Let's Bathe Together
The Special Class dormitory occupied an entirely different building from the one used by ordinary students. Each grade even had a wing of its own, which meant facilities far too lavish for a class of barely ten people per year.
The communal bathhouse was one of those luxuries. Every room already came with its own shower, but the bath stayed open around the clock for anyone who occasionally wanted to soak.
"Th-this place is seriously nice."
Lua's jaw dropped at the luxurious entrance. Your average high-end hot spring wouldn't even dare hand over a business card here.
"I was told the faculty dormitory has the same facilities."
"Ah. I've never been."
There was no chance Lua, who found even showering a chore, would ever bother walking over to a communal bath.
"After you work up a sweat and come soak here, it feels amazing, y'know."
Juju tapped her student ID against the reader with practiced ease and opened the door.
"Outsiders aren't allowed in normally, but Teacher's a teacher, so it's fine."
"And at this hour, it's only us."
Himari and Juju guided Lua deeper into the changing room.
Of the ten first-year Special Class students, only two girls besides Juju and Himari were enrolled, yet there were still ten spare lockers waiting.
Juju opened one of the empty ones for Lua.
"You can put your clothes in here."
"Ah… y-yeah…"
Now that the moment had actually arrived, Lua's face went scarlet.
I really should have refused…
She had already shown Himari her underwear once, but bathing together was on a completely different level. She had no confidence she could hold a normal conversation while staring at each other completely bare, without so much as a thread between them.
"Hoo… haa. Hoo… haa."
"?"
Lua took deep, steadying breaths.
Right. Acting embarrassed will only make me look weirder.
Being the only one making a fuss would be strange enough on its own. Fortunately, she didn't have any… object that might honestly betray her state of mind, so if she wanted to hide any excitement, she could hide it just fine.
Act natural. As if she had always been a girl.
—Whoosh.
Lua squeezed her eyes shut and stripped.
"……"
Her figure was the same as ever—slight and underdeveloped from head to toe.
D-do I smell like sweat…?
"Upsy-daisy."
Juju slid closer. Lua reflexively turned her head away.
"……!"
Juju's completely unclothed form filled her vision. Her whole body was a handsome copper from the sun, but the pale skin of her chest and hips—where clothes normally covered—stood out in a strangely striking way.
"Stretching is important."
Juju laced her fingers and pulled her arms overhead, stretching. Residual muscle stood out here and there, yet far from looking unattractive, she radiated healthy vitality. Even the modest chest Himari had once misunderstood didn't detract from her in the slightest.
"Uh… Teacher."
"Hm?"
"If you stare that hard… even I get a little embarrassed."
"?!"
Lua jerked her eyes away in a fluster.
"Ah—no, sorry. Y-your body is pretty, that's all."
"That so? Hehe. Teacher's got some potential showing too, y'know."
—Swoosh.
Himari stepped neatly between Juju and Lua.
"Teacher. If you are ready, I shall guide you."
—Gulp.
The moment Lua looked at Himari, she swallowed without meaning to.
The genuine, unfiltered naked body of Hoshikawa Himari—something she had only ever imagined while playing Hunter Hunting Academy—stood right before her eyes. Not some fan-made illustration. The real person.
In contrast to Juju, her skin was pure white and flawless. Long, slender limbs, breasts of a perfect moderate size, a cinched waist, and hips that flared just enough. She had the kind of figure you could cast as the model for the most beautiful statue in the world.
"Whoa…"
On top of that, Himari's chest sat roughly at Lua's eye level, which only amplified the destructive power.
Forgetting her earlier resolve to act natural, Lua tried to swallow her breath, choked on it, and broke into a coughing fit.
"Koff!"
"I am ashamed to show you such an unworthy body."
Even as she said it, Himari looked as though she were waiting for something from Lua.
"Ah—n-no, you're pretty."
The same words she had given Juju. Only then did Himari smile, as if finally satisfied.
