The timeline rewinds to just before Shou and Erio discreetly retreated from the men's bath. In the women's bath, a succession of women, clad in nothing, were entering. Unlike the men's bath, where there were only two people, this one was fully utilizing its spaciousness.
Before even getting into the tub, they were so impatient that they were washing themselves a bit more haphazardly than usual.
"Yay! First one in!"
"Rio, wait!"
And with that, the kids energetically jumped into the tub. Rio, the most energetic among them, was in the lead, followed by Vivio.
"Vivio! You shouldn't do that!"
Teana chastised their boisterous behavior. Nanoha and Fate weren't with them as they were helping with cleanup. So, among them, Teana, Subaru, and Nove were the oldest.
"Now, now, let them have their fun for a bit."
"That's not an option, Nove. Even though they're the same age, Corona and Kuro are completely different."
She sighed, looking at the two who were relatively calm.
"Haha... but that's what makes those two so great."
"I'm excited, too, but I wouldn't get that worked up like a child."
In contrast, Corona and Kuro seemed calm. One way or another, this group was balanced out.
"Wow! The temperature is perfect!"
The two girls, who had been listening to Teana's caution, dipped their feet into the tub. They shivered for a moment from the warmth before immersing themselves up to their shoulders.
One by one, the rest followed, getting into the hot spring. Everyone had a similar reaction. They stretched out their bodies and then relaxed. It was a magnificent hot spring where they could fully stretch their limbs, unlike a bath at home, so it was impossible for the women not to feel a thrill.
"Ah... I feel so alive..."
Among them, Subaru's way of relaxing was a sight to behold. She arched her supple, trained body, and the two large mounds floating on the water's surface gathered killing intent from several people.
"How's the water, everyone?"
"It's the best!!!"
"The temperature is different depending on the spot, and there's a waterfall bath over there, too."
Lutecia, who had just entered, asked everyone, and she received a perfect, three-star response.
She nodded, satisfied with their reaction, and then grinned slyly.
"Well then, it's a little early, but shall we start the main event of the trip?"
Lutecia took action. She had prepared meticulously for this as the main dish of the evening.
"The main event? Lutecia, what are you talking about?"
"Well, I guess the hot spring could be considered the main event of the trip..."
"Nonono! That's not it, Asuna-san! And you're not getting it! There's only one main event of a trip, from ancient to modern times! It's love talk!"
"Ah..."
Asuna's face twitched as she understood. Considering her own situation, it would be difficult for her to bring up the topic herself. However, as a girl of her age and in a position where most of the people around her are rivals, she can't avoid the topic.
In the war of love, information is vital.
She immersed herself in the tub, pretending to be perfectly calm.
(Hehehe, the magical formula is active without any problems. Come on, come on! I wonder what kind of reactions I'll get!)
The culprit for all this was this girl, Lutecia.
This open-air bath had several magical spells cast on it.
One was the soundproofing magic that Shou had also thought of. It was a high-performance spell that completely blocked sound. The only problem was that it only blocked sound from the men's bath to the women's bath. In other words, the voices from the women's bath were leaking out completely.
The other was sound-gathering magic. This was to pick up the voices of people who were far away. Thanks to this magic, even normal conversations could be delivered to the men's bath without a single word being missed.
By now, Lutecia's summoned beast was probably revealing the secret in the men's bath. This was an action based on the idea that Erio would have an amusing reaction after getting out of the hot spring, but there was an even better catch waiting for her.
(I can't believe the new guests are this interesting!)
The gender ratio was unexpected. Lutecia thought Erio was a special case, but she never imagined there would be someone who surpassed him! And unlike the single-minded Erio, he had a real harem. As a girl her age, she couldn't help but be interested.
First, she'd try the classic route.
"So, Caro, have you and Erio made any progress?"
"M-me? I wouldn't say so... We don't really talk about things like that..."
"Have you ever tried to make a move on him?"
"I haven't..."
It seems Erio still has a long way to go. There doesn't seem to be any interesting reactions to be had from this. Lutecia moved on to the next one.
