Night fell, starlight filled the sky, and the stone lamp posts around the hot spring pool in the garden officially activated, emitting orange-yellow light.
Murakami Yuu's mood was very subtle, and this subtle feeling came from his current environment and the person not far away.
Tachibana Rui was wrapped in a bath towel, sitting in the square hot spring pool, her flushed face showing a slightly unnatural expression.
"You were the one who said it was fine to soak together, but why do you look so tense after I entered the pool? Are you really okay?"
Murakami Yuu, shirtless on top with a towel around his lower body, teasingly called out to Tachibana Rui not far away.
"It's nothing. The water temperature of the hot spring is just a bit too high. It's not the tension you're talking about."
Tachibana Rui tightly gripped the bath towel on her body to prevent it from floating away in the hot spring pool, stubbornly denying it, but her inner thoughts were completely different from what she showed on the surface.
Shyness and uncertainty mixed with unease, just like that night when she first met Murakami Yuu.
The reason for the current situation was still her own doing.
Time rewinds one hour.
After Tachibana Hina enjoyed a full-body massage, she returned to the room. She had somehow bought a bag of beer from somewhere and, with peanut snacks while watching a comedy TV show, became somewhat tipsy after a few cans. Perhaps it was because driving earlier had been truly exhausting, or maybe the relaxing massage had been too comfortable - in any case, she soon fell asleep sprawled on the small table in the center of the room.
In response, Tachibana Rui took a thin blanket prepared by the hotel from the wardrobe, spread it on the floor, then lifted her sister under her arms and moved her over. Throughout this process, Murakami Yuu watched from the sidelines - he couldn't very well do anything to someone's drunk sister.
Of course, the main reason was that Tachibana Rui never asked for Murakami Yuu's assistance. If he had actively approached to help at that time, it would have given the impression of having ulterior motives, like wanting to take advantage of her sister.
In any case, the drunk sister fulfilled Tachibana Rui's earlier message prediction, and this fact came quite quickly. With the unconscious person lost in dreamland, excluding her, this room was only lively for a while when Tachibana Hina was drinking, then returned to being a place for two people to be alone.
"Want to take a dip?"
Tachibana Rui asked Murakami Yuu, referring to the hot spring pool in the room's garden.
"Since we're here, it wouldn't be good not to try it."
Murakami Yuu looked at the garden, which showed a completely different scenery from daytime, and his interest was indeed piqued.
"Tachibana Rui-san, you go first. I'll watch your sister. You can call me when you're done."
"Hmm..."
Tachibana Rui nodded, took yukata and towels from the wardrobe on the side, and was about to walk toward the bath when she suddenly thought of something. She knelt down beside Murakami Yuu again.
"What is it?"
Murakami Yuu looked at her and asked with some confusion.
"I feel something's strange."
Tachibana Rui answered.
"What do you mean?"
"That sliding door is transparent glass, right? When I'm soaking in the hot spring later, won't you be able to see everything clearly?"
"Don't worry, I'll keep my eyes fixed on the TV and won't deliberately look in your direction."
"Although I do trust you'll do that, I still feel somewhat uneasy for some reason."
Murakami Yuu laughed at this answer and spread his hands.
"Then what should we do?"
Tachibana Rui frowned and thought for a moment, then gave her answer:
"We should bathe together. That way, being in the same environment with the same position, I shouldn't have that weird feeling."
"Oh?"
Murakami Yuu touched his chin.
"I don't think that's a good idea. Having a man watching you up close would probably make you feel even more uneasy."
"It's fine. I'll properly wrap my body with a large bath towel, so the situation you mentioned won't occur."
"Would soaking in hot springs like that be comfortable?"
"Hot spring bathing is essentially about letting the hot spring water soak your entire body. A small bath towel can't hinder this process, so don't worry."
"If you put it that way, then do as you like. But what about your sister? Is it okay to leave her alone here?"
"Sister sleeps very soundly after drinking. We don't need to mind her. Besides, we can see the room from the hot spring, so nothing will happen."
Murakami Yuu stared at Tachibana Rui for a while, smiled, and nodded. With things said to this extent, he had no reason to have any concerns.
