I, the mastermind behind the scenes at Soubu High, refuse to be caught in a bloodbath.

As she spoke, Setsuna tightened her grip, and Kazusa felt herself being pushed forward again.

"Stop, stop...don't..." Kazusa looked back at Setsuna shyly, as if begging for mercy, but Setsuna pouted slightly and said, "No, you just said you'd do whatever I say, heh—!"

Author's Note:

P.S.: The voting results show that Mom won, emmmmmmmm, exm?? I suddenly thought that if I put Ju Ye in the candidate results, would it be a showdown between Ju Ye and Mom? Also, is Mom really that cute?

Chapter 268 So, [Touma Kazusa] has become a great beauty.

With a single sound, Kazusa was pushed into the hot spring pool by Setsuna. In the instant she pushed her, she also ripped off the towel wrapped around her body. She flew in like a butterfly, splashing a large amount of water. The waves surged all around, filling the water level and flowing over the edge.

"Hehe~"

Seeing that Kazusa had adjusted her position, Setsuna also leaped up, splashing water everywhere again, and the bath towel she was wrapped in disappeared at the same time.

So, the three of them ended up bathing side by side, with Himekoji on the far right, Kazusa in the middle, and Setsuna on the far left.

"Why did it turn out like this..."

Kazusa hugged her chest tightly with both hands and sighed helplessly. Setsuna, on the other hand, was far away from Himekoji and didn't cover her chest. She just wanted to have a drink, but Kazusa stopped her.

"Because the three of us need to get along well!" Setsuna stretched and relaxed, saying, "Ah~~, that feels so good."

"You're so unguarded, Setsuna, taking a bath completely naked with a guy who's neither your boyfriend nor your childhood friend."

"Anyway, Kazusa is here, and Haruto-kun isn't the kind of stupid guy who'd desperately try to take advantage of others, right?"

“That being said…” Kazusa chimed in immediately, “This is really strange, I’m so embarrassed!”

"Don't worry, don't worry, Kazusa will get used to it."

"How can I get used to this!"

"Didn't you two used to bathe together all the time?"

"That was all in the past! I'm about to graduate high school now... and you know, boys and girls shouldn't sleep in the same bed after the age of six!"

"It's a hot spring now."

"Ugh—" Kazusa gave up, glaring angrily at Himekoji, then nudged his leg with her knee, warning, "Don't move!"

"Both my hands are on it, why would I move around?"

Himekoji innocently showed Kazusa her two hands.

"Anyway, you're not allowed to move around... you're not allowed to stare... I'm fine, but you're not allowed to look at Setsuna!"

"You two are going in the same direction, right..."

Ji Xiaolu shrugged speechlessly, picked up his wine glass, and took another small sip.

Do you want it?

He pretended to pour wine and asked He Sha.

"Hmm... I'll have a drink."

"I want some too, woof—"

"No!" *2

Himeko poured wine for Kazusa and handed her the glass. When she took the glass, she seemed to be still worrying about how to cover her chest. But one arm can't cover it as well as two arms, so she simply sighed, stopped trying to cover it, and took the glass. However, her hand looked a little trembling.

She placed her other hand underwater, gently resting it on her leg. Although she pretended to be nonchalant, her gaze kept glancing at Ji Xiaolu. Ji Xiaolu, just as she wished, admired her body and reached out to gently stroke the soft hair that had gathered together after being soaked in water.

"Kazusa has really grown into a great beauty."

"Shut up! You pervert!"

She tried to cover herself again, but after raising her arm and letting it hang in the air for a moment, she sighed and put it down for some reason.

"Kazusa's breasts are beautifully shaped and very full."

Yukina, as if she had discovered some treasure, suddenly leaned closer and stared intently, occasionally making "Oh ho, oh ho" sounds. This startled Kazusa, who immediately covered her chest and glared at Yukina, saying, "Seriously, Yukina, why do you talk like an old man? You clearly have something like that yourself..."

"My breasts are very small... I have no confidence in myself."

As she spoke, Setsuna gently lifted her breasts to Kazusa's side, causing the water to splash and her snow-white breasts to sway in front of Kazusa and Himekoji. Although they were small, they were at least up to standard and certainly not embarrassing. Now that she had done this, Kazusa immediately covered Himekoji's eyes and said, "Haruto, you're not allowed to look!"

