Chapter XVIII: Wonder of Haruka's World! Big Mara Satoshi!
"You mind telling me what's going on?" Haruka folded her arms; being at the center and one end of the long dining table while constantly tapping her fingers and putting up a somewhat annoyed face. "You tell me that you're all busy with something then you hide inside the cabinet of our room?"
"Well…it's complicated." Kanata tried talking her way out of the interrogation; pushing her two pointing fingers against each other. "But I think we should just forget the whole thing and—"
"Kanata…" Haruka smiled. "Do you want to learn freefalling? The terrace is just behind you, kamo."
As long as it involves being shoved off the edge of a base or something, the brunette girl means serious business.
"Okay, okay, I give!" Kanata bowed down before her brunette mistress. "I convinced the others to say 'no' just to force you to take Satoshi."
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After unpacking their things from their bags, the gang went up to the topmost floor of the resort where an exhilarating view of the town and the surrounding area invigorated them both in mind and body. From the view deck, the town proper was relatively small—covering only a small land area in the vastness of the adjacent forests. The cold breeze blew and touched their skin; the chill moving down along their backside.
"It's c-cold, kamo." The brunette girl said; shivering before the cold. "If I only knew, I would have brought my jacket along."
"You're such a lucky girl, Haruka." Kanata replied. "Going on a hot spring resort with Satoshi…all alone…just the two of you…"
"Kanata, it's not like that. We're just here to enjoy the hot bath, that's all."
"Then in the cover of darkness, when everybody is asleep, you two will concede to each other's pleasure and—"
"Waaaaaaah…! That's too much, kamo!" Haruka covered her face in complete embarrassment.
"Ha, ha, ha, ha…there's no need to be embarrassed. Pleasure is a part of love."
"B-But we're still…young, kamo."
"Nothing is too young or too old in love. You can even marry Satoshi in his 80s."
"K-Kanata…!"
So everybody's refusal was nothing more but an excuse. Takeshi happened to be babysitting somebody's Mizugurou—his Mizugurou, ironically. Hikari was already living with her mother long before they even moved to Touka City. Shuu wasn't even a basketball player—heck, he wasn't even interested in dribbling and shooting some balls. Kanata was so tired from last time's play (that had almost gone ridiculously wrong after Rocket Dan's unexpected appearance); she did hand over the responsibility of the next skit to another person.
However, there is only one person who lied about coming but the reason turned out to be true.
"Konomi-sama, I've managed to secure a hot spring room for you." A well-dressed butler in a tux approached Konomi. "Do you need anything else?"
"It's okay, we're cool." Konomi replied. "Thank you for your effort, Sebastian."
"It's my pleasure." The butler bowed down sincerely and left the view deck.
Hikari couldn't help but ask Konomi about the man in the tux.
"Konomi, who's he?" The blue-haired girl asked.
"Oh, he's the family butler: Sebastian." Konomi answered. "I also asked him to make reservations for us in the family resort."
"Oh, did he? Well that's so nice of…" Suddenly, Hikari put up a puzzled look on her face. "Wait a minute, family resort…? Then that means…"
"Yup, my family runs this place." Konomi smiled.
"Oh, is that so? Well, you're pretty rich…" Hikari replied as if nothing surprising happened. But it didn't take her long to figure out that unbelievable fact that made her snap. "EH?"
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"Huh? Haruka, you didn't invite Kasumi along?" Kanata asked as she took off her clothes.
"Not with that secret of hers, kamo…" Haruka whispered.
"Hmm…touché…"
That chilly afternoon before nightfall, the boys and girls went on their separate ways and entered the hot spring room reserved for them earlier. The only thing that separates beauties and brawns is one tall bamboo fence stretching across the room. The temperature was just right for relaxation despite an even colder wind blowing out in the open. The girls slowly dipped themselves in the hot water; feet first of course. They felt relaxed as soon as they sank themselves into the hot spring.
"Ah, this feels good kamo." Haruka let out a sigh of satisfaction. "I never thought that hot baths were this relaxing."
