Shinrabansho: Myriad Souls

The bath was lively. Girls from other classes clustered in their usual groups, shoulders pressed together, voices talking over each other. A girl laughed loudly and kicked water at her friend, starting a small splash war that rippled outward until everyone within range was either complaining or laughing.

Clutching a small towel to myself for modesty, not because I was suddenly feeling shy, I walked with Aoi beside the others. We eased ourselves carefully into the massive, rock-strewn, onsen-style bath. I tested the temperature gingerly with my toes. The water was nice and hot, but not so hot that I couldn’t imagine staying in for hours if I wanted.

Riko jumped right in, splashing everyone without holding back.

Megumi followed soon after, wading toward where Hinata was already soaking. Hinata had her towel neatly folded and balanced on her head. Megumi settled down beside her with a small splash and let out a happy sigh.

I entered more gradually with Aoi and Yuna. The water embraced my legs first, then crept up my legs. Soon I was thigh-deep in the pleasant heat. It spread instantly, blooming upward, loosening muscles that had been tight all day without me even realizing it.

“Where should we sit?” I asked, glancing at Aoi.

“That way,” she said, nodding toward a spot close enough to Megumi to talk easily, but far enough from Hinata so as to not stress her out. “I don’t want to overwhelm Mori-san.”

I let out a small, involuntary sound as I sank the rest of the way down, carefully lifting my towel so it wouldn’t touch the water. Not that it would have mattered much. They wouldn’t give us dirty towels to use, but it was traditional. I folded it neatly and set it on top of my head. Everyone else was doing the same, sighing contentedly as they lounged.

“Soooo good!” Aoi said with a grin, scooting closer until her hip pressed against mine underwater. “That’s the stuff.”

“Yeah!” Riko grinned, settling in on my other side. I flushed when her leg brushed mine underwater, sandwiching me between them.

“…It’s so soothing,” I murmured, relaxing and closing my eyes for a moment. “I didn’t even notice how sore my muscles were until now.”

“Don’t fall asleep, Shinohara-san,” Yuna giggled. “After a long day on the beach, that might be hard to resist… especially if you close your eyes like that.”

“You’re probably right,” I laughed, forcing them open. “I’d drop right off.”

“I wouldn’t let you drown, Sumire-chan,” Aoi said easily, wrapping an arm around me. I leaned into her without thinking, put at ease by the contact. Even if I did fall asleep, I knew I’d be safe with her.

“Thanks,” I whispered.

“You don’t have to thank me for something like that,” Aoi said, winking.

“Do you think we’ll all start using first names sometime soon?” Riko asked, a little too hopeful.

Yuna laughed, and Aoi snorted.

“Why are you asking now like a shy flower?” Aoi said. “You already use Sumire’s name without permission.”

“That’s right! I don’t need your permission,” Riko replied lightly. “Sumire doesn’t mind. Right?” She giggled, her leg rubbing against mine.

“For myself, I don’t mind,” Yuna said calmly. “You can all call me my first name, if you want.” She winked, which caught me off guard. I’d expected her to be the most reserved of all of us.

“Yuna-chan, then,” Riko said immediately.

“Don’t push your luck,” Yuna laughed.

“I guess you’re right, Miss Medical Encyclopedia-sama,” Riko teased.

Yuna dramatically winced, smiling. “Am I really that bad?”

“Sometimes,” Riko admitted. “But I admire your drive… and your grades. Why aren’t you on the student council? Wouldn’t that look great on a resume after college?”

“You’re not wrong about that…” Yuna said. “But my duties in the nurse’s office already keep me busy as is.” She looked cute with her towel folded so neatly on her head like Hinata.

“You can all call me Riko-sama if you want!” Riko cackled.

“Why would I ever call you ‘-sama’?” Aoi rolled her eyes. “That implies respect.”

Riko gasped. “Hey!” She splashed water at Aoi.

Aoi laughed and splashed back. “Baka!”

