"Sakurai!?" Sato exclaimed, his voice tinged with surprise as he glanced over at Yuuto.
"Manipulator?" Yuuto responded, attempting to mask his sudden distress.
'Fuuuuck...!!!! Not again! I was so certain it was empty. Just walked right in without a second thought!!!' Yuuto cursed inwardly as his eyes swiftly assessed the visibly shaken Sato.
Sato's body was a tapestry of recent scars, burn marks, and bruises—like a playground for delinquents. He instinctively turned away, as if to shield his injuries from Yuuto's view, his face averted in apparent shame.
As Yuuto's initial panic subsided, his attention was drawn to the extent of Sato's injuries. 'It's almost strategic, the way only the areas normally covered by clothes are damaged. Could this be domestic abuse?' he wondered, observing the patterns of hurt that seemed purposefully hidden.
"Stop... looking... please..." Sato's voice broke the silence, soft and fraught with embarrassment as he curled up defensively, his body tense despite the warm waters.
"Then don't act like such a girl. What, scared I'll see your boobs, manipulator?" Yuuto retorted sharply, his words cutting through the steamy air of the onsen as he relaxed his muscles.
Sato's shivering then stopped as he slightly turned his head back, his expression terrified and timid.
His gaze lingered on Yuuto.
"It's just scars. Me looking at them or not won't change that." Yuuto said casually, as Sato also inevitably scrutinized Yuuto.
"Did you cut your hair?" Sato asked, his voice tinged with timidity.
"Yeah, I did it just before I got into the onsen. Figured my scalp could use a breather," Yuuto responded, his tone casual.
'At least it got long enough for it to not be weird...' Yuuto thought, appreciating his hair's rapid growth.
"Right... But with hair this short and a body like that, you shouldn't meet people in a dark alley..." Sato remarked, still awkwardly shielding his own body.
Yuuto was taken aback, staring at his reflection in the water silently for a moment before replying, "Fair point. People are pussies. Hey, if you tell anyone about this, I'll spill every detail about your delinquent-playground of a body."
Sato's eyes widened in surprise, and a heavy silence settled briefly before he burst into hearty laughter, genuine amusement lighting up his face.
"Hahahahah!!! Delinquent-playground of a body... HAHAahaha!!! HAHAHA!!" He clutched his abdomen, laughing so hard his sides hurt.
Yuuto frowned. "Hey. I'm serious. I'll tell them all about it. Every little detail. Don't laugh." His thoughts flashed back to when Shiyon upset him by mentioning recording him, "I'll record you when you least expect it and everything, manipulator."
"AHAHAHAHAH... I'M SORRY... I'M SORRY....!! HAHAHAHAHA...!! DELINQUE~>.. HAHAHA..." Sato continued to laugh, now nearly in tears.
'What's with this guy...? His laugh is usually a timid version of Michael Jackson's "hee hee." Now he looks like he's about to pass out. People are gonna think we need an ambulance hearing him... Did he lose his mind from the stress?'
"Hey. I'm being 100% serious. I'll record every scar and hang it for all the school to see. Send it to your family. Everything. The local newspaper, too," Yuuto warned sternly.
Despite the severity of the threat, Sato was undeterred, his laughter continuing to ripple through the air. "Hahaha... Ha... Haha... Oh god.. Haha...!" He finally caught his breath, his smile still wide as he turned to Yuuto, no longer attempting to shield his body.
"Send it... Just send it all, you know...?" He sprawled his limbs out in the onsen, relaxing fully as he gazed up at the stars, his voice still tinged with residual chuckles.
Yuuto's expression softened, his intense gaze fading to a blank stare as he observed Sato. "Just... Just do it. If it's you, I really don't mind. Isn't it fine...? If everyone knows already..."
Sato sighed deeply, seeming to release a burden as he settled more comfortably into the water. "Know...? Know what?" Yuuto pressed.
"I'm afraid that's a secret~..." A new voice chimed in just as another figure approached and settled into the onsen between Yuuto and Sato.
'Tsk, harvester,' Yuuto clicked his tongue in annoyance as Shiyon made himself comfortable, echoing the relaxed posture of Sato as he too looked up at the stars alongside them.
"Ya, ho~... I woke up to see you two gone, so I came over here~... This is the most cliché spot for missing teens past midnight in an onsen~..." Shiyon's voice was casual, laced with a playful tone.
"Sakurai-chun," he murmured, glancing at Yuuto.
"Just like you have secrets, other people's secrets are just as precious. You have no right to pry <3"
'-Not,' Yuuto countered silently in his mind.
"Also, I like your new hairstyle, Sakurai-chun! It makes you even more of a tough guy than before <3," Shiyon complimented with a bright smile.
Yuuto's face twitched slightly in annoyance. 'CHSCH..!! Making fun of me, will you!?' he fumed internally.
"Thank you," he managed to say blankly, masking his irritation.
"Anytime~" Shiyon responded cheerily.
Yuuto turned his gaze to the stars, deciding it was better to relax rather than let his frustration get the better of him.
'No point in getting all flustered over it at this point... Whatever,' he thought, his body gradually loosening as he settled into the warmth of the onsen.
'I'll just stal—ahem, spy, on Sato afterwards to see what that's all about...' <---- Make no mistake, he was about to say ---->[STALK]<---- As in, stalk Sato.
'...After the trip,' he decided, letting his head rest back against the edge of the onsen, his mind on the stars above.