Chapter 209: Japan (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 209: Japan (2)
Bubble… bubble…
The hot spring water simmered with a low sound.
I entered the changing room next to the spring and began to take off my clothes.
First things first.
I had to get in.
But before that, I needed to wash up.
I had to rinse off the sweat that had built up over a ten-hour struggle.
I stepped into the shower, feeling the cold touch of the wet floor on my feet, and turned on the water.
Swoosh…
Just as the hot stream hit my head…
“You’re here?”
A familiar voice came from behind me.
Startled, I spun around.
Sion was standing there.
She had apparently already finished showering. A towel was wrapped around her body, and she was using another to dry her wet hair.
So that’s where she was. She must have been washing up first.
“Wash up and come out.”
Sion spoke nonchalantly, gave her body a quick wipe-down with the towel, and walked out of the shower room.
As if nothing had happened.
I stared at the door she had disappeared through for a moment before refocusing on my shower.
The moment I finished and turned off the water, I heard a sound from outside.
Splash!
The sound of someone jumping into the hot spring.
It was followed by the mixed screams of women.
“Kyaaah!”
“Giggle!”
I could also hear laughter filled with mischief.
Their relationships… seemed surprisingly good, which was a relief, I suppose.
I, too, put on a robe and went outside.
The top floor of this hotel was higher than any other building in Tokyo.
So it was fine to be completely naked and shower like this.
I’d heard it was covered by a Magitech Barrier, so not even drones could fly over.
It felt like it rejected all unwanted gazes.
In the end, it was a completely private rooftop.
As I dipped my foot into the edge of the spring, the movements of the women, who had been splashing, laughing, and chatting, all stopped at once.
From within the steaming hot spring, several pairs of eyes turned toward me.
‘Hmm…’
Instead of the anger I had expected, a strange sense of anticipation and playfulness flickered in their eyes.
“You worked hard today~”
The first to speak was Cheon Yeo-wool.
She beckoned to me with what looked like a benevolent smile.
Could it be that she hadn't told the others anything?
If it had been a secret between just Sion and Chae-ha, then maybe…
“It must have been tough, holding her down for ten hours.”
My last hope was shattered by Kang A-rin’s voice from the side.
“Haha.”
I’m screwed.
They already knew everything.
I laughed awkwardly and turned my head away.
“……”
But the looks they were giving me weren't bad at all.
Rather… how should I put it? It felt soft and warm. It even seemed a bit friendly.
“You went through a lot.”
Just then, Yu Hana cut through the water and came up beside me.
Her smooth skin, flushed red from the hot water, touched my arm.
At that soft, hot sensation, I flinched in spite of myself.
I couldn’t help but be surprised by the atmosphere, which was so different from what I’d expected.
Even Sion, who must have been seething inside, was smiling playfully and waving her hand. Overall, things seemed pretty good.
What kind of development was this?
What had they conspired about in my absence…?
“Were you worried?”
Just then, Kang A-rin, who was leaning against the edge of the spring, asked as if she had read my mind.
“Um… a little.”
I answered honestly. Even if it was for official business, I thought I had gone a bit too far, doing something strange with another woman for ten hours.
I had anticipated their anger and steeled myself for it.
“Don’t worry.”
Kang A-rin smiled gently and shook her head.
“Hae-in, you’re trying so hard… for our sake… to get upset over something like that…”
She didn’t finish her sentence, and her cheeks flushed red as if she had suddenly become embarrassed.
Then, she slowly submerged her entire face into the steaming water.
If it weren’t for the little bubbles rising to the surface, I wouldn’t have known she was there.
It was a cute moment, so unlike her.
Cheon Yeo-wool also approached quietly and placed a hand on my shoulder.
“There’s no problem at all. Not for something like that. So you absolutely don’t need to feel sorry.”
I could feel the sincerity in her words.
Yu Hana, sitting next to me, even gave my side a playful poke.
Though her hand was gradually moving lower.
In any case, the other women’s expressions were the same.
‘You were scared over something like that?’
That’s what they seemed to be saying.
Of course, Yoon Chae-ha was the only one splashing around innocently.
It probably meant she didn’t care much about the situation in the first place.
“Thanks.”
I finally replied with a smile and a sigh of relief.
They understood and supported me far more than I had thought.
