2.5
It was 8:37 p.m. After finishing dinner, many of the students went to the large baths, the best part of the ryokan. This was no exception for Suzune, one of the students who had been eagerly looking forward to dinner.
Relatively speaking, Horikita finished her meal earlier than the other students; however, she was surprised to find that three students had already started undressing in the changing room. This included one girl who, not wanting to be seen naked, decided to cut off her meal early and make quick work of it.
For Horikita, on the other hand, there was no such thing as aversion or shame at being seen naked by the same sex. Originally, in elementary and junior high, she was a shadowy, inconspicuous figure in a friendless environment, and this was partly due to the fact that no one paid any attention to her appearance.
Even so, she opened the sliding door to the large bathroom, spreading out her face towel to cover her front body as if it was some kind of etiquette.
A rush of heat travelled through her, and the large bath, which was one size larger than she had imagined, burst into view. There were two large indoor baths. There was also an outdoor open-air bath, but it was a large, rocky bath that could be seen through the window glass.
After lightly washing off the dirt on her body in the hot water, Horikita immediately headed for the rock bath.
She then saw two unexpected guests.
One of them was her classmate, Kushida Kikyō.
“Ah, Horikita-san.”
Kushida, who immediately recognized the visitor, replied with a light wave of her hand as if to welcome her.
Of course, Horikita understood that this wasn’t her real intention.
The reason was that Rokkaku Momoe, a student from Class A, was also present.
Kushida would never do anything that would reveal her true feelings in the presence of other classes.
Horikita, who answered with a light glance, entered the bathtub and headed for the edge without joining Kushida.
She wanted to secure a spot where she wouldn’t be disturbed and no one would call out to her. She listened to Kushida and Rokkaku’s idle chatter and continued to enjoy the hot spring for five or ten minutes, not speaking to anyone.
Before she knew it, Rokkaku had left and only Kushida remained.
No trace of her previous smile remained on her face.
“Why didn't you go out with Rokkaku-san? Weren't you together?”
“Huh? I don't have any reason to. I love hot springs. Did you think I wanted to talk to you?”
“No, that wasn’t what I was thinking.”
“Really? I thought you asked me because you were aware of me.”
“You're coming at me, aren't you?”
Horikita sighed with slight regret at Kushida's sudden belligerence.
“You really have a wide circle of friends. I've never even spoken to Rokkaku-san.”
Trying to change the subject, Horikita turned the conversation to Rokkaku, who had just left the outdoor bath.
“Momoe came crying to me, asking me to come with her. She said she was embarrassed or something. It wasn’t too much to ask, though, since it's coming from such a poor body.”
Even though she knew no one was listening, she spat out a moderately strong venom.
“You’re… well, you’re as well-endowed as you'd expect. It's not so interesting for us, though.”
After a pricey observation, Kushida closed the distance to Horikita a little.
“What? Why are you coming here?”
“Nothing. It's just that the distance between us is unnatural. Isn't it strange? You and I are classmates. If it were me, I'd be talking to you from closer.”
With Rokkaku in the bath, it wouldn't be strange if the two of them were far apart. However, if they were blatantly separated in this large, open-air bath, there was a possibility that new visitors would have questions.
“I understand too well that you don’t truly want to do that.”
“You're right. The best thing would be for you to get out of here and go to the indoor baths.”
“I'm going to have to turn that down.”
“You're pretty stubborn, aren't you, Horikita-san?”
Horikita sighed even more at the fact that she would suggest something like that.
Seeing this, Kushida smiled.
“You have a very elegant smile.”
“Of course I do. People can see this place from the inner bath, so I can't do anything bad.”
In addition to her voice, she was also constantly calculating how she appeared to others. From the inside, the students who glanced at them in the bathhouse will only see classmates chatting amiably with each other.
“If you care that much about having the upper hand, maybe you should’ve spent your school life in a way that prevented others from finding out about you.”
“I was under a lot of stress when I first entered the school. I didn’t think that Horikita-san would be here, would I?”
“That must’ve been unexpected...”
The disappointment was immeasurable for Kushida, who thought she was completely cut off from the people she had known in middle school.
“Living only on the premise of building new relationships. You had to vent somehow, right?”
As a result, the tragedy began when Ayanokōji found her venting.
“You’re free to continue hating me. If that makes you contribute to the class, I have no complaints. I saw your performance at the cultural festival, and it was remarkable.”
“Well, I can do something like that without difficulty. It's a weapon to protect myself...”
At this point, Kushida stopped talking and looked at the sliding door leading to the open-air bath.
It opened and out came Ibuki, draping a face towel over her shoulders.
Kushida, alarmed by the visitor, suddenly relaxed.
Ibuki already had a good understanding of Kushida's true nature, along with Horikita.
“Horikita!”
Ibuki was looking for Horikita, and when she caught sight of her, she raised her voice.
“What do you want?”
As she approached, completely naked, she jumped up and entered the open-air bath.
A sizable spray of hot water splashed Horikita and Kushida.
“'That’s a huge breach of manners.”
“I know, but I don't care about that. Let's play!
