I Want to Hear Your Voice

Chapter 25 – SS Satori going to a hot spring (3)

–Satori…

Satori suddenly felt his whole body nearly burst into flames when he felt like he could hear the low, lustrous voice of Sousuke’s right at his ear.

Even if they had come to a hot spring, it didn’t mean they would definitely do that kind of thing. But on the afternoon drama that he saw, the lovers who went to the hot spring were having a wonderful time. In that case, he was sure Sousuke would also…

At that moment, the rattling sound of a sliding glass door opening could be heard, then Sousuke went to the open-air bath.

Ah…

“How is it, Satori? Does it feel nice?”

Of course, Sousuke was naked as well. Sousuke went in next to Satori, generously exposing his toned body.

“Is the temperature a bit too hot for you…?”

“Ye-yeah.”

Satori’s heart was pounding fast. Even though it wasn’t his first time seeing Sousuke naked, for some reason he was so embarrassed that he couldn’t look Sousuke’s way.

“Satori?”

(Is something wrong?)

Satori unintentionally brushed off the hand that reached out to him and turned bright red.

“Ah, n-no I…”

He was aware that he was behaving strangely, but he didn’t know what to do.

His heart was beating wildly. Sousuke’s eyes widened slightly and he looked at Satori suspiciously. The wetness of Sousuke’s upper body was so dazzling that it made him couldn’t stop thinking about the time when Sousuke embraced him.

“Hyaa!”

Satori shut his eyelids tightly and stood up from the bath with great force.

“Satori?”

Wha-what should I do…?! Something’s wrong with me…!

“I, I’m going to take a bath again inside!”

“Ah, hey!”

(…Satori?)

Without listening to Sousuke’s attempt to stop him, Satori headed for the indoor bath as if to escape from him.

What should I do? Even though we’ve come all the way to this “hot spring” together. Actually, I’m really happy, but I ended up acting strangely…

While he was wondering if he should go back to Sousuke now, or what he should do if he had behaved strangely, Sousuke came into the indoor bath from the open-air bath.

“Ah.”

“I’ll go out first, you can take your time there.”

(Take care not to stay too long there.)

Sousuke spoke to Satori in the same manner as usual, then walked out of the large public bath just like that.

“Ah…”

Even though he had been looking forward to enjoying the “hot spring” together with Sousuke, it was all ruined now because of his own weird behavior.

Satori slumped his shoulder dejectedly, then sank his face until his nose was below the water.

When Satori returned to the room a short time later, Sousuke was cooling off in a space near the window while looking at the guide to the inn.

“Did you have a nice bath?”

“Ye-yeah.”

The unfamiliar sight of Sousuke in a yukata was so cool that it made Satori flustered. Sousuke’s eyes that were looking at Satori softened, then he beckoned Satori to come to his side.

…?

Satori approached Sousuke meekly, and Sousuke untied the obi of his yukata.

A-are we going to do it…?

“Your yukata is reversed. The one you wear is for the deceased.”

As Satori’s heart thumped with anticipation, Sousuke untied Satori’s obi, brought the left side collar over the right side, and retied the obi again.

“There you go.”

Sousuke lightly tapped on Satori’s chest.

“Tha-thanks.”

Satori blushed at his own misunderstanding of the situation. Then, his head was ruffled by Sousuke.

“Looks like there’s a river right next to this inn. Wanna go there before dinner?”

“Yu-yup.”

Huh? Something is weird.

As Satori followed Sousuke, who was holding the room key with a wooden key chain, he felt puzzled inside. A hot spring trip was supposed to be full of doing “that kind of things”, but Sousuke acted the same as usual, and Satori didn’t feel the slightest signs of doing that.

Was he angry at me for acting weird after all?

However, he couldn’t feel any sign of anger coming from Sousuke’s back. On the contrary, he could feel Sousuke’s excitement instead.

Sousuke…?

“Satori.”

Sousuke stopped walking, then turned around and extended his hand toward Satori. As he took that hand, Satori was caught up in an incomprehensible worry.

The dinner was over, and even when the only thing left to do was to sleep, there wasn’t that kind of atmosphere at all.

Even though he had been looking forward to this trip ever since it was decided, even though he could spend the whole day together with Sousuke, Satori’s heart filled with sadness.

If this keeps going on, the day will be over.

Sousuke was relaxing and drinking a beer while laughing at the TV. Satori clenched his fist tightly.

“So-sousuke!”

When Satori gathered up his courage and called out to him, Sousuke looked surprised.

“Wha-what’s wrong, Satori?”

(Is there something wrong?)

Sousuke put down his beer on the table and quickly went to Satori’s side. Sousuke was looking at him as if he was looking into his heart, and it melted away Satori’s heart that was tense with worry.

“Wh-why don’t you do it? Was it because I behaved strangely? Because I brushed off your hand?”

Tears were spilling down from Satori’s eyes.

“Wa-wait a sec, Satori!”

(What are you talking about?!)

Sousuke was a little surprised, then he put his hand on Satori’s back and rubbed it gently as if to comfort him.

“I don’t get what you’re saying, so explain it to me.”

(What are you talking about, Satori?)

Satori wiped his eyelids and sniffed.

“I-I know about it. Hot spring trips are usually something for couples to do a lot of lewd things, right? But I was too embarrassed to look at your naked body, so I behaved strangely. Even though it doesn’t mean that I don’t want to do it. Actually, I was really looking forward to going into the large bath together with you, Sousuke…”

Satori, who had lost his composure, didn’t notice that Sousuke’s face was blushing in embarrassment.