Originally, Natsukawa Kanade thought the worst of the awkwardness was behind them. Dinner had been unexpectedly smooth, the rain had mostly stopped, and they'd even managed to find a nearby inn with solid reviews. But the moment the landlady led them into the room, Kanade felt like fate had just drawn another card from the "You're Screwed" deck.
"I'm so sorry, it seems we only have one set of futon available," the elderly landlady said apologetically, bowing her head slightly. "There's an extra pillow though, just the right size. I can offer a discount if that helps… but since you're siblings, it should be fine, right?"
Kanade froze.
Wait… Nani?
He blinked, completely caught off guard. He had specifically chosen a traditional inn, thinking it would have beds or even twin futons. He was fully prepared to just crash on the floor if needed. But this? A single futon and the assumption that they were siblings?
His mouth opened, then closed. Then opened again. "…This might be a bit…"
His brain spun in slow motion. It wasn't like he could just shout "We're not actually siblings, and also she's kind of a beautiful senpai who might be toying with me for her own entertainment!" That would just make things worse.
He was just about to offer to find another inn when a calm voice answered behind him.
"It's fine. Let's just go with that."
Kasumigaoka Utaha, completely unfazed, stepped forward like nothing was wrong. Her face was so serene, so composed, as if the idea of sharing a bed with a guy wasn't even worth blinking over.
Is she serious?
Kanade turned to look at her, almost thinking he'd imagined it. But no—she was perfectly relaxed, arms folded, expression unreadable.
"Excuse me, where's the bathing area?" she asked the landlady. "I got a little wet from the rain earlier… my hair's gotten all sticky."
This time, Kanade was sure—she really didn't mind.
But Senpai… are you really okay with this? This isn't just staying in the same room, you know?!
"Ah, yes, it's down the hall to the right. I'll bring your yukata over," the landlady replied cheerfully, still assuming they were siblings or perhaps childhood friends.
Utaha gave a small nod, then turned toward Kanade with a teasing glint in her eye.
"I'll go take a bath first then… Onii-chan~."
Kanade:
His soul briefly left his body.
Not because she called him that in public, but because… for some reason, deep down, that little "Onii-chan~" sent a jolt through his spine. And worse, he liked it.
"…Y-Yeah. Go ahead…" he mumbled, eyes averted. Get a grip, man!
As soon as she left the room, Kanade let out a long breath and stared at the lonely futon in front of him.
Nope. Nope nope nope. Sleep now. Sleep forever.
His original plan was to just collapse immediately, pretending to be asleep before things got more awkward later. But after lying still for only a minute, a sticky feeling began to creep up his skin. His hair clung to his forehead, his clothes clung to his back, and the warmth from the bath next door seemed to mock him.
"I should go wash up too…" he muttered, sitting up with a sigh.
He gave a quick thanks to the landlady as he passed her, then made his way to the far end of the hallway. The men's bath was conveniently located right next to the women's, separated only by a few thick wooden partitions.
Of course, this was totally normal. Water systems, heating, layout—it all made sense from a logistical standpoint.
Still, it's kinda dangerous, huh...
Not that he was planning anything weird. He wasn't some pervert straight out of a low-grade harem anime. He stepped into the changing room, undressed quickly, and went through the usual motions—rinsing his hair, scrubbing down, and finally slipping into the warm bath with a relieved sigh.
"Aaah… this hits the spot."
The water temperature was perfect. Even if it wasn't a natural hot spring, it did wonders to ease the stress out of his body. And best of all, no one else was there. He had the whole place to himself.
Well, almost.
On the other side of the partition, the women's bath sounded… lively. Laughter floated through, soft splashes echoing in the still air. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but it was impossible to ignore the giggling entirely.
Kanade finished up quickly, but just as he was about to step out, he froze.
Wait—Senpai went in before me… what if we bump into each other outside?
That would be bad.
Like, anime-level-bad.
So, in a rare moment of wisdom, Kanade sank back into the water with a sigh and waited.
As the sounds of the bath next door faded into silence, Natsukawa Kanade remained submerged in the quiet warmth of his own side, doing his best to pretend his thoughts weren't slowly driving him into insanity.
