2.37: GraduationWe pyed a few rounds of Uno buck naked. It wasn’t especially comfortable for me or Hinata, and every shift of my body made me acutely aware of myself and everyone else in the room. I found myself seated between Aoi and Yuna, doing my best not to brush against either of them.

  After enough prodding, mostly from Megumi, I finally removed my swimsuit bottom and sat carefully so that I wouldn’t reveal myself as completely as she had. We were finally all on retively equal footing. I forced myself to face the anxiety and unease that skinship stirred in me instead of shrinking away from it.

  Megumi dealt with theatrical fir, spping her cards down onto the low table between us. “Alright! No mercy rules. Last pce puts on a yukata and refill the snacks… if you do especially poorly, going downstairs naked might be a suitable punishment.” She cackled.

  “Aiya… Pervert!” Hinata grumbled, facepalming with her cards. “Neither the teachers nor the hostel staff will allow that.”

  “True, but there’s gotta be some kind of penalty!” Megumi said brightly. “Maybe fshing the boys on the sly. They’d probably not tattle on us.”

  “Noooooooo!” Hinata squeaked. “That would completely destroy my reputation!” She looked like she wanted to throw her cards into Megumi’s face.

  “I’m kidding!!! Maybe kissing would be better,” Megumi added, her eyebrow arched.

  “Nooooooo!” This time both Hinata and I yelped at the same time, waving our hands excitedly.

  Aoi scowled, but then her lips pursed thoughtfully. Riko and Yuna looked at me and then at each other.

  Yuna giggled, covering her lips with her fanned out cards.

  “I’m all for that…” Riko said quickly. “But how would we decide who kisses who?”

  “Isn’t it obvious? The loser chooses,” Megumi ughed.

  “You’re trying to encourage everyone to lose?” Yuna asked with a raised eyebrow.

  Hinata spped her hand on the table. “I’m not pying if you're going to make things weird!”

  “Don’t be like that! If you don’t want to kiss a girl, you don’t have to… or maybe we’ll have to go kiss Kondo-san.” Megumi grinned.

  Hinata flushed, wilting on the spot.

  “Nah… Let’s not,” Riko muttered.

  “Why?” Megumi pouted, smming her hands down on the table, scattering her cards. “Have you no romance in your heart?!”

  Riko flushed as a card spped against her chest. “It’s not that! If Sumire-chan lost our game, she’d just choose Kurobane. You’re just trying to make us all cheat to lose.”

  Yuna and I gathered up the cards that nded near us. I slid two across the table facedown, feeling conscious over having to lean over.

  Riko flushed, watching.

  “Exactly. If you lost, Tachibana, you’d just choose Sumire and get what you wanted,” Aoi scowled.

  Riko flushed, freezing for a moment and then ughed. “The race to the bottom begins!”

  Yuna giggled. “This is ridiculous. If you’re going to lose, it should be honestly earned.”

  Megumi frowned, considering. “Hmmmmm…” Her lips pursed.

  “No kissing,” Aoi said firmly. “No one kisses Sumire.”

  Megumi smirked, looking oddly satisfied. “It’s fine. No penalties. I’m pretty sure that someone’s going to get kissed anyway.”

  I blushed, wondering if Aoi would kiss me, or if she meant someone else.

  Everyone lifted their cards and we resumed pying with the rest of Megumi’s cards returned to her.

  I held my cards carefully, my elbows tucked in, still trying not to brush up against either Aoi or Yuna.

  “Reverse!” Riko announced calmly, flicking a card down with a neat snap.

  “Aww, come on! You’re suddenly pying to win?!” Hinata groaned.

  “Hells yeah, since the penalty was removed, there’s no incentive to lose anymore, right?” Riko decred.

  Aoi leaned back on her hands, much more rexed, her knee bumping lightly against the outside of my thigh when she ughed. It wasn’t intentional, probably. My spine went straight as a rod anyway.

  Megumi noticed my reaction instantly. Of course she would.

