In crossover anime, who isn't a childhood friend?

Rikka, with no extra desires in her heart and only wanting to enjoy this trip, has the simplest and purest mind.

Right now, all I want to do is have a happy time soaking in the hot springs with everyone, and later I want to have a water fight with them inside.

As for others, they have a lot more to think about.

An invisible tension is spreading indoors. It's truly remarkable that the harmonious atmosphere has lasted this long, but it has to come to an end.

"Wait a minute, I suddenly feel that something is not quite right..." Yukino's delicate and pretty face suddenly turned slightly red for some reason, and her eyes flickered as she spoke.

Kasumigaoka instinctively narrowed her eyes, sensing something was wrong. Sure enough, the next moment Yukino spoke up: "...We came together after all, so we should act together. Is it really okay to leave Chiya alone for a while?"

After vaguely expressing her meaning, she immediately looked at Eriri, who had promised to be her friend for life, hoping that Eriri would continue to speak and follow up on what she had said.

Eriri hesitated noticeably when she received the hint, but Saeko's eyes lit up secretly, and she spoke faster than she could draw her sword during training, understanding the meaning in an instant.

"Indeed, it feels a bit apologetic to leave Qianye all alone. Besides, our country has had the custom of mixed bathing since ancient times. As long as we wrap our bodies in towels, it shouldn't be a big deal."

Seeing that the two of them had settled the situation, Eriri finally realized what was going on and immediately nodded in agreement: "Yes, yes, yes! That's what I was thinking from the beginning. I felt that when we're out having fun, no matter what we do, we're most happy when we're all together. But I didn't say it outright just now because I was worried that you might mind."

Yukino glanced at Eriri with a wistful look, and for some reason suddenly felt a little tired.

That last sentence can be kept in your heart; there's no need to say it aloud.

But I was relieved at the end; no one had any objections.

Rikka is quite playful, and Chiya is, after all, her brother. At home, she is often ordered around by him to ride on his back and give him a massage. The two are so close that she naturally agrees to such a small thing without any hesitation.

What remains is Qianye's own opinion.

Yuan Qianye originally wanted to refuse outright. What a joke! What good would it do to take a bath with you guys? You can look but not touch, and there's no way things could get any closer. In the end, you'd only be the one holding back. Haven't you had enough of those dreams night after night?

But the way Yukino, Eriri, and Saeko looked at each other at the same time... it wasn't exactly pressure, but it certainly reflected their true feelings and attitudes...

Ultimately, pressured by the situation, he nodded: "If you don't mind."

Saeko smiled and said, "Everyone said they wouldn't mind, so let's go in first."

Yukino glanced at Kasumigaoka, whose complexion wasn't good, and said meaningfully, "Then Kasumigaoka-kun should get some rest."

Kasumigaoka knew that her thoughts had been seen through, but since it hadn't come to the point of a complete falling out, she could only suppress her displeasure and give Yukino a forced smile in response to her "well-intentioned" remarks.

In this private confrontation, Yukino Yukinoshita's superior skills gave her a temporary victory.

Aside from the other four girls from Kasumigaoka, they went to the small hot spring bath in the courtyard first.

The open-air hot spring area is enclosed by a bamboo fence, and you enter through a small door that connects to the corridor.

Upon entering, the first thing you see is a hot spring bath with rising mist. The surrounding ground is paved with dense gravel, which is both beautiful and slip-resistant.

The weeping cherry trees are planted around the edges of the bamboo wall, and since it is not yet time for them to bloom and grow leaves, they appear bare.

In the open-air courtyard, which is completely dark at night, you can see the starry sky at a glance, and the ancient stone lanterns that are lit up around you make it even more tranquil.

Before taking a bath, everyone rinsed their bodies in the shower.

Then, wrapped in a bath towel, he slowly sank into the hot spring.

"Phew~ It's getting warmer."

Rikka let out a long, contented sigh. She looked at the others and tried to speak.

"Then should I just call Qianye over?"

Everyone else nodded.

The next moment, Rikka raised her voice and shouted.

Unlike the others present, she didn't need to maintain a ladylike image in front of her older brother.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Qianye responded, but did not rush to get up immediately. Instead, she looked at Kasumigaoka beside her with a worried and sincere expression: "How are you now? Is your head still dizzy?"

"You seem to be feeling better now. You can go ahead, I'll be there in a bit."

Although her wish to find an opportunity to take a bath alone with Chiya was shattered, Kasumigaoka quickly adjusted her mindset and flexibly adjusted her strategy as the situation changed.

As for being secretly mocked by that second young lady after taking a bath later?

Let them laugh all they want; what's the point of saving face anyway?

Yuan Qianye nodded, then got up with peace of mind and washed her body in a similar manner to the others.

Unlike them, he simply wrapped a bath towel around his waist.

Men are less sensitive in their upper body, so they don't need to worry about it so much.

The young man strode forward, his posture upright, standing like a pine tree, his muscles flowing smoothly. A little less would have made him lack masculinity, while a little more would have been too exaggerated and lacked aesthetic appeal.

His sculpted physique, coupled with his stunningly handsome appearance, made him even more captivating.

Regardless of the other three girls, Rikka, the younger sister, blushed slightly as she watched him walk from the shower room. For some reason, her heart felt like a frightened deer was running wildly, making her uneasy.

Strange, how come I never noticed how charming my older brother is before...?

It wasn't until Yuan Qianye sat down in the hot spring, revealing only his shoulders and head like the others, that the destructive power he posed diminished.