"Yes. Thank you, Teacher. This way, then."
The three bare girls started toward the bath.
Before they went in, they reached the area with the washbasins, and Juju suddenly caught Lua by the shoulder and stopped her.
"Ah, Teacher. Don't walk with your shoulders all hunched like that."
"Huh?"
Looking sideways, Lua found a wide, full-length mirror mounted above the multi-person sinks. Under the bright changing-room lights, her body, Himari's, and Juju's were reflected in merciless detail.
"Eek…?!"
Simply being naked and seeing her own body in a mirror were two completely different degrees of shame. Lua hastily covered her chest with her arms.
Whatwhatwhatwhat!
"There we go. Your shoulders are all knotted up."
Oblivious to Lua's inner panic, Juju kneaded her shoulders from behind. The moment she pressed into the muscle, the arms Lua had raised to cover her chest dropped of their own accord.
"You can't go around all hunched like this. Especially not while you're still growing."
—Squeeze, press.
"Ah—ah."
Juju worked open the shoulders Lua had kept permanently tensed. Opening them naturally pushed her chest forward. Cool air brushed against sensitive skin, and the sensation was strange.
"Ah… nngh—s-stop…!"
"When you walk, too—stride out! No more slouching!"
"I-I got it already…"
Lua was nearly on the verge of tears. Juju showed no sign of stopping.
"While we're at it, let's stretch before we get in the water! Interlace your fingers!"
"Uugh…"
Even through the chaos, Lua barely managed to recall her earlier vow to act natural.
Following Juju's instructions, she laced her fingers and lifted her arms overhead. In the mirror, a smooth underarm without a single fine hair came into view.
What am I even doing, completely naked like this!
"Stretch to the left!"
"Streeetch…"
"And to the right!"
"Str-streeetch…"
The Lua in the mirror strained to lengthen her slight frame, every rib clearly visible. At this point she had resigned herself to whatever happened.
"Teacher. Not only the upper body—you must move the waist as well."
Himari's hands settled on her waist. An indescribable warmth spread from the points where skin met skin, and goosebumps prickled over Lua's entire body.
"Hauu."
"You are doing well. I agree that a warm-up before entering the water is necessary."
"W-we're not even going swimming…"
"Safety is important."
"……!"
The breath Himari exhaled as she spoke skimmed down Lua's body, and Lua shuddered from head to toe.
"Th-that's enough! Let's just get in already!"
"Pwah—"
After showering, the moment she sank into the warm water, a sweet sigh slipped from Lua's lips on its own. Her body, wound tight from the intense morning workout, went soft and loose.
"Yahoo!"
—Splash!
Juju swam with easy skill right through the middle of the tub. With no one else around, it wasn't a nuisance.
"Teacher, is the water temperature all right?"
Himari, seated beside Lua, asked the question. Her long hair swayed gently against the surface.
"Yeah, it's great. I should try the one in the faculty dorm sometime too."
"I am glad."
Himari's smile only deepened the sense of ease.
In an atmosphere like this, it felt like the right moment to say what she had been thinking.
"Himari. Listen. I've been thinking since yesterday."
"Yes, Teacher."
"Once midterms are over, I want to give you and Juju private lessons."
She had been turning the idea over ever since she vowed the day before to help Juju grow.
The academy's regular classes were necessary for the two of them to develop as hunters, but those alone would not be enough to prepare for the final battle.
If Lua, with her game knowledge, guided them in a tutoring format—truly pinpoint instruction—they would surely reach a much higher level in a short time.
"Lessons… you say? Of what kind?"
"For you, Himari, of course—it's Hoshikawa-ryu Battoujutsu. There's still room for you to grow."
"Teacher… teaching battoujutsu?"
Himari's brows lifted in clear surprise.
"Are you saying you will teach me the sword draw?"
Lua nodded calmly.