“Ahhh!” I yelped, caught right between them in the crossfire.

Everyone laughed, me included.

“I guess you can call me Aoi,” she said casually. “No honorifics needed.”

“Fine,” Riko smiled. “Then you can call me Riko.”

Just like that, we were all on a first-name basis.

Across from us, Megumi splashed closer and dropped down dramatically near our spot, flouncing as she landed with her arms flung wide.

“I’m reborn! This bath is so great!”

Hinata followed more carefully, lowering herself beside her with visible caution. I wondered if Megumi had talked her into doing it. “I don’t know how long I’ll be able to stay,” she admitted, shifting slightly. “It’s really hot…”

“You think this is hot?” I blinked. To me, the temperature felt perfect.

Megumi giggled. “If you’re not melting like chocolate, you’re doing it wrong!”

Riko’s eyes slid half-closed. “It’s not that bad. Anyway, this is even better than playing volleyball.”

“Speak for yourself, Riko,” Aoi muttered.

“I am,” Riko said lazily. “Although volleyball is fun.” She opened her eyes and looked straight at me. “You got some great tan lines today, Sumire-chan.”

I blushed, covering my face.

–chan… She really doesn’t hold back at all!

I took a deep breath and lowered my hands and nodded, deciding not to be shy over something like the use of my name.

“Everything is better than volleyball when it comes to relaxing at the end of the day,” I nodded.

“Yeah,” Riko nodded with me, flashing a grin.

“Speak for yourself, princess,” Aoi laughed. “Nothing is better than volleyball…” Her eyes slid to me. “...except for you.” she winked at me.

I fidgeted, gasping.

“Oi… was volleyball really that bad, Susu?” Aoi asked, glancing at me. “You played so hard and well I thought you might be hooked.”

“I am,” I said brightly, beaming at her. “I totally enjoyed it. I learned that I don’t suck at it as much as I thought I would.”

“You did very well.” Aoi hugged me closer against her side. “Maybe I’ll ask the club to let you play with us sometimes. That way you won’t have to wait around so long for me to finish up doing nothing before we get to your training.”

“That wouldn’t be so bad,” I said. “I usually take care of Pon-chan, clean up the classroom with the rest that stay behind and watch you play for the rest of it, trying to stay out from underfoot. But some of the time, I end up leaning against the gym where we train watching the leaves sway in the breeze on the other side of the fence.”

Riko smiled. “Don’t be in such a hurry to accept. At least that gives me a chance to talk with you privately sometime.”

“All the more reason to ask my club, then,” Aoi shot back, sticking her tongue out at Riko.

“Pft. Stingy.” Riko stretched her back. “Oi, Yuna-san, if you finish up in the nurse’s office early, you should drop by behind the gym sometime after hours. Their lessons are fun to watch.”

“Are they?” Yuna asked with a small giggle. “I’ll consider doing that sometime—though my duties come first.”

Yuna leaned back against the rock behind her with a quiet sigh. “Ah… the temperature really is optimal,” she said. “They should advertise the health benefits.”

“They probably do,” Riko shrugged, laughing. “Most onsens and resorts claim their baths heal something. Of course it’s mostly false advertising.”

“Not always,” Yuna replied calmly. “Onsen can be very healing in many ways—even if the minerals don’t directly promote physical recovery like they pretend.”

Aoi splashed water lightly in her direction. “Can you just stop sounding like a medical pamphlet for five minutes, Yuna-san?”

Yuna smiled, completely unbothered. “Never.”

Aoi leaned her head against mine.

I smiled warmly and closed my eyes, feeling so relaxed I could without a doubt fall asleep, sitting shoulder to shoulder, head to head with her.

“You falling asleep on me?” Aoi asked quietly.

I nodded. “Yeah. I think so. Even though it’s so loud.”

She nodded, perfectly content to stay pressed against me.

Riko looked at us, envy flickering in her eyes, along with something more complicated.