"It's no surprise, really." Kanata said. "We are, after all, on the base of Mt. Chimney."
"Ah…I can get used to this." Hikari lowered her body even deeper into the hot pool.
"Don't count on it. You'll faint before you know it."
The other side of the hot spring room wasn't as lively as the girls' side. Although it would've been more fun coed style, boys and girls sharing one hot spring was really a no-go.
Half-an-hour later, the girls wrapped themselves in their towels and walked back to the changing room.
"Huh? You're done already?" Haruka asked.
"We're going to prepare dinner back in our room." Kanata said. "We'll be back, don't worry."
"Well…if you say so."
From the looks of things, she thought that she was going to be alone. But actually, this was the chance she has been waiting for. As soon as the other girls left the hot spring, Haruka wrapped herself with a towel and went back to the changing room where she drew out a monster ball. She returned to the hot spring area and called out the Pokemon within.
"Achamo, come on out!" The brunette girl called.
Then both trainer and Pokemon put their plan into action.
"Achamo, can you drill a hole in the fence using your Peck attack? But not too loud or they'll hear it at the other side." Haruka pleaded her beginner Pokemon who willingly agreed and began drilling a hole rapidly but silently in the bamboo fence.
As soon as the Pokemon's pecking beak penetrated through the other side, Achamo tried pulling its beak out but it seemed to be stuck. Achamo kept on pulling but it was really stuck to the point that if somebody doesn't do something right now, Haruka would be regretting herself in total shame.
"What's the matter, Achamo? Is your beak stuck?" Haruka grabbed her Pokemon partner-in-crime and began pulling as well. "Hang in there; I'll help you get out of there."
They pulled as hard as they could and as fast before the other girls return for another dose of stress busters. Several minutes of pulling later, Achamo finally freed itself from the clutches of the bamboo fence but at a price—its beak was hurting real bad.
"I'm sorry, Achamo. You take a long rest now, kamo." Haruka ordered her Pokemon back, returned the monster ball back to her belt bag, and took a dip again in the hot tub.
But now that she has a small peeping hole after ready, she didn't hesitate in looking for wonders beyond the bamboo fence. As soon as she peeked into the hole her Achamo drilled with its beak, she saw three silhouettes behind the thin layer of mist created by the hot spring. Haruka recognized the silhouettes very well since she has been hanging around with the same guys for almost two semesters already. The guys didn't talk much in the hot springs. After all, what was there to talk about by guys anyway?
"The boys are awfully silent tonight, kamo." Haruka whispered to herself; trying to get closer as far as the hole would allow her eye. "Don't they have at least something to talk about?"
Suddenly, she saw one of the boys stand up on top of the rocky floor above the hot spring pool—it was Satoshi. He wasn't wearing any towel and he was facing the bamboo fence—straight through the hole where the brunette girl was peeping at. Take note of three things: (1) Satoshi wasn't wearing anything; (2) he was facing towards the bamboo columns; and (3) Haruka was secretly looking from the other side.
"Oh, S-Satoshi…t-that's…" The brunette girl didn't know what to say. "B-Big…m-mara…a-a-a-ah…it's too much to…look at!"
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Half-an-hour later, the girls returned to the girls' hot spring pool wearing their towels around their bodies…
"Wait until they see tonight's dinner." Kanata said to the other two.
"It's a good thing we have Konomi as a friend." Hikari nodded.
"Aw come on, you're giving me way too much credit." Konomi replied; blushing red.
…only to realize that somebody was floating on top of the hot water…
"Haruka…!" The girls immediately jumped into the water and came to the rescue. They saw her eyes, once again, that of a Patchiiru (Spinda). Her face and some parts of her body were dyed red.
"B-Big mara…S-Sato…shi…" The brunette girl couldn't even get her words straight.
"Big mara…? What is she talking about? She's not making any sense."
They never figured out what Haruka was trying to say…at least until dinnertime.
TO BE CONTINUED