"Comfortable?"
"Very~."
"Enjoying it?"
"Immensely."
"So… how will my dear Onee-san repay me?"
"..."
Kasumigaoka Touji held her jade-like foot, still sheathed in its sheer black stocking, as if cradling a precious artifact. His long, dexterous fingers worked with practiced precision, applying just the right pressure to the acupoints on her sole, kneading away the deep-seated fatigue from their day of exploration.
"Repay you?" Kasumigaoka Utaha replied, her voice a languid melody. She leaned back, her weight supported by her hands planted on the tatami behind her. The pristine white down jacket she wore clung to the exquisite contours of her figure, tracing every alluring curve.
A simple half-inch-wide white hairband held back her dark locks, completing an outfit of pure white that lent an almost angelic—yet dangerously tantalizing—aura to her breathtaking "95-57" silhouette. "Since when does a little brother demand payment for helping his beloved elder sister? That's not the mark of a good brother at all~."
She peered at him through half-lidded eyes, one wine-red orb gleaming with playful mischief. The corner of her delicate mouth curled upward. Her flawless face, a blend of enchanting allure and relaxed contentment, truly embodied a pure yet devastating seductiveness.
"Isn't fair compensation for labor a fundamental principle?" Touji-kun countered, a teasing glint in his own eyes. "And here you are, trying to freeload! The nerve!"
Deliberately, he increased the pressure of his thumb.
"Ah—!"
A sharp, involuntary gasp escaped Utaha-san's lips, and her foot instinctively jerked back in his grasp.
"I surrender! I was wrong!"
Though part of her still wished to play the teasing game, the overwhelming sensation shooting up her leg forced a swift and decisive white flag.
"A simple 'I was wrong' is all I get?" Touji-kun chided, though he mercifully lightened his touch. He fixed her with a smile that was all challenge. "Where's the proper apology? The sincerity?"
Can't handle me, can you?The unspoken victory was clear in his gaze.
"Then… should I get on my knees and bow?" Utaha-san suggested, tilting her head so her dark hair cascaded like a silken waterfall over one shoulder.
"No need for such formality," he said, his tone suddenly magnanimous. "Just do the splits for me later. That'll suffice."
The memory of her last "splits performance" flashed vividly in Utaha-san's mind. A faint blush tinged her cheeks, and she shot him a glare that was equal parts reproach and smoldering charm.
"..."
"Back to the main issue!" Touji-kun pressed, his fingers now working on a different point on her instep. "How does Onee-san intend to repay me for this premium service?"
"Didn't I just agree to the splits?" she asked, feigning confusion.
Touji-kun mirrored her look of surprise. "Wasn't that your voluntary offering to express remorse for your earlier impudence? That's separate from the massage fee."
Kasumigaoka Utaha's expression morphed into one of pure, theatrical indignation. 'The audacity! How can you say such a thing with a straight face?!'
Her lips twitched. Unable to retort with words, she resorted to action—giving his thigh a light kick with her other foot.
"Nii-san has a truly… creative understanding of the words 'voluntary' and 'proactive.' Our modern language teacher, Kojima-sensei, would blush to the roots of his hair if he heard you!"
"What does this have to do with Kojima-sensei?" Touji-kun blinked, the very picture of innocent bewilderment.
"Tsk—! You're hopeless!"
"Now that's just mean, Onee-san. Not only are you exploiting my labor, but you're also hurling insults? And let's not forget, I'm still generously massaging your feet at this very moment."
To emphasize his point, his hand slid from her foot to her smooth, shapely calf, giving it a deliberate, firm squeeze.
"Ah—! S-Stop…!"
A shiver ran through her. Utaha-san's back arched slightly, and she instinctively tried to bat his hand away. Her leg trembled but, tellingly, did not pull away completely.
"Look who's being inappropriate now," she breathed, her wine-red eyes locking onto his, asserting her status as the 'victim' in this scenario.
"Tsk! Onee-san, you disappoint me deeply… No good deed goes unpunished, as they say. I'm done!" With a flourish, he released her foot.
"Don't stop!" she insisted, immediately placing her foot back in his lap. A new, conspiratorial glint entered her eyes. "Massage me properly, and… when we get back home, I'll sneak you into the women's bath at the local sento. How about that? Isn't your onee-san good to you?"
"Isn't that worse?! That's repaying kindness with malice!" Touji-kun stared at her, utterly aghast. "I offer you a healing massage, and your repayment is to get me arrested?!"
Hearing his outrage, Kasumigaoka Utaha nearly laughed aloud. She composed herself and blinked with exaggerated innocence. "What? I don't understand what Nii-san means… But don't you like the idea of women's baths? I thought you'd be… interested."
"I am interested! But your method is fundamentally flawed!" he grumbled, yet his hands had already resumed their work on her other foot.
"True, I've always been rather… 'criminal' when it comes to you," Utaha-san mused, puffing out her chest with a hint of pride. "Or should I say, particularly 'capable'?"
Did she just… admit something? Voluntarily?
Touji-kun's eye twitched. He narrowed his gaze at her. Kasumigaoka Utaha met his scrutinizing look head-on, not backing down an inch.
"..."
The foot massage concluded not long after. The quiet atmosphere was broken by the soft slide of the room's door. Their parents entered, each carrying a small basket provided by the inn, filled with toiletries and a folded yukata.
"Touji-kun, Utaha-chan, we're heading to the baths now. Would you like to join us?" Kasumigaoka Airi invited warmly.
"Of course." Utaha-san set her phone aside and gracefully rose from the low table, moving to the closet to retrieve her own bathing set.
Touji-kun scratched the back of his head. "I think I'll visit the Sulfur Spring a bit later."
The Iou-buro (Sulfur Spring) was considered a premium offering, famed for its skin-healing, anti-inflammatory, and fatigue-reducing properties. But more importantly, at this particular inn, the sulfur spring had a unique schedule: it was reserved for women until 9:50 PM, and switched to men-only after 10:00 PM.
Instead of jostling with other guys in the regular bath right now, Touji-kun reasoned internally, why not wait a little and soak in the 'women's bathwater' later? The chances of having the entire luxurious sulfur spring to himself were much higher.
"You'll have quite a wait, then. It's only a little past seven," Kasumigaoka Eiji noted, a flicker of disappointment crossing his face. He'd been looking forward to the classic father-son bonding time in the hot spring.
"It's fine, I'm in no rush. A good soak right before bed is perfect," Touji-kun replied with an easy shrug.
"Well then… Nii-san," Utaha-san said, holding her toiletries basket and yukata. She paused at the doorway, looking back at him. "We'll go on ahead."
"Enjoy," he said, waving them off as they disappeared into the hallway.
Left alone in the quiet, tatami-matted room, Touji-kun sat for a moment in the lingering silence. An idea struck him. Might as well kill some time. He got to his feet and decided to head to the inn's small game room, wondering what kind of old-school amusements a traditional place like this might offer…