kscans

Chapter 756 - Soaking Lazily

After finishing lunch, we wandered around looking for a less crowded place. The rain of stares that never ceased finally became too much, and we raised the white flag about two hours after leaving the inn.

Sora, whose public-facing persona in the real world seemed to be quite strong, looked fine, but it was I, embarrassingly enough, who couldn't take it anymore.

I was certainly getting 'used to it,' but it was still too early to acquire a complete resistance skill. The fact that I endured for over one hundred and twenty minutes should be praised as a sign of steady proficiency growth.

After returning to the inn, Sora seemed to have been quite satisfied with our short date…

"Well then, see you later!"

"Yep."

While trying to keep my cheeks from melting into her fluffy smile, I maintained a form that preserved at least the minimum dignity of an older man. I waved my hand, and my partner, who had caused a sudden whirlwind of beauty in the hot spring town, returned to the sisters' room in a very good mood.

"—Oh my…"

"—Aren't they adorable?"

A lone man, witnessed by two elegant madams who were likely fellow guests, receiving their warm gazes.

I wondered what kind of relationship they saw us having… I suppressed such thoughts, which were pushing my peace of mind away in many ways, and—

"Haha… Well then, good day to you."

With the full force of the affability I had cultivated during my part-time job days, I left a refreshing and smart bow and greeting before turning on my heel and making a swift escape from the embarrassment.

◇◆◇◆◇

Like Sora, I quietly returned to the men's room, but my roommate, Toshiki, was not back. The spacious room, which was definitely too big for two, was filled with nothing but silence.

People often misunderstand from my tension in the virtual world, but I'm not the type of person who will die if I'm not making a fuss all the time. In fact, my roots are more on the introverted side, so when I'm alone, the feeling of calmness outweighs any loneliness.

—That's how it was supposed to be, but my environment has changed so much recently.

"Hmm…"

This is bad. The situation of being all alone in a room at a travel destination feels genuinely lonely. I can only laugh at myself, an eighteen-year-old boy longing for human company—who even wants that?

It's not so bad that I can't bear it, of course. But the fact that I've started to feel this way is what's important.

I won't say it's for better or for worse.

For me, this is undoubtedly a good change—I'll just kick that cringey self-analysis to the back of my mind.

I quickly manipulated the tool of civilization and sent a message to my friends far away, and in a flash of extroverted otaku speed, I was bombarded with a storm of replies from all four of them.

Having received their report that they would be back in about half an hour… there wasn't much to wonder about how to use a little free time at a hot spring inn.

"—Oooohhhhhhh…"

And so, having successfully class-changed from a youth to an old man, I let out a voice of paradise into the sky. As a warm-up, I chose the open-air bath in our room instead of the public one, but frankly, my first thought was, 'This is all I need,' a testament to the high-class inn.

All I could see were trees, trees, trees. And the clear blue sky that embodied a perfect day for travel. Unlike the sense of liberation from overlooking the sea, what I got here was a sense of unity.

It felt like I was melting into the calm nature, and my mind became so peaceful it was almost ridiculous. It did.

I'm not particularly a fan of baths, but this was on a different level from my bath at home. The bathroom in the Yotsuya dormitory is ridiculously spacious, but this was literally a different world.

Was it not just the size and environment, but my body correctly sensing the properties of the hot spring… or was the invincible placebo effect running rampant?

Thinking it was all quite trivial, I slowly closed my eyes…—

"—Heyyy. You alive?"

"—Dead. I was dead…"

Now, how much time had passed? When I opened my eyes, the same blue sky spread before me, and my ears picked up the cheerful voice of my familiar friend.

"This has a great atmosphere, doesn't it? We could probably just stick to the room bath."

"I was just thinking that…"

"You're so relaxed… Well, I guess that's a good thing. Mind if I join you, my friend?"

"Be my guest…"

The spacious, relaxing bath could easily accommodate two or three people with room to spare. Again, this was not on the scale of a typical room bath at an inn.

It would be a waste to have it all to myself.

"—Oooohhhhhhh…"

And thus, old man number two was born. It couldn't be helped; there were probably no humans who could escape this trial of paradise—

"By the way, how long have you been in here, Nozomi? Are you getting dizzy? You okay?"

"Kinda…"

"What does that mean? Kinda dizzy, or kinda okay?"

"Ooooh…"

"You don't look so good. This is funny, can I take a picture of just your head and share it with the girls?"

"Like hell you can, you idiot."

"'Idiot'…"

Since he contacted me saying he'd be back in about half an hour, I had probably been zoning out for about thirty minutes. I was probably getting a little dizzy, but…

"Just try slowly, carefully closing your eyes. You won't want to get out."

"You sound like an old man… Let's see……………………………………"

"………………"

"…………………………"

"…………………………………………"

"………………………………………………………Mr. Nozomi."

"What is it, Mr. Toshiki."

"I could live here…"

"You've come to our side, my friend…"

While engaging in the extremely random and hundred-percent-on-a-whim conversation befitting male university students.

"—So, how was your date with your partner?"

"Are you serious? Talking about romance with two guys is hell."

"Haha, we've had this conversation before."

I tried to resist the predictable and unavoidable topic, but judging from his amused tone, he unfortunately had no intention of letting me escape.

"Hinata-chan is cute, isn't she? I can see why you make that kind of face."

I wonder what he was talking about.

"What kind of face? When, where, and what are you talking about?"

My head woozy from the heat, I threw the questions back at him…

"I wasn't sure if you were aware or not, but I see. From the looks of it, the correct answer is 'your awareness is lacking,' huh…"

My friend, an otaku of virtual world games who looked like a refreshing sports youth, laughed as he splashed water on his face and pushed his hair back.

"Today, all day, since this morning—while that girl was smiling next to you. You, man, you were making a face I've never seen before. The kind that makes you not even want to tease anymore."

"………………"

"Since I don't feel like teasing you, I'll swallow my words, but just one thing as a friend."

"Hey, stop it. If you're going to swallow them, swallow them all completely."

"You looked 'happy,' and that's all that matters. Take good care of her, you lady-killer."

"………………………………………………Hah."

Following my meddlesome but kind friend's example, I scooped up some water and let the heat wash over me, hiding my face.

We were literally baring it all to each other. If you were to ask about our sanity, we were probably both not in our right minds. That's why it felt so ridiculous to even feel embarrassed anymore, and—

"—Like you have to tell me. I already treasure her more than anyone else in the world."

—so I declared, my words boiling in the heat.

The whistle of my infuriatingly skilled friend cut through the rustling of the trees.