Chapter 101: Tenderness

After finishing their barbecue, the three returned to the inn. With the old man gone, An He and the sisters were the only ones staying at the inn that night; the claim that it was fully booked was, as expected, a lie. An He had heard from Ryuzaki Fujiichi earlier that this inn was notorious in the area, and essentially no one stayed there except for tourists from out of town.

Returning to the second floor, they found that the police headquarters staff had searched every room earlier to ensure no cameras were left behind, leaving the Amamiya sisters to clean up a guest room to make it habitable. As for An He, he took advantage of the time they spent cleaning to head to the inn's backyard.

Passing through a wooden corridor, he soon came upon two hot spring pools, one large and one small. The water was crystal clear, revealing the pebble-lined bottom. Walking to the edge, An He tested the temperature with his hand; it was not scalding, perhaps around forty degrees Celsius. Since it was an outdoor hot spring, and knowing the Amamiya sisters would be joining him shortly, he stood up and surveyed the surroundings. The pool was in the center of the courtyard, enclosed by a four-meter-high wall of stacked pebbles. With no tall buildings nearby, their privacy was well-guaranteed.

Satisfied that there were no oversights, An He returned to the inn. By then, the sisters had finished readying a double room. They had originally intended to set up two, but Amamiya Saori adamantly refused, leaving Amamiya Sagiri with no choice but to compromise. After all, in her eyes, it wasn't the first time the three of them had shared a room, so it was no big deal.

This, however, gave An He a headache. He had planned to properly make it up to Sagiri tonight, but Saori’s meddling had cut his plan off at the knees. Just as he was agonizing over it, a narrator’s voice suddenly echoed in his mind:

[As long as Amamiya Saori remains, you will struggle to make any progress with Amamiya Sagiri! Since she is so oblivious, why not teach her a lesson yourself? At this thought, a fierce light flashes in your eyes! You vaguely remember that you still have the black lace lingerie Sagiri left behind in your pocket—it would be perfect for tying her hands. Just tie Saori to a chair and let her witness what happens next; she will surely be much better behaved from now on...]

"Hmm?"

An He’s eyes lit up. Although the narrator’s suggestions were often unreliable, this one provided a strategy. Since Saori refused to leave, she could stay—as for his plans... An He recalled the refrigerator he had seen in the lobby earlier, which was stocked with several bottles of beer. Though it was only beer, it would be more than enough for Saori, who was a lightweight. A cunning smile spread across his face at the thought.

"Ew, Brother-in-law, that expression of yours is disgusting..."

The sudden female voice startled An He. He turned to see Saori standing at the door in a pink swimsuit, looking at him with utter disdain. Saori’s skin was incredibly fair, the best-maintained he had ever seen—smooth and delicate as a peeled, hard-boiled egg. Combined with her exquisite features, she looked like a princess out of a fairy tale. Her only flaw was perhaps that she was less developed.

An He sighed for her, averted his gaze from her slightly heaving chest, and looked at her face. Seeing him look over, she glared, put her hands on her hips, and pouted, clearly dissatisfied. "What was that sigh supposed to mean?"

An He didn't answer; he merely lingered his pitying gaze on her chest for a moment before turning and heading downstairs. He still had to get that beer. Watching his back, Saori realized what that look meant after glancing down at her own chest. Her face flushed red with anger, and she stomped her feet, cursing him incessantly in her heart.

A few minutes later, when An He returned to the second floor, Saori was still sulking at the door. An He paid her no mind, walking into the room happily and setting down the bag, from which a heap of snacks tumbled out. Saori glanced over, and upon seeing the pile of snacks, her expression visibly shifted. But noticing An He’s gaze, she quickly turned away, huffed, and pretended not to see them.

Sagiri, emerging from the bathroom, witnessed the scene and asked curiously, "What’s wrong with Saori?"

"She's feeling self-conscious about her chest," An He explained, then looked at Sagiri, only then noticing she was wearing a white swimsuit. Her dark hair was coiled behind her head, her fair skin exposed, and her bosom was nearly bursting out of the suit, revealing a vast expanse of white.

If Saori was a small, gentle hill, then Sagiri was Mt. Fuji rising from the plains—towering, magnificent, and eye-catching...

Seemingly embarrassed by An He’s uninhibited gaze, a blush crept up Sagiri’s cheeks. She pressed her legs together, shielded her chest with one hand, and nudged An He with the other. "Didn't you say we were going to the hot spring? Why haven't you changed yet?"

"Ah? Right." Her words snapped An He back to reality, and he rubbed his head with a sheepish laugh. "You two go on ahead, I'll go change." With that, he turned to his travel bag, grabbed a pair of swim trunks, and headed toward the bathroom.

Watching An He enter the bathroom, the flush on Sagiri’s face faded slightly. Recalling his gaze, she looked down at her own chest and weighed it with her hand, feeling both comforted and troubled by its heavy weight. Being large had its own frustrations; walking around with these two things every day was quite tiring. Sighing, she decided not to dwell on it. She turned to leave, only to be met by a resentful gaze from the doorway.

"I’m so envious," Saori said with a sour tone. Following her sister’s earlier gesture, she tried to weigh her own chest, but her small hands simply covered them entirely.

Seeing this, Sagiri’s lips trembled. She wanted to offer comfort, but after opening her mouth, no words came out. Finally, she stepped forward and gave Saori a silent hug.

...

