Even with chuunibyou, let's learn together!

Page 182

"I didn't say that..."

Rizu Ogata lowered her head silently, pretending to be calm, and said, "It was just a joke."

Lies...

Looking at Riju Ogata's obviously guilty expression, Fumino Furuhashi finally remembered the source of that inexplicable sense of déjà vu.

This kind of behavior... happened a long time ago! It was when the three of them rode the tram for the first time...

"Um... I'm going to find Hayakawa."

Fumino Furuhashi has remembered this sentence to this day. She had experienced this kind of behavior of abandoning herself to go to Hayakawa a long time ago.

"Rika-chan..."

Fumino Furuhashi's tone became somewhat resentful, and her gaze towards Riju Ogata gradually changed.

Rizu Ogata felt even more guilty, but she didn't know how to explain her feelings, so she lowered her head and walked straight inside.

Fumino Furuhashi looked at the girl's back with a strange expression, and silently followed her inside.

……

Hayakawa walked in, put his yukata into the basket by the door, wrapped a towel around his waist to cover his legs, then went to the inner door of the hot spring, took a deep breath, and rushed inside.

The outcome disappointed him.

There was no one inside, only the steam rising from the spring and the sound of water flowing and dripping. There was nothing else besides the hot spring and the rocks.

Hayakawa: "..."

As expected, reality is reality. The scenario of a beautiful girl accidentally walking into the wrong hot spring because the wrong curtain was hung is something that simply cannot happen in reality.

Okay, I didn't want it in the first place.

And if you think about it carefully, even if there are women in mixed bathing, only some older women would go in to bathe, so it's better not to have it at all.

Hayakawa walked to the slippery stone in front of the spring, bent down and tested the temperature with his hand, then carefully entered the hot spring, leaning against the edge and closing his eyes slightly.

"so tired."

I'm sleepy...

……

Generally speaking, according to the proper procedure for soaking in a hot spring, one should take a bath and cleanse oneself before entering the hot spring. However, Hayakawa was too tired and just wanted to rest. He didn't have much manners and went straight in. Furuhashi Fumino and Ogata Rizu were much kinder and washed their hair very carefully.

Fumino Furuhashi and Rizu Ogata sat on adjacent small stools, each with a gushing water tap above their heads and a wooden basin for pouring water next to them.

"Rika-chan..."

Fumino Furuhashi first turned on the hot water to wet her body and hair, then squeezed some shower gel into her palm, rubbed it in, and reached out to Rizu Ogata with a smile, saying, "How about I wash your hair for you?"

"I regret to decline."

Rizu Ogata reached for the shower gel in front of her and said calmly, "I can do it myself."

"Ok."

Fumino Furuhashi felt a little regretful. She actually really enjoyed taking care of Riko, as if she had a little sister.

However, she was a little concerned about what Ogata Riju had just said. What she said... did Riju really want to go to the hot spring with Hayakawa?

"Um…"

Fumino Furuhashi had her doubts. She knew Ogata Riju all too well. She was serious and earnest, which was why people sometimes thought she didn't know how to read the room when she spoke.

She would never be the kind of kid who would make that kind of joke.

So the answer is...

She really wanted to go to the mixed bathhouse with Hayakawa.

Fumino Furuhashi trembled at the thought, her mind reeling.

Are you kidding me? Going to a hot spring with a guy, what's the difference between that and sleeping together?

Fumino Furuhashi was in a state of utter confusion. She frantically rubbed her long blue hair with water, and soon her head was covered in white foam, layer upon layer, as if she were wearing a tall hat.

"But there are no other guests here, and no one else in the entire hot spring. Hayakawa is probably the only one in the mixed bath."

Rizu Ogata was also rubbing her hair, her slender body trembling slightly with the movement of her hands. She said softly, "But there's no way to be completely sure, so never mind, I was just saying."

Fumino Furuhashi froze abruptly, her hand falling limply to the ground. "This isn't right..." she said.

Li-chan, you're completely missing the point.

All you said was, "There might be other people in the mixed-gender hot spring, so you can't bathe there." Does that mean you're implying that if there's no one else around, it's okay to bathe with Hayakawa?

"why?"

Fumino Furuhashi pursed her lips tightly, her hands frantically turning on the tap in front of her, letting the water wash over her face and head. Just as she turned off the tap, the wooden bucket in her hand was also full.

"what why?"

Ogata Rizu was still rubbing her hair when she heard this and spoke softly.

Fumino Furuhashi didn't want to upset Rizu Ogata, so she planned to ask her questions calmly to understand Ogata's feelings.

So Furuhashi calmly said, "Why do you think you can soak in the hot spring with Hayakawa when there's no one else around? That doesn't make sense, Ri-chan. Look, you two are a boy and a girl, and you're not in a close relationship like boyfriend and girlfriend. How can you soak in the hot spring together?"

After saying that, Fumino Furuhashi took a deep breath, closed her eyes, raised the wooden bucket above her head, and poured the water over herself. Immediately, a "splashing" sound rang out, and Fumino Furuhashi's hair became incredibly shiny and smooth.

"is it?"

Upon hearing this, Rizu Ogata glanced at the old bridge and waited until the sound of water stopped before softly saying, "That's true... Fumino, you're right, it should be a place for lovers to soak in hot springs together."

Fumino Furuhashi's hand holding the wooden bucket trembled, almost dropping it, but she nodded with barely managing to remain calm, saying, "Right..."

Rizu Ogata said, "That's why I want to go to Hayakawa."

