After lunch, it was already afternoon. While at the restaurant, Kotomi Izumi and Iroha Isshiki overheard a pair of tourists chatting about a nearby bathhouse. It wasn’t particularly famous but had excellent reviews.

Not only did Iroha take an interest, but Kotomi, still wistful about not being able to visit Hokkaido with Megumi Kato, was also intrigued by the idea of a bath. Although bathhouses and hot springs were different, this would suffice as a substitute for now.

After all, neither Chiba City nor Fujisawa City had hot spring inns like Hokkaido.

With that, the two decided to delay their plans to return home and spent an indulgent afternoon soaking in the women’s bathhouse.

After their bath, Kotomi, feeling particularly relaxed, even hired a female masseuse for a full-body massage.

Initially, she intended for Iroha to try it as well. However, the little devil showed a surprisingly shy side, blushing furiously as she declined Kotomi’s offer.

Left with no choice, Kotomi went alone to a private room to enjoy the massage.

Although she usually maintained a decent daily routine, her dual occupations as a novelist and manga artist had taken a toll on her shoulders and neck lately. Since she was already at the bathhouse, she figured she might as well go all out and get a massage too.

That said… the massage Kotomi chose was a bit unconventional.

Iroha didn’t hear exactly what kind of massage Kotomi selected, but she noticed the young female masseuse blush slightly and hesitate before nodding in agreement after Kotomi explained her request.

This scene stuck in Iroha’s mind, leaving her restless as she sat alone in the bathhouse lounge.

What kind of massage did Senpai choose?

Wait a second, the masseuse attending to Senpai looks quite young and attractive—she couldn’t be older than 26. Could it be… Senpai isn’t interested in a massage at all? Is she…?!

Iroha’s imagination ran wild, conjuring countless scenes in her mind. Though she often teased Kotomi, the images now forming in her head made her unable to sit still. She abruptly stood up, her cheeks flushed with irritation, and stomped to the door of Kotomi’s private room.

Senpai, I just confessed to you and failed—though you didn’t hear me because of the train. But still! You can’t be doing something like this with another girl in a bathhouse!

Iroha crouched near the door, pressing her ear against it to listen carefully to the sounds from inside.

And then, she heard Kotomi’s voice—breathless and unmistakably suggestive:

“Mm~ press harder on me… ah… ah, right there! No… not there!”

“Ms. Izumi, is it here?”

“Mm… yes… just like that. Ah—! Harder!”

Hearing the sounds coming from the room, Iroha’s face instantly turned bright red, and a pang of inexplicable jealousy surged in her chest.

Why isn’t it me making Senpai sound like that!!!

Fueled by a mix of embarrassment and anger, Iroha slammed the door open and shouted at the two people inside:

“Senpai, what are you two doing?!”

When Iroha finally saw the scene inside the room, she was dumbfounded.

It wasn’t anything like what she had imagined.

Even so, the scene before her still left her somewhat unable to process it.

Kotomi’s stunningly curvaceous figure was on full display, with only a towel draped over her back. Her soft, flawless thighs and the gentle curve of her hips, like the contours of a masterpiece, gleamed with smooth perfection. The beauty of the sight was almost dizzying, leaving Iroha feeling lightheaded.

It was the kind of scene that made one want to reach out and squeeze, just to see how much softness there was.

Kotomi’s figure had always been captivating, her perfectly proportioned body accentuating her most prominent features. The allure she exuded now was nothing short of mesmerizing.

Meanwhile, the young and attractive female masseuse stood on Kotomi’s back. Her feet, wrapped in black stockings, pressed rhythmically against Kotomi’s back as she held onto two hanging handles attached to the ceiling, stepping in place with a measured rhythm.

This wasn’t some bizarre service! If it were something truly inappropriate, the door would have been locked long ago.

This was a type of massage called “back-walking massage.”

Kotomi had always wanted to try this kind of massage. At home, she had asked Aimi Izumi more than once if she could step on her back.

Whenever Kotomi made such a request, Aimi would immediately misunderstand and refuse outright, blushing as she scolded, “Onee-chan, you’re such a pervert!”

