I paid off the debt for the most beautiful sisters in the school, and then they barged into my house where I live alone. “Please go back home; you don’t need to repay the favor.” “No way.” “We don’t want to~☆”

Returning to the hotel room, the futons were already laid out.

This time we could stay in either the tent or the room, but only the room had a bath.

“Wanna take a bath together? You too, big bro.”

“Are you nuts? I’m going in alone.”

“What!? It’s a family private bath, you know? We’re staying with a family plan! They even have swimsuit rentals, so you can get a sneak peek at summer fashion!”

“Neither option is good, so just go in together.”

Grumbling, Erika is pulled by Karen towards the bath.

Both sisters are truly terrifying in their own ways. They seem filled with the talent to shatter a man’s heart, albeit differently.

“What do they really think of me, huh?”

Muttering to himself, he’s left alone in the quiet room after the sisters go out.

“Do they really see me as family or something?”

Family. “Family,” huh.

For me, it’s hardly a positive word. Just talking with Karen and Erika earlier made me almost nauseous.

It’s not their fault; it’s just my trauma.

“Connected by money, yet feeling like family… From my point of view, it’s the worst situation. Karen, Erika too.”

Yet, why do I like living with the two of them so much?

Why have I grown so close to them?

Because they’re beautiful? Because their personalities are good? Because they’re skilled at housework?

All of the above, probably. But there must be a more decisive reason, one that I can’t quite put my finger on.

Naturally, life with those sisters…

“I really resent you, Ms. Higashi.”

Muttering in a fit of scapegoating, he thinks of an old friend’s sister who created this situation.

“We’re baaack. The bath was amazing!”

“Yes, the water was really good.”

Pulled from his idle thoughts by the glowing return of the two, he’s careful to conceal his trivial distress.

“Oh, you’re back quicker than I expected.”

“I thought girls would usually take longer in a hot spring.”

“Hmm? Really?”

“It would be rude to keep Seiichiro waiting.”

“Huh? I mean, anytime is fine—”

Before he can say “It’s fine,” Erika grabs his arm. A different scent than usual wafts from her, causing a minor thrill.

“Come on, big bro, go quickly. The hot spring is really good.”

“Okay, okay, I get it. No need to push.”

Literally pushed, he exits the room.

Walking down the hallway, he passes through the door to the bathhouse. The changing room is small but tastefully decorated in a traditional Japanese style, complete with a light bed and tatami mats for resting. There’s no sense of humidity, thanks to good ventilation.

The bath itself is likely going to meet expectations. This must be a rather high-end hotel.

“Got to pick souvenirs for Ms. Higashi tomorrow.”

Muttering to himself, he undresses, grabs a towel, and heads into the hot spring.

“Wow… This is really something.”

The bathroom is small but there’s a proper washing area, and moreover, it’s a semi-open-air bath.

The reason it’s “semi” is because while you can see the sky, it’s enclosed by thresholds all around.

It’s been quite a while since I’ve been in an open-air bath, so this level of refinement gets me excited.

“Well then, after washing up, I guess I’ll take my time soaking.”

Given how nice the atmosphere is, taking a morning bath before checking out tomorrow is an option too.

Ah, but Karen and Erika might also want to go, so depending on when they wake up, I might have to pass.

As I think this, lathering shampoo extravagantly over my head—

I hear a “SLAM!” and feel a rush of cold air on my back.

“––What?”

I can’t open my eyes because they’re covered in shampoo, but I don’t need to see. The only people who could possibly come in here now are two.

“Big brother, I came to wash your back~!”

“What the—Oy! Are you sane!?”

I quickly aim the shower at my face—no, first wrap a towel around my waist.

“I’m sorry, I did try to stop her once.”

“You’re saying that but you’re here too!”

Karen too!?

“St—stop that. Get out!”

Somehow, I manage to wrap a towel around my waist without being able to see. Now to wash off the foam—

“It’s okay, don’t be shy~! We’re in swimsuits!”

“We—well… this is no different from the pool, I suppose.”

I’m the one who’s naked, you know!?

Damn it, let’s get this water—wait, what!? It’s just regular water!

“Ah, geez—”

Somehow I manage to keep the towel around my waist and get rid of the foam.

“You guys, what do you even think I—”

Finally able to turn around, I look at Karen and Erika.

For some reason, they’re both stunned, looking at me.

“What? Wh—what is it?”

Huh? I’ve got a towel on, right? Nothing critical is showing, is it?

As I look back and forth between my waist and the two of them, Erika hesitantly speaks.

“Big brother, that, the scar on your back.”

My back?

My back… ah, right.

“Oh, this? It’s an old scar, from a long time ago.”

I see, they froze because of that. I usually don’t even see my back so I wasn’t aware.

“…Could it be, is that from…”

Karen hesitates. I can imagine why it’s hard for her to say.

“Yeah, it’s from that guy who used to be my father.”

Sigh. I never thought this would come up in a hot spring.

Ah, maybe that’s why Mr. Higashi added the “family private bath” option. If someone else saw my scars, they’d probably guess it was from abuse.

But it seems like he never expected Karen and Erika to see them. Well, I wouldn’t expect them to barge into my bath.

…But then again, this might be a good opportunity, or good timing. To clear up the awkwardness that’s crept in between us, maybe I should tell them everything.

And so—

“Get out already. And after you’re out of the bath, sit down. We need to talk about some things from the past.”