However, everyone else was watching him, either openly or secretly, and the scene was very quiet for a moment.

The silence was eerily quiet.

Yuan Qianye noticed that their eyes were slightly uneasy, and he was about to say something to start a conversation when...

Kasumigaoka Utaha makes a dazzling appearance.

When everyone who heard the sound looked in that direction, they were all taken aback.

Yuan Qianye's eyes widened for a moment, and he subconsciously leaned forward slightly.

"Huh? What's wrong with everyone?"

Kasumigaoka Utaha also sat down in the hot spring, wearing an innocent expression and looking at the others with feigned confusion.

"You...you...!" Eriri covered her chest with one hand and pointed at her with the other, her heart pounding with emotion, and she was unable to speak.

Yukino's eyes narrowed slightly, and a cold smile appeared on her cherry-colored lips: "Didn't Kasumigaoka just say that she wasn't feeling well?"

Kasumigaoka had anticipated this, and having prepared in advance, she readily agreed: "Ah, that was just now. I'm not feeling unwell anymore, so I've come to soak in the hot spring with everyone."

Saeko then addressed the question everyone was most concerned about: "Utaha, what you're wearing is... a swimsuit?"

The black bikini further accentuated Shiyu's delicate and fair skin, and the lace trim added an extremely sexy touch, highlighting her feminine beauty to the fullest extent... a super daring swimsuit.

"Ah, this..." Kasumigaoka's slender hand covered her bottomless cleavage, then she suddenly realized and chuckled mischievously, "...I accidentally smuggled this into my bag when I was packing clothes at home. I thought it was a burden, but I didn't expect it to come in handy in this situation."

You're kidding me!

Yukino and Eriri were silently cursing in their hearts at that moment!

…………

Volume 1: Chapter 138: I'll come find you tonight (6000) (2/12)

Kasumigaoka Utaha offered a seemingly reasonable explanation for the clothes she was wearing that shouldn't have been there.

However, judging from the sharp gazes exchanged between Yukino Yukinoshita and Eriri Sawamura, they clearly do not believe such nonsense.

Let alone the meticulous Saeko Busujima.

In fact, even Rikka Takanashi vaguely sensed something the moment she saw Kasumigaoka appear in a swimsuit.

She took a few extra glances at Kasumigaoka's perfect figure, which even she, a girl, couldn't help but admire.

Curvy figure, smooth skin, slender waist, exquisite curves...

Rikka glanced discreetly at her sworn brother's reaction.

The place where he sat while bathing was closest to Kasumigaoka, so when Kasumigaoka slowly approached, he could see the situation most clearly by turning his head.

Although he didn't embarrass himself to the point of staring blankly or completely losing control of his facial expressions, he still seemed to care quite a bit.

Whether it was admiration or reluctance to look away, he stared intently at the novelist until she came to the edge of the hot spring and slowly squatted down.

Just as she was about to bend down and reach out to test the water temperature, and her two plump white breasts began to bulge out, he realized something. He quickly straightened his head, slowly closed his eyes, and leaned against the stone steps along the edge, seemingly resting his eyes because the hot spring water was too comfortable.

"The water temperature seems a bit high."

Kasumigaoka Utaha, who was taking in the amazed look in the eyes of the person closest to her, felt a little shy, but secretly overjoyed. She thought to herself that her inspiration before setting off was indeed a genius idea, and it had already played such a big role on the very first night.

However, she remained outwardly calm and simply expressed her opinion on the temperature of the hot spring water. With so many people around, she had to be a little more reserved.

"You can go to the public hot spring in the hotel that is specially for children; the temperature there might be lower."

Eriri stared at Kasumigaoka in her unabashedly revealing swimsuit and responded curtly.

The nickname "black stockings woman," which she had always secretly resented, now has the added prefix "shameless."

Kasumigaoka pretended not to hear the hostility in Eriri's tone and said with a smile, "No need, it's better if the water temperature is a little higher. You may not be used to it at first, but you should feel comfortable after you get used to it."

For some reason, these words seemed to have a hidden meaning to Yuan Qianye, making him think all sorts of things.

Under the watchful eyes of others, Kasumigaoka half-squatted by the hot spring, first sticking out her toes to test the water temperature, and then, after getting used to it, slowly sank her fair legs into the water.

Yuan Qianye, who was very close to her, could hear her small gasps and suggested, "If the water feels too hot, you can sit on the side for a while to get used to it. There's no need to rush down."

"Yes, thank you." Kasumigaoka Utaha responded politely, her tone softer than usual.

Coupled with the gesture of her left hand loosely covering her chest, her mature, full, and elastic body further aroused a certain urge to explore within Yuan Qianye.

But for some reason, a chilling aura suddenly wafted over.

The mist in the courtyard rose peacefully and slowly, without any sign of wind.

As if sensing something, Minamoto Chiya looked in a certain direction. Yukino, who was with Eriri, was looking in this direction with a rather sharp gaze.

He felt utterly innocent.

Shiyu wanted to dress like this herself, it wasn't me who told her to do it, so why are you glaring at me?

"call--"

After getting used to it for a while, Kasumigaoka finally submerged his upper body in the hot spring water, just like the others.

The striking, radiant whiteness subsided temporarily, allowing the two unremarkable individuals present to somewhat suppress their feelings of regret that they could not catch up to through sheer willpower alone.

Some things are truly innate; you either have them or you don't...

Kasumigaoka slowly walked along the edge of the hot spring pool to Saeko's side and sat down.