  “Sumire, you’re gonna cramp up twitching like this,” Aoi said, nudging my shoulder with hers. “Rex. It’s just a game of Uno.”

  Just Uno, completely naked with so many beautiful girls around me… completely naked! I’d been fidgeting now and again without realizing it most of the time and sometimes intentionally.

  I forced myself to breathe and pyed a card when it was my turn. A yellow six. Nothing special. Still, my fingers trembled a little when I set it down.

  A few rounds ter, after a merciless chain of +2s and one devastating +4 that Megumi cackled through, the tension in the air eased, just a notch. Laughter came a little easier. Knees bumped and hands sometimes brushed while drawing from the deck.

  Eventually, after enough pointed looks and not-so-subtle comments, mostly from Megumi, I took a deep breath, setting my cards down, and shifted.

  The moment passed.

  No one stared. No one commented.

  The game went on and things stopped feeling so awkward.

  But that wasn’t the end of my trials, not by a long shot.

  “Well… I think I’ve had enough of Uno,” Riko said, spping her hand down, smming her cards on the table. “How about we hit up the baths?” She’d been stuck in a consistent losing streak for a while now. If Megumi hadn’t changed her mind, she might have ended up kissing anyone she wanted.

  I blushed.

  “A bath? What? Together?!” That suggestion pushed the skinship to a whole new insane level.

  “Soaking in hot water would be the best way to finish our day,” Yuna said with a small ugh, already sounding like she could feel the relief of hot water in her bones.

  We drifted toward the women’s baths in a loose cluster, wearing the hostel supplied yukata with our towels slung over our shoulders and bags of products in hand. The bath was divided into the male and female sides. I was gd that this wasn’t a mixed bath.

  Aoi checked us in at the desk and we entered the women’s side together barefoot, our footsteps sticking faintly to the warm tile. The air changed the closer we got to the water, growing heavier, wetter, and smelling faintly mineral, like clean rain on stones.

  Beyond the entrance curtain, there was a changing area where we stripped out of our yukata and stowed them. We didn’t linger there too long, impatient to get into the hot water, although I felt extremely anxious, despite our Uno games.

  The washing area opened out wide. Rows of mirrors lined the wall, filling the center space, each station set up the same way. A low pstic stool sitting beneath a showerhead that could comfortably be reached while seated. A small ledge held complimentary bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash for those who hadn’t brought their own, along with stacks of washcloths. The floor sloped gently toward the drains, carrying away constant trickles of water.

  Everything was bright and practical, designed so the bathwater itself would stay fresh and clean, untainted by soap scum or dirt.

  Off to the side, past a low stone lip, I could see the open bath. Steam rose in slow waves. Girls, women and seniors were already in there, their shoulders pressed together in loose groups, ughing loudly as they spshed each other like they were still in the ocean. There were even a few very young boys below the age where they started noticing the differences between themselves and those around them.

  I swallowed, gncing down at my towel, then forced myself to look up again.

  We had already crossed one massive line with our nude game of Uno. After that, I couldn’t pretend this was some impossible leap. This was simply the next logical step, and everyone else was treating it like the most normal thing in the world… because for them, it really was.

  It should be normal for me too! What’s wrong with me?! Is it because I like Aoi-chan that I feel so shy? Undeniably, I enjoy what I see when I see a naked woman’s body… well, whenever I’m not blushing up a storm and flustering over it…

  Megumi was the first to cim a station, plopping down onto a stool and tossing her towel aside without a shred of hesitation. “Okay! Everybody!” She giggled, crowing. “Get squeaky clean so we can enjoy that lovely bath!”

  Everyone nodded in agreement, myself included.

  Hinata hovered beside her, her cheeks pink, clutching her towel like it was armor. “Megumi… how are you able to act so naturally around them? They’re into girls!”

  Riko, Yuna, and Aoi looked at each other, giggling. I fidgeted. Aoi-chan raised an eyebrow at me and smirked. “Cutie.”

  I turned pink from head to toes.

