Who says meal replacements can’t be eaten as meals?

After all, he was asked by his sister who has a sister complex, and when he failed to intercept Sakuya, he temporarily changed his tactics to become a self-familiar third wheel. As a result, he agreed to go with her only to find out that the destination was a bathhouse where they could meet each other openly, and he absolutely could not say that.

For the sake of her own safety and the indestructible revolutionary friendship between herself and Sakuya, Chihaya Aine decided to pretend to be caught off guard and report the situation to Kosume later. After all, humans need a sense of security, and she is definitely not the kind of female contact who would have bad intentions towards Sakuya's body.

At most, I'm just curious whether the twins will have roughly the same body shape?

Wakaba Mu was also thinking about similar questions, and according to her observations and measurements, her younger sister, Sakuya-san, was still a little inferior in this regard. Thinking of this, Mu-san's originally puffed-up face unconsciously drew up a reserved smile, quietly blending into the joy, like a squirrel that had found a fruit and was secretly delighted.

Because Xiangke had never seen Sakuya change clothes, nor had he helped Sakuya change clothes, in this regard, he was undoubtedly victorious.

Toyokawa Shoko didn't feel too frustrated or sorry because of Wakaba Mutsuki and Chihaya Aine's cross-legged stance. She took two steps closer, took the paper bag of clothes from Sakuya's hand, and filled the gap with her left hand. The village girl struggled shyly for a few times, but to no avail, so she had to let Toyokawa Shoko walk beside her as if nothing had happened.

Through the gap in her flaxen hair, Ms. Xiangzi asked elegantly and calmly with hidden envy and obvious shock. "Aine-san's recent band activities are going well?"

Perhaps the action of declaring sovereignty was a bit redundant, but Toyokawa Shoko did it anyway. She was not an empty-headed country girl and would not 100% believe in such a flimsy excuse as someone going out shopping and happened to buy clothes in the same clothing store.

“Well... it should be going smoothly. Everyone is taking good care of me. Even though my guitar level might not be up to par, no one looks down on me. Now I’m practicing hard for my first Live, right?” Miss Aine was stunned for a moment, then moved her hand away from the corner of her mouth, where she was gesturing for eating watermelon, and carefully chose her words to talk to Xiangzi, a classmate she was not that familiar with.

The relationship between the two Nagasaki sisters and this person is really too confusing. Although she knows that she shouldn't think in this direction, Miss Aine still unconsciously associates the relationship of turning meal replacements into regular meals with this person, which is far more confusing than that of high school girls.

"Is that so..." Miss Xiangzi inevitably thought of Takamatsu Deng who was heartbroken by her, Shiina Tatsuki who was angry at her, Nagasaki Suyo who begged her to return to Crychic, and Wakaba Mutsu who deliberately said excessive words for the sake of his dignity. She really owed them a proper farewell.

Sakuya glanced at the blue-haired little hedgehog who looked a little lost, and took the initiative to stroke the little hand in her palm with her fingers. She bent her index finger, hooked it with the other person's index finger, and made a not-so-standard pinky gesture.

Toyokawa Shoko smiled and shook Sakuya's finger with the same not-so-standard gesture. At least, now she still has a chance to make up for her immaturity.

"Aine-san is very energetic, there will be no problem with the Live performance."

"Thank you for the compliment, Xiangzi. But to be honest, Rikki hasn't finished writing the music score and sent it to me yet. I'm still very nervous." Miss Aine looked at the blue-haired lady through Xiao Sakuya in confusion. She is obviously a very kind person, why is Xiao Suye so annoying?

Could it be... that she is really an ex-girlfriend? But when Crychic was active, So-Se was still a junior high school student, right?

Miss Aine's thoughts did not last long, because a small light green-haired figure slipped into the gap between the two of them while she was thinking, and occupied Miss Sakuya's other side. Unfortunately, someone was using a mobile phone to navigate, so Wakaba Mutsu, who had been planning for a long time, could only move closer to make up for the regret of not being able to hold hands.

Xiang, so cunning.

But, I haven't lost yet.

Ruoye Mu looked down at her knee which had not yet completely healed and thought so. After all, she was an injured person with limited mobility.

Chapter 247: I Still Want to Be Friends with Xiao Mu

Asahi Bathhouse, or Asahi Yu, is more traditional than what Sakuya Ichinose had envisioned.

