Chapter 126: Bath
"This should be a good one…"
Sneaking a peek inside the paper bag he was holding, Haruto had a hint of satisfaction with the item he just got.
Considering the prize he got for reaching the last round in the small event which tested his reflexes, he immediately went to a store to exchange it for an item he had his thoughts on.
As the general use this token had was to exchange its value for any craft this village specialized in, Haruto already had a certain item in mind when he first heard of its uses from the announcer.
It had been a few hours since his brief time being separated from the rest of his family but those few hours went by quickly.
Street shows to finding stores that offered services where customers can make their own items. Haruto toured around with the others trying to see what this village offered.
He especially wanted to tour around the village to see what kind of item he could potentially trade this token he had with him.
After exiting the store, Haruto felt the winter chill creep onto his neck. He reflexively pulled the cuffs of his jacket upwards to cover his exposed skin and looked at his surroundings to see if his family was near.
'Ah, there they are…'
Finding them near a small stand that sold some baked sweet potatoes, Haruto quickly made his way towards them.
"Ho-Hot!"
"That's why I told you to wait until it cools down a bit."
"But the smell is too much for me to resist…"
As he got closer, Haruto heard Mahiru letting out a faint sigh to what Akane had to say. However he noticed that the corner of her lips began to curve upwards seeing that Akane took her time for the second bite.
"I agree, the smell alone is enough to make me drool."
"Ah! You finally found an item you wanted to exchange?"
Hearing Haruto's voice suddenly appear behind her, Mahiru quickly turned around and greeted him while offering a sweet potato she had in her other hand.
Finding that she bought him one while he was out shopping, Haruto gently ruffled her soft hair and thanked her for the snack.
"There were a few items I wanted but I finally managed to pick one that I liked." Haruto's eyes gleamed after taking a bite out of the snack he had and began to understand why Akane was quick to eat this food up.
"But you sure are lucky to find that game." Akane swallowed the bits of potato she had after remembering the type of game he played. "You had all the specs to win."
"But technically I didn't."
"Huh?"
Haruto told Akane about the guy who was with him in the finals and told her about the speed in which he grabbed the tubes throughout all three rounds.
Hearing that her freak of a brother was actually bested, hints of surprise began to appear on her face.
"Was it a skill issue…?"
"You know, I can still hear you even if you whisper?"
"So it was!"
Haruto rolled his eyes when he saw her exaggerated face and opted to ignore her as he knew she would still find a way to tease him. Finishing the snack he had, Haruto glanced at a paper bag Mahiru had right behind her.
It was made out of the same material as his own and he was a bit curious about the type of item she could have gotten.
"Are you curious?" Mahiru noticed his stare and smiled before taking out a small wooden box.
She unhatched the hinges and inside was a white jar with a few designs that matched well with the base color it had wrapped around it.
"It was the one I told you about! I found this one for quite cheap and the lady said that it was a good choice for making fermented foods."
Mahiru opened the jar and after letting Haruto look at it, she placed it back carefully as various foods began to once again pop in her mind. Radishes to kimchi, there were many potential dishes she could make with this jar.
'I'm going to be designated taste taster once again.'
Haruto had mixed feelings as the person who was the designated taster whenever she tried new recipes, they were delicious 90% of the time. However the other 10% was like a bomb that exploded out of nowhere.
'Hopefully this time would be that 90%'
Believing in Mahiru's skills, Haruto felt at ease and watched at how she also finished the sweet potato she had in her hands.
"Should we eat?"
Finally noticing that the three were together, Yui with Jiro right behind her, voiced her question as she saw the sky above them gradually turn a hint of gray.
They had lots of street foods while they wandered around this village the whole day and found a spot to eat a small lunch while inside. But they haven't had a full blown meal yet if you consider the appetite of her children.
""YES!!"" Immediately Haruto and Akane voiced their answers which Yui found pretty amusing.
"I heard there was a restaurant that had traditional food so we should go there."
Jiro leaned his head on Yui's shoulder which made her freeze in place and showed the three some pictures on his phone. Haruto and Akane looked at the phone while Mahiru gave Yui a slight glance.
She giggled on the inside seeing how Yui didn't know how to react before going up to the siblings to see what this restaurant had in store.
***
"They were pretty heavy on the wasabi…."
"I know what you mean. But considering the grade of fish they used, I felt like it was a nice choice as it complimented the sushi well."
