"Ah, the hot springs," MC sighed happily as he stretched. It was late in the evening, and far away from the hustle and bustle of the busy city, he and Natsuki found themselves in a private corner of a relatively rural hot springs. It was just the weekend getaway that the two of them desired.

Natsuki stood beside him, wearing nothing but a towel. "Yep! And if we're lucky, maybe a little something else, too."

"Hmmmm?" MC questioned. "You mean like a late dinner afterwards?"

Natsuki frowned, and with a deadpan expression, looked him straight in the eye. "Yeah, that's exactly what I meant," she sarcastically clarified.

It didn't do any good, but it was worth a try.

"Where did you find this place, anyway?" MC questioned as they stepped toward a completely unoccupied pool that offered a tremendously gorgeous view of the distant cityscape.

"I have my sources," Natsuki informed with a sly smirk. By sources, she meant Monika, who had often used this particular hot springs as a romantic getaway with an unspecified partner. Natsuki didn't ask questions that she felt would make Monika uncomfortable, so she simply assumed that Monika's boyfriend was a lucky guy and moved on from that topic. If she had pried further, maybe she would have found out that Monika's 'boyfriend' was actually a shy, purple-haired girl that loved to read, and that would have certainly been a surprise to her. But for now, she remained as oblivious to Monika's love life as MC was to her own sexual desires.

MC nodded off at the simplistic changing booths a little way's off from the springs. He was already clad in a pair of yellow swim trunks. "Well, I'll meet you back here once you change into your trunks, and then we can get some R-and-R.

Natsuki's eyes narrowed as her smirk grew larger. "MC, this is a clothing-optional hot springs," she declared. Without waiting for a reply, she proceeded to throw her towel off. It fluttered away in the breeze, which would probably be quite the hassle whenever they needed to leave. For now, however, it didn't concern her.

MC eye's gaze lowered, first to her breasts, and then to her bare crotch. As his face rapidly flushed, he tried to clear his throat. "Well, uh, I guess that saves you money on a swimsuit," he tried to joke. Obviously, it fell flat.

After a moment of silence, Natsuki forced herself to laugh at nonexistent wit. After the painful bout of fake laughter, she waded into the water and found a spot deep enough that, if she sat, would cover her entire body for the next down. She did just that, sighing as the comforting sensation of a hot bath quite literally washed over her. With her eyes closed, she stretched her arm out, probing for MC's back. It was nowhere within reach. She opened her eyes to find MC standing there, still clad in his trunks. She couldn't help but scowl.

"What are you waiting for?" she questioned rhetorically. "Come on in! There's plenty of room for the both of us."

MC glanced around to make sure no-one was looking, a useless endeavor considering they were the only ones in the immediate vicinity of this spring. "Uh, well. . . Natsuki, do you mind if I tell you something?"

Her sharp expression dropped into something more neutral. "What?"

He looked incredibly uncomfortable. "I support your whole nudism venture; I really do. And I think it's great that you have so much confidence in your body, but I don't share your, uh, enthusiasm for it. I really wish you had told me where we were going today, because I would have packed you a swimsuit."

Natsuki crossed her arms and glanced downward, avoiding eye contact. What did he have to be ashamed of? He had a great body and all the sex appeal a respectable girl could reasonably ask for. She, on the other hand, had only A-cup breasts and a curveless figure. From her perspective, he had absolutely zero room to complain.

"Natsuki? Are you alright?"

She glanced up, and her expression was half-angry, half-pensive. She said nothing for a long while, and then sighed. What right did she have to push his boundaries like this? Back when they first met, he had taken things slow with her, never dragging her into a social situation that she found uncomfortable. It was one of the reasons why she fell for him. It was one of the reasons why her heart was set aflutter in a way she never knew she could have felt when she found out he loved her. He was so patient, and here she was, going out of her way to use him as a glorified sex toy.

She was no longer angry, at least, not at him. A pang of self-hatred flashed through her mind, shaming her. She swallowed, rose up, and covered her body to the best of her ability. Suddenly, she longed for modesty.

"Natsuki, please say something," MC urged, his tone suggesting considerable concern rather than any anger or frustration. Even after all of the uncomfortable situations that she put him through, he still cared more about her than he had any right to.