The eaves are in a symmetrical gable shape, with black and grey tiles converging at the eaves and protruding a little to cover the wooden auspicious cloud pattern. Further down is a bathhouse sign carved in relief with Chinese characters written on it, facing the direction of the street entrance. When you look up, you can just see the sign and the lush cypress tree that half extends into the courtyard.

It was still early, just past five in the afternoon. Office workers were looking forward to finishing their overtime work, housewives were taking their human cubs who had been wandering around all day home to cook, and even the most common cars drove by from time to time. The street lights came on on time, and the setting sun shone through the leaves. The tiny spots of light depicted the detailed cracks on the wall, the warm yellow light outlined the clear edges of the tiles, and even the shadows of the girls were stretched thin and slanted, interweaving into the appearance of a peaceful time.

The bathhouse was being tidied and debugged before opening at night. The doors were open on both sides, and the lights of the vending machines were flashing. Rika Asahi, who was in charge of the front desk reception, was wearing black-framed glasses and folding the fresh towels that had just been taken out of the dryer. She also did not forget to rearrange the used bath products.

When everyone met, they first exclaimed in surprise, and then diligently spoke honorifics to Toyokawa Shoko, who was in charge of communication.

The air was filled with the warm scent of hot soup, but the hall was deserted and not many people were around.

Ms. Sakuya actually quite likes this kind of social feeling of being able to hear the voices of her companions while being quiet. They maintain a suitable distance, and the granular dust slowly floats in the light. She feels as if she has returned to Uji, feeling comfortable and liberated. Her thoughts seem to be electrified and can be transmitted to far away places with the sound of the bass.

But even with an empty head, she knew that the relationship between herself and her friends was very awkward.

The relatively mature Xiao Chuhua and Hai Ling can understand their own wishes and will not do things beyond their acceptance level. They can also understand their alienation and unconvincing rejections, but Xiao Mu will not.

Ruoye Mu was like the kid in kindergarten who was not good at socializing and was left behind by everyone. When his only friend transferred to another school and left, he didn't make a fuss but sat quietly in the corner taking care of the only remaining cucumber.

The result of long-term lack of love is that perception becomes increasingly dull, the silent shell becomes tighter and tighter, a little bit of care will be infinitely magnified into love, and you will indulge in it, and even be stubborn and unwilling to compromise with yourself.

It's heartbreaking, but he can't tell the difference between what he can do and what he can't do, and just blindly imitates Xiangzi's behavior. Maybe Xiaomu just doesn't want to be abandoned, but he really can't correctly understand what love is?

Ultimately it was my own fault. If I had realized Xiaomu's feelings earlier and guided her in the right direction, things wouldn't have turned out like this and almost destroyed the friendship between Xiangzi and Xiaomu.

Her sleeve was gently tugged, and Ms. Sakuya tilted her head to look at the light green-haired girl beside her. She remained still for a few seconds for no apparent reason, feeling the inexplicable embarrassment of being caught red-handed while thinking about the sad literature of youth.

Wakaba Mutsu, who was holding onto Sakuya's sleeve, raised her head and cast a normal and natural gaze. The light from the ceiling made her expression somewhat difficult to read. Or was it because the girl's facial expression was not expressive? In short, the only thing that could not be missed was her pair of clear, lively, sparkling light golden eyes.

"What's wrong?" Mu asked in a low voice.

"Nothing...?" Miss Sakuya answered passively.

"Sigh, just now." Mu loosened his hand, raised both index fingers at the same time, and poked the soft and tender face of the hesitant village girl.

"oh......?"

"Sakuya, you still look better when you smile...." Wakaba Mu pushed the girl's cheek and tried hard to give her a faint smile that was already very obvious to him.

Someone who had already fully recognized her identity as Xiangzi's girlfriend was stunned. How could the smiling Xiaomu be so eye-catching? She looked like an angel or an elf that appeared from nowhere, with shiny little wings growing on her back.

She took two steps back with her hands covering her heart, and in front of Aine who was on the phone and Rika-senpai who was explaining the salary and benefits seriously, she hugged Xiangzi from behind and took a deep breath, which made the blue-haired lady blush slightly. Then, Miss Sakuya, who was fully revived, jumped back to Wakaba Mutsu and asked with a smile.

"Xiao Mu, where did you come from?"

