You covered his eyes, not daring to open them.
Then he felt a soft body press against him from behind.
Warm, misty with steam. Smooth and delicate. Even in the hot spring, her skin carried a faint coolness—that sensation, and those two peaks. You’s tactile threshold exploded instantly.
Chihaya’s voice came from beside his ear, still cool but laced with a tremor.
“You-kun… no, Divine Child. This is… the duty of a Divine Wife. Please don’t refuse.”
A different warmth pressed against him from the side.
It was Mai.
This was even more overwhelming. Her skin felt completely different from Chihaya’s—soft and warm, and because she was shy, she kept trembling slightly. You felt like he couldn’t hold on anymore.
She didn’t speak immediately, but You could feel her breath against his arm—rapid and hot.
After a few seconds, she finally spoke. Her voice was stammering, so quiet it was almost inaudible.
“Divine Child… hold me.”
You’s mind completely froze.
Most of his attention had been seized by the soft warmth beside him, but in one corner of his mind, a voice was screaming—
‘This isn’t right!’
‘Galgames don’t work like this!’
‘I’m supposed to raise affection points through daily conversations, trigger events, max out affection before special events, and only then get the special CG. How did we skip straight to the special CG?’
He had a strange intuition—if he went along with this now, the affection cap with the Mochizuki sisters would probably be locked forever.
So, even though a part of him desperately wanted to give in, he summoned all his willpower and dragged himself out of that paradise of softness.
He psyched himself up inside.
‘Think about what the protagonist in a galgame would say.’
‘One full meal versus endless meals—you have to know what’s more important, You.’
He took a deep breath.
Then he entered “Pretentious Mode.”
“Chihaya, Mai.”
He tried to keep his voice steady.
“Let go of me first.”
The two froze.
Then they let go at the same time.
In fact, if You had opened his eyes now, he would have seen the Mochizuki sisters’ faces so red they might catch fire. But he kept his eyes tightly shut and stepped back until his back hit the pool wall.
“Chihaya, Mai, this isn’t right.”
He organized his words.
“This kind of thing shouldn’t be just about duty, should it?”
Chihaya interrupted him, her voice still trembling.
“Divine Child, please don’t worry about our feelings. This is the Mochizuki family’s duty—Mai and I are doing this willingly.”
Mai’s voice followed immediately, a little louder than before.
“Sister’s right. This is our duty.”
You laughed.
He tried to make the laugh sound natural.
“Chihaya, Mai, if you were really willing, would you say things like ‘don’t worry about our feelings’ or ‘this is our duty’?”
Silence.
A long silence.
Steam rose between the three of them. You still had his eyes closed, but he could feel that his words had hit a nerve, like a needle piercing something vital.
Chihaya and Mai seemed choked by the question.
You breathed a sigh of relief.
‘Looks like the strategy worked.’
‘Now I need to get them to leave, or my physical reaction is going to give me away.’
He cleared his throat and continued, “Since neither of you objects—why don’t you leave first? You can change into yukata and come back down. Then I’ll be able to open my eyes, right?”
That little joke at the end made both sisters chuckle.
When You heard that, he let out a full sigh of relief.
‘That should have raised some affection points.’
‘Sigh, I have no experience. If only I had a system to quantify girls’ affection points right now.’
A rustling sound rose again.
Then footsteps, growing farther away.
The sound of a sliding door closing.
You waited about ten more seconds before slowly opening his eyes.
The hot spring pool was empty now, except for him. The water still rippled slightly, waves spreading outward. The light from the stone lantern across the way reflected on the surface, breaking into warm yellow patches.
He leaned back, tilted his head, and looked up at the night sky.
The moon had slipped out from behind the clouds at some point.
“That was close…”
He muttered, his voice unusually clear in the empty courtyard.
He glanced down at his reflection under the water, then quickly looked away.
‘Forget it. Don’t think about it.’
‘Just soak in the hot spring.’
‘Focus on soaking.’
***
You’s thoughts were pulled back by a few deliberate coughs.
He snapped out of it, realizing that it was no longer last night’s steamy, intimate hot spring evening.
Sunlight streamed through the paper sliding doors, cutting neat strips of light across the floor. Bamboo in the courtyard swayed gently in the wind, making a rustling sound.
