Chapter 418: What do you intend to do?
Tengu Jinja was located high on the mountain. From the outside it looked small, but once inside, there were quite a number of rooms.
As a miko and also the guji — the one who presided over the shrine — this tengu girl lived here alone all year round.
All of this information was what Sakurai Saki heard while chatting with the tengu miko on the way in.
"The cable car is suspended just because of some snow and wind… I really can't believe it." Nino angrily complained about the operation status.
Just a bit of snow and wind and the cable car stopped? Nino was freezing and couldn't stand it. There were few sights to see on Tengu Mountain, and they had nearly seen all the nice spots; other than this shrine there was nothing else. Now she just wanted to go down the mountain and return to the ryokan to soak in the onsen to warm herself up.
"We're already inside the shrine, what is there for you to complain about, Nino? But that miko is really kind, even letting us rest here and wait until the snow eases." Ichika was still a little surprised.
Normally, visitors were not allowed to enter the living quarters of shrine workers. Doing so would be considered disrespectful toward the deities.
…But did tengu count as deities? Ichika suddenly wondered.
"That's right, she was so kind I actually found it a bit scary. Don't you feel there's something off about the way she acted toward Sakurai-san?"
"There is?" Sakurai Saki asked back.
"When a girl stares intently at a strange man — I like to call that phenomenon 'lust rising upon seeing a face'. Between people, there is no such thing as 'love at first sight', only 'lust rising upon seeing a face'. Everything is decided by hormones, umu."
Nino nodded seriously like a philosopher.
She made that statement up on the spot.
But Nino truly felt the miko had an interest in Sakurai Saki.
"Nino, you're too narrow-minded. You turn everything into romance between men and women." Ichika disagreed. In her eyes, the other person was simply being kind.
Moreover…
Once the snow let up, they would leave. With such a short span of time, what could the miko possibly do?
Reality proved: things always exceeded expectations.
Murphy's Law always hit at the strangest times — the snow continued falling all the way until dusk. The probability was clearly very low, yet it still happened.
Ichika looked at the snowflakes drifting outside the window, then walked to open the door and look outside the shrine. The path they walked just a few hours earlier had been completely covered by snow and vanished entirely.
Night fell. Although the wind and snow had lessened greatly, going down the mountain was still nearly impossible.
Earlier, the miko had said she could provide meals and a place to stay, and that there were also bathing facilities in the shrine.
Nino and Sakurai Saki didn't think much of it and immediately ran off to bathe, leaving Ichika by herself.
'Aren't those two scared at all? Bathing in a strange place, and such a strange one at that.' Ichika withdrew her gaze.
Sakurai Saki seemed to have no wariness toward strangers.
She didn't know — once Sakurai Saki realized this miko was a subordinate of his mother, he felt as relaxed as if he were at home.
Just as Ichika was spacing out waiting for them to return—
The wind and snow outside the room suddenly strengthened.
Not long after, the room door opened.
The miko wearing a mask — who at some point had changed into a black kimono — stepped in with soft, graceful movements.
Ichika's heart instantly clenched tight.
That mask was truly terrifying — completely red, with a long protruding nose, eyes like bronze bells, and a mouth full of teeth poised to devour someone.
She could handle it during the day, but at dusk, in a room all alone, it was impossible not to be afraid.
"Miss, where are the other two guests? Dinner is nearly ready." Her voice was slightly husky, not sounding like a young girl's at all.
"They went to bathe; they should be back soon." Ichika breathed a sigh of relief when she saw she had only come to call them.
"Don't you want to go warm yourself up? Over there is spacious enough."
Ichika fell silent for a few seconds, then gently nodded: "I'm a bit cold too… I'll head over now."
This place and this miko both made her uneasy; her heart was beating noticeably faster.
Well then… she'd better head over to where Nino was.
...
The bath here was inside the building, with hot water sourced from the mountainside. It seemed to contain a lot of sulfur, giving the water a milky white color.
Sakurai Saki lay in the bathtub, leaving only his head above the water.
Not far away, Nino was the same, but she wrapped a towel around herself. Even though she had been "completely naked in front of him" many times before, she couldn't help feeling embarrassed.
"Inside a shrine and yet there's a large bathtub like this, it's amazing. How did they manage this?" Nino spoke, seemingly wanting to stay here until tomorrow. The hot spring water felt very good for the skin; after a short soak, she could already feel her skin becoming smooth.
