Even though I was hugging her, the girl's body was clearly tense, her hips slightly pulled back.
"Come a little closer, it's okay if we touch…"
I reassured her, gently pulling her waist closer.
"Hyahn—"
A cute little sound escaped her lips, right next to my ear.
The reason for her reaction was simple: my, uh, 'battle-ready' state was pressing against her lower abdomen. On top of that, my chest, which had previously only made light contact, was now pressing more firmly against her as I stood straighter, and, well… the pointed tips were making their presence quite known.
"Um… doesn't that hurt?"
Her voice was tinged with concern.
"As long as it doesn't get bent at a weird angle, it's fine," I replied.
Even when fully 'activated,' it still had some flexibility. Unless a sudden force twisted it unnaturally, there was no issue.
Besides, a girl's stomach, no matter how toned, was always smooth and soft thanks to a layer of subcutaneous fat. It felt good against my skin, far better than, say, rough, cracked heels or jagged nails. There was no risk of getting scratched, and there wasn't any hair to get caught either.
These were the kind of thoughts that flitted through my mind.
For now, I was just pressing against her—not rubbing. But from the way she kept holding her breath and shivering slightly in my arms, it seemed like she was feeling something.
When I finally let go, her knees buckled, and she slumped down, her head ending up at just the right height. As a finishing touch, I leaned in and planted a light kiss on her forehead.
"Alright, next!"
I called out to the others who were peeking from behind the door, frozen in place.
"…At this point, you're less of a flirt and more of a menace," Yata-chan muttered, barely suppressing her laughter.
"There's a long line, you know? Gotta keep things moving," I shrugged.
Meanwhile, Hachikuma-san was already carrying the limp girl to a corner and laying her down.
"Let's keep it to one minute per person. Can you time it for me?"
The first girl had taken around five minutes, but hey, she was the pioneer—she deserved a little extra.
"Got it."
Yata-chan took on the role of the timekeeper, while Hachikuma-san became the designated retrieval squad. And so, time passed.
Now, with both the stunning Misago and the ever-reliable Hachikuma-san around, one might wonder why I'd even be interested in anyone else. But honestly, everyone had their own unique charm. Tall or short, big or small—each had their own appeal.
Different heights meant different points of contact. Different reactions, different voices.
Some things got squeezed. Some things got pressed.
As I held each girl, their responses varied, but one thing remained constant—they all trembled and eventually entered a dazed, blissed-out state.
…Was this really okay?
By the time we were wrapping up, I noticed something strange.
"Uh… weren't there more people toward the end?"
When we'd started, there had been about twenty girls in the bath. But now, over an hour had passed, and some of the faces looked unfamiliar. I even spotted some of the inn's attendants—women I'd seen working yesterday—and even Kiyora and Kotori-san among them.
The fainted ones were neatly stacked in a corner of the changing room.
"…Must be your imagination," Yata-chan said, grinning.
Hachikuma-san was also trying to hide a smirk.
"…Yeah, let's go with that."
Not like I was losing anything from it, so I decided to just let it slide.
Initially, I'd only planned to take a quick soak, but I was now thoroughly hungry.
"…Doesn't that hurt?"
Yata-chan pointed at my still-very-much-present 'battle stance.'
"Well, I had to hold back, y'know? If I let it go, I'd enter 'wise sage mode' and lose interest. And that wouldn't be fun for anyone."
The ebb and flow of desire was no joke. As long as I was still feeling it, I could enjoy the moment. But the second it was gone, exhaustion would take over, and I'd want nothing more than to sleep.
So, in a way, holding back wasn't all that bad. Sure, if I reached the point where I was leaking, that would be rough, but this? This was still manageable.
Though, to be honest… it would be nice to let loose once before the night was over.
Author's note :
Yata-chan is basically a retired VIP—she doesn't have any real work, so she's got all the time in the world.
Hachikuma-san is a bodyguard, so her job is literally to stay with Hisui.
Everyone else? The sudden influx of guests left the staff scrambling to keep up.
This novel has been lovingly translated by https://www.patreon.com/Jenuinez_translation