"Well then, now that things have settled a bit, should we head back to our room?"
Staying in the lobby any longer would just make us a spectacle, and I was already feeling mentally drained from all the unexpected events.
"To our room…? Huh?"
Misago tilted her head in confusion.
"We haven't decided on one yet, have we?"
That was true. Since we had nowhere in particular to go, we had just been idling in the lobby.
"The best detached room should do, right?"
Yata-chan chimed in, as if it was already a settled matter.
"It was available?" Misago asked, looking surprised.
"You were the one who suggested it," Yata-chan replied, as if it was obvious.
"Oh, right…" Misago nodded, seemingly not expecting her suggestion to be taken seriously or actually put into action.
"And so, here's your room," Misago said as she led us to the detached room in question.
It was a traditional Japanese-style room with tatami flooring. Outside the private room, there was even a luxurious open-air bath.
"There's a bath here, but as our establishment's poster boy, I'd appreciate it if you could use the mixed-gender public bath as much as possible."
"That's fine with me."
Misago's face turned bright red as she made her request. Given what had happened earlier, it was clear she saw me as a kind of spectacle.
"Oh, but of course, it's not mandatory—wait, what?"
Misago blinked rapidly, caught off guard by my easy agreement.
"It's a small price to pay," I said, shrugging.
Compared to everything else, this seemed like a pretty insignificant demand. Maybe it was just a difference in values?
"Alright, let's do this."
With a soft thud, Misago pulled a futon out of the closet and laid it down on the tatami floor.
It took her less than three minutes to set up the futon, sheets, and cover. She quickly made the bed with practiced ease, impressing me with her efficiency.
"Well then, please get some rest," she said proudly.
"As expected, you're quite skilled."
I complimented her sincerely.
"This much is basic for everyone," she replied, looking a little bashful.
"So, should we do it now? Or later?"
I tried to keep my tone light to avoid tension. To be honest, I wasn't entirely sure how to interpret her invitation.
Misago's gaze darted around nervously. She looked at me, her breathing quickening, then suddenly turned away and took a deep breath as if trying to calm herself down.
"L-Later, please! I, uh, need to prepare a few things on my end too…"
She seemed extremely reluctant to leave but forced herself to say it with firm resolve.
"Got it. Any specific preferences?"
Since we were already having this conversation, I figured I might as well ask. It would help me prepare mentally, and besides, watching Misago's expressions change so rapidly was amusing. It was fun to see her blush too.
"Do you prefer things rough, gentle, or sweet and affectionate? I'll take requests, though I can't guarantee I'll fulfill them all."
After all, I'd be in trouble if she suddenly asked for something extreme like choking or being tied up right off the bat. I decided to narrow down the choices a bit.
"I want a (yobai) night crawling scenario! With cuddling until morning, and staying in bed until I wake up!"
She chose an option I hadn't even listed. It seemed like she had a particular fetish for this setup.
"Alright… but who's playing which role?"
That seemed like an important detail to establish from the start.
"Just you wait and see!"
Misago declared energetically, then spun around and dashed out of the room.
Bang!
Thud!
Right after she left, I heard a loud crash as if she had run into something.
I figured it was best to ignore it.
When I peeked outside a moment later, Misago was already gone.
She seemed okay. At least she was lively, which was the important part.
"Phew… haah…"
As soon as I was alone, drowsiness washed over me. I hadn't realized how exhausted I was.
"Well, I guess I'll rest for a bit…"
Muttering to myself, I crawled into the futon and closed my eyes.
I fell asleep instantly.
"Hah… hah…"
I was pulled out of my sleep by a strange pressure.
There was someone else in the room. I could hear their heavy breathing.
My body still felt sluggish, too tired to move. Even opening my eyes felt like too much effort, but I could sense someone staring at me closely.
I supposed I should have felt alarmed, but given that there were only girls here and no one was armed, it didn't seem all that dangerous.
That kind of careless confidence was a typical male trait.
"You shouldn't be so defenseless, you know? It's like you're just asking to be attacked…"
The whisper was soft, almost inaudible, but in the silent room, it reached my ears with perfect clarity.
The voice was playful, mischievous—one I recognized.
Misago.
(Then I guess it's fine.)
I was still trapped in that half-awake state, my body refusing to move. But since it was someone familiar, I decided to just let things be until I fully woke up.
This novel has been lovingly translated by https://www.patreon.com/Jenuinez_translation