"Eh—? Oh, right, Haruto-kun isn't wearing his glasses! I hadn't noticed before, I was wondering why they looked a little different... Won't he be unable to see clearly like that?"

"It's best if he can't see clearly, but this guy doesn't actually need glasses! He's wearing non-prescription glasses!"

"Um...why do you have to wear glasses all of a sudden..."

"Hey Kazusa, can you stop covering my eyes? You're coming right up to me and covering my eyes, and your breasts are constantly pressing against my arms and chest. I'm a perfectly healthy man, and if you keep doing this, something bad is going to happen."

"Waaaaaaahh ...

Kazusa quickly let go of Himekoji's eyes, then adjusted her position and sat obediently, no longer moving around.

"Really, the two of them have a really good relationship, hehe."

Setsuna smiled enviously from Kazusa's side. This kind of childhood friendship was something that could never be built later, no matter how much time passed. After all, the feelings from childhood were truly precious. She always felt like she couldn't get a word in edgewise.

After gently stroking Kazusa's hair a few times, Himekoji's left hand glided across her shoulder like an ice skater, causing Kazusa to shiver. She glared at him but said nothing. Himekoji placed both hands underwater, his fingers sliding towards her long legs, but each time he touched them, Kazusa would sweep them away. She avoided any eye contact with him until finally Kazusa simply grabbed Himekoji's left hand, forcibly interlocking their fingers, preventing him from moving again.

As the two were secretly playing a game underwater, Setsuna drank the remaining half bottle of sake in one gulp. By the time Himekoji and Kazusa found out, it was too late. Setsuna herself had drunk more than the limit of sake and had been soaking in the hot spring, so she became a little slurred and incoherent. Fortunately, she was not completely confused, otherwise she would have had to be taken out of the hot spring immediately.

"What are you two whispering about? Didn't you agree to go together as a group of three? Share it!"

Even though Himekoji and Kazusa hadn't said a word, Setsuna accused them of whispering. The two looked at each other innocently, and just then, Setsuna suddenly attacked them, splashing water on them.

"Hey—hey—, take this!"

"Ah...! Yukina, how dare you launch a sneak attack... Heh!"

Kazusa wasn't going to be outdone and continued to splash water back. Both of them used both hands to splash water. Himeko watched from the side, feeling sorry that there was no more wine to drink. This scene was much more pleasing to the eye than before. But just as he was admiring this beautiful sight, for some reason, the two of them turned their cannons towards him, and so it became an unfair two-on-one battle.

Chapter 269 In the darkness, [Himekoji Haruto] makes a request.

In that war, I was defeated, but I am not ashamed of the defeat. On the contrary, the enemy should be ashamed! It was an unjust and immoral war. They even used crabs to distract me and confuse my judgment. It was shameful! This is an inhumane act that should be condemned! —Himekoji Haruto

After all the commotion, perhaps due to the alcohol or exhaustion, Setsuna almost lost all her strength and turned into a limp mess. Himekoji should have carried her or carried her out, but since neither of them was naked, it was obviously inappropriate. So Kazusa carried her back to the room while complaining and dried her off before she finally calmed down.

"Go to sleep."

After Himekoji dried herself off and returned, Kazusa had already laid out the futons on the floor. The room was large, and the blankets for the three people were laid out across the back of the room. After adjusting the air conditioner to a suitable temperature, Himekoji closed the doors and windows and drew the thick blackout curtains, making the room pitch black.

His sleeping mat was a little further away from Kazusa's and Setsuna's, but not by much. Kazusa's and Setsuna's mats were almost side by side. He changed back into his yukata, pulled back the covers, and quietly lay down.

After lying down for a while, perhaps due to the excitement of the alcohol, Himekoji was wide awake and tossed and turned several times without being able to fall asleep. That's how alcohol is; if you drink a little, you feel really happy and can still drink and can't fall asleep, but if you drink a lot, you just want to sleep and can't be woken up. He and Kazusa were in the same situation, having just gotten into the swing of things and then running out of alcohol, which was quite unpleasant.

