Hot and springs

A piece of broccoli, some rice and mashed potatoes. Mr. Ge's lunch box is looking quite pretty. Hoshina is proud of her artwork.

"There's something that's been bugging me for a while." Kaji says while frying the eggs.

"What is it?" She moves aside a strand of hair, then continues arranging the contents of the box.

"That's it." He points at her face. "You constantly move your hair out of the way because your bangs fall into your eyes. Why don't you trim it?"

"Huh… you are right."

"You're kidding me."

"No, I'm serious. I'm used to keeping my hair longer than I consider comfortable because of my dumb complex about appearances."

"So we are back at that. You need another talking or what?"

"No, no, it's fine. I wasn't doing it on purpose. I guess… I still haven't fully gotten over it, and I might be worried that I wouldn't look good if I cut my hair."

"Nonsense. I'm sure you'd still…" He clears his throat. "I mean, your comfort is more important than your appearance, you know?" Hoshina smiles and closes the lunch box.

"This one is done. I'll go away for a moment to fix my hair. I should be back by the time you finish the eggs, so don't worry about the next box."

"Take your time, I can handle arranging a few ingredients in a container."

༻──⋆༺𓆩⋆𓆪༻⋆──༺

It's a bit tricky, yes, but Kaji is starting to get the hang of it. He has managed to place one of the eggs inside the box without breaking the yolk. He is about to move the second…

"I'm back, how do I look?"

Kaji gives her a quick glance.

Then another.

The yolk breaks.

"N-not terrible, I guess." Silver hair up to half her neck. "I don't know why you were so worried about it." It accentuates her serene appearance. "I-It's not like It's a big deal or anything." No longer half-covered by bangs, her deep eyes threaten to pull him in and never let go.

"Do I look good?"

"You look…" Gorgeous. "Fine."

༻──⋆༺𓆩⋆𓆪༻⋆──༺

The vastness of the starred sky reminds her of how small all of her worries are.

The silence of the night, broken only by their steps, helps calm her insecurities about her appearance.

She is aware she was supposed to be over it already.

I guess it's never that easy, huh.

Still, she won't let it stop her, even if it's an uphill battle, like walking through this steep forest path.

She digs her foot on the damp grass. Tonight will be a step forward towards getting rid of these worthless feelings.

A few eyes lock on them as they come through the foliage.

Some of the red-faced fluff balls get closer, curious, others return to minding their own business, relaxed in the steaming ponds.

"Last one is a red ass ape! Hye, he, he!" Mr. Ge all but rips his clothes and jumps into the nearest spring, splashing the faces of the ones already enjoying it, who grunt and leave to find another pond.

"Don't make such a fuss, the monkeys could turn aggressive if you bother them." Kaji then looks at her. "You coming or what?"

"Ah, yes, of course." As she grabs the top of her robe to take it off, for a moment her hand freezes upon realizing Kaji is still looking at her.

Then he blinks, his eyes start drifting from one place to another and he turns around.

As Kaji takes out his own clothes, Hoshina can't help but notice how fit his back looks. Despite not being a warrior, he most certainly has had an active lifestyle.

Such muscles are very impressive, just the right balance between practical and attractive.

Has Kaji's body always looked so nice?

Then, as he moves around, a glimpse into his right side reveals some of the scars on his front, scars she has caused.

It's all good and forgiven, yes, but the truth remains that she's the one who caused them.

She shakes her head, takes out the rest of her clothes, save the swimsuit and mask, and proceeds towards the same spring as Mr. Ge.

༻──⋆༺𓆩⋆𓆪༻⋆──༺

As Kaji lowers himself into the pond, it feels as though the weight of his body disappears.

The water washes away the ache in his muscles, and its warmth gives him a cozy dizziness, like he could close his eyes and fall into the sweetest dream.

"Feels great, right?" asks the fresh voice of Hoshina.

"Yes, it does, I'm glad I allowed you to drag me here."

"Hye! I knew you two would like it." Ge's voice is clearer than usual, almost like…

"Mr. Ge! Why did you take off your mask?"

"Bah, it's no big deal, the air in this place is clean enough to breathe. You think these apes would be so energetic otherwise?"

"Alright, fair point." She takes her mask as well, and Kaji follows.

The air does feel clean. Every breath fills him with newfound strength.

This is paradise...

༻──⋆༺𓆩⋆𓆪༻⋆──༺

After several minutes of small talk, Ge stands up and does a few stretches.

"Welp, time for me to go. You two have fun, you have the whole night to yourselves. Bye, bye."

"Have a safe trip back, Mr. Ge."

Kaji is too relaxed to talk, so he just waves a hand above the surface.

And so they are both left all alone. Even the monkeys had gone away at some point for whatever reason.

Just him and Hoshina…

…

Wait a second…

Did Ge do this on purpose?

Is this some kind of elaborate prank he's trying to pull?

"I'm happy you got to try the hot springs at least once," Hoshina says. "If we do end up finding an aircraft, you won't be able to experience something like this again."

A light breeze waves her white strands.

Damnit, I can't believe how good the short hair looks on her.

Even while they were still enemies, Kaji would have had to admit she was beautiful if asked.

Her aura is clean and elegant, like the perfect sculpture of a master artisan.

When he first met her, that was all that stood out to him, making him see her as something too perfect to be human, like a moving doll.

But as time went on, he started perceiving the smaller details, both in her appearance and unique personality. The sprinkles of humanity, the artistic touch in an otherwise lifeless piece.

They multiply everything good about her, they ground a ghostly mirage into the physical world, making her tangible, and likeable.

Nowadays, there are times he wishes he could be a bit more sincere and say some of these things to her. Although anytime such a thought crosses his mind he—

"You alright, Kaji? You look red like a beet."

"E-eh!? No! What are you saying!? I-I'm not blushing, the water is just too hot!"

"I didn't say you were blushing." Shit. A mischievous smile crosses her face. "Come on, Kaji-nii, why are you getting so embarrassed."

"Ugh! I thought you were supposed to be over that stupid phase, you crying deadpan!"

"Ey! That's not nice. You know I dislike those nicknames."

"Well, I don't like your stupid names either."

"It's not the same. Mine are affectionate, yours are mean."

"It doesn't matter, they are cringeworthy and they make it seem like we could never… ugh!" He splashes her in a desperate attempt to erase what he was about to say.

As the small wave he made goes through her, a terrifying smugness emerges.

"So that's what we are playing, huh." She splashes him back with a wave double the size.

His hair is going to take an eternity to dry.

"You little—" No regard for turns, she throws another wave at him.

Kaji coughs, water got into his nose.

"Stop with—" Interrupted by another one. "Enough!" He lunges forward to grab her hands, but she reacts and tries to push him aside.

However, specific circumstances like the fact that they are in water, their relatively recent limbs, and them wearing swimsuits, all combine into one unexpected result; Kaji's mechanical finger gets caught in her strap as she pushes him aside.

He catches a glimpse of beauty beyond words, but before he can scream in embarrassment—

"Kyaaa!" Hoshina covers herself and turns around.

…

Then silence.