"You're right," she stated, meeting him at the edge of the water. Her right arm remained firmly pressed against her bosomless chest while her left hand covered her pussy. She still couldn't look him in the eye, no matter how hard she tried. "I'm just. . . I'm just a stupid fucking slut, aren't I?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, she hated herself even more for uttering them. It wasn't that she thought them untrue, but rather that she knew it would guilt-trip MC. The last thing she wanted to do at this point was make him feel worse than he already felt, but she had likely done it.

Sure enough, she felt her eyes water. She ferociously fought back the tears, but a few spilled anyway.

MC placed a hand on her shoulder and bent down so that their heads were at an exactly even level. "Natsuki."

It was only one word, but the way he said it was just so contradictory. It was firm, yet loving, distant, yet kind. She sniffled, then, by something approaching a miracle, she managed to glance into his eyes.

"I'm sorry," she uttered meekly, glancing away. She wiped the tears away while they were still just in her eyes. It took a momentous effort of will, but Natsuki was nothing if not stubborn. "I don't understand how you put up with me," she remarked truthfully. "All I do is yell at you and confuse you and-"

He pulled her in and kissed her on the lips, eliciting a muffled gasp out of her. Once she realized what he had done, though, she didn't struggle. Instead, she melted in his embrace, clinging onto him as if he were a piece of driftwood in an otherwise empty sea. And in that moment, like every other time he kissed her like this, every self-doubt she ever had seemed like nothing at all. Alas, all good things must come to an end, but when they eventually parted, Natsuki swore she saw something like invigoration in MC's gaze.

"Alright," he declared with a smile. "For you. Because it makes you happy, and therefore it should also make me happy."

Natsuki beamed. She was no longer crying, far from it. Instead, she approached the hot spring and cautiously dipped a toe in the water. She winced, but a little heat didn't stop her from slowly lowering herself into the pool. She shot an inviting look at him once she was comfortable, but to her slight disappointment, he had yet to join her.

MC, having dropped his own towel by that point, fiddled anxiously with the knot tied around the front of his swimsuit. It was remarkably evident that he was still not entirely comfortable with this, but Natsuki's smile seemed to convince him that it was all worth it. He untied the knot and dropped his trunks. His erect cock sprung into the evening air, and Natsuki was unable to hold back her enthusiasm. She felt the return of an entirely different kind of heat, and she found it far from unwelcome. Without waiting to check the water, he scrambled in and took a seat a few feet away from her.

She closed the gap between them without the slightest hint of subtlety. To her pleasant surprise, MC neither resisted nor rebuked her, even once their outer thighs brushed up against one another. Despite this closeness, Natsuki did not want to rush the moment, just in case it would make MC too uncomfortable. Instead, they talked. Alone, away from the all the hustle and bustle of everyday life, the two of them took the time to thoroughly relax. Time stretched on, and soon the sun was behind the horizon. Unfortunately for Natsuki, she still hungered for more than just casual conversation. At last, unable to contain her lust any longer, Natsuki rose from her seat, grabbed MC by the shoulders, and held him in place. With a swiftness that surprised even herself, she swung her body so that she sat on his knees, facing him. She leaned in and kissed in a way that she had never done before. Before MC could even register what had happened, their tongues met. His eyes, wide open from the sudden shock, eventually closed. A muffled moan escaped him, and Natsuki giggled when she felt the tip of his cock brush against her belly. If his dick was any indicator, he wanted this just as badly as she did.

He might have taken her right then and there, had a surprise visitor not intruded at the worst possible moment.

"Hey! Hey! MC! Natsuki! HEEEEEEEYYYYYYY!"

Natsuki broke back with a surprised yelp and, unable to keep her balance, fell into the hot springs with a tremendous splash! She rose a second later to find a lone figure running towards them, still clad in a white towel. Natsuki grumbled and wiped her eyes in order to get a better look, only to gasp in complete terror when she saw that it was Sayori running towards them.