Now, Kotomi and the masseuse stared at the suddenly intruding Iroha, wide-eyed in mutual shock.

The three of them exchanged looks in silence, their eyes filled with confusion.

“Hahaha, so this is a kind of massage, huh?” Iroha laughed awkwardly after realizing the truth.

“What kind of things were you imagining while eavesdropping outside the door?” Kotomi twitched her lips, exasperated. She had only come for a massage because she was feeling uncomfortable, yet Iroha had somehow managed to blow it all out of proportion.

“Was it because I blushed that you misunderstood?” the masseuse asked with a soft laugh. “I only blushed because I’m not particularly skilled at back-walking massages yet. Even though I’ve been working here for a while, it’s still a bit embarrassing to admit that I’m not great at it.”

“Hehehe, sorry for disturbing you, Senpai~. I’ll wait for you back in the lounge!”

After realizing it was all a misunderstanding, Iroha felt a pang of embarrassment herself. Chuckling awkwardly, she retreated from the room.

“Ah… that girl. I really can’t deal with her,” Kotomi sighed deeply, suddenly feeling as though Iroha resembled a mischievous younger sister who left her constantly exhausted.

Could it be that, because her own sister was so easygoing, the universe decided to send Iroha into her life to let her experience what having a troublesome little sister felt like?

It’s all the world’s fault!

Lying on the bed, Kotomi continued to enjoy the massage while letting her thoughts run wild.

Hearing Kotomi’s complaint, the masseuse standing on her back couldn’t help but comment softly, “That girl must like you a lot.”

“Eh? Really? No way! Miss, I think you might be misunderstanding something. She’s just my sister’s classmate.”

“But her eyes never left you. Little one, sometimes, you can’t hide the way you look at someone you like. Hehe, don’t underestimate me. I may be pushing thirty, but when I was young, I had my fair share of love and heartbreak. I’ve met more than my share of smooth-talking men and women. A pure-hearted girl’s feelings? They’re like an open book to me.”

“Haha…” Kotomi chuckled awkwardly.

She hadn’t expected the masseuse giving her a back-walking massage to be a woman with such a rich past.

But… does Iroha really like me? Kotomi wondered as she lay there, her thoughts swirling. The idea caught her completely off guard.

Although Iroha often teased her, acting like a mischievous little devil and frequently making intimate gestures, Kotomi had always thought of their relationship as simply friendship.

Kotomi pondered this deeply, finding the latter half of her massage to be far less enjoyable as her mind became entirely preoccupied with thoughts of Iroha.

When the massage finally ended, Kotomi returned to the lounge, where she rested on a massage chair for a while before drinking the fruit milk Iroha had bought for her.

By the time they left the bathhouse, the sky was already approaching dusk.

…

Riding the Enoden train back the way they had come, Kotomi decided not to have dinner in Fujisawa City due to the late hour. She resolved to wait until they returned to Chiba City to eat.

Despite her seemingly absent-minded demeanor, Kotomi had been deeply shaken by the string of murders she overheard about from Officer Hidari.

Even though she was a reincarnator, she had no experience with criminal cases—at most, her advantage was the ability to calm down quickly compared to her peers upon hearing such news.

“Iroha, until the police catch the culprit, make sure to go straight home after school every day,” Kotomi reminded with concern.

It wasn’t just Iroha she planned to warn. When she got home, she intended to talk to her parents and remind Aimi, Yukino, and the others to be cautious as well.

“Got it! I’ll obediently listen to you, Senpai.”

“If you really do listen to me obediently, I might just be moved to tears.”

“Ugh… Senpai, you’re making it sound like I never listen to you,” Iroha pouted in protest.

“I’m serious.” Kotomi’s tone suddenly grew somber, surprising Iroha, who instinctively straightened her posture.

Kotomi gazed at Iroha, her voice lowering as she spoke slowly and seriously: “If something ever happened to you… or to any of you, I might cry until I couldn’t make a sound.”

And I would stop at nothing to find the culprit—and make them pay.

She didn’t voice that last thought, fearing it would be too heavy. Kotomi had no desire to tempt fate with a careless statement.