Eventually, though, reality reminded him that soaking too long could literally make him pass out—and there would be no recovering from that kind of flag.
Dragging himself out of the bath with a sigh, he toweled off and slipped into the yukata provided. The loose fabric clung slightly to his damp skin, the steam still rising off him as he stepped into the changing area.
But instead of heading straight back to the room like a normal, sane person, Kanade made a detour.
He wandered toward the vending machine in the hallway, his eyes half-lidded and his soul somewhere between 「Yare yare daze...」 and complete brain shutdown. His fingers found a cold can of soda almost on autopilot. He popped it open and took a long sip, staring blankly at a tourism poster plastered on the wall beside the machine.
He didn't even see the poster. His mind was too busy trying not to spiral again.
Most importantly, he didn't dare let his gaze drift to the nearby shelf of "rainy day essentials," which included those small, neatly packaged "emergency goods" discreetly labeled and placed right next to a row of folded umbrellas.
He shuddered.
Nope. Don't look there. Do. Not. Look.
He wasn't that flustered, honestly. It wasn't the first time he'd shared a room with a girl. But this? This was different. Sharing the same bed, and the other person not being his girlfriend? This was uncharted territory. The kind that was always a setup for misunderstandings in romance anime.
He trusted himself—probably—but he didn't trust the situation. And more dangerously, he didn't trust Kasumigaoka Utaha. Not because she was malicious, but because she was… calm. Too calm. Dangerously calm.
That composed look. That serene voice. That unbothered "Onii-chan~" she dropped earlier.
She's plotting something. She has to be plotting something, right?
Kanade drained the soda in one big gulp, crushed the can, and tossed it into the nearby bin with unnecessary force.
He stood there for a moment, the artificial light of the vending machine humming softly beside him.
Then, after some serious internal debate, he did something incredibly dumb.
He bought… something else.
A certain small, discreetly packaged item that—statistically—most guys his age probably shouldn't have had any reason to carry around unless they were in a very specific kind of situation.
"…It's just for insurance," he muttered, shoving it into his pocket like it was a cursed object. "Not that I'll use it… Not that I want to use it!"
His hands slapped both cheeks lightly in an effort to wake up the last functioning part of his brain. He pulled on his calmest face, straightened his yukata, and walked back toward his room like a soldier marching toward the battlefield.
But when he reached the door…
He froze.
His hand hovered near the handle as a thousand anxious thoughts bombarded him all at once.
Wait… am I the weird one here?
What if Senpai was genuinely just… trusting him? And here he was, carrying a suspicious item in his pocket and debating ridiculous backup plans like some kind of pervy mastermind.
If she found out—when she found out—what was he even supposed to say?
"Sorry, I brought this just in case I lose control."
Yeah, right. That sounded exactly like something a villain would say.
If she didn't slap him or call the police right away, it'd only be because of her merciful heart.
"…Okay. Plan B," he whispered.
And then came the next stupid idea.
Restraints.
"If I just… tie my hands… then even if I lose it, I won't be able to do anything, right?! That's perfect! Rope. I just need rope."
He nodded to himself, convinced that he had stumbled upon a genius solution. So, filled with a bizarre sense of purpose, Kanade marched straight toward the front desk, determined to ask the landlady if she had rope.
Halfway there, though, he slammed into a brick wall of logic.
Wait… We told her we're siblings.
So how exactly was he going to phrase this request?
"Excuse me, can I borrow some rope to tie myself up because I'm afraid I'll get inappropriate thoughts about my sister?"
…Arrest. Immediate arrest.
He stopped dead in his tracks, clutching the bridge of his nose.
Why was he like this?
Why couldn't he be the kind of guy who just walked back to the room, crawled under the blanket, and passed out snoring like a log? Instead, here he was, sweating over imaginary disasters like some background character in a rom-com with no chill.
"Tch… I really have too much energy. Maybe I should start jogging or something," he muttered bitterly.
But this was no time to start a fitness arc.
He sighed, shoulders slumping, all plans officially in the trash.
"Forget it... Just go and die."
He turned back toward the room, this time walking like a condemned man heading for the gallows.
No thoughts. Head empty. Let destiny decide the rest.
Whatever happens… happens.