"So? What's the situation?"
After checking in, we were shown to our room. I used some local snacks—sasa dango, Exon pie, and the like—as bribes to pry for information while sipping tea.
"An unbelievably high-tier jackpot."
I wanted to say, "You're exaggerating," but even the live cam crowd caught on—he's cute even in low resolution.
"He's not just cute—he's got a great personality too."
"A perfect human being, then?"
"No, more like... an angel."
"You're laying it on thick."
"He sees through all your requests, fantasies, everything—and still smiles and plays along with you."
"Pffhh—"
A weird sound slipped out of me. Just remembering it had her looking dreamy.
"There's no way someone that perfect actually exists."
"He does exist."
She shot down my denial without hesitation, eyes sparkling like she'd seen a floating castle. Is she in love?
"He's just arrived here, so he's not used to things yet—hasn't even had his health checkups or whatever. So no nighttime visits, but... there might be other chances."
"Other?"
"Someone saw him coming out of the bath."
"Out of the bath?"
A freshly bathed boy—just imagining it makes you feel healthier. Like a living humidifier. I want to breathe in that steam. I bet it cures all kinds of illnesses.
"From a private bath?"
A mixed bath is a virgin's fantasy, but in reality, just a daydream.
"The public bath. It's mixed."
"Huh?!"
Another weird sound escaped me. No way!
"He came out of the mixed bath holding hands with one of his escorts."
She grabbed my hand on the table and intertwined our fingers, mimicking the scene.
"If it's two girls, it's whatever, but if it's a guy and a girl…"
Holding hands with another girl doesn't feel like anything. I tried giving her hand a little squeeze but felt no spark. If it were two guys, maybe there'd be something there.
"But it was a guy and a girl."
They're totally doing it. Like an urban legend, but for real.
"So… they're already doing it?"
"Pretty sure. That kind of closeness isn't normal."
"I see… that's… wow…"
I've never encountered anything like that in real life, so it's all beyond my comprehension.
Even paid options like escorts, which supposedly solve that kind of problem with money, live in legal grey zones—so no guarantees. I've never even dared to try. I'm still a solid virgin.
"He's officially tied to three girls. One of them is always with him."
"So no chance for the rest of us?"
"Not now. But he's said he might want to do 'san-suke' style in the future."
"Damn, I was too early."
Jumped the gun, huh.
"But I'm glad I acted fast. The moment I saw him—Hisui-san—I extended my stay right away. I can still stay here, but now the prices are 1.5x higher and fully booked for two months. Once they make it official, it'll probably go up to 100,000 yen, and even then, people might have to wait a year."
"That popular?!"
"Yeah, it's insane. Just looking at him makes you feel healthier."
"He's radiant?"
"Glossy as hell. This place already has great hot springs, but he's on another level."
Maybe just seeing him floods you with estrogen. Okay, maybe it's a bit over the top.
But still, her smooth, glowing skin—maybe the baths really are that good? Then again, she's a half-hobbyist writer, probably not doing hard labor. She should have good skin anyway… Wait, does she even care about her age?
I unconsciously reached out and stroked her hand.
"I don't swing that way, you know."
"Neither do I."
I pouted. I'm not yet so desperate that I get turned on by girls. Not yet, anyway.
"Do you think any other guy would just go along with all that, like 'well, guess I have to'?"
She pulled her hand away and tapped on her smartphone, then turned the screen toward me.
"...?!"
I was speechless.
A ridiculously cute boy gave a resigned little smile and said, "Guess I've got no choice," then struck a ridiculously provocative forward-bending pose.
"Wait, is he… braless?!"
"No bra. He noticed where I was looking, confirmed it, and then tilted his head like, 'Is there a problem?'—totally genuine."
"No no no no no…"
His yukata had slipped, revealing just enough to send a nosebleed rocketing from me—I covered my mouth instinctively.
"And that's your teaser~"
She pulled the phone back and tucked it into her pocket.
"That image…"
"No spreading it for now. Wait until everything's officially released."
Damn it. She was annoyingly strict at times like this.
Before I could even beg for a copy, the chance was gone.
"You're staying here too, right? So just see for yourself. I'm sure he'll come to the bath again."
"For real?!"
I leaned in, eyes sparkling with hope.
"You're the test subject, remember? Go verify it yourself."
She sighed and scolded me. Fair enough.