So the two took turns undressing and entering the pool, each occupying opposite corners and leaning there. Although they weren't naked facing each other, in Murakami Yuu's view, it wasn't much different.
Tachibana Rui felt somewhat regretful, as the bath towel clinging to her body in the water felt restrictive and wasn't very comfortable.
There was also a gaze from the person across from her that occasionally swept over her body, making her heart race and causing her to think wild thoughts.
Moreover, it was currently the high-temperature summer season, and the water temperature in the pool wasn't low either. The high temperature made her blood circulation accelerate, and under the dual influence of external physical and internal psychological factors, she now felt somewhat dizzy.
"...Tachibana Rui-san... Tachibana Rui..."
The slightly louder call brought her back to her senses, and she hastily responded.
"Are you okay? Your eyes were staring blankly at one point. I thought you were spacing out, but the situation seems off. You're not getting dizzy from the hot spring, are you?"
Murakami Yuu, who had stood up, slowly sat back down after seeing Tachibana Rui regain consciousness.
"Maybe. The water temperature is indeed a bit high."
"Don't force yourself. Hot springs are good, but if you overdo it, it becomes counterproductive."
"I understand, but I haven't been in the pool long. I want to soak a bit more."
"Well, pay attention to yourself."
Saying this, Murakami Yuu slowly submerged his entire body into the hot spring, leaving only his head floating on the surface, and let out a comfortable long sigh.
Although he had been in the pool for more than ten minutes, his palm skin showed no signs of wrinkling. He was beginning to appreciate this hot spring pool.
Compared to many so-called therapeutic natural hot springs that were just false advertising, this hot spring pool was truly sincere.
Tachibana Rui leaned to one side as her body temperature gradually rose, and the complex thoughts in her head gradually simplified. She unconsciously scooped up hot spring water with her hand and splashed it toward Murakami Yuu.
"You look like you're in a good mood."
Suddenly attacked, Murakami Yuu also stood up and shook his head, wiped the water from his face with his hand, and slicked back his wet bangs.
"Sorry, I just couldn't help myself seeing your leisurely appearance."
"Can I choose to return the favor in the same way?"
"No, please have some dignity as a man, Murakami Yuu-kun. Don't argue with a girl over such trivial matters. It would make you seem petty."
Tachibana Rui shook her head and responded in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Petty is fine. After all, I'm not the type of man who particularly cares about others' opinions."
"You, don't come over..."
Murakami Yuu took two steps toward Tachibana Rui's position, then ignored her pleas, stretched both hands into the water, and suddenly swept them out.
"There, now we're even."
Looking at Tachibana Rui's embarrassed appearance with her eyes closed and neck shrunk, Murakami Yuu nodded with satisfaction.
"Who says we're even? Just wait..."
After coming to her senses, Tachibana Rui showed a dangerous smile toward Murakami Yuu, but this smile was mixed with faint weakness.
She stood up and mimicked Murakami Yuu's posture, about to retaliate in kind, when suddenly her vision went black, then her head began to spin uncontrollably, her entire body lost balance, staggered two steps in place, and fell forward.
Murakami Yuu noticed something was wrong when she stood up, instinctively moved a few steps closer to her, and at this moment, with quick reflexes, stepped forward and caught her in his arms.
"I think... I'm a bit... dizzy from the hot spring..."
Tachibana Rui, with her hands on Murakami Yuu's chest, said this with her remaining consciousness.
"Are you an idiot? I told you not to force yourself."
Murakami Yuu was somewhat helpless.
Carrying the dizzy Tachibana Rui to a wooden bench on one side of the garden, looking at her lying there with an impossibly red face, he found himself in a difficult position.
What to do about this tightly wrapped, soaking wet bath towel...
"Rui, can you dry yourself?"
Murakami Yuu crouched down halfway, unconsciously using an intimate form of address.
"Mmm..."
Tachibana Rui was breathing rapidly. After hearing Murakami Yuu's voice, she slowly nodded.
"That's best. I'll get you a towel. After drying yourself and changing into yukata, go back to the room and hydrate. You should recover soon."
Murakami Yuu turned to get a dry towel from the wooden clothes rack on the side. The moment he turned back, his heart began beating strongly.
