"Phew…"
Leaning back against the pool wall, Kagura sank into the pleasantly warm water and let out a long, satisfied breath.
They'd come early, so for now it was just her and Nature in the pool—no one else had arrived yet. And honestly? It felt incredible. The temperature was perfect: not so hot you wanted to jump out, not so cool it made you shiver. The kind of soak that made your whole body finally unclench.
Unlike Kagura, who looked completely at ease, Nature was stiff with tension, like she wanted to sink under the surface and vanish.
"Nature, if you soak like that, you'll get dizzy."
Kagura wasn't sure if this was Nature's first time with anything like a hot spring, so she gently reminded her to take it easy.
"I know…"
Nature pushed herself up a little.
It really was her first time doing something like this—soaking in a hot spring. And she was doing it with her best friend.
Does this count as… bathing with Kagura?
She couldn't help remembering the last time they'd video-called while bathing. Back then, at least there'd been a screen between them. This time, there was nothing.
If you went by Trainer Minamizaka's words, this was "being honest with each other," right?
Well… maybe not. They were still wearing swimsuits.
"Nature, why are you red as a boiled lobster? Are you okay? Does anything hurt?"
Nature's flush looked a little too intense—her exposed skin had turned faintly pink, too. Worried, Kagura swam over. One hand rested lightly on Nature's shoulder; with the other, she brushed Nature's hair aside and pressed her forehead to Nature's.
"Ah…"
Maybe it was her imagination, but Nature seemed to jolt the moment Kagura leaned in. Her hands lifted halfway—like she was about to push Kagura away—then froze in midair.
"I-I'm fine! R-really! Nothing's wrong! Don't worry about me!"
A beat later, Nature couldn't take it anymore. She hurriedly backed away, slipping out of Kagura's reach.
"Really? If you start feeling weird, tell me right away, okay?"
Nature waved both hands frantically. Kagura hadn't felt anything alarming just now, so she didn't push further.
Only when Kagura's expression softened did Nature finally let herself breathe out.
She tried to calm down, but her eyes still kept drifting back to Kagura—like Kagura had some kind of pull she couldn't resist.
Thinking back to that touch… Kagura had done it without hesitation. No guard at all. The kind of instinctive concern you only show someone you trust completely.
She was just checking on me. Don't make it into something else. Don't—don't—!
Nature forced the thoughts down and managed to steady herself, scooting back into place beside Kagura.
"By the way, Nature—you've been with Trainer Minamizaka's team for a while now. Have you decided when you want to debut?"
"About debut… I asked Trainer Minamizaka. He said to wait a little—don't rush. Not everyone can debut as fast as you, Kagura."
Trainer Minamizaka had explained it plainly: Nature's condition still wasn't at its best, so he wanted her fully ready before she debuted. And Kagura—he'd said it too—early bloomers like her were rare. Nature shouldn't use Kagura as her yardstick.
Kagura didn't read too much into it. She knew Trainer Minamizaka cared about Nature—treated her like a daughter. He had his reasons, and it wasn't Kagura's place to question them.
"Speaking of which—your debut race was so cool! We all crammed into Tojo-san's room to watch, and by the end we weren't even talking—we were just screaming. You were amazing!"
"I-is it really that dramatic…"
Kagura rubbed at her hair without thinking. She agreed the gap had been huge, but being praised that directly still made her ears heat up.
"Of course it is! If we weren't training the next day, I would've run over and lifted you up and tossed you around to celebrate!"
As she said it, Nature even stood up and mimed it with exaggerated enthusiasm—then caught Kagura looking at her with a small, amused expression.
Nature's face went bright red again. She immediately squatted back down into the water.
To be honest, Nature didn't think she was the shy type. She didn't get why Kagura made her this easily flustered. And every time she blushed, Kagura would smile and reassure her—somehow making it worse.
"Pfft… I'm not even the one who got shy, and you're the one turning red first." Kagura's smile softened. "But I'm really happy. Thanks for cheering me on so much."
Nature's reaction was so cute that Kagura couldn't resist reaching out to pinch her cheeks and give them a gentle knead.
"Ah—!"
Nature's face went even hotter.
"I-I'm done soaking! I'm… I'm going out first! When you come out, Kagura, just call me, okay?"
Before her thoughts could go anywhere even more dangerous, Nature made a clean getaway—standing up quickly and turning to leave.
"Yeah? I'm about done too…" Kagura rose as well, stretching lazily. "Let's go together~"
The soak was wonderful, but staying too long wasn't good. Kagura had been counting time in her head—this was enough.
...
After soaking, Kagura and Nature left the hot pool together and headed upstairs.
On the way out, they ran into Ardan and Mejiro Ramonu coming down with towels and fresh clothes in hand. Kagura had wanted to soak with everyone, but the timing just hadn't worked out. She couldn't exactly drag Nature back in for a second round, so she could only say goodbye to the two Mejiro girls with a little regret.
Since it still wasn't time for their appointment yet—and Kagura said she wanted to lie down and relax for a bit—Nature chose to head back to her room first. Honestly, even if Kagura hadn't said anything, Nature had planned to go calm down anyway. She didn't want Kagura seeing her "boiled lobster" state again and laughing at her.
"Ugh… I embarrassed myself in front of Kagura again…"
Sprawled on her bed, feeling the cool breath of the AC brush her cheeks, Nature hugged her pillow tight and rolled around with it a few times.
She'd come back to "calm down," but the moment she was alone, she realized she couldn't calm down at all. Her chest felt swollen, like a fire burning inside her. She squeezed the pillow, trying to use its coolness to smother that heat—
But it barely helped.
When she closed her eyes, Kagura's face—so close, right in front of her, when she'd checked on Nature—rose up again. The heat in Nature's chest flared anew, roaring back to life. It itched. It wouldn't leave her alone.
Curled into a tight ball on the bed with her pillow, eyes half-lidded, Nature bared her teeth at herself and muttered:
"Nice Nature… you bastard… Kagura was just worried about you…"
Her fingers brushed her own cool, smooth thigh as she hugged the pillow. As she curled in tighter, her hand slid slowly upward along her skin. The electric sensation of fingertips gliding over flesh made her shudder faintly, head going a little fuzzy. That strange, unique feeling… was dangerously addictive.
"Kagura… ngh…"
...
——This hotel is really something, huh. An artificial hot spring… In my day, I wouldn't have dared to even imagine it.
Well, the price tag is what it is… When I have money, how about I bring you to soak with me more often, Eclipse-san?
——Hehe. I'm happy you'd think of me like that~ But I'd still rather experience it in person~
How do you mean? Next time, will you save up more strength to possess me?
——No… it's nothing. Just keep running hard. Sooner or later, my wish will have a chance to come true.