Chapter 765 - Three Sources of Heat
My name is Haru Kasuga. A perfectly ordinary male university student… or so I can no longer claim. I'm an eighteen-year-old who, for all intents and purposes, has ascended to the absurd position of being not-so-ordinary.
My hobbies are cooking and baking, and my special skill is that ‘once I decide to do something, I will see it through to the bitter end, no matter what.’ I'm well aware that I have various other quirks that make me a little off-kilter as a person—but even so.
Even so, I strive to hold on to the “ordinary” side of myself. In terms of my mental state and way of thinking, I’m an eighteen-year-old boy no different from any other healthy young man out there.
That’s right, a healthy eighteen-year-old boy.
While a few things here and there have made me a bit timid when it comes to ‘romance,’ I do have a normal level of interest and curiosity, as I’ve shown through my words and actions.
And if you’re asking what this is all about, well—
““……………………………………………………………………………………””
A gentle, pleasant breeze scatters the faint steam rising from the water.
From somewhere, the sound of birds singing a song of serenity reaches my ears.
And above, if I look up, a sky so blue it could swallow my consciousness whole…
Naturally, the bath is built the same as the one in the men’s room. It’s neither too hot nor too cool, the perfect temperature seeming to beckon, ‘Stay here forever.’ Clad in nothing but a pair of unfamiliar swim trunks, I sink into silence, a true victim in this blissful manifestation of paradise.
That’s right, I’m a victim. A victim of the person next to me, who is also frozen in silence… and who, for various reasons, radiates a criminally potent presence.
I’m just a pitiful, foolish, idiotic man whose emotions are currently being scrambled into a complete mess.
“…………”
“…………”
Like hell I can make conversation. Are you kidding me?
Honestly, my memory of how I got here is a blur, and I’m having trouble even grasping the present situation. However, I do remember the one moment that sealed this fate.
—A-Are… you… interested… at… all…
—I am.
It was an instant reply. An instant reply.
A dead-serious, instant reply.
If you ask who was most surprised, it was obviously me. Seriously, it felt like my mouth had moved completely detached from my conscious mind.
Looking back on that fool from just moments ago, I have only one thing to say to myself.
Can’t be helped. I’m a guy, after all.
No matter how much I try to play the gentleman, I can’t betray my biological instincts. When a girl I not only care for but am close enough to that I could openly declare ‘I adore her’ asks me, “Do you want to see?” there is no way I could shake my head no.
My name is Haru Kasuga.
And in that regard, I am, in fact, a perfectly ordinary eighteen-year-old boy—
“…………Um.”
“YES.”
The moment her voice brushed against my eardrums, a clipped, reflexive reply shot out of my mouth, driven by a hundred percent of my tension and turmoil. It was mortifying.
A ripple from her movement caressed my shoulder. Internally, I was screaming.
I glanced over, responding to the request I read in her voice.
“…………………………………………”
“…………………………………………, …!”
Nope, can’t look directly at her. Give me a break.
Setting aside the hot spring, the mixed bathing, and the sheer sense of exhilaration, guilt, and immorality that this completely mismatched situation is blasting me with…
She is, simply put, far too dazzling.
The maid’s choice of attire is just too criminal. Seriously, I’m certain of it now. That Itsuki-san is absolutely nuts. Completely nuts (and that’s a compliment)—
“—………F-Fufu…”
Well, of course.
After I continued to make a complete and utter fool of myself, the younger girl finally laughed at me. It was probably because my reaction was so over-the-top, but I don’t think I’m imagining the slight release of tension in her voice.
It’s pathetic, but honestly, I’m grateful. If we had both stayed frozen like that, it would have been true hell.
“Um, I’m sorry. This might sound strange, but…”
“…Y-Yes, what is it?”
Still, even in heaven, the hell continues.
“I feel a little relieved. …So you really are a normal boy, Haru.”
“……………………”
Alright, here’s something I learned during my time as a part-time warrior: ‘When the chips are down, girls are creatures that can become unbelievably bold and show incredible courage.’
And it turns out that what Miyoko-san (33), the divorced manager of the ice cream shop, told me was the truth. I can’t help but be deeply impressed—
“Wha-? …Hey.”
While I was lost in my foolish escape from reality, the water stirred. Waves formed.
I sensed her approaching and tried to turn away in an emergency retreat, but it was too late. I couldn’t feel her body heat in the hot water, but a distinctly soft sensation captured my hand.
My hand was caught.
“Wait, seriously, Sora-san, not now. Let’s just, uh, take a time-out—”
“You’re overthinking it. …I’m happy, but it’s also a little troubling.”
“I’m troubled too. I’m seriously, really troubled right now, so please let go—”
“Thinking of it as mixed bathing makes it embarrassing, so why don’t we just think of it as a heated pool? That way, it doesn’t feel so wicked.”
“Doesn’t that imply that it does feel ‘wicked’ right now—”
“…Well, yes. Of course it does.”
And with that, a heat hotter than the bath itself, a heat that felt like it could burn, scorched my left hand.
“There’s no way… I could tell anyone… about this…”
“…………………………………………”
I probably, most likely, almost certainly died at that moment.
Her voice, tinged with a sensuality that was unbelievable for a fifteen-year-old girl. A voice that, through the air, through her very breath, struck me with a lethal dose of emotion.
“…………Haru.”
“Y-Yes…”
“…Your thoughts.”
“…………”
“If I wait like this… will you tell me?”
“…………………………………………”
I just wanted her to stop.
I wondered how many more times I would have to die, but I have a conviction, a belief I want to uphold no matter how impossible or reckless it may be.
I hold it, I carry it with me.
—That I must, by all means, grant the whims of this girl, my partner.
And so, once more, I turned my eyes to the side. We were both submerged in the water, but since it wasn’t cloudy or nighttime, everything was quite clearly visible.
What the girl was wearing… was a simple bikini-style swimsuit, white with light blue accents. The bottom was a skirt-type, giving it a modest flair, but if I may be perfectly frank, my reaction was ‘so what?’
I had known it all along. Whether it was thanks to the maid’s production or her own natural gifts, Sora-san possessed a distinct femininity for her age.
So, it was just… simply—intense.
…And you know, on top of all that, the finishing blow.
“………………………………Sora-san.”
“Yes.”
When I turned to look, her face was as innocent as you’d expect for her age.
“…But your face is redder than I’ve ever seen it.”
“—Sh-…! H-How could it not be…?!”
Contrary to her words and actions, it seemed she was still feeling an immense amount of embarrassment. That shy face was, well, it was so…
“…………You’re……………insanely cute.”
“……! ……………………!!!!”
It was so charming I couldn’t put it into words, so I had no choice.
All I could do was hope that a childish compliment from my vocabulary-deprived brain would be forgiven.