Several people sat around the breakfast table. In front of him was the inn’s morning meal—grilled fish, miso soup, pickled vegetables, and white rice, all arranged on a single tray.
Across from him sat the Mochizuki sisters.
Chihaya sat perfectly straight, holding a bowl of miso soup. The steam had long faded, but she didn’t seem to have taken a sip. Mai sat beside her, poking at her rice with chopsticks, leaving it full of holes.
Both of them were staring at him, their eyes carrying a hint of reproach.
Chihaya cleared her throat, her red lips parting slightly.
Her voice was still pleasant, but her words had an edge.
“You-kun, what were you thinking about so early in the morning?”
She set down her soup bowl and traced a finger along its rim.
“Could it be… you’re thinking about last night?”
Mai’s gaze shifted too. Those big, bright eyes locked onto him with a dangerous glint.
You’s back went cold.
He remembered the scene on the Shinkansen yesterday—the Darkening image of the sisters joining forces to tickle his feet was still fresh in his mind.
“No, no!”
He shook his head vigorously.
“I was just thinking about where to go play today!”
He quickly shoveled a mouthful of rice, his cheeks puffed out, trying to change the subject.
“There are still plenty of places to visit in Hakone! Like that… what’s that lake called…”
“Lake Ashi.”
Chihaya answered flatly.
“Right, right, Lake Ashi! And that… what’s it called… Hakone Checkpoint Ruins—”
He talked while chewing, nearly spraying rice.
Chihaya frowned.
“You-kun, don’t talk like that while eating.”
He immediately corrected his behavior. He couldn’t help it—Chihaya’s vibe just now was way too much like his mom’s.
When Mai saw this, she burst out laughing.
Chihaya turned to her.
“And you, Mai, stop poking your rice.”
Mai wilted.
“Yes, Chihaya-nee.”
She started eating normally.
The atmosphere gradually returned to normal.
The Mochizuki sisters dropped their earlier demeanor, their faces slightly flushed as they continued eating. Chihaya took a sip of her miso soup, and Mai finally popped that piece of pickled vegetable into her mouth.
You sighed inwardly.
‘Why do these two girls seem to have gotten worse in attitude?’
‘No, wait—more like they’re moody. Why are they suddenly about to get angry?’
‘Did I make the wrong decision last night by trying to raise affection points?’
Obviously, our protagonist didn’t know one fact—
When a girl’s emotions get out of control around a specific guy, it’s often the beginning of falling in love.
If before, their hearts held only the generational duty to You and immense gratitude for the Divine Artifact he had bestowed, and last night’s offering was more out of duty and repayment, then after the conversation in the hot spring yesterday, the girls’ budding feelings had been touched.
Of course, he knew nothing.
You was busy shoveling rice when a familiar voice suddenly came from the doorway.
“Good morning, everyone~”
Clear, pleasant, with a hint of laziness.
“How did you ‘rest’ last night?”
She emphasized the word “last night.”
The piece of fish on You’s chopsticks fell back onto his plate.
Even he couldn’t hold it together this time.
“Miss Futaba!”
His voice rose a few decibels involuntarily.
“How are you at our room’s door?!”
He stared at the smiling figure in the doorway.
Futaba leaned against the doorframe, twirling a key in her hand, the white metal reflecting dazzling light in the sun.
“Where did you get the key to the Moon Residence’s courtyard?!”
Futaba’s smile was radiant.
“I just told the front desk that I’m your friend.”
She tilted her head.
“The auntie at the front desk last night didn’t believe me at first—so I acted a little cute, and she gave it to me.”
She stuck out her tongue, putting on an adorable expression.
“See? Like this.”
You cursed inwardly.
‘Damn it, can beautiful girls just get away with anything?’
‘I’m definitely filing a complaint!’
Chihaya set down her chopsticks, her brow slightly furrowed, but she said nothing. Mai, on the other hand, rested her chopsticks on her bowl, folded her hands on her knees, and wore an expression that said “I’m used to this.”
Futaba walked in without waiting for an invitation and found a seat at the table.
“Have you had breakfast?”
Chihaya asked.
“Not yet.”
“Then I’ll have them bring another serving.”
Chihaya’s tone was as flat as if she were commenting on the nice weather.
Futaba blinked, seeming a little surprised by Chihaya’s reaction, but quickly regained her smile.
“That would be great. Thanks.”