Ever since she started dating MC, Natsuki had always exercised a degree of wariness around Sayori. After all, she was his childhood friend, and in some circumstances seemed clingier than even the closest friends should be. To the girl's credit, however, she had never expressed any sort of jealously about MC's new relationship, only a slight disappointment that he no longer spent as much time around her as he used to. Despite the fact that Sayori probably did only see MC as a friend, she was still quite the cockblock in any situation where she was present. Natsuki swore she was a natural third wheel.

Even now, when she must've seen that the two were completely nude and in an intimate situation, she dashed over to them with a big grin plastered on her face. "Hey guys!" she bellowed like the bubbliest of alarms.

If looks could kill, Sayori would be as dead as a doorbell. Without lifting her scowl at all, Natsuki grumbled a mere "Hey." MC, who was, well, naked in front of his childhood friend, glanced away and could not find it in his heart to answer.

To Natsuki's logical, rational mind, the lukewarm reception that Sayori got should have clued her in to the idea that she was not wanted here, at least not at this time. Unfortunately, Sayori was about as good with hits as an 80-year-old man with arthritis playing baseball. She remained undeterred, and as she took a seat along the edge of the hot springs, she simply asked: "How's it going?"

"Good," Natsuki continued with the passive-aggressive, one-word answers.

"I'm f-fine," MC chimed in. Before Sayori had arrived at the edge of the water, he had lowered himself as deep into the springs as a sitting position would allow, which concealed his embarrassing boner from sight. Though it was probably a lost cause to non-verbally signal boundary lines to Sayori, Natsuki scooted over to her boyfriend's side and placed her right arm around him. She stopped frowning just long enough to smile lovingly in his direction, which was meant less for his sake and more for a go away, we are having an intimate moment here.

Alas, if MC was bad at taking hints, Sayori was no better and perhaps a little bit worse. "I didn't know you two frequented this place," she commented.

"Well, we do," Natsuki stated flatly. "And I'd rather you just go-"

She felt a pinch on her outer thigh, which caused her to yelp in surprise. She turned to MC, only to find his face a mixture of sternness and embarrassment. He mouthed 'be nice' at her, which was enough to make her realize just how much of an ass she was being to one of her closest friends.

Clearing her throat, she started again, forcing herself to smile in a manner that would pass for welcoming. "And I'd rather you just go. . . Go on and join us!" Natsuki stated spontaneously.

What are you doing!? Her inner voice shouted at her. Get her the fuck out of here!

"Don't mind if I do!" Sayori beamed. Then, as if she couldn't be anymore of a cockblock, she stripped herself of her towel and leaned back, propping herself up with her hands. Sayori had a rather mediocre diet and was a frequent consumer of junk food and sugary sweets, and her body reflected that only a little bit. She was chubby, sure, but it seemed as if the excess fat had dumped itself in all the right places. From the waist up, she remained slender, sporting a pair of B-cup breasts that were as perky as her personality. What she lacked in boobs, however, she made up for below the belly button. Even when she was sitting on it, Natsuki could tell that Sayori's ass was nice and fat. Any boy would've been lucky to have had her sit on their face. Complimenting Sayori's bodacious booty was a pair of thick thighs that even Monika would have had trouble competing with. Natsuki, who was entirely straight, was far more alarmed by this revelation than she was impressed.

Then, Sayori stood up, and it was then that Natsuki detected (what she considered to be) a bona fide flaw in Sayori's sex appeal. Between her legs was an absolute forest of peach-colored pubes. It was as if Sayori had never seen a razor in her life. It was a jungle down there, disorder and confusion everywhere. No-one seemed to care, well she did, at least from a grooming standpoint. Yeah, it was a little bit of extra work to maintain her shaved pussy, but Natsuki actually felt a tad queasy upon seeing Sayori so brazenly hairy.

She didn't have much time to dwell on it, however, because Sayori soon waded into the pool and sat across from her two friends. As she sat down, she leaned back and sighed with every hint of relaxed pleasure. "I love coming here after a hard week at school," she stated with a giggle. "Which, you know, every week for me is hard."

Natsuki shot MC a look. He was glancing downward, seemingly unable to make eye contact with Sayori. If she strained her eyes hard enough, she could still see his boner beneath the water, hard as diamonds. She saw at once why he was so nervous: While casual nudity between the sexes was more acceptable in a place like this, it would still likely creep Sayori out if it appeared that he was so 'excited' to see her.

