Hot Springs

Rinne pushed open the door to the hot spring area.

Then she saw the scene before her—Huanyue was using one hand to hold her bath towel in place, half her hair loose and trailing in the water, soaked through. Her face was a cute shade of pink, and it did not look like it had come from soaking in the hot spring, but from embarrassment welling up inside her.

If one ignored the sight of First-Meeting Kurumi being pinned down by Huanyue's single arm and unable to move, the scene before them might even have been rather seductive.

First-Meeting Kurumi's black hair clung wetly to both sides of her face, and a trace of panic appeared in her wine-red eyes.

This was... quite unexpected.

"Um... good evening, Tokisaki, Huanyue-chan, and Miss Kazamachi." Rinne let out a little laugh. There was something subtly awkward in her gentle smile. At a time like this... should she perhaps excuse herself?

Huanyue's personality... was not as outgoing as she appeared. No matter how calm and composed she normally seemed, how effortlessly she handled things, deep down she was actually the bashful type who blushed when teased, panicked when someone got close to her, and wanted to bury herself underground whenever someone saw through her.

And now Rinne had caught her in such a state—

She would probably explode from embarrassment any moment now.

"Ah!" Like a startled kitten, Huanyue turned toward Rinne at the door. "R-Rinne?!!!"

Even her voice cracked. The arm pinning Kurumi down abruptly loosened, and First-Meeting Kurumi finally regained her freedom, a faintly regretful look on her face.

Water splashed everywhere.

Rinne only saw a blur rush toward her.

Silver wet hair stuck to her cheeks, droplets sliding down her strands. Violet eyes were right before Rinne's own, filled with pleas