Yukata Ties
I wrapped the towel around my lower body and rose from the bath as if fleeing, heading straight for where I had left my clothes. This place, built to resemble a traditional hot spring inn, had every detail—from the surrounding garden to the interior—meticulously arranged to match its slightly aged atmosphere. Even though a ceiling loomed high above when you looked up, it felt like a movie set: beneath it stood a separate inn building complete with its own roof. Because of that, it was hard to say whether the bath I had just left counted as an open-air one or not.
"...?"
As I approached the changing room, I spotted someone standing quietly by the door, holding a neatly folded length of navy cloth. Their face was hidden behind a white cloth, making it impossible to tell if they could even see properly. I froze for a moment, startled, but then remembered hearing that there were dedicated staff here. A bathrobe, perhaps? The attendant wore a long, dark gray garment secured at the waist by a single sash. They opened the changing room door without a word, followed me inside, and silently handed over a fresh towel and underwear.
"Thank you... very much."
Because their face remained covered, the weight of their gaze never felt too heavy. I dried myself off and pulled on the underwear. The attendant then draped the navy cloth they had been holding over my shoulders, wrapping it around me like a robe.
"Um, this is..."
"..."
Come to think of it, private conversations were forbidden. I had gotten so used to chatting casually with the team leader that I had completely forgotten. So there really were inn staff here. It wasn't strange for a proper establishment like this, but still...
The garment they had given me was identical in style to the one they wore, only a different color. It felt more like everyday clothing than the thick bathrobes you saw in hotels—lighter, easier to move in. There was probably a specific name for it. Once the attendant had adjusted the sash around my waist and tied it neatly, they began walking ahead at a polite distance, clearly expecting me to follow. Their feet glided silently across the wooden floor without a single sound.
Scary if you ran into them at night.
We passed through the inn's interior corridors, thick with Japanese atmosphere, until I finally heard the quiet attendant's voice. Or rather, the voice inside their mind.
Is it because of this counselor that her attitude has been growing more human lately?
...Her. I had heard that both the Founder and the Observer stayed here, but if we were talking about someone with a deeper connection to me, it had to be the Founder.
She used to throw tantrums and get irritated so easily, but this time, just from the way she looked while bathing together...
"Cough, cough...!"
"..."
Perhaps because I had interrupted their thoughts at such an exquisitely timed moment, the attendant paused mid-step and turned their head toward me. Even with the white cloth still covering their face, I could feel their gaze sharpen. So it wasn't just the team leader who had seen that scene. And yet there hadn't been any other presence nearby...
"Ah, it's nothing."
"..."
Fortunately, they seemed unaware of my ability. They turned away again and resumed walking. Along the way, I passed several other attendants dressed in the same dark gray robes, faces hidden behind white cloths. I had been told that Scarlet's and No. 13's counseling rooms were at the very end of the corridor, on opposite sides.
The attendant stopped at the end of the guest wing, bowed once, and quietly withdrew, signaling that their duty was done. I checked the nameplates on the two doors. The right one read [No. 18]—Scarlet's room. The left one read [No. 13]. I would have to be careful not to mix them up. These were sliding shoji doors... Soundproofing aside, I felt like I could probably break one down with my body if I needed to escape. Then again, this entire floor was just a hot spring inn with no separate isolation cells, and we were absurdly deep underground anyway. Maybe it didn't matter.
I slid open the door to Scarlet's room—the one I would be counseling this morning. The sight of the tatami floor struck me as rather charming at first. Then I lifted my head.
In the center of the room stood Scarlet, her back turned to me. With a soft rustle, the pale pink yukata she wore slipped from her shoulders and fell to the floor in perfect timing. She wore nothing underneath. I froze, staring at the flawless line of her back, and felt my heart begin to pound.
It wasn't just slender. Her shoulders were sharply defined, the muscles of her back clear and strong. Her spine traced a smooth curve from the nape of her neck downward. Yet her hips were full and plump, showing no sign of sagging, and the contrast with her narrow waist made her wide pelvis even more striking—built for impact. Below that, her legs stretched long and well-proportioned, but the soft inner flesh of her thighs, impossible to tone away completely, created a clear triangular zone between them.
Thud!
It had lasted less than a second, but I had already scanned every detail and burned it into my mind before I finally shut the door.
"Why—why did you suddenly take your clothes off?"
Even as I said it, guilt pricked at me. I heard her hurriedly gathering the fallen yukata, followed by footsteps approaching the door. Then her explanation came through.