  “What?” Megumi grinned. “Don’t worry. It’s not like they’re going to start groping you or anything, Hinata-chan.” She flexed her fingers menacingly. “Unlike me. Careful!” Hinata flinched, drawing away in horror. “...Even though I don’t like girls that way, I swear I won’t hold back!”

  Hinata shrieked and fled a safe distance away from us all.

  Everyone giggled, myself included. I couldn’t help it.

  But even so, I blushed and nodded afterward, understanding exactly how she felt. I wanted to do that too, but I knew that Aoi would chase me down… plus she wouldn’t welcome me joining her. To her, I was probably the worst of everyone here. She knew I liked girls, deep down under all the bashfulness.

  I eyed a station away from everyone and tried to escape to it, even though I already knew how it would go, but Aoi-chan caught my wrist and grinned at me almost maliciously.

  “Yaiiiiiii!!” I flustered hard, my spine stiff, perhaps forgetting my training, since it was Aoi and I wasn’t sure that I actually wanted to get away.

  “You’re not going anywhere,” Aoi-chan giggled. “Stick next to me. You’ll be fine.”

  Riko abruptly seized my breasts from behind, her own pressed firmly against my back. “I wanted to do this earlier when we were pying Uno.” Her fingers were right over my nipples, almost pinching them.

  SQUISH SQUISH SQUISH

  “Kyaaaaaa!” I squealed, melting, unable to prevent my nipples from hardening and fidgeting.

  Aoi-chan scowled at Riko. “Hands off, idiot.”

  “It’s a free country!” Riko giggled. “How did you get them to grow this big, Shinohara-san?” Her nipples were as hard as mine as she hugged me just from the contact. Maybe it actually wasn’t just that.

  “Ah… Tachibana-san! Don’t tease me like that… Yours are around the same size as mine…” I blushed.

  I could have grabbed her and thrown her to skid across the floor… but I didn’t.

  Hinata gnced at us from her spot far away from us and shivered visibly like a wet dog.

  “Eh?” Riko blinked. “That’s true, isn’t it? Ahahahahaha! I guess it’s all the milk I drink. You too?”

  I blushed and nodded, fidgeting. She felt way too nice against my back like that. “Um… yeah… I have it most mornings and after baths, b-but…”

  “They say drinking milk directly stimutes breast growth. If you want to grow big enough to keep up with me, make sure you drink plenty more. I’ll surpass you, Sumire-chan! Mwahahaha!” Riko grinned.

  She was getting a little megalomaniac about comparing breasts sizes.

  Yuna seated herself at a station and grinned over her shoulder from her stool. “Don’t tease her so much, Tachibana-san.” Hers were somewhat rger than both ours. I wasn’t sure if it would have been better for her to join in the teasing or not. She would have definitely won if she had. Aoi-chan’s chest size was around mine and Riko’s.

  Riko finally let go, loosening her towel as she sat down at a station a few stools away from Yuna, letting it fall to the tile.

  I quivered and heaved a sigh of relief, nearly turning to jelly.

  “Baka… your towel will get soaked.” Aoi bent down, picked it up, and tossed it into Riko’s face. “Put it somewhere drier.”

  “Tch. Okay, Mom,” Riko muttered, setting it aside.

  She set her products on the ledge in a very blunt, uncaring way. The bottles she had brought were pin, simple, and almost aggressively un-cute, like something you would find in a gym bag. I had expected her to use the ones the hostel provided, but this showed that she had some standards after all.

  I settled onto the stool next to Yuna’s station, and Aoi-chan took the one on my other side, positioning herself between Riko and me for obvious reasons. I felt safer between the two of them. Yuna seemed less likely to grab my boobs. Because Aoi and I had learned our lesson after losing control on the rooftop back before the senpai tried to bckmail me with pictures of our kissing, I trusted her more than Riko.

  Yuna had pced her things down neatly. Her bottles looked expensive. The bels were fancy and there were all kinds of scientific words on them. The way she arranged them felt composed. I noticed one thing they had in common. They all advertised health benefits.

