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"...You wouldn't want your mother to be bullied, would you?"
Amamiya Natsuki pinned the Sheltered Young Lady in the corner, playing the role of an evil villain true to form.
Upon hearing this, Shinomiya Kaguya couldn't help but widen her eyes. Immediately after, her gaze and demeanor subtly changed, and her pink lips slightly parted, uttering a single word:
"Tch."
Shinomiya Kaguya folded her arms across her chest, her delicate eyebrows slightly raised, and asked in confusion:
"How did Senpai recognize me?"
Amamiya Natsuki said:
"Because there's one thing that only Kaguya-san has. Your disguise has too many flaws."
That's right.
This the Sheltered Young Lady in front of him was none other than the Spy Maid after her transformation.
"Impossible!"
Hayasaka Ai's pretty face tightened, and her voice involuntarily rose.
She and the Sheltered Young Lady had grown up together; she could be said to be the person who understood Kaguya the most in the world, without exception.
Her eyes, speech, and actions could not possibly give her away, let alone be seen through at a glance.
"Could this mere Natsuki understand the Young Lady even better than herself?"
This thought flashed through Hayasaka Ai's mind.
Impossible!
Absolutely impossible!
"You want to know?" Amamiya Natsuki looked at the disguised Kaguya whose expression was changing, and suddenly smiled, "I won't tell you."
"...Damn it!"
Hayasaka Ai gritted her teeth in anger. This mere Natsuki, don't get too carried away!
"What does Senpai want in order to tell me where the flaw is?"
Hayasaka Ai let out a light breath, unable to resist asking.
She had returned to her room earlier and learned the skills from the scroll. Then, itching with curiosity, she replicated and transformed into Shinomiya Kaguya, confident that she could fool everyone—except for the inner self, in terms of appearance, even facial recognition could easily pass.
It was bad enough that she failed before even starting, but now Amamiya Natsuki was saying that something only the Sheltered Young Lady possessed. She desperately wanted to know what it was.
"When you satisfy me, I'll tell you." Amamiya Natsuki took half a step forward, "Now, let's talk about you deceiving me."
"Eh?"
Hayasaka Ai's eyelashes fluttered slightly, and she blinked innocently, "What is Senpai talking about? I don't understand at all."
This Hayasaka, while speaking, quietly retreated, intending to turn and flee.
Bang.
Amamiya Natsuki had anticipated this and grabbed Hayasaka Ai's wrist, pulling the girl into his room.
Thud.
The door closed.
Amamiya Natsuki immediately locked it, then turned to look at Hayasaka Ai, sighing:
"You sent me a message to come back for a hot spring, but then you transformed into Kaguya's appearance, creating a 'chance encounter' in the hallway to deceive me... When I go with you to buy the handheld console, you'll definitely find an excuse to slip away again, then message me saying I stood you up, and then the reward will be canceled, right?"
Hayasaka Ai: "..."
It was indeed her plan.
The evening was one thing, but bathing in a mixed hot spring with a boy in broad daylight, even for her, was a bit too embarrassing.
However, she could do it, but admitting it was impossible.
"Senpai, I'm sorry." Hayasaka Ai clasped her hands across her chest, raising her pretty face, looking pitifully, "I just learned the skill and was very curious... Senpai won't be angry with me, will he?"
Amamiya Natsuki said expressionlessly:
"I am very angry."
Hayasaka Ai pitifully: "Senpai is a boy, you can't..."
"Stop it now." Amamiya Natsuki reached out to stop her, "If you keep talking, you'll turn into a feminist."
"Tch."
Hayasaka Ai snorted lightly, putting away her pitiful expression, "It's just soaking in a hot spring together, so what."
Anyway, she had seen everything when she secretly installed surveillance before.
"No need to undo the transformation." Amamiya Natsuki said, "It's fine to soak in the hot spring in your current appearance."
Hayasaka Ai widened her eyes upon hearing this and couldn't help but exclaim:
"...Perverted Senpai, you're too perverted."
Hey, hey, don't talk nonsense, it's still far from perverted. When I make you look like Kaguya and lie next to the Sheltered Young Lady, and the three of us play a double-ranked game, it won't be too late to call me perverted then!
The thought flashed through his mind, and Amamiya Natsuki immediately suppressed it deep down.
That was close.
Fortunately, neither Kaguya nor Hayasaka had a love amulet. If they had heard his thoughts just now, he estimated several of his ribs would have been broken.
"Go take a shower." Amamiya Natsuki looked at Hayasaka, "Or do you want to shower together?"
Hayasaka Ai covered her chest, her eyes filled with disdain: "Senpai, aren't you even bothering to hide your lewd desires anymore?"
Amamiya Natsuki said faintly:
"From the Chainsaw Boy, I learned a truth."
"What?"
"Life is unpredictable, enjoy yourself while you can. When you get chainsawed, at least you can say it wasn't a loss."
"..."
Hayasaka Ai still didn't agree to shower together in the end.
She showered alone first, then went to the hot spring pool in the room.