“Who’s going to complain when their husband is out working?”
Sion added with a chuckle.
“You’re busy again tomorrow, right?”
This time, it was Yu Hana who asked, gently stroking my back.
“Yeah. I think so.”
According to the original plan, I was going to leisurely tour Tokyo starting tomorrow, but things had gotten completely out of hand.
Tomorrow, I had to have another showdown with Kisaragi Rin about her curse.
So, I was planning on naturally canceling the sightseeing.
“Then get plenty of rest today.”
Yu Hana said, and then, under the water, she gave my butt a light pat.
It was a gentle touch.
“I won’t touch you today.”
Then she whispered softly in my ear.
It was a whisper, but in the hot spring, the others must have heard it.
But it seemed that, in my absence, they had already talked things through and everything had been shared.
Surprisingly, there was no opposition. They all seemed to be in agreement.
Kang A-rin still had half her face submerged, but she appeared to be on the same page.
I felt then that they respected my choice.
Being in a relationship with multiple women… they might have understood it as something that ‘could happen’ by conventional standards.
But this was different.
This meant they respected my actions and my choices.
They were prioritizing the things I did and the actions I took.
“Thank you.”
Genuinely relieved, I smiled and replied.
The heat of the hot spring finally seeped into my entire body.
I will not betray this trust.
I steeled my resolve once more.
“You look so emotional.”
Just then, Cheon Yeo-wool touched my chin lightly and asked.
She had come right up next to me at some point.
“Want to touch my breasts?”
Cheon Yeo-wool made a devilish proposal, pushing her chest slightly toward me.
The sweet scent from her skin tempted me.
This was a bit much.
The感動 and resolve I’d felt just a moment ago wavered helplessly, but…
“I’m… f-fine…”
I barely managed to resist.
*
“Ugh… uh…”
Rin was having a dream.
A dream so very different from reality.
It was a dream of freedom.
In the dream, she was dancing across the battlefield.
In reality, despite possessing powerful spiritual energy, her body was weak due to a curse, making intense, dynamic combat difficult.
Her output was strong… but her body was too frail.
But in her dream, she was different.
She kicked off the ground and leaped into the air, gliding through the enemy lines like the wind.
Her main weapons were talismans and a fan.
The techniques the real Rin used were limited to launching powerful, mana-formed talismans from a safe position in the rear.
That alone was powerful, it was true.
But the her in the dream was different.
Dressed in Iano’s shrine maiden robes, every time she brandished her fan…
Hundreds, thousands of materialized talismans surged toward the enemies at close range.
And, most different of all…
Was Rin’s face.
Instead of the emotionless, hardened expression she always wore…
She looked as excited as a child.
And at the same time, ecstatic.
She seemed completely intoxicated by the liberating feeling of wielding her power without restraint.
“How… can she do that…?”
Rin, watching the scene in her dream, felt a sense of wonder.
Yes.
This was what she wanted. She couldn’t deny it.
But how was it possible?
After defeating a great army, the dream-Rin wore a refreshing and satisfied smile, without a single drop of sweat on her brow.
She didn’t look strained in the slightest.
And then, without hesitation, she ran toward one place.
With a look of pure joy, she ran to a man and threw herself into his arms.
Jung Hae-in was there.
The hero from the neighboring country who had relentlessly pressured her for ten hours today.
The one who had appeared like a savior with the great robes of her ancestor.
The dream-Rin was in his arms, acting coquettishly with an expression she could never imagine making in reality.
She was saying something, but Rin couldn’t make it out.
Was it because she was too far away?
She urgently ran toward them, trying to hear what was being said.
“…-gun nim.”
What?
“Nang-gun… nim…”
‘…….’
Rin thought she must have misheard.
No way. She would never say something like that.
But the dream-Rin completely negated the real Rin’s last shred of hope.
Sliide…
While still in his embrace, the dream-Rin stealthily lifted her top.
Her smooth lower abdomen was revealed.
But surprisingly, there was no tattoo left on it.
“Please… I’m asking you…”
Rin tilted her head up slightly and pleaded.
She gazed at Jung Hae-in with a secretive look.
It was obvious what she was craving.
No way…
Wh-what is this…
Just as Rin’s flustered face felt like it would explode from the heat…
“Hnghhhhh!!”
Rin screamed and woke from the dream.