Ch.59The Kiryu Family Vacation (4)

“Let’s have a match. We could both learn something from each other.”

Kana said, brushing her hair back.

“Uh… no thanks.”

My immediate response came without hesitation.

“…?!!!”

Everyone around seemed taken aback by my answer.

“Refusing Lady Kana’s request for a match…!”

“Turning down an opportunity that others would pay fortunes for…!!”

The crowd around us buzzed with excitement.

These guys have such exaggerated reactions. They were like background spectators straight out of a manga.

“…Why not?”

Kana tried to maintain her dignified demeanor as she asked.

“I’m here to relax. I want to spend some leisurely time with Umi. I don’t have time for matches.”

I said, pulling Umi closer to me.

“Shota……”

Umi looked at me with touched eyes. She seemed happy that I prioritized her.

That seemed to flip a switch in Umi.

“Hnnnnng…❤”

An indescribable sound escaped from Umi’s lips.

Looks like I’ve opened Pandora’s box here. Anyway.

“What a waste of talent. Are you going to miss a good opportunity because you’re distracted by a woman?”

Kana asked. Though she maintained her haughty tone, her pride seemed somewhat wounded by my refusal.

“Hey. Imagine having such a cute girlfriend yourself. You’d want to be with her 24/7 too.”

I replied.

“Oh, Shota…❤”

At my words, Umi immediately clung to me like a suction cup shark, planting kisses all over.

“Hmph. How pathetic. What meaning is there in such a frivolous relationship…?”

Kana shook her head.

However, her face remained flushed. Saito Kana had a surprisingly old-fashioned personality. She clearly wasn’t immune to such displays of affection.

“Anyway, let’s have our match at the Toshin Cup. You’re participating too, right?”

I said.

“I’m trying to give you an opportunity here. You could learn something from this match. It wouldn’t be fun to defeat you so pathetically.”

Kana maintained her condescending attitude as she spoke.

This girl… she’s surprisingly similar to Sasitsu. She’s exactly what Sasitsu would be like if he got hit by a gender-swap beam.

“If I have a match with you now, I’d have to reveal my secret technique. Then I wouldn’t be able to beat you.”

I replied.

“……..!!!”

Once again, the crowd stirred at my words. They really were like spectators from a sports manga.

“That kid… he seriously thinks he can beat Saito Kana…!!”

“No way… he’s going to get his talent crushed…!!”

“That guy’s not bluffing. He’s ‘serious.’ That’s the unwavering gaze of a true swordsman!!”

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen a swordsman with such promising eyes. Heh. This too must be fate…”

“Hahaha!!!”

Kana burst into laughter.

“You really think you can beat me? That’s hilarious. I like it.”

Kana looked straight at me.

“I’ll crush you properly at the Toshin Cup. So thoroughly that you’ll never be able to climb back up.”

Kana made her declaration of intent to destroy me.

“Yeah. Rainbow reflection.”

I casually responded.

“R-rainbow reflection… how childish…!”

Kana’s face turned red.

But such childish provocations were often the most effective at getting under someone’s skin.

“Be prepared!!”

With those words, Kana turned to leave.

However, she stopped midway, suddenly remembering that she had come here to eat.

With a flushed face, Kana sat down in a corner seat and was served her meal. Her table was awkwardly close to ours.

This… she was clearly going for a dramatic exit, but the flow got completely ruined. She tried to make a cool exit but failed. Stop it… I’m getting embarrassed just watching!!

Anyway, we continued our meal in a somewhat awkward atmosphere.

———

After eating, Umi and I took a stroll through the garden to help digest our food.

“Saito Kana, was it? She’s really annoying.”

Umi said.

“I don’t think she’s a bad person…”

She just came across as rude because of her haughty lady persona. She really was like Sasitsu after getting hit by a gender-swap beam.

“She was so rude to you even though you just met. I wanted to teach her a lesson with my fists, but I barely held back.”

Umi raised her tiny fists.

Those cute-looking fists… don’t be fooled by their appearance. Umi’s punches were surprisingly painful.

“Besides… she was definitely flirting with you.”

Umi immediately started with her paranoia.

“No… I don’t think that’s the case?”

“It is! It’s a woman’s intuition! She’s using the match as an excuse to get you alone.”

Umi insisted.

“Are you… suffering from jealousy disorder?”

I asked seriously.

*Thwack-!!*

Umi immediately punished me.

“Shota, I like things just as they are now. The three of us—me, Eri, and Taiga—coexisting. Well… I’ll have to make a decision when I turn 20.”

Umi said.

“If one more person joins, you’re dead.”

Umi looked at me with cloudy eyes.

“I have no such intentions.”

I said with a smile.

‘Three is already hard enough… four would be…’

That would just be death by exhaustion.

I had miraculously avoided the death event in the first week of March, but dying pathetically from exhaustion would be too frustrating.

“I only have eyes for Umi, Eri, and Taiga.”

I stated firmly.

“Idiot… at times like this, you should say ‘I only have eyes for Umi’…”

Though she seemed a bit dissatisfied with my response, Umi pressed her face close to mine. Soon, our lips met.

——–

At that moment, Kana was in her private room, trying to calm her anger.