Amamiya Natsuki quickly rinsed off and came to the hot spring pool, seeing Hayasaka still wrapped in a towel.
"I want to complain." Amamiya Natsuki raised his hand, "Someone is wearing clothes while soaking in the hot spring."
"It's just a bath towel." Hayasaka Ai shrank into the corner, giving him a glare, "It's perfectly normal to wear a towel when soaking in a mixed hot spring, isn't it?"
Amamiya Natsuki entered the hot spring, looked at Hayasaka hiding in the corner, and said:
"You're looking at your phone while soaking in the hot spring?"
"It's normal, isn't it? I'd be bored doing nothing." Hayasaka Ai said, "I have a friend who has to watch videos as a side dish when eating. If she can't find a video she wants to watch, she can't eat a single bite of rice."
"Making up friends?"
"..."
The indoor hot spring pool was very small; it was just right for two people to soak together.
"I didn't bring my phone." Amamiya Natsuki walked over and sat next to Hayasaka, "Stress-relief videos, include me."
Hayasaka Ai covered her chest with a towel and didn't dodge. There was no one else around, so sitting a little closer was fine… Since they had agreed to go to a mixed-gender hot spring, other things were naturally out of the question.
"What are we watching today?" Amamiya Natsuki asked curiously.
"Hydraulic press." Hayasaka Ai swiped her finger across the screen, finding a video she had saved. "It's still more stress-relieving to watch a hydraulic press crush everything."
"…" Amamiya Natsuki wasn't too interested in the hydraulic press. In comparison, Hayasaka beside him was more attractive… No, he misspoke. She was still in her transformed state, so he should say Young Lady.
The rain outside had stopped, and a rare ray of sunshine peeked through.
The Sheltered Young Lady's skin was as white as snow, as if soaked in milk. The curve from her chin to her neck, and then to her collarbone, was exceptionally delicate and alluring.
Noticing Amamiya Natsuki's gaze, Hayasaka Ai tilted her head and looked over, saying, "Perverted Senpai, please don't touch me. Soaking in the hot spring is soaking in the hot spring; other things are not allowed, unless…"
Amamiya Natsuki asked curiously, "Unless what?"
"Unless Senpai tells me how you saw through the disguise." Hayasaka Ai was still thinking about what had just happened, tilting her head and saying, "It's not impossible for Senpai to hug me for a bit."
"I agree." Amamiya Natsuki reached out and wrapped his arm around the girl's soft, slender waist.
"Wait!" Hayasaka Ai instinctively tensed her body and quickly called out, "Senpai hasn't answered my question yet."
Amamiya Natsuki used force in his hand, pulling the transformed Spy Maid into his embrace, and said, "I'll tell you the answer right away."
"…" The tradition of soaking in hot springs is not to wear clothes; it's not swimming. At most, you can only have one towel on your body. It was fine just now, but now that they were truly soaking in the hot spring together, skin-to-skin contact was intimate, and warmth was being transferred between them. The Spy Maid finally couldn't maintain her composure, her pretty face quickly flushed red, and soon, even her fair, delicate ear tips turned crimson.
"S-Senpai, hurry up and say it." Hayasaka Ai's voice trembled slightly, wanting to escape.
"Actually, it's very simple," Amamiya Natsuki said. "What hairstyle did Kaguya-san have when school just started?"
"Shoulder-length hair."
"And now?"
"Now, of course, her hair is tied up." Hayasaka Ai was puzzled. "My hair was tied up just now too, wasn't it?"
"Listen to me finish." Amamiya Natsuki gently pinched the Spy Maid's waist and continued, "The red ribbon Kaguya used to tie her hair was a game item I gave her when we played at the amusement park. You can only imitate people; you can't conjure items along with the transformation."
That wasn't the real reason.
The reason Amamiya Natsuki could see through the Spy Maid's disguise at a glance was entirely because a prompt appeared before his eyes. Otherwise, he wouldn't have specifically paid attention to the Sheltered Young Lady's hair ribbon.
"I see." Hayasaka Ai suddenly understood. After getting the truth, she quickly said, "Senpai, you can leave now."
Hey, hey, after getting the answer, you immediately kick someone away without mercy! You're too much!
"I'm not leaving." Amamiya Natsuki held onto her without letting go. "The best time for a hot spring soak is half an hour."
"H-Half an hour…" For some reason, the Spy Maid's voice trembled slightly. "Don't even think about it for that long!"
As she spoke, a slight ripple suddenly appeared on the Spy Maid's body, and in a blink of an eye, she transformed from the Young Lady into a blonde maid.
Clearly, the transformation time was up.
A mixed-gender hot spring, the first half with the Sheltered Young Lady, the latter half with a personal maid—Amamiya Natsuki was quite satisfied.
No matter how he looked at it, it was a profitable deal.
Buzz, buzz, buzz.
Soon after, his phone suddenly rang.
"Senpai, it's the Young Miss's call. I'll answer it…" Hayasaka Ai seized the opportunity, broke free from Amamiya Natsuki's embrace, and put the phone to her ear:
"…Yes, Young Miss, I'll go back and prepare right away."
