The Province of Fire, the City of Hot Springs—formerly known as the Land of Hot Water.
At this moment, Makoto was accompanying Rin as they strolled through the streets.
In truth, Konoha also had hot spring inns, and this small town was far less prosperous than Konoha.
However, being away from the village made many things more convenient.
For instance, there was no need to worry about running into acquaintances, which helped ease Rin's concerns.
The girl was brimming with joy as she pulled Makoto along, wandering around and occasionally stopping to play small street games like goldfish scooping and dart throwing.
Perhaps the activities themselves weren't all that interesting—what truly mattered was who she was spending time with.
By the afternoon, after finishing their stroll, Rin was completely immersed in the hot spring, soaking away the fatigue of the day.
Makoto, wrapped in a bath towel and carrying a bottle of sake, walked over.
"This is the women's bath. What are you doing here?"
Hearing the sound, Rin didn't even need to look to know who it was, and she questioned him immediately.
Makoto deliberately paused for a moment before replying, "Oh? Really? I thought this was the men's bath. Looks like I went to the wrong one."
He had booked the entire inn, and Rin was well aware of this.
Besides, it wasn't as if they hadn't seen each other in an unguarded state before.
Makoto placed the sake bottle by the edge of the pool and filled two cups.
Rin scoffed and said, "Could your acting be any worse?"
Makoto chuckled mischievously before slowly stepping into the hot spring.
The bath towel wrapped around his waist began to float and gradually came apart.
The hall was filled with swirling mist, making it difficult to see things clearly from a distance.
Rin placed the towel from her head in front of her chest and watched Makoto warily. "Why did you come in? Are you at least wearing underwear?"
Leaning against the edge of the hot spring with a cup of sake in hand, Makoto grinned and said, "Why don't you reach over and find out for yourself?"
To his surprise, a foot actually extended toward him, briefly touching his hip bone before withdrawing at lightning speed.
"Ugh, pervert!" Rin spat in disgust.
But Makoto smirked and countered, "What about you? Are you wearing anything? Let me check."
"Ah! Get away!"
Rin let out a startled cry, quickly retreating through the water.
Makoto, however, had only meant to tease her and made no real effort to chase after her.
Strangely enough, although Rin kept calling Makoto a scoundrel and a pervert, she made no move to wrap herself in a towel and leave.
Instead, she stayed and bickered with him.
Seeing Makoto quietly sipping his drink, she took the initiative to move closer, picked up the other cup, and took a small sip.
Taking advantage of the moment, Makoto reached underwater and wrapped an arm around her waist.
"Don't touch me," Rin glared at him.
"I'm not doing anything inappropriate. So you really are wearing something?"
Rin shot him a sidelong glance with her captivating eyes.
"Pervert!"
Makoto chuckled, setting his cup down before refilling hers, then pouring another for himself.
"Cheers."
Rin actually clinked glasses with him and mimicked his movements, tilting her head back to down the drink in one go.
Just as she caught her breath, that guy's face suddenly closed in, and his lips pressed firmly against hers.
Caught off guard, Rin instinctively leaned backward.
The cup in her hand slipped and fell into the hot spring with a splash, the sound of water rippling around them.
Makoto had her pinned against the edge of the spring.
Breathless, she gasped, "You bastard! Can't you wait until we're back in the room? Do you have to do this here?"
"I do what I want, where I want."
"...Pervert!"
The man in front of her was always so unreasonable, but sometimes, Rin found that she actually liked this side of him.
She always said she didn't want it, didn't like it, and told him to stay away from her.
But this guy never cared about any of that.
Every time, he would just domineeringly kiss her, silencing her half-hearted refusals and making her confront what she truly desired.
Compared to him, Obito's polite respect and restrained infatuation seemed utterly dull to Rin.
After their passion subsided, Makoto carried Rin back to the room and placed her on the tatami.
"Move in with me," he urged while sipping water.
It wasn't the first time he had brought this up.
Lying there with her hair scattered messily around her, Rin remained silent for a while before finally responding, "No."
Makoto sighed helplessly. "Why are you so stubborn?"
But Rin only smiled, her expression radiant and captivating.
"No matter what you say, I just don't want to live with those other women."
In her eyes, being his only one was impossible—so she would be the most special one to him instead.
She wanted to prove to Makoto through her actions that she wasn't like those other women who merely depended on him.
She and he were equals, in a relationship of mutual giving and taking.
Even when it came to something like sex, Rin's mindset was that, in the end, she wasn't the only one enjoying it.
After Makoto eventually understood her thoughts, aside from repeatedly trying to persuade her, he never truly forced her.
By evening, Makoto and Rin had flown back to Konoha.
At Makoto's speed, it only took a minute or two.
In front of her house, Rin noticed a potted plant on the ground with a small note attached.
"A windflower for you. You weren't home, so I left it here."
The signature at the bottom was from Obito.
"How devoted," Makoto remarked with a teasing smile.
Rin rolled her eyes at him. "Aren't you leaving? I'm going inside."
Makoto shrugged. "Alright, alright. I'm going."
Rin opened her door, picked up the potted plant, and stepped inside—deliberately closing the door behind her.
Makoto sighed helplessly and turned to leave.
But after taking only a few steps, he spotted a familiar figure in the distance.
"Obito."
"Your Majesty!"
Obito quickly approached and bowed in greeting.
"What a coincidence."
Makoto looked at Obito with a peculiar expression. "What are you doing here?"
Obito chuckled sheepishly. "Oh, nothing. Just wandering around."
"Is that so?" Makoto smirked knowingly.
"This place seems quite close to Rin's house."
Realizing he had been seen through, Obito didn't bother to hide it. "I was actually planning to visit her, but she hasn't been home all day. No idea where she went."
Of course, he had no way of knowing that his beloved goddess had been out all day playing with the very man standing in front of him.
Makoto said casually, "Oh? It's getting dark now—Rin should be back around this time, right?"
Obito nodded. "That's what I thought too, so I came to check."
Makoto chuckled and patted him on the shoulder. "That's some dedication. How long have you liked Rin?"
Obito blushed slightly and smiled. "Over ten years, since our school days."
"Then keep at it."
Receiving encouragement from His Majesty himself gave Obito a boost of confidence.
After Makoto left, he made his way toward Rin's house again.
When he arrived, he saw the lights inside were on, and the potted plant he had left outside was gone.
His heart surged with joy.
Excited, he quickly stepped up to Rin's door but forced himself to calm down.
What should he say when he saw her?
She probably hadn't eaten yet since she just got home…
Should he ask her out for dinner?
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