the end of her days. The music was catchy, the cardio was effective, and damn, those beads of sweat hitting the camera lens were to die for! Mr. Shaw, the perfect, irresistible, gym prince!
Before she knew it, she found herself dancing to one of the numbers on the beginner regimen. Yes, now flaunt it - you're sexy and you know it! Push - a little more! See, you can do it!
Oh, yes, she can! And she'll become so beautiful even Hanako won't be able to resist her!
"Resist who?" a voice broke into her inner reverie, the resulting misstep causing her to trip backwards. Warm hands gently caught her shoulders to break her fall. "There you go. Didn't I always tell you to watch your step?"
"H-Hanako-kun," Nene exhaled, still a bit disoriented. She briefly wondered how she looked right now - damp gym clothes sticking to sweaty skin, hair all tangled in a messy bun, a tall mop and a bottle of Gleanex in her hands. Also, her infamous knob-knees and stubby ankles.
She wondered if she looked irresistible right now, too. Ah, Mr. Shaw!
"Irresistible? Mr. Shaw?" Hanako echoed. "You're not making sense, Yashiro."
Who?
It was when Nene finally caught up that the air in the bathroom became three times hotter and she felt her face flush. No fair, shoujo manga heroines don't get to look this bad!
"A-Ah… I…" she began to stutter helplessly, the mop handle dropping to the floor with a loud clunk. The things she must have said out loud! The sheer embarrassment was enough to kill her right on the spot!
Hanako laughed loudly in response. "No matter, Yashiro; I think I know what's going on. It's that exercise guy you've been leaving me for, no? That's no good," he tutted jokingly. Nene squirmed in place, avoiding Hanako's gaze as he leaned into her. He really doesn't have any concept of personal space!
"But you know, Yashiro," he continued, now with a grin Nene couldn't decipher was friendly or otherwise, "I think you're amazing enough as you are." He cupped a hand onto her face, then another. "Don't let others tell you otherwise."
Nene gulped. A single bead of cold sweat dripped down her back, causing her lips to quiver. Hanako's gaze trailed down as he licked his own, bringing them near her ear.
"Besides," he whispered, "your ankles are so juicy I could just bite into them now! I could never resist you!"
… Oh.
Oh.
Nene's eyes widened, all her hair suddenly standing up on end.
She knew that, all right! But still— !
"Hanako-kun!" she squealed as she chased him around the bathroom, leaving tracks of dirt onto the newly-scrubbed tiles. "O-Only my prince Mr. Shaw is allowed to say that!"
"Oh, so it's "My Prince" Mr. Shaw now?" Hanako floated merrily as he evaded Nene's attempts to reach him. "My, the audacity! Even after I confessed so much to you!"
Nene stuck out her tongue in return. "He's hot, and a hundred percent my type! You totally know that!"
The bathroom ended up a lot dirtier than before Nene had cleaned it, this time with dirty tracks of rubber soles and splashes of muddy water all over the place. She ended up having to stay overtime just to get it all cleaned up, in between snippets of banter and bickering with Hanako. He would never, ever let her live it down, he said. "Maybe I'll tell the boy, too, for good measure?"
Nene sighed. Maybe dying of embarrassment was better, after all.