"Hot springs are quite common in Otaru. Just in our hotel alone, there are several springs. On Tengu Mountain, having a hot spring is normal," Sakurai Saki replied.
"…It seems we'll have to sleep here tonight." Nino said, then curiously asked, "That miko earlier, who exactly is she? You talked to her for quite a while, right?"
Sakurai Saki answered directly, "She's the Guuji here, and also the recipient of offerings from Tengu Mountain in Otaru."
Nino nodded.
Being with Sakurai Saki always meant encountering interesting situations. Was it dangerous? With Sakurai Saki's protection, Nino wasn't too afraid.
But "not afraid" didn't mean Ichika wasn't wary of the situation.
While the two of them were talking, Ichika changed her clothes, wrapped herself in a towel, and stepped into the tub.
She wrapped herself tightly, leaving nothing for Sakurai Saki to see even if he glanced.
"What's the matter? Suddenly running in here?"
"I… I'm a little scared. The wind and snow outside are strong, and being alone in the room is too frightening, so… I came here." Ichika blushed as she admitted her weakness, entering a bit hastily.
'In the end… I still have to bathe together…'
Ichika looked at Sakurai Saki, who was completely naked, and her gaze unintentionally slid downward, but she immediately jerked it up as if shocked by electricity.
I can't look… Even though I saw him this morning, this can't be exposed! Otherwise, it's over!
Could it really be… joining his "harem"?
"Ichika really is a coward," Nino arrogantly remarked.
"Nino, you came here with sensei-chan yourself. Dare to say you're not scared?"
"Ah~ What do I have to be scared of?" Nino glanced away. In truth, she had been scared earlier; that miko radiated an unpleasant aura.
Ichika didn't mind and slowly stepped into the tub, then winked at Sakurai Saki teasingly: "Sensei-chan, don't look at me randomly, okay?"
"You're all wrapped up. What is there for me to look at?"
In reality, if Sakurai Saki wanted to look, she couldn't have stopped him.
Moreover, the bodies of the five Nakano sisters were all alike. Seeing just one was enough for him.
For the rest, just imagining was enough — the imagination of an Esper was truly excessive.
...
After bathing, the three of them followed the miko to the dining hall for a meal. The Japanese-style dinner was simple: grilled fish, pickles, and prepared eggs.
Throughout the meal, Ichika and Nino stayed close to Sakurai Saki, both clearly wary of the miko.
Understandably so — the entire meal, she didn't remove the Tengu mask. Ichika and Nino were bound to be scared.
Even though Nino knew this miko was a good person, she couldn't completely shake off her fear.
Ichika felt that this shrine was strange everywhere, and only Sakurai Saki gave her a sense of safety.
After eating, the three of them followed the miko to the place where they would sleep tonight.
"I'm sorry, dear guests. Since the shrine is quite small, I could only arrange one room. But as you three bathed and ate together, I think it's fine for you to sleep together. Outside, the wind and snow are strong, and standing at a distance, I won't hear you, so do as you like. If you need anything, you can call me in the dining room we just came from."
The miko bowed lightly, then left the room. Before going, she even winked at Sakurai Saki.
'Sakurai-sama, I'm only helping you this much! You have to take the opportunity!'
Sakurai Saki read this intent through her Tengu mask.
He looked to his left, where Ichika was holding his hand, then to his right at Nino.
At this moment, Sakurai Saki had serious doubts: Ichika running into the bath must have something to do with the Tengu miko.
Bathing together, eating together, and now conveniently suggesting sleeping together.
A corner of his mouth lifted: this chain of events is perfectly aligned, this girl is really clever!
But he really had no intention of "conquering" Ichika!
Nino, Itsuki, and even Miku—Sakurai Saki already had enough. He wasn't a "stamp collector"; he didn't need all five!
Keep in mind, the mother of the five sisters under his care wasn't really dead, only in a state of pseudo-death…
If she woke up a year from now and saw all five daughters in the same harem, she'd surely get so angry she'd end up hospitalized again!
Completely unreasonable. He couldn't allow that!
"Are we really sleeping in the same room?" Ichika asked hesitantly, her hands still clutching tightly.
Sakurai Saki, with both of her breasts pressed against him, forced himself not to think of forbidden things, and replied, "There's really no other way… Nino sleeps in the middle, we sleep on either side, does that work?"
