"Hup!"
I lifted the unconscious Misago in a princess carry.
"Aren't you gonna do it?"
Startled by the sudden voice from behind, I managed to keep my composure and turned around.
From a distance, she looked like a little girl, but her voice and mannerisms had an odd maturity.
"She's unconscious, so that wouldn't be right."
I'm not into that sort of thing. I prefer a bit more mutual consent and atmosphere.
"Well, I suppose that's true."
She replied nonchalantly.
"Besides, even if no one's around, doing it in the public bath isn't appropriate."
You never know who might see you.
"I saw you, after all."
She sounded amused.
"That's true, but where were you?"
"I was swimming underwater since no one was around."
She pointed downwards. She had been hiding underwater, casually admitting to breaking the rules.
"Well, in moderation, I guess?"
No one was around to bother, so a little mischief might be forgivable.
Hiding underwater in a mixed bath and then emerging is not praiseworthy, but if it's not done maliciously, it's not worth scolding.
In this case, I was the victim, but I didn't feel embarrassed or bothered, so there was no need to report it.
"By the way, anything other than cracking an egg in the bath and turning it into a raw egg soup is barely acceptable."
Her blunt words made me chuckle. It was strangely vivid.
"Barely, huh..."
It sounded like she was saying almost anything goes.
"Anyway, you haven't even gotten into the hot spring yet, right? Just leave her on the bench by the door. Someone will come to get her. Come over here."
"Huh?"
As she said that, I opened the door to see a staff member who had been cleaning.
"Did the young lady faint? She's such a troublemaker... I'll take care of her, so just leave her on the bench."
"Thank you."
I could feel her gaze lingering on my crotch, but I was surprised that things turned out as she said. I gently laid Misago down on the bench.
I felt a pang of loneliness as her naked body left my arms, but that was that.
I covered her with a bath towel and lightly brushed the hair from her forehead, saying, "See you later."
"See? Told you so."
Back in the bath, a smug-looking little girl was waiting. She beckoned me over, so I joined her in the hot spring, sinking up to my shoulders.
The heat of the hot spring warmed my chilled fingers and toes. I must have been colder than I thought; the heat was almost painful.
Beneath the slightly cloudy water, we could see each other clearly, but at this point, there was no need for embarrassment.
"Yes, how did you know?"
"I could see the shadows from here. Plus, I knew the cleaning schedule, so I figured someone would be there."
She seemed to be an insider.
Indeed, from this spot, I could see the silhouette of someone moving behind the frosted glass. It looked like they were taking care of Misago.
"Impressive."
I praised her honestly, and she proudly leaned back. The movement caused her small, flat chest to peek above the water's surface. I appreciated the view.
Our eyes met, and she grinned.
"I'm Yata Umino. And you are?"
"I don't remember my name, but I'm called Hisui Umino."
"Misago named you?"
"Yes."
She seemed to know everything.
"Not a bad name, is it?"
"Thank you?"
Even though it was a temporary name, it felt good to be complimented. It had only been a few hours since I was named, but it already felt natural.
"So, you have the same last name?"
"We're related. But I'm not her sister, by the way."
The family structure remained a mystery.
"You have nowhere to go, right?"
"Yes, I'm completely lost..."
I didn't recognize any of the place names, and everything felt out of place, as if from a different era.
"It's only natural to be confused, so don't worry about it."
She seemed to know something, but it was probably just my imagination.
"You're a good man, so feel free to stay as long as you like."
Apparently, she already liked me, despite seeing me in a compromising situation with her relative. Her values were certainly unique.
"About earlier..."
I hesitantly brought it up.
"I'd say go for it next time."
She laughed heartily. Far from being safe, it seemed like a home run to her.
This novel has been lovingly translated by https://www.patreon.com/Jenuinez_translation