After school & hot springs

PART - 3

The next story will be a new chapter.

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 Following Kirasaka, we visited a hot spring, or perhaps it would be more appropriate to call it an inn.

The inn was nostalgic, but spotless and tidy.

 　It was easy to imagine that the employees took care of the maintenance on a daily basis.

It was as if the parents of Kirasaka were involved with the facility.

 Since it was after school when we visited the inn, we didn’t relax in the lobby, but instead split up into men and women and headed for the bathhouse.

I went into the men’s bath with Yuuto in tow.

 The first thought that came to mind was, “Is this really okay to do such a luxurious thing?”

“There’s an open-air bath too!? I’ll go there later.”

 ”…Yeah.”

 Maybe Yuuto next to me didn’t care, he said with a little excitement with his eyes shining.

Well, for today, let’s just think of it as coming to relax our bodies and not dig too deep into unnecessary things.

 I decided to enjoy the bath, which was completely empty except for me and Yuuto.

 As I finished washing my body and took my first dip in the bath, Yuuto muttered to me.

 ”In this kind of pattern, hearing the conversation over from the women’s bath or …is standard.

 ”You’ve been reading too many manga…”

All we could hear was the sound of hot water being poured and our conversation.

The fact that it was just the two of us in such a large hot spring made me feel uncomfortable.

 There was also a sauna and a water bath, but I didn’t like them much.

After warming up for a while, we went to the outdoor bath.

 ”It’s so nice”

 ”…”

 I leaned back and looked up at the sky as I soaked in the hot water.

As summer approaches and the hours of daylight increase, the sky is bright, though still tinged with vermilion.

 It felt strange to me that I was here on a weekday, on my way home from school.

If I had come on a holiday, I would have been able to relax from the bottom of my heart.

If I listened carefully, I could even hear the sound of the river flowing.

Maybe I’ll come back next time with Kaede when Mom comes home.

If I do that, I have to ask Kuroi-san about the way to this place.

 In the worst case scenario, I can ask Kirasaka and she should tell me right away.

 ”I’m going to …leave now”

 ”Why don’t you go a little slower, Minato?”

 I feel like I’m going to have a completely long and exhausting bath at this point.

After saying a few words to Yuuto, I left the bathhouse.

 When I went out to the changing room, I found a simple change of clothes that hadn’t been there when I came in.

There was also a yukata for rent, but considering that we would be leaving in a bit, it would be a double effort to change.

 So I thought I could just change into my uniform again, but I wondered if Kuroi-san had prepared this for me.

The Т-shirt, which was just the right size, had a pattern printed on it with letters.

 [Ren LOVE] (Tl/n - 怜LOVE)

 ”…Can you wear that!”

 I immediately threw it on the floor.

When did Kirasaka prepare such a stupid thing!?

 As I let out a sigh of dismay, I saw another shirt under it.

I unfolded the other shirt, truly amazed at how normally she prepared another one after it.

 [Shizuku LOVE] (Tl/n - 雫愛)

 ”…It’s just so I have to wear it!”

 It’s a pincer attack.

There she was, alone in the changing room, angrily complaining about this prank that even Shizuku was played on.

 As it turned out, there were no clothes available for me to change into, so I put on my uniform and went out to the lobby.

There, I found massage machines, vending machines, a simple dining area, and a place where they could play table tennis and other games.

 ”You should give up now”

 ”Kirasaka-san, you’re the one who keeps pestering me over and over again”

 The two of them, who were sweating a little after wearing their yukata to the hot spring, were playing table tennis against each other as they had talked about at the school.

I don’t know what makes them so passionate, but they can’t afford to lose.

 I don’t know the rules, but I wonder if they’re still playing at deuce.

(Tl/n - I ain’t a ping pong expert so here’s what I found on the internet - “In tennis, a deuce is a tie that must be broken by someone scoring two points in a row.”)

Kuroi-san was acting as a referee, smiling beside them, but I wondered what she was enjoying.

 I bought a cup of coffee milk a little further away and watched them play their game.

 ”Oh, so you’re doing it!”

 ”I don’t think the game is over, though.”