Fumino Furuhashi: "..."

Chapter 274 Confession Consciousness

"you mean…"

Fumino Furuhashi's voice trembled, as if she were screaming softly, "Riki-chan, you..."

"..."

Ogata Rizu's movements of rubbing foam on her head stopped. She remained silent for a long time, lowering her head as if to bury it in her chest.

"must…"

Ogata Rizu spoke softly, almost to herself, her voice tinged with shyness, as if mustering her courage to vent her dissatisfaction towards the ancient bridge before her: "Do I really have to say it?"

Her naked body was a pale pink, which was now turning into a crimson red. She kept her head down, not daring to look up at anyone, and said in a sarcastic tone, "I don't believe that someone as knowledgeable about love as Fumino can't see my feelings, so... are you deliberately bullying me?"

"boom!"

The basin she was holding finally succumbed to its fate, crashing to the ground with a dull thud, splashing water everywhere, much like the devastating loss of the ancient bridge.

"when…"

After a moment of silence, Gu Qiao asked in a trembling voice, "When did it start?"

Rizu Ogata replied matter-of-factly, "I don't know."

Fumino Furuhashi suddenly looked up at Ogata: "I don't know what you mean?"

"I just don't know..."

Ogata Rizu's previously assertive attitude vanished instantly, replaced by a somewhat dejected and guilty expression as she said, "I still don't understand what my feelings for Hayakawa really are."

Fumino Furuhashi felt a strange sense of relief and quickly pretended to comfort Ogata: "You didn't even figure it out? So, Ri-chan, what makes you so sure that you like... like Hayakawa? Right?"

"no,"

Rizu Ogata shook her head, calming down instantly. While rubbing the foam off her head, she said, "The only thing I'm absolutely certain about is that I like Hayakawa."

Fumino Furuhashi: "..."

"I can't figure out my feelings for Hayakawa. Is it just friendly liking, or... love?"

Ogata Riju paused for a moment, then looked up and said, "But I will figure all this out. At least one thing I am very clear about is that I like Hayakawa."

"I like Hayakawa..."

Riju Ogata repeated herself, her voice becoming sharp and angular, sounding like a swiftly flowing stream with icy shards. However, her words trailed off at the end due to shame, clearly indicating that she was still adjusting to the changes in her heart.

Fumino Furuhashi closed her eyes, her face expressionless, and quietly looked at Riju Ogata, whose face was flushed.

Riko... she's such a girl.

Fumino Furuhashi thought to herself.

“Fumino…you’ve always been like an emotional master in my heart,”

Riju Ogata's voice rang in my ears, soft, slow, and gentle, as if she were reciting a poem without rhyme.

"You should be able to read my mind."

Fumino Furuhashi opened her somewhat dim eyes, her heart filled with mixed emotions. Her expression was a mixture of helplessness, sudden panic, and deep-seated bitterness.

I'm hardly a relationship guru. All my dating experience comes from romance novels and soap operas—it's all just theory. I've never been in a relationship since I was born.

No, there might be.

But perhaps not...

Fumino Kotohashi's lips twitched, revealing a dry smile.

"Fumino?"

Ogata Rizu asked the old bridge with some doubt.

"I'm not quite sure either."

Fumino Furuhashi bit her lower lip hard, then shook her head: "I'm sorry, I don't know."

Actually, who knows? If any of Fumino Furuhashi's friends were here, she could write a military treatise even if she only knew theory. Her extraordinary talent in literature seems to have indirectly made her very sensitive to emotions. If any of the three sisters of the Sukacho were in front of her, Fumino would have already started talking at length.

But now standing in front of her is Rizu Ogata, so Fumino Furuhashi can only say "I don't know".

"All right…"

Rizu Ogata nodded somewhat dejectedly, then mustered her courage: "But it's okay, I'll definitely figure it all out!"

You're really in high spirits...

A bead of cold sweat trickled down Fumino Furuhashi's forehead. The fact that Rizu Ogata was so curious about this relationship was undoubtedly the worst news for her.

There's absolutely nothing to be conflicted about regarding her feelings for Hayakawa...

Fumino Furuhashi believes in pure friendship between men and women. Many of the literary books she reads often spend a lot of time describing friendship. She privately believes that friendship is an emotion as important as love and is an important part of life.

But Riko's feelings for Hayakawa... are definitely not just friendly affection.

Fumino Furuhashi was absolutely certain in her heart, but she would never say it.

Because of myself…

"I can't even get an answer from Fumino,"

Rizu Ogata blinked, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Then I can only get the answer from Hayakawa."

"you you you…"

Fumino Furuhashi, who was still feeling down, panicked instantly upon hearing this: "What are you going to do, Ri-chan?"

"Fumino..."

Rizu Ogata paused for a moment, then leaned closer to the old bridge and asked, "What do you think about me telling Hayakawa about this?"

"…ah?"

Fumino Furuhashi took a moment to realize what was happening and was immediately shocked. Telling Hayakawa about this was tantamount to confessing her feelings.

"You... if you want to confess, go tell Hayakawa! Why are you talking to me like that? I'm not Hayakawa!"

Furuhashi said nervously, turning her head away from Ogata Riju. The girl's focused and clear eyes made her feel inexplicably guilty. She gritted her teeth and said, "Besides, what's the point of confessing now? It's not something you can do just because you like someone. It has to be mutual."

“…You’re right.”

Ogata Rizu's high spirits subsided, and she looked somewhat anxious, whispering, "Hayakawa... he doesn't really pay attention to me."