Throughout the entire day, Shiina Chisa had been lost in a daze.
She hadn’t caught up on sleep, nor had she participated in any of the school trip activities.
Right now, her mind was filled only with thoughts of Suzuki Yuu.
What he said to her that morning had left her a bit shaken—he didn’t like being forced.
She had always known this.
But for some reason, she just became impulsive; she was truly afraid that Suzuki Yuu would run away.
In fact, when she saw the photo Jingu Tenon sent last night, she was extremely angry. Especially after her call was hung up, that anger reached its peak.
She wanted nothing more than to imprison Suzuki Yuu again, and this time, give him no chance—just take him straight to Hokkaido.
But now, she couldn’t do that; there were too many obstacles, and Suzuki Yuu definitely wouldn’t agree. After she tried it once before, he had stayed far away from her. If she did it again, would he distance himself even more?
The only way to solve this predicament was to make Suzuki Yuu fall for her.
But how could she make that happen?
She couldn’t think of any way to move Suzuki Yuu’s heart. Even during their most intimate six months together, his kindness to her seemed to exist only because of the rental agreement.
Shiina Chisa pondered this question all day, growing more and more exhausted. Perhaps she was reaching her limit, so she decided to go buy a cup of coffee.
However, just as she made her purchase, she saw Suzuki Yuu stumbling through the door.
With her limited experience… this seemed like a good opportunity.
At dusk, Suzuki Yuu, having just endured a severe beating, limped through the gates of “Katsuragawa Inn.”
With the lesson he’d learned before, he dared not entertain any bold thoughts now.
Yet, he was still worried about Shiina Chisa’s next move.
Just as he had said, he didn’t dislike Chisa; the reason he was unwilling to stay here was simply that he didn’t trust himself.
A single man and woman alone in a room—what if something actually happened?
However, to his surprise, when he entered, he did not see Shiina Chisa anywhere.
Was she busy with something?
Seeing this, the tension in his heart eased a little, and he turned his gaze toward the outdoor hot spring.
Yes, he really did need to relax.
But before doing anything, he remained on guard. The instant he left his room, he shut the door and locked it.
Doing his utmost to prevent anyone from barging in!
As he leaned against the rock at the edge of the bath, a surge of heat instantly wrapped around his entire body.
Suzuki Yuu let out a long breath, the white mist merging into the thick, inescapable steam around him.
At night, the bathhouse was completely empty—only himself. This allowed his taut nerves to relax a little.
The water was very hot; the scalding spring water made the injuries on his skin tingle slightly, but it didn’t matter—what he needed now was to clear his mind.
He closed his eyes and let his whole body sink lower, until the water reached up to his chin, letting time drift by, not knowing how long had passed.
“Splaaash—”
A sudden splash shattered Suzuki Yuu’s tranquility. He looked in surprise toward the source of the sound, and immediately saw Shiina Chisa soaking in the bath with him.
Suzuki Yuu’s mind went blank.
The steamy air of the hot spring seemed to freeze at that moment; he could hear the beating of his own heart with crystal clarity.
At that moment, the rippling water brought the girl’s figure before him.
Shiina Chisa wore only a bath towel, her damp long hair loosely tied behind her head, a few strands clinging to her pale neck.
Her face still looked tired, but her usual calm had returned.
At the same time, a faint blush spread across her delicate features. She seemed a bit scared, but also a little expectant.
“Yuu, good evening. I’ve been waiting for you.” She spoke softly, her voice sounding especially clear in the empty bathhouse. She slowly sank into the water, the edge of her towel soaking up the bath, clinging tightly to her graceful curves and outlining a faint, alluring silhouette beneath the surface.
Suzuki Yuu instinctively scooted back until his back was pressed firmly against the cold rock, leaving him nowhere to retreat. Forcing himself to calm down, he asked in a hoarse voice, “…How did you get in? I’m sure I locked the door.”
“Mm, the front door was locked.” Shiina Chisa nodded, as if talking about something trivial. “But the courtyard is connected here. I came in through the floor-to-ceiling window on the other side.”
Careless…
But it was understandable. In his exhausted state, Suzuki Yuu couldn’t think things through that thoroughly.
“You left so quickly this morning. Are you still avoiding me? Are you going to leave again later?”
As she spoke, she moved closer to him through the water.
“No, I just want to rest!”
Suzuki Yuu’s nerves were stretched taut. He stood up on reflex.
At once, the girl’s face seemed to flush even redder. She turned her gaze away.
Suzuki Yuu instantly realized his own state, forced himself to act calm, and sat right back down.
“Stay there. Don’t move.” Suzuki Yuu said, stopping her from coming any closer.
“Can’t I?” Shiina Chisa asked in a low voice.
Suzuki Yuu felt his throat go dry. The hot spring’s steam swirled around, mingling with the faint, clean fragrance coming from the girl.
“No.” In the end, he could only force out these two words, his voice even hoarser than he expected.
Perhaps seeing Suzuki Yuu’s struggle, Shiina Chisa gave a slight smile:
“But your body is being very honest.”
No kidding… who could endure this situation?
Suzuki Yuu cursed inwardly, then said helplessly,
“I didn’t come back at all last night because I was afraid something like this would happen.”
His tone was weary, and before she could reply, he continued,
“Please let me go. I don’t want to do anything to you.”
“Are you just stalling for time, planning to run away again?”
“Don’t joke. Given the situation, where could I even run to?”
Saying that, he closed his eyes.
Yet Suzuki Yuu’s mind was in chaos. He couldn’t help but imagine things he shouldn’t be imagining.
He kept sneaking glances at Chisa out of the corner of his eye.
At this moment, the girl had stopped moving, but she was still in the hot spring, her back to him. That snowy white back kept tugging at his heart.
It was torment.
And just then, Shiina Chisa looked at the boy trying so hard to restrain himself and felt a twinge of pity.
Why was he struggling so much? It was like there was a wall between them.
Was it that damned sense of morality of his?
If she got just a little closer, would it break down?
Would that make him fall for her?
She didn’t know the answer, but she decided to try.
“Splaaash—”
A soft splash sounded again, breaking the fragile calm Suzuki Yuu had finally managed to build.
He opened his eyes wide, discovering that the girl who had been facing away from him had, at some point, turned around and pressed up against him, gazing at him quietly.
The soft touch against his arm made Suzuki Yuu’s expression instantly turn serious.
What should I do? What am I supposed to do right now?
At this moment, Suzuki Yuu’s mind was racing at top speed, struggling not to lose his reason.
“2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 15… Wait, that’s wrong, I counted wrong, damn it, how can I shift my attention somewhere else?”
Suzuki Yuu felt his mind reach the breaking point.
But what awaited him was not an uncontrollable impulse, but a sudden wave of nausea and dizziness.
Wait, how long had he been soaking in the hot spring?
As that thought floated up from the depths of his mind, his vision started to spin wildly.
He tried to calm himself by taking deep breaths, but every breath he took was filled with scorching, humid air, making him even more dazed instead of calming him down.
“Yuu?”
Shiina Chisa’s voice seemed to come from very far away, tinged with confusion.
She seemed to sense something was wrong with him. The hands pressing against his arm unconsciously tightened a little.
He wanted to stand up and get out of this suffocating place, but his body felt as heavy as lead and wouldn’t obey at all.
“Yuu, Suzuki Yuu? Your face… it’s so red…”
Shiina Chisa’s voice was full of panic.
Suzuki Yuu’s world lost all balance. The roaring in his ears grew louder and louder, and finally, everything in front of him sank into endless darkness.
“Damn it, I think I’ve gotten heatstroke…”
That was his last thought before he fainted.