  “Are they really as healthy as they cim on the bels?” I asked skeptically.

  “Not quite as much as they cim,” Yuna replied, calm and thoughtful, “but I did my own research on the chemistry. These are well banced for giving my hair good lift and shine, and the bodywash nourishes my skin well.”

  “Focus more on washing up,” Aoi-chan mumbled on my other side, sounding faintly jealous of the clinical discussion about hair products I was having with Yuna.

  “Ah… yes.” I blushed.

  Aoi-chan was at my left, idly scrubbing her body with a thered washcloth while she looked around the room with an appreciative eye. When her gaze returned to me, she smiled in a way that pinly said, Even if I look at other girls sometimes, you’re the only girl I need or want.

  My heart jumped.

  Was that st part just my imagination?

  Her shoulder bumped against mine, slick with soap. She was so close that I could feel the heat of her body, nearly as warm as the bath we were about to enter.

  I pulled my shampoo, conditioner and bodywash from my waterproof bag with a smile. As interesting as Yuna’s products were, I was satisfied with mine. Still, I found myself wondering about her bodywash, wondering whether it carried the rose scent I loved most.

  Both Aoi-chan and I used the same product. After we’d started kissing and touching, I noticed her scent and asked her why she smelled so good in text messages. Ever since then, I’d used the same as her, because the subtle fragrance on my skin reminded me of her whenever we weren’t together, especially at bedtime.

  Riko’s eyes flicked to my bottles and her mouth quirked at the corners. She rose and walked around Aoi-chan, earning a suspicious gre that warned her not to get too grabby again.

  “Oh, I see,” Riko said lightly, her gaze lingering on the bels. “That expins it.”

  “What?” I asked, already wary of her groping hands, quickly covering my chest.

  Riko picked up my body soap and gave it a small sniff after opening it, completely unapologetic. “Roses! I know this brand. Not really my style or anything, but that’s why you always smell so nice, Shinohara-san. I love it on you.”

  DOKI-DOKI

  Wha???!!! Love?

  I flustered. “Ah… yes…” I tapped a finger against my lips. “You can borrow it if you want, I guess.”

  “That’s okay,” she replied. “It would just confuse me and make you smell less special.”

  I couldn't help blushing and looking away.

  “I use the same product, idiot. Did you notice that?” Aoi-chan rose and put a firm hand on Riko’s shoulder, her eyes fshing.

  “Oh… I didn’t.” Riko leaned in to her, sniffing at Aoi-chan deliberately, then nodded. “You’re matching products?!” She clutched her chest as if she’d been struck through the heart.

  “For a long time. We share a lot of things.” Aoi-chan shot her a predatory grin.She leaned closer to me and winked, her eyes softening. “It’s cute,” she said, her voice dropping as if what she said was meant just for me. “The scent suits you better than me. You’re soft and adorable in ways I can’t match.”

  My heart fluttered even more.

  DOKI-DOKI

  Aoi smiled like she knew exactly what she was doing to me. “And that’s what I love most about you, Susu. You’re the perfect girl, even with your adorable blocks. It’s all instinctive for you.” She rested her hand against my cheek her thumb framing it beneath my chin. “You’re the kind of girl I always dreamed of.” She paused. “And your wanting to get stronger only makes you more irresistible."

  DOKI-DOKI… BADUMP

  Waaaaaaaaa???!!! I fumbled with the cap of my shampoo, suddenly needing to look at literally anything else. She does unfair things to me!

  Yuna watched our exchange with a small, knowing smile, then lifted one of her own bottles. “Roses are lovely. Mine smell like citrus and herbs,” she said calmly. “The health benefits aside, the scents wake me up in the mornings, and the scent is long-sting.”

  Riko eyed her product bottles. “Of course you’d be so practical in choosing products.” She smiled. “That’s very you.”

  “And yours suit you as well,” Yuna continued, gncing at Riko’s pin bottles at her station. “By the looks of it, yours could probably be used to strip paint.”