“Are you okay, Riko?” I asked.

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

“Tch… how pitiful,” Yuna said, giggling as she dramatically flopped onto Riko. “Feeling kind of lonely even though we’re all sitting together?”

“Nah. I think the heat’s getting to me,” Riko muttered.

“Heat up more then,” Yuna teased, and promptly dragged her under the water.

…

They burst back up a moment later.

“Gah!” Riko sputtered, wiping water from her face. Aoi and I giggled.

They didn’t get much of a chance to shake the water off before Megumi leapt on both of them, sending them under again, making them shriek as they went under.

“Yah!” Riko shook her head as she resurfaced, water flying from her hair. Their towels bobbed loose in the bathwater. “You’re both crazy!” she laughed.

I giggled, watching them, wiping water off my face.

“You’re so relaxed now, Sumire-chan,” Aoi said, her eyes drifting over me with open appraisal. “You’re really changing.”

“You think so?” I asked.

“Yes,” she replied simply. “We could test just how much, if you can bring yourself to tackle Riko like Yuna and Megumi just did.” She smirked, whispering.

I gasped. “No thanks. I don’t think I’m ready for that!”

Aoi giggled.

Yuna tilted her head, her hair slicked back as she wrung out her towel and folded it neatly again. She studied me from the corner of her eye.

“Like she said, your posture is proof of that, Sumire-chan,” she said. “You don’t look like you want to be anywhere else anymore.”

I blinked, realizing she was right.

I was still completely relaxed and my shoulders weren’t hunched.

My arms weren’t crossed over my breasts defensively.

I wasn’t hiding myself or wishing I could shrink until no one could see me.

The realization settled in, the thought of my changing warming my heart.

Megumi leaned in, lowering her voice like she was sharing a secret. “Like I said when we were showering… baths are fabulous for bonding.”

Hinata nodded, her cheeks pink but smiling now. “Yes. Even though most of you like girls sexually… It feels more relaxing now… much better than our Uno game did.” She stared at Megumi. “That was really weird, baka.”

“Teehee…” Megumi knuckled her temple and winked. “If it wasn’t for that, Sumire-chan wouldn’t have been able to relax with us now. See? There’s always a method to my madness!” Megumi declared, clenching her fist.

Hinata winced. “I’d hate to know what…”

A sudden shout echoed through the bath area, interrupting Hinata.

“HEY!”

Loud laughter followed, along with a chorus of boos.

I glanced toward the far wall just in time to see several girls pointing up at a narrow gap near the ceiling vents. A couple of boys were peeking through again. They gasped at being seen and vanished back into their bath.

“They really need to fill in those gaps,” Aoi said flatly.

I nodded. “I never liked that kind of pervert.”

Everyone nodded solemnly together.

“At least you didn’t have to chuck a bar of soap at them this time,” Riko laughed.

“I didn’t have one to throw,” Yuna said, tilting her head. “Soap scum would ruin the water. I suppose I could’ve thrown my washcloth, but I doubt it would’ve reached them, even soaked.”

“And then they’d sniff it for like an hour even if it did,” Riko added. “They’d probably smuggle it out of the hostel. That’s how pervs like them think.”

“I wonder how you understand their minds so well,” Aoi arched an eyebrow at Riko.

Riko fizzled. “It’s not hard to guess. It’s not like I’m actively peeping at everyone around me.”

“Says the grabby girl,” Aoi smirked.

“Says the overprotective one who can’t even stand a ferret rubbing against her girlfriend’s neck,” Riko shot back, her eyes flashing.

“Ohhhhhh…. it’s on!” Aoi straightened and straight up tackled Riko.

She screamed as they went underwater. I giggled, using my hands to fend off the droplets of water that spattered us.

When they resurfaced, Aoi was paying Riko back for what she’d done to me, squeezing her breasts aggressively.

