“…nnh…”
“Yuzuru-san.”
“Yuzuru-saaaan.”
“…Hm?”
Still half-asleep, Yuzuru slowly opened his eyes.
When he did, a girl with strikingly beautiful features was peering down at him.
“Ari… sa?”
“Yuzuru-san, it’s morning.”
“Ah…”
Yuzuru sat up slowly and let out a big yawn.
Then he turned to face her—
“…Huh? Arisa?! …Why are you here?”
“…How long are you going to stay half-asleep?”
“Having your cooking first thing in the morning… this feels like a luxury.”
Looking at the dishes laid out on the table, Yuzuru murmured appreciatively.
Breakfast consisted of onigiri, miso soup, shishamo, and spinach ohitashi—
a perfectly balanced traditional Japanese meal.
“How’s the portion? If it’s not enough, I can make tamagoyaki.”
“Hmm… no, this is plenty. I don’t eat that much in the morning.”
“I see. Then I’ll keep it like this from tomorrow onwards.”
They put their hands together and began eating.
Yuzuru reached for an onigiri first.
The filling was umeboshi.
The saltiness and firmness were just right.
When I make them, they always end up too tightly packed…
Thinking that, he took another bite.
“What kind of onigiri fillings do you like, Yuzuru-san?”
“What do I like? Hmm… from a convenience store, probably salmon. What about you?”
“I like tuna mayo.”
“Ah… yeah, that’s good.”
“It seems high in calories, but I still end up buying it.”
“Most tasty things feel like they’re high-calorie.”
“That’s so true.”
Chatting about onigiri, they continued their meal together.
At one point, they even got into a mild disagreement over whether grilled or raw mentaiko tasted better—
but in the end, they finished everything neatly.
After that, they washed the dishes together, brushed their teeth, and got dressed—
“Shall we go?”
“Yes.”
With their belongings in hand, the two left the house.
After a train ride of several dozen minutes—
they arrived at a recently opened health spa complex.
“Bigger than I expected.”
“It’s quite impressive.”
They looked up at the building.
Inside, there was a large hall.
A slightly distinctive scent lingered in the air.
It seemed reasonably busy, with other guests around—
though not so crowded as to be inconvenient for swimming.
The clientele was mostly elderly people and families.
There weren’t many young couples.
“We’re a bit early for the meeting time.”
“Yeah… let’s wait a bit.”
They sat down on a sofa.
With nothing much to do, they began flipping through a brochure together.
“Oh… they have baths, jacuzzis, and even a sauna—not just the pool.”
“There’s also fitness facilities, foot reflexology, massage chairs… and if you book ahead, you can get a proper massage too.”
There was even a food court.
And occasional events like yoga classes and swimming lessons.
“This bath… do you wear swimsuits in it?”
“I think so. It looks like it’s connected to the pool.”
“…Then we can go in together.”
Arisa smiled.
Yuzuru felt his heart skip a beat.
“Since we’re here, we should try some of the other things too.”
“Agreed. I’d like to try a massage.”
“…Don’t forget we came here so I can teach you how to swim.”
“…I know.”
Arisa’s expression stiffened slightly.
Apparently, she had momentarily forgotten.
“I want to be able to swim 25 metres before swimming classes start.”
“Well, you’re pretty athletic, so I think you’ll be fine…”
“…I don’t think humans are supposed to float.”
“That sounds exactly like something a non-swimmer would say.”
“Because I am a non-swimmer.”
She puffed out her lips.
Yuzuru couldn’t help but smile.
“It’s fine. At the very least, you’ll be able to float by the end of today. I’ll teach you step by step.”
“Step by step is fine… but don’t touch anywhere inappropriate.”
Saying that, Arisa hugged herself slightly.
Yuzuru shrugged.
“Inappropriate is a bit vague… you’ll have to be more specific.”
“…Are you trying to make me say it? Pervert.”
Arisa glared at him.
“…So I absolutely can’t touch?”
“You can’t… this is a public place.”
“So it’d be fine if it wasn’t public?”
“Well, that’s—”
“Could you two not flirt in public?”
A voice cut in with a sigh.
When they turned around, a tall girl with long black hair was standing there.
“Honestly… I’m starting to feel a bit uneasy about being the one guiding you today.”
With an exasperated look, Nagiri Tenka said.
