Truly, there was nothing like the feeling of a nice hot shower before the start of the day. It worked so well for Minako in the mornings that she just had to try in out at night as well, and she had found the results to be incredible. After a nighttime shower, the stress and exhaustion from earlier in the day just seemed so far away.
At first it was only a couple times each week, but now it was an irreplaceable part of Minako's routine; so much so that if she didn't get her shower, things just wouldn't feel right for her. Already anticipating the flow of the warm water along her body, she had changed down to nothing but a towel in her room and left, walking towards the bathroom door. Not that she'd ever walk around in front of her friends dressed in so little, but she wasn't worried of anyone seeing her. Before a mission, everyone else was always pre-occupied with getting their gear together, leaving her free to move about without being disturbed.
So, obviously, she was more than a little surprised when she opened the bathroom door and was greeted with the sight of an entirely naked Yukari drying herself off.
"Ah," Minako squeaked, failing to suppress her voice.
"Wha-?" Yukari gasped, turning around, inadvertently changing Minako's view of her from full-rear to full-frontal. "Minako!" she shrieked. "You-? AH~ ACHOO!" she sneezed hard, causing her to drop her towel entirely.
"Sorry!" Minako yelped, exiting the room and closing the door. She turned back to the hallway. Thankfully, no one was there, meaning they weren't heard, causing Minako to sigh in relief.
The door opened, revealing Yukari again, now decently covered in her towel. "Sorry for freaking out like that, I could've sworn I locked it," she said, her voice sounding somewhat off.
"No, it's my fault," said Minako. "I didn't think anyone was using the shower right now."
"I don't normally, especially this late, but I thought it would help with this damn cold... It's not working," Yukari groaned. "This is the third one I've taken today but I still feel so chilly and my nose is all stuffed up..."
"Oh... That's terrible," Minako said in sympathy.
"But you're having one too this close to the Dark Hour also? Did you catch a cold too?" Yukari asked.
"Oh no, this, well..." Minako said hesitantly, considering to lie but knew better to do so. "I actually do this every night before we go to Tartarus. I feel... that it helps me get in the zone for our missions."
"What, really?" Yukari blinked. "No kidding?"
Minako simply nodded bashfully.
"Huh... Maybe that's why you didn't get sick but the rest of us did?" Yukari asked only somewhat-jokingly.
"Heh, maybe... ha ha" Minako shrugged, sharing a laugh with Yukari.
Yukari then suddenly grabbed the other girl's hands. "Hey, Minako-chan, can't you change your mind?" she asked seriously.
"I-I'm sorry, Yukari-chan," Minako answered. "But we've already agreed to do this. Everyone's getting ready, I can't change it now."
"What!? Please! You're our leader!" Yukari begged. "A leader's gotta look out for her friends, right? I'm literally dying over here, and Stupei apparently has it twice as bad as I do if his whining actually means anything! You can't make us go!"
"But, Akihiko-san's perfectly fine," Minako replied. "And so is the rest of the team. So if he can do it you and Junpei can too. I believe-"
"ARGH! THAT MEATHEAD!" Yukari grumbled. "I'm going to give *achoo* him a piece of my mind!" she stamped off to her room in a hurry, slamming her door in a huff.
"Whoa... She didn't even realize her towel fell off halfway through the hall," Minako muttered, looking at the damp, pink cloth that lay abandoned in Yukari's wake.
She really needed that shower now.
Making sure to lock the door, Minako got in the shower and instantly felt at peace. Her worries about her sick teammates flowed off of her like the water dripping down her body, unease being destroyed with each scrub of the loofa. Everything would be fine. Her sick friends would be on the sidelines, taking it easy while she, Mitsuru, Ken, and Koromaru would do the heavy lifting today. And best of all, they'd finish up that block tonight and then everyone could get some well-deserved relaxation time. It wasn't easy, but it needed to be done.
Feeling completely refreshed once again, Minako turned off the water, ready to take trouble head-on. However, she quickly found that trouble was getting a sneak attack on her, as-
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