Chapter 25

The delicate girl helplessly took half a step back without realizing it.

"Hey, you guys!"

Just as Hibiki Tachibana was at a loss, a spirited female voice suddenly came from the side, rescuing Hibiki from her predicament.

"Although we came out for a team-building trip, don't relax too much. Don't forget that Tachibana is still being watched by unknown enemies. If we let our guard down, the enemy could easily exploit an opening."

It was Tsubasa Kazanari. She had just arrived at the hot spring town on her motorcycle when she spotted the three of them chatting casually by the street. She stopped and offered them a warning.

"Thank you, Miss Tsubasa. Ah..."

"Tsubasa, you're..."

"Oh my..."

However, after hearing Tsubasa's words and noticing that she had arrived on a motorcycle, the three of them all reacted strangely at the same time.

"What is it? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Wearing a white beret, a light jacket over a white shirt, casual white shorts, and carrying a white shoulder bag, Tsubasa looked at their strange expressions and asked.

[Miss Tsubasa's outfit has absolutely no persuasive power.]

That was what Hibiki thought, and she could tell that the two beside her probably felt much the same.

[Still, so Miss Tsubasa doesn't feel too awkward, I'd better not point it out.]

Since Miss Tsubasa had helped her out, Hibiki would not mock her outfit to her face.

"Hmm... But from the looks of it, Tsubasa, you're the most relaxed one among us. I mean, just look at how thoroughly you prepared."

Just as Hibiki Tachibana was about to say something to end the awkward atmosphere, a voice completely incapable of reading the room shattered the silence first.

"Eh? Miss Ryouko, you actually said it out loud!"

Hibiki Tachibana panicked a little.

At that moment, prompted by Ryouko's remark, Tsubasa Kazanari also noticed the outfit she had somehow put together without knowing when.

"I... I dressed like this only so I could blend into the surroundings better. As a sword, I have no such fragile feelings as anticipation!"

Tsubasa Kazanari, whose momentum immediately deflated, desperately explained that she held no special expectations for this hot spring trip she had never experienced before. She absolutely had not spent ages agonizing in front of her wardrobe in her messy room over something like this.

After that, Tsubasa went on about things like "remaining vigilant every day, always on the battlefield" and "the responsibility of guarding against others," filling the air with a cheerful atmosphere.

"Ahaha, I understand. Um, as long as you're happy, Miss Tsubasa."

Hibiki Tachibana ended the awkward conversation with a forced laugh. If Miss Tsubasa kept talking, her image in Hibiki's mind was going to become strange.

"Anyway, let's head to the inn we reserved first. The Commander and the others are already waiting for us there."

At the same time, after tending to his nose injury, Shinji Ogawa smiled and made the suggestion.

Though he personally enjoyed seeing Tsubasa Kazanari act like this, considering the time, they should hurry and reach their destination as soon as possible.

"That makes sense. Then, Hibiki, let's go soak in the hot springs together. Remember to let big sister here check whether you've developed properly."

Ryouko Sakurai winked at Hibiki Tachibana, finally giving up on teasing Tsubasa.

"No thanks, I refuse. I feel like if Miss Ryouko gets her way, I'll lose something very important."

Faced with someone setting her sights on her again, the innocent girl fearfully took another half-step back.

"How could that be, Hibiki? I'll be very gentle."

Seeing the little lamb's fear, the strange big sister tried to soothe her.

"Very gentle... You're even using that kind of wording. Miss Ryouko, you really are planning to do something bad to me, aren't you?"

The naive lamb saw through the big bad wolf's hidden scheme and retreated behind the blue sword, trying to use the sword to protect herself.

"Mm-hmm, Hibiki, take a guess. Well, let's not drag out the small talk. We can continue later in the hot springs, when you and I bare ourselves to each other."

In the end, Ryouko Sakurai concluded this hunt by declaring that she would let it go for now.

Before long, the four gathered together and headed toward their destination. Not long after they left, a white-haired girl in red and a gray-haired girl in black stood where they had just been chatting.