"Vivio and the others, do you have anyone you like?"
"Eh! No one like that!"
"Yeah. We're having fun with martial arts right now!"
"I've heard some of the girls in my class talk about it..."
Vivio, Rio, and Corona answered in order. All three are elementary school students. They're probably still new to things like that. The precocious ones might be just entering that phase.
"By the way, what about you, Einhart-san?"
"No, I haven't really... I've been training in Haou-ryu all this time."
"I see..."
Lutecia's shoulders slumped a little, as she didn't get the answer she was hoping for.
"But, but! Kuro-chan is different!"
"Ooh! So you have a boy you're interested in!"
Lutecia jumped on it as if she had been waiting for this.
"Not just interested! It's someone I love!"
"And who is that person?!"
"It's my big brother, of course!"
(((((I KNEW IT)))))
Everyone's inner thoughts became one.
"But aren't you two siblings?"
Teana raised a natural question.
"We're not blood-related, and I haven't been adopted. There's no legal connection. So it's not a problem."
"But if Yozuki-kun were to do something, it would cause a lot of problems."
"It doesn't matter. As long as there's love between us."
She was a runaway train. Even Shou wouldn't go as far as to break the law.
"Well, there are a lot of rivals, though."
At those words, some people lowered their heads, some gave ambiguous smiles, and others gave provocative, cheerful smiles.
The fact that there were many rivals was clear from what happened at the BBQ. This is getting interesting, Lutecia thought, but a certain girl poured cold water on her enthusiasm. A girl who had taken off her small horn-like hairpins and was keeping her pink hair from getting wet—Aria.
"Sigh... You're all so silly. Romance is pointless."
Aria let out a big sigh.
"Huh, don't you have those kinds of feelings, Kanzaki-san?"
"Of course not! If I brought those emotions into this world, it would only increase the danger. He's just a partner! Nothing more, nothing less!"
"Partner?!"
At this moment, Aria said "partner" in a familial sense. In other words, a relationship like Holmes and Watson, who solve cases together. There was no romantic meaning to it at all. However, if someone who didn't know heard her, they would think she was full of contradictions. It makes no sense to say you don't like someone but they're your partner.
Even if Aria didn't intend it, it caused a misunderstanding.
"P-partner, what does that mean? Are you saying that you think kids' romance is pointless and that you've already found your life partner in him?"
"Ha--- hahahahahaa!? Th-that's not what I meant at all! What are you talking about, kid?!"
If you asked her if she really didn't have those feelings, even she wouldn't know. At least, the way her face turned bright red as she rambled suggested otherwise.
No one pointed that out. If they were to, it would be from a different direction.
"Come on, Lutecia, that's not nice. If you look at Aria, you can tell she's not that old, can't you?"
"Huh? Oh, b-but... wait?"
When Riko said that, Lutecia almost agreed... and then tilted her head. She had been wearing the Butei High uniform at the BBQ. However, the build and development of the Aria in front of her seemed honestly too childish compared to herself.
"I'm the same age as you...!"
"Oh? Is that so? But looking at you now, you're really flat-chested, aren't you? If there's nothing to push together, there's no point in using a push-up bra---"
"I'll kill you!"
They started a catfight, grabbing at each other, both completely naked.
Leaving the two of them alone, Lutecia continued the conversation.
"By the way, who has the longest relationship with Shou-san here?"
"Oh, that would be me."
"Of course, it's me."
"Huh?"
Yukina and Sakura spoke up at the same time.
"Um, Sakura-san, it's me, right? I've been with him ever since we came to this island."
"Since we came to this island, that might be true. But I was saved by him when I was five. If you think about it from then, it's been a whole decade, hasn't it?"
"Ugh..."
Yukina's momentum weakened from Sakura's argument. By the way, Yukina was the first one to be summoned, but there was only a difference of a few hours between her and Kuro, who was summoned next. So, from Kuro's perspective,
(Putting Sakura aside, she gets so worked up over something like this. I guess Yukina has that kind of pride, too.)
