After sampling the styles of the high-end Western restaurant in the hotel at noon, Kaguya proposed going to the hot springs again in the afternoon.
However, Maki herself stated she wasn't feeling well, so she didn't participate. Chika indicated she had some sudden matters to attend to, so she didn't join either. In the end, it was only Kaguya and Gao Hai, the two of them, going to the hot springs.
"If it's like this, I feel it would be better to just use the small hot spring that comes with the hotel room."
In fact, even Gao Hai himself couldn't quite work up the enthusiasm. While he yawned and talked about soaking in the room's hot spring, what he was actually thinking about was going to the E-sports room to see what kind of fun stuff was in there.
Come to think of it, despite always being a game enthusiast, he had been at the hotel for a whole day yet hadn't touched a computer or game console at all.
Hmm... but playing adult games should also count as playing games, right?
"That is true. Then, Gao-kun, would you like to further research the intelligence information investigated earlier? The information regarding Fujihana Middle School?"
Seeing that everyone was rather reluctant, Kaguya didn't force the issue, but merely tried proposing a second suggestion.
The young girl's goal was very simple: to create an opportunity for just her and Gao Hai to be together.
She had thought it through very clearly. Previously, during the first month, it was because she was restricted by the Shinomiya family that her time with Gao Hai was too short, which led to the relationship between him and Maki warming up rapidly. So now, if she wanted to make amends, she had to make up for it in terms of time spent together.
As for those plans provided by Hayasaka, which were essentially no different from seduction, she decided to let them go for now... at least she absolutely could not accept that mixed bathing plan.
"No, no, no. I mean, we came out to play, so please don't torment me with these kinds of things. I've already spent quite a lot of time lately looking at this intelligence information that I don't want to understand at all. Since we are resting and playing now, let's just think about how to make ourselves more relaxed."
However, regrettably, the plan Kaguya proposed was precisely the kind Gao Hai could not accept the most. Therefore, he rejected it cleanly and efficiently, then turned around and walked directly away.
Standing in place, Kaguya was disheveled in the wind for a good while before she stomped her foot in some annoyance, and then quickly left as well.
In the afternoon, Maki still walked with a bit of a limp and lacked energy, so she remained resting in bed. Of course, she was resting on the bed in Gao Hai's room.
The stained bedsheets had already been changed and washed by the waiter, and the traces extending from the floor all the way into the bathroom had also been cleaned up. To be honest, after realizing that the traces she and Gao Hai left last night were seen by the waiter, Maki was truly flustered for quite a while, even generating extreme thoughts like [Whether to silence the waiter who knows about this]. However, having such a thought was her limit; it wasn't like she would actually do anything.
"How is it? Are you feeling better now?"
Gao Hai, having returned to the room, saw at a glance Maki lying on the bed with her hair scattered, and walked up to ask with concern.
"...Still alive."
Maki, who had known Gao Hai was back for some time, opened her eyes only now. She glanced at Gao Hai then turned her head away, speaking slowly in a tone that was neither salty nor bland.
"Do you need me to provide a sleeping accompaniment service?"
In the next moment, Gao Hai followed up by lying on the bed, reaching out across the quilt to embrace Maki.
"Wu, no way, it still hurts right now..."
Startled, Maki subconsciously wanted to struggle, but then discovered that Gao Hai was merely holding her and wasn't doing anything to her, which allowed her to relax a little.
"Relax, I'm not that unsatisfied yet."
Gao Hai lowered his head and gently kissed the young girl's side profile.
"Who believes you, idiot..."
Although Maki was still subconsciously being stubborn with her words, her body had already honestly pressed against Gao Hai, her entire person nestling into Gao Hai's embrace.
She could feel the warm breath belonging to the other person.
In this moment, the reassuring aura transmitted so realistically and intensely.
Closing her eyes, the young girl's breathing gradually evened out, and she fell asleep just like that, leaning in Gao Hai's arms.
Gao Hai himself lay on his side on the bed without moving, admiring the sleeping face of the girl in his arms, silently, silently, until his mobile phone vibrated once. Gao Hai picked it up to take a look and found that Chika was done with her business and was inviting him and Kaguya to go to the hot springs again. After thinking for a moment, he looked down at the girl in his arms, saw that Maki was still sleeping quietly, and then quietly got up from the bed, leaving as silently as possible.
However, just after Gao Hai left the room, Maki immediately opened her eyes.
That text message just now—although she only stole a glance at it, it seemed to be sent by Fujiwara?
The message she sent to Hai-kun... what does that guy want to do?
Maki became somewhat nervous. She subconsciously sat up, got off the bed, and enduring the pain, walked to the door. Then, she heard the voices of Gao Hai and Chika in the corridor outside.
"Ah Hai, Ah Hai, you go soak first. After you're done, I have a new fun game. Look forward to it properly, ehehe~"
Amidst the impatient voice, Chika's footsteps were rapidly fading away.
Gao Hai simply gave a "Mn" and continued forward, going downstairs and heading towards the hot springs.
Male bath, female bath, mixed bath.
The hotel's public hot spring area was divided into these three categories.
