Tokyo: Magical Girl Shatters My Dream of Going Public

Inside the changing room.

Xuecun held the two-piece swimsuit in his hand, somewhat at a loss.

The fabric is light blue, with simple white ties along the edges.

The style wasn't particularly revealing, but for her, it was an unprecedented challenge.

She only ever wore the dark-colored one-piece swimsuit required by the school during her student days, and she never went near a swimming pool again after graduation.

And this set...

Kurokawa just casually handed it to her from the sales area by the corridor.

"It was because of my request that you suddenly needed a swimsuit, so of course I should cover the cost."

His reasons were sound, and his attitude was impeccable.

The payment was made so quickly that she didn't even have time to refuse.

...But is it really not possible to choose a one-piece suit?

Xuecun lowered his head and gently pinched the soft flesh on his side.

She wasn't fat; in fact, she was quite slender.

But that night, because I was upset about the hotel room fee, I stubbornly ate a lot of the dinner that was included in the price...

At this moment, I do feel a slight, subtle fullness in my lower abdomen.

Or... let's slip away quietly.

The thought had barely crossed her mind when she shook her head vigorously.

No.

Having come this far, what's the point of deserting now?

How can I be a role model for students?

She took a deep breath and no longer hesitated.

He awkwardly took off his bathrobe and changed into his swimsuit.

The moment the fabric touched my skin, I felt a distinct sense of constriction on my chest.

...Did I really buy the wrong size?

She looked at the size "L" on the label and sighed.

"This is already the largest size on the shelf. There aren't any bigger ones left..."

She adjusted her breathing, trying to make her chest expand more evenly.

The tightness eased slightly, but it was still there.

They should be able to hold on, right?

She picked up a large white bath towel from the side, wrapped it under her armpits, and tied it in a knot at her chest.

Double insurance.

After doing all that, she pushed open the frosted glass door leading from the changing room to the bathtub.

The heat wave, mixed with the sulfurous smell unique to natural hot springs, hits you in the face.

White steam instantly enveloped her, fogging her glasses and leaving only a blurry halo in her vision.

She stood frozen at the doorway, unable to move forward or backward.

Kurokawa was already soaking in the pool.

When he saw Xuecun enter, his gaze immediately fell on her waist and abdomen.

Unfortunately, her abdomen was completely covered by a bath towel, so nothing could be seen.

He slightly raised his gaze and noticed that she was still wearing those black-rimmed glasses.

...Your nearsightedness is that bad? You don't even take it off when you're in a hot spring?

As Xuecun stood at the door, he felt that subtle, strange feeling of being watched again.

She unconsciously raised her hand and touched the back of her neck.

"Yukimura-sensei," Kurokawa's voice came from the misty steam, "over here."

Xuecun wiped his glasses with difficulty, and his vision became slightly clearer.

She carefully moved to the edge of the pool, deliberately choosing a diagonal spot furthest from the Kurokawa River, and slowly sat down in the water.

The warm spring water washed over my chest, and the bath towel became even heavier after it got wet.

"You're sitting too far away," Kurokawa said with a smile. "Why don't you move over a bit? It'll be easier to talk then."

Yukimura shook his head, shrinking further down: "...This is fine."

After he finished speaking, the two of them suddenly fell silent again.

Only the flowing water and rising steam could be heard.

The atmosphere was somewhat tense.

Kurokawa spoke first, his tone relaxed: "The nights in May are quite cool, it would be nice to soak in a hot spring."

He wanted to start with casual conversation to gradually lower the other person's guard.

However, due to immense pressure, Xuecun seemed to have no interest in chatting.

She just wanted it to end quickly and leave as soon as possible.

She looked up.

Her glasses were still fogged up, making it impossible for Kurokawa to see her eyes clearly.

"Mr. Kurokawa," she asked, her voice soft but clear, "what exactly is your relationship with Chinatsu and Kaoru?"

Kurokawa instinctively replied, "I'm their distant relative—"

"relative."

The moment those two words were uttered, Xuecun's fingers touched the back of his neck again.

She lowered her head and didn't say anything.

Kurokawa assumed she accepted this explanation.

"Teacher Yukimura?" he called out.

