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"Ka-Kasumi— I mean, Mr. Blake, what do we do?!"
The moment she realized she'd wandered into the wrong hot spring, Goko Ruri completely panicked.
Nobody else would know she entered the men's bath by accident. If someone saw her, they'd definitely think she was some shameless girl sneaking in on purpose.
No way!
Absolutely not!
"Calm down. Don't panic."
Blake kept his voice steady and low.
"It was an accident. We can just explain it."
"That's exactly why I'm worried… because it won't sound believable…"
Ruri bit her lower lip miserably.
In the dim candlelight, the girl's pretty face was already burning red. Even the tips of her ears and her neck were flushed pink.
An accident?
Who would believe that?
What kind of normal person sneaks out at one in the morning to soak in a hot spring, happens to meet their companion, and just happens to be one guy and one girl?
No matter how you looked at it, it sounded way more like a secret late-night date.
"Older women love gossip," Ruri muttered gloomily. "They'll tell everyone anything. The old lady next door to my house spreads rumors so fast the whole neighborhood knows within a day…"
"If we get caught, there's a good chance the secret will spread."
"As an inn employee, she's probably more likely to keep it quiet," Blake replied softly.
"I'm still worried. Better safe than sorry." Ruri shook her head. "No matter what, I absolutely cannot get discovered."
She was the Black Cat of the Dark Night, a great being burdened by destiny, a traveler wandering the endless digital world.
If some grandma accidentally let this slip to Yanami and the others…
Wouldn't they think she was some sneaky homewrecking cat?!
Yanami, Elf, Mahiru…
Even though they'd only known each other for a day, she'd already started thinking of them as friends. So even if there was only a one-in-ten-thousand chance, she didn't want them misunderstanding her.
"Then all we can do is hide," Blake said after a moment of thought. "She's probably just checking whether anyone's using the bath. It's dark enough that if we're careful, she shouldn't notice."
As he spoke, footsteps grew clearer, along with the swaying beam of a flashlight.
"Hide behind that rock." Blake pointed immediately. "Use it to block the light. I'll stand in front of you. Once she gets closer, you dive into the water."
There was a decorative stone in the middle of the bath meant to improve the scenery. It wasn't large, but it was barely enough to hide behind.
"What about you?" Ruri asked worriedly.
"I'm a guy in the men's bath. That's normal." Blake sounded unconcerned. "Even if I'm seen, it's fine. As long as we're not discovered together, there's no problem."
"…"
Watching him stand and walk toward the rock, Ruri could only force herself to follow despite her embarrassment.
Everyone knew you couldn't wear a yukata in a hot spring. Blake only had a small towel in hand, and those things were really meant for drying off, not covering anything. At best, it barely concealed the important parts.
Following behind him, Ruri's eyes involuntarily drifted to his back.
And instantly, the terrible image she'd seen earlier flashed back into her mind with crystal-clear detail.
(C-Crap!)
(Forget it already!)
(If I keep remembering this, I'm definitely gonna have nightmares tonight!)
The two quietly moved behind the rock.
Without needing instructions, Ruri immediately crouched down into the water until only her little head remained above the surface.
Blake stood in front of her, shielding her body while silently watching the entrance.
The flashlight beam swept across the ground as the inn employee slowly approached the bath.
"Don't get discovered… please don't get discovered…"
Ruri prayed desperately in her heart.
At this moment, she wished more than anything that her powers were invisibility or time stop. Then she wouldn't have to sit here waiting for judgment like a criminal at the edge of a cliff.
"She's here," Blake whispered. "Ruri, go underwater."
"...Okay."
Ruri took a deep breath and submerged herself beneath the hot spring.
Steam drifted across the surface, and with the darkness of night, there was a good chance she wouldn't be noticed.
"A guest is still bathing this late?"
The flashlight swept over the spring, and the old woman quickly spotted Blake.
Blake pretended he'd just woken up.
"Hm…?"
"Did you fall asleep in the bath?" the old lady asked kindly. "You should head back to your room and rest soon."
"Sorry. I couldn't sleep, so I came out for a soak. I'm heading back now."
With Blake drawing all the attention, the old woman naturally didn't inspect the bath carefully. After a couple reminders, she slowly turned and left.
Meanwhile…
Underwater.
Ruri pinched her nose shut, desperately holding her breath. The water muffled the conversation, so she could only vaguely hear Blake talking to the old woman without catching any details.
After a short while, the oxygen in her lungs began running out.
Pressure built painfully in her chest.
"No…"
"Just a little longer…"
"If I get discovered now, everything was for nothing…"
Time ticked by little by little.
Finally, when her body reached its limit and it felt like she was about to suffocate, Ruri couldn't hold out anymore.
Splash!
Water burst upward.
"Hah…! Haaah…!"
The girl gasped desperately into the night air.
But between the embarrassment, panic, lack of oxygen, and standing up too fast, her vision suddenly went black.
With a splash, she lost balance and fell backward into the bath, flailing helplessly in the water.
"Cough—help—!"
The moment Blake heard her choking, his expression turned serious.
Without hesitation, he rushed over.
The bath was only a little over a meter deep, but once someone lost their footing, it could still be dangerous. Every summer, people drowned in shallow streams for the same reason.
Reaching her side in seconds, he grabbed her slender arm and pulled her upright.
"Cough, cough—!"
Ruri coughed violently after escaping the brink of drowning.
Instinctively, she clung tightly to the boy in front of her like a drowning person grasping their final lifeline.
Skin pressed against skin.
The unbelievably smooth, soft sensation hit Blake's brain instantly.
His breathing stopped for a moment, and his body tensed reflexively.
During the struggle, Black Cat's last towel had vanished somewhere. His own towel was gone too.
At this point, they were pressed completely together with absolutely nothing between them.
"You're okay now." Blake took a deep breath, suppressing certain dangerous instincts. "Ruri… let go already."
"Eh?"
Ruri blinked.
Then she finally realized just how horrifyingly embarrassing their current position was.
She instantly released him and crouched back into the hot spring while covering herself, steam practically erupting from the top of her head.
(Why… why did things turn out like this?!)
(I just couldn't sleep and came to soak in the hot spring…)
(At this point… there's no way I can ever marry anyone else, right?!)
"....."