After Giyu Tomioka fled, the hot spring instantly fell into an eerie silence.
The ripples on the water continued to spread in circles, like someone's troubled heart.
In the corner, Shinobu Kocho looked like she was about to be boiled alive.
Like an ostrich, she buried her entire face in the water, leaving only a small tuft of purple hair floating forlornly on the surface.
It's over!!
It's all over!!
Life has come to an end.
Right in front of her, her sister launched that... that shameless attack on Mr. Giyu!
And that blockhead, that idiot, actually... actually ran away at the last minute?!
Although his escape, in a sense, saved him from further social death.
But!!
Just thinking about everything that happened underwater...
Shinobu Kocho felt her brain starting to hiss and smoke again.
The person who started all of this, Kanae Kocho, acted as if nothing had happened.
She leaned gracefully against the pool wall, letting the warm spring water soothe her jade-like skin, a satisfied, languid smile even on her face.
She watched the fleeing figure disappear into the depths of the bamboo forest, then slowly turned her gaze to her younger sister, who was self-destructing in the corner.
A meaningful smile curved at the corners of his lips.
The water rippled gently, without making a sound.
Kanae Kocho, like an elegant mermaid, silently swam up behind Shinobu Kocho.
A pair of soft arms gently encircled Shinobu Kocho's shoulders, which were trembling slightly with nervousness, from behind.
A warm, damp body pressed against her.
"!"
Shinobu Kocho froze, almost jumping out of the water on the spot.
"Sister... Sister?!"
"Shinobu,"
Kanae gently rested her chin on her younger sister's small shoulder, her voice as soft as a feather under the moonlight.
"Were you... very nervous just now?"
Shinobu Kocho's body was as stiff as a stone.
She dared not nod or shake her head, and could only let out a whimper that was unclear in meaning, like that of a kitten.
"Um..."
Kanae's smile deepened.
She continued in that gentle voice that could completely disarm anyone, asking further:
"Are you worried about Mr. Giyu?"
"Shinobu..."
"You like him, don't you?"
"Boom-!"
Shinobu Kocho's mind completely exploded.
The string that she had been suppressing so tightly snapped at that moment.
She turned around abruptly, her beautiful purple eyes instantly filling with tears.
It's not steam from a hot spring.
It was tears.
Large tears, mixed with the scalding hot spring water, uncontrollably streamed down her flushed face.
"I... I..."
She opened her mouth, wanting to deny it, wanting to argue, wanting to say, "Sister, what nonsense are you talking about? I didn't do it!"
But under Kanae's gentle and clear gaze, which seemed to see through everything, all the lies appeared so pale and ridiculous.
"Waaaaah!"
The girl could no longer hold back. Like a child who had suffered a great injustice, she threw herself into her sister's arms and burst into tears.
"I... I like him!!"
"But... but he's clearly my sister's! My sister met him first! You two... you two are a match made in heaven!"
"Who am I... I'm just... a bad guy who wanted to steal my sister's happiness! A thief!"
"I don't want this... I really don't want this... I just want to be able to stand by and quietly watch you two be happy..."
"Sister... I'm sorry... I'll... I'll never do it again... I'll be alone... Waaah..."
She cried so hard she could barely breathe, her small body sobbing uncontrollably in her sister's arms.
It was as if she wanted to cry out all the love, struggle, pain, and guilt she had felt over the past few days.
Kanae remained silent.
She simply held her younger sister, who was more important than her own life, tightly in her arms, letting her tears soak her shoulders.
With a pained expression, she gently patted her sister's back, again and again, until her cries gradually subsided and turned into intermittent sobs.
"Fool."
Kanae's voice is so gentle it could melt your heart.
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
She cupped her younger sister's tear-streaked face in her hands and gently wiped away the tears with her fingertips.
"Mr. Giyu is so outstanding and so powerful,"
Kanae looked into her sister's eyes and said, word by word, earnestly.
"Although he has a cold personality, he is more gentle and kind-hearted than anyone else. It's perfectly normal to be attracted to him and fall in love with him."
"This isn't Shinobu's fault."
Shinobu Kocho looked at her sister through teary eyes, sobbing and unable to speak.
Kanae smiled slightly, a smile that carried a hint of self-deprecation, but also a hint of utterly sincere candor.
"To be honest, sometimes I feel like I'm not good enough for him."