Yukimura suddenly spoke up, directly exposing Kurokawa's lie: "You're lying, aren't you?"

Kurokawa felt a chill run down his spine.

What surprised him even more was yet to come.

Xuecun raised his head.

The fog on the lenses reflected light slightly.

She seemed to have sorted out her thoughts, and calmly analyzed, word by word:

"You seem... quite concerned about my abdomen."

"From the first time we met, after you learned that my name was Yukimura Byakuka, your gaze seemed to fall on this spot."

"Inviting me to a mixed-gender bath, and specifically buying a two-piece swimsuit... it must all be for this reason."

She paused.

"Even when I first came in, you were looking at... this place."

Instantly, a chill ran down Kurokawa's spine.

They've been discovered!

He believed he had done it discreetly; he never stared at the other person continuously, and even when he did, it was only a fleeting glance.

But now it has been seen through.

What's wrong with this teacher?!

Xuecun, however, seemed to be suddenly jolted awake from some state of concentration, and hurriedly waved his hands: "I-I'm sorry! I...I was just talking nonsense!"

She got up, intending to escape the pool.

Kurokawa couldn't see her eyes clearly, but he was absolutely certain.

If this teacher, Xuecun Baihua, were to leave now, the trust would be completely shattered.

At that time, it will be impossible to have an equal dialogue.

The moment she turned away, he sighed, his voice filled with a sense of resignation:

"As expected... I couldn't hide it from you after all."

Xuecun stopped in his tracks.

Kurokawa raised his hands in a gesture of surrender: "I'll tell you the truth. I'll confess to you."

Xuecun touched the back of his neck again.

This time, there was no unusual feeling.

She hesitated for a moment, then sat back down in the pool, gazing at him through the rising steam.

Kurokawa beckoned to her and lowered his voice, "Could you come closer? What I'm about to say... isn't something that others can hear."

Xuecun hesitated for a moment, then finally moved a little closer.

But he was still four or five body lengths away from her, his wariness undiminished.

Kurokawa sighed deeply and began to "reveal the truth":

"Actually... I'm the boss of their part-time company."

He spoke slowly, as if stating something perfectly ordinary.

"I brought them out this time partly because I had some work to do nearby, and partly... I also wanted them to relax."

Xuecun was taken aback and pressed, "Then why didn't you say so from the beginning?"

Kurokawa smiled wryly and asked, "Teacher, if you were a student at this school and saw two of your female classmates, who came from impoverished backgrounds and were exceptionally beautiful, at a suburban hot spring inn late at night with a young man... what would you think?"

What do you think?

Xuecun fell silent.

The answer couldn't be more obvious.

She might suspect that some shady "deal" was involved.

"I... I suspect they might be doing something wrong..."

The more Xuecun spoke, the lower his voice became...

"So," Kurokawa's voice came through, tinged with understanding helplessness, "pretending to be distant relatives was also to protect them, to avoid unnecessary rumors and misunderstandings."

Xuecun raised his hand again and touched the back of his neck.

calm.

The pricking sensation I had before was gone.

He was telling the truth.

At least, this part is true.

Thinking of this, she lowered her head, her voice filled with apology:

"I'm sorry... I misunderstood you."

Kurokawa waved his hand, his expression calm: "It's understandable that the teacher is wary. It's me who shouldn't have explained beforehand, causing you to misunderstand."

Upon hearing this, Xuecun felt even more ashamed.

But she still didn't forget her initial question.

"...Then, why," her voice trailed off, then she quickly added, "I mean, why did you notice my...abdomen?"

After saying that, she seemed to realize that her words could easily cause new misunderstandings, and quickly explained, "I... I'm quite sensitive to other people's gaze. So..."

Kurokawa did not answer immediately.

He looked up at the corner of the night sky above the courtyard, cut off by the eaves.

The pale moonlight shone on his sharply defined profile.

The rising steam condensed into tiny water droplets on his chin, which slowly slid down.

He was silent for a few seconds before finally speaking, his voice deeper and slower than the flow of hot spring water.

He finally slowly revealed the secret hidden deep in his heart.

"actually……"

He paused.

"You share the same name as one of my old friends."

He turned his face, looking at Xuecun through the misty fog, and said, word by word:

"Her name is also... Bai Hua."