She thought to herself.
For both Yukina and Shou, they were each other's first, so it wasn't wrong to say they were special to each other.
"To think that you would measure love by its duration is a sign of your immaturity."
The one who cut in was Alter. Her pale skin was flushed just a little.
"To compete over something so trivial reveals your shallowness, doesn't it?"
"You're competing too, Alter..."
Saber muttered. It seems these two have different shortcomings. There are times when Alter acts like the older sister, and times when Saber does.
Watching them argue, Lutecia asked something that had been on her mind.
"By the way, has no one confessed to him?"
At Lutecia's casual remark, the previous argument died down instantly.
Confession. Of course, not a confession of sin, but of love. How should they answer this? Shou already knew the girls' feelings. In fact, he had been intimate with them. But that was due to special circumstances that they couldn't tell others.
(It's probably better to say we haven't...)
"What are you saying? While it's true that I am the best, the others--- O-oi! What are you doing!"
As soon as Alter was about to say something stupid, everyone held her down. With the sudden disrespect, Alter couldn't continue.
"I never thought I would be at a disadvantage because of a matter of time."
"It's rare for you to say something like that, Kurumi-chan, isn't it?"
Asuna and Kurumi, who were a little more relaxed, watched the situation unfold from a distance.
"Oh my, even I have my pride. Isn't that right, Asuna-san?"
"Well, that's true..."
There seemed to be a big difference in how they held their composure.
"I don't think Yozuki Shou is that great of a man."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
At those words, the area fell silent again.
This time, the voice came from a different direction. It was Yami, who was pulled into the bath with everyone by Vivio. Unlike Aria, she had a cold look in her eyes as she listened to the conversation.
At her words, Kuro got confrontational. Surprisingly, Alter didn't say anything.
"Is there something you don't like about him?"
"Of course there is... That man, he peeked at my underwear during a battle."
"Huh?"
The unexpected confession left everyone's minds blank.
"It was the first time I've ever experienced such a humiliation during a fight. And he even used that opportunity to attack...!"
You might think she's dwelling on something that happened so long ago, but for a woman, that memory was apparently very vivid.
The other women gave a wry smile, thinking they couldn't defend him on this one. And the punishment was decided.
"I don't understand what's so great about a pervert like that."
To defend Shou's honor, he wasn't trying to peek. Yami, who was flying around in a short skirt, should have some responsibility for that. And it's Yami's fault for being flustered over something as minor as her underwear, especially since she's a renowned assassin from the world of darkness.
"Th-that's not true!"
Here, Kirin, brave as she was, stood up to deny it. She stood with her hands clasped in front of her chest. Normally, she would never speak up. Not unless it was someone she knew well and about Shou.
Everyone's eyes focused on Kirin. She seemed to be excited and wasn't flustered by their stares. However,
"Even when I told Shou-san he could touch my chest, he didn't!"
"Whaaaat?!"
Perhaps she shouldn't have said that.
"K-Kirin-chan? When did you say that...?"
There was a surprise contender here, too. Well, it was obvious from Kirin's reaction, but no one thought she was the type of person to resort to such a tactic.
Asuna also became cautious.
By the way, it should be noted that no one thought, 'Could Shou be... into guys?' after hearing Kirin's words. And hearing that story, a certain sense of relief blossomed among the women. That even though Shou had relationships with multiple women, he had his boundaries.
"Eh, wait? W-what did I just... what did I say... ah, ahhhh, whoosh."
Kirin, her face bright red, sank into the water like a deflating balloon.
"Waaah! Kirin-chan is getting a heat stroke!"
"Pull her out quickly! She's going to drown!"
The girls around her started making a ruckus.
"I'd say... that girl is really something else..."
"I know, right? But, you know, they can only date one person, so it's going to be a tough road from here on out."
Teana, who had been completely left out of the conversation due to the power of the girls in love, and Subaru, who wasn't very interested in the first place, shared their thoughts.
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