This Hayasaka walked out of the hot spring while on the phone. "The Young Miss needs me for something, Perverted Senpai, goodbye."
"Wait…" Amamiya Natsuki felt something was off.
Hearing the call, Hayasaka Ai quickened her pace and vanished in a flash.
Seeing this, Amamiya Natsuki immediately understood that the call was probably fake, a setup Hayasaka had made in advance to escape.
If Hayasaka hadn't been unable to resist wanting to know the truth of being exposed, he probably wouldn't have even touched her.
As for now… it was a guaranteed profit.
"A huge loss!" Hayasaka Ai's pretty face was crimson. After escaping the room and reaching the hallway, she finally let out a sigh of relief, then bit her silver teeth and angrily started stomping her feet.
"Ahhh! How dare he actually hug me! He's too thick-skinned!"
"…" Noon arrived in a blink of an eye.
Amamiya Natsuki packed his things, left the room, and met up with the girls.
They checked out of the room, went out for a buffet barbecue, and then each went home separately.
The dungeon had been cleared, so he could relax for a while.
"Natsuki-kun." After the girls said goodbye, Koyasu Tsubame took two quick steps to Amamiya Natsuki's side, raising her hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, and asked, "Are you free this afternoon?"
Amamiya Natsuki looked at his Senpai and said, "If it's a date, then I'm free."
"It's not a date at all." The Senpai's pretty face flushed slightly, and she rolled her eyes. "It's my Cousin. Her anorexia hasn't gotten better. Natsuki-kun, will you come to the Hospital with me and plant another Anxious Mushroom for my Cousin?"
Amamiya Natsuki's tone was disappointed: "Since it's not a date, then I'm not free."
Koyasu Tsubame: "…"
The two talked as they got on the train, heading to the Hospital.
Since it was a holiday, there weren't many passengers on the train, and they were lucky to find seats.
Amamiya Natsuki and his Senpai sat in a corner. The afternoon sun was exceptionally bright, shining in through the window and landing perfectly on the Senpai's profile. He didn't know what brand of lipstick the Senpai used, but her lips felt soft and tender, exceptionally alluring.
Noticing Amamiya Natsuki's gaze, Koyasu Tsubame couldn't help but recall the unexpected incident that happened in the dungeon. Her pretty face quickly flushed red, spreading to her neck. She lightly coughed and changed the subject, saying, "Um… When we go to the Hospital, should we inform Chizuru-san? I promised to help her in the dungeon before."
Amamiya Natsuki nodded and said, "Tell her."
Koyasu Tsubame took out her phone: "I'll send Chizuru-san a message right now."
They traveled in silence.
The two quickly arrived at the Hospital.
There was no need to elaborate on the process of planting the Anxious Mushroom; they had been there several times, and Amamiya Natsuki was quite familiar with it.
The human instinct for gluttony successfully overcame anorexia. With normal daily eating, Koyasu Tsubame's Cousin's complexion improved day by day. It was estimated that she would be able to recover and be discharged from the Hospital after some time.
Amamiya Natsuki walked out of the ward and into the hallway, where he saw Mizuhara Chizuru waiting outside the door.
The college student was wearing a pair of large, black-rimmed glasses today, looking quite gentle. Seeing Amamiya Natsuki come out, she bowed slightly and said, "Natsuki-kun, I'm counting on you."
"It's no trouble at all." Amamiya Natsuki waved his hand. "Where is your grandmother?"
"Grandma is on the second floor." Mizuhara Chizuru glanced into the ward. "Should we wait for Koyasu Tsubame to come out?"
"No need to wait, Senpai is chatting with her Cousin." Amamiya Natsuki said, "Let's go see your grandmother now."
"Okay." Mizuhara Chizuru took two quick steps, leading the way.
"After joining the mutual aid group last night, I realized there are so many players." Mizuhara Chizuru pushed up her glasses. "Um, yesterday I saw someone in the mutual aid group buying game items. Can I sell rice balls in the mutual aid group?"
Amamiya Natsuki turned to look at her and said, "Mizuhara-san, are you very short on money?"
Mizuhara Chizuru nodded gracefully and said, "I'm currently in college, and Grandma's illness also requires money. I also work part-time… If I can make things easier, that would naturally be best."
"Selling rice balls is certainly not a problem, but there are some safety risks." Amamiya Natsuki pondered, "The mutual aid group actually has no binding force. Mizuhara-san's rice balls are effective, but if you sell too many, others will definitely know you have the ability to create items, and they might target you… In short, you still need to be vigilant."
Mizuhara Chizuru nodded seriously and said, "I understand."
The two quickly arrived on the second floor.
Unlike the Hospital in the dark, the Hospital Ward in reality was bustling with people, and the number of patients was extremely high.
"It's that one up ahead." Mizuhara Chizuru stopped and extended her right hand, saying, "Please begin."
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars and become a Sequence 9: Reader for dozens of advance chapters for over a dozen fics | Every 100 powerstones = 1 extra chapter