"So… you two are just embarrassed, huh?"
Shichen looked at them helplessly. He'd thought they might take the initiative a little.
"W–we are not embarrassed!" Kaguya snapped, turning her head away.
"Agreement. We simply have no prior experience with this sort of thing," Yuzuru added calmly.
"Sigh… You two hauled me in here for a bath, then followed me in. Don't tell me this was Reine's idea?" Shichen sighed and asked.
"Sensei said… this is what you like…" Kaguya muttered quietly.
"Confirmation. Shichen, you do indeed like us like this," Yuzuru said with certainty.
"Of course I like it. But did either of you bother to ask her about the rest of the etiquette?"
"Etiquette?" Kaguya turned back, eyes confused.
"Question. What etiquette?" Yuzuru asked.
"You two messed up the moment you walked in. You're not supposed to soak in a bath wrapped in towels—especially if you're here to 'show off your charms' to me," Shichen said sternly.
"W–what? We can't wear towels? Wouldn't that mean we're completely naked?!" Kaguya's face instantly went bright red.
"Aren't I, right now?" Shichen countered.
He had a towel, but it wasn't wrapped around his body. He really didn't have much to be shy about.
"Ugh…"
Prompted by that, Kaguya suddenly realized Shichen wasn't wearing anything under the water. She couldn't help lowering her head, peering at the surface.
Too bad the water was brownish and murky, and the steam was thick and hazy. It ruined the view.
Kaguya wasn't Shichen—she couldn't see through everything.
"Understood. So we're supposed to be completely naked? I see," Yuzuru said.
Just like Kaguya, she hadn't seen anything, so she nodded, then began to untie her towel.
"W–wait! Yuzuru, what are you doing?" Kaguya blurted, staring at her in disbelief.
You couldn't see anything under the water—
but above the water? You could see plenty. Yuzuru's movements were more than straightforward; she flipped the fold of the towel, revealing a large expanse of pale skin.
At any moment, something round and soft looked ready to bounce into view.
"Explanation. I'm taking my towel off. Is there a problem?" Yuzuru tilted her head at Kaguya.
"Y–you…" Kaguya was so flustered she couldn't form words.
"Mockery. Kaguya, are you embarrassed? If you don't even dare take off your towel, how do you expect to 'show your charms' to Shichen? You might as well surrender now."
"Who's embarrassed?!" Kaguya shouted back.
"Question. Then what are you hesitating for?"
"I…"
Yuzuru stopped paying her any mind, lifting her towel fully. One hand held it up and set it on the edge of the bath, while she sank down into the water, submerging everything below her collarbones.
She wasn't in any hurry. Shichen was treated to a very beautiful scene.
The bath really was hot; he suddenly felt like eating chilled cherries—
the kind where you pop two in your mouth at once.
Splash—
Yuzuru placed the towel aside, lowered her hand back into the water, leaned against the edge, and fell silent.
Judging by her expression, she looked calm, but the way her ears had gone red told the real story.
Even if her actions were bold, her heart was just as shy as any girl's—
it was just hard to tell on Yuzuru's usually blank face.
Kaguya, on the other hand, wore her emotions openly. Her feelings were written all over her face.
"I—I can do it too!"
Kaguya's competitive streak flared. In her fluster, she yanked her own towel loose in one go.
"See? Easy!"
She tossed the towel aside and put her hands on her hips, chin lifted proudly.
Shichen glanced at her and couldn't help thinking of a certain dessert—
rabbit-shaped snow mochi.
"Surprise. Kaguya, you…" Yuzuru stared at her, at a loss for words.
"Hmph! Now you see how impressive I am?" Kaguya still had no idea what the issue was, smug as ever.
"Reminder. No, what Yuzuru means is: Kaguya, you're completely exposed," Yuzuru said dully.
"Eh?"
Kaguya froze, then lowered her head. She found both Shichen and Yuzuru staring fixedly at… her chest.
She looked down—
and finally realized her situation.
"Kyaaaaaa!"
Splash!
Her shriek rang out as water surged; Kaguya vanished beneath the surface, leaving only a fan of orange hair floating on the water.
She'd ducked completely under.
Shichen watched the ripples and the spread of orange hair, shaking his head. Thankfully he'd thrown up a barrier the instant she screamed; otherwise that noise definitely would have drawn people in.