Stepping foot into a vast lobby where a couple of people were seen relaxing or having a few drinks. Haruto and Mahiru discussed the dinner they had while walking towards the inner structure of their hotel.
With their expectations heightened due to the reviews they saw online, they thoroughly enjoyed their meal considering that their expectations were met perfectly.
Each dish used the freshest ingredients of the season while also being incredibly tasty at the same time.
"My legs are tired from all that walking… I'll be in my room…"
Akane looked a bit out of it when she told the two of her plans before dragging her feet in the direction of her room. With the combination of exercise and eating a large meal, her body was slowly telling itself to rest which she was fully compliant of.
Jiro and Yui were in a similar state but Jiro still had the energy to go towards the hot springs as he felt like having a nice bath would be a nice addition to the meal still inside his body.
"A bath sounds good…."
Hearing his father's words, Haruto was persuaded that a nice bath would be a nice treat after the meal he had and told Mahiru that he would also do the same.
"Are you going to the public one or the private one you have in your room?" Mahiru curiously looked at Haruto who was reminded of the personal bath he had in his room.
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. I should probably use it at least once…" He mumbled while glancing at Mahiru who was staring at him a bit too sternly. "Why don't you join me?"
Haruto smiled trying to tease Mahiru with his invitation but to his surprise, her response back was something that went off his initial expectations.
"Sure…"
"Huh?"
".. I will join you.. L-Leave the door to your room unlocked and I'll join you…" Mahiru turned her face away from Haruto and quickly walked towards her room.
Leaving behind a slightly stunned Haruto alone in the lobby.
"Huh?"
***
"Now, what will happen…"
–SPLASH
Haruto poured some warm water over himself and his blue eyes looked at the slightly foggy mirror in front of him.
He wore only a towel around his waist which was the standard considering he was in his room's personal bath. But his ears were glued towards the door preparing to listen for a certain person to walk in.
"I'll just go in first…"
He felt a bit cold as he was just sitting on a wooden stool. So Haruto slowly got up and walked towards the stone hot spring which he found to be a bit bigger than he thought.
Initially he only saw the bath through the transparent screen but being in the actual area, the space surprised him.
"Hahh…" Quickly sinking into the water, Haruto let out a deep sigh as the water's temperature sunk into body and his muscles loosen up from all the tense activities he's done all day.
This relief brushed past his mind and eased his thoughts. Making him briefly forget about the sound of the door opening a few meters away from him.
–SQUEAK
"Hmm?"
Amidst his period of comfort from the waves of water enveloping him, Haruto heard the sound of the door to his bath open up and realized that Mahiru finally arrived.
His head slowly turned around to see Mahiru and his eyes greatly shook when he saw her silhouette.
Her creamy pale skin was exposed with a few strands of her hair sticking to her face. Instead of her usual long hair being loosely done, a messy bun wrapped her golden strands together.
However the thing that surprised him the most was the outfit she wore.
All she had was a plain black bikini with no excessive decorations. Even if it was not meant to be explicitly risque. Her toned figure alongside having the right curves in the correct places made it look oddly erotic in his eyes.
Mahiru, noticing his gaze, bashfully covered her chest with her arms. However, despite the embarrassment she felt, a wave of happiness enveloped her seeing that Haruto was captivated.
A reaction she loved to get from him.
This was not the first time considering they had been to the beach together but that time, she wore a swimsuit that covered the majority of her body. However this time various places of her skin were exposed and were in clear view for Haruto to see.
Having no thoughts on what to do next, she decided that she should prepare to enter the bath with him and sat down on the wooden stool near her.
As she was washing herself up, she couldn't help but glance at Haruto who was leaning his chin on the edge.
"Does it look weird..?"
"No.. it's looking more.."
"More?"
"Stimulating."
Mahiru blushed deeply when she heard his blunt words which earned him a small glare seeing his sly smile being aimed at her.
"Perv…" She mumbled under her breath before opting to finish her pre-bath routine.
'My sanity is really being tested here…'
Behind his sly smile, Haruto was repeatedly chanting a mantra in the back of his head. Being faced with his girlfriend it was not a surprise he was having some indecent thoughts.
But he managed to push those aside since acting on urges was not something he wanted to do.
Especially when it came to things regarding Mahiru as he treasured her very much and didn't want to make any mistakes he would regret making.
