120. Not Just Strength and Speed Ranked Double-A

"Then it's my turn..." Glancing at the slightly conflicted Hachiman Hikigaya, Kanade Natsukawa spoke up proactively.

He had a fair understanding of Hikigaya and figured the other might not be entirely comfortable in such a setting, so he thought it best to give him some extra time to prepare mentally.

"Actually, I..."

Just as Hachiman began to speak, there were two sharp knocks on the door. The door was pushed open, and a young male teacher poked his head in to address the group: "The hot spring will be closing in half an hour, along with the bathhouse. If you haven't bathed yet, please hurry up."

After that brief announcement, he shut the door and moved on to the next room.

"..."

The group exchanged glances, unsure what to say.

"Wow, the teachers actually come to remind us? The school is pretty thoughtful, huh."

"No, you're overthinking it. It's more like the school is cautious because of what happened last year," Hachiman replied. "A male student didn't listen during the assembly and missed the bath time. He tried sneaking into the bathhouse later but got mistaken for a thief and caught by the inn staff."

"..."

"Wow, Hikigaya-kun, you even know about that?"

"Not really, I just happened to overhear some teachers talking about it..." Hachiman rubbed the back of his head, looking a little embarrassed. "But honestly, how does something that ridiculous even happen? You'd have to be one in a million to be that dumb."

He then looked back at Kanade Natsukawa, signaling for him to continue.

It seemed like Hachiman had genuinely started to adapt to these "normie" social interactions.

"Uh, right..." Kanade smiled awkwardly. "Where was I just now?"

Not that he had forgotten, but he glanced at the clock on the wall and feigned surprise. "Wow, it's already this late? We've really been chatting for a while."

"My apologies, but I've got plans with someone else. We'll have to save this for next time..."

"Oh, I see. Then next time it is. No rush," the group said with expressions of mild regret, except for Hachiman, who gave Kanade a skeptical look before clicking his tongue. But he said nothing more.

"Make sure to be back before curfew," Hachiman reminded.

"Of course. Don't worry about me," Kanade waved dismissively, trying to maintain his composure. He had a feeling Hachiman had seen through him, but it was better to pretend otherwise.

"I'll be back soon and try not to disturb you guys. Later."

After leaving the room, Kanade should have hurried to the bathhouse, but having spent the afternoon with Kaguya, he'd missed the earlier announcement and didn't know the location. He had to ask the front desk for directions.

"Follow the corridor that way, and you'll find it on the right-hand side. It's easy to spot," the receptionist explained.

"Got it. Thanks so much."

"Not at all. Have a pleasant stay!"

"Thanks again," Kanade replied courteously before heading in the indicated direction. Sure enough, he found the bathhouse, marked by a sign outside reading "Reserved – No Entry." It was likely due to Shuchiin Academy booking out the inn.

Oddly, the bathhouse seemed to lack separate sections for men and women. Kanade thought perhaps the women's bath was located elsewhere. At least this arrangement avoided people accidentally walking into the wrong bath, but surely they could have made the distinction more apparent with a curtain or banner.

Shrugging off these thoughts, he entered the dressing room, undressed, and stepped into the bath. The facility seemed fairly standard, with plenty of washing stations and a large central pool emitting steamy warmth, giving the impression of a man-made hot spring.

After rinsing himself at one of the small stools, Kanade heard approaching footsteps. It was surprising to encounter someone else this late, but the sound drew nearer until the person settled at a station close by. Out of the corner of his eye, Kanade glimpsed a delicate hand reaching for shampoo.

What a beautiful, slender hand, Kanade thought. Though, for a guy, it seems a bit untrained, almost fragile.

Of course, it wasn't his place to comment. The only reason he even noticed was that the person seemed to struggle with the shampoo, so Kanade helpfully spoke up.

"That one might be empty. If you'd like, feel free to use mine—"

"Thanks..."

"..."

"..."

It was hard to describe the scene that followed.

Simply put, it was a teenage boy and girl meeting face-to-face in a bathhouse. Stark naked. Despite having no established connection whatsoever.

"I need an explanation, now." The girl's face darkened like a storm cloud as she shielded her chest with her arms, glaring at Kanade with a gaze that could kill. "A perverted wolf, sneaking into the women's bath, huh?"

"Wait, calm down! Yukinoshita, this is a misunderstanding!" Kanade panicked, raising his hands defensively.

"Oh? Is that your attempt at a criminal declaration?"

"Of course not! I'd never do something like that!" Kanade exclaimed. "Someone gave me directions, and there's no sign outside indicating gender!"

"..."

Yukino Yukinoshita seemed to regain some composure. She furrowed her brow and said, "Turn around."

"Huh?"

"How much longer are you planning to ogle?"

"O-oh!" Kanade hurriedly turned his back to her, no longer facing her.

A rustling sound followed, and then something was suddenly tossed onto his head. It was soft—like a bathrobe.

"Put that on," Yukino's familiar icy tone commanded, now carrying a sharp chill like the dead of winter.

Kanade quickly complied, wrapping the bathrobe around himself and lowering his head in a gesture of submission. If it had been someone other than Yukino, he'd probably have been chased out as a pervert, to say nothing of the social suicide he'd face afterward.

"Did you see anything?"

"Huh?" Kanade froze before quickly waving his hands. "No, absolutely not! With all the steam, I could barely make out anything—honestly, I didn't even realize you were a girl—"

He regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth. Yukino's expression only grew darker, and for a moment, Kanade could swear he saw a faint black aura emanating from her, her gaze sharp enough to pierce through him like a hawk eyeing prey.

"..."

Kanade decided it was safer to keep his mouth shut.

After a long silence, Yukino finally spoke in her usual frosty tone, "Why are you here? Don't tell me it was the teachers who sent you—"

"Teachers?" Kanade blinked, then recalled the earlier reminder about the baths. "Well, kind of... I guess that's not wrong."

"It really was..." Yukino murmured, her expression softening ever so slightly.

"Whatever your reason, leave. Now."

"But I haven't—"

"?" Yukino didn't say anything, only fixed him with a silent, icy stare. That was enough to make Kanade shrink back.

"Alright, alright. I'm leaving."

Knowing when to retreat, Kanade thought, wasn't cowardice but strategy.

As he rose to leave, however, footsteps echoed from outside the bathhouse.

"!"

"..."

Yukino frowned and was about to tell Kanade she'd handle it when she noticed he had already dashed behind a faux rock to hide.

"..."

Fine, that works too.

Yukino shook her head, wondering why she even bothered worrying. If his presence got exposed, it wasn't her problem. Still, against her better judgment, she stayed put.

"Oh, you're already here, Yukinoshita," came a familiar voice.

"...You better have a good explanation, Hiratsuka-sensei," Yukino replied icily.

"...Huh?"