Chapter 93: Slight Changes

The sound of water droplets echoed clearly throughout the hot spring.

All the girls on this weekend trip had undressed and immersed themselves in the soothing warmth, as if only by doing so could they wash away the lingering unease in their hearts.

"Our first club outing, and we run into a real supernatural event."

"I can't tell if we're lucky or just plain unlucky."

Sonoko gazed up at the dark sky, unable to suppress her complaints.

"This is definitely us being lucky."

Kaguya answered without hesitation.

"Didn't Miss Isumi say so?"

"This supernatural event isn't that serious."

"Even Amamiya said this was just a test for us."

"A low-difficulty test, at that."

"Besides, I think Amamiya purposely set the challenge at a very easy level just to help us adapt."

The smaller the range in which evil spirits roam, the greater their harm to people.

Following this logic, since the spirits on the island were dispersed over a wide area, their danger level was minimal.

For Kaguya, this was merely an adaptation period.

The other girls present had no objections.

They all understood that with Ren and Isumi leading the way, as long as they didn't act recklessly, they would be fine.

So, the most important thing right now was how well they could adapt.

---

"Sonoko, do you like Amamiya?"

Fujiwara's sudden question instantly changed the atmosphere in the bath.

Almost all the girls turned their attention to Sonoko, their interest piqued.

Faced with their expectant gazes, Sonoko remained unfazed.

"Yes, I like Amamiya a lot."

"Oh~!"

Fujiwara's inner gossip instincts ignited.

"What's the reason?"

"Well… at first, it was probably because I realized Amamiya's hidden charm."

"As you all know, I have very high standards when it comes to looks, and any guy I like has to at least pass that bar."

"Yeah."

Fujiwara nodded. She was well aware of Sonoko's taste.

"What about the other reasons?"

"The other reason… I suppose it was when I accompanied Ran to meet Amamiya at his house."

"Meeting the family already?!"

Fujiwara's eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Oh, it wasn't anything romantic."

Sonoko sighed.

"Ran had gotten hold of Amamiya's diary and wanted to dig up more information about him, so she dragged me along."

"That's when I found out about the connection between them."

She explained helplessly.

Seeing Chika's eager expression, she knew what the girl was expecting.

Unfortunately, she too wished their first visit to Amamiya's house had been more romantic.

But reality had other plans.

Even if the reason wasn't particularly special, the result wasn't bad.

Thinking back to that day, Sonoko couldn't help but smile.

"But still, it was kind of nice."

"At that moment, I thought he was really cute~"

This revelation made Fujiwara even more intrigued.

While the two continued their conversation, the other girls around them had also taken notice.

---

"Isumi, what do you think?"

Nagi, who had been soaking in the hot spring, suddenly spoke.

"About Amamiya-sama?"

"Yeah."

"Amamiya-sama is a very gentle person."

Isumi thought for a moment before giving her assessment.

"He may be quiet, but he treats everyone with the same level of kindness."

"And even though this situation turned out to be a little more complicated than expected, Amamiya-sama already had countermeasures in place."

"Eh~"

Nagi looked up at the night sky.

The stars seemed to connect, forming the silhouette of her mother, a figure she longed for.

Then, an image of Ren surfaced in her mind.

Quiet, reserved, gentle—not as cold as he appeared on the surface.

Even that coldness seemed to be a defense mechanism, a mask to hide his struggles with interacting with girls.

Strangely enough, she felt that Amamiya and her mother shared a similar presence.

But unlike her mother, Amamiya was much more… normal.

"Isumi, do you think… I should try getting closer to Amamiya?"

Isumi and Maria, who were sitting next to her, both widened their eyes in surprise.

This was… unexpected.

But not bad.

"I don't think that would be a bad thing."

After a brief pause, Isumi gave her honest opinion.

"Amamiya-sama is a good person. It wouldn't hurt if you took the initiative."

"Besides, you and Amamiya-sama have some similarities."

"You might even have common interests."

"…Hmm."

This time, Nagi didn't object.

While the three were whispering among themselves, Kaguya and Hayasaka were also having a quiet conversation.

"He never gets angry when tempted. Instead, he responds with the utmost gentleness."

"Amamiya-san's personality really is special."

"If Amamiya-san weren't such a good person, Kaguya-san would've been the first to suffer."

Hayasaka teased.

Kaguya turned her head and shot her a glare.

You get it, so don't say it out loud.

That said, she had to admit, if Amamiya had been a different kind of man, she would've been the one to suffer the most under his influence.

She was grateful that he was nothing like the people she had known in the past.

"Kaguya-san, shouldn't you start preparing?"

"Preparing?"

Kaguya didn't quite follow.

"If nothing unexpected happens, you'll always be by Amamiya-san's side in the future."

"According to Amamiya-san, this is the intersection of fate."

"In that case, shouldn't you start preparing now?"

Kaguya fell silent.

She understood what Hayasaka meant.

It was a pragmatic, calculated approach.

If this had been before, she wouldn't have hesitated to act in her own best interest.

But now…

Thinking about how Ren had always been so gentle with her, how he had never approached her with any ulterior motives…

Facing someone like that, she didn't want to approach him in a calculated way either.

Logically, this was the wrong choice.

But she wasn't the same person she had been before.

"No… I'll let things happen naturally."

A firm determination flickered in Kaguya's eyes.

"Let it be."

Hayasaka didn't say anything more, but inside, she was already smiling.

Because the moment Kaguya refused, she realized, Kaguya had changed.