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A low knock from the other side of the room was Miko's signal to Kyle that she had finished changing.
He waited for a few seconds and knocked before pushing the door open.
The scent of steaming hot bath water along with perfumes wafted into his nostrils, his vampire senses picking up everything in extreme detail.
At the other side of the room, seated at the edge of the hot springs, her feet playing with the water, was Himiko.
She had a white towel wrapped around herself, and Kyle could see faint blue clothing peeking out of the towel.
'A swimsuit?'
It wasn't exactly a swimsuit, but specialized clothing made for people during mixed bathing to avoid accidents.
Himiko glanced at him over her shoulder and smiled. "Be quick, don't spend too long in the shower."
"Alright, I'll be out soon."
He walked up to where his own clothing was arranged and grabbed them, heading into the shower.
Himiko sat by the water, creating small ripples with her feet while waiting for Kyle to finish bathing.
The water felt amazing, so she could already imagine the wonders it would do for her tired body.
"I wonder if what they said about bathhouses healing is true…"
Splash!
The sound of running water reached her ears, and Himiko twisted her neck, glancing at the closed door.
She stared at it blankly for a few seconds, no thought coming to her mind.
That was until she heard the shower go off.
'He's coming out I guess…'
She paused.
"He's coming out?!"
Himiko felt her face getting hotter, her cheeks on the verge of turning pink, when she mentally reassured herself.
'This is a bathhouse!'
There were dozens of people bathing in mixed baths with strangers. Bathing with Kyle was nothing special.
She pouted and nodded her head, agreeing with her logic.
'I've practically cuddled with Kyle, I spent nearly the entire day right next to him and I was just fine.'
Why then was she embarrassed by a mere bath?
'Calm yourself, Himiko! Don't blush like a fool when he—'
Himiko suddenly froze, her thoughts scrambling as Kyle stepped out.
'This isn't fair. How am I supposed to win against this—?'
Kyle stepped out of the shower, wearing only a towel, the steam curling around his body as though to keep it to its greedy self.
His chest was firm and well-defined, his entire body more like a perfectly chiseled sculpture than the body of a teenage boy.
Wet skin, dripping crystal-like water, glistened under the light like polished marble, the light blush of pink making Himiko swallow.
He reached for his hair, pushing it back, his biceps flexing as a result of the subtle motion.
And his abdomen—
'My goodness…'
Himiko tried to look away, but her eyes were refusing to cooperate with her as she devoured his body with complete unwavering focus.
And then their eyes made contact.
"…"
"Hey, Miko—"
Her face suddenly blushed red all the way up to her ears, and her mouth hung open in embarrassment.
Before Kyle could say a word, Himiko jumped right into the water.
"Miko?!"
"Ahh, t-t-the water feels g-great doesn't it!"
Kyle stared at her and sighed, his confusion growing. 'Did I do something wrong?'
•••
When Miko finally stopped splashing around in the water, Kyle got into the bath, the hot water immediately embracing his skin in all its steamy goodness.
He let out a light sigh, relaxing deeper into the water.
"This was a great idea, Miko. I don't think any place would have beaten this…"
Himiko, who had finally shaken off her initial shock, smirked and swam closer to him, both of them right next to each other.
"I knew you were going to love it."
Kyle chuckled lightly. "And you were right."
Although he loved the rain, it always left him feeling a little cold and icky from walking over mud. The bathhouse was the perfect remedy.
Himiko began swimming near him, paddling around the bathhouse as though it were a pool.
"So how did the festival go? I'm sure you got to meet the pretty hero course girls."
He raised a brow. "Hmm? Yes, there were a lot of pretty girls at the festival."
Himiko raised her head to glare at him, pouting.
"Don't worry, none of them were as pretty as you, Miko." Kyle laughed and stared at her.
"Especially those eyes that shine like the rising sun, no matter how many times I see it…"
He took a deep breath.
"I can't just get them out of my mind."
"W-what?" Himiko's face was beet red, her lips slightly apart as she stared at him.
And then—
"Hehehehe. My God, you're too easy to tease, Miko," he said as he began laughing.
Himiko angrily rushed over to his side and began playfully punching him while he laughed.
"I'm sorry… hahaha, wait, I'm serious this time, I'm sorry…" He was speaking in between laughs, enjoying every single moment.
"You're going to make my heart burst, you playboy!"
Her hand came flying at his face when Kyle grabbed both her hands, far too fast for her to react.
Silence…
Drip!
A lone drop of water drifted down Himiko's face, reaching her chin, then dropping to the pool, creating a soft ripple.
Their bodies were inches apart, each breath steamy as their eyes bored into each other.
Kyle had noticed Himiko the moment he entered, but now that they were this close, his crimson eyes could see everything in far too much detail.
The cleavage peeking out from above the towel… the water drifting past it into her body.
A faint smell of flowers coming from her hair.
The wet towel that clung onto her body.
And her face, tinged with red all over.
He couldn't help himself; he pulled her closer, and the moment their lips touched it was pure euphoria.
It was their second time, and yet it was even more energetic than the first.
Himiko moved closer, her hands tracing over his body in ways that made his mind reel, while Kyle grabbed onto her waist, his hand brushing the wet towel and making its way up.
Himiko let out a breathless moan as she leaned closer, her kisses almost desperate.
As though she was afraid he would let go—
The water was turning turbulent as they shifted their position, Kyle locking Himiko by the side of the bath.
He broke off slightly and placed his lips on her neck, slowly leaving delicate kisses on her pale skin, until he reached her lips once more.
It was barely five minutes and yet, by the time they separated, both of them were sweating, their bodies eager for more.
"Kyle…" Himiko breathed out, her face painted with worry.
Her mouth was open slightly as she took heavy breaths, her cheeks dark red and her fangs peeking out of them as though they wanted to be part of the fun.
Kyle kissed her jaw and spoke, his voice low. "Miko?"
She looked away, her shoulders slumping. It looked like she wanted to say something really badly, but at the end of the day, she just looked away.
"Nothing…"
After their passionate moment and Himiko's strange reluctance to speak, luckily for them, the awkwardness did not go on.
Soon, the mood from earlier faded, and they began to engage in light conversation, the two of them chatting animatedly.
But after some time, Kyle decided to change the topic.
'What was she going to say?' Kyle was curious as to what would have caused such a reaction.
He smiled and glanced at her. "By the way, you seem to be bothered about something. You know you can tell me anything, right?"
He noticed an immediate change in the atmosphere. Whatever Himiko wanted to discuss was apparently serious.
She visibly shrunk back, a worried expression appearing on her face.
'What could it be?'
No matter how much Kyle thought about it, there was nothing that came to his mind.
Himiko sighed and glanced to the side of the room. "Actually…"
Her eyes searched the area until they landed on the basket of products at the side of the pool.
"I wanted to ask if you could help me wash my hair… I know it's a weird thing to ask a guy, but sometimes it's hard to reach the difficult spots."
She smiled and playfully tapped his shoulder. "What, don't tell me you don't know how to, it's really simple…"
Himiko quickly grabbed the basket, accidentally throwing some stuff out of it.
She smiled nervously. "Hehe, why am I so clumsy today?"
Meanwhile, Kyle was watching her with concern. For the first time since he had met her, he sensed—
That Himiko's smile was not genuine…
— — - — – —— — - — – —
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