The Japanese have an almost obsessive attachment to bathing. Unless a house is particularly cramped, almost every home is equipped with a bathtub.
Soaking in a warm bath after work or school, letting water slightly hotter than body temperature wash away fatigue, and closing one's eyes in relaxation—that's a true luxury.
Chisato had a feeling the group would be soaking in the hot spring for a long time. After all, they had gotten along quite well during the earlier skiing trip.
Back then, most of their attention was focused on outdoor activities, but now, sitting together in a hot spring, there would surely be a lot more they could talk about.
And indeed, that's exactly what happened.
Only a thick wooden partition separated the men's and women's baths, and since this was a private session, the only sounds aside from the occasional bubbling of the water in his own bath came from the women's side.
"…Take that!"
"Whoa… Cut it out, Ryo."
Yep, those were the voices of Ryo and Nijika. They sounded like they were having a lot of fun over there.
"…Bocchi-chan, why are you… like this… ah?"
"N-no… I'm not really sure myself… If I had to guess, I'd say it's probably genetic. My mom is kind of the same…"
"Ugh! That just completely shuts down the conversation… Damn it! If I don't have it myself, I guess I'll just have to experience it through Bocchi-chan!"
"Kyaah… Please don't do that…"
That was very obviously the conversation between Ikuyo and Hitori.
Their dialogue made Chisato's brain, already heated from the bath, burn even hotter.
He brushed his damp bangs upward with one hand and let out a long sigh.
Listening to their conversation made him think of those classic harem manga scenarios.
You know, the kind where the male lead accidentally ends up in the women's bath due to some misunderstanding, and just as he's trying to sneak out with only a towel around his waist under the intense gazes of the girls—some shy, some teasing—he hears the footsteps of other female guests approaching from the entrance.
In that moment of crisis, the girls who are close to him form a protective circle around him to keep his secret…
Chisato slowly slid lower into the hot water until his mouth sank below the surface, releasing a stream of bubbles as he absentmindedly thought about all that.
By the time he returned to reality, he noticed the women's side had gone completely silent.
Just like his own side, the silence was a little too intense.
He waited for a while, but the situation didn't change, which struck Chisato as strange.
No way they left already, right?
But he hadn't heard any water movement that would suggest them leaving.
"Eriri?"
He called out in the direction of the other bath.
"Ah, Chisato."
From Eriri's voice, it was obvious she was startled.
"Eh! I didn't think the sound traveled this clearly between the two baths! Seriously, what's the point of this thick wooden wall in the middle…"
Ikuyo, meanwhile, was burning with embarrassment for teasing someone else's shy girlfriend earlier.
It might be fine if something like that happened between girls, but if a guy overheard it clearly—and from such close proximity—it was a totally different story.
The kind of thing that would make someone socially die on the spot… in every possible sense.
"At this point, I guess the only thing to do is apologize in kind."
"Uh… Ryo, what do you mean by that…?"
"Just let the president touch you back, Ikuyo-chan. You touched his girlfriend, so you gotta give something back."
Ikuyo: "(っ °Д °;)っ…!"
Chisato: "(ーー゛)Σ..."
Thanks for the gesture, Ryo, but even though you're trying to lower your voices, I can still hear everything quite clearly.
Pretending not to hear their conversation, Chisato continued to ask,
"What's going on over there? You suddenly went quiet."
Eriri, who had first responded, explained the situation.
"It's because Miss Ijichi fell asleep."
The manager fell asleep, huh…
Chisato understood now. That would explain the sudden silence—they didn't want to disturb her rest.
"But falling asleep in the hot spring can be dangerous. Be careful she doesn't inhale water."
"Don't worry. Kasumigaoka is taking care of Sister Seika."
"?"
Chisato found it a little hard to imagine what Eriri meant.
Knowing Utaha's usual cold attitude toward people she wasn't interested in, it was difficult to picture her taking care of someone.
But since she said so, there probably wasn't anything to worry about.
The perspective shifted from the men's bath to the women's side.
Utaha sat in the farthest corner of the hot spring, away from the central partition. Seika was right beside her.
Earlier, Seika had yawned sleepily, tilted her head back, and, using a towel as a cushion, leaned against the edge of the bath with her eyes closed.
At first, she was able to maintain that posture without relying on anyone else, but as her body and mind grew more relaxed, her head slowly tilted to the side—eventually coming to rest on Utaha's shoulder.
Utaha had a rather complex feeling about it. Her earlier impressions of Seika had quietly shifted.
Although Seika was an adult who usually projected a composed and mature image, at moments like this—when her guard was down—she was surprisingly cute, just like her younger sister.
At one point, Nijika had come over to apologize and offered to watch over her sister instead, but Utaha simply smiled and shook her head, saying it was no trouble.
From not far away, Eriri saw this and felt that the gloomy aura she'd been giving off since the morning began to lift.
So it really just comes down to whether you're willing or not. If you want to, you can actually be pretty good at this.
When the hot spring session ended, Seika, feeling shy about falling asleep, apologized to Utaha for her behavior.
After they changed clothes, Eriri even took the initiative to buy everyone a bottle of warm milk to rehydrate.
The last bottle, she personally handed to Utaha.
Utaha suspiciously took the milk, flipping it around to inspect it. Once she confirmed that the seal hadn't been tampered with, she looked back at Eriri.
"What's with the sudden kindness?"
"If you're not gonna drink it, give it back."
Eriri reached out as if to grab it.
Utaha took a step back and raised the bottle.
"Of course I'll drink it. Thanks. As repayment, I'll give you the hot milk tonight."
"Hot milk at night?"
Ikuyo, who was applying moisturizer nearby, looked confused.
As she fastened her bra, Seika gave what she thought was a proper explanation based on her own understanding.
"When I have trouble sleeping, I usually drink warm milk before bed. It really helps."
"I see."
Ryo quietly walked over to join the conversation.
"Hard to imagine you having insomnia, Seika. Judging by how you looked in the hot spring, I figured you'd be the type to sleep like a baby."
"What's with you! Getting cheeky now, huh? I'll remember that—expect special treatment when we get back."
"Uh…"
Utaha turned to Eriri with a faint smile.
"You're really something else…"
Eriri sighed, resting her hand against her forehead.
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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