"Ummm!"
Kurt tried to break free from Kai's hand clamped over his mouth so he could protest the young man's intentions.
"I'll let go of your mouth if you promise not to scream and ruin my plan. Remember, if you betray me, I'll just say you're the mastermind and I was just the distraction while you set up a recording device in the women's bath without getting caught."
Kurt was absolutely certain Kai wasn't bluffing. He would shamelessly pin the blame on him even without any proof. Left with no choice, Kurt nodded.
"Un! Un!"
"Alright then, I'll let you go."
Kai released his hand from Kurt's mouth. When he looked at his palm, he found it smeared with Kurt's saliva. With a disgusted expression, he dipped it into the hot spring water to wash it off.
"Hey, Kai… you really should drop this idea. You don't know what you'll be up against if you get caught."
"Hmmm!"
"W-what is it? Why are you looking at me like that!?"
"Oh, nothing… it's just that, from the way you're talking, it almost sounds like you've had experience doing this before."
"N-no… that's not it…"
But Kurt's flushed face was all the proof Kai needed to confirm his hunch.
"I see… since we've got a senior here, I guess it'd be wise to listen to his advice."
"Who are you calling a senior!?"
It was hard for Kurt to deny Kai's accusation, because it was true. Back in his puberty days, he had once tried something like this—and it had ended disastrously. The trauma from that incident still haunted him, which was exactly why Kai's earlier threat hit so hard.
"So, what happened in the past, senior? Did they cut off your precious part?"
"I already told you not to call me senior! And who said anything about 'cutting off my precious thing'!?"
Kurt actually had overheard the girls talking about doing something like that, but luckily they hadn't gone through with it. For now, his precious thing was still intact, and he wasn't about to risk losing it.
"From your reaction, it looks like you nearly lost it, huh… I'd better be careful!"Kai shot a glance at Kurt, who was clutching his crotch—and that alone told Kai everything he needed to know about the bad experience Kurt had gone through.
"Stop reading my mind!"
"Stop being so readable!"
Kurt hated it, but it was better to tell Kai what had happened before. It was for both their sakes.
"You probably don't know, Kai… but the girls in this village are merciless."
"Hm… does that include Elly?"
"She might seem nice most of the time, but don't ever try to make her angry—or you'll have a nightmare."
"I see… got it."
Kurt let out a relieved sigh when Kai answered.
"Oi, Kurt… climb on my back, quick!"Kai was crouched against the divider wall with his hands pressed to it. If Kurt climbed onto Kai's back, he'd be able to peek over to the other side.
"Oi, Kai… did you hear what I said just now?!" Kurt asked in an irritated tone."Ssssst… lower your voice or we'll get caught!" Kai put a finger to his lips to shush Kurt.
"Aren't you listening? It's dangerous if we keep going!" Kurt whispered to Kai's ear.
"Yes, of course I heard you."
"Then why do you still want to go through with this? Just so you know, if you get caught, you'll experience nothing but hell on earth! They'll tie you up, stuff your mouth so you can't explain yourself, and on top of that, you'll get cold glares from the girls for an entire week."
"Eh… so you really did go through that."
"Don't say it like it's some normal thing! For your information, what happened to me was so terrifying it makes me shiver every time I try to remember it!"
Kurt hugged himself, trembling. Seeing him like that, Kai couldn't help but believe him, but…
"Was that really all that happened to you? Why are you so traumatized by it?"
"To be honest, I don't really remember what happened to me back then… when I came to, I was already lying on my bed… but what I know for sure is that something happened to me—something that still makes me shiver whenever I try to recall it."
"I see. So the trauma was so severe that you ended up with amnesia… I can sort of understand how you feel."
Kai had gone through something similar not too long ago.
"So, are you going to climb on my back or not? I'll let you have the first peek!"
"Kaiiii!"
"Sssssttt!"
Kurt couldn't wrap his head around Kai's way of thinking. After all that he had just told him, why was Kai still so determined to peep? Wasn't he afraid of the hell on earth Kurt had just described?
"Kai, why don't you just give up?"
"What are you talking about? There's no way I'm giving up!"
"Why not?"
"Just imagine it… right on the other side, a heavenly paradise is waiting for us!"
Kurt swallowed hard.
Kai smirked when he saw Kurt's reaction.
"Just picture it… Katie, washing her body on the other side."Kai whispered into Kurt's ear.
"Wh-why… why did Ka-Ka-Katie's name suddenly come up!?"
"Never mind that… for now, just imagine it!"
Kurt followed Kai's words and imagined Katie's bare body without a single thread of cloth. Once again, he swallowed hard.
"Just picture it…"
"Now then, we've been listening to your little conversation for a while—how long are you two planning to keep talking about such indecent things over there?"
Both Kai and Kurt froze when a girl's voice came from beyond the dividing wall.
"P-Pervert! There's a shameless girl eavesdropping on men's conversations! Help meee!"
"Why are you the one calling for help?!"
Kurt could clearly hear Claire's angry voice from the other side. He couldn't understand why Kai suddenly started acting like the victim, when he was the one who had plotted this mischief in the first place.
"Um, Claire… if you really heard our conversation, then you should know I was only a victim here… Kai's the one who dragged me into this!" Kurt said, desperately trying to defend himself.
Kai looked shocked at Kurt's betrayal.
