Chapter 49 — Hot Spring Trip
"Ren, you have to take care of yourself while you're in Tokyo! Make sure you eat properly! Don't stay up too late!"
Nishimiya Momo clung to him dramatically, on the verge of tears.
"Enough," Kamo Noritoshi said coldly, eyes still closed. "He's stronger than any of us. Stop acting like his mother."
"You—!"
Kamo turned his head slightly toward Ren.
"Exorcise that curse as soon as possible. And if possible, do it yourself. Let the Tokyo sorcerers see what Kyoto sorcerers are capable of."
"Got it."
"If anything comes up, contact your teacher immediately," Utahime said, patting his shoulder and straightening his collar. Her tone softened. "Don't push yourself too hard."
"Yes, Utahime-sensei."
"Ren…" Miwa Kasumi fidgeted shyly, hands clenched together. "Does that mean… our study plan has to be paused for a while?"
Ren shook his phone lightly with a smile.
"It's fine. We can keep in touch through video calls. We'll just switch to remote lessons for now."
"Really?!" Miwa's face lit up. "Then it's a promise!"
A fixed daily video call with Ren… She beamed, eyes sparkling.
From the side, Mechamaru's mechanical voice crackled.
"That panda. It's a cursed corpse. You can spar with it. Beat it as hard as you want. Even if it breaks, it's fine."
Ren blinked, then let out a helpless laugh.
Mechamaru was clearly trying to help by suggesting a substitute sparring partner—but for some reason, Ren felt like there was just the faintest hint of personal resentment mixed into that advice.
…
One by one, the Kyoto students said their goodbyes. In a few days, they would return to Kyoto.
Ren, however, would remain in Tokyo as an exchange student—officially for collaborative operations against the blue-haired stitched-face curse, and unofficially to continue studying the finer applications of Reverse Cursed Technique under Shoko Ieiri.
After everyone else left, Zen'in Mai remained where she was.
"Don't you have anything to say to me?" Ren asked first.
Mai stared at him for a long moment, smiling mischievously. Then she grabbed him by the front of his shirt and shoved him into an empty classroom.
Ren's heart skipped.
Just as his imagination began running wild—
She abruptly lifted the hem of her skirt and pulled a glossy printed ticket from a strap at her thigh.
"…Echigo-Yuzawa? Hot spring trip?" Ren read aloud, stunned.
"Mm-hmm." Mai nodded casually. "After an intense battle, soaking in hot springs is the best way to relax. And you were seriously injured not long ago. Hot springs are excellent for recovery."
She began reciting like a tour guide.
"Echigo-Yuzawa in Niigata Prefecture is a historic hot spring town with over 800 years of history. It was the setting of Kawabata Yasunari's Snow Country, and it's world-famous for skiing."
"Though it's not ski season right now, there's mountaintop camping, riverside dining, and Japan's longest ropeway—the 5.5-kilometer Naeba Ropeway. And the Fuji Rock Festival will also be held during that period…"
"When?" Ren checked the date printed on the ticket.
"…Tomorrow?"
He looked up at her.
"We're going together?"
Hot springs… mixed bathing…
Heh.
Ren licked his lips unconsciously.
Skiing, camping, gourmet food, ropeways, music festivals—he had no particular attachment to any of that.
But there was one thing—just one—that tugged irresistibly at his heartstrings.
"Not going together," Mai said calmly, shaking her head.
"This was originally something I booked for myself. Didn't expect we'd be heading back so soon." She paused, then smiled faintly. "Think of it as a special reward for you."
"…Huh?" Ren frowned, clearly disappointed. "Th-This is the reward?"
"What?" Mai reached out and lightly tapped his lips with her finger, prying them apart just enough to tease him. "You look very disappointed."
"What kind of reward were you expecting?"
Ren froze stiffly, staring at her sultry eyes and playful smile, heat rushing straight to his head.
Mai withdrew her finger. Then, leaning in slightly, she pressed her warm lips gently against his—just for a fleeting second.
Seeing the unwilling, yearning look in his eyes, she let out a soft laugh and leaned close to his ear.
"This is just the bonus."
"As for the real reward… you'll find out soon enough."
---
The next morning, Ren followed the instructions on the ticket and boarded the tour bus bound for Echigo-Yuzawa.
It felt a little strange going alone on a hot spring trip.
But a free ticket was a free ticket.
And more importantly—
It was a gift from Mai.
Sitting on the bus, he recalled the way she'd left yesterday—after that brief moment of intimacy—walking away with the effortless sway of a runway model. The memory alone made warmth rise in his chest again.
He rubbed the edge of the ticket between his fingers. It almost felt like he could still sense the warmth of her thigh where she'd pulled it from the strap. A faint trace of her fragrance seemed to linger at the edge of his memory.
That arrogant woman had a dangerous charm—one that made people want to indulge her whims.
And this wasn't even a whim.
It was a "gift."
Of course he would accept it.
Clearing his throat, Ren lowered his head and opened the book resting on his lap.
"Introduction to Barrier Techniques."
Borrowed from Tokyo Jujutsu High's library.
This was his first serious step toward understanding Domain Expansion—since a Domain was, fundamentally, a type of barrier technique.
The engine roared to life.
Ren closed the book and waited for departure.
Just then—
He noticed someone boarding the bus.
A tall, slender girl stepped through the door, weaving past elderly tour group members toward the center aisle.
She wore a baseball cap, a purple hoodie, beige shorts over black tights, and white sneakers.
Among the sea of silver-haired retirees, her long, straight posture and the clean lines of her legs—accentuated by the black tights—stood out immediately.
She paused in the middle of the bus, glancing between her ticket and the seat numbers overhead, apparently searching for her seat.
At that exact moment—
Their eyes met.
"…Zen'in Maki?"
Ren blinked in surprise.
Beneath the brim of the cap, the girl's delicate face—so similar to Mai's—flushed faintly red.
She lowered her head for a brief second, almost awkwardly.
Then, without a word—
She walked straight toward him.
And sat down in the seat beside him.