Chapter 61: Kamishiro Hisui (Inside the Station)

『Ikuto-san, I’m going to sever the mental link today.』

Right at the start of our date, Alicia came out with that line.

『Why would you say that?』

『Because today’s date is between you and Hisui-san. I feel like I’d just be in the way.』

Because I was speaking with Alicia via telepathy, I’d gone quiet, prompting Hisui to look at me curiously.

“…What’s wrong, Alice?”

“Um… Alicia said that since this is a date, she’s going to cut the link…”

“Alice, you’re supposed to be on a date with me today, aren’t you?”

“Ugh… yeah, but… is it really that bad?”

『Of course it’s bad! Ikuto-san, you’re a woman now, so try to understand a little about how a girl feels…』

『Guh…』

Even so, I wanted to go to the hot spring town with Alicia. I like seeing how she lights up with joy whenever she experiences something new.

“…It’s fine, Alicia can come too.”

To my surprise, Hisui agreed without resistance.

“Eh… really?”

“I don’t like being left out. Just make sure I can hear Alicia’s voice too… and you owe me one.”

“Thanks, Hisui.”

It was a little scary owing Hisui a favor, but for now, I’d just be happy that I could enjoy the trip with Alicia. I quickly linked the telepathy to include Hisui.

『U-Um, are you sure about this…? It’s been a while. Hello, Hisui-san.』

『Hello, Alicia. It’s been since the culture festival, hasn’t it? Don’t worry about it. The one at fault here is this blockhead.』

『I’m really sorry… Ikuto-san is just hopeless sometimes…』

It was a bit harsh, but if it helped the two of them get along, I wasn’t going to complain…

“Well then, let’s get going. We’ll miss the train.”

If we missed this train to the hot spring town, the next one wouldn’t come for another hour. We’d planned to meet up a little early just in case, but the back-and-forth earlier had eaten up more time than expected.

We hurried toward the station at a brisk pace.

After we arrived, Alicia’s excitement was through the roof.

『Ikuto-san, it’s a train! A train! The very arteries of the Industrial Revolution! Amazing! The tracks go on forever! They must lead to distant, unknown lands…!』

『…Was Alicia always like this?』

『Alicia’s incredibly curious… I think seeing the trains she learned about in modern history has gotten her all worked up.』

『And the train looks just like the ones I saw in anime! That rugged, boxy silver body… Ah, it’s lovely—so wonderful… A prayer of thanks to Lady Minstia!』

Seeing Alicia like that, Hisui let out a quiet chuckle.

『I see… I think I finally understand why you and Yuna care about her so much.』

Even after boarding, Alicia’s excitement didn’t die down.
Thinking that she was trying to hold back and withdraw earlier without showing any of this made me feel a little lonely, somehow.

『This view from the train window, so different from that of a car… And this shaking is from the rail joints, right? What a pleasant, distinctive rhythm…!』

For a while after the train started moving, she remained like that—bubbling with fascination.

After some time, Alicia seemed to calm down a little. Noticing how we were both quietly watching her, she spoke again—her voice now laced with embarrassment and hesitation.

『S-Sorry… I got carried away by myself… Um, should I go ahead and sever the link after all?』

『No need to worry. Watching you was heartwarming. Alicia, you’re really cute.』

『Fueh…!? W-What are you saying… Don’t tease me like that…』

『Alicia, you are cute.』

『What is this!? Seriously, what is this!? You’re both being mean…』

I could almost see Alicia’s pouty face.

Hisui and I exchanged glances and laughed.

With that exchange, the tension between the three of us had completely melted away, and we spent the rest of the train ride chatting about each other and the hot spring we were headed to.

The hour and a half to our destination flew by in no time.

『It’s so warm… I must say, this feels very nice…』

The first thing we did after arriving in the hot spring town was take advantage of the free footbath inside the station.

I slipped off my mules, lifted the hem of my dress just a little, and dipped my feet into the hot water. The warmth wrapped around my feet up to the ankles—it felt wonderful.

Sitting in the footbath, it wasn’t just my legs—the warmth seemed to spread through my whole body, gently loosening me up in the nicest way.

It’s a different kind of relaxation compared to soaking in a full bath, and I like it a lot.

Hisui sat beside me, dipping her feet in as well.

…She might be a little too close?

Well, I get it—it’s a public footbath, so of course we’d sit close. But still, not even a fist’s width between us? That feels really close… Our arms were actually touching, and I didn’t know if it was perfume or something else, but Hisui smelled really nice and it was making it hard to stay calm.

“I’ve never used a footbath before since I thought just soaking your feet seemed kind of pointless, but… this is nicer than I expected.”

Hisui whispered that softly near my ear. It tickled, and I might’ve made a weird face without meaning to.

I felt like people around us were staring—was that just my imagination? The group of guys across from us, who looked like college students, especially seemed to be paying attention…

『"Hyah!?"』

Alicia and I let out startled little yelps at the same time.

Hisui had suddenly entangled her legs with mine.

“Nngh…!”

She began teasing me with her feet—tracing the bottom of my sole with her toes, sliding her thumb slowly along the base of each toe one by one, like she was inspecting them. It was playful… but the subtle sensations were maddening.

『Hisui, hey… come on… Not here…』

This was going to turn into something weird if it kept up, so I quickly pulled my feet out of the water like I was trying to escape. This was a public place, after all.

Thankfully, Hisui didn’t push it any further. She simply narrowed her eyes and gave a sultry smile before gracefully lifting her long legs out of the water.

I took out a face towel and started drying my soaked feet, a faint sense of unease settling in about how this trip was going to go.

…Am I really going to be okay?