Tokyo: Oreimo

"Later, we worked together on FSN, participated in CM Expo, founded a company together, and worked on Clannad together. I watched you get to where you are today, and I watched you go from a high school student who said you wanted to 'change the industry and bring a better world' to someone who is actually changing the industry."

Saori paused.

"I've been thinking about when would be the best time to say it. When the company is stable, when Madoka Magica is finished, when White Album is finished, when you graduate from high school... I'm always waiting for the 'right time'."

"But later I realized that there might not be a 'right time' and if I kept waiting, I might never get it."

There was a brief silence over the bamboo fence.

"So, now's the time. No matter what, you need to know about this."

Saori's voice softened, and she finally spoke the words that had been weighing on her heart for a long time, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

You don't need to answer me right away.

Before Ryosuke could speak, she added this sentence first.

“I’m not the kind of person who expects an immediate response from the other person if I say I like them, and you… are quite slow to react in this regard, I know that.”

As she spoke, a hint of helpless sarcasm crept into her tone.

"If you were asked to answer now, you would probably say 'I need to think about it' or 'I don't know,' and then spend several days thinking about it before finally giving me a very serious answer."

"That's fine too, but I'd prefer you to take your time to think it over."

"When you find yourself starting to care about something or someone, it's not too late to tell me then."

The sound of water came from the other side of the bamboo fence, and Saori seemed to have stood up.

"That's all I have to say."

Her voice returned to its usual light and cheerful tone.

"I'll be going now, I'll get dizzy if I soak for too long."

“You…” Ryosuke called out to her.

"When you say things like that, can you please not say them through a bamboo fence?"

Saori paused for a moment.

".....What's the meaning?"

“What I mean is,” Ryosuke’s voice held a hint of helpless laughter, “if you really want to confess, shouldn’t you at least look the other person in the face?”

There was a moment of silence on the other side of the bamboo fence.

"Shi Yuze, you always like to make unreasonable demands, but this time, I can grant your request."

Then, she heard the sound of Saori standing up from the hot spring, and the sound of her bare feet stepping on the wet stones, coming from next door.

Immediately afterward, the footsteps faded away, and Ryosuke heard the sound of his room door being opened.

In the misty hot spring steam, Saori appeared in his field of vision, wearing a white yukata, her wet hair draped over her shoulders, and her cheeks flushed from the steam of the hot spring.

She walked barefoot on the wet stone slabs to the edge of Ryosuke's hot spring pool and squatted down.

"Is this okay?" Saori tilted her head, a smile playing on her lips, but the blush on the tips of her ears betrayed her.

I'm not kidding...

Ryosuke has now confirmed that he was able to go this far, which means that Hououin Saori was not lying.

To be honest, he didn't expect this to happen.

Ryosuke had responded calmly to the two previous confessions from beautiful girls.

But this time his heart was beating too fast, simply because the woman in front of him was named Phoenix Inu Saori.

Ryosuke opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but his mind was a jumbled mess, and he couldn't find a suitable word.

It's been almost five years since I met Saori Hououin.

From online text communication to offline meetings, and then to working together on "FSN" and founding Aniplex...

This woman was always by his side.

Sharp-witted, occasionally frivolous, and always talking nonsense, but more reliable than anyone else when it matters.

Although Phoenix Inu Saori said that there was no need to answer immediately, it would be too unmanly of a girl to not respond immediately after she had mustered up the courage to express her feelings to him.

I was tempted by this at the offline barbecue restaurant on the first day of the CM exhibition. Now that I'm backed into a corner, there's no point in hesitating.

Ryosuke took a deep breath, walked to the edge of the hot spring, and took Phoenix Inu Saori's hand.

"Huh?"

Phoenix Inu Saori let out a gasp. This was the first time Ryosuke had ever heard such a panicked sound from her since they met.

Even through the steam rising from the hot spring, she could still inevitably see some blurry shadows beneath the surface of the water.

"Ha, we've come this far."

Ryosuke pulled her into the water.

The sound of splashing water was particularly clear in the tranquil hot spring pool.

Saori was pulled into the water, her white yukata instantly soaked through by the hot spring water, the fabric clinging to her body and outlining her graceful curves.

