Afternoon.

After finishing what was essentially a Spartan yet overprotective lesson disguised as “playing in the snowy mountains” with two beginners in tow, we headed to a large day-use hot spring facility attached to the ski slope to warm our thoroughly chilled bodies.

"Ahh〜 this is heaven, heaven…"

Soaking in the hot water up to my shoulders, an old-man-like voice slipped out of me without thinking, a habit from my previous life.

"Hey, Shizuku, that sounded like an old lady."

Anju, who was gracefully scooping water beside me, shot me a sharp glance and jabbed at me.

"Not an old man?"

"What are you talking about? Only tired old ladies make sounds like that, you know? To begin with, men don’t really come to large public baths like this. There were far too many cases of women targeting the rare male children, so now unless it’s a strictly secured men-only facility, they aren’t even allowed in."

I see. No wonder there’s absolutely no sign of men in this ridiculously spacious hot spring. A crazy world with a gender ratio of one to fifteen. For rare male children, even taking a bath is life-threatening 'in terms of chastity' huh.

I nodded to myself, impressed by the deep darkness of a worldview completely reversed from the common sense of my previous life.

Meanwhile, Aoi, who was on my other side…

"…"

"…Aoi? Hey, what’s wrong? You’ve been quiet for a while now."

"…kyuu〜"

"A-Aoi!?"

"Hoshikawa-san!? Hey, get a hold of yourself!!"

The moment I called out to her, Aoi went limp as if her strings had been cut and sank into the bath.

Panicking, I quickly lifted her body up and, together with my mother, returned to the changing room and called for staff.

…At this moment, inside Aoi’s top-tier yandere mind, a fatal level error had occurred. Shizuku’s black hair, damp from the hot water and radiating even more gloss and allure, and her translucent porcelain-like skin. The overwhelming fact that she was having a “naked interaction” with the Shizuku she loved made her young heart pound like a drum, and with a “fever of excitement” rather than a wisdom fever, she completely short-circuited.

However, there was no way someone as dense as me, denser than perennial snow, would notice that…

* * *

"It seems she just got lightheaded. If you let her rest somewhere cool for a bit, she should wake up soon."

"Ahh, sorry for the trouble. Thank you very much."

In the tatami-floored resting area, we let out a sigh of relief at the staff member’s words.

Aoi was lying atop stacked cushions, breathing softly in a steady rhythm. As always, her sleeping face looked like that of an angel, but there was still no sign of her waking up.

Still, it felt wrong to let her head rest directly on the floor, so I sat cross-legged on the cushions and placed Aoi’s head on my thighs.

The so-called “lap pillow.”

"Shizuku, Hoshikawa-san… will she be alright?"

Anju, now changed into a yukata, peered worriedly at Aoi sleeping on my lap. Despite everything, the way she properly stays by the side of a love rival in trouble really shows how genuinely kind she is at her core.

"The staff said she’ll be fine, so let’s just keep an eye on her for now. Anju, go change and dry your hair first. I’ll lend Aoi my lap and watch over her."

"…If you say so, Shizuku, I’ll leave her to you. I’ll be right back."

To reassure the uneasy Anju, I lightly patted her head. Her ears turned bright red as she hurried off toward the sink area.

At that moment, my mother, who had finished contacting Hoshikawa’s mother, returned. Seeing Aoi sleeping on my lap, she smiled in exasperation.

"My, you’ve completely become the big sister, haven’t you. For now, I’ve contacted her. I told them we’ll rest a bit before heading back. I’m going to buy some drinks, do you want anything?"

"I’ll have regular milk. Oh, what about Anju?"

When I called out toward the sink area, she replied, "I’ll have fruit milk, please!"

"Got it. And for Aoi… shall I get the same fruit milk as Anju?"

"Yeah, something sweet might help her wake up. Thanks, Mom."

My mom headed off toward the vending machine area, and I once again looked down at Aoi sleeping on my lap.

"…nn, uu…"

A few minutes later, Aoi let out a small groan and slowly opened her emerald green eyes.

"Oh, you’re awake. How do you feel, Aoi?"

"…Shizuku…chan? I, in the bath…"

When Aoi opened her eyes, my face should have been what she saw above her.

I gently wiped the sweat on her forehead with the cool towel I was holding.

"You got lightheaded and collapsed. Seriously, don’t push yourself like that."

'…I’m sleeping on Shizuku-chan’s lap!? Shizuku-chan is taking care of me with a lap pillow… And from below, I can see her neckline and collarbone peeking out from her yukata… no, I’m going to get lightheaded again…♡'

Deep within Aoi’s eyes, her dangerous yandere meter once again surged toward its limit.

However, she weakly shook her head to keep it from being noticed.

"I’m sorry, Shizuku-chan… I caused trouble…"

"Don’t be ridiculous. If your friend collapses, of course you help them. Here, can you sit up a bit? You should drink something. If you’re still dizzy, you can just lean on me."

I wrapped an arm around Aoi’s back, gently lifting her up so she could lean snugly between my shoulder and chest.

"Perfect timing, Mom got you fruit milk, so drink this."

While firmly supporting Aoi’s body with one arm, I took the bottle of fruit milk with the other. Then, using the pad of my thumb, I skillfully popped open the paper lid of the bottle.

"Here, slowly."

I gently tilted the bottle toward Aoi’s lips and helped her drink.

‘I’m in Shizuku-chan’s arms… She’s holding me while feeding me… just like a perfect husband taking care of his weakened wife in a shoujo manga… Ahh, together with the fruit milk, my entire being is being filled with Shizuku-chan…♡'

Tears streamed down Aoi’s face as she gulped down the fruit milk.

"H-Hey, was it that good you’re crying!? There’s more, take your time!"

As I hurriedly rubbed her back, Aoi pressed her cheek against my chest with a completely feminine expression and murmured, "No… I’m just happy…"

Anju, having finished drying her hair, returned just in time to see Aoi snugly nestled in my arms, cheeks flushed as she was being fed fruit milk—in other words, a level of closeness that looked like a “complete aftermath”—

"H-Hey! While I looked away for a second, what kind of head start are you taking!?"

And in just a few seconds, her face turned bright red as she exploded in anger.