I just realized, Cleaning Ears is the a way to have “relations” without actually having anything actually happen. I always wondered why every single RomCom did it. It’s a “sex” scene without anything sexual. It’s about making each other “feel good” without actually crossing a line.
Like when I realized Nose Bleeds was the JP equivalent for getting an Erection without being sexual at all. I didn’t even make the connection until my 30’s because it happened in almost every single anime/manga.
It’s always interesting seeing these classic workarounds, you just don’t realize how censored thing are. It’s like that USA post WW2 in a lot of ways. Cigarettes = Sex, or a “DING” noise or “Slide Whistle” rising in scale implies a boner. That subtly is gone these days