She instinctively grabbed Ryosuke's shoulder to barely steady herself.

"Shi Yuze!"

She looked up, as if to say something, but met Ryosuke's eyes.

Those eyes were so close.

Ryosuke's hand was still holding her wrist, and he could feel her pulse beating very fast, much faster than that of the Phoenix Inu Saori who always toyed with him with ease.

“You just said,” Ryosuke began slowly, “that I should take my time to think about it, and that I would tell you when I realized that I was starting to care about something or someone.”

"Ah."

"But I think we don't need to wait any longer."

Saori's pupils dilated slightly.

He paused.

"I think I've already started to care about you."

Saori opened her mouth, but her throat felt like it was blocked by something.

She wanted to say something to ease the tension that was making her heart race, and she wanted to use the phrase "You've finally figured it out" to cover up the emotions that were about to overflow, but the words just wouldn't come out.

“You asked me what I wanted to do last night, right?” Ryosuke lowered his head and pressed his forehead against hers. “Then I’ll answer you that way.”

"My decision."

Saori closed her eyes.

She could feel the tip of his nose gently brush against the bridge of her nose, feel his warm breath brush against her lips, and feel his hand slide from her wrist to her waist. Through the soaked bathrobe, the temperature was so hot that she felt like she was burning up.

Then come the lips.

Soft, with the mineral taste of hot spring water, it settles on the lips and teeth.

It was a real, determined kiss.

Saori's mind went blank with a "buzz".

She considered many possibilities.

I imagined him saying "Let me think about it," I imagined him saying "I can't answer you right now," I imagined him awkwardly changing the subject, and I even imagined him thinking she was joking as usual.

But she never expected him to kiss her directly.

This guy, who's so slow it's infuriating, is surprisingly sharp when it comes to this kind of thing.

Saori's hand slid from his shoulder to the back of his neck, her fingers running through his still-damp hair, responding to the kiss.

Hot spring water flowed between the two of them, and mist enveloped them. The sound of the Ureshino River gurgling could be heard from outside the bamboo fence.

After an unknown amount of time, the two parted ways.

Saori's lips were slightly swollen from the kisses, and her cheeks were flushed with a deeper blush than those from the hot spring. Her chest heaved violently, and the collar of her white yukata had slipped down a bit from the previous movements, revealing a section of her fair collarbone.

She looked up at Ryosuke and found him smiling at her.

"Then please take care of me from now on, Ms. Saori."

Chapter 180 We have a very good relationship now

The shopping street was more bustling than I had imagined.

On both sides are traditional wooden buildings with wind chimes hanging under the eaves, making a crisp sound when the wind blows.

There are old shops selling wagashi (Japanese sweets), pottery workshops, and a shop specializing in lucky cat figurines, with its window display filled with cats of different sizes and colors.

Rina Inoue lingered in a general store, picking up a handkerchief with a cat pattern, looking at it again and again, then putting it down and turning to look at the small wallet next to it.

Ling Nai followed behind her, her eyes scanning the goods on the shelves, but she didn't have much desire to buy anything.

"Takashiro-sensei, look at this!" Inoue Rina held up a small ceramic fox figurine. "Isn't it cute?"

"Hmm, quite cute."

"Is something on your mind, teacher?" Inoue Rina tilted her head to look at her. "You seem a little listless today."

"No, I didn't." Ling Nai picked up a rabbit figurine next to her and played with it for a moment. "I just drank too much last night and still have a hangover."

Her mind was filled with the image of herself clinging to Ryosuke last night, and she kept wondering if she had done something wrong.

I must have said something, but that guy didn't seem to have any special reaction.

What an annoying guy.

"Would you like some, teacher?" Inoue Rina took out a small bottle of honey yuzu tea from her bag. "It's very helpful for sobering up."

"Thank you."

Ling Nai took the bottle, unscrewed the cap, and took a sip.

It's sweet with a refreshing grapefruit scent, and it really soothes my throat.

"Teacher," Inoue Rina lowered her voice, a mischievous smile on her face, "Are the club president and Ms. Hououin... dating?"