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One hour later. As expected, it wasn't that easy to find.
I was soaking in a spacious semi-open-air bath to soothe my fatigue along with Ryuya, who had told me that Riran and the others had finished their bath.
Ryuya seemed completely exhausted as well, melting into the bath.
"Nghaa~... It's soaking in~"
"They say a bath is a wash for the soul. It really takes the tiredness away."
It felt as if my fatigue was dissolving into the water. My skin tingled from the sunburn, but even that couldn't beat this comfort. It felt incredible.
But... even while I'm doing this, the earring might be getting carried away by the waves and drifting further away. When I thought about that, I couldn't stay calm...
As I let out a soft sigh, Ryuya turned an exasperated look toward me.
"Hey now, Akito. At least while you're in the bath, forget about the earring and relax."
"...Are you an esper?"
"Heh heh. How many years do you think we've been hanging out? Just by looking at your face, I can pretty much tell what you're thinking."
Ryuya twisted his mouth into a smirk. Neika was the same way. Do I really show my feelings on my face that easily?
I kneaded my own face with my hands. Ryuya placed a towel on his head and let out a soft sigh.
"This time, it's not your fault or Kuonji's fault. So don't take it all on yourself, we just have to wait for it to be found."
"Well, that's true, but..."
Even if I understood it in my head, I couldn't stand the thought of Riran looking so sad. I didn't know if this was the weakness of being in love or because of the Red Thread of Fate.
"Well, Nei said the divers she arranged are searching too, so let's just wait patiently."
After getting out of the bath, Ryuya said, "Well, I'm heading out first," and went into the dressing room.
Left alone, I soaked in the bath and looked outside. A sky full of stars. A large crescent moon floating among them. And the sound of the waves washing in and out. A solitary bath surrounded by nature... this wasn't bad either.
"...Hm? Oh, a dolphin."
Was that the bottlenose dolphin I saved earlier? It was jumping happily far offshore.
I moved to the edge of the bath and watched it. Enjoying a dolphin show while looking at the vast ocean and the starry sky from a semi-open-air bath. This was an exceptionally luxurious time.
After watching that scene for a while...
*Clack.* The door behind me opened. Did Ryuya forget something?
"Ryuya, did something happen... or... are... you...?"
"...Akito..."
Eh, ah... eh? Riran?
Standing there wasn't Ryuya, but Riran. Her cheeks were flushed bright red, and she stood there hiding her body with a towel. I could see shoulder straps, so it didn't seem like she was naked underneath... Wait, why am I analyzing this so calmly!?
I hurriedly looked away. Why, why is Riran here? Eh, no way. Is this a dream? Or a hallucination?
*Slips... flop.* It's not a dream! This is definitely reality! I heard the sound of someone wading through the water from behind, and I felt Riran's breathing and presence drawing closer. This, is...!? What, why is this...!?
"Akito, look at me."
"N-No, well, that's..."
"You've already noticed, haven't you, Akito? It's okay, I'm wearing a swimsuit."
Wait, wait! *I'm* not wearing anything, so turning around now is bad! My junior is in a various state of danger! Impossible! Also, don't get so close! My heart is about to pop out of my mouth!
"Akito..."
*Snug.*
Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!?!??!! M-My b-back! Riran's hands are touching my back!!
My muscles bulged abnormally from the tension. Even though my mind and body had been relaxed until a moment ago, I couldn't relax at all now. I was stiff as a board. Help me, pien.
"Hey, Akito. You were working hard searching earlier, weren't you?"
"W-What are you talking about...?"
"I could see everything from here."
Ah... true, you can see the beach from here, and the ocean is in full view.
"Ah—... well, uhm, that..."
"You don't have to hide it. But... just those feelings alone make me truly happy."
The sensation of Riran's hands on my back disappeared... and *squish*, a different sensation covered my back.
This, this sensation... it's bad. Extremely bad. Because no matter how I thought about it, it had to be *that*. Yeah, it's *that*.
The last time I felt this sensation was when I stayed over at Riran's house. Back then, there were clothes in between so the sensation wasn't this intense... but now it was different.
One side is completely naked. The other is in a swimsuit. And a thin one at that. Being pressed together like this... I was on the verge of exploding in many ways.
"The reason we're staying overnight so suddenly is because Neika was being considerate, right? Watching everyone's movements, I sort of figured it out."
"............"
Ah, this is no good. Maybe because of the fatigue and the hot water, my head isn't working right. Riran is saying something, but it's not entering my head at all. On the contrary, I'm getting lightheaded and my consciousness is drifting away...
"If we don't find it between today and tomorrow, I'll really give up. I feel bad for everyone who worked so hard for me... but this, too, was fate."
Fate... did she just say that...? If not finding it is fate... then.
"Then... it's our win..."
"...Eh?"
Ah, my head won't spin... I don't even know what I'm saying myself anymore...
"If fate is the opponent... then it's mine and Riran's win..."
"A-Akito...?"
"With our 'Red Thread of Fate'... we can... win..."
Ah, I can't anymore. Riran's voice sounded abnormally far away. With that in my ears, my consciousness sank into the darkness.