‘R-rainbow reflection…!!’

Though she knew it was a childish provocation, it strangely infuriated her.

To make matters worse, her pride was wounded for falling for such a juvenile taunt.

‘A-and… all that kissing and clinging… so indecent… those kids who are barely grown…’

Kana’s face flushed as she recalled Shota and Umi’s affectionate behavior.

‘A-a true warrior should maintain an ascetic lifestyle… not be completely absorbed in women…’

That was another aspect of Shota that Kana disliked.

‘The Toshin Cup… I’ll definitely crush him.’

Kana’s eyes gleamed.

She vowed to break his spirit so thoroughly that he would never pick up a sword again.

As she fueled her fighting spirit, Kana touched her own lips.

‘I wonder… what does a kiss feel like?’

Kana was also a young woman in her prime, and couldn’t help but be curious about such things.

‘W-what am I thinking!!!’

She immediately shook her head.

To clear her mind, Kana decided to take a walk.

She strolled through the garden outside the inn.

And by an unfortunate coincidence, Kana witnessed a scene.

Under the soft moonlight of the evening, a couple was sharing an intimate kiss. It was Umi and Shota.

‘Aaaaargh!!!!! Don’t rub it in my face!!!! You’re in the way!!!!’

Kana screamed silently.

Thanks to that, Kana’s troubles only deepened.

———

Back to Shota’s perspective.

After a pleasant walk with Umi, we returned to our room.

After brushing our teeth and washing up, Umi and I began to make love.

“Asuna… I love youuu…❤”

“Me tooo… my husband is the best…❤”

“Me too… I won’t let you sleep tonight…!!”

“Haaah?! Ohhh?!! Ahhh?! So deep… no…?!”

From the next room, we could hear Gonzaemon and Asuna-san passionately making love. It really seemed like they might conceive a second child.

Anyway, that’s how the day passed.

———-

The next day. Saturday.

“Huh?!”

I woke up suddenly. I had fallen asleep as if I’d passed out. I didn’t even dream. It felt like my functions had temporarily shut down, and then I opened my eyes again.

Was this… a near-death experience?

“Shota. Are you awake?”

Umi said as she got up. She seemed to have slept incredibly well. Her face glowed with vitality without needing any skincare products.

“Where should we go today? We should also buy a gift for Sasitsu.”

I said.

“Yeah. Let’s do that.”

Umi surprisingly agreed readily. Perhaps she was feeling more relaxed after fully satisfying her desires yesterday. A satiated lion won’t chase after a gazelle that passes by. It was something like that.

Even so, we couldn’t go outside in our yukatas, so Umi and I changed into regular clothes.

“Hehe. A date with just Shota and me.”

Umi said with a smile.

“Then how about karaoke?”

I immediately suggested karaoke. My song repertoire was bursting. I wanted to belt out some anime song medleys.

“No karaoke!!”

Umi immediately rejected my suggestion.

“Tch.”

Umi strangely disliked going to karaoke with me. Even though she enjoyed it last time.

But I understood what Umi wanted. She wanted to enjoy couple-like activities.

“Alright. Then let’s go to a café and eat something delicious.”

I said with a smile.

“Okay.”

Umi refused to detach herself from me. Since she wouldn’t let go, we walked almost like a four-legged creature.

———

Hakone did have somewhat of a touristy appearance.

Of course, it wasn’t as flashy as other tourist destinations. Hakone was one of those travel spots where there wasn’t much to do once you arrived. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it was all about the hot springs.

But such tourist spots had their own charm. They felt more like everyday life.

I headed toward a famous tea house I had researched in advance.

“They say the wagashi here is delicious.”

I said. Apparently, their yokan was famous.

“Wow… the atmosphere is nice.”

Umi looked around with sparkling eyes. Being a girl, she enjoyed places with good ambiance like this tea house.

We immediately headed for a corner seat.

We ordered two cups of matcha and some yokan.

The order came quickly.

“Shota. Aahn~❤”

Completely ignoring the gazes around us, Umi picked up a piece of yokan with a toothpick and offered it to me.

“Aah…”

Though I was a bit embarrassed, I accepted the yokan Umi offered.

“Then I’ll…”

If someone gives, someone should receive. I also picked up a piece of yokan with a toothpick.

“Aahn…”

I offered the yokan to Umi.

“Aah~”

Umi cutely opened her mouth to accept the yokan.

*Plop-!*

However, the yokan was softer than I expected. It immediately separated from the toothpick and fell.

*Squish-!*

The yokan landed right between Umi’s cleavage. It nestled there as if it had been sucked in. It was probably like watching a black hole swallow a planet. That’s what I imagined.

“Um… Shota. Can you get the yokan off?”

Umi then spoke in a tone half playful, half seductive.

“I guess I have no choice.”

I tried to remove the yokan with my hand.

“Not with your hand… with your mouth… lick it off.”

Umi was shamelessly seductive. It felt like her limiter had been released during this trip.

“Really… I have no choice.”

I smiled and was about to bury my face in Umi’s cleavage.

That’s when it happened.

“You two!!! Give it a rest!!!!”

Hearing a voice from behind, Umi and I turned around.

At the table behind us, Kana was standing there with a flushed face, fuming.