  Riko snorted. “It works for me.”

  Megumi leaned over from her station on the other side of Yuna, already dripping from rinsing her hair. “Riko’s definitely looks like the type who uses a two-in-one.”

  “It’s efficient,” Riko muttered, finally looking just a little ashamed of herself.

  Hinata, who had washed on her own, still red-faced whenever she gnced our way, slipped further away toward the baths, hiding her face behind her small towel, which did nothing to cover the rest of her. Her shapely backside swayed as she ran and practically leapt into the bath.

  “Pft…” I snorted.

  “Ah!” Megumi said immediately, rising from her stool, gathering her products in her bag and setting it aside to retrieve ter. “This is bonding!!!” She giggled and threw her arms around Aoi-chan and me from behind.

  “We’re mostly just gossiping about our preferred products,” Yuna corrected.

  “It’s all about getting to know each other better.” Megumi grinned, tossing her mid-length damp pink hair.

  “Do you maybe want to change the subject?” Riko said. “I wouldn’t mind talking more about Shinohara-san’s training instead of these kinds of topics.”

  “Tch… you ck girlish spirit, Tachibana-san! Always such a tomboy,” Megumi teased. “Despite having those big boobs!”

  Riko blushed and preened, thrusting her breasts forward with pride. “That’s pretty much how I am.”

  Aoi chuckled. “I’d have her train in the bath too if I didn’t think it would cause problems for everyone else.”

  “When are we going to get more lessons on attacks?” I asked. “We’ve focused mostly on bance and footwork so far, holds, breakaways, falling and palm strikes, pretty much just the basics.”

  “The basics are the foundation,” Aoi-chan replied. “If the foundation is strong, you’ll get more out of it when we start sparring and I teach you advanced techniques.”

  I nodded. “I have faith in your methods, Aoi-sensei. It’s just… we only have two months left.”

  Aoi-chan nodded seriously. “I did say I’d finish it in three months, didn’t I? Well anyway, we’re on target so far.” She nodded to herself, as if sealing the thought.

  “That’s an ambitious goal,” Riko said. “Teaching someone to fight in just three months. It’s a good thing Sumire-chan learns so quickly.”

  I decided that if I kept talking with everyone, I would never move from my stool. I quickly thered my hair and scrubbed my body with a washcloth, then lifted the showerhead to rinse away the soap.

  Warm water hit my shoulders and ran down my skin. Little grains of sand that I had somehow missed washed away in thin streams. I didn’t want to think about where they were caught. I scrubbed at my calves and hissed softly when my fingers brushed over a particurly rge scratch I hadn’t felt. I reached behind my back, flopping my washcloth across my back as best I could manage.

  Aoi noticed immediately.

  “Hold still for a second, Sumire-chan,” Aoi-chan said, and before I could answer, she leaned over, brushing me with her breasts and guided my wrist with a gentle touch. Her fingers slid around mine unflinching, like this was normal and I was the one making it weird by blushing.

  She reached for my washcloth. “What are you doing, Aoi-chan?”

  Aoi gave me a look that quieted me. Then she shifted closer, knelt behind me, leaning forward. Her other hand turned my face towards hers.

  I felt dizzy. “Whaa….”

  “Free yourself if you want, Susu… you have exactly five seconds to escape… if you fail to…” She winked.

  Is she really going to… right here???

  DOKI-DOKI BADUMP

  He leaned in and gave me a soft and short passionate kiss that made my brain short out.

  Riko whistled and Yuna giggled.

  Megumi ughed delightedly. “You guys are hopeless! Maybe I have to be more guarded around you.” Her eyes twinkled. “That’s like the ultimate bonding!”

  I completely forgot everything around us.

  It didn’t take too long, and thankfully few had noticed us, although the few that did looked at us for a while with varying expressions. We caused a tiny uproar, but this kind of thing wasn’t entirely uncommon.

  Aoi-chan’s kiss was special and unexpected.