Ruoye Mu was a little dissatisfied for some reason. He clenched the paper bag, turned his head away expressionlessly, and whispered in a colder voice, "I should be born by my mother."

"Pfft, what a coincidence, me too." Ms. Sakuya poked the slightly puffy cheek of the doll and said with a smile. "But the way Xiaomu cared about me just now, in my eyes, she is like an angel."

"Really?" Mu turned his head quickly and said in surprise.

"Well, it's more like a cucumber fairy, right? The kind with little wings on the back."

"......" Mu was puzzled and looked up with blinking eyes.

"I just want to praise you for being cute." Ms. Sakuya took back her hand, thought for a moment, and then spoke again in a more serious tone. "I really still want to be friends with Mutsu-chan."

"Then..." Mu was stunned, his mouth slightly opened but he felt a little frustrated, after all, are they still just good friends...

"But let's not discuss this today. Take a good bath and relax. Wait until tomorrow... No, next week. I'll go talk to Xiaomu about it." Leaving her worries to herself next week, Miss Sakuya now only wanted to curl up in the hot soup and blow bubbles, wash Xiaomu's hair, and then secretly glance at Xiangzi's actually quite curvy figure.

After a short period of silence, Asahi Rika, who was in charge of reception, finally explained the details of the part-time job to the new employee, and asked the other three people with a little embarrassment.

"There are no guests in the bathhouse right now. Do you want to go in and take a bath now?"

"Well, please, Asahi-senpai." Ms. Sakuya was the first to raise her hand and answer.

"You don't have to call me senior here." Equating this lovely junior with Popipa's CDD Toyama Kasumi in her mind, Asahi Rikka waved her hands in embarrassment and refused.

"It's necessary to experience it as a customer first, and you must have never been to a place like this, right?" With a few blushes on her face, Miss Xiangzi pinched Sakuya's hand in revenge and turned to ask the inexperienced half-body.

"..." Mu nodded vigorously. She didn't want to be excluded by these two people.

"Well...as for me, I won't go in for the time being." Chihaya Aine raised her hand awkwardly and inserted.

“Aine-chan, don’t you want to come with us?” Sakuya invited, tilting her head.

"There happens to be a good friend nearby who is also planning to come, so I'll wait for her and join us." Feeling threatened by Kozuyo, Chihaya Aine rejected this somewhat tempting idea.

Anyway, it won’t be too late to go in after Xiao Su Shi arrives.

Chapter 248 Temperature Difference Heating

Arriving early always allows you to enjoy some special services from the store. At least Miss Sakuya asked Asahi-senpai for her favorite light blue towel to tie her hair. She held the paper bag in one hand, put away the complimentary bathing suit, and sent a text message to her sister saying that she would not be home for dinner. The sandwiched lady easily and happily lifted the red curtain with the words "women's bath" written on it, like a big carp jumping into the pot on its own initiative.

As she put away her phone and bag and held the hem of her clothes with both hands, someone turned around to investigate, and as expected, her eyes met with two similar pale golden pupils. Sparks flew, followed by the undisguised laughter of a country girl.

"You two are so stupid."

Wakaba Mu reacted stupidly, her face flushed, and she turned around to take off her plaid skirt which was too long for summer. However, her little head seemed to be attracted by gravity and always turned towards Sakuya who was changing clothes.

With her experience, Toyokawa Shoko was much calmer. She coughed lightly to hide her embarrassment, and simply unbuttoned her shirt under Sakuya's gaze. She even pulled her collar with a smile on her face and blinked at the country girl who came to check on her.

"If Sakuya wants to see it, you can."

"H."

Miss Sakuya was still a little less thick-skinned. She whispered a word of rebuke and turned back to take off the few clothes she had on, one by one. She was not too shy about having her body seen. After all, they were all girls and in a public place like a bathhouse. It would be strange to cover up.

"I always feel there is a sense of contrast." Miss Xiangzi, who had already disarmed herself and was left with only solid-color student underwear, draped a towel over her shoulders and commented with one hand on her chin, her tone sounding like a judge giving scores at a piano competition.

"What's the matter? I brought this from my hometown in Uji, although it seems to have grown a bit recently." Miss Sakuya followed Shoko's gaze and looked down at her well-developed breasts. She pressed them on both sides with both hands in annoyance, and then let them bounce back and shake. Big breasts do make people more confident, but they also cause a lot of trouble in life.