After hearing Kotomi’s words, Iroha’s lips softened into a gentle smile. She couldn’t help but beam as she nudged Kotomi’s waist with her elbow.

“Hmm-hmm, Senpai, I distinctly heard you say ‘any of you.’ Does that mean there are lots of girls you care about? What a playboy you are, Senpai. Are you trying to build a harem?”

For reasons she couldn’t fully explain, Kotomi’s face turned red the moment Iroha’s teasing hit the mark. She averted her gaze with a slightly tsundere huff.

“Senpai, you’re so cute when you act like this.”

“I already know I’m cute.”

“Self-absorbed Senpai is cute too~ But I’m a little worried—what if such a self-absorbed Senpai ends up falling in love with herself?”

“That’s impossible. I like soft, fragrant girls!” Kotomi declared, her face still flushed. Though it seemed like she was putting on a strong front, her words were undoubtedly sincere.

Just as Kotomi was about to change the subject, Iroha suddenly leaned her head on her shoulder and murmured softly, “Then… could I be one of those girls?”

“Eh?”

The faint fragrance of Iroha’s shampoo wafted over, and in that moment, Kotomi recalled the words the masseuse had said to her earlier in the bathhouse:

—The way someone looks at the person they like… that’s something they can’t hide.

Does Iroha… like me?

With this thought swirling in her mind, Kotomi felt her heart race as her eyes widened. Slowly, she turned her gaze toward Iroha, who was resting her head on her shoulder.

A few seconds later, just as Kotomi was about to speak, Iroha abruptly lifted her head from Kotomi’s shoulder. At that exact moment, the train arrived at their destination.

“We’ve arrived, Senpai! Let’s get off the train!” Iroha said with a smile, turning back to look at Kotomi.

“Huh? Oh, okay.”

Snapping out of her daze, Kotomi quickly got off the Enoden train, following Iroha to the station entrance. Seeing the timetable, she frowned slightly.

It wasn’t that they had missed the last train—after all, it was only 6 PM, far too early for that. However, due to maintenance, the train from Fujisawa City to Chiba City was delayed by 45 minutes.

Not too bad, but still a bit of a wait.

“Ah… Senpai, we have to wait 45 minutes for the train. How should we pass the time?” Iroha asked.

“Didn’t you just buy a new phone? Why not play some games?”

“But I haven’t downloaded any games on my new phone yet. Plus, it’s the end of the month, and my data is almost used up. I don’t want to burn through it downloading games—my phone bill next month would be terrifying!”

Since they didn’t want to sit idly at the station for 45 minutes, the two decided to step outside.

The weather… had definitely turned colder.

It was unmistakably autumn now. The temperatures during the day and night were worlds apart. While the morning had felt warm enough to make wearing layers uncomfortable, the evening brought chilly winds that made them instinctively pull their clothes tighter.

“Brrr…”

Iroha sat on a bench, shivering. She was only wearing a thin jacket today. It looked stylish, but it offered no protection against the cold.

Now she was freezing, huddled on the bench like a popsicle.

“Here.”

Kotomi handed Iroha a can of hot coffee she had just bought from a vending machine. Since she wasn’t sure about Iroha’s taste in coffee, she had chosen a caramel flavor that most people found palatable.

Kotomi herself had bought a hazelnut latte, her usual preference.

“Mm—Senpai, I wish I could drink a warm can of Monster instead.”

Holding the hot coffee in her hands, Iroha continued to shiver as she spoke.

A warm can of Monster?

Kotomi’s mind filled with question marks. While she often drank Monster energy drinks herself, the idea of a warm version sounded impossible. There was no way such a product existed!

Even imagining heating Monster in a pot felt absurd. Kotomi didn’t dare to consider what such a concoction would taste like.

It would undoubtedly rank among the deepest depths of culinary disasters!

“A warm Monster? Did the cold freeze your brain? There’s no such thing as that.”

Kotomi sighed helplessly, mentally deciding to ask Aimi later about Iroha’s actual age. Why did it always feel like there was such a generational gap whenever they talked?