"Yeah," MC croaked, then forced himself to chuckle. "Silly Sayori, always getting into lazy mischief."

Sayori cocked an eyebrow. "Are you OK, MC?" she innocently inquired, leaning forward and placing a hand on MC's forehead. "You're burning up! Oh no! Do you need to see a doctor."

Natsuki rose and practically shoved Sayori back down before she could get any closer to MC. "Hahaha! Silly Sayori! We're in a hot springs, of course he's hot!" she explained incredibly quickly. "And he'd probably feel a lot less hot if only one girl was right next to him."

"Nat," MC tried to scold, but it came out as a sexually frustrated moan. Now that Sayori had joined them, it seemed as if he had suddenly become a lot more pent up. Natsuki felt her heart ache; the connection, whether real or imagined, certainly didn't make her feel any better about her body image.

In any case, Sayori was not offended. With a self-deprecating, disarming, and silly grin, she leaned back. "No, no. She has a point. You two are dating and all, ehehehe! Sorry if I got a little too close for comfort, there."

"It's f-f-fine," MC blubbered. Suddenly, he rose, his hands placed delicately in front of his crotch. His paltry attempts to cover his cock were not enough to keep Sayori from getting a solid eyeful. "If you'll excuse me, I need to use the bathroom!"

With that declaration, he stepped out of the springs and scampered into the building, leaving Sayori and Natsuki alone. As soon as he was out of sight, Sayori whistled in surprise.

"Wow, Natsuki," she giggled. "You sure are a lucky girl."

Natsuki crossed her arms and groaned. "You have no idea."

"Getting that every night must be-"

Natsuki placed a hand in front of her and shook her head. "Nonono, you literally have no idea. I have been trying to get laid for a week!" she exclaimed. She rose, pointing an accusing finger at Sayori. "Do you have any idea how close I was to getting fucked today!? Do you!?"

Surprised and more than a little concerned, Sayori finally stopped smiling. "Oh, uhhh, sorry about that. If I had known, I would've, you know, waited."

Natsuki's eyes narrowed. "You didn't try to sabotage this, did you?"

Sayori was silent for a solid beat, then burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. Natsuki only found herself further confused, but when Sayori eventually calmed down, her silly smile had returned. "Oh, Natsuki, you always make me laugh. MC and I have been friends since we were both toddlers. He's like a brother to me, and who in their right mind would want to have sex with their brother?"

"You don't read a lot of hentai, do you?"

Sayori cocked her head in confusion. "Uh, no? What does that have to do with-"

"Never mind!" Natsuki interjected, but ultimately offered a pitiful smile. "Sorry I got hateful with you, there. It's just. . . I really want things to go to the next level, but I can't seem to get him to cooperate. I feel like it's taking a toll on my sanity!"

Sayori nodded, scratching her chin in thought. "Well, have you tried talking to him about what he might like in the bedroom?"

Natsuki hesitated, then shook her head. "I've just been trying to seduce him, but it seems like every time I try, I only end up making him feel uncomfortable, confused, or worse, I end up causing a mess. . ."

Involuntarily, she began to tear up, hugging her knees to her chest. She glanced into the water, as if expecting the solution to arise like the Loch Ness Monster when it needs about $3.50. "Sometimes, I feel as though I'm just not beautiful to him."

Suddenly, she felt a harsh slap across the cheek. She glanced up in startled shock to find Sayori glaring daggers at her.

"Natsuki, I will not hear such self-degradation from one of my friends! You are a beautiful, talented, and most importantly, you are loved. Not just by us, as friends, but by him. Do you know how he talks about you when you're not around? He's gaga over you! I don't want you to become pestered by the rainclouds like I used to be, is that clear!?"

Natsuki rubbed her cheek and nodded. Despite the pain, she felt touched by Sayori's reassurance. Even when she appeared angry and hostile, she somehow always managed to make others feel better. "Thanks, Sayori," she offered with a smile.

"No problem!" Sayori exclaimed, and her sweet grin returned. She stretched out her arms. "Hug?"

Natsuki shook her head. "Maybe later. . . When we're both wearing clothes."

"Oh, yeah. Good point!"