–SPLASH
As if snapping him out of his thoughts, he left his chin off the smooth rocks and faced Mahiru who submerged his body into the hot water of the bath.
Her flushed cheeks glistened. Whether it was from the hot water, the shyness she felt at the moment or a combination of both. She looked way too adorable for Haruto not to do something.
"W-wait! What are you doing!?"
"You need to relax when in the bath."
Mahiru's voice trembled when she felt a hand pinch her side and felt her body being pulled in a certain direction.
She felt an arm hug her from the other side of her body and the feeling of smooth skin touching against her own. Mahiru reflexively looked upwards and noticed Haruto's gentle smile being aimed at her.
"I don't know what made you want to join me but let's just enjoy the bath together."
Leaving those few words behind, Haruto closed his eyes while Mahiru continued to look at him. If Haruto was captivated by Mahiru, it said the same about her reaction to him.
'His body and side profile look as good as ever.'
Trying to compare the time she saw him at the beach, he looked more attractive than before. This was probably the reason she noticed a considerable amount of people staring at him when walking around the village.
This would usually arouse some sort of jealousy within her but after being with him for some time, she didn't feel the need to. Since…
'He only has his eyes on me.'
Mahiru smiled happily at this thought and eventually eased into the touch she felt from Haruto. Insead of leaning against the smooth rocks, she placed her weight onto his side allowing his arm to pull her closer.
She shivered from his touch but felt welcomed to this feeling.
"Heavy."
"Do you mind repeating that?"
"I said that you feel light as a feather."
Haruto felt some pinching from his side as Mahiru puffed her face up and the urge to tease her some more arised. Mahiru dug her face closer to his body trying to retaliate in her own way but by doing so, she managed to find something interesting.
'His heartbeat is beating quicker than usual…'
Her eyes peered towards his face which looked very calm as if nothing fazed him. But hearing the rate of his heartbeat, Mahiru could guess that it might not be so true.
"I would be considered a stonewall if I don't feel anything from this situation." As if reading her thoughts, Haruto said what was on his mind.
"Really?"
"Of course. Especially if we consider the position we're in right now and how two things are pressing against me quite closely. "
Mahiru looked down after hearing what he said and saw how close her chest was to him. Despite the fact that this type of distance was not strange to them, the only difference this time was the thin layer of fabric separating them.
Not only that but the area they were in was one where it was only the two of them.
'Mhm so it's like that…'
An impish look began to grow in her face when she figured out what he meant and she slowly began to move even closer to him. Pressing her body against his muscular upper chest.
"..Will it go even faster if I do this..?"
Mahiru leaned towards the corner of Haruto's neck allowing for her breath to brush upon his ears. Even with her flushed face, the thought of teasing him brought an unknown sense of satisfaction within her.
"You—"
Haruto was about to say something but suddenly felt something touch his ear. Not painful but a slight nibble was something Mahiru did that made him slightly shiver.
"I guess it does…"
A playful smile graced her lips which Haruto thought was a front since he felt Mahiru would eventually burst if he did something back.
But seeing her playfully bite him, a sense of competition ignited.
"Mhmm~"
Haruto moved closer and brushed his lips against her neck which caught her off guard. Instead of his usual kiss, he began to slowly place them on the crux of her neck. Steadily reaching to the edge of her clavicle.
Kissing her delicate skin which began to show slight marks of red from each of the places he placed his lips on.
"It's 1-1…" Haruto quietly spoke while Mahiru's eyes glossed over his face.
"..Lewd.."
"You started it."
"I know, but the neck is cheating…"
Mahiru whispered as she remembered the feeling that she felt just seconds ago. Her body trembled just thinking about what happened and the sensation lingered.
"Hug me…" A sense of clinginess began to overcome her and she hugged Haruto closer.
"You're not going to fight back?"
Haruto didn't bat an eye to her request but saw how she didn't say anything after. However her actions spoke differently.
"No, I will…" Mahiru reached towards his neck. "But I feel like I might explode if I do anything more…"
Between each of her breaths, she whispered her thoughts which Haruto listened to while trying his best to endure.
Her soft lips did the same movements, where it reached each corner of his neck, all the way down to his very own clavicle.
'I'm nothingness, nothingness is me….'
***
Lewd demons are hard to get rid of. Tsk Tsk. Anyways I hope you enjoyed it. Peacu.
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