Wonderful Onsen at Yunohana Ryokan Inn (3)

Knock! Knock! A loud bang echoed from the door just as Shouichi was speaking of the devil. Momo glanced at him blankly, and Shouichi rushed to open the door.

"Good evening, Shouichi-kun!" The girl with long, jet-black hair greeted him cheerfully at the doorway.

"Oh, you have a guest…" Ayane's gaze met Momo, who was sitting on the edge of the bed. The girl forced a smile and waved. "And it's my roommate… Tomako-san, there you are."

"Morimura-san." Momo returned a quick smile and wave. "I thought the night was still too young, so I was curious about Shouichi-kun's room and decided to check it out."

"I see." Ayane walked across the room and sat on the sofa, while Shouichi closed the door and followed her.

"I feel something dense in the air." Shouichi thought as he sat down next to Ayane.

"Did you two drink sake?" Ayane's voice was flat, her eyes scanning the cups, saucers, and a bottle of sake on the table.

"Huh? That's just me and Misa ~ I mean, Misa-ki-chan earlier," Shouichi realised his words had made things worse and panicked.

"Fufufu," came Momo's giggle from the side. "At least he's honest," She commented between chuckles.

"Anything you want to say?" Ayane's purple gaze turned cold, her words biting. "It's like you got caught cheating by your girlfriend — except Ayane is not my girlfriend. Not yet, anyway." The boy pondered.

"Sigh... It's actually her family hotel, so that explains the sudden upgrade for this room," Shouichi explained timidly.

"Hee hee, why are you so afraid?" Ayane finally broke her character, teasing him.

"I thought you'd be mad at meeeee," Shouichi rationalised with a weak smile.

"Again, you always misjudge me! But thinking about it, I might just be fuming for real," She pouted, looking adorable.

"Haha, my bad," Shouichi quickly apologised with a small bow. "It's hard to tell when your feelings mean so much to me," He thought dimly.

"Try to loosen up around me, alright? I'm the least mean girl in your life," Ayane boasted, her tone full of confidence. "That's hardly true," He thought but nodded a few times, pretending to agree.

"Apology accepted — with a condition!" Ayane raised the cup of sake in front of his face, forcing the boy to drink.

"You too, Momo. It's rare to see a bottle of alcohol, we better not let it go to waste," Ayane smiled at the petite, quiet girl.

"Hey! Momo, don't play into Ayane's games, she's tricking you!" Shouichi hastily called out, but it was too late…

"Kanpai!" The two ladies raised their cups and drank deeply.

"Wa~wait! That's gonna burn…" Shouichi trailed off, raising his hands in protest.

"Haaaa!" Momo let out a satisfied moan. "It's so refreshing," She added.

"Right?" Ayane beamed at her. There seemed to be no effect on them, as if both girls were seasoned drinkers.

"Shouichi, don't stall now, drink up!" Ayane was assertive, almost demanding, as she pressured him to take a shot.

"Dang it! I'm cooked," Shouichi's hand trembled slightly as he lifted the cup to his lips. The burning sensation still lingered from the first time he'd had it with Misaki.

"Fighting, Shouichi-kun!" Momo cheered with a gentle smile.

"Cough* cough* cough*" After drinking, Shouichi struggled to breathe between fits of coughing. "Oh man, that's terrible…" He continued, wiping his mouth with his hands, his head starting to spin, a sure sign of tipsiness.

"Fufufu, good job!" Momo gave his shoulder a squeeze.

"Shouichi, are you alright?" Ayane asked, her tone a mix of concern and mockery.

"...Yeah… I'm never better." Shouichi lied, pretending to be tough in front of the girls. "Ain't no way I'm chickening out of this," He noted internally, or maybe it was just the alcohol speaking — he couldn't tell.

"Tomako-san, you mentioned the boba shop earlier, right?" Ayane spoke cheerfully to Momo, the atmosphere shifting to something more lively as they relaxed.

"Yes! It's Maid & Tea Bliss near Hoshimashi Mall," Momo's amber eyes lit up.

"I didn't know you were such an entrepreneur."

"Fufufu, not quite! I actually do it for a living."

"I saw your shop during the Fire Festival too. Your matcha special was to die for!" Ayane exaggerated, her tone overly dramatic.

"Oh, you tried it, Morimura-san?" Momo glanced briefly at Shouichi. "I didn't realise you were there that day. It gets pretty busy during the festival — maybe my big sis made it for you?"

"Na-ah, I had a sip of Shouichi's," Ayane replied with a wicked smile. "I wouldn't call it a sip, you drank all of it!" Shouichi protested.

"I also noticed a cute little heart drawn on his cup," Ayane got straight to the point.

"Oh hell no! You remember that?!" Shouichi began to sweat nervously.

"Oh! T~that's just my big sister, she told me to prank him," Momo quickly backtracked, her plum face flushed with embarrassment.

"That's right!" Shouichi interrupted with a deep voice, but they both ignored him and kept their conversation going.

"Tomako-chan, would you like to open a second store? I'd love to be your angel investor." Ayane clasped her hands together eagerly.

"Fufufu, thanks for the offer, but I'll think about it since I'm the only one working there, with occasional help from my big sis," Momo replied politely. The two continued discussing girly, trivial matters for the next ten minutes. To Shouichi, their high-pitched chatter sounded like little birds chirping joyfully.

"Hey! I've got an idea!" Ayane suddenly exclaimed, her devious smile spreading across her face. "I just downloaded this app called 'Truth or Dare.'"

"Truth or dare? I've played that before," Shouichi commented, while Momo nodded in agreement.

"It's simple. We just add our names to the wheel, and when it lands on someone, they become the subject of truth or dare. Then we spin again for the commander, who will ask the truth or dare. How's that sound? Let's play!" Ayane eagerly explained the rules, scooting closer with the app open on her phone.

"I'm not playing that!" Shouichi hastily refused in a firm tone.

"Why not?" Momo asked with puppy eyes, literally begging him.