"You… you betrayed me! You damn traitor!"
From the start, Kurt had no intention of going along with Kai's plan. He was merely a victim of that devil's temptation.
"Yes, I heard everything… which is why we've decided you'll only receive half of Kai's punishment,"
Claire said coolly.
"Wait! Just how much is half supposed to be?!"
"You'll find out once this is over."
"Wait! The last time I was punished by you girls, I couldn't even remember what happened afterward—so what guarantee do I have that I won't lose my memory again this time?!"
"Who knows…"
"Wait! Please, forgive me!" Kurt cried, his voice breaking as he begged for mercy from Claire beyond the wall.
"You're truly pathetic, Kurt," Kai said, looking down on him with disdain. Yet Kurt was so pitiful that he didn't even register Kai's mocking words.
"Well, you're over there, aren't you, Kai?"
"Yeah, I am. What about it?"
"Do you have any last words?"
"I want to marry you! Please marry me!"
"Huh!? W-what are you even saying at a time like this!? Do you think you'll be forgiven just because you propose!?"
"No… but I'll take responsibility for everything and marry all of you!"
"Take responsibility for what?! How did it even come to this!?"
Behind the wall, Claire's face turned bright red. She hadn't expected the new guy to just throw out a marriage proposal like that out of nowhere!
"Kai, I'm honestly impressed you can say that with a straight face," Kurt muttered in awe.
"Yo, of course… that's because I'm dead serious about it!" Kai replied without hesitation.
"W-what on earth are you saying over there!?"
Claire's voice rang out furiously, and a dipper came flying over the wall straight at Kai. He dodged it in time, but then a water tub came flying right after. One by one, various other objects came flying out, keeping Kai busy dodging them.
While Kai somehow managed to evade every attack, poor Kurt wasn't so lucky. He ended up with a swollen head and broken glasses from stray shots, finally collapsing unconscious on the ground.
"Damn, looks like you managed to take down my partner… but that won't stop me! I'll carry on his will!"
"Can't you just give up already!?" Claire shouted back in exasperation.
Kai darted around, dodging everything she threw, before suddenly sprinting at the wall. With an astonishing leap—even he didn't know how—he jumped high enough to peek over to the other side.
"Kwaaak!"
But just as his eyes caught a glimpse beyond the wall, a chicken's leg smacked him square in the head with brutal force.
"Gahh!"
Launched backward, Kai crashed straight into the hot spring with a loud splash.
Splaaash!"Uwaaaaahhhh! Hot!"Kai shot up out of the steaming hot spring.
"Damn it! Using animals like that is cheating!"
"I don't want to hear that from a peeping tom!"
Kai didn't want to admit it, but his opponent this time was truly formidable.
"Um… Kai…"
A shy voice drifted from the other side of the wall. Kai couldn't mistake it—that voice definitely belonged to Elly.
"Why did you want to peek at us?"
Such an innocent question slipped out of Elly's mouth.
"Eh, wait, Elly! Why are you even asking that pervert!? It's obvious why—he's a pervert, that's why!"
Kai could clearly hear Claire badmouthing him. Since she wasn't exactly wrong, he had no way to refute it.
"But… he was trying so hard to do it… so I thought maybe he had a strong reason for it."
"What are you even saying!? He was only doing it to satisfy his lust!"
'She's right! I was doing it just to satisfy my lust.'
Though Kai admitted Claire's words in his mind, he couldn't say it aloud. Not when Elly seemed to actually believe in him. He didn't want to disappoint her any more than this. He had to cover up his real motive.
"Um, Claire… Elly!"
Kai raised his voice so both of them could hear clearly.
"I did this… to show you… that I really do love you both, and that I'm absolutely serious about marrying you! Even this uncontrollable desire is proof of how true my feelings are!"
"Didn't you just admit that it was nothing but your uncontrollable desire!?"
Claire and Elly's faces both flushed red. They couldn't begin to understand what went on in the head of this men they'd only met yesterday. To think he could shamelessly confess to two girls at once! He was, without a doubt, a womanizer.
"Ufufufu… how enviable… you two are really adored by him."
Kai could hear Katie's laughter. It seemed she was enjoying the whole situation.
"Ah, sorry… Katie, but I can't marry you. Even though you're just as beautiful as the others, but I can't possibly steal the one my friend loves… Kurt and I already made a bro code."
"Eh… w-what are you even saying!?"
Only then did Kai realize his slip of the tongue. He glanced at the still-unconscious Kurt with a guilty expression.
"My bad… I think I just said something I shouldn't have."
It had slipped out, but on second thought, maybe it was for the best.
"Ahahaha… Kai, you really know how to joke, don't you?"
"…"
"Hey, Kai… why did you suddenly go quiet?"
"…"
"What do you two think? Kai's just joking around, right?"
"…"
"…"
"Why are you all going silent too!?"
Katie couldn't stop the redness spreading across her face.
"Sorry, but Kurt and I are starting to feel overheated, so we'll be heading out first!"
Kai hoisted Kurt's limp body and quickly left the bath area. Even though he hadn't had the chance to wash properly, the awkward atmosphere made it impossible for him to stay.
"Uwaaaahhhh!!!"
For some reason, Kai could hear Katie screaming so loudly it echoed throughout the entire bathhouse.