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"See you, Mr. Blake."
Mahiru Shiina rose to her feet, lightly holding down her skirt. Her cheeks were faintly flushed as she said her goodbye in a soft voice.
The fluffy cat ears on Goko Ruri's head had already disappeared. With a small blush on her face, she gave a slight bow.
"Thanks for your help, Mr. Blake. I'll be heading back now."
Last was Anna Yanami. The blue-haired girl waved as she left, her voice bright and cheerful.
"Night, Blake~"
"…"
After seeing the girls off, Blake checked his phone. It was already close to eleven at night. Without hesitation, he stripped and went to take a shower.
There wasn't a private hot spring in the room. If he wanted to soak, he'd have to head outside.
Of course, it wasn't mixed. The baths were separated by gender.
"…Feels like I forgot something… ah, right."
After a quick rinse, Blake grabbed his phone and sent Sagiri a message, briefly explaining the situation.
He had actually texted her earlier when it first got dark. Otherwise, his phone would've already been blown up with calls.
The message was read almost instantly. Clearly, Sagiri wasn't asleep.
A few seconds later—
A video call request popped up.
Blake accepted. Soon, the screen filled with the image of a cute silver-haired girl in bunny pajamas.
"Fuu…"
Sagiri took a deep breath. Her cheeks puffed up dramatically, like she was charging up for a big move. Then she squeezed her eyes shut and shouted:
"Stupid big brother! Why did you message me so late? Do you have any idea how worried I was?!"
"Where are you right now?"
"Are you hurt?"
"When are you coming home?"
"…"
Faced with the barrage of questions, Blake didn't answer. He simply looked away and said:
"You're… exposed."
Calling someone in pajamas was one thing, but lying face-down on the bed? That was just asking for a wardrobe malfunction.
At that moment, his mind was filled with flashes of pale skin, her slender neck, delicate collarbones, and even—
Yeah… those tiny, underdeveloped bumps weren't exactly filling.
"Ahh—!"
A small, embarrassed yelp came from the phone. The screen went dark for a second, and when it came back, Sagiri was sitting properly on the bed.
"Big bro, you pervert!"
Her face was burning red as she clutched her chest, glaring at him in embarrassment.
Blake stayed expressionless.
"Learn from this. Next time you video call someone, don't lie on your stomach in pajamas."
"I'm not calling anyone else!" Sagiri shot back, flustered. "Anyway, you have to forget what you just saw! And don't do anything pervy to me in your head!"
Seriously, with a body like that, the only reaction was laughter.
"Don't worry," Blake said flatly. "Already forgot."
"Ugh—!"
Sagiri's cheeks puffed up like an angry pufferfish.
"Idiot big bro! You're so annoying!"
"…"
After a bit more bickering, Sagiri quickly got to the point.
"Big bro, how did you deal with that cat-abusing creep?"
Blake didn't hide anything and gave her a simple explanation.
"…It got too late, so I couldn't make it back tonight. I happened to have hot spring tickets, so I'm staying at a ryokan."
"If you want to try a hot spring, I'll bring you next time."
He had already mentioned the hot spring tickets earlier when he gave her the snack gift pack from the mall, so it didn't come out of nowhere.
"I'm not going out," Sagiri huffed softly. Even on a second run, she was still a shut-in. "Big bro, are you staying alone, or with someone else?"
"Of course I've got my own room."
"I don't believe you. Show me."
Blake raised his phone and slowly panned around the room.
"See?"
"…I guess you pass." Seeing no signs of any girls' belongings, Sagiri finally relaxed. Then she added seriously, "Make sure you lock your doors and windows tonight."
"That's what I should be telling you," Blake replied. "Did you check them?"
"I locked everything tight as soon as I got your message earlier." Sagiri lifted her chin slightly, sounding a bit proud. "No matter who knocks, I'm not opening the door until you get back tomorrow."
"That's a bit excessive…"
"Anyway, make sure everything's locked! Don't let some bad woman sneak in and attack you at night!"
Blake sighed.
"Relax. No one's going to do that."
"…You never know…"
Sagiri muttered quietly.
Near the end of the previous loop, that elf girl, Yanami, and a bunch of other troublesome women had all tried to sneak into his room at night.
"What did you just say?"
"I said—" Sagiri took a deep breath, clenched her fist against her chest, and declared with a flushed face, "Big bro belongs to me! Stay away from bad women!"
"…"
After finishing the call, Blake set down his phone and headed out to the hot spring.
As soon as he stepped into the hallway, the door next to his opened. Mahiru—the "angel"—and Yamada Elf stepped out together, both wearing robes.
The moment his gaze landed on Mahiru, Blake's eyes lit up.
Her hair was styled into a cute bun he'd never seen before. She wore a pink-and-white robe. Though the design was modest, it still traced her graceful figure beautifully. Fresh from a bath, her skin had a soft rosy glow, smooth and delicate like a freshly peeled egg, almost like you could squeeze water out of it.
His gaze drifted downward.
She wasn't wearing stockings, just a pair of simple wooden sandals. Her feet were small and delicate, skin pale as snow, faint blue veins visible across the tops. Her toes were round and neat, like little white lotus seeds.
Noticing his stare, her toes curled slightly in embarrassment.
"Mr. Blake… have you already finished bathing?"
Mahiru asked softly, her cheeks warming.
"Not yet. I just got out of the room—I'm heading there now," Blake replied quickly, pulling his gaze away. "I was talking with Sagiri."
"I see…" Mahiru pressed her lips together, a little shy. "Then… shall we go together?"
"Sure."
The baths were at the end of the hallway. The women's side was closer, while the men's required a few extra steps.
"Mr. Blake, we'll head in first."
When they reached the entrance, Mahiru gave a soft goodbye and lifted the curtain to enter the women's bath.
Blake was about to continue forward when—
A small hand suddenly poked his waist, repeatedly and indignantly.
"What are you doing?"
He turned to look at Yamada Elf.
The blonde loli puffed up her cheeks and huffed.
"You pervy servant, your eyes were practically popping out just now!"
"Don't slander me."
"Hmph." Yamada Elf sounded annoyed, her hands mimicking a grabbing motion in the air. "When I was bathing with Mahiru earlier, I realized something outrageous. Even using both hands, I couldn't hold them… Your nostrils were flaring just now. You totally wanted to grab them, didn't you?"
Don't say stuff like that—if the angel hears you, divine punishment is coming!
"As expected, you're one of those disgusting 'oppai lovers.' Flat is the real rare treasure!"
Only then did Blake realize—this blonde girl was just feeling inferior and jealous.
Even someone with a small chest would feel that way standing next to… that.
"Don't be discouraged." Blake reached out and patted her head. "Didn't you say your mom has a great figure? Have faith in your future."
"Pervert servant, don't touch my head!"
"....."