"...The blue and white stripes are cute, too." Miss Xiangzi was silent for a moment, and tactfully did not bother herself with the question of whether the junior high school student's aesthetic taste might be a bit childish. After all, her girlfriend still had a bit of a silly, country-girl quality, and this color combination was probably in line with her character.

"Could it be that Xiangzi actually wants to see me wearing that mature and timid black underwear?" Miss Sakuya made an X with her index fingers and flirted with the blue-haired lady without paying attention to anyone else. When she realized that the innocent Xiaomu was still around, she lowered her voice and whispered to Xiangzi barefoot. "I actually bought a set, but I was too shy. After it arrived, it has been at the bottom of the closet and I haven't worn it yet."

Her arm inevitably touched something soft. Toyokawa Shoko took a deep breath quickly and calmly, then stretched out her hands to hug the naked slender waist, and pulled Miss Sakuya, who wanted to run away after teasing her, into her arms.

"...What are you doing? Mu is right beside us." Sakuya struggled for a moment and whispered. Sakuya, who had already prepared herself mentally, was still a little embarrassed by such direct skin contact.

"I want to see it." Toyokawa Shoko also whispered beside the light pink earlobe. Finally, she stood on tiptoe and kissed the soft little ear at an angle where Wakaba Mutsu couldn't see.

Miss Sakuya's face suddenly turned red with embarrassment, and she angrily slapped her girlfriend who didn't consider the occasion. They were not alone, and whispering in such a way was too...beyond the simple worldview of a country girl.

Wakaba Mutsu had already turned his head to listen when judge Xiangzi was commenting on the blue and white stripes. Now he put down his hands that were covering the melon-patterned cartoon underwear and looked angrily at the two people hugging each other.

Yes, even Wakaba Mutsu would get angry sometimes. Although in most cases, Miss Mutsu was just simply angry for a moment, but facing the easy-to-talk to Xianghe Sakuya, Wakaba Mutsu felt that he still had a chance.

So, she also took small steps forward with an expressionless face, stuck close to Miss Sakuya's back, and embraced her with her hands, also standing on tiptoe, looking silently at Xiang who was hurriedly wiping the corner of his mouth.

"What's wrong? Mu, why did you come so close to me all of a sudden?" After all, she was just flirting with her girlfriend, so Miss Xiangzi tried to remain calm, but still subconsciously turned her eyes away, not daring to meet the gaze of this childhood friend who seldom got angry.

"..." Ruo Yemu said nothing, but just stared blankly at the few remaining crystals on someone's earlobe. His pupils trembled, and even the two little hands that he had held in the chaos became a little unstable, and slid down to the edge of the blue and white bowl before he barely stopped.

As for the uneasy Miss Sakuya, she was fully experiencing what it was like to be heated by two different body temperatures at the same time. The touch in front of her was soft and warm, while the touch behind her was slightly cold with attachment. Before she really got into the water, the heat-intolerant village girl had already entered a semi-comatose state with circles in her eyes. She moved her arms hesitantly and completely collapsed in Xiangzi's arms, motionless.

"Mu, hand." Miss Xiangzi reacted after supporting her thin-faced brown-haired idiot. She glared at Ruoye Mu's dishonest little hand with displeasure.

She withdrew her hand, stood up, and touched the corner of her lips again. Miss Mu, who vaguely understood that there was such a way to express love, stood aside obediently, planning to try it on Sakuya next time when Xiang was no longer around.

"Really? I told you that this kind of thing is not allowed." Ms. Shoko complained as she stroked the flaxen hair of the girl in her arms with one hand. Although she saw Sakuya's cute shy look, she still had some complaints about Wakaba Mutsu's sudden attack.

"Just a hug, we're just friends." Mu tilted his head and looked at the ceiling in response, refusing to admit that he was a bad boy who took advantage of the chaos to attack.

"Does Mu really think so?" Xiangzi asked in disbelief.

Wakaba Mu shook his head gently, then shook his head again, and then said in a small voice under Miss Xiangzi's puzzled gaze, "It's just... I'm used to it."

"Huh?" This voice came from Toyokawa Shoko who noticed something was wrong.

"Huh?" This sound came from Sakuya Ichinose, who had barely recovered and was burying himself in the blue-haired lady to replenish Shoko's energy.