“Hyaaaaa!” Riko flushed, shaking water out of her hair and fidgeting backward. Aoi backed Riko up against another rock and gave Riko a thorough fondling.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhnnnnn!” Riko struggled, splashing and quivering.

“I doubt your revenge is properly landing, Aoi-chan,” Yuna commented calmly, saying it loudly enough for it to carry to Aoi over the noise. “She probably likes what you’re doing.”

“Good point.” Aoi let go and waded back to me and sat down beside me, leaving Riko to dramatically slide under the water like a sinking ship.

“I hope you aren’t feeling too jealous over that,” Aoi said, resting her arm around me again.

“I am a little.” I flushed. “Don’t grab other girls’ chests Aoi.”

I couldn’t quite manage to sound as strident as Aoi usually did when she was jealous.

“No promises,” Aoi giggled.

The bath settled again, the ambient energy still buzzing but comfortable. Girls leaned against each other, relaxed and unguarded. I found myself wondering if some of them were yuri too. Nearby, one girl rested her head on a friend’s shoulder without comment. Another pair compared arm muscles, flexing dramatically until everyone around them groaned.

“That’s another part of girls’ skinship,” I said softly. “Friends sometimes cuddle together without any restraint, even if it’s not actually sexual.”

Megumi nodded. “Yeah… When we’re particularly close, girls do get cuddly. At least you two don’t look like anything more than very good friends… except for when you kiss like earlier.” She giggled, raising an eyebrow with lightly pink cheeks.

Abruptly, Riko resurfaced next to me, making me shriek. She rose like Kamizira rising from the Pacific Ocean and promptly plopped down beside me, to lean against my shoulder tiredly.

I blushed, unsure of what I should do. Jerk away? Push her off? Did I want to? This would be an okay way to get even with Aoi-chan at least.

Aoi grumbled, but didn’t move to do anything about it either. I wondered if she felt guilty about what she did.

Yuna pouted… actually pouted. “Tch…”

“Sorry,” Riko giggled. “Come on over if you’re that lonely, Medical Encyclopedia-sama.”

“Just ‘Yuna’ will do,” Yuna said, rolling her eyes as she slid in on Riko’s other side. The four of us ended up pressed together, our bodies sharing heat like we somehow needed it. Even though it made me feel even warmer, it felt… good. Strangely comforting. Riko was surprisingly soft, like a melty marshmallow.

“Okay Yuna,” Riko said, slipping an arm around her and giving her a light hug.

Hesitantly I did the same to Riko.

She smiled, flushing and leaned more on me.

For all that Megumi talked about bonding, she stayed seated beside Hinata, arching her back and smiling contentedly.

I found myself laughing softly.

Aoi shifted again, this time below the water, holding me around my waist, intimately enough to have me blushing. Her hand rested on my hip and her fingers stroked it lightly in a teasing way that drove me crazy.

“They can’t have you,” she muttered, low and possessive, “but I guess I’ll share you just a little. Don’t go kissing them or anything.”

She leaned in and nipped at my neck in a way that made me shiver with delight. My body heat shot through the roof and I felt slightly faint.

Eventually, voices echoed from the entrance. Teachers were calling out about bedtime limits. Groans rippled through the bath.

“Aww, already?” Riko complained.

“I just got comfy,” Yuna sighed.

Reluctantly, we climbed out, our skin flushed from the heat and something more, our hair damp and clinging. The cool air outside the water quickly rejuvenated me as I stumbled along. Outside the bath, I felt much cooler and steadier. We laughed as we gathered our towels and other things, exchanging them for the small privacy ones and wrapping them around ourselves without any hurry.

As we headed back toward the changing area, I caught my reflection in the mirror.

I was pink-cheeked, damp-haired, relaxed and… happy.

I looked like myself, but more, a radiant, beautiful girl with vibrant green eyes.

I was metamorphosing in ways I never could have imagined.

How Riko was like directly after Aoi’s revenge... except she completely sunk. Hehehe!