"Hey... are you awake?" Just as he was about to ask Kazusa, Kazusa's voice came from the left. Himekoji sighed softly and said, "I'm awake."

"It's been years since we slept like this, lying down together?"

"Six years ago, I was 11 years old. It was summer. I was reading a book and going to bed. You were sitting by my bed playing video games. When I woke up, you were already asleep next to me."

"I remember it so clearly, I only vaguely remember it was summer."

"Then you're not bad either."

"Heh heh...right—"

"Ah~, I can't drink anymore... I can't drink anymore, please don't make me drink anymore, really..."

Yukina mumbled a few words in her sleep, waving her hand as she spoke. Kazusa couldn't see clearly, but she could sense that in the darkness, she and Himekoji turned around together, facing each other and letting out suppressed giggles.

"Could you move a little closer to me?"

After Setsuna finished talking in her sleep, Himekoji whispered to Kazusa.

"What... what do you want to do?"

"Kazusa, let me hold your hand."

"Oh..." She reached out her arm and groped in the darkness. Their fingertips quickly met, clasped tightly together, and held on tightly.

"By the way, you..." Kazusa remembered what happened in the hot spring earlier, and she squeezed Himekoji's fingers a little harder, making them hurt. She gritted her teeth and whispered, "Do you always do that when you're in a hot spring with a girl?"

"No way, I've never been to a hot spring alone with any woman other than you."

Himekoji has never gone to a hot spring with Yoko-nee; for some reason, she doesn't really like hot springs.

“...Okay, fine.” Since that was the case, Kazusa had nothing more to say. Just then, she heard a hissing sound coming from Himekoji's direction, and soon felt his warmth as he approached. She couldn't help but blush and say, “What are you doing over there? Go over there... Boys and girls shouldn't sleep in the same bed after the age of six!”

"So this is a tatami room... and wasn't it you, Kazusa-nee, who was crying and begging to sleep in the same bed with me back then?"

"You're still trying to deny it!"

"Okay, okay, please spare me," Himekoji still held Kazusa's hand tightly. She tried to twist it a few times, but couldn't break free, so she had no choice but to let him hold it. The two were very close, and Kazusa was very uncomfortable. She wanted to turn around, but Himekoji wouldn't allow it.

"Kazusa, what kind of Christmas present have you prepared for me?"

"Uh..."

Kazusa was immediately embarrassed. She had forgotten to prepare a gift for Himekoji. In fact, she hadn't prepared gifts for anyone at all. She didn't have this habit. For the past few years, she had always received gifts herself. She didn't expect that the relationships around her had changed to some extent this year. Now, she was speechless.

"You're not going to forget to prepare a gift for me like you did in previous years... are you?"

"Shut up, shut up! I'm all prepared!"

"Oh, really? It's not some random little trinket you'll buy at some random mall tomorrow, is it...?"

"..." Having her thoughts exposed, Kazusa felt even more ashamed to face him. Himekoji lay back and said to himself, "Actually, there's no need to give me any gifts. Having Kazusa by my side is enough."

"What kind of talk is that..."

"It's a small wish of mine."

"Hey, turn around and look at me properly."

"It's so dark, you probably can't see anything."

"Just turn around!"

"Okay." Upon hearing this, Himeko turned her head. Kazusa reached out her left hand and touched Himeko's cheek, finally stopping on his right cheek. She touched his ear and cheek without saying a word.

The two remained silent, the atmosphere somewhat heavy. Just as Himekoji was about to ask her something, Kazusa gently leaned in and pressed her lips to Himekoji's.

Completely lacking any kissing skills, she simply pressed her lips together awkwardly. Kazusa felt her heart almost stop beating. Doing such a shameful thing, coupled with another girl sleeping soundly next to her, this impulse and stimulation almost made her faint.

But just as she was about to stop and ask Himekoji, "Is that enough?", Himekoji pressed down on the back of her head with his right hand to prevent her from escaping. Then, he moved his lips slightly, and the two separated slightly. Himekoji stared at Kazusa almost at point-blank range, and even in the darkness, he could see her eyes. He asked softly, "Do you want to continue?"