Episode 7: When You Want to Relax
“Uuh, uwaah, aaah…!”
“Ruri. Why are you losing your mind over there?”
An hour after dinner. I was writhing on the floor, groaning, when Möbius-san crouched down and peered at my face.
“…T-tomorrow’s finally my first day of work, and just thinking about it is making me so nervous…!”
Right. Tomorrow’s finally opening day for Sweet Stella.
Weekends, we open at 10am and close at 10pm. Weekdays, for now, we’re running from 6pm to 10pm.
“Think you’ll be able to sleep?”
“I, I might not be able to sleep at all…”
We’d practiced customer service together, over and over, all week. I’d gotten a little more used to it bit by bit, but that’s only because it’s Möbius-san I’m practicing with.
There’s no way I can smile and serve someone I’ve never met before…!
“…Hey, Ruri. Want to head out for a bit right now?”
“Eh?”
“There’s a place I go when I want to relax. I’ll take you.”
Möbius-san pulled me up by the hand. She gave me a reassuring smile, like she was trying to calm me down.
“Uu… Möbius-san, I love you so much…”
I clung to her like I was desperate for something to hold onto. Geez, she said, but she hugged me back anyway.
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“Here. Barely anyone comes on weekdays, so it’s pretty great.”
The place Möbius-san brought me to was a hot spring, about a fifteen-minute walk from home.
“A hot spring…”
“Yep. More relaxing than the bath at home, so I like coming here. What about you, Ruri?”
“…I don’t think I’ve ever been to one, except on school trips.”
So for me, “hot spring” had always meant a ryokan-style inn, somewhere you’d stay overnight. This was my first time coming to a standalone bathhouse like this.
We went in, paid the entrance fee, and headed straight for the changing room. Just like Möbius-san said, there wasn’t a single other customer besides us.
A hot spring means getting naked, obviously.
I glanced sideways at Möbius-san. She started undressing without a shred of hesitation.
With clothes on, your eyes are drawn straight to her chest, but once she took them off, you could see her whole body was toned and fit.
“Ru~ri. You’re staring way too hard.”
“Ah, s-sorry…”
“Only people who are ready to be stared back at get to stare, you know?”
Fully undressed now, Möbius-san grinned and looked me over. If this was where things were headed, I should’ve just gotten undressed quickly too.
It’s not weird or anything, since we’re both girls, but being naked in front of someone still feels kind of embarrassing, somehow…
Plus, my face might be good, but my figure’s nothing special — skinny, but in an unhealthy-looking way, not toned like Möbius-san’s.
Whatever, happens what happens! I thought, and took my clothes off. Möbius-san’s eyes went wide with surprise.
“…Ruri’s cute even with her clothes off.”
“Wh-what’s that supposed to mean…”
“Seriously, your skin’s gorgeous, and you’ve actually got more up top than I expected.”
I’m a validation-monster, so I love being complimented, but having my naked body studied like that is embarrassing. I instinctively covered myself with a towel, and Möbius-san laughed, sorry, sorry.
“Alright, let’s go. They say getting naked together brings people closer, or whatever.”
She threw an arm around my shoulders as we left the changing room and headed for the bath. We rinsed off properly first, then eased slowly into the water.
“Wah, it’s warm…”
The temperature ran just a touch hot, paired with that distinct sulfur smell hot springs have.
I felt my whole body’s muscles loosen up, and my cheeks relaxed without my meaning them to.
“Hot springs feel good, right?”
“Yeah…”
Thinking about it, every other time I’d been to a hot spring was on a school trip, surrounded by so many people that I’d just been tense the whole time. So this was the first time I’d ever gotten to actually enjoy one, relaxed like this.
I guess somewhere along the way, I stopped getting nervous around Möbius-san.
“Hey, Ruri. About the job — it’s fine if you’re nervous. If anything happens, I’ve got your back.”
“Möbius-san…”
Not “you don’t need to be nervous,” but “it’s fine if you are.” That’s what saved me. There was never any way I was going to not be nervous anyway.
“Even if you mess up, it’ll work out. I mean, if you’re messing up constantly that’s a problem, but… if you ever fail and it gets you down, we can just come back here again.”
“…Okay.”
When Möbius-san pats my head like that, it really does settle my heart.
My first part-time job. My first hot spring.
Ever since meeting Möbius-san, it feels like I’ve been getting a lot of firsts.
“Ah, um!”
“What’s up?”
“T-to say thank you for everything… c-can I help wash your back!”
I wanted to pay her back somehow, even just a little, and that was the first thing that popped into my head.
“…Ruri.”
“Y-yes?”
“Seriously, thank you.”
Möbius-san grabbed both my hands tightly, looking so happy that it made me happy too, somehow.