After taking two big sips of her coffee, Kotomi felt the cold in her body begin to dissipate. She glanced at Iroha beside her, who was still sitting on the bench, shivering as she clutched the hot coffee.

Just as Kotomi was about to ask if Iroha didn’t like the coffee, Iroha seemed to sense her gaze. She immediately thrust the can toward Kotomi.

“Senpai, I think my fingers are too frozen to open this.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll open it for you.” Kotomi took the can from Iroha and easily popped it open before handing it back.

Having slightly longer fingernails came in handy sometimes—it meant she never had to worry about struggling with pull-tab cans.

Kotomi remembered when she used to dislike keeping her nails long. Back then, every time she came across a pull-tab can, she had to rely on Aimi to open it for her.

Aimi would always complain, “Onee-chan, I can’t always be your can opener, you know.”

And then, without fail, she would open the can for her anyway.

Always relying on Aimi made Kotomi feel a bit guilty. While she had once taken Aimi’s care for granted, now that she was older, she felt it was time to show more of her reliability as an older sister.

Iroha took a big gulp of the hot coffee and let out a long sigh, exclaiming, “Ah! Hot coffee! Cold weather! Fully revived!”

“Shh, keep it down. Don’t disturb others,” Kotomi gently reminded her.

Iroha chuckled softly and then scooted closer to Kotomi, so close that she was practically pressed against her.

“Hey, Senpai, sitting like this makes us warmer, doesn’t it?”

“That’s true…” Kotomi could feel Iroha’s warmth and softness against her, and her cheeks turned slightly red as she averted her gaze.

Although a little shy, Kotomi couldn’t help but soften her heart when she thought about how Iroha had been shivering earlier. She nodded and allowed Iroha to press tightly against her.

On a breezy autumn evening, the two of them sat close together on the bench, sipping hot coffee from steaming cans. To anyone passing by, they would have looked like a couple deeply in love.

“Senpai, the two of us sitting like this…”

“You’re going to say we look like a couple again, aren’t you?” Kotomi said with a light laugh.

Iroha, I’ve got you figured out! I knew what you were going to say before you even said it!

But instead, Iroha gently shook her head. “Nope, I was thinking that the two of us sitting like this looks more like a newlywed couple.”

Kotomi almost choked on her coffee.

“Jumping from couple to married couple?! Your relationship progress is accelerating a bit too fast!”

“Hehe, Senpai, how much time has passed now? Is the train almost here?”

“Sorry to disappoint, but from the moment we left the station to sitting on this bench drinking coffee, it’s been less than three minutes.”

Boredom was written all over Iroha’s face as she kicked her feet against the ground, her demeanor resembling that of a child.

Or rather, her personality truly was that of a child who hadn’t yet grown up.

Kotomi finished the last sip of her coffee and tossed the empty can into a nearby trash bin with precision. She stood up, almost causing Iroha, who was leaning on her, to topple over onto the bench.

“Come on, I’ll take you somewhere,” Kotomi said, extending her hand to Iroha.

“A little forest?”

“Where’s your mind wandering to?! Don’t say things that could be easily misunderstood with such an innocent expression!” Kotomi said, her lips twitching in disbelief.

Iroha sprang to her feet, dusted off her skirt, and asked, “Then where are we going?”

Even without knowing Kotomi’s destination, Iroha instinctively grabbed Kotomi’s hand, a habit they had somehow developed just today.

“To the observation deck.”

“The observation deck? Isn’t that the same as the Outlook Lighthouse?”

“Of course not. The night view there is beautiful. Do you want to see it?”

“I do! I want to go with Senpai!”

“Alright then, let’s go.”

Hand in hand, Kotomi and Iroha headed toward the observation deck, which was a bit of a walk from the station but still within the time they had before their train arrived.

Kotomi hadn’t mentioned one particular detail about the observation deck.

The observation deck in Fujisawa City was not only renowned for its breathtaking night view but also well-known as a romantic hotspot for couples. Many love stories had begun under the starlit sky at this observation deck.

Of course, just as many couples had also broken up at the foot of the observation deck.

————————————————————————————————————–

40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:

Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep