Classroom of the Elite: The Eroge

by LanceSennin

When Ayanokouji Kiyotaka wished for something that can interest him in his new school, he didn't think it would be something like this. After waking up with some weird texts appearing around him and finding out that he is some kind of 'Protagonist' with the power of raising 'Flags', will he be able to survive what's about to come his way? Inspired by SaintInfernalNeos' fic.

15. Bonus Scene 1: Onsens are Fun!

In case you guys aren't part of the Discord server, the results of the poll have been out for a while. The two winners are Yuki and Haruka, therefore they will be the new heroines who'll be unlocked for the next volume. With that out of the way, let's head into the final chapter of Volume 1. Consider this my Christmas present so I hope you enjoy!

Discord link: [discord . gg / 4y5QVPj]

Disclaimer: I don't own Classroom of the Elite but if I did, there will be MAJOR CHANGES.

---

Everything was returning back to normal for the students of Class D. After their midterms were over, everyone celebrated getting a passing grade in all of their subjects, which also meant that none of them got expelled.

Of course, this didn't mean that they were back to their old ways of being the class of defectives. Hirata, Horikita, and the rest of the student tutors reminded everyone that they aren't safe yet, because they are surely being monitored until now. Plus, they were still waiting for their allowance for the next month, and none of them wanted their already-low points to get worse.

But for now, they deserved to enjoy the rest of the week and treat it as a moment of rest after weeks of preparing and studying for the midterms. It was now Friday, and everyone was ready for the weekend to arrive… at least the ones who arrived at the classroom early. There's still about half an hour before their first period begins.

Surprisingly, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka didn't feel like he was deprived of sleep hours like he always does. Why? Because he had two relaxing slumbers in the past days to the point that he felt completely rejuvenated today. He didn't even feel like taking his usual nap before Chabashira-sensei arrived.

How was this possible?

Ever since their midterm results were released two days ago, the system had been quiet again and it didn't activate out of nowhere in that span of time. Actually, it didn't activate at all, even when he interacted with the heroines who were also his classmates. It allowed him two days worth of early and uninterrupted slumbers, which were probably the best he's had ever since the school year began.

Just like before though, he didn't trust the sudden halt in the system. Sure, it's only been two days since it last activated but considering the fact that he now had a total of 10 heroines, Kiyotaka wasn't taking any chances.

For now, he was spending his time searching up 'eroge visual novel walkthroughs' online and watching how each game was played, particularly the choices that had to be made similar to how he does it whenever his own superpower provides him with the three choices.

Hey, he may have some knowledge about the genre itself, but he still had a lot to learn… who knows? Maybe learning from these games would help him adapt to his situation, especially now when he could tell that the system was planning to do something big… it just was, and he could feel it. That's how these things normally work.

Meanwhile, the person beside him was reading a book in peace, ignoring how two of her female classmates were having an engaging conversation right in front of her desk. It was interesting yet bizarre to see Horikita Suzune not minding such a scenario happen right in front of her, perhaps she was already used to it?

"Ne, ne, Horikita-san. Have you ever taken a bath in an onsen before?" came Kushida's voice, snapping the black-haired girl out of her own little world and making her look up to face her friend.

Kushida and Matsushita both had curious looks on their faces, as they waited patiently for a response from her. Somehow, Horikita was able to understand what their question was about and didn't have to ask the two to repeat what they said.

"An onsen?" Suzune blinked as she thought about that particular question for a few moments. She then tried to remember an instance where she went to a hot springs spot in the past. "I believe I have, when I was younger and with my family. However, I don't remember much from it. Why do you ask?"

Kikyo flashed an eager smile. "Me and Matsushita-san were thinking… what if our school had a bathhouse which also had an onsen? If there was, then I'd go there at the end of every week to relax, especially when it's a busy one. I don't know what it feels like to take a bath there since I've never been to one, but I think it'll be really fun!"

"That doesn't sound bad, as long as an hour or two in the water doesn't cost too much," Chiaki nodded in agreement. She and her family had been to many private bathhouses at this point, yet she never grew tired of the feeling of cleaning herself while being submerged in steaming water.

"Well, I think I've read that an hour is equal to 500 yen, which also means that it would cost 500 points if we want to go to one… assuming the school builds a bathhouse, of course!"

"That's not a bad deal. I don't spend that much points, anyway." Chiaki smiled. Spending 500 points every week in exchange for a relaxing time in an onsen was worth it, and it's not like they'd run out of points to spend since they had a monthly allowance. "I might even go for two hours if I'm feeling really tired."

"Two hours sounds even more fun!" Kikyo agreed, before turning towards their other classmate. "What about you, Horikita-san?"

Suzune raised an eyebrow in slight confusion. She listened to the two and answered Kikyo's question, yes, but she didn't expect to be a part of their conversation.

"Pardon?"

"Would you spend 500 points for an hour in the onsen?"

Suzune stared at her for a moment before shaking her head. "A pointless question. I don't believe it's possible for this school to have one."

"Oh, come on! Just imagine that we have a bathhouse within the school premises. Wouldn't it be fun to go there and relax?"

"There would be no point in imagining it if there's no chance of it happening in the first place."

"Why wouldn't it be possible, Horikita-san?" asked Chiaki, wondering if there's a specific reason why their classmate didn't want to answer a question that was purely hypothetical.

"Bathhouses might be found in public, but they are nothing more than places for people to rest and stay clean. Our school might house other places of interest like the mall, but I don't believe it would have a site such as a bathhouse."

"But why?" asked Kikyo.

"Is it not obvious? Bathhouses require people to shed clothing in order to use them, and I doubt that the school would let its students do such a thing in a public place. Furthermore, they are more popular with tourists and there are none around here, only students and instructors."

"But bathhouses are also popular with regular citizens, Horikita-san. There isn't a weekend where bathhouses aren't filled with people because they want to relax after a long week of working or studying."

"That is also true," Suzune conceded. "Of course, I could be wrong and that the higher-ups of the school could be planning to establish one. But as far as we know, there's no such place."

"Seeing Horikita being like this towards other people is still something I have to get used to," Kiyotaka said in his thoughts. He had been paying attention to them ever since Kikyo and Chiaki included the black-haired girl in their conversation and was interested in how it would play out.

"What about you, Ayanokouji-kun?"

Hearing his name being called snapped the young man out of his thoughts and brought him back to reality, as he noticed that all three girls have now turned their attention towards him.

"Huh?"

"How would you feel if our school built a public bath that we could visit whenever we want?" asked Kikyo.

"Why are you asking me?" he asked in return, wondering how the hell did he get roped into this conversation.

"Because I want to hear your opinion…?" she chuckled nervously. "Come on, just imagine it!"

Kiyotaka rubbed the back of his neck as he thought about the scenario that she painted in his mind. "Hmm… I've never been to a public bath before, but I would like to try it. It should be a pleasing experience," he answered honestly.

The concept of a public bath that is open for everyone was something that interested him, but he never put much thought about it before.

Right now, though? After Kikyo told him to imagine it for himself?

Now he hoped to be able to try going to one, whether it be inside of the campus or outside. A relaxing bath in a steamy onsen? Just the sound of it was tempting enough and it would be a good way to alleviate himself from the stress and headaches that he experiences on a regular basis.

"I'm sure it would be, especially if you clean yourself in a mixed bath with girls around~" Chiaki teased.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "What do you mean by that, Matsushita?"

Before he could get any kind of response from her, however, a new voice entered the scene and left the three other girls with looks of shock on their faces when the newcomer wrapped her arms around Kiyotaka's neck and hugged him from behind.

"Good morning, Ayanokouji-kun!"

Karuizawa Kei had slid into the scene with a big grin and tightened her hug around the young man's neck. When he tried to look back, he was only met with a smile that's so cute, there's no way he could be mad at her for surprising him with such a bold move.

And with this, Kiyotaka finally came to the conclusion that Kei… is a hugger.

Which meant that she likes to hug.

Yesterday, she hugged him after seeing him when they were coincidentally about to leave their floor together, and she did it before Suzune and Kikyo came out of their dorm rooms. She hugged him again before leaving their classroom for lunch break, where they were, somehow, unseen by their other classmates. Nobody saw Kei hugging him for a few moments before separating from him happily, and he couldn't even respond.

The girl hugged him yet again in the evening, when he was about to leave for the convenience store to buy a few milk cartons. She caught him off guard that time and was almost tackled to the ground as a result. When he asked what her problem was and if she wanted something from him, Kei only winked and giggled before going back to her room.

It was so bizarre.

Honestly, it's either that or it's the system's influence again since he did 'unlock' a new skill after sharing a moment with Kei a few nights ago… and it involved hugging. A lot of hugging. Like, Kei didn't seem afraid of being caught hugging him by other people at all. They were only fortunate that they were never seen by other people in the past few days

And now, that lack of fear led to them being caught in the act… which must be another one of the system's schemes because why else would she hug him in front of other people? Knowing the blonde girl, she wouldn't even attempt to do such a thing because she gets flustered easily and reacts rather strongly after getting embarrassed… but she hasn't acted that way even until now.

"Cat got your tongue? When someone greets you with a 'good morning', you're supposed to do the same!" she smirked, before bopping his nose in a scolding manner.

"Good morning," he said in a deadpan tone.

Although she felt a bit disappointed with his bored response, Kei felt satisfied that he said something in return and let go of him afterwards.

"Good enough."

"Why did you hug me out of nowhere?" he asked. He wanted to ask her why she kept on doing the same thing in the past few days, but there's no way he would say that out loud in front of the three other girls with them.

"I just felt like it," she shrugged.

Kiyotaka resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Like with Suzune and Kikyo, he was not angry at her. He's not stupid to shift the blame on Kei because he knew that it's because of the system's influence that she is acting this way.

"Of course you did."

He turned his attention to the three other girls who were with them, and he wasn't surprised to see them with dumbfounded expressions on their faces. He could already tell that they had a myriad of questions forming in their minds just from seeing Karuizawa act around him in a way that wasn't like how she usually was.

Kiyotaka decided to end this before it even began. The more he dodges the topic or refuses to answer the questions that they may have, then it would only make them even more curious than before.

"All right, get it over with. I know you three have something to say," he told them.

The three remained silent for a few moments, as they had no idea what to say. They glanced at each other several times, as if they were trying to figure out who was going to speak first.

In the end, Suzune was the first to open her mouth to say something.

"I know that you and Karuizawa-san have spent a lot of time together in the past weeks because you were tutoring her, but it also feels like the two of you have become closer for some reason, Ayanokouji-kun."

"You think so?" he asked, neither confirming nor denying her suspicion.

"Well, that's what happens when you're friends, Horikita-san!" Kikyo explained in an attempt to quell her growing anger and jealousy.

She was caught off guard when Karuizawa suddenly came out of nowhere. After her initial shock died down, anger quickly took over her and for a moment, she wanted nothing more than to push the blonde girl away and take her place.

Regardless, Kikyo was shocked at seeing Kei hugging the young man. She didn't think that Kei would be that bold… the blonde bitch did something that she hasn't done yet! Kikyo knew that she'll have to step up her game even more, but it didn't stop her from sending a death glare at Kei for a brief moment.

"Hugging is something that friends also do?" asked Suzune with a look of interest.

Kei and Chiaki stared at her blankly, wondering if she was serious or she was simply joking around despite being who she is. Even Kikyo couldn't help but throw her an 'are you serious' look, ignoring her blonde target for a moment. Of course, she knew that Suzune had little to no knowledge about social interactions, but it was still a disappointing sight to see.

Kiyotaka only sighed. If there was someone who's worse than him in things like this, then it's definitely this girl. It's almost like she was a baby who's stepping out of her crib for the first time.

"Of course it is! You should try it too, Horikita-san, because I still think you're cold sometimes. Hugs are really warm, you know?" Kikyo told the black-haired girl, before turning towards the young man with a curious expression. "Ayanokouji-kun, can I hug you too? Karuizawa-san looked like she enjoyed doing it…"

Kiyotaka thought about saying 'no' at first to save himself from an even deeper grave that he was already heading to, only to remind himself that this girl might go ballistic if she doesn't get what she wants… or she goes ahead and hugs him anyway.

Well, he could at least do this as quickly as possible. That way, nobody else would see him sharing a moment with the most popular girl in class and further ruin his day. Urgh, and it was supposed to be a Friday, the gateway to the weekend! What a way to start it off, right?

"Do what you want," he sighed in defeat and stood up, making it easier for the girl to do what she wants to do, and to also ensure that the hug won't last for more than a few seconds.

"Hehe…!"

With an eager smile on her face, Kikyo lunged and wrapped her arms around him, before burying her face into his chest. From the look of contentment on her face, it was clear that Kikyo was in heaven at the moment. For what seemed like the first time, it was a moment of peace for the girl who had nothing but fake kindness and near-uncontrollable anger in her mind most of the time.

Kei and Chiaki looked on with subtle, but jealous looks on their faces. At that moment, they wanted to be in Kikyo's place… Chiaki, mostly. While Matsushita Chiaki didn't think of herself as someone who could get jealous, it did feel wrong to see her classmates do these things with Kiyotaka while she couldn't do anything.

Meanwhile, Suzune felt a little jealous as well, but that feeling was overshadowed by her curiosity towards the act of hugging itself.

It surprised Kiyotaka when Kikyo let go of him only a few seconds later. He honestly thought he would have to separate himself from her just to make her stop. However, contrary to what he thought, the beige-haired girl didn't separate herself from him. She merely looked up at him with a pout.

"Mou, when you're being hugged by someone, you're supposed to hug them back, Ayanokouji-kun!"

"Should have known she would say that," he thought. Instead of complaining though, he gave in to Kikyo's demand and placed his hands on her shoulders. It was obvious that what he did wasn't even remotely close to being called a 'hug' but nonetheless, it was enough to satisfy the girl.

While her face was hidden from the three other girls behind her, Kikyo took this moment to smile triumphantly. This was all that she needed to do. Prove that whatever these skanks could do to get Ayanokouji's attention, she could do better. In time, he'll realize that she's right and he'll finally be hers.

Heh. A hug was nothing to her and besides, this really did feel nice and she wouldn't mind hugging him even more after this…

After a few seconds of 'hugging' the girl, Kiyotaka removed his hands from her shoulders and looked down. "Okay, you can let me go now."

"Hmm…" Kikyo looked up at him and thought about it for a moment, before sticking out her tongue playfully. "No, I don't want to!"

Kiyotaka already had a feeling that this would happen, and knew that he would have to get her off him on his own. But before he could think of doing anything, Kikyo began to hug him tighter. Her hold on him became stronger with every second that it reached the point where he was having a slight difficulty in breathing properly.

While Kei and Chiaki still looked jealous of the beige-haired girl, Suzune was able to notice the growing distress in his eyes and immediately acted.

Surprisingly, she didn't come over and separated the two in one swift motion like what most people would assume. Instead, she only sent a serious look towards Kushida and began to speak.

"Kushida-san, let go of him already."

"I don't want to," she refused.

"Kushida-san, if you keep on hugging him like that, you won't like what's going to happen."

"Oh, you'd like me to do that, won't you? So you can have Ayanokouji-kun to yourself," the girl said in her mind with venom in her every word.

Horikita wanted her to let go of Ayanokouji? Well, Kushida wasn't going to pass up on the opportunity to flaunt her superiority over that bitch. This was a rare moment, and she was going to take advantage of it!

"And? What are you going to do about it, Horikita-san?" Kikyo smiled innocently, which was actually hiding malice underneath.

She hugged Kiyotaka tighter, clearly having no intention of letting him go. It's almost as if she was daring Horikita to do something to make her let go of him.

The two girls stared at each other for a few moments, having no clue what the other was thinking despite making their intentions clear. Kikyo expected her 'friend' to do something, but Suzune remained firmly in her place and just stared on.

"Nothing. Just look at him. Ayanokouji-kun looks like he's struggling to breathe," she answered calmly, beckoning her friend to see what she was doing to the young man.

Kikyo blinked a few times, before she looked at Kiyotaka himself.

His face was beginning to turn purple from the hug that Kushida was giving him, even though the expression on his face hasn't changed at all.

Her eyes widened out of panic and quickly let him go out of panic. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry, Ayanokouji-kun! I didn't mean to hug you so tightly!" she apologized.

Kiyotaka took a step back and coughed a few times to regulate his breathing.

"I'm fine," he insisted. "Still getting used to this…"

Truth be told, he could have pushed her off him or even break free of her hold, but Kiyotaka simply let the girl do what she wanted… even if it involved being hugged tightly to the point that he was losing air.

He was fairly impressed with Kikyo's strength, though. The things that rage and anger could do to a person…

"So what were you guys talking about?" asked Kei, wanting to shift the topic elsewhere. Seeing Kikyo hug the young man whom she had just embraced earlier felt weird, and she didn't want to think about it anymore. "I think you were talking about a bathhouse before I interrupted all of a sudden. Sorry about that, by the way."

"Oh, we were talking about a bathhouse within the school and if we'd go there," Kikyo answered.

"Wait, there's a bathhouse here?! How did I know about this just now? Actually, never mind, just tell me where!" the blonde exclaimed, forgetting that she was even feeling jealous in the first place.

"No, no! I worded it wrong. I meant, we were talking about the possibility of a bathhouse opening within the school premises," Kikyo clarified.

"Jeez, way to make me hope for nothing," Kei said flatly. All her hopes were dashed away so quickly. "Okay, so there's no bathhouse around here… why talk about it in the first place?"

It was Chiaki who then spoke up. "It was Kushida-san who brought it up, actually. Since she's one of the tutors who volunteered to help our classmates, she felt really tired from all the studying and teaching she did and imagined if there was a bathhouse inside the campus. One with an onsen, so she could have a long soak and relax after everything that happened these past week."

"Well, that and the fact that I've never tried out any public baths before, hehe…" Kushida added.

Kei nodded a few times in agreement as she listened to them. "That's actually a good idea, and I'd love to join you for that. Too bad there are no public baths around here even if you check out the whole campus."

"That's true. As much as we want to go on a little trip to a bathhouse, there's no such thing within the premises," Chiaki nodded as well. "But I have a feeling that that might change, though."

"What do you mean, Matsushita-san?" asked Horikita, who had remained quiet up until now. She saw no point in joining the conversation since it involved something purely hypothetical, until she heard Matsushita's last statement.

The brunette hummed to herself. "Hmm, call it a matter of instinct, I suppose. It's just a sudden feeling that I've got."

From the sidelines, Kiyotaka watched the four girls continue to talk about bathhouses and hot springs. It was quite interesting how it started from a little talk between Chiaki and Kikyo, who eventually involved Suzune and Kei into their conversation.

These four… they weren't friends. Except for Kikyo and Suzune (a questionable relationship, honestly), these four girls were only classmates, to say the least. At most, they would be acquaintances. And yet, here they were talking like they were already familiar with one another.

"I wonder where all this talk of bathhouses and onsens came from… feels too out of nowhere."

He just hoped that the system had nothing to do with this sudden development…

---

Before, it used to be only him, Horikita, and Kushida who walked to the dorms together when going to school and back home after classes were over. Ever since the midterms were over though, Karuizawa seemingly added herself to the mix. This was the second day that she walked together with them on the way to the dorm buildings, and it's obvious that this won't be the last time.

Well, it's not like they made some kind of rule wherein it would only be the three of them who'll be doing this routine on a regular basis. If Karuizawa wanted to go to class and head back to her dorm unit with them, then she could.

At the moment, Kei and Kikyo were talking to each other about today's events. It's funny, the two girls acted like they were never angry with each other and the events from earlier in the morning never happened. Meanwhile Suzune was silent like always, since nobody was speaking to her and she's not the type to involve herself in a conversation unless it's important.

All three girls walked ahead of him and for a moment, Kiyotaka thought that he would be able to end the day without any kind of insane shenanigan happening to him. For a moment, he thought that he would be able to get an early rest today and sleep for ten or maybe twelve hours straight…

…but he was wrong.

"Kushida-san! Karuizawa-san! Horikita-san!"

A voice that belonged to one of their classmates suddenly got their attention, and caused them to turn around to see Matsushita running towards them. The girl who was normally calm and collected had a look of disbelief etched across her face, which was enough of a sign to tell them that whatever Matsushita wanted to say, it was something important.

"What is it, Matsushita-san?" asked Kikyo as the brunette approached them.

"You may not believe me, but…" she took a moment to recompose herself, having run all this way just to catch up to them.

Her reason for doing so was worth it, though, because the next words that would come out of her mouth will be something that'll shake the others to their very core.

"...the school just opened a bathhouse for the students and staff!"

Almost immediately, Kei and Kikyo's jaws dropped in complete shock. Even Suzune couldn't help but widen her eyes slightly at what she heard.

"What…?" the black-haired girl muttered.

"Wait, seriously?!" Both Kei and Kikyo shouted at the same time.

Kiyotaka kept silent, but he was just as shocked as his companions, before his surprise quickly turned to dread. Whatever hope he had left of ending this day on a peaceful note was already gone, because he was completely sure that the system had everything to do with what Chiaki just said.

Why wouldn't it be involved? These girls were talking about bathhouses earlier and now, magically, one just appears inside of the campus as if it was a building that just finished its construction.

"Yep," Chiaki nodded. "It's located near the gymnasium, actually. I just happened to come across it when I was searching for the nearest restroom."

"B-But we were just talking about that earlier…!" Kei exclaimed. Even she knew that it was too much of a coincidence for a public bath to open right after the conversation they had at the classroom this morning.

The universe couldn't have been listening to them… or could it?

"I know, right? I felt the same way as you when I saw it a few minutes ago, Karuizawa-san."

"Hold on a moment. If what you said is true, then why isn't there any announcement about such a place? Something that concerns both the teachers and students should have been announced by now," Suzune explained in a calmer tone. She was caught off guard by their classmate's sudden announcement as well, but was able to regain her composure quicker than Kikyo and Kei.

Chiaki shrugged. She expected that Suzune wouldn't be convinced that easily. "I have no idea but if you don't believe me, you can come and see for yourself. Words are simply words until there is evidence to show, after all.""

"Sure, count me in. I have nothing else to do for the rest of the day, anyway."

Of course, Karuizawa wanted to see this bathhouse for herself. She didn't really doubt Matsushita since her classmate had nothing to gain from lying, and the brown-haired girl's expression a while ago said everything. Plus, if it was real and that a bathhouse really opened inside their campus, then she'll make sure to go there as much as she wants!

"Come on, Horikita-san! I don't think you believe Matsushita-san, so don't you think you should see it for yourself? What's the harm in going to the gymnasium where it's supposed to be?" Kikyo told her friend in an attempt to convince the other girl about checking said location out.

"Very well," Suzune answered after a few moments of thinking. "I have to warn you, Matsushita-san. I do not like having my time wasted. If this is building up to be a joke on your part, you won't like the outcome."

Despite the little threat that Suzune sent towards her, Chiaki didn't look phased and only chuckled in response. "I wouldn't do such a thing, Horikita-san. You can be assured that I'm not lying at all."

"We'll see about that."

As the girls discussed what to do with this newfound information that they acquired from Chiaki, the young man who was with them was already taking a few steps back in an effort to get away from the scene.

"I have a bad feeling about this…" Kiyotaka didn't like where this was going and decided to leave before his day could be ruined. "I'm just gonna go straight back to my dorm and ignore whatever this is. Hopefully, I can make it before I trigger a 'special event' or something."

While the girls were busy talking, the brown-haired teen turned around and prepared to leave like a ninja fading with the wind, only for him to be stopped by Karuizawa's voice.

"Oi," Kei called out, noticing that their other companion was about to leave just in the nick of time. She made sure her voice could be noticed by the three other girls with her so they could see him for themselves. "Where do you think you're going?"

Kiyotaka knew that he could just take this opportunity to run away, but he also knew that doing so would result in the girls giving him a worse punishment than the last time he left them out of nowhere. And, well, he also knew that what he's doing was wrong in their eyes and it made him look like a jerk… but he had a good reason for it!

"Going back to the dorms?" he replied.

Hey, at least he was being honest about it.

Kei gave him a flat stare. "Seriously? You're going home already? Even after finding out that a bathhouse just opened in the school, you're just going to ignore it?"

"No thanks. You four carry on without me," he told her as he tried to continue walking away, only to be halted by two pink screens appearing in front of him.

[A Special Event Has Been Triggered!]

[Now Playing Bonus Scene#1!]

The abrupt appearance of those two notifications caught him off guard, especially that second one. He was already used to seeing the first notification by now, but that second one…

"What the hell…?" he mumbled, before remembering a certain notification that he received the other day, about a bonus scene for helping Karuizawa and Sakura pass their midterm exams.

"Oh no, you don't! You're coming with us, baka! I'm not letting you ditch us again."

As he was brought back to reality by Kei's voice, the young man noticed that she had grabbed onto his arm, hugging it between her chest which prevented him from getting away lest he risk hurting her.

"Let go of me, Karuizawa."

The blonde girl frowned at him, before she turned towards their other classmates.

"Help me, you three! He's leaving again!" she called out and tightened her hold on Kiyotaka's arm to prevent him from leaving.

Both Chiaki and Kikyo stared at them, taking in what they were seeing for a moment before they moved.

Kikyo hugged his other arm while Chiaki went behind him and grabbed his uniform. Kiyotaka sweat-dropped at his current situation, but also felt a hint of embarrassment. He was still a healthy teenage boy, after all, and being glomped on all sides by a bunch of girls was doing… things to him.

"Are they really that desperate to keep me from leaving?" he asked himself. Despite these girls surrounding him on all sides, he could easily break out of the hold and escape, but didn't do anything for now.

"Horikita-san, come on! Ayanokouji-kun will leave us again if we don't bring him with us!" Kikyo called out to the black-haired girl who was standing nearby.

Suzune only stared at what was happening before her, as if she was thinking about what to do.

Kiyotaka remained calm. There's no need to panic. After all, Suzune would just tell them to stop and leave him alone. Out of all his 'heroines', she was the one who looked out for him the most, at least from his point of view.

"Horikita wouldn't join them at all. She's always been there for me, making sure I'm not uncomfortable from anything that Kushida does. She'll tell them to stop—"

He stopped his train of thought when Suzune ran towards him and grabbed him by his tie.

…she didn't stop the three girls.

"You're not going anywhere this time," she said coldly, as the three other girls cheered.

Kiyotaka wanted to think that Suzune betrayed him and sold him to the other girls but in the end, all he could do was sigh in defeat and let himself get dragged away by his classmates.

"I shouldn't be surprised… of course something like this would happen if I try to fight back against what the system wants," he thought.

And with that, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka received a reminder of what could happen if he tried to go against his broken superpower.

---

Following Chiaki's directions, the group reached the gymnasium in no time and just like what the girl said, a public bathhouse was located about thirty yards away. Kiyotaka didn't try to escape anymore and simply accepted his fate, and he was only glad that they didn't come across any other student along the way.

As they arrived at their destination, the reactions were instantaneous.

"I can't believe it…"

"Woah… it's actually real!"

"This is so amazing! Now I can finally take a bath in an onsen!"

All three girls reacted with varying degrees of shock upon seeing the establishment, while Chiaki watched with an amused smile. Even Kiyotaka was taken aback for a moment, before reminding himself that this was a product of how broken his 'superpower' was.

From the traditional look alone, it was obviously a bathhouse. It even had a sign outside that said 'Now open for students and teachers!', which indicated that it only started recently. However, the most surprising thing about the place is that there was absolutely no one else around… even though there should be.

It was Kikyo who snapped out of her state of disbelief first. "Come on, let's go in!" she exclaimed with a tone full of eagerness.

Unsurprisingly, Suzune shook her head. "I'm not here to take a bath. I only wished to see if Matsushita-san was telling the truth and I have my answer. I have nothing else to do here."

"Come on, Horikita-san. There's no other student around right now, and I honestly think that we're the first ones to find out about this place. Why don't we take advantage of the situation and try out the onsen inside?" Chiaki suggested. "I mean, would you like to take a bath here when there are many students around instead?"

Just as she turned around and prepared to leave, Suzune listened to Chiaki's words and thought about it for a moment.

"I suppose you do make a good point…" she muttered, seeing no harm in trying out the onsen in this place while there wasn't anyone else around other than them. It would definitely be more peaceful to be around people whom she was already acquainted with. "Though it does bring up the question of why this wasn't announced to the students. Something like this concerns us and at the very least, someone should have told us about it."

Chiaki shrugged, having no answer herself. "Who knows? I just saw this place on my own, no one really told me anything."

"Wow… I guess Hoshinomiya-sensei wasn't kidding. There really is a public bath here!" a new voice spoke up, quickly catching everyone's attention and making them turn towards the person that just arrived.

"Ichinose-san? You're here too?" said Kikyo, surprised upon seeing the pink-haired student of Class B walking towards them.

"Oh, it's nice to see you all again!" Honami waved her arm in greeting and smiled. "And yeah, I just found out about this place from Hoshinomiya-sensei, actually. I'm planning to tell my classmates after I'm done here. What about you guys?"

"Matsushita-san just told us about this place earlier. We were really surprised when we found out about it, so we decided to check it out," explained Kikyo. "I still can't believe the school built this for the students!"

While Kikyo spoke with the beautiful pink-haired girl from Class B, Kei approached Chiaki with a look of confusion on her face.

"Uh, who is she?" she asked, pointing to the girl who showed up out of nowhere.

"I'm surprised you don't know who she is, Karuizawa-san. Ichinose-san is one of the most popular girls in our year like Kushida-san."

"Well, it's not like I've spent my time going out and being with other people for the past weeks," Kei retorted. It's not her fault that she didn't know. She couldn't exactly balance studying with going out and meeting new people. "Her name is Ichinose?"

"Yes. She's Ichinose Honami from Class B. She also talks to some of our classmates whenever they see her at the cafeteria. Are you sure you've never even seen her yet?"

"Positive," Kei nodded. She mostly spent her lunch break sitting with her friends and sometimes, Kiyotaka and Airi. However, there has never been an instance where she has seen Ichinose yet. "Class B, huh…"

"I honestly didn't believe Hoshinomiya-sensei at first, so I decided to go to the gymnasium where it's located. I'm glad I did!" Honami added, before she noticed a familiar face who was with the girls of Class D.

Behind Kikyo and Suzune, was Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.

Just the sight of him was enough to make Honami blush slightly, as she averted her gaze and looked elsewhere.

She could still remember that day… when he tried to flirt with her. That was flirting, right? She may not have experienced romance before, but she knew what he meant with those words… and honestly, he was the last person she expected to do such a thing.

Ayanokouji may have tried to pass it off as a joke, but she doubted it. He looked and sounded serious about what he said, which was why it was even more embarrassing! She couldn't stop thinking about it for the rest of that day and only forgot about it when she went to sleep. And now, after seeing him again, it was all coming back to her!

Still, she couldn't just ignore his presence. It wasn't in her nature to not care about someone. Even a simple greeting would be fine at this point.

Honami waved her arm weakly and flashed a small smile. "H-Hi, Ayanokouji-kun."

Kiyotaka returned the gesture with a nod. "Hello, Ichinose."

"Not on my watch…" Kikyo was quick to notice the little interaction between the two and immediately thought of something to intervene.

At the moment though, she can't exactly tell the Class B student to get lost and leave them alone, so the only thing she could do was direct their attention towards her.

"Since you're here, does this mean you're going to take a bath as well, Ichinose-san? We were thinking of checking in and having a soak for an hour or two."

The pink-haired girl felt grateful for Kushida with that question. She had no idea what to do next after seeing Ayanokouji here… it's like her brain shut down all of a sudden just from laying her eyes on him!

"That's what I wanted to do, actually. I've gone to an onsen only once before, so having one inside the school premises is like a dream come true," Honami said, directing her attention towards Kikyo. "Although… I don't know what to do about my clothes. I want to take a bath here, but I don't have any spare clothes with me…"

That quickly diminished Kei and Kikyo's hopes of having a relaxing soak in the steamy water. They didn't think about having spare clothes to use, they only thought of taking a bath in the onsen and nothing more.

Of course, they could still go to the dorms and grab some clothes but if they do, then this place might be flooded with students when they come back.

But before they could give up hope completely, a new voice cut through their conversation yet again. This time, the voice came from inside of the bathhouse itself.

"If you're worried about not having anything to wear once you're done, then there is no need to worry. This place offers spare uniforms for students who want to check in and use their water for a quick or long soak."

Chabashira Sae, the homeroom teacher of Class D, walked out of the building with her arms folded across her chest. Her usual serious expression was on full display, even though they weren't in the classroom anymore.

"Chabashira-sensei!" all the other girls chorused, completely surprised to see the woman here.

"First Ichinose, now Chabashira-sensei? I'm starting to think that this 'special event' is going to involve all of my 'heroines' so far…" Kiyotaka thought as he was surprised to find Sae here, of all places.

Hmm… it can't be a coincidence that both Ichinose and Chabashira were here, right?

First, it was the talk about bathhouses between the girls earlier in the morning. And then, out of nowhere, the school suddenly has one. Next, there were the two notifications from earlier which he still couldn't figure out until now. And now, after checking out the place for themselves, two more of his heroines have shown up. At this point, Kiyotaka had a feeling that this wouldn't be the end of it.

The fact that these events are playing out too perfectly was making him nervous.

"Yes, it's me. There's no need to announce my name so loud," Sae told them firmly.

"What are you doing here, sensei?" asked Kei, which was the question on everyone's minds right now.

"Checking out what this place had to offer," the woman replied with a shrug. "Like I said, this place has spare uniforms for students to use if they don't have anything to change into. They also provide clothes for teachers who are in the same boat. Of course, you'll have to return the clothes they lent you the next time you go here."

"Does that mean you're going to try the onsen there, Chabashira-sensei?" asked Kikyo.

"Of course. It would be a waste to go all this way and do nothing here. The price for an hour in the bath is only 500 points, which isn't a big deal unless you plan on staying for longer than that. Now, I suppose you're also here for the same reason as me. I assume all of you still have points in your funds?"

All of the girls nodded in response, while Kiyotaka just stood in his place and didn't do anything.

Nonetheless, Chabashira gave a satisfied nod. "Good. Let's register altogether, then. Things will be easier that way."

"W-Wait, even… even Ayanokouji-kun…?" Honami asked, addressing the elephant in the room.

Sae raised an eyebrow at her. "Well yeah, that's why he's here, isn't he? Does his presence bother you?"

"N-No, not really, uhm…" Honami stuttered, having trouble with finding the right words to say. She didn't like feeling this way, because it was so unlike her! What's worse is that the same guy that was making her feel like this was here with her.

It was just too embarrassing!

"I get it. It's because he's a boy, right?" the older woman asked, which only served to make the girl's face redder. "Well, we can't do anything about that. The place only offers a mixed bath, so we'll have to go inside altogether. Besides, he's not going to do anything inappropriate with any of us… right?"

The brown-haired teacher made sure to emphasize that one word as if it was a warning.

Kiyotaka was about to open his mouth to say that he wasn't here to take a bath, but gave up on that thought. If he continues to resist, it will only make things harder for him because the system will still get what it wants in the end whether he likes it or not.

What a great superpower to have…

"Of course not," he replied.

"That's the biggest load of bullshit I've heard from you so far," Sae thought to herself, remembering what happened between them at the rooftop a few days ago before snapping out of it. The more she thinks about it, the more it'll bother her. "See? If it still bothers you, then we can just ask him to occupy a different area. Will that be fine with you, Ayanokouji?"

"I have no problem with that."

With a red face, Honami turned towards the young man and bowed her head. "T-Thank you…"

[You have gained 1 Affection Point with Ichinose Honami!]

"Is there anyone else here who's uncomfortable with Ayanokouji being with us?" Chabashira asked, turning her attention to the rest of the girls.

It surprised Kiyotaka that none of the other girls seemed to have any intention of raising their hands, which meant that they were all fine with being in the same place as them, with nothing but a towel covering their bodies.

Out of nowhere, Suzune's hand shot up, but it wasn't because of what Sae asked them.

"I have a different question. Why weren't we informed that the school now has a bathhouse, Chabashira-sensei? Something like this should have been said in an announcement or in a poster as an advertisement, because this affects both students and teachers alike."

"That's because there was no announcement made over the intercom, nor were there any posters about this place," Sae explained. "If there were, I think you can imagine for yourselves how flooded this place would be if everyone in this school heard it. Personally, it was a good move. Let the students and teachers find this place all on their own."

"Yeah, this bathhouse being announced all over the school would have been worse…" Kei muttered, and the rest of the girls could only nod in agreement.

Suzune thought about it for a bit, before she found herself agreeing as well. If such a thing happened, then she wouldn't even dare to go near this place or think of bathing here… at least until it's not fully occupied.

"Then how did you know about this place so quickly, sensei?" Chiaki asked.

"Believe it or not, I was on my way home to my unit since I finished early when I saw this place and decided to check it out. After talking to the owner about the place, I went out and saw the… six of you," she said, paying special attention to the brown-haired teen who was doing his best to keep a low presence.

She had no idea why that smug brat was here (Sae didn't believe that he was here just to take a bath), but she wasn't going to let him ruin her chance at having a relaxing time!

Teachers need to relieve themselves of stress too, after all.

"What's it like inside, sensei?" Kikyo asked in an eager tone.

"Other than the spare clothes that they lend to students and teachers, it has an upside and a downside. The downside is, as I said, it only has a mixed bath. There's no specific area for men and women. They'll have to take a bath together. The upside? The place is huge and has a lot of stuff to impress. It's huge enough to house your entire class if you decide to take a bath altogether… which is something that the perverts among you would say once they find out about this place," she snickered. After finishing her little explanation, she then noticed that her students (except for Horikita and Ayanokouji) were staring at her in clear surprise. "What are you all staring at?"

"S-Sensei, you just made a joke…" Honami muttered.

Sae stared at them flatly. "I did, so what?"

"It's just… you never make jokes… you're always serious most of the time…" Kei added.

"I know how to crack a joke sometimes, you brats. Stop making a big deal out of it," the older woman snapped.

Seriously, these kids could give her an easy headache whenever they wished and she hated it…

Kiyotaka watched the interaction between his classmates and their teacher in complete silence, hoping to get ignored until the end of this 'special event' which still confused him to no end.

However, his hopes of that happening were utterly destroyed when a familiar voice rang in his ears.

"What is this? Ayanokouji-kun is also here? Oh my, this has truly become such a fruitful day~"

He didn't even need to turn around to know who it was.

"Of course. Now I understand," the young man thought as he finally put the pieces together. Kiyotaka wanted to punch himself for taking this long to realize it. "This 'special event' is all about taking a bath with all my heroines, isn't it?"

Yet another classic scenario from eroges and dating simulators alike… and now it was happening to him.

Yay.

Meanwhile, the female students all turned around to the direction of the voice, and they saw three more girls approaching them. One of them was Sakayanagi Arisu, and walking beside her were Shiina Hiyori and Sakura Airi.

It was a sight that surprised almost all of the Class D students who were there, simply because one of their classmates was with someone from another class.

"Sakayanagi-san…" Horikita muttered upon seeing the rumored leader of Class A.

Kei couldn't stop her eyes from widening as she saw her friend walking side-by-side with the Class A student whom they only met earlier this week. It wasn't because Airi was with Arisu, though.

"Sakura-san? You're gonna take a bath here as well?" she asked, feeling more surprised at the possibility of the redhead having even a quick rinse at a public bath.

To be fair, it was surprising because Airi is the last person whom you'd expect to do such a thing.

"U-Uhm…" the shy redhead tried to answer despite the heavy blush on her face. It was a miracle that she hasn't fainted from sheer embarrassment, especially with Kiyotaka around. "I-I-I guess…"

"Why are you with her?" Kei continued to ask, now wanting to find out why her friend was with that smug girl who looked more like a loli now that she thought about it.

"T-That's… I-I'm not…"

At this point, Kiyotaka had turned around and wasn't surprised to see Arisu there. He also wasn't surprised to see Airi and Hiyori with her, though it did make him curious on how the lilac-haired girl got the two to walk with her, especially his red-haired classmate.

"Shiina, are you here for the same reason as them?" he asked the silver-haired girl.

"Yes! It's nice to see you again, Ayanokouji-kun," Hiyori smiled warmly. She was happy to see her friend again more than anything else.

"It should be illegal to be that innocent and cute…"

Oh, how he wanted to give her the same response right now… unfortunately, he wasn't in the mood to do so. His mood was ruined by the system and now he was in dire need of a steamy bath in the onsen more than ever.

Suzune turned towards him with an eyebrow raised. This was yet another student whom Kiyotaka seems to be acquainted with, even though she wasn't part of their class. It made her wonder if he was actually bad in social interactions, because he seemed to be doing fine in that aspect.

"You know her, Ayanokouji-kun?" she asked.

"Not on a personal level. I just saw her at the library one day and helped her get a book from a shelf."

"You forgot to mention that you were supposed to be tutoring us that time," Kei pointed out with a pout, still feeling a little angry with him for that.

Kiyotaka ignored her.

Honestly, there are other things she could be mad about, yet Kei chooses the moment when he had an innocent interaction with someone from another class…

"Who is she?" Suzune continued.

Hearing the conversation between them, Hiyori decided that now would be a good time to tell everyone her name since it was obvious that they were all going to the same place for the same reason.

"My name is Shiina Hiyori from Class C. It's nice to meet all of you," the girl bowed her head and smiled as she introduced herself.

While the other girls performed common courtesy and introduced themselves in return, Kiyotaka turned his attention to the lilac-haired girl.

"Why are they with you, Sakayanagi?" he asked.

"I simply found them heading to the same destination a few minutes ago. Then I suggested that we could head to the public bath together. I first came across this one," she gestured towards Airi, "oh, she was hard to convince at first. She was really shy and kept on stuttering like a malfunctioning robot."

Airi's face turned redder than her own hair at this point, yet she couldn't really deny anything that came out of Arisu's mouth because one, it was true and two, she was too shy to say something.

"...but in the end, she agreed to accompany me. Shiina-san, on the other hand, was an easier case. One question was all it took for her to agree to walk with me."

"Sakura," he shifted his attention to his classmate. "How did you find out about this place?"

The girl blushed deeper upon being put on the spotlight, but she quickly took a deep breath in order to calm herself. Believe it or not, Kiyotaka was someone whom she was always with in the past weeks, so she already got used to his presence at this point.

It was still a work in progress, but she was close to being able to speak without any difficulty… around Kiyotaka, at least.

"I-I came across S-Sakayanagi-san while I was on my way back to the dorms. S-She recognized me from our last meeting then told me about t-this place. She then asked if… if I wanted to go here b-because… I looked like I needed it…"

Kiyotaka gave a satisfied nod. "What about you, Shiina?"

"I just came from the library earlier when I saw Sakayanagi-san and Sakura-san together. She asked me if I wanted to see a bathhouse inside the school premises. I've never been to one before and I've only read about them," Hiyori explained with a smile that radiated wonder and excitement. "I was curious about the whole thing, so I decided to go with them."

So, it appears that Sakayanagi and Shiina knew each other before this. This is definitely something to take note of.

"And you? How did you know about this place?" he asked the other girl who was with them.

Arisu only smirked. "Ayanokouji-kun, have you forgotten who you're talking to?"

Kiyotaka immediately regretted asking that question. Right, her father is the chairman of this school. A dumb question on his part.

"I'm surprised Hoshinomiya-sensei isn't with you, Chabashira-sensei," Honami spoke as she realized something interesting. "When she heard the news of a bathhouse being opened near the gymnasium from someone on the phone, she wanted to leave the teacher's lounge right away and even tried to push all her remaining work to me just to go here."

Chabashira's eyes widened for a moment, before a look of disappointment appeared across her face. It was totally like Hoshinomiya to act like that and she wasn't surprised to hear her fellow teacher do such a thing.

"That idiot… of course she would do something like that," she groaned and palmed her face afterwards. "And what happened?"

"Mashima-sensei was there and told her to finish checking her set of test papers first and told me to carry on. Since I had nothing left to do, I decided to head to the bathhouse that Hoshinomiya-sensei was talking about."

"A good choice, Ichinose," Sae nodded in approval. Oh, and she's definitely going to give Chie a proper scolding for attempting to ditch her work when they meet at school again tomorrow.

Arisu then rolled her eyes and spoke again, which quickly gained everyone's attention.

"We are only wasting time. The more time we spend out here, the more chances of other students seeing us and getting curious. Let us go inside already," the girl then headed to the entrance but before she could step inside, Arisu turned her head to look at her childhood friend. "I hope you don't think of leaving, Ayanokouji-kun. I honestly think this will be more interesting with you around."

Afterwards, the lilac-haired girl went inside. It was enough to remind everyone else that they have yet to actually go inside the building and see what it's like. Before the eager girls like Kei and Kikyo could rush inside though, their teacher stopped them for a moment.

"All right, before we go in…" Chabashira shifted into 'teacher mode' and turned her attention to the two newcomers. It was fairly obvious that Sakayanagi had no qualms about Ayanokouji's presence, which only left her two other companions. "Shiina, Sakura. Are you two fine with Ayanokouji being here? The only thing that this place offers is a mixed bath, which means that you'll be washing yourself in the same place as him."

"I don't mind," Hiyori shook her head while never losing her smile. "Ayanokouji-kun is my friend. There's nothing wrong with friends bathing together."

Everyone else sweat-dropped at the answer that she gave, even Kiyotaka himself. On the other hand, Sae wondered just how innocent was this girl to not think of anything inappropriate after the obvious implication.

"Oh you poor, innocent soul…" she said in her thoughts, before turning to the other girl with her. "What about you, Sakura?"

Airi froze for a brief moment, before snapping out of her stupor so she could give her response.

"I-I… I'm… fine with it…"

Sae gave a satisfied nod. "Since nobody seems to have a problem with a boy taking a bath with us, let's head in."

And with that, the entire group finally went inside the building.

They first went to the receptionist counter, with each of them writing their names in the logbook. The owner that stood there was a man named Tomose, who gave them a rundown of how his business worked.

Despite being worried about having no spare clothes to use after they were done, the man reassured them that they offered spare uniforms and clothes for students and teachers who wanted to check in for an hour-long soak in the bath or more.

Next, much to the disbelief of all the girls, they didn't need to pay any points at all. Why? It turns out that they were the first customers of the bathhouse and because of that, they were allowed to stay for as long as they wanted for free until the day was over.

Kiyotaka knew that the system was fully responsible for this strange coincidence once again, but didn't choose to comment about it even in his mind. What mattered is that he would get to have a relaxing time in this place despite the situation he found himself in with his heroines… at least, that's what he hoped to happen.

They all agreed to stay for three hours, with only two reasons why. One was to get the full experience of the steamy onsen and to enjoy this for all it was worth and the other, well, it was mostly Suzune's reason. The girl wasn't planning to make this a regular thing like her classmates, so it's better to make this count. Plus, she wouldn't have to pay any points in this instance!

Afterwards, they headed to the locker rooms which, ironically, had a designated area for men and women. Kiyotaka separated from the girls momentarily to give them their moment of privacy, because… well, there wouldn't be any between them later on.

After shedding their clothes and wrapping a towel around their bodies, they left the locker rooms. Kei, Honami, Airi, and even Sae were a bit flustered to see Kiyotaka with only a towel to cover his lower regions and they were even more embarrassed that they were the same, except that their whole bodies were covered.

On the other hand, Suzune, Kikyo, Arisu, Chiaki, and Hiyori weren't really bothered. One of them was too innocent to think of anything inappropriate, three were more focused on the place itself and what it was like, while the last one actually wanted this.

Now left in only towels covering their bodies, the group walked to the actual bath, and they were all amazed at what they found.

The place almost looked like an outdoor hot spring, which might have been the intention when it was made. The floor was made of hundreds of small rocks, the water was completely clear, and the steam from the onsen could be visibly seen.

There were two pools there; one was the onsen, and the other seemed to be the normal one. There were also little chairs scattered around with wet towels beside them, most likely for washing oneself. Lastly, there was a designated shower area with chairs and proper hygiene materials at the far end of the area.

Chabashira-sensei wasn't kidding when she said that the place was large… because a whole class could probably fit in here and have a relaxing time just like what she said.

The students could only stare in awe at everything around. It was something that would never be found inside a school campus for a handful of reasons, and yet this place existed.

"Wow…" Hiyori's mouth slowly fell open, looking stupefied at everything around her.

"This school really has everything, huh…?" Kei said in amazement.

"My first time in a bathhouse… and it's this place. I love it!" Kikyo exclaimed.

"It seems that my words alone cannot bring justice to what this place is," Sae whistled.

"T-This place… is so beautiful…" Airi breathed out.

"I can't wait to get in there!" Honami grinned.

"I don't think this is as good as the other onsens I have been to, but it fits the school," Suzune remarked but felt impressed nonetheless.

Kiyotaka was on the same boat as everyone else. For his first time going to a public bath, he was impressed with what he's going. This place may be a product of the system, but it was still very much real and it's not like they were dreaming this whole place up.

"So this is what's inside a bathhouse, huh…?" he thought to himself. "I'm really torn on whether to stay mad at the system for making me go through this or be grateful that I am."

His feelings towards his eroge superpower can be really complicated sometimes… and it honestly depended on what it was doing and who it was affecting.

In Arisu's case, she wasn't really too keen on admiring what's in front of her and wanted to get down to business right away.

"What a bother. We have been standing here long enough, and I want to rest my legs already," Arisu sat down on the edge of the onsen and turned her head, sending a sultry look at the young man who was with them. "Ayanokouji-kun, would you mind washing my back?"

That last question from her snapped everyone out of their moment of peace as they turned their attention to the lilac-haired girl who did not even care about the implications of what she just said.

"W-What…?!"

"Washing… Sakayanagi-san's… back…"

"That's… I can't believe Sakayanagi-san would say that…"

"S-She can't be serious, right…?"

Kikyo, Chiaki, Honami, and Kei had varying reactions to what they just heard but one thing was for sure. They did not expect the leader of Class A to ask for such a thing and didn't know if she was being serious. On the other hand, Suzune, Hiyori, Airi, and Sae only watched with looks of surprise but paid full attention to what's happening nonetheless.

Kiyotaka only gave her a blank stare, seemingly having no reaction to her request.

"What makes you think I'll even do such a thing?"

Arisu only smirked. "Do you really expect me to be able to wash my own back, Ayanokouji-kun?"

"You could ask literally anyone else here other than me," he deadpanned.

"That may be true, but I don't feel comfortable with any of them touching me. I prefer someone who I am already acquainted with," she argued. "Besides, aren't we in a mixed bath already? It's not like we have to be in separate areas. Why not take advantage of the situation and make the most of it?"

The young man stared at the girl before him for a few seconds, contemplating what he should do. It's obvious to him that Sakayanagi was baiting to do what she wants but honestly, he didn't really see any problem with washing her back… except for the possible reactions from the rest of the females who were also there, and the close proximity of being near a girl who's practically naked.

Furthermore, this was surely part of the 'special event' that was still happening until now. If he refuses to do this now, the system would likely just manipulate things in order for him to do otherwise.

"Are you sure? You're not worried about me possibly touching any inappropriate places?" he conceded defeat to his fate. "Hm. Who knows? It might be enjoyable to wash a girl's back…"

"I trust that you won't do such a thing, not that I mind you doing it in the first place," Arisu answered like it was nothing, as she straightened her posture and waited in anticipation.

Everyone else's jaws had all but hit the floor at this point. They couldn't believe what they were hearing from Sakayanagi, as well as the fact that the girl was completely aware of what she was asking. She didn't even sound like she was joking.

They turned towards Ayanokouji, who was still thinking of what to say. Of course, they had no idea what he had in mind because his facial expression didn't give away any hints at all, and it made a lot of them feel nervous about what he would say.

"...fine."

"WHAAAAAATTTTT?!" shouted Kei, Kikyo, Honami, Airi, and Sae. They were unable to keep their thoughts to themselves at this point. Suzune, Hiyori, and Chiaki remained quiet, but they were just as shell-shocked as the others were.

Arisu smiled, feeling pleased with herself. "I knew I could depend on you, Ayanokouji-kun."

Kiyotaka merely sighed and started walking towards the lilac-haired student, which shocked everyone else even more because they didn't expect him to actually do it.

"Ayanokouji-kun, you can't be serious!" Kei said in an alarmed tone.

"The sooner I can get this done, the sooner I can clean myself. This shouldn't take that long," he replied in a calm voice, which only served to make the girl panic even more.

Sakayanagi's request wasn't really that complicated. She only wanted him to wash her back, right? So, that's what he'll do. He won't do anything else despite being given permission to do so by the girl herself, because that would only lead to an even deeper grave for him by the end of this.

"No way… he's really going to do it…" Honami mumbled to herself.

"I-I can't let this go any further!" Sae declared after finally finding her voice. She made sure to sound as serious as possible instead of being flustered, but it was easier said than done. "As your teacher, I forbid you from doing what you're planning to do!"

The young man only stared at her with an unimpressed look. "Why is that, sensei?"

Chabashira folded her arms and put on her usual stone-cold look. "Because you're about to lay your hands on another student with malicious intentions in mind. I cannot let you do such a thing, Ayanokouji."

Kiyotaka was about to answer her, but Arisu was faster to come up with a response. She wasn't going to let anyone ruin this moment, even a teacher like Sae.

"Chabashira-sensei, as far as I am concerned, your authority is only limited inside a classroom. Out here, your occupation means nothing. If I want Ayanokouji-kun to wash my back, then he can. He has my full permission and in doing so, he is not 'assaulting' me in any way. Your argument was completely flawed in the first place."

"I…" the woman tried to say, but fell apart completely. She couldn't do anything against that argument from Sakayanagi, because she knew it was true. Plus, her attempt to stop Ayanokouji was out of desperation more than anything so she didn't think it through.

It was a total defeat for her, and it was even more embarrassing that it was against a student… just like what happened at the rooftop a few days ago with a certain brown-haired teen.

"Are you done talking?" asked Kiyotaka as he knelt down behind her and grabbed the wet towel that was nearby.

"I am," Arisu nodded as she removed the towel that was wrapped around her body, exposing her bare back to him but keeping her front covered. "I apologize for the unwanted intrusion, by the way."

Kiyotaka blushed at seeing a girl's back for the first time, but quickly shook it off. It was just her back, nothing more. It's not like he was seeing her whole body.

He brought up the towel and just when he was about to press it on her skin…

"WAIT A MOMENT!"

Arisu did her best to suppress the urge to lose her composure and shout at the girl who just spoke, but it was very tempting to. She only calmed down when Kiyotaka whispered a quick, "Wait a moment," to her before he turned to face the one who interrupted them.

"Is there something else you want to say, Kushida?"

Kikyo clenched her fists tightly, both in an effort to stay calm despite her rising jealousy at what she was seeing and to brace herself for what she's about to say next. "A-After Sakayanagi-san… please wash my back next!" she exclaimed, making everyone turn their attention towards her this time.

Kiyotaka wasn't surprised with what she asked of him and in fact, it made him realize something.

"I think I can see where this is going," he said to himself before nodding in response. "I don't have a problem with that."

"T-Thank you, Ayanokouji-kun!" she beamed despite the deep red hue on her face.

"Is there anyone else who wants to employ me in washing their backs?" he asked the rest of their companions, as he too felt heat rising to his cheeks.

The remaining girls blushed deeply upon hearing his question, but none of them outright rejected it and accused him of a pervert like what a typical person would expect. In fact, they actually thought about it and the more they did, the more it felt appealing to them. Sakayanagi looked calm about the whole thing despite her… questionable intentions and Kushida wanted to experience it too.

"Count me in," Chiaki spoke, getting over her shock as it got replaced with great interest. "I want to feel what it's like~"

Suzune was the next to speak. She wouldn't do this if it was any other person. Kiyotaka was her friend and if she can't trust him, then she can't trust anyone. "I… trust you as well, Ayanokouji-kun, so… i-if it's fine with you…" she tried to be firm about her words, but ended up stuttering in embarrassment.

"I… suppose I could give it a shot…" Kei rubbed her arm nervously and looked away with a blush.

In Airi's case, it was taking every bit of her willpower and courage to stay where she was instead of running away in embarrassment. Still, she couldn't deny that she felt interested as well and it's not like this was the first time that she would expose herself to the young man who was with them.

"U-Uhm… i-i-if you don't mind, then… I don't m-mind as well, A-A-Ayanokouji-kun…"

"I'm curious about what it's like," Hiyori nodded as well. Earlier, she felt embarrassed and confused with Arisu's behavior towards Kiyotaka but it was quickly replaced by curiosity, especially with regards to being washed by another person. And now she wanted to experience it too.

Honami was similar to Airi, but she was more composed. Honestly, she was more embarrassed about being clad in only a towel in front of Kiyotaka than the question of whether she would like to wash her back or not.

"I… I don't mind…" she muttered, having no qualms about the arrangement. Who knows? This might help her become less embarrassed around his presence… as long as he doesn't do anything that makes her embarrassed, that is.

Sae looked at her students in shock, before all pairs of eyes turned towards her. Even though she hated it, the woman knew that she was now left in a lose-lose situation. If she rejects his offer, she would look weak in front of her own students and might even get teased by Chie if she ever finds out about this. If she accepts, then Ayanokouji would get his hands on her ahead of the deal that they made… even if it was only to wash her back and nothing more.

"Tch… fine. But don't think that I'm completely on board with this, Ayanokouji!" she snapped, making it clear that she didn't want this and was simply left with no choice.

"Then please line up," the young man, ignoring Sae's reason because it was just her trying to salvage whatever dignity she had left. "I don't care which order, just be ready once I'm done with Sakayanagi."

"Ayanokouji-kun… I'm waiting for you to do something," Arisu said in a sweet but sinister voice, having grown impatient by now.

Kiyotaka rolled his eyes and squeezed the towel in his hand. "Yeah, yeah…"

It was truly a test worthy of the 'Masterpiece', because he would have to go through helping nine of his heroines get cleaned up, facing things like embarrassment, shame, and awkwardness along the way.

An hour and a half later, Kiyotaka was finally done washing everyone's backs, and now he was staring at his 'work' with his usual blank face. However, he didn't feel apathetic nor numb to the scene before him. Instead, the young man felt a mixture of embarrassment and disbelief filing him up to the core at seeing what he caused.

The girls were all lying around him with their towels still covering their fronts, caught in a state between consciousness and unconsciousness as they panted heavily. Their bodies were twitching as if someone subjected them to some kind of electric shock that rendered them nearly immobile. Another thing that they all shared was their equally red faces, from either the rising steam or pure shame.

"H-How… How is he so good at this…?"

"He just washed my back… he didn't touch me anywhere else… but it feels like this…"

"As… expected… of you… Ayanokouji-kun…"

"I feel… I feel so good everywhere… I… want more of it…"

"Haaaa… haaaa… Aya…nokouji…kun… you…"

"Damn… you… why are you so… so good…?"

"Why… does it feel so… good…? He didn't even… touch me anywhere… improper…"

"I never knew… being washed… feels really good… I like it…"

"Y-You… You're not going to… win me over… so easily… Ayanokouji…"

[Bonus Scene #1 has been cleared! You gained +30 in all stats! You have also gained a new Skill for completing the Bonus Scene!]

[Cleanliness Needs Handiness] (Passive Skill): Grants you with a 'magical touch' when you wash any part of your heroines' bodies. Every stroke you do to clean their skin grants them overwhelming happiness and pleasure that's equal to what is normally felt in the bedroom.

[You have gained 15 Affection Points with Horikita Suzune!]

[You have gained 20 Affection Points with Kushida Kikyo!]

[You have gained 25 Affection Points with Sakayanagi Arisu!]

[Relationship Status 'Childhood Friends' has been maxed! Relationship Status with Sakayanagi Arisu has been upgraded to 'Tied by Fate'!]

[You have gained 15 Affection Points with Matsushita Chiaki!]

[You have gained 10 Affection Points with Sakura Airi!]

[You have gained 20 Affection Points with Karuizawa Kei!]

[You have gained 30 Affection Points with Ichinose Honami!]

[You have gained 10 Affection Points with Shiina Hiyori!]

[You have gained 10 Affection Points with Chabashira Sae!]

"I'm gonna go wash myself now," announced the 'Masterpiece' of the White Room with a deadpan tone, while trying to ignore how he had gained the power to leave the girls in this state just by simply washing their backs. He didn't even put much effort in doing so, just enough to classify as 'washing' so he could get out of his situation as soon as possible.

And yet, this happened.

This eroge system could honestly make the entire female population of Japan fall for him if it wanted to, and Kiyotaka could only be grateful that it wasn't that cruel to him.

The young man stood up and prepared to go to the other side of the onsen where it was completely left alone, only to be stopped when someone grabbed onto his foot, causing him to look down and see who it was.

"Is there anything that you still need from me, Matsushita?" he raised an eyebrow at Chiaki who was struggling to lift her head from the ground in order to look up at him.

"I can't wait anymore, Ayanokouji-kun…" the brunette groaned as she lifted herself off the ground, not even caring that her towel fell and left her completely naked in front of the young man.

Kiyotaka could only watch with an eyebrow raised as Chiaki pulled herself up to his level, before wrapping her arms around his neck and joining her lips with his in a deep kiss.

As his eyes widened in disbelief at her sudden action, Kiyotaka then felt the familiar sound of a camera snapping a photo before several new notifications popped up in front of him.

['Chiaki in the Bath' was added to the gallery!]

[You have gained 25 Affection Points with Matsushita Chiaki!]

[Relationship Status 'I've Got a Stalker' has been maxed! Relationship Status with Matsushita Chiaki has been upgraded to 'Obsessed with You'!]

[Congratulations! You have unlocked the Achievement: 'The First Kiss Lasts Forever'! You gained +5 in Charm!]

The kiss itself lasted for a minute, and it was mostly Chiaki moving her lips for about half of it before Kiyotaka finally decided to return the gesture by moving his own. A part of him wanted to hug this girl close or even grab her hips (there was even a very small part of him that wanted to grab her ass instead) but the stronger part of his mind was telling him that Chiaki wasn't wearing anything so it wouldn't be right to do so.

With that, he prevented himself from doing anything else and only focused on the kiss until Chiaki finally pulled away with a completely red face and her breathing ragged.

"That was my first kiss, Ayanokouji-kun~" she gave him a sensual smile and giggled a bit at seeing the expression on his face. "I hope you know how much girls treasure their first kiss, especially when it's with the boy that they like."

Even though her legs were failing her, Chiaki then moved away from him and managed to make her way to the normal pool before submerging herself in it, not even minding the fact that she was now stark naked because her towel fell earlier.

Kiyotaka could only stare at the girl absent-mindedly, at least until his attention went to a certain jealous girl who was ready to go on a rampage from what she just witnessed.

"How was it, Ayanokouji-kun? You must have really enjoyed that first kiss…" said Kikyo in an emotionless voice, as no traces of her usual bright and happy nature were left. She didn't care about hiding her real self anymore at this point.

Kiyotaka then noticed that a lot of the girls had already recovered from their euphoric states and bore witness to Chiaki kissing him. Suzune and Kei both frowned at him, while Sae and Honami were surprised. The only ones who were still out of commission were Hiyori and Airi, which was probably for the best.

"In case you missed it, I did not do anything. She was the one who made the move and I just stood where I am," he defended himself while clearing his throat. He then switched back to his usual deadpan look. "If you want to be honest, then yes. I enjoyed it. It was my first kiss and I'm happy to get it from a beautiful girl.

"Oh, stop it, Ayanokouji-kun! You are going to make me fall for you even more!" Chiaki squealed like a schoolgirl in love, slapping both of her cheeks as she shook her head furiously.

"Well, at least you're honest about it…" Suzune said, as she wondered why it bothered her to see Matsushita kissing the young man. She was almost tempted to go over to Kiyotaka and kiss him herself, but she quickly shook off the idea. "Did it have to be really long, though? Are kisses supposed to take more than a minute?"

"I have no idea myself but does it matter? Matsushita did what she wanted to do and I didn't mind it," he shrugged.

"It must have been a pretty good kiss…" Kei grumbled, not even bothering to hide her jealousy.

"You're right, Ayanokouji-kun. It doesn't matter how long a kiss takes."

Before he could realize what was happening, Sakayanagi grabbed him by the shoulder and made him turn towards her. She then grabbed his head and pulled him towards her as their lips met, surprising him for the second time in a row.

[You have gained 30 Affection Points with Sakayanagi Arisu!]

Unlike Chiaki, whose kiss was passionate and somewhat innocent, Arisu could be likened to that of a hungry animal. She didn't waste time and pushed her tongue into his mouth and began to explore it. She continued to do this for a few moments, savoring every part of the boy's mouth and even tasting his tongue with her own.

Kiyotaka, refusing to be defeated by this girl who had annoyed him on several occasions by now, pushed back with his tongue and took the fight into her mouth. The tables were immediately turned as Arisu, who was being aggressive a while ago, could only submit to Kiyotaka's superior strength. Unlike Chiaki, he hugged her close, pressing their bodies together with only a towel separating their skin.

He didn't stop there, though. His hands went to her sides and gave them a squeeze, making Arisu jump in surprise and leaving her at his complete mercy. He kept both of his hands there and continued the kiss-turned-makeout session for half a minute before finally stopping.

The moment Arisu separated from him, Kiyotaka could only stare at the girl in wonder as a thousand questions crossed his mind at the moment, and most of them involved the lilac-haired student and her true intentions.

Just like that, his second-ever kiss was taken by this girl who was secretly pining for him ever since the day they met.

Even though she was almost out of breath, Arisu sent him a wink before she was grabbed by Kei and Kikyo and pulled her towards them like an angry mob of rioters who had a bone to pick with their enemy.

While Arisu and Chiaki were questioned endlessly by the rest of the girls about kissing the brown-haired teen who was with them, Kiyotaka took it as an opportunity to slip away and sneak to the other side of the area, where he quietly took a shower on his own without being noticed.

"I thought I would hate how this day ends, but honestly? I'm confused and shocked more than anything else."

He took a few deep breaths to calm his heart that was beating fast from all the events that happened in such a short time. It was a good thing that the water from the shower was just as warm as the one in the onsen, and it helped him relax even further.

Right as he was about to wash his own body, he then noticed something different in his nether regions down there…

"Great. Just great…"

Kiyotaka groaned to himself as he noticed the tent that formed underneath the towel he wore around his lower body. He was only lucky that no one saw it, otherwise he would either be teased, the girls would accuse him of being a pervert, or something worse.

Well, in the end, absolutely no one could blame him for having a boner. Being completely alone in a bath with nine women who had nothing but towels on would definitely do things to you. That's not even taking into account what he did while he was here, which involved washing their backs and sharing kisses with Chiaki and Arisu, both of which were very different experiences.

Also, he could only hope that he gets through this situation with his sanity intact. Matsushita and Sakayanagi have gone ahead and kissed him in front of everyone else, who's to say that Kushida won't do the same? Karuizawa? Horikita? Hell, maybe even Chabashira-sensei or Ichinose!

"I have to put up with this for the rest of my life now, huh…" he thought while trying his best to calm his bulge down there before the girls notice his missing presence and see him.

His only chance of getting out of here without anything else happening is to stay calm and put his foot down. It might cause the system to act and have it happen otherwise, but it was worth a shot.

"This is crazy, but I suppose it could have been crazier."

He's right about one thing, though.

It's about to get crazier.

[END OF VOLUME 1]

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MINASAN, YONDE KURETE ARIGATŌ! AISHITEMAAAAASUUUUU! *starts playing air guitar*

-Lance