P.S. Good night desu.

Chapter 45: Encounter

"Mm, we're here."

When Raye saw the sign propped up at the entrance to the street that read, "Welcome to Hot Spring Town," she knew she had reached her destination.

To cover up her momentary mistake, she had no choice but to accompany Chris to this sort of recreational place and waste time. Fortunately—

"Hehe, I've always been curious about what soaking in a hot spring feels like."

On the other hand, after arriving at the hot spring town, Chris gradually became excited. Her impatient appearance was like that of a child who had spotted a new toy.

"Then, without further delay... um, Ruse, let's hurry and go soak in the hot springs."

Without the slightest hesitation, the excited Chris grabbed Raye's hand and rushed toward the hot spring establishments inside the street.

Bang—

Chris promptly tripped and crashed headfirst onto the flat ground. The hand that had been holding Raye's now held only a thin black glove.

"Hey, what are you doing? Didn't we agree to soak in the hot springs together?"

Chris climbed up from the ground and complained to Raye.

"Christina, you're too excited. It's just soaking in a hot spring. There's no need to get this worked up. We just need to find a place normally, then soak normally for a while."

Raye spoke in a somewhat helpless tone while looking at the tablet in her hands.

"Of course I'm excited. I've never soaked in a hot spring before. This is my first time, so isn't it normal for me to be looking forward to it?"

Chris said as if it were only natural.

"Hmm... Huh? Christina, you've never soaked in a hot spring before?"

Raye fell silent for a moment at Chris's words before asking in confusion.

She had thought Chris was so eager to come because she knew something about hot springs and was interested in them. But judging from her current behavior, it seemed she had no experience at all.

"Yeah. What about it?"

Chris did not understand why Raye was asking.

"Then, Chris, do you know how to soak in a hot spring?"

As she looked at the words on the screen, Raye could not help asking again.

"Huh?! Why would soaking in a hot spring require knowing how to do it? Isn't it obvious? You just get in and soak, like taking a bath."

Chris confidently voiced her entirely subjective opinion.

"Haah... So, Christina, you have absolutely no experience with hot springs. You only wanted to come out of pure curiosity?"

After confirming that fact, Raye let out a helpless sigh.

The date had only just begun, yet she could already sense that this trip might not go smoothly.

"Anyway, Christina, I'll send you something. Read through it a little. I'm begging you, don't get into a conflict with anyone later."

As she spoke, Raye operated the waterproof-cased tablet in her hand and sent Chris a document. She had casually bought the waterproof case from a shop they passed earlier.

"Huh... So there are this many rules for soaking in hot springs?"

Looking at the document Raye had sent to her phone, Chris was a little surprised. She had always thought hot springs were just large bathhouses.

The document gave a detailed introduction to the process, including what to do before entering a hot spring, what rules to follow while soaking, and how long one could stay in at most.

"I have to say, Chris, you're at least a local, right? Why don't you know rules that even someone like me, who isn't from here, knows?"

Walking up in front of Chris, Raye quietly teased her.

Although she had never soaked in a hot spring herself, before going somewhere on business, she habitually researched the local customs to avoid unnecessary trouble caused by cultural differences.

"What could I do? I never really had the chance. Ever since I was little, I was always traveling around with Mom and Dad. Then that happened, and now I have to deal with things every day... I never had the chance. Sniff."

Chris argued against Raye's teasing, but as she continued, her mood involuntarily sank.

Sensing Chris's obvious despondency, then thinking of the information on Chris that she had casually taken from Fine earlier, Raye came to a slight realization.

"Is that so... All right, Chris, didn't you want to soak in the hot springs? Let's get going. The sooner we arrive, the longer we can soak."

Then, she looped an arm around Chris's and pulled her toward a hot spring inn in a posture that looked rather intimate to outsiders.

"Eh, eh, eh, eh... Wait, Ruse, isn't this distance a little too close?"

