Confession

(Sun Yao)

"Woof!"

After overcoming countless hardships, they finally arrived at the sanctuary called the guest room. The Golden followed them in, Miluno, holding a yukata, locked the door, keeping the star-struck maids outside.

"You even have fans here now, you're really popular, rising idol magical girl."

I don't know if it's just my imagination, but Miluno's words always sound a bit sarcastic.

"There's nothing to envy; this is a complete disaster."

Being popular should be a happy thing, but now I only feel annoyed.

Conversely, it was exhausting to smile at the maids. Since we couldn't communicate, I could only take their words as compliments. The muscles in my face were stiff and cramping. I was constantly asked for photos and autographs, and my tired mind started to suffer from neurasthenia. My path to becoming an idol seemed fraught with difficulties, and I didn't even want to step out of my room.

But no, how can you come here and not soak in the hot springs?

The round floor-to-ceiling windows are decorated with lush green ornamental bamboo, but no matter how Japanese the interior decoration is, it cannot change the fact that this is Hawaii. A faint smell of sulfur wafts in the air, which comes not only from the hot springs, but also from the fact that the balcony faces an active volcano.

There wasn't much luggage to pack, and after resting for a bit, Miluno said, "Let's go, we should go to the hot springs."

"OK!"

I realized that I didn't deserve to go in with her.

Why?

Because I'm a boy!

"What's wrong?"

"Mi- Miluno, why don't you go to the bar first?"

But I don't want her to know this. She definitely wouldn't be able to accept the real me, would she? I don't want to suffer the estrangement that comes after she finds out, and I can't bear it...

"Why?"

I hugged the Golden.

"Golden and I will just stay in the guest room bathroom and take a shower!"

"If Goldie can't soak, why can't you either? How can you come to a hot spring and not soak?"

It would be really strange not to go, wouldn't it?

What should I do if I accidentally see something...?

"Stop hesitating, let's go."

A pair of hands pushed me forward, and I was half-pushed and half-forced out the door.

We can only take it one step at a time.

The hot spring pool is enclosed by a glass curtain wall. The groundwater, heated by volcanic geothermal activity, is transformed into an inexhaustible source of hot spring water.

A changing room is unnecessary for a magical girl who has her own wardrobe. Although I was shy, I still took off my clothes in front of Miluno.

"Hot spring... can I wear a swimsuit?"

"What are you thinking? Of course, it's not allowed."

Miluno also removed her clothes, but compared to my bashfulness, she was much more open. Only someone confident in their body can show themselves like that...

My figure is pretty good, but my appearance doesn't match my inner and outer features.

"Has no one else arrived yet?" I asked.

Not just Miluno, I feel guilty whenever I see anyone.

"It looks like it's just the two of us."

Miluno wasn't paying attention to me either; she had already peeked into the shower area in front of the hot springs, where she needed to clean herself before stepping into the hot springs.

Thankfully... the shower area has individual stalls, which gave me some relief.

Hot water gushed from the showerhead, cascading down from above. Before it even reached her ankles, Miluno said, "I'm done showering. I'm going in now."

Wow, that was fast! She must have used speed magic, right?

It's better that they enter one after the other. If Miluno is already sitting in the hot spring, then under the cover of the water, I won't easily see anything I shouldn't.

"Call..."

I gathered my hair up with my bare hands and secured it with Bubble Membrane. Because my hair is naturally frizzy, even wrapped up it was still a big clump. I shook my head to make sure there was no risk of it coming undone before carefully leaving the shower area and scooping up a ladle of water from the warm pool in front of the hot spring to pour over myself.

This is to regulate body temperature to adapt to the temperature of the hot spring.

But it was just a formality, because the air conditioning was a bit too cold.

To allow people to experience the temperature difference of the spring water, the air conditioning in the hot spring area is probably only in the teens or even single digits. The misty water vapor floating on the surface makes Miluno look like a fairy afterwards.

"... I'm coming in."

Stepping into the pool, I felt a bit hot for a moment due to the temperature difference.

"Come to me," Miluno beckoned.

Although this hot spring only has one large pool, the water temperature varies greatly depending on the distance from the spring source. Miluno was sitting on the outer side, so it seems she couldn't withstand the high temperature.

She was resting with her eyes closed, her arms crossed over her chest to cover her private parts.

However, Miluno, with her hair simply tied up, also gave me a fresh and stunning feeling. Her fair nape was revealed beneath her long hair, and glistening droplets of water or sweat rolled off it and disappeared into the steaming water.

Further down...

You shouldn't read any further.

I followed Miluno's example and closed my eyes in the spring, but...

"Ceruno."

Her hand reached out from under the water and found mine near my leg. I flinched, but she still took my hand.

Their fingers were intertwined.

"... Miluno."

My voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

"Um."

But Miluno only responded indifferently.

"I'm really happy that you said you like me."

"Um."

"However, the real me is not good enough for you... You don't know me yet."

She countered with, "Then do you understand me?"

"Huh?"

Do you know what the real me is like?

"... have no idea."

If my appearance after changing back doesn't suit you, will you hate me because of it?

"Won't."

My answer came without any hesitation.

I can accept whatever the real Miluno is like.

However, I have a feeling she's a little older than me, since she's very caring.

"Then we're even, aren't we?"

She leaned closer to me and continued, "I feel the same way you do. No matter what you were like before, I can accept it. So... give up on Bai Ziye, okay?"

Miluno was getting anxious.

She mistakenly thought I had those kinds of feelings for Yezi, so she lost her previous calm and composed demeanor.

Is she really that afraid of losing me?

So, I'm that important to Miluno.

Realizing this gave me more courage.

"Miluno, actually I was originally... a boy."

I slightly opened my eyes to observe Miluno's reaction, but I didn't see the astonishment I had expected. She simply looked at me calmly.

"Isn't that a good thing?"

She replied with a smile, "It's much easier for you to do many things if you're a boy than to make a girl fall in love with another girl... It would be strange if you liked Bai Ziye, wouldn't it?"

An unexpected answer.

Is this Miluno's optimistic consolation, or does she really think so?

"As a guy, I'm not as handsome as Yezi, nor do I have his great personality, and I also have incurable hobbies and terrible habits..."

Miluno turned around, and because we were so close, her not-so-large breasts brushed against my arm, making my heart almost stop for a moment.

"That's alright, I can accept everything about you, so Ceruno... no matter what your reason is for not being able to turn back now... promise me, you must turn back into a boy in the end, okay?"

The warmth of her body made me instinctively squeeze my legs together.

But Miluno gazed at me intently.

"I will wait for that day."