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I feel like I’ve sacrificed something I shouldn’t have, but we’re finally entering the hot spring. Cautious of Ayaka, I hide behind Ran like before as I dip my body into the hot spring. As always, hot springs are the best.

“Ahh, I’m melting.”
“So Koto-chan gets extremely defenseless instantly upon entering a hot spring. Perhaps I should take note of this.”

Feel free. Right now, my heart is open and accepting. So much that I’d allow most things to fly. I was mentally exhausted, so the hot springs hit extra hard. I feel my exhaustion melting away.

“Really, Koto-chan, you have such a great body. That soft skin and that firm abdomen.”
“What are you commenting and staring for? Well, it’s a hot spring, so there’s no helping it.”
“You’re a bit too calm, it’s boring.”
“Too bad it’s not entertaining for you anymore. I don’t really mind either way, though.”

Ran is the same as usual. As long as she doesn’t get sparks flying at her, she does nothing as if to say it’s none of her business. Well, careless meddling will get you burned, after all. It’s the shared wisdom of ours, people of the victims association.

“Well, I won’t do anything now. It’s tedious if your reactions are boring, after all.”
“Sure, sure, please do behave.”

I see. So I just have to be indifferent. Still, in that case, she might actively try doing things to get any reaction out of me and that’s annoying. Either way, I’ll have to be prepared for any attacks.

“Don’t tell me you plan on going to my room after this?”
“Naturally. The night is still young.There’s a bit of an age gap, but why don’t we have a girls’ night?”
“She’s on her school field trip, it’d be awful if we ruin the whole experience. Let’s just behave and have some alcohol, alright?”

Ran’s a lifesaver, I genuinely appreciate it. Like, why do I have to be toyed by my old classmates on this especially rare occasion? Originally, I would only need to deal with the present, but with Ayaka and Ran the past is in the mix.

“We’d love to hear more from you, though. Hearing a celeb’s stories is such a rare opportunity to come by.”

Oi, Harumi. That’s uncalled for. The fool who was just about to be persuaded by Ran was re-energized by the sudden reinforcement. Still, students see celebrities as a target of admiration. So I suppose it can’t be helped that they’d want to hear stories from a celebrity in person.

“Okay. I’ve gotten permission from Koto-chan’s roommates, so I’ll be intruding.”
“It seems like whatever I’d say will be useless now. Just give up, Koto-chan.”
“I’ll just think about it later. I want to relax at the moment.”

While I’m still soaking, let’s not think about the future. Since I want to savor this. Looking around and enjoying the view is the best.

“That’s bad. Don’t blame me if you regret it later.”
“I appreciate the warning.”

I will probably regret it. Specifically after I step out of the hot spring. Why didn’t I stop them back then? or so. Moreover, I’m even given a warning, yet I didn’t take action at all, so there’s no excuse.

“Which reminds me, we forgot to relay it to Koto-chan but I should probably tell her soon.”
“About those two, right? Ran, I understand your worry, but it’s not like they’ll sniff out-”
“You and I should both know about it, about how crazy her sense of smell is.”

What I understand is that there’s trouble brewing nearby. Give me a break, I just got refreshed from soaking in the hot spring here. Moreover, something about this is bothering me. Are Ran and Ayaka talking about an individual only they know? Or do I know this person as well?

“Who are you talking about?”
“Ruru. That girl seems to be coming here, to Kyoto. Though she’s unlikely to stay at this lodging specifically.”
“Come to think of it, she said she was going on a research trip. Her choice of going to Kyoto seems intentional, perhaps she sensed something.”
“You already knew?”

I don’t know what exactly they mean by that, but I’ve already met with Ruru before. I was surprised when the odd pair came to the cafe, but they never told me why they actually came. They probably searched for me relying on Isami’s info.

“She came to our cafe, you see. She quickly figured out my identity, so I asked her if she was an idiot.”
“”Well, she is an idiot.””

Seeing the two harmonize, I guess it really is our shared cognition of her. She’s the weirdest weirdo in our class, after all. When she wants to know something, she’ll act immediately and persistently investigate it. The nickname she got was Hermit. She’s the awfully elusive information broker.

“So, did that idiot do as she did in the past?”
“Just as you might imagine. As she does, she kept clinging to my back and wouldn’t let go.”

Ruru was fooling around even though I was still working. And she clung to me while trying to find out if I was Souji, like what kind of nerves does she have? Moreover, I couldn’t shake her off.

“I’m so jealous. I felt jealous even back then.”
“If Ayaka did it, the others would find it weird. Besides, Isami might join in, so please don’t.”

There were so many problem children back then, it was hard to manage. They make the problem children of the twelve families look cute in comparison. That doesn’t make them less of a bother, though. Still, it’s better now than in the past. Back then, I barely even had private time. I seriously snapped when the fools barged in to see me during my part-time job.

“And as usual, Nako came to rip Ruru away from me.”
“Even in adulthood, those two are a pair, so it’s inevitable. Nako seemed to be awfully disheartened about it, though.”
“Unlike me, she didn’t really make the choice to be with her, so it can’t be helped. She just had catastrophic luck.”

After getting employed and finally assigned to a writer, it happened to be Ruru of all people. She must have cursed her lack of luck. Still, I can’t think of anyone other than Nako who can stop Ruru. Pulling her off people requires masterful technique, after all.

“Is Ruru still causing constant trouble?”
“I’m not really in contact with them that much, so I don’t exactly know. What about you, Ran?”
“The same goes for me. To begin with, only Nako can read that girl’s movements. None of us are capable of finding her.”

That’s true. She’s weirdly good at hiding her presence, that’s why she can easily get behind me. Also she suddenly appears at random places in her investigations, so she tends to bring trouble with her.

“So, what’s the chances of finding me and going berserk?”
“”Pretty high.””

You two didn’t have to be so in sync. Isn’t a field trip normally something for a student to enjoy? So why has it become a reunion event with my now adult classmates? And why the heck do they know exactly where I’m staying?