Faced with Raye's sudden action, by the time Chris reacted, they were already pressed very close together. She could even feel every one of Raye's breaths.

"What is it, Chris? Weren't you the one who suggested a date? Since that's the case, cheer up properly. Don't keep making such a gloomy face."

Raye whispered into Chris's ear.

It had not been her intention to stir up Chris's painful memories. If she did not pull Chris out of them quickly, things might take a troublesome turn.

But Raye was not particularly good at verbal comfort either. So instead of comforting her, she chose what she considered a more effective approach: using a more impactful action to overwrite Chris's train of thought.

"You... All right, I understand."

Soon, under the combined effect of the breath swirling around her ears and the close body clinging tightly to her, Chris's thoughts were quickly pulled away from her earlier wild imaginings by Raye.

"Mm, that's it, Chris. Relax a little."

Satisfied with Chris's current state, Raye buried her head against Chris's neck and rubbed against it. Chris, whose resistance to intimate contact with others was surprisingly weak, had no objection to Raye's actions.

And so, the two strolled through the hot spring town, blending perfectly into the atmosphere of the street. Without drawing any particular attention, they arrived at a hot spring establishment.

"Welcome. Um, what kind of package would you two like?"

When they entered, an ordinary clerk greeted them with a professional smile and asked what they wanted, without questioning their behavior.

"A package? Let me see... There are two of us, so one couples' ticket will do."

Letting go of the lovely body beside her, Raye shifted into a more convenient position for holding her tablet and entered an ordinary negotiation mode.

"All right. Do you two have membership cards?"

"No, it's our first time here. We don't have membership cards."

"In that case, would you like to apply for one? With a membership card, you can enjoy a pretty good discount."

"No need. We haven't decided whether we'll stay here long-term, so we might not come to soak in hot springs very often."

"I see. Sorry to bother you. Then the price for one couples' ticket is..."

"Mm, all right, I understand. Do you have a POS terminal? I'll pay by card."

"Ah, we do. Please go ahead."

After a perfectly ordinary exchange, Raye paid by card without hesitation, received a perfectly ordinary couples' hot spring ticket, then naturally pulled Chris into the changing room.

"Ugh, th-this is definitely strange. If we're going to do something like this, then at least... According to this development, is the next step going to be... No, no, it shouldn't be like this..."

Even after entering the changing room, the white-haired girl still looked completely lost in thought. Seeing Chris act so adorably foolish that she could probably be tricked into bed seven times, Raye could not help worrying that if she let her guard down, someone might simply lure this girl away.

"Good grief, did I overdo it a little? All right, Christina, snap out of it."

Raye gently patted Chris's cheek, trying to bring her back to her senses.

"Ah, Raye..."

Soon, under Raye's actions, Chris gradually woke from her earlier confusion.

"I have to say, Christina, you really should build up your tolerance for embarrassment. If you keep being like this, I'm worried someone will trick you in the future. You'll sell yourself and still help them count the money."

Raye pressed a finger against Chris's mouth before she could let something slip, speaking helplessly.

"Pfft... It's because you suddenly did something so strange in the middle of the street, Ruse. Why are you so practiced at doing such embarrassing things?"

Moving her mouth away from Raye's finger, Chris turned her head aside and spoke with a faint blush on her face.

"I don't think there's anything embarrassing about it. Some parts may have been a bit excessive, but overall, it wasn't particularly embarrassing."

Raye merely waved a hand and said it with an unconcerned expression.

"What do you mean, not particularly embarrassing? Ruse, you... Urgh."

Chris wanted to say more, but the moment she saw Raye's face, she remembered all the intimate things Raye had done to her along the way. Steam immediately seemed to rise from her face.

"Chris, you... Forget it. I suggest you stop overthinking and focus on how we're going to soak in the hot springs next... Hmm?"

Just as Raye was about to continue lecturing Chris, she suddenly saw orange-yellow words appear on the screen she used to display subtitles.