"But it's basically all mixed bathing, right?"
I muttered as I undressed.
It was a distraction—an attempt to shake off the weight of the many gazes piercing me.
There were more people than I had expected, and honestly, it was pushing my comfort levels a bit. Probably because I had relieved myself twice in the last two hours, leaving me in a biAawt of a post-sage state with dulled desires. Maybe I should've stored up some tension beforehand. I found myself thinking about it.
To block the most intense stares, Hachikuma and Yata took positions on either side of me.
It was mostly for show, though.
There were gaps, and through them, we could still see each other. Our eyes even met occasionally. It kind of defeated the purpose.
"There just aren't enough male customers, you see? Making a separate men's bath would be a waste. By labeling it all as mixed bathing, we don't need to divide the space unnecessarily, and we can have one large, luxurious bath instead. Efficient, right?"
"That makes sense."
Apparently, the lack of men was a serious issue.
"And even if a guy does show up, he's usually a recluse. Most of the women would keep him hidden away in their rooms anyway. The inn has three hot spring sources, each with its own large bath, so if needed, we can just rent one out privately. Very practical, don't you think?"
With that thorough explanation, Yata finished undressing, planted her hands on her hips, and stood proudly—completely unashamed.
Hachikuma also undressed without the slightest hesitation.
"I see."
As I took in their movements and the sight of their bare bodies, I continued undressing myself.
"By the way, even though there are no men around, just labeling it as mixed bathing attracts certain... hopeful individuals. We get a steady stream of those types checking in. It's part of our business strategy."
Yata whispered this into my ear, her bare chest pressing lightly against my arm. Very calculated.
"Like Schrödinger's cat—until you open the lid, you don't know what's inside, huh?"
I sighed at the shameless but effective scheme. Most of those people were probably disappointed. And now, it seemed I was about to become one of the "jackpot" cases.
Not that I minded. It was just... unexpected.
"By the way, where's Misago?"
After washing up, I slowly sank into the warm water and asked Yata. I hadn't seen her this morning.
"She's busy putting out fires. When you arrived, your profile update caused a stir, and now some overzealous idiots are demanding statements and explanations. Tsugumi's helping her handle it."
Yata sighed, exasperated.
"Can't they just shut it down with a standard response template?"
I felt bad knowing I was the cause of this mess.
"They're too diligent for that," Yata said with another sigh.
"That's why the people here are the real ones. They understand the industry's unspoken rules, and instead of speculating, they fly straight to the scene to see for themselves."
At that moment, the other bathers—who had been keeping a cautious distance while sneakily glancing over—turned their gazes directly toward us.
It was unsettling.
There were about twenty people in the bath, all subtly positioning themselves so they could see our every move.
At the same time, my eyes were drawn to a certain direction—because certain parts of their bodies were facing me.
Thankfully, Hachikuma and Yata were close enough that my focus stayed on them.
Still, there was a lot of exposed skin in my peripheral vision. A pleasant but dangerous situation.
"They do have a good eye for authenticity, don't they?"
With that comment, I noticed the people watching us turn slightly red.
"Anyway, you should get out soon," Yata advised. "If you stay any longer, you'll all overheat together."
Just as she said that, a bead of sweat rolled down my cheek and dripped into the bathwater.
"Yeah, it is pretty hot in here."
Watching all this exposed skin had made me lose track of time. A risky situation indeed.
"This is one of our hotter springs," Yata added. "Long soaks aren't recommended."
She had a point. I had already overheated in this bath once before. Besides, soaking too long before breakfast wasn't a great idea anyway.
"Alright, I'll get out now."
As I stood up, I immediately felt the weight of their gazes intensify.
Yeah. This was kind of terrifying.
I kept that thought to myself as I climbed out.
Hachikuma and Yata followed silently.
"See you later," I said, giving a casual wave to those still in the bath.
I could feel their disappointed stares drilling into my back.
(They may be surprised now, but I'll have to meet their expectations at some point, huh?)
That thought crossed my mind.
I let out a deep sigh, then suddenly turned back and flashed a smile.
"Alright, how about a hug? To celebrate hitting the jackpot."
Yata grinned and gave me a thumbs-up.
Hachikuma let out a quiet "ahh" and briefly held her head in one hand before slipping into her serious work mode.