"It's not like I can demonstrate it myself. But I can give you the knowledge you need to raise the skill level, and we can research how to use it in real combat together."
Himari shook her head, looking as though she could not believe it.
"How… how can you say that? The only people who have trained in Hoshikawa-ryu Battoujutsu are the heirs of the Hoshikawa family. Aside from my father, there is no one!"
"Himari."
Lua looked straight into her eyes.
"I can't tell you the reason. But… will you trust me?"
"……"
"The way I trust you—trust me too."
Lua knew full well how unreasonable and high-handed it sounded. How many people would follow a request to simply believe and come along, with no grounds at all beyond words?
But there was no other choice.
Not until the final battle was over, everything was resolved, and she could finally tell them everything.
"So Teacher… trusts me."
After a brief silence, Himari spoke.
"Yeah. I do."
Lua nodded without the slightest hesitation.
"Yes, Teacher. I am your Moon."
Himari smiled, bright and clear.
"Whatever you teach me, I will learn it all."
"……!"
Lua's expression lit up completely.
"Thank you, Himari!"
"Well… it is a little much to call it a condition in exchange, but… would you grant me one request?"
Himari spoke almost coaxingly. Lua tilted her head.
"You have a… favor?"
"Yes. Please grant me one opportunity to demand Teacher's true feelings."
"True feelings?"
Himari explained with a serious face.
"Just once, whenever I choose—I want you to tell me honestly what you are feeling, without hiding it from me."
"……?"
"In other words, something like a dishwashing coupon, or a massage coupon."
"Ahaha…"
Lua sank until the water reached her neck. Warmth seeped into her whole body.
"Have I been looking like I'm hiding something from you?"
"That is not it."
Himari shook her head firmly.
"Only… when the day comes that I ask you something important, I would rather you not dodge the question. That is all."
"…Yeah. If that's all it is, sure."
To Lua, Himari was already someone trustworthy enough that she could bare her true feelings anytime. She didn't need a special one-time ticket to do it.
"Thank you."
Himari bowed her head and rose from her seat. Her lovely body, thoroughly wet, came fully into view.
"Then I shall wash you with soap now."
"Huh?"
A question mark bloomed across Lua's face.
"Juju, I will go wash Teacher."
"Ah! No fair! I'm doing it too!"
"Uh? Eh? Huh?"
Even Juju, who had been swimming, came over and hauled Lua up out of the tub. The two of them sat her down on a low stool in front of the mirror.
"Now then. Please entrust your body to us."
"W-wait, I can wash myself!"
"Attending to Teacher's bath is also part of my duty."
Himari said so as she picked up a sponge.
"In a bathhouse, you're supposed to wash each other anyway!"
Juju squeezed out shampoo with those words.
Two approaching students, and one teacher with no power to resist.
"Please relax your body, Teacher."
"Eeeek…"
"Just count the stains on the ceiling and it'll be over before you know it."
Lua tried to escape, but she was caught again almost immediately.
"The hot water… my strength's gone…"
Juju's and Himari's hands reached for Lua's body. A sponge slick with body wash swept down her small back; hands wet with warm water stroked along her arms.
—Swoosh.
—Swoosh.
The two of them were so absorbed in washing Lua that they seemed completely unaware their own bodies kept brushing against her here and there. Himari's chest pressing in from behind, for instance… or Juju's abs grazing the back of a hand…
"There. Well done, Teacher."
"All done!"
Their service only ended after they had stepped outside, dried her hair, and even dressed her.
"Ueee…"
So much stimulation had hit her all at once that Lua could no longer think of anything at all.
In a floaty daze she started walking toward the faculty dormitory, when Juju's and Himari's voices rang out behind her.
"Then once midterms are over, we're going to the mall together that weekend!"
"I shall accompany you, Teacher!"
"Y-yeah… sure!"
In the end, having overdone it from the morning on, Lua went to work and spent the entire day face-down on her desk, napping.