  DOKI-DOKI… BADUMP

  She let go and spun me abruptly on my stool and scrubbed at my back and shoulders like she was getting something out of her system. “Hwaaahhh!” I yelped, still dizzy from our kiss, way too heated up, considering I hadn’t gotten into the bath yet. If she kissed me in the bath, I’d probably die of a heat stroke.

  “Don’t hesitate to ask me for help with things like this,” Aoi-chan said softly behind me as she rubbed the soapy washcloth against my back. Her movements were slow and very deliberate. She was taking her time on purpose, enjoying the moment.

  I swallowed hard, blushing, my heart pounding. I love her so much!

  Everyone could see Aoi-chan scrubbing my back like that. It was a miracle that no teachers took us aside for a talk. Well, there was nothing unnatural about friends washing each other’s backs, but it felt extra intimate, despite it being done in a public spot. All because it was Aoi-chan doing it.

  Aoi-chan whispered in my ear, making my heart flutter, “I hope that you will return the favor, princess. I didn’t finish up.”

  “Need some help with yours Arisugawa-san?” Riko asked Yuna.

  Hesitating a moment, she smiled, nodding. “Sure.”

  Riko took Yuna’s washcloth from her and scrubbed her back in a way that made me smile. Something was extra right about Riko washing Yuna’s back for her.

  Aoi’s hand slipped down my arm as she rinsed away the soap suds, then traced her thumb lightly over the skin near my elbow, as if checking for any more scrapes from our earlier activities.

  “You got a little more scuffed up pying volleyball than I thought,” she murmured, “It impressed me how much effort you put in. You didn’t hold back at all! You let yourself get hurt for the team. That’s another thing that I love about you, Sumire-chan.”

  I tried to respond like a normal person, but failed. My heart was entirely in what I said, “I… I love you too...” I managed to say, softly.

  Aoi-chan flushed and smiled warmly, leaning against me as she scrubbed me.

  “You’re wiggling a little,” Aoi-chan said softly, sounding a little amused.

  “I am not.” I wiggled a little more unconsciously.

  Riko cut in, her voice too casual. “You win. I can’t beat you… not that I’ll ever stop trying.”

  Aoi-chan’s eyes fshed and she smirked softly.

  “Keep trying all you want. She’s mine.” Aoi-chan said.

  I squeaked quietly. “Eeeeeeee…”

  Yuna leaned slightly to the side, just enough to gnce at me through the mirror, her eyes calm and bright. “Such a cute blush. It suits you,” she said, sighing. “Make sure that you breathe properly, Shinohara-san.”

  I abruptly inhaled, noticing that I had been holding my breath.

  I stared at her reflection, then realized what she was doing. She wasn’t just looking at my face. Her gaze flicked lower for a brief second, then back up, almost daring me to notice that she had admired my body right in front of me.

  “Hwaaahhh!” My entire body sparked.

  Yuna’s smile stayed soft and she turned away like she hadn’t done anything at all. “Ready to switch, Tachibana-san?” she asked Riko.

  Riko watched her for a moment, then clicked her tongue with a ugh. “Arisugawa-san is bolder than usual today too. Sure. Could I borrow your stool?”

  Yuna nodded and rose, saying, “I’m always bold, for those who know what to look for.” Yuna replied, winking. Very serene and very Yuna.

  “No you’re not,” Riko said, plopping herself down onto Yuna’s stool. “You’re kind of a wallflower, always talking about medical stuff and proper hydration.”

  “That just shows how much I care about you all.” Yuna said softly and scrubbed at Riko’s back. “I hope you don’t mind the citrus scent.”

  “It’s fine.” Riko smiled, grabbing her own legs, holding them up against her chest. “I’m not against smelling girly sometimes.”

  “Good.” Yuna smiled as she scrubbed.

  Meanwhile, Aoi-chan turned my face again and winked. “My turn, princess. Even though I don’t mind going on pampering you, my back could use some scrubbing.”