“Are you going to play rock-paper-scissors?”
“What? This is such a big bathing area, there's only one thing to do. Let's see who can swim from one end to the other the fastest!”
“I'd say swimming constitutes even worse manners than jumping in.”
“It doesn't matter. It's not like there's other people here, and no one’s watching us.
“That's fine. I'll be watching you fairly, so why don't you do it?”
Kushida supported the idea of having a race.
“What are you even talking about? In the first place, you’re the one who’s supposed to stop such things, aren't you?”
“It's okay because Horikita-san and Ibuki-san will pretend that they started it on their own without asking me to stop them. As long as you make a confused face and feign ignorance, I don't mind others seeing this.”
“Kushida said it's okay too, so we'll play!”
“I won't.”
“What? I came here thinking I could compete with you. I lost.”
Saying that, she quickly got out of the bathtub.
“Did you really show up just for that? Are you sure you don't want to take an outdoor bath?”
“I don't want to go in there with you.”
She quickly got out, not wanting to take a long bath if she couldn't compete.
“You're an idiot, Ibuki-san.”
After the sliding door was closed tightly, Kushida laughed.
“You're insanely obsessed with competing with me too. You're just like her.”
Kushida had also repeatedly asked Horikita to engage in battle.
When Horikita suggested that she and Ibuki were similar, Kushida chuckled.
“Don't be like that.”
What she said and her expression didn't quite match, but Horikita brushed it off.
She thought more people would arrive so that there would be no further need for conversation, but no student showed up after that as it was still meal-time.
“By the way, you were lucky, weren't you Horikita-san?”
“Lucky? What on earth are you talking about?”
“Because Ayanokōji-kun was seated next to you as soon as he entered the school. It was because of that that you two were able to get closer, and he helped you out a lot behind the scenes, didn't he?”
So far, Kushida didn't know the details of what actually happened.
But she did know that Ayanokōji was involved in one way or another, in some key points.
“If it weren't for Ayanokōji-kun, you would’ve been expelled by me by now.”
It wasn’t my own ability that got me to this point.
If such a thing had been said in the past, Horikita would’ve immediately objected. But now she was able to reflect and see things calmly.
“I can't completely deny that. But it wasn't just a lucky break for me; it would’ve been a lucky break for you as well. Without Ayanokōji-kun, you wouldn't have been exposed for everything. You would’ve continued to play the good girl all these years, and you would’ve made the same mistakes all over again.”
Of course, the outcome isn’t predictable.
It was quite possible that Kushida could’ve survived the three years of school life wearing the guise of a good person.
But whether she could continue to do so forever was another matter.
In fact, she was in constant pain day in and day out.
Now she was able to disperse her stress by using both sides of the coin.
“Maybe...”
A statement of fact made by someone you don't like. Normally, it would be nothing more than humiliation to admit it, but Kushida nodded her head and replied that there was a part of her that had to concede.
It was something she was able to gain because she was pushed to the brink of death in the Unanimous Vote Special Exam and returned alive.
For the first time in her life, her way of thinking and values had changed.
“If you think about it, you were probably luckier than I was.”
“That honestly pisses me off. It's really annoying when Horikita-san gives back the upper hand to me.”
At this point, they stopped speaking to each other.
They weren’t normally in a position to engage each other, and there was no particular reason for them to take a long bath together.
Neither of them had a clear answer as to why they were staying, but leaving first would mean defeat. There was such an atmosphere in the air.
“...Sorry to bother you.”
It was a few minutes after Ibuki left that their time alone together came to an end.
Ichinose appeared in the open-air bath a little reservedly.
“Ichinose-san, you’re alone? That's kind of unusual.”
“Ahaha... It just sort of happened.”
Kushida knew that many people had spoken to Ichinose at dinner.
From this, it was clear that she had shown up here because she wanted to be alone.
“I think everyone needs time to be alone at some point. If I'm intruding, I'll leave.”
The heat was starting to burn a little stronger, as Horikita decided that this was the time to extinguish it.
She switched places with Ichinose, and the two of them naturally passed the baton to each other.
She predicted that the rest of their time would end with Kushida and Ichinose discussing other trivial matters.
“Oh, no! It's not like that at all! Never mind!”
Ichinose hurriedly stopped Horikita, who was about to get up.
Then, as if to add to the flame, Kushida turned her smile to Horikita.
“There’s no need to leave, Horikita-san. Ichinose-san says this too, so let's chat together, shall we?”
“What do you mean?”
“I think we haven't talked enough. Is that okay?”
Kushida spoke as if she really meant what she said, even though it was in contrast with her thoughts. Ichinose also looked slightly worried, wondering if she had cut her bath short by coming here.
“I've decided that we've… Okay. I'll stay with you for a bit.”
After agreeing, she got up and sat down on a rock to let the night breeze cool her burning body.
It was cold outside the bathtub with the snow beginning to fall, but the contrast was comfortable in its own way.
“I wanted to ask you something, Ichinose-san.”
“Hmm? What is it? Ask me anything.”
“Is there anyone you're dating, Ichinose-san?”
“E-eeeh? What?!”
