Later that night, Shujinkou and his grandmother, Hisa, were in the middle of a game of Go. After spending the last 20 minutes contemplating what move he needed to make next, the answer finally came to him.
"I have nothing," Shujinkou conceded.
Shujinkou and Hisa cleared the Go Board and started to return their respective stones back in their cups. It wasn't a close game, but Shujinkou was used to being crushed by his grandmother. As far he was concerned, he was just happy that she didn't mind playing an inferior player.
After sealing the stone cup with its top, an uncomfortable feeling came over Shujinkou as he watched an "interesting" smile form on Hisa's face.
"So… a literature club," Hisa said.
"Yeah…" Shujinkou knew that this exact moment was coming. He was just surprised that she didn't speak up earlier.
"I didn't expect you to be joining any clubs, let alone a literature club," Hisa giggled. "You wouldn't have joined it because the club has 4 beautiful women, did you?"
"Granny Hisa…" Shujinkou cheeks turned rosy read from that one comment.
This exact situation was the reason he has yet to tell his own mother that the rest of the club was of the opposite gender.
"Just messing with you, Shujinkou," Hisa chuckled. "But you have to acknowledge the fact that that's what it looks like from an outsider's perspective."
Shujinkou couldn't argue with his grandmother there. If anyone in the school actually cared what he was doing then the other members of the club would appear to be the prime reason he joined.
He then watched his grandmother crawl to his side of the board and was pulled into another loving embrace.
"But you know, as long as you're having fun, that's what important," Hisa said.
"I am," Shujinkou grinned.
"Good," Hisa smiled. "So what fun things happened since you joined?"
"Well…" Shujinkou started to explain to his grandmother what has happened since he joined the club. Going through a haunted house with Yuri, spending an afternoon drawing with Natsuki, enjoying a parfait with Monika, spending an evening reminiscing with Sayori; each tale causing her interest in the subject to grow more and more.
Though of course there were a few moments he couldn't elaborate on, but other than those, he was able to catch his grandmother up on everything he's done since his joining.
Once he was done, the elderly woman released him from her grip and jumped on her feet.
"Welp, I gotta go and take care of some business," Hisa said.
"What kind of business?" Shujinkou asked.
"Hisa-buisness," she smiled.
"Oh…" her grandson mumbled.
That was his grandmother's way of answering his questions without really answering them and just like every other time, it peaked his curious nature. Sometimes he wonders if she was purposely teasing him.
Meanwhile, in one of the outdoor spring baths, Sayori emerged from the water and stretched her relaxed arms in front of the other club members.
"I still can't believe it…" Natsuki mumbled.
"Can't believe what? That a relative of Shujinkou owns one of the most well-known spa resorts or that she's Shujinkou's grandmother?" Monika asked.
"Both!" Natsuki replied.
Monika couldn't blame Natsuki for still thinking about the revelations that occurred earlier that day. It was quite the surprise to figure out that such a youthful woman was Shujinkou' grandmother… and that she owned the spa resort.
"Don't let it get to you," Monika smiled. "After all, we're supposed to be relaxing."
With that said; Monika immediately turned her gaze towards Yuri and noticed an annoyed expression resting on her face.
"What's wrong, Yuri?" she asked.
"I'm having a little trouble keeping my bre-" Yuri immediately stopped herself from completing that sentence and covered her chest with her towel clad arms. "Never mind!"
Yuri turned away in embarrassment, causing Natsuki to feel slightly annoyed.
"Showoff…" Natsuki muttered.
"Did you say something?" Yuri asked.
"Not really," Natsuki said.
The petite club member lightly caressed her own chest and sighed.
"Hey, Sayori, what's the deal with Shujinkou's grandma?" Natsuki queried.
"What do you mean?" Sayori stared at Natsuki, perplexed by her strange question.
"You know… How does she- How can she look so young?!" Natsuki sputtered.
She couldn't help but stress the last word. Hisa's appearance was really driving her crazy.
"I don't know," Sayori answered.
"Ugh…" Natsuki groaned.
"Perhaps she uses very special skin cream," Yuri suggested. "They're well-known for slightly reversing the aging process."
"What are hers made from? The fountain of youth?" Natsuki blurted.
"No, but wouldn't that be a cool product."
Startled by the sudden interjection, Monika, Natsuki and Yuri turned around and laid their eyes on Hisa. The three girls felt a heavy mixture of surprise and embarrassment upon realizing that Hisa overheard their conversation and each reacted in a way that was expected.
"Granny Hisa!" Sayori happily waved. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, as the manager I have to make sure the baths are still good," Hisa replied. "I know it's a sucky job, but someone has to do it."
Hisa casually slipped into the bath and let out a relaxed sigh.
"Still good," she confirmed. "So how are you girls enjoying the place so far?"
"It's great!" Sayori beamed.
Her fellow club members silently nodded their heads, causing Hisa to giggle in response.
"You don't need to feel embarrassed," Hisa said. "Lots of people like to theorize about my appearance. I'm used to it."
Though surprised by Hisa's nonchalant attitude, it allowed the girls to relax a bit more.
"But enough about me; There's something I have to know," she continued. "How did you ladies get my grandson to join a literature club?"
"We didn't really do anything special. We just welcomed him with open arms," Monika answered.
"Plus, some begging and manipulating from Sayori helped," Natsuki added.
"Should've known," Hisa chuckled, patting Sayori's head as she did.
"She knows me so well," Sayori laughed.
"So what do you guys do in this club?" Hisa asked.
"Well, we do a lot of things," Monika replied. "We read and share our input on various literary works, we write…"
"Huh…" Hisa blankly stared at Monika for a few moments before bursting out into laughter. "I'm sorry! I just can't picture Shujinkou doing any of that!"
"Ah, well he can quickly come up with stories quickly," Yuri said.
"Plus, he knows quite a few literary tropes," Monika added.
"And his taste in literature isn't so bad," Natsuki reluctantly admitted. "Though his writing needs work."
"I thought you said he wasn't able to write anything down," Sayori said, perplexed by Natsuki's claim.
"Exactly," Natsuki said.
"Well, everyone needs time to establish their own writing style," Yuri defended.
"Huh, and here I thought that my grandson couldn't surprise me anymore," Hisa giggled. "Well, it's nice to know that he's getting along with his fellow club mates."
Hisa slowly stood up and stepped out of the bath.
"I got some business to take of now, so I'll leave you girls to your bath," Hisa said, wrapping her towel back around her voluptuous form.
"What kind of business?" Sayori asked.
"Hisa-business," Hisa smiled.
With that, Hisa disappeared back into the resort, leaving behind a quiet and confused atmosphere.
"She's someone's grandmother?!" Natsuki sputtered, breaking the silence. "I still can't believe it…"
"Despite that, she seems like a nice lady," Monika said.
"She is," Sayori replied. "She'd invite Shujinkou over here all the time during the summer and he used to accept all the time."
"They do appear to be quite close," Yuri said. "But why did he stop accepting the offer?"
"Eh? Did I say used to?" Sayori weakly giggled. "Well, it was just that he found something else to do in the summer."
Sayori continued to giggle in a highly suspicious manner, completely unaware that she was actually raising the other girls' suspicions.