We arrived at the hotel, checked in at the front desk, and headed to the room.
”…So you really only booked one room.”
“Booking two would have cost extra.”
I’d had a feeling, and yes — one room. An unmarried, non-dating guy and girl sharing a room is, like, a problem — but it was obvious that resistance was futile, so I didn’t bother saying anything.
“Oh — I figured you’d be happy, so I booked a double room.”
“Then I’ll just not use the bed.”
“No good. That’ll cost you sleep and ruin tomorrow’s sightseeing.”
“Sharing a bed with you would definitely cost me sleep.”
The hard floor would let me sleep way better than that. As I was thinking it, Kano grinned at me.
“Aw, why can’t you sleep? Your big sister has no idea — tell her in detail.”
“You absolutely know — you’re asking on purpose.”
Even if she’s a sister-figure to me, the fact remains that Kano is an unreasonably beautiful woman. Sleeping next to her as a virgin is essentially suicide.
“Hmm. So you do consciously think of me as a girl.”
“Y-yeah, I guess.”
“I see, I see.”
Kano looked visibly happier than she had a moment ago after my slightly-stammered reply. We bickered like that as we got to the room.
The room was spacious and clean — looked very comfortable. I set my bag down and was stretching when Kano started pulling stuff out of her bag.
“H-hey, don’t just casually pull out underwear right in front of me!”
“Sorry, sorry. Just habit.”
“There’s something about that apology that feels… insincere?”
“You’re imagining it, you’re imagining it.”
Yeah, definitely not imagining it. Her body language was not the body language of a sincere apology.
”…Why are you pulling out underwear in the first place?”
“I’m gonna take a bath. This hotel has hot springs — I’ve been looking forward to it.”
“Right. I’m gonna stick around the room for a bit, take your time.”
I was about to sit on the couch when she grabbed my arm.
“What are you talking about — you’re coming with me, Yuito.”
“Why? We’d split up at the entrance anyway, so going separately is fine, right?”
“Oh, didn’t I mention? This hotel only has reservation-required family baths.”
“You did not mention that!”
“Hm. Did I not?”
She made an innocent face, but she had to have been hiding that on purpose. Still, I could just stagger our times — there was no actual need to go together.
“Oh, and there’s a thirty-minute limit per group. I’m planning to use the full time, so if we don’t go now you don’t get a bath at all.”
“Eh…”
We came all the way to Hakone, famous for hot springs, and not taking one would be a waste. But bathing with Kano was very much “bad,” for many reasons.
Two paths, neither great. I had to pick. After agonizing, I chose the one with less self-damage.
“I’ll skip the bath today.”
”…Personally, your big sister is not impressed by that choice.”
“I think I chose optimally.”
She was visibly displeased, but I would not budge on this. If my brother caught wind of it I’d be quartered alive.
“We used to take baths together all the time as kids — why now?”
“Lower elementary school is not the same as now.”
I figured she’d give up after that — and immediately regretted that prediction.
“‘My Pervert Childhood Friend Manages My Ejaculations.’”
”!”
The thing she’d just muttered was the title of an ero-manga I’d had downloaded on my phone — until the data got mysteriously wiped. Ignoring my flailing, she continued.
“‘After-School Private Lessons with My Childhood Friend.’ ‘In the Chastity-Reversed World, My Childhood Friend Milked Me Every Night — A Pitiful End.’ ‘My Childhood Friend Reverse-Raped Me into a Sex Beast.’”
“P-please stop.”
“If you don’t take a bath with me, maybe I’ll just casually mention to Suzuno what kinds of things you’re into.”
“All right, I’ll bathe with you.”
My morale was destroyed. If Suzuno found out about my collection of childhood-friend-themed ero-manga, she’d be horrified.
Also — how the hell did Kano find out about my ero-manga collection? Did she hack my phone or something?
Oh. Right. That time at the café when she borrowed it briefly. That had to be it.
That’s when she’d deleted every female contact, and presumably also opened the e-book reader app. I am never, ever lending her my phone again.