 Yuuto appeared with a towel on his head and sat down on the chair next to me, wiping his scraggly wet hair.

He also has a cup of coffee milk in his hand.

 Coffee milk after a hot spring is good, isn’t it?

You could say it’s a classic.

 I turned my gaze away from Yuuto for a moment, and returned it to the ping-pong table.

I don’t know anything about the techniques, skills, rules, or format of the game except for the simple ones we had in class, but I still know something at least.

 It was hard to believe that they were beginners, they were just playing a very advanced game.

To a serious ping-pong player, it’s probably just a rally.

(Tl/n - Consecutive back and forth shots between players)

 But to me, their ability to keep rallying at such a high speed is nothing short of amazing.

 I can even think of the phrase “waste of talent”

For a while, Yuuto and I stood side by side, waiting for the girls to finish their game.

 It’s a good way to pass the time after a bath.

 Both of them were absorbed in the game with a serious look in their eyes, as if they were participating in a tournament.

About ten minutes after we started watching the game, we ran out of drinks and were wondering what to buy next when Kuroi-san, who was supposed to be a referee, came up to us and offered us some tea.

 ”Thank you very much. “

 I thanked him and accepted the tea.

Next to me, Yuuto also accepted the tea.

 Kuroi-san smiled and turned his eyes to them, especially Kirasaka.

 ”The young lady really seems to be enjoying herself these days”

 ”I suppose…”

 She even has a change of clothes for people with her name on it.

I think she’s enjoying this situation well enough.

 Hearing my reply, Ms. Kuroi gave a small bow to me.

“Everything has happened since I met Shinra-sama …Thank you.”

 ”…Please stop”

I stood up and asked Kuroi-san to raise his head.

I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to do it.

 ”…because you met me or whatever, that’s just purely a consequence”

 Even if you had met me, you might have ended up differently than you are now at some juncture.

It’s easy to look at the outcome and say that it was inevitable.

 It’s against my way of thinking to assume that the current situation was created by a series of coincidences and that she met just one person.

As Kuroi-san said, I’m sure that we’re more than a little involved in the reason why Kiraizaka is enjoying her current life.

 But I can’t just nod my head and say it as if I’m the only one.

 I’m not sure if he understand my intentions, but Kuroi-san still smiles.

 ”I know you’re going to say that, Shinra-sama, but please consider this just a thank you from an old man”

 ”….Well, if that’s the case…”

 I’m not sure if he understands how twisted people like me can be, so he thanked me in a way that was hard to refuse.

I’ll take it as an honest thank you for now.

 From that point on, I watched the girls, including Kuroi-san.

The two of them certainly have the worst chemistry.

 When their eyes meet, they glare at each other, it’s hard to win in a battle of wills like this.

Their specs are similar, so it should be unavoidable.

 However, it may be that they are somehow similar to each other.

Because of the relationship between dogs and monkeys, it was possible to get involved in earnest because the eyes were focused only on the bad parts of the other party.

(Tl/n - ‘Dogs & monkeys’ is a phrase meaning having bad relationship with each other.)

 There is even a word for it ‘bad friends’.

I think Kuroi-san should be thanking Shizuku, not me.

 I look out the window of the strange building, where despite being a large facility, there are only the four of us, Kuroi-san, and the employees.

The sun had completely set, and another day was coming to an end.

 Once the girls’ game is over, we’ll go home and start another normal day tomorrow.

It was a nice break and a change of pace.

 It was a bit of a break and a change of pace, but even though it’s been a normal day for me since I was promoted to the second year, it’s been different from other years.

Also, there could be unexpected events and happenings waiting for us.

 Aware that my supposedly refreshed mood was easily sinking, I just rested my body in this place for now.

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This is the end of the side-story and the next story will be a new chapter.

I was wondering if I should write about the result of the ping-pong match between Shizuku and Ren, but I decided to end it without writing about it this time.

I’ll try my best to update the story so that you can enjoy the development from the next episode.

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Tl - Fuu… this should be the last one for this month, I’ll post the next chapter after my exam around the the starting of the next month.