"Just for that reason?"
Saeko was slightly taken aback, her violet eyes showing a hint of surprise. The simplicity of this answer had gone beyond her expectations.
"Or did you think I was hiding some other reason?"
Zeroy raised an eyebrow and chuckled, tilting her head as she looked at the two of them. The sharp edge she carried in battle had now softened into casual teasing.
"...I see."
Saeko was silent for a moment, then the corners of her lips curved into a brilliant smile.
"So, the two of you aren't going to get the towels?"
"Please wait a moment."
Saeko shook her head gently, her voice soft but firm. "I still have one last request."
She paused. "May I... come closer to you?"
Zeroy looked a little puzzled, but nodded. "...As you wish."
With a hand lightly protecting her chest, Saeko, inch by inch, slid and scooted to Zeroy's side, ripples spreading delicately across the water around her.
"What are you trying to do?"
There was a hint of curiosity in Zeroy's voice.
Saeko's gaze was serious, as if she had resolved herself for something.
"May I... touch your hand?"
Zeroy froze for a moment, then lifted her hand. "...You may."
"Forgive my boldness."
Saeko spoke softly, extending her hand until it gently pressed against Zeroy's palm.
Then, their fingers intertwined.
In that instant, within the misty warmth of the hot spring, it was as if some subtle emotion began quietly flowing between them.
"..."
Saeko gazed wordlessly at Zeroy, and Zeroy returned her look with inquisitive eyes.
Saya and Alice also stayed silent, watching the two with interest.
Gradually, Saeko's delicate face grew tinged with red.
And the color deepened, her gaze on Zeroy starting to falter.
Fleeting, shy emotions surfaced in her demeanor.
"...?"
'Wait, what exactly is going on here? What kind of reaction is this?'
Saeko closed her eyes and took a deep breath, as if to calm herself down.
When she opened them again, Zeroy could indeed see that much of that emotion had faded.
But the moment their eyes met, the vanished feelings returned all at once.
"What... are you doing?"
Zeroy really couldn't figure it out.
"..."
Saeko fell silent, then released Zeroy's hand, disentangling their fingers.
She drew another deep breath, this time successfully suppressing her emotions.
Then, meeting Zeroy's gaze, she spoke earnestly. "Thank you for your generosity."
"Now, I've confirmed my own feelings. Gender no longer matters. My heart and body both tell me that I truly harbor thoughts for you that go beyond friendship… far beyond."
"???"
Zeroy rubbed her brow.
"Hold on. Your orientation should be normal, right?"
A proper Yamato Nadeshiko, raised from childhood to be a virtuous wife and mother… how could she possibly be a lesbian?
"Perhaps. At least, until today, I thought so myself."
Saeko lowered her eyes, long lashes trembling slightly, her face flushed in shy admission.
"Are you sure about this? Tomorrow I'm leaving, and I..."
'I don't even know if I'll be able to come back.'
The rest, Zeroy did not say.
Because Alice was still there, blinking her wide, innocent eyes curiously at her two big sisters.
Still, both Saeko and Saya could hear the unspoken meaning.
"..."
Saya's eyes dimmed a little, while Saeko sighed with regret.
"I understand. But... precisely because of that, if I do nothing now, I might carry this regret with me until the day I die."
"Who told you to make such a hasty decision?"
Zeroy's face was full of helplessness, even showing a slight look of "I give up on you".
In her view, Saeko was just doing this out of gratitude, but not wanting to accept it, she forcibly bent herself.
Silently, without warning, she just turned herself. That was some real determination.
The problem was, if Saeko didn't bend herself, there would be no problem at all.
But now, there's no undoing it. Saeko had already made herself a widow.
First love, holding hands, widowhood—in less than 24 hours, Saeko had speedrun through all of it.
If it were Zeroy, she would definitely not go along with this. It was purely asking for heartbreak.
Albeit Saeko thought differently. She looked at Zeroy, her eyes tender. "I'm simply facing the emotions I've kept hidden within."
"...Say whatever you like. Anyway, what's done is done."
At this moment, the feelings in Saeko's eyes, brimming to the edge, were clearly not fake.
So, no matter her reasoning, what mattered was that she truly had feelings for her now.
...
"Takagi, I'll entrust Alice to you," Saeko spoke softly.
Alice had soaked too long. Leaning against Zeroy, her little head was nodding off, her eyelids nearly closed, ready to fall asleep at any moment.
Saeko gently patted her back, carefully handing her over to Saya.
Saya took the sleeping Alice in her arms and nodded, but as she turned, she noticed Saeko and Zeroy still wrapped in towels, remaining where they were.
Her body froze, her face flushing crimson, her finger trembling as she pointed at them. "Y-you're not planning to... here... right here..."
"Takagi."
Saeko sighed helplessly, though the corners of her mouth curved in a faint smile.
"No matter how you imagine it, the first time wouldn't possibly be in a place like this."
She paused, her gaze shifting to Zeroy. "Although... if Zeroy-sama wished it, I wouldn't mind."
Zeroy shook her head lightly, a flicker of complexity in her eyes.
It would be her first time, too, and at the very least, there should be some sense of occasion…
More importantly, she couldn't be sure whether tomorrow's farewell would be the last, or how long it might take to return to this world. She had no mood for such things now.
As for Saeko's feelings, she hadn't even figured out how to handle them yet.
"Then why were you two..."
Saya indeed didn't believe it.
"Don't forget, there's still the massage to help Zeroy-sama relax. Wasn't that also the reason you came, Takagi?"
"Uh..."
The massage idea was something Saeko had planned ever since she discovered the hot spring at the base.
Saya had learned of it too and requested Saeko to teach her a bit. She also wanted to do something for Zeroy together.
"So go and come back quickly."
"Alright... but you two really... forget it..."
Saya left—more like fleeing in embarrassment.
...
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