"The sash... I'm not used to this outfit, so I was trying to tighten it more..."
"Ah."
I had walked in at the worst possible moment. Was some mischievous will at work, forcing these embarrassing situations on us? Well... I supposed I should be grateful.
"Um... ahem. Let me know when you've got it back on."
"...I just put it on again."
"Then I'm coming in."
But "put it on" apparently meant she had only draped it loosely over herself. Her crimson hair had been gathered to one side and allowed to fall forward, yet the front of her yukata still gaped wide open right in front of my eyes. While her chest wasn't on the same scale as Harpy's, it was still large enough to cause a noticeable inflation in my awareness. Without underwear, the healthy elasticity couldn't quite overcome gravity; the heavy curves swayed gently outward, creating an intensely provocative sight. And right below, the secret triangle I had glimpsed from behind moments ago was now fully visible from the front...
"Yukata...? That's what it's called, right? The sash is so wide, and I can't seem to tie it prettily..."
Given how broad the obi was, it made sense she wasn't used to it. Still, I hadn't expected her to care about something like that.
"I'll... I'll tie it for you. Just cover the front for now, please."
"...Ah, okay."
She seemed more concerned about the knot than about exposing herself to me. Unlike before, she showed almost no embarrassment. I knelt on one knee in front of her, picked up the fallen sash, and reached behind her slender waist to wrap it around. As I pulled it snug and began to tie the first knot—
Squeeze.
"Nngh..."
"W-why did you make that sound?"
Her hips twitched in a rhythmic little motion right in front of my face. I looked up, but from this angle her expression was hidden behind the swell of her chest. How did she manage to fight so fiercely while carrying something like that? The field team leader was the same, though if we were being precise, the team leader's were even...
"It was... a little tight."
"Ah... sorry. How about this?"
I must have unconsciously put too much strength into my hands out of nervousness. Knowing there was nothing beneath that thin layer of cloth didn't help. A cold sweat had already formed on the back of my hand without me noticing.
"That's... fine now."
First the Founder, now her. I had no idea how many more ways they planned to torment me. Once I finished tying the obi into a neat ribbon, I let out a quiet breath and stood up. Scarlet's gaze wandered around the unusual interior of the inn room. There was a low table for floor seating in the living area and a separate sleeping space with futons laid out. The clean tatami room really did feel like we had come on a trip to a hot spring inn.
"Where is this place? It felt like we went down quite a bit."
"For now... it's a hot spring inn. A kind of staff welfare facility. You might have already seen it, but there are private baths in the courtyard over there."
"Don't tell me this is because of the bath...?"
While the scene she had witnessed during her first bath was different, I had heard there were private baths attached to the guest rooms. So I had asked the team leader to arrange these rooms specifically for Scarlet and No. 13. Which meant... where was I supposed to sleep?
"...For me?"
"I told you. I'll do my best."
"..."
She stared at me as if she had something to say, but in the end simply pressed her lips together. I felt a small pang of disappointment that she hadn't answered more sincerely without hesitation, but right now I had something I wanted to say.
Or rather, a small request.
"Could I ask you for one favor in return?"
"...Yes."
She answered readily, as if she didn't think I would ask for anything unreasonable. I finally spoke the words I had been holding back.
"From now on, please stop using formal speech with me. You're not a prisoner anymore, and I'm not some kind of guard."
"That's..."
"The confident version of you suits you much better, Scarlet. Though I do hope you'll still show a little consideration for others."
The past week we had spent as prisoner and guard in that dark underground cell had surely left a vivid mark on both our memories. She looked like she couldn't easily shake off the memory of her body and heart submitting before me in that priest's garb.
"...All right... yo—... ngh."
"Got it... okay."
Even so, she managed to drop the formal tone and give a proper reply, though she kept glancing at me nervously, as if checking whether this was really all right. Those sharp eyes, now timidly gauging my reaction, looked oddly cute despite how ill-suited they were to such an expression. But the guilt of having reduced her to this state outweighed any personal feelings, so I pushed the emotion down.
"...Much easier to listen to."
Her formal speech had been nothing but fearful submission rather than genuine respect, after all. She would probably slip back into it without realizing it from time to time, but I had decided to make it a goal to reach the point where she could speak to me without constantly being aware of who I was. Maybe it was just a selfish wish to pretend that the guard role I had played had never happened... but even so—
"Then please take care of me for the promised week, Scarlet."