All the Heroines are my Ex-girlfriends

Hearing Yukino's question,

Yukima Azuma glanced over and immediately noticed the prominent Laplace logo on the side of a piece of furniture.

He pulled out his phone and opened the Laplace smart furniture app to try connecting.

In no time, it showed a successful connection~.

He turned the phone around to show Yukino.

Yukima Azuma was also a bit surprised and gave a slight nod.

"Looks like it really is."

The ryokan they chose for this trip wasn't part of the Hinatsuru chain.

Not because they were deliberately avoiding it.

There was a Hinatsuru family location in Beppu, after all.

But since it was just part of the ryokan chain and not the headquarters area, the quality wasn't exactly as impressive as expected.

Moreover, the ryokan they were currently staying at—

Was built right next to one of Beppu's famous natural hot springs.

The natural hot spring they could enjoy here was something unmatched by other places.

Laplace mainly focuses on major provinces like Tokyo, Chiba, Osaka.

In the Beppu area, their promotion wasn't too aggressive.

Encountering furniture from their own company here—

Both of them were a bit surprised.

After all, Laplace's furniture had only been on the market for a short while.

Out of habit, he opened the app and skimmed through a few furniture settings for the room.

Yukima Azuma waved at Yukino, then headed back to his room.

The two of them weren't staying in the same room.

Well, not exactly two completely separate rooms either.

The living areas of the rooms were connected, but the bedrooms were still separate.

Their relationship was ambiguous—somewhere between more than friends but not quite lovers.

They held hands, but hadn't seggs.

( • ᴖ • ｡)

Yukino adjusted the room a bit.

After putting her luggage down—

She took out the clothes she brought from the suitcase.

Picking up a yukata, she stood in front of the mirror and tried it against herself.

Her eyes landed on a backless sweater she had somehow packed without really knowing why.

After buying it, she had never even tried it on once.

And yet, somehow—who knows what possessed her—she'd ended up putting it into her suitcase during the trip prep.

"So... did I want to wear this for him to see?"

Azuma: ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧

Curse Chef: ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧

Gourmet Readers: ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧

Yukino: ( ˶o˶˶o˶) !!

Women dress up for the ones they like.

That reason was obvious.

But being aware of that fact isn't so common.

No matter how thick or thin one's skin may be, there's still embarrassment.

But Yukino is the kind of person whose rationality is downright frightening.

Back when she was in school, she'd even dissected her own psychology more than once.

Because of that, even though her cheeks were already flushed red—

She was still clearly conscious of what she was feeling deep down.

Of what sort of emotions and desires she held for Yukima Azuma.

...

About fifteen minutes later—

"Yukino, your face is a little red."

After organizing his room, Yukima Azuma walked into the shared living area and noticed Yukino's slightly flushed face.

( //>///<//)

After all, as her name implies, Yukino's skin was pale as snow.

So just a little bit of red would show up very clearly.

Not knowing the reason, Yukima Azuma reached out and touched her forehead.

Then he touched his own.

Finally, he decisively brushed up Yukino's bangs and pressed his forehead against hers.

Looking at the boy so close in front of her, their noses practically touching—

Yukino's cheeks, which had just started to cool down a little, flared up even redder.

(๑/////๑ " )

However, she didn't push him away.

Yukino softly said:

"Maybe it's just because the room's a bit warm."

Sensing that her body temperature was still normal, Yukima Azuma nodded.

"Umu, well, we are near the hot springs, so it is a bit warm."

After moving past the blushing moment—

Yukima Azuma just started admiring Yukino's yukata.

The blue-and-white yukata was cinched and decorated at the waist with a deep blue sash.

The sash was tied into a large butterfly bow at the back.

Having grown used to Yukino's usual "office lady onee-san" style—

To suddenly see her in this soft, gentle yukata look—

It was truly a visually striking shock.

"Sometimes I'm honestly a little jealous of yukatas," Yukima Azuma teased.

(˵ ¬ᴗ¬˵)

Hearing that, Yukino couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.

"What kind of weird joke is that… and anyway, it's not like I'm wearing nothing underneath."

Yukino laughed for a bit, then suddenly remembered the traditional way of wearing yukata.

A bit embarrassed, she crossed her arms over her chest and glanced away.

"Eh! So you're not?!"

The traditional way to wear a yukata is without underwear underneath.

But just now, Yukima Azuma had completely forgotten about that.

Yukino's beauty generally inspired admiration rather than lustful thoughts.

Even so, Yukima Azuma clutched his head and exaggeratedly pretended to be in anguish—

As a show of respect.

Looking at Yukima Azuma's seemingly devastated appearance,

Yukino pressed her cherry lips together, saying nothing, but her fingertips unconsciously fidgeted with the edge of her yukata.

No one could tell what she was really thinking.

...

After chatting for a while,

The two of them stood up and left the room.

Now that they were at a hot spring ryokan—

The first activity was, of course, to enjoy the hot spring bath.

It was currently afternoon.

The sun had already passed its peak and was slowly setting in the west.

Starting the soak now would be perfect for enjoying both the late afternoon and the sunset views.

This hot spring ryokan was built right next to a rare natural spring source.

In fact, it only served a small number of guests.

The hot spring area didn't separate male and female baths or offer any mixed-gender options.

It was simply several hot spring pools sourced directly from the natural spring—

Reserved for guest use.

Yukima Azuma had booked out the entire ryokan for a few days.

Many guests often did the same.

So the use of the hot springs was entirely up to the guests' discretion.

Before arriving here, the two of them had already discussed it.

Back then, Yukima Azuma said they could bathe in two separate pools.

That way, even if they couldn't see each other clearly due to the steam, they could still talk freely.

In the end, though Yukino had looked as red as an apple...

She suddenly, boldly said that bathing together would be fine.

Of course, not naked—Yukino wore a swimsuit.

(｡•́︿•̀｡)

...

Outdoor Hot Spring

Yukima Azuma squatted beside the spring pool and dipped his hand in to test the temperature.

It felt just right for human body temperature.

Moreover, the spring water had a crystal-clear jade green hue.

The color of hot springs is often influenced by the minerals in the water source.

Some types have very unusual colors—like blood-red hot springs, often used as a marketing gimmick.

However, those kinds of springs tend to slightly compromise aesthetic appeal.

This one before them, though, was beautiful.

As for "aesthetic," you ask?

Azuma: (⊙ _ ⊙ ) Staring intently, unblinking.

Yukino had sunk her snow-white neck into the water, even her chin submerged, blowing out a stream of bubbles.

Yukima Azuma—caught in the act—awkwardly pulled his gaze back.

But really, with scenery like this, it was hard not to look.

If he didn't sneak in a few more glances, it would've been a waste.

After the initial awkwardness passed—

The two gradually grew comfortable in the moment.

Soaking in the warm spring water, they began chatting casually again.