No need to think—this arrangement made the most sense: Nino as the "wall," Ichika could sleep safely without worrying about Sakurai Saki "mischief," and Nino got to sleep next to the person she liked.
"Umu." Ichika nodded, agreeing to the suggestion.
It was too cold for anyone to sleep outside, so this was the most reasonable solution.
'Why doesn't anyone ask my opinion?' Nino mumbled, but she also found the suggestion reasonable.
"Alright, then let's arrange it this way."
Time passed slowly; the wind and snow had lessened, the network signal was fairly good, and it wasn't too boring.
Around 10 o'clock, Ichika covered her mouth with her hand and let out an adorably youthful yawn.
"Yawn~ so sleepy."
"Then let's turn off the lights and sleep? We need to get up early to go down the mountain tomorrow," Nino suggested.
Ichika nodded.
A few minutes later, the bedroom was plunged into darkness.
"Don't do anything weird in front of me, okay?" Ichika warned before sleep.
If the other two "play" in front of her, she would surely blush, curl tightly in the blanket, and not dare move.
"Nothing like that will happen."
Nino had no interest… probably?
She hadn't thought about it earlier, but after Ichika's remark, a hint of mischievous interest appeared on Nino's face.
"Stop talking, go to sleep early." Sakurai Saki had been filming all day and was exhausted; now he just wanted to sleep with no other thoughts.
Hearing his tired voice, Nino also kept her own thoughts to herself.
Before long, the room was filled with three steady breathing patterns.
...
Around midnight.
Ichika rubbed her eyes and got up, preparing to use the bathroom.
She stood at the bedroom door, listening to the wind and snow outside, quickly becoming fully awake.
The bathroom was quite far from the room, with a dark hallway in between. Ichika blinked, wondering if she could hold it until morning.
Before long, she realized: she couldn't!
Carefully, Ichika went over to Nino and shook her.
"Nino… wake up."
She called several times, but Nino didn't move.
Gritting her teeth, Ichika shook her again and again, yet Nino still didn't respond.
"…What's wrong?"
Nino didn't wake up, but Sakurai Saki beside her did.
Rubbing his eyes, he saw Ichika's flustered expression.
"I… need to use the bathroom." The words barely left her mouth before Ichika's entire body was filled with embarrassment.
"Umu~ I'll go with you, don't worry." Sakurai Saki slowly got up, opened the door, and motioned for Ichika.
So Ichika followed his small steps, quickly reaching the bathroom.
But for some reason, there were no lights installed!
Ichika turned to Sakurai Saki behind her, her voice on the verge of tears: "Sensei-chan, can you come with me?"
She had never imagined that going to the bathroom could ever be this difficult.
Sakurai Saki sleepily nodded.
He just wanted to quickly get back to sleep.
The two entered the bathroom. Sakurai Saki watched Ichika slowly sit down and suddenly became fully alert!
'Eh, what is she doing?'
How did things suddenly develop like this?
The sound of running water continued for several seconds, and Ichika's voice rang out, full of embarrassment: "Don't look at me… please."
"It's dark, I can't see anything."
"…Oh."
Half a minute later.
Ichika finished washing her hands, her face still flushed, without fading at all.
'So embarrassing.'
Forget the dignified image of the eldest sister, even a girl's pride was completely gone.
"Finished?"
"U-umu."
Ichika held Sakurai Saki's hand, and the two slowly returned to the bedroom.
The wind and snow outside had stopped, the hallway was silent except for the sound of their footsteps.
"Sensei-chan, are you awake?"
"Not awake."
"Liar!"
Such a quick reply—he was definitely fully awake!
Ichika wanted to cry; tonight was just too embarrassing!
…
Back in the bedroom.
Nino, at some point, had moved to lie at the edge of the bed.
Sakurai Saki lay in the middle, and Ichika, seeing this, said nothing.
So the two girls once again lay together under the blanket.
'Now what? Sensei-chan has seen my whole body, and in such an embarrassing situation…'
Ichika tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
…
Once more, Sakurai Saki opened his eyes, this time awakened by Ichika.
In the dark room, Ichika sat on top of him, carrying an attitude of "if it's ruined, it's ruined," and said:
"Tonight, I've been made to feel so embarrassed. Sensei-chan, how do you plan to take responsibility?"
…Tonight, it seemed, would not be peaceful at all.