  I nodded and quickly rose from my stool and Aoi-chan scooted over and seated herself, looking at me over her shoulder, her damp, long and dark hair swinging around, her steel blue eyes bright.

  I flushed and smiled, taking the washcloth from her and scrubbed her back gently and lovingly.

  “A little firmer.” Aoi-chan gasped happily.

  “Yes!” I put more strength in, but made sure that every bit of my love for her went into every pass.

  DOKI-DOKI… BADUMP

  I wished that I wasn’t just washing her back, not that I didn’t admire hers. I imagined washing lower, around her hips and then…

  I nearly melted down.

  Megumi suddenly flung cold water at me with a delighted squeal.

  SPLASH

  I yelped. “Eeeeeeeeek!” That cooled me down, literally.

  That was when a muffled thump came from the other side of the wall.

  The noise was met with a chorus of whispering.

  I couldn’t make out the words, but I heard their voices. It was the boys… and they sounded too close for comfort.

  Several girls in the bath area shouted immediately.

  “Oi! Knock it off, you perverts!”

  “Go back to your side!”

  “Do you want the teachers called on you?”

  Near the ceiling, there was a sound of scrabbling against the dividing wall. A shadow shifted near one of the small high vents.

  Riko’s eyes narrowed as she noticed what I had.

  Yuna picked up a bar of soap calmly, like she was selecting a tool from a specialized kit.

  Aoi leaned forward, her eyes bright with the sudden fun. “Oh? What’s going on?”

  Before I could even ask, Yuna flicked her wrist.

  The soap bar sailed through the air with terrifying accuracy.

  THUNK

  A startled yelp came from the other side.

  CRASH

  The entire women’s bath erupted into cheers and ughter at the sound of whoever tried to climb the wall falling.

  “Nice throw, Arisugawa-san!”

  “Direct hit!”

  “Arisugawa-san, you’re amazing!”

  Yuna lifted her hand in a small, modest wave like she hadn’t just committed extreme violence with just a single bar of soap. “They’ll learn.”

  Aoi looked at her with new respect. “That was kind of sexy.”

  “He'll probably sniff that bar for an hour trying to figure out which girl used it,” Riko said wryly.

  Yuna’s mouth twitched. “Thank you.” She bowed to everyone, winking.

  Riko snorted. “Everyone, don’t encourage her.”

  Megumi leaned toward me, her eyes sparkling. “Do you see why bathing with friends is so great? This is what bath culture is all about, Shinohara-san! Friendship, bonding… with a side of anti-pervert defense.”

  I ughed, and the sound surprised me with how easily it came out.

  I was happy… genuinely happy… even though I was naked with so many people. Literally everyone. To my astonishment, it felt completely natural. That small voice deep inside me, the one that usually protested and second-guessed everything in these situations, went quiet.

  Why did it go away now? I wondered.

  Maybe because, for once, I felt strangely at peace with myself.

  It was here, and everything felt right, standing in the same warm room as everyone else, shampoo scents mingling in the damp air, water running constantly, teasing and ughter treated as something ordinary rather than something to hide from.

  I finished rinsing Aoi-chan’s back and gave her a thumbs-up over her shoulder, then leaned in to press a gentle kiss to her cheek, close to her lips.

  “You’re doing really well, Sumire-chan,” she murmured, blushing a touch. Her voice stayed low, intimate enough to feel private even with mirrors all around us and water running nonstop.

  I returned her smile with interest, wanting to kiss her much more properly, deeper than that, and the only thing that stopped me was common sense, not that anxious voice that I was so used to getting in the way. My stomach fluttered, but this time it wasn’t due to panic.

  It was out of love and joy. It was… warmth.

  We rinsed the st of the soap away, turning off the showers one by one, and gathered ourselves and our things naturally, as if moving together was the default. The open bath waited a few steps away, the water rippling, ughter echoing through the massive chamber, steam rising gently from the rivulets on the floor and the bath.

  We were clean and warm.

  And we were ready to slide into the hot bath.

  Relwing