By the time An He emerged from the bathroom, the sisters were gone. Carrying a tray with the snacks and three bottles of beer, he wandered toward the backyard. As he approached, the sound of happy laughter reached his ears. Looking over, he saw two figures—one large, one small—splashing water at each other in the pool. Their giggles rang out like wind chimes, echoing through the small courtyard.

He stood still for a moment, watching, before walking toward them. He hadn't gotten close before Saori, sharp-eyed as ever, spotted him and, without a second thought, scooped up a handful of water and splashed it at him. Caught off guard, An He was drenched.

Seeing her success, Saori cheered and waved her small fists, but before she could celebrate for long, An He dropped the snacks and leaped into the water. With a great splash, he easily caught the fleeing Saori.

What followed was a one-sided domination in the hot spring. Saori tried to resist, but her thin arms and legs batting against him felt more like flirting than fighting. Her skin, already delicate, became even more supple and sensitive after being soaked in the spring, making the physical contact feel incredibly intense. The farce eventually veered into something far more suggestive.

Sensing the situation changing, Saori hurriedly raised her hands to surrender, shouting, "I give up! I give up!"

An He, holding her from behind, released her at the right moment. As they separated, Saori scrambled away like a freed bird, not stopping until she reached the other side of the pool. As she turned, she snuck a glance at An He’s crotch, and her face instantly flushed bright red. She had felt something pressing against her behind earlier, and now, as she suspected, it was exactly what she feared.

"What a pervert," she whispered, but she felt no genuine anger. Instead, a surge of excitement rose within her, especially when she noticed her sister’s scrutinizing gaze from nearby.

On the other side, An He felt awkward about his physical reaction, but without the stimulation of Saori’s soft skin, he soon managed to calm his "little brother" down. However, the atmosphere in the pool had turned strange, and for a while, no one spoke.

Small snowflakes drifted from the sky, landing on their skin with a cool touch, but the heat of the water kept the cold at bay. After soaking for just a short while, An He felt beads of sweat forming on his brow. The sisters were the same; even through the steam, one could see their faces flushed a deep red.

Seeing the moment was right, An He straightened up and clapped his hands. When the sisters looked over, he cleared his throat and proposed, "Since we're just soaking, why don't we play a game?"

"What kind of game?" Saori’s lazy voice drifted over.

An He stood up, waded to the edge of the pool, and picked up the tray he had placed there, setting it to float on the water. The three bottles of beer and the mountain of snacks immediately captured the sisters' attention.

An He laughed, "Dice rolls—highest number wins. The loser drinks beer, the winner gets snacks. How about it?"

"But we aren't old enough to drink alcohol," Saori said, though she had already stood up in the water, her eyes full of anticipation as she looked at the tray.

An He looked at Sagiri. She hesitated for a moment before nodding. Seeing them both agree, An He’s lips curled into a smile; he fished two dice from beneath the snacks. He might not be lucky, but Sagiri certainly wasn't weak. Even now, he couldn't forget the "Gambling Saint" aura she had displayed at Serizawa Reina’s house, where she had gone three-for-three without a single loss.

As expected, things went exactly as An He had hoped. After over thirty rolls, Sagiri hadn't lost once, while Saori hadn't won a single time. By the time the final roll concluded and Saori finished the last half-cup of beer, the game was declared over. Having downed nearly two bottles of beer on her own, Saori’s face was flushed, her eyes glassy, and her head spinning.

Seeing her state, An He claimed it was for her safety and, ignoring her protests, carried her back to her room.

When An He returned to the courtyard, Sagiri was still sitting quietly in the hot spring. Seeing him approach, she offered a gentle smile and whispered, "You didn't have to go that far."

An He was stunned, not understanding her meaning, until she continued. "It's because of what happened with Mr. Ito today, right?"

An He paused, then nodded slowly and waded into the pool, sitting beside her. Once he was seated, she leaned her head against his shoulder. Looking up at the starry sky and enjoying the warmth of the spring, she said softly, "I guessed it when you brought out the beer, An He-kun. You actually wanted to get Saori drunk so that tonight, you could be with me..."

Sagiri’s face turned crimson—whether from the heat or shyness, it was hard to tell. She didn't finish her sentence, but the implication was clear.

After a long silence, An He let out a breath and pulled Sagiri onto his lap. He looked into her eyes and chuckled, "I still couldn't hide it from you."

Sagiri blinked, then gave a cunning smile and teased, "Aren't you afraid I'll drain you dry again?"

"Not at all." An He answered without hesitation and slowly leaned in.

Seeing this, the corners of her mouth lifted; she closed her eyes and tilted her head back.

Their lips met. Under the moonlight, they embraced tightly, feeling the warm breath from each other’s nostrils. This time, An He’s movements were incredibly gentle, as if he were carving a delicate work of art, not missing a single part of her.

After a long while, they parted. Sagiri rested her chin on his shoulder, panting softly, her eyes hazy with a misty glow. Unknowingly, their position had shifted from her sitting sideways on his lap to sitting facing him, bringing their bodies into even closer, intimate contact. The soft pressure from her chest felt like a mountain, and it wasn't long before An He had a physical reaction.

At the same time, feeling the sudden, firm pressure against her inner thigh, Sagiri immediately realized what it was. Her already flushed face became even more radiant and delicate. She turned her head to glare at him, but she didn't pull away. Instead, she slowly moved her hand down and cleared away the barrier that stood in their way...