Yesterday, Gao Hai had already visited the male bath once, but walking over today, he found that the door signs for the male bath and female bath had been swapped.
Is it that the male and female baths here do indeed get swapped? Or is it a staff error? Or some other situation?
Gao Hai felt very puzzled about this, but since he had encountered this matter, he didn't have anything to be afraid of. He directly and openly entered the male bath area, which was yesterday's female bath area.
Taking off his clothes, he first entered the shower area.
Gao Hai walked into a shower cubicle, turned on the showerhead, and began to rinse.
Then, he heard footsteps approaching from outside.
"Ehehe, surprised?"
A warm body hugged him from behind, accompanied by Chika's own slightly playful voice.
"Although I guessed a little bit, aren't you afraid of being discovered by someone?"
Gao Hai wasn't surprised by Chika's appearance; he just felt his willpower was being tested once again.
"Can't be helped, because I wanted to soak in the big hot spring with Ah Hai. So, this time, just like last time, let me wash your back for you."
Amidst light laughter, Chika's small hand had already landed on Gao Hai's back, sliding gently downwards along the muscle lines of his spine.
"How about I help you wash first?"
Gao Hai, however, turned around directly and pulled Chika into his arms at once.
The mist-filled shower room quieted down.
Amidst the splash-splash sound of rinsing, chaotic footsteps then sounded.
Chika let out somewhat happy, low laughter. From time to time, words like "Hey, don't move around" and "Don't scratch my arm" would ring out from the cubicle, sounding seemingly very joyful.
But very quickly, this atmosphere was interrupted by the sound of Kaguya's footsteps walking in.
"Fujiwara-san?"
She noticed the sound of rinsing coming from a shower cubicle with a closed door, so she spoke up to ask.
"Ah, ah! It's me. I'm already washing. Did Kaguya-san just come in?"
The answering voice rang out a bit late, and for some reason, appeared somewhat flustered.
"Yes. What's wrong with you? Looking at the sound, it feels a bit strange?"
As Kaguya spoke, she walked into the shower cubicle next to Chika's, turned on the nozzle, and also began to rinse.
"No... nothing. Maybe I ran to too many places during the day, so I'm slightly dizzy? Ehe... wun, ehehe..."
Ringing out along with the voice from the opposite cubicle was the sound of something bumping against the cubicle's partition.
One could hear the breathing on the other side appearing somewhat chaotic; it sounded very wrong.
Very strange, quite strange.
"Fujiwara-san?"
Kaguya frowned and called out again.
"Wha... what is it, Kaguya-san?"
The responding voice seemed even more wrong than just now.
Moreover, she also heard the sound of something sliding forcefully against the partition.
"Are you really okay? It's not that you're feeling physically unwell, is it?"
As Kaguya spoke, she opened her own cubicle, disregarding wiping the water droplets off her body, and then walked directly to the front of Chika Fujiwara's cubicle to ask.
"...I'm fine. I just accidentally bumped my shoulder just now. Although I endured it without screaming, it actually still hurts a little, ahaha... ha..."
Chika's answering voice from the cubicle sounded seemingly a bit more normal.
But under the condition of having become focused, Kaguya's senses, having undergone enhancement, could naturally already detect some things that were wrong. For instance, that other set of footsteps mixed within Chika's footsteps, another breathing, the existence of another person.
Inside the cubicle were two people.
What is going on? Could it be that someone has taken Fujiwara-san hostage?
Kaguya, instantly becoming vigilant, had already prepared herself to break down the door and enter.
But following that, in the next moment, she heard the voice of the second person in the cubicle.
"Sure enough, I knew it... wuwuwu..."
It was Maki's voice.
The second person in the cubicle was Maki Shijo.
"Maki-san, you are washing together with Fujiwara-san?"
Kaguya, who had just intended to break the door, froze in place, her forward-charging steps forcefully halting.
"That's right. Maki-san isn't feeling too well, so I'm helping her wash, although she herself seems a bit unwilling, ehe."
Chika Fujiwara's voice could no longer be heard to have the slightest problem, while Maki's suppressed whimpering sounds began to ring out in bursts from the cubicle.
"Is... is that so... Then you guys take your time washing."
Until this moment, Kaguya actually still felt that quite a few places were a bit strange, feeling that the truth of the matter might not be so.
It was just that she ultimately chose to return to her own cubicle. Listening to the sounds of the two young girls next door occasionally arguing a couple of sentences, she lowered her head and silently finished rinsing quickly. After confirming that Chika and Maki still needed a little time before finishing rinsing, she went to the hot spring side one step ahead.
What was strange was that until she finished soaking in the hot spring and returned to her own room, neither Chika nor Maki came to soak in the hot spring.
From beginning to end, only Kaguya alone soaked in the hot spring pool for a period of time today.
Since they specifically came to the hot spring's shower room to wash their bodies, they definitely should have intended to soak in the hot spring, right?
But they didn't come over to the hot spring side, so what did they come to the shower room to do?
After this, where did they go, and what did they go to do?
This event full of mysterious points, as well as a series of questions related to it, remained in Kaguya Shinomiya's heart for a long time, and troubled this young girl for quite a period of time in the long while after.
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