"Wait...wait, it was my sister who suddenly hugged Xiaomu, right? It has nothing to do with me."

Miss Xiangzi narrowed her eyes slightly, and her little hand moved to the ticklish spot on someone's waist. "So, it's a coincidence?"

"...Maybe?" Ruoye Mu just tilted his head and said so.

She was telling the truth.

Chapter 249: Slip Carefully

There are a few wisps of mist floating on the mural of Mount Fuji with a cool background. The pool is almost full with constant temperature hot water. The simple plastic stool and the polished small square mirror convey the simple atmosphere of life. The small bathing area is divided into several sections in a very orderly manner.

It was the first time for Wakaba Mu to come to such a place, but she still chose not to disturb Xiang or Sakuya, but left obediently first.

Holding the small basin and bath towel, and not looking at the two people playing together again behind her, the slender girl beside her curiously fiddled with the red and blue buttons in the shower area. The dripping water curtain poured on her body, which was a little cold, so she pressed the red water supply button again, and it became hot again.

After hesitating for a while, Ruo Yemu still stood quietly under the shower, because the sound of hot water hitting the tiles could somewhat cover up the girl's playful screams. After all, she still envied Xiang.

Being able to express her love without disguising it, she thought, perhaps this was why Sakuya accepted Xiang before herself?

Wakaba Mutsuki understood that he was not a person who could express his feelings directly. Whether it was his silence when facing Su Shi or his hugs and kisses when facing Sakuya, he was just trying to learn how to convey his feelings.

The results were not pretty.

But if Ye Mu doesn't want to give up, even if he is like a puppet and empty, he can learn the courage to express himself from Sakuya who is like a little sun.

She wanted to try again, not by staying by the other person's side as a friend and enjoying the concern that leaked out from the gaps, but by playing out her own ideas with all her strength. She couldn't express them, so she planned to use the guitar, which she was relatively good at.

"Didn't Xiao Mu go take a bath first?" Ichinose Sakuya, who was also holding a towel, stood in the shower area without a partition and pointed at the button with a smile. "Red or blue button, which one should I press?"

"......" Mu stretched out his hand to lift up the light green bangs that were wetted by water, stared blankly at the clear gray-blue eyes, stretched out his hand and pressed the red and blue buttons at the same time, and then asked. "Sakuya, what kind of music do you like?"

Until this moment, Ms. Mu suddenly realized that she didn't seem to understand Sakuya's taste in music. She knew that Sakuya liked to eat meat because they exchanged bento, she knew that Sakuya didn't sleep well because they took a nap together, and she also knew that Sakuya liked the same light blue as Xiang's hair because the handkerchief in his hand was a similar color. But Wakaba Mu really didn't know what kind of music Sakuya liked. She just knew that he was a bassist and played in a band because she had never played with Sakuya.

"Hey? What did Xiaomu just ask?" Miss Sakuya was startled by the heat and asked in confusion while tidying up the wet hair sticking to her chest.

"..." If Ye Mu did not respond immediately, he would open his mouth slightly, look at the girl in front of him with wide eyes and a flushed face. He didn't know if it was because of the temperature transferred from the hot water, but he felt a little hot.

The beauty in the sight was soon replaced by darkness, and only some flesh-colored light could be barely seen through the fingers.

Toyokawa Shoko pouted and blocked the pair of pale golden eyes of the same color as hers from behind Wakaba Mu, but she tilted her head and explained for her half body with a normal expression. "Ask about Sakuya's favorite music. From my impression, Sakuya doesn't have a particular favorite type of music."

"Pfft, it won't be a problem to let Xiao Mu take a look. Xiangzi looks very cute when she is jealous." Miss Sakuya, who had just been pressed and rubbed in the locker room, became naughty again. She also reached out and pinched Xiangzi's little hand that was blocking Wakaba Mu's eyes, and said with a smile. "Xiangzi, you can't keep doing this until we finish taking a bath, right?"

"That being said..." Toyokawa Shoko slowly withdrew her hand, still a little uneasy. She held Sakuya's hand through Wakaba Mutsu for a while before letting go and turning on her own shower.

"..." Wakaba Mutsu, who was caught in the middle, was a little speechless. Fortunately, Miss Sakuya's smiling face soothed his unhappy mood, and the illusory warm yellow flowers grew again on his head that had just been drenched by water.