Tokyo: Oreimo

It was a rare day off, and he treated it as a vacation for himself.

If you clear your mind a bit, you might be able to create even faster when you get back to work. Staying at your desk all day will eventually lead to burnout and illness.

What is someone doing here all by themselves?

Saori's voice came from behind him, attracting Ryosuke to turn around.

She wasn't wearing clogs; she walked over and sat down next to him, barefoot on the tatami mat.

“Staring blankly,” Ryosuke said.

"I don't have time to daydream in Tokyo, and I have to daydream while I'm out having fun? Isn't that a waste?"

"No." Ryosuke looked at the river. "Daydreaming is also a form of relaxation."

"But you, aren't you going out for a stroll?"

He was somewhat hesitant to look at his close friend, given the ambiguous things that had happened between them the previous night.

It's definitely puberty; my body just keeps moving closer to me uncontrollably.

Last night, if I hadn't been woken up by Ling Nai's singing, we might have kissed.

Just thinking about it would be incredibly awkward if that were to actually happen.

Saori pursed her lips, didn't reply, and just shook her head.

'Being this slow-witted is almost a talent, isn't it? Shigaze, that guy.'

After a while, she suddenly spoke.

"Want to go soak in a hot spring together?"

"Ok?"

Ryosuke chuckled, "Stop joking like that, that's enough, isn't it?"

He remembered that before he went to Ureshino, this guy had said that there was a mixed-gender bath here, and told him to look forward to it.

But that's impossible, isn't it?

They're not boyfriend and girlfriend, and based on his understanding of Phoenix Saori, this girl just likes to act a little frivolous in words, but in reality, she's more conservative than anyone else in her actions.

"I'm not kidding."

Phoenix Inu Saori winked at him, her eyes filled with a mischievous smile.

Ryosuke stared at her for two seconds, then decisively turned his head away and looked back at the river.

"Do not believe."

"why?"

"Because you're the kind of person who, nine times out of ten, is just kidding me when you say things like that."

Saori tilted her head, a slight smile playing on her lips: "Isn't there one more time left?"

"..."

Ryosuke stared at her speechlessly.

When did this guy start liking to find loopholes in people's words? He clearly expressed a refusal.

"In short, I'm not interested for the time being..."

"It's so heartbreaking to have to muster up the courage to invite someone you like, only to be rejected."

Phoenix Inu Saori's face showed a wronged expression.

Ryosuke's lips twitched slightly as he watched. "You're really something else."

......

After chatting with Saori Hououin for a while, Ryosuke couldn't stand her provocative words any longer, so he went back to his room, opened the paper door, and buried himself in the bedding.

The pillow still had a faint soapy scent, just like the crisp, clean scent on Saori's body.

He turned over and stared blankly at the ceiling.

"This guy..."

Including the time spent online, it's been almost five years since I met Saori Phoenix.

Since meeting in person, he has almost forgotten what the other person looked like online.

"I thought he was a tech geek who hid in his room writing code, but I never expected him to look like this."

It says something like, "I mustered up the courage to invite someone, but they rejected me."

In his view, it was quite unbelievable that such words could be said so easily and casually.

"If she's serious, can I respond?"

Ryosuke placed the back of his hand on his forehead and closed his eyes for a moment.

He wasn't sure about this, given his current relationship with Saori Phoenix, which was more like that of close friends and business partners.

I don't like someone enough to make a move on them.

The room was so quiet that only the murmuring of the Ureshino River outside the window could be heard, occasionally punctuated by birdsong. Sunlight streamed in through the shoji paper doors, bathing the entire room in a gentle, warm yellow hue.

It's too quiet.

The quietness was so intense it made me a little restless.

He rolled over in the blanket, then rolled back over, and finally sat up, sitting cross-legged and staring blankly for a while.

"never mind."

Let's go soak in a hot spring.

Anyway, the luxury room has its own bamboo fence hot spring, and it's not like you're crowding into a public bath with other people. There's no need for socializing or small talk; you can just soak quietly by yourself.

It's a rare treat to come all this way, it would be a waste not to enjoy it.

He stood up and took out the yukata and hot spring towel provided by the hotel from the closet.

After changing my clothes, I pushed open the wooden door on the inside of the room that led to the semi-open-air hot spring, and a wave of warm steam rushed towards me.

This is a small hot spring pool enclosed by a bamboo fence, which can probably accommodate three or four people. The bottom of the pool is paved with pebbles, and hot spring water gurgles out from bamboo pipes.

The bamboo fence, about one and a half meters high, separates this small pool from the hot spring in the next room.

Through the gaps in the bamboo fence, you can vaguely see the mist rising from the pond next door.

It is said that this design is directly connected to the source of the public bath, and the water quality is exactly the same as that of the public bath, only made in a private form.

Ryosuke first scooped up a few ladles of hot spring water from a wooden bucket to rinse his body, then simply dried himself with a towel before slowly walking into the pool.

"call....."

The moment the warm spring water washed over my shoulders, it felt like all the muscles in my body were released from their restraints.

He rested the back of his head on a rock by the pool, tilted his head back, and looked up at the sky above, which was shrouded in a hazy blue mist.

Comfortable.

Sure enough, hot springs were invented for those who work at desks.

Ryosuke closed his eyes, letting his consciousness drift between warmth and daze.

A faint sound of water came from the other side of the bamboo fence.

It must be the guests in the next room who are getting into the water.

He didn't pay much attention and continued to half-close his eyes, enjoying this rare moment of relaxation.

Then.....

"Isn't it boring to soak in a hot spring all by yourself?"

The sound came from the other side of the bamboo fence.

A clear, slightly languid voice, so familiar it couldn't be more so.

Ryosuke suddenly opened his eyes, almost jumping out of the water.

"Phoenix Academy?!"

Chapter 178 Every word I said was not a joke.

Ryosuke turned his head and stared at the bamboo fence that served as a partition.

The mist swirled between the bamboo strips, completely obscuring the view of the other side, but he could feel the ripples of the hot spring water beneath him.

"Yes, it's me."

The voice on the other end was clearly tinged with laughter.

"What are you doing next door?!"

If I remember correctly, he also heard the hotel staff mention that the room next door had been booked by other guests long ago.

Phoenix Inu Saori chuckled softly.

“Because I booked it.” Saori’s tone was matter-of-fact. “Didn’t I tell you before we came to Ureshino that I wanted to go to the hot springs with you?”

"You said it, nine times out of ten it's a lie, but this time it's true."

“…”

Ryosuke opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.

A soft sound of water came from the other side of the bamboo fence, as if Saori had adjusted her posture.

"Phew, it's so quiet. A private hot spring is much better than a public bathhouse, at least I can be all by myself."

Am I not a human being?

Ryosuke raised an eyebrow.

There's a man right next to me, separated by just a wall. What is this guy thinking?

"You bastard, you didn't do this just to mess with me, did you?"

.....