Ichinose fell into a flustered panic as she was asked a question she never expected.
“Recently, many guys in various classes have been asking me if you’re single.”
Kushida said, seemingly unaware of what was going on, but the truth was different.
In fact, she knew that Ichinose was single at the moment, and that she had feelings for Ayanokōji.
That kind of information was gathered at an early stage.
She was more well-informed than anyone else in Ichinose's class, but she didn't show it.
“N-no, there’s no one!”
“I see. Then is there someone you like?”
The reason behind this conversation was Kushida's desire to dissect and gouge more information about Ayanokōji; to find out why she liked Ayanokōji so much.
She was also considering the possibility that this could eventually become a new weapon.
“No, I don't. Really, I don't have anything like that.”
But Ichinose didn't admit it, denying it and sinking her face down into the bath water.
It was an action taken to hide her face, which had flushed from embarrassment and awkwardness.
Kushida was hoping that if Ichinose admitted it here, she’d be able to talk about Karuizawa or something more in-depth, but it wouldn't be that easy. So she decided to shift the topic to Horikita, who she forced to stay.
“What about you, Horikita-san? Don't you have any romantic stories like that?”
“No.”
Horikita replied without even a second's hesitation. Romance had hardly ever caught her interest.
“I see. You seem to be very popular, Horikita-san. Sudō and the others seem like they'd be friendly.”
“I don't have anybody like that. But what about you? You seem to be close with boys from other classes. I wonder if Ichinose-san is wondering about that too.”
In response to the depressing question, Horikita offered a similar rebuttal.
She quickly shifted the topic from herself, aiming to push the two of them to talk alone.
“Oh, indeed. I get asked a lot of questions about Kushida-san from boys too.”
Inwardly, Kushida clicked her tongue at Horikita and gave Ichinose a bashful smile.
“Yeah, yeah? Really? I don't know much about love either, so... I just think it's a waste to fall in love while you're still a student.”
“That can’t be true?”
“Yes. I hear that most student relationships don't come to fruition. It's hard to take the plunge when it might not work out... So now I'm consciously making an effort to not fall in love.”
She thought that by telling Ichinose this story, who has a wider circle of friends than Kushida, she would be able to deter any boys who wanted to confess to her in advance.
Since entering the school, Kushida has already been confessed to more than 10 times, not limited to a single grade.
“I'm happy to be confessed to, but I'm also afraid of hurting them at the same time…”
“I see... Somehow, I think I understand…”
There was nothing more futile than a student romance in Kushida's eyes. Horikita, listening to them talk about their love lives, decided it was time to call it a day and got up to leave.
“I'd better get going.”
“What? You're leaving already?”
“I don't know anything about love.”
“I see. I don't blame you. But isn't there another reason why you want to cut this short?”
“I don't know what you're talking about.”
“If it's hot and you're at your limit, it can't be helped. As for me, I still wanted to have a chat with Horikita-san.”
“Why be so insistent?”
“Of course I am. I'm sure you feel the same, Ichinose-san?”
“Yes. I'd still like to talk to Horikita-san too, if it's possible.”
At Kushida's provocative words, Horikita returned to her sitting position.
“Then... Shall we do that?”
As the class leader, she eliminated the option of running away from Kushida's invitation.
“Are you sure you're okay? It would be a disaster if you fell over.”
“Thank you for worrying about me, but I'm worried about you too, Kushida-san. Your face looks red.”
“Maybe it's because we were talking about love.”
“Is that all? I hope you're not overworking yourself.”
Horikita's sharp gaze and Kushida's smiling glance collided with each other.
“You two look a little different from usual, don't you?”
Ichinose sensed the discomfort and tilted her head slightly.
Seeing this, Kushida’s slight residual dislike and distaste for Horikita completely vanished.
“No, it's not like that. Right, Horikita-san?”
“I guess so.”
There was no need to give Ichinose, whom she saw as relatively trustworthy, any unnecessary information. Horikita decided so, too, and they continued the conversation.
For a while, they continued to talk about their love lives, and eventually they got into a lively conversation about other, more trivial matters. Horikita remained a listener throughout, enjoying the hot spring and the gentle snowfall.
Ichinose was then invited back inside by her friends who had just finished eating.
Another group of girls came to the open-air baths, and both Horikita and Kushida kept their distance and continued to play the game of patience.
After about 10 minutes, they were in a state of overheating, but...
“I think it's time for both of you to get up, don't you? Your faces are turning really red.”
As both women continued to persist until they were near their limits, Ichinose, who couldn't bear to watch any longer, came out from inside.
“Didn't you hear her, Horikita-san?”
“Aren't you the one who... didn't hear Ichinose-san's words?”
They both tried to persist even under these circumstances, but at this point, other students who had finished their meals began to appear in groups in the outdoor baths. The competition would be difficult to continue in this situation, so they read the mood and stood up at the same time.
“It was a nice bath, wasn't it?”
“It really was. It's more than enough...”
“Is something wrong with you two after all?”
Ichinose felt the strange atmosphere again, but the two left the bath as if nothing was wrong.
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