"He carried too much on his shoulders, and the journey he took alone was too arduous. This road was also too dark and too long."
"Can I really support his entire world all by myself? Can I really be his only safe haven?"
She sighed softly, a hint of vulnerability flashing in her eyes that she herself was unaware of.
Then, looking into the pair of confused and helpless purple eyes in her arms, she abruptly changed the subject.
Those gentle pink eyes sparkled with a cunning and bold light, like a little fox!
So...
"If my dearest sister could stand on the same side as me,"
"How wonderful it would be if I could love him with him, share his pain, and support him in his world together?"
"Huh?"
Shinobu Kocho was completely stunned.
Her brain, once again, crashed due to these shocking remarks.
Sister... what is my sister saying?
Together... love him?
This... this is unacceptable!
Seeing her younger sister's adorably silly expression, Kanae's smile deepened.
She reached out her finger and affectionately stroked her younger sister's delicate nose.
"We're sisters, Shinobu."
We've been together since birth, and we'll be together forever.
Share clothes, share food, share your room, share all your secrets~
Her voice, carrying a bewitching magic, gently rang in Shinobu Kocho's ear.
"Then, let me share one more... a man we all deeply love..."
"For me, it's acceptable, even... something that makes me happy."
"Because that person is you, Shinobu."
"Because I don't want to see my sister hiding in a corner, secretly crying because of something like this."
Shinobu Kocho was completely shocked by her sister's shocking yet incredibly sincere words.
She raised her tear-filled eyes and stared blankly at her sister's gentle yet resolute gaze.
Guilt, unease, struggle, self-blame...
In that instant, it was as if everything was washed away clean by a huge, warm torrent called "happiness".
So... it's possible like this?
So... we don't have to give up after all?
So... it turns out... my sister...
"Sister... Sister..."
She choked back tears and, once again, hugged her sister tightly.
This time, it's not about venting pain.
Rather, it was a pure, indescribable feeling of being moved and joyful.
"Um."
Kanae hugged her back tightly.
Under the moonlight, steam rises from the hot spring.
Two equally perfect, work-of-art-like bodies embraced tightly.
An unbreakable "Sister Alliance," one that would bring some future man both pain and pleasure, was formally established at this moment.
After an unknown amount of time, the two slowly separated.
Kanae smiled, wiping away the last traces of tears from her sister's face, and announced in a mischievous, devilish tone:
"So, from today onwards, we're allies!!"
"Our mission is to work together to take down that clueless blockhead!"
"Sister, I'll do everything I can to be your wingman!"
"Let's work together and absolutely not let Mr. Giyu be seduced by those vixens who may appear out of nowhere!"
"Pfft..."
Looking at her sister's adorable "we're on the same side" expression, Shinobu Kocho finally stopped crying and started laughing.
She nodded forcefully and heavily!
"Um!!"
All the misunderstandings between the two were completely resolved at this moment.
"Ah!!"
The next second, Shinobu Kocho suddenly scooped up a handful of warm spring water, smiled, and splashed it at her sister.
Caught off guard, Kanae was splashed right on the head. She was stunned for a moment, then laughed and, not to be outdone, began to retaliate.
"Splash... splash..."
The two sisters seemed to have returned to their carefree childhood, happily splashing and playing with each other in the moonlit hot spring.
The silvery laughter, clear and melodious, filled with heartfelt joy, carried far and wide in the quiet night.
Outside the corridor of the hot spring villa.
Giyu Tomioka did not go far.
He had changed into a dry, dark blue yukata and leaned against the cool wooden pillar.
She let the cool night breeze caress her still slightly flushed cheeks, trying to calm her out-of-control mind and body.
My mind is still a jumbled mess.
Kanae's supple body, her alluring whispers, and my own uncontrollable reactions...
All of this made him restless and anxious, his mind in turmoil.
Just then, a clear, carefree laugh echoed through the bamboo grove and reached his ears.
It was their voice.
He couldn't hear what they were saying, but their heartfelt, pure joy seemed to possess a magical power.
Like a cool spring, it flowed gently through his chaotic and agitated heart, gradually calming his restless soul.
He raised his head and looked at the bright moon in the sky.
The night is beautiful.
The evening breeze is so pleasant.
As a result, my mood seemed to... improve a bit.
A faint, gentle smile, unnoticed even by himself, crept onto the corners of Giyu Tomioka's lips.