"Mmm..."
Just as he had turned around, Tachibana Rui, apparently finding the bath towel on her body somewhat stifling, had already removed it from one side of her body.
She had her eyes closed, her chest rising and falling slightly with small breaths, revealing completely unguarded body curves.
Taking a deep breath to suppress the three or four positions that had instantly flashed through his mind, Murakami Yuu casually covered her with the towel in his hand.
If this were normally Tachibana Rui daring to display such a posture to him, he would definitely take action without a second thought, because any fool would know what she was trying to express.
But the current Tachibana Rui was in a confused state. Although the message she sent inviting him here seemed to have deeper meaning, at least her current behavior wasn't from her own active desire. If he acted on the wrong instructions from a brain invaded by sperm at this time, Murakami Yuu would look down on himself - that would be too low-class.
The phrase "acquire through proper means" doesn't only apply to wealth.
"Hey, wake up!"
Murakami Yuu pulled his gaze back from Tachibana Rui's body and focused on her face. He gently patted Tachibana Rui's face, and seeing no effect, pinched hard.
"Mmm..."
Under the stimulation of pain, Tachibana Rui half-opened her eyes. Seeing Murakami Yuu's face so close, her vacant pupils filled with inexplicable meaning.
She curved her lips in a silly smile while raising her arm to Murakami Yuu's head and began ruffling his hair.
Murakami Yuu: "..."
Catching that mischievous hand, he brought it to his mouth and bit it lightly.
"Ah!"
The slight pain completely restored clarity to Tachibana Rui's head.
"Do you need me to help dry your body?"
Murakami Yuu looked at her with a half-smile.
"No need, I'll do it myself!"
After being slightly stunned and understanding the situation, Tachibana Rui covered her chest with both hands while pressing her legs tightly together.
"Okay, I'll turn around. Call out when you're done, and I'll hand you the yukata."
"Mmm..."
Murakami Yuu turned around, and hearing the sounds of body drying behind him inevitably caused various chaotic thoughts to emerge.
He somewhat regretted this hot spring trip. If nothing else, being able to look but not touch was truly painful.
Perhaps he should find someone who could provide mutual comfort in normal situations but wouldn't interfere with his life at crucial moments - that kind of mutually helpful relationship.
Murakami Yuu seriously considered this in his mind.
"Um, you can hand me the yukata now."
A weak, timid voice came from behind.
Damn, I really want to devour her...
Murakami Yuu passed the yukata backward.
"Okay."
That was pretty quick.
Murakami Yuu turned around.
"Close your eyes for a moment. I'll also change clothes."
Tachibana Rui quickly complied and lowered her head.
After quickly drying himself and changing clothes, Murakami Yuu helped Tachibana Rui, who wasn't in good condition and had weak legs, back to the room.
"Anyway, drink some water first. The room is much cooler than outside, so you should recover quickly. If you're really dizzy, you can sleep for a while."
"Okay, good."
Tachibana Rui took the water Murakami Yuu handed her, sipped it slowly, and gradually lay down on the tatami.
"There, this should be more comfortable."
Murakami Yuu came to Tachibana Rui's side, lifted her upper body, and placed a pillow under her head.
"Thank you."
Tachibana Rui felt very shy about his behavior, but fortunately, the light red color from the hot spring bathing all over her body masked this emotion.
Due to her dizzy head, Tachibana Rui quickly fell into sleep again, her breathing gradually becoming barely audible.
Great, you said your sister would fall asleep easily, but you fell asleep first - what's that about? Speaking of which, what did I come here for today?!
Silently complaining in his mind, Murakami Yuu first adjusted the air conditioning temperature up a bit, then turned off the main lights in the room and the pillar lights in the garden, leaving only a few small lighting sources.
He slowly moved the small tea table to the transparent sliding door and placed all the remaining canned beer that Tachibana Hina had bought on it.
"Let's have a drink..."
Murakami Yuu sat cross-legged beside it, looking at the starry sky, opened a can of beer, took a sip, and said softly:
"Hey, Tachibana Hina-san who's pretending to sleep over there, doesn't it feel uncomfortable staying motionless like that?"
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