"Lucky you… I was late, so…"
The words slipped out before I could stop them—half a grumble, half a sigh.
"Oh no, what a shame."
Her tone was lighter than expected, but it didn't feel dismissive. It was just… spirited.
"Were you busy?"
"Yeah, work piled up. Barely got any sleep, honestly."
An excuse tumbled out of my mouth. Complaining wouldn't change anything, but I was exhausted—physically and mentally.
My job had me buried in a borderline-black schedule. I worked full overtime, cranked out everything on my plate, tossed it over with a "please check," and while waiting for feedback, I stumbled across a post about that image on the forum. Running on late-night adrenaline, I dove into full analysis mode, posted my findings, and the reactions confirmed everything. That's when I scrambled to make a reservation—most slots were already full. In a panic, I fired off a paid leave request I'd never used before to my boss, and somehow, everything wrapped up by dawn.
I thought I'd get there early and take my time, but I dozed off waiting for the train, totally missed my buffer time, and ended up arriving right on schedule. Technically not late, but somehow it still felt like a loss. Totally unfair.
But yeah, I lost.
I'd hoped to arrive early enough to look around in the daylight, but nope—straight to the bath. After this, it's dinner, then crash. That's the plan.
Huh, I wanted a life where I could goof off playing ping-pong at the onsen…
Well, since my original goal's out of reach, time to set a new one!
"But hey, I think you just missed one chance. There'll probably be another. If you ask, he'll likely say yes."
"…Come again?"
Those words were too juicy to ignore. I whipped my head around.
"Eep?!"
Splash.
Startled, the smaller girl flinched and backed up, causing a little wave in the water. Then she scurried behind the taller one for cover.
"Don't be so jumpy. I'm not gonna bite."
"I mean, of course you wouldn't bite."
Even as I said it, I couldn't help but growl playfully, "grrr~" just to tease. I was riding the high of post-night-shift exhaustion.
Weirdly enough, at this point, my mood swings between extreme highs and lows. Talking about non-work stuff is kind of therapeutic, actually. So yeah, I'm having fun right now.
"Anyway, tell me more!"
No time for distractions—this is the important part.
"The guy everyone's been talking about—Hisui—he's super kind and generous. He's especially nice to women."
"Feels like, if you ask nicely, he'll totally hug you."
They took turns explaining, almost in sync. Pretty close, those two.
"Feels like?"
"Yeah, like, it's not 100% guaranteed or anything."
"Well, obviously…"
I found myself pouting a little.
"So… what kind of person is he, anyway?"
I threw out another question.
"Height-wise, he's surprisingly short. Kinda cute, really."
"About the same as me, maybe?"
That got my attention. I looked her over.
She was petite, for a girl. I started wondering what he'd feel like to hug—how well he'd fit in someone's arms.
Before I realized it, my hand reached out.
"Mind if I…?"
"Eh?!"
She made a weird noise, but I went ahead and hugged her anyway.
Hmm. Light. Soft. Familiar. Like any other average girl, really. Brought back memories of goofing around back in school.
Close, but not quite it. We're adults now. I let her go while thinking back on those good old days.
"What was that for all of a sudden?!"
She looked at me, half-exasperated, half-pouty.
"Oh come on, we're both girls. Doesn't count, doesn't count."
I waved it off like it was no big deal. Which… okay, maybe it was a bit much, but it's not like I'm into girls or anything. Just friendly stuff. Once you've bathed together, it's practically sisterhood, right?
Honestly, between women, there's so little tension it barely matters. No sexual harassment vibes or anything. At most, people just think you're a bit clingy. Harmless.
If I'd done that to a guy though? Yeah, instant jail.
"Sorry. You said we were the same size, and I just kinda…"
I apologized again.
"That doesn't mean you can just hug me out of the blue…"
She was still pouting, but didn't seem all that mad. I'll take that as a win.
"Hugging a girl doesn't really compare anyway,"
the taller one added with a sigh.
"Figured as much…"
I sank a little at her words. Lack of sleep always throws my mood into a rollercoaster. I wouldn't say I'm bipolar, but people assume stuff like that and it messes with your job prospects. I've never even been to a psych clinic, for the record.
Still… missing that hug-fest with that guy? Huge regret.
"The real thing… it makes your heart flutter."
"It's that good?"
"He's stronger than he looks, holds you tight, but somehow it still feels so gentle…"
She was full-on swooning. I was jealous.
"And he smells nice too… My heart does flips."
"Ugh… lucky you…"
I let out a groan and sank into the water, blowing a few sad bubbles.
"So, how exactly do you ask him?"
I resurfaced with a splash, brushed my hair back, and pushed the conversation forward.
Now we're getting to the good stuff.
Rustle.
Suddenly, I heard a murmur—like more people were coming in.
"Still, this place is really out of the way, huh?"
The voice echoed. A little loud.
Hmm? That voice… kinda deep.
Doesn't sound like a girl. Wait—is that him?
What if it's the guy?
And if he catches us here in a mixed bath, would I get labeled a perv?!
Panic mode: activated. Without thinking, I grabbed both girls by the hands and dragged them into a corner out of view from the entrance.