"Explanation. Kaguya is very easy to embarrass. Shichen, don't mind her too much," Yuzuru said suddenly.
"Oh? Now you're defending her?" Shichen looked at her.
"Explanation. Yuzuru simply wants a clean, fair victory."
"I see…"
"Puh—"
Kaguya finally couldn't hold her breath anymore and bobbed back up.
Her face was scarlet, water dripping down like she'd just been rinsed clean—
like a freshly washed red apple, bright and tempting.
Only her head was visible; under the surface, her arms were wrapped around her chest as she curled in on herself, glaring fiercely at Shichen.
"Y–you saw everything, didn't you?!"
"Unfortunately for you, my eyesight is pretty good," Shichen admitted.
"You… You saw all of me! You have to take responsibility!"
"Come on, just seeing you naked means I have to 'take responsibility'? In that case, I saw Yuzuru too—what then?"
"Eh?" Yuzuru let out a quiet sound, her speech pattern breaking for a second.
Shichen glanced back at her and saw that her usual sleepy look was gone; she was staring at him blankly.
"Question. When did you 'see all' of Yuzuru?"
"When you took your towel off, remember? You didn't cover anything."
"…"
"What? Yuzuru got seen too? You pervert! Degenerate!" Kaguya sputtered.
"Whoa, hey, don't pin this on me. You two insisted on coming in here to bathe with me. You two wanted to take off your towels. How is that my fault?" Shichen shot back.
"But! You're the one who said proper bath etiquette means no towels!"
"That's just a fact. But you could have kept them on, you know. It's not like there are strangers here."
"You… I…"
"Alright, enough dramatics. I've been as on-display as you have, you know."
"T–that's not the same!"
"How is it not the same? Ever heard of gender equality? Besides, you came here to show off your charms—that comes with the territory. I'm the one getting taken advantage of here."
"You…"
"Kaguya, calm down. At least Yuzuru isn't making a fuss. Look at her—did she freak out?"
"She's only like that because of her personality! She's absolutely not calm inside," Kaguya said, pointing accusingly at the still-silent Yuzuru.
"But at least she's not screaming her head off. That kind of calm is exactly what I like in a girl."
"You… I… I can be calm too!" Kaguya protested, flustered.
She scooted back to Shichen's side, pressing tightly against him again.
Her skin was unbelievably smooth, like she'd bathed in body wash itself—silky and warm.
"Mockery. Kaguya really has no charm at all," Yuzuru said mildly, now pressing against him from the other side.
"Nonsense! Shichen just hasn't noticed yet!"
Pinned between them, with nothing on either side, Shichen decided he couldn't just sit there and waste the situation.
It would be a crime not to do something with this setup.
"You two can argue later. Besides telling you to come bathe with me, did Reine say anything else?" Shichen asked.
"Um… Sensei said… we should help you relax, I think. But she didn't go into details," Kaguya said, tilting her head, trying to remember.
"Question. How exactly are we supposed to help you relax?" Yuzuru asked.
"Relax, huh? Yeah, you could say I'm feeling pretty worked up thanks to you two. I do need to unwind a little."
"Really? Then what should we do?"
"Promise. If it's to make it up to you, Yuzuru can do anything," Yuzuru said seriously.
"That so? Then…"
Shichen looked left and right at the two of them, then reached out and took each of their hands.
"What are you doing with my hand?"
"Use for it." He guided both their hands down onto his thigh.
"Reach forward a little."
"What are we… what is this?" Kaguya asked, baffled.
"Question. What are you hiding on your body?" Yuzuru narrowed her eyes at him.
"No need to ask. Just move your hands a bit. That'll be enough to help me relax," Shichen said calmly.
"I see. Then I'll go first—I'll have you relaxed in no time," Kaguya said, puffing herself up.
"Question. Why should Kaguya go first? Yuzuru should go first."
"No way. You're holding my hand."
"Confused. And what does that have to do with anything?"
"Ever heard of 'first come, first served'?"
"Unfamiliar. Yuzuru doesn't care."
They started bickering again, neither willing to back down.
"…Why don't you two just play rock-paper-scissors to decide who goes first?" Shichen said, the corner of his mouth twitching.