Knock! Knock! A loud bang echoed from the door just as Shouichi was speaking of the devil. Momo glanced at him blankly, and Shouichi rushed to open the door.

"Good evening, Shouichi-kun!" The girl with long, jet-black hair greeted him cheerfully at the doorway.

"Oh, you have a guest…" Ayane's gaze met Momo, who was sitting on the edge of the bed. The girl forced a smile and waved. "And it's my roommate… Tomako-san, there you are."

"Morimura-san." Momo returned a quick smile and wave. "I thought the night was still too young, so I was curious about Shouichi-kun's room and decided to check it out."

"I see." Ayane walked across the room and sat on the sofa, while Shouichi closed the door and followed her.

"I feel something dense in the air." Shouichi thought as he sat down next to Ayane.

"Did you two drink sake?" Ayane's voice was flat, her eyes scanning the cups, saucers, and a bottle of sake on the table.

"Huh? That's just me and Misa ~ I mean, Misa-ki-chan earlier," Shouichi realised his words had made things worse and panicked.

"Fufufu," came Momo's giggle from the side. "At least he's honest," She commented between chuckles.

"Anything you want to say?" Ayane's purple gaze turned cold, her words biting. "It's like you got caught cheating by your girlfriend — except Ayane is not my girlfriend. Not yet, anyway." The boy pondered.

"Sigh... It's actually her family hotel, so that explains the sudden upgrade for this room," Shouichi explained timidly.

"Hee hee, why are you so afraid?" Ayane finally broke her character, teasing him.

"I thought you'd be mad at meeeee," Shouichi rationalised with a weak smile.

"Again, you always misjudge me! But thinking about it, I might just be fuming for real," She pouted, looking adorable.

"Haha, my bad," Shouichi quickly apologised with a small bow. "It's hard to tell when your feelings mean so much to me," He thought dimly.

"Try to loosen up around me, alright? I'm the least mean girl in your life," Ayane boasted, her tone full of confidence. "That's hardly true," He thought but nodded a few times, pretending to agree.

"Apology accepted — with a condition!" Ayane raised the cup of sake in front of his face, forcing the boy to drink.

"You too, Momo. It's rare to see a bottle of alcohol, we better not let it go to waste," Ayane smiled at the petite, quiet girl.

"Hey! Momo, don't play into Ayane's games, she's tricking you!" Shouichi hastily called out, but it was too late…

"Kanpai!" The two ladies raised their cups and drank deeply.

"Wa~wait! That's gonna burn…" Shouichi trailed off, raising his hands in protest.

"Haaaa!" Momo let out a satisfied moan. "It's so refreshing," She added.

"Right?" Ayane beamed at her. There seemed to be no effect on them, as if both girls were seasoned drinkers.

"Shouichi, don't stall now, drink up!" Ayane was assertive, almost demanding, as she pressured him to take a shot.

"Dang it! I'm cooked," Shouichi's hand trembled slightly as he lifted the cup to his lips. The burning sensation still lingered from the first time he'd had it with Misaki.

"Fighting, Shouichi-kun!" Momo cheered with a gentle smile.

"Cough* cough* cough*" After drinking, Shouichi struggled to breathe between fits of coughing. "Oh man, that's terrible…" He continued, wiping his mouth with his hands, his head starting to spin, a sure sign of tipsiness.

"Fufufu, good job!" Momo gave his shoulder a squeeze.

"Shouichi, are you alright?" Ayane asked, her tone a mix of concern and mockery.

"...Yeah… I'm never better." Shouichi lied, pretending to be tough in front of the girls. "Ain't no way I'm chickening out of this," He noted internally, or maybe it was just the alcohol speaking — he couldn't tell.

"Tomako-san, you mentioned the boba shop earlier, right?" Ayane spoke cheerfully to Momo, the atmosphere shifting to something more lively as they relaxed.

"Yes! It's Maid & Tea Bliss near Hoshimashi Mall," Momo's amber eyes lit up.

"I didn't know you were such an entrepreneur."

"Fufufu, not quite! I actually do it for a living."

"I saw your shop during the Fire Festival too. Your matcha special was to die for!" Ayane exaggerated, her tone overly dramatic.

"Oh, you tried it, Morimura-san?" Momo glanced briefly at Shouichi. "I didn't realise you were there that day. It gets pretty busy during the festival — maybe my big sis made it for you?"

"Na-ah, I had a sip of Shouichi's," Ayane replied with a wicked smile. "I wouldn't call it a sip, you drank all of it!" Shouichi protested.

"I also noticed a cute little heart drawn on his cup," Ayane got straight to the point.

"Oh hell no! You remember that?!" Shouichi began to sweat nervously.

"Oh! T~that's just my big sister, she told me to prank him," Momo quickly backtracked, her plum face flushed with embarrassment.

"That's right!" Shouichi interrupted with a deep voice, but they both ignored him and kept their conversation going.

"Tomako-chan, would you like to open a second store? I'd love to be your angel investor." Ayane clasped her hands together eagerly.

"Fufufu, thanks for the offer, but I'll think about it since I'm the only one working there, with occasional help from my big sis," Momo replied politely. The two continued discussing girly, trivial matters for the next ten minutes. To Shouichi, their high-pitched chatter sounded like little birds chirping joyfully.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Hey! I've got an idea!" Ayane suddenly exclaimed, her devious smile spreading across her face. "I just downloaded this app called 'Truth or Dare.'"

"Truth or dare? I've played that before," Shouichi commented, while Momo nodded in agreement.

"It's simple. We just add our names to the wheel, and when it lands on someone, they become the subject of truth or dare. Then we spin again for the commander, who will ask the truth or dare. How's that sound? Let's play!" Ayane eagerly explained the rules, scooting closer with the app open on her phone.

"I'm not playing that!" Shouichi hastily refused in a firm tone.

"Why not?" Momo asked with puppy eyes, literally begging him.

“Huh? Don’t tell me you want to play too?” Shouichi responded, surprised, as Momo nodded.

“Well, if that's the case, it’s two against one. Majority rules,” Ayane concluded with a clap.

“I know you're up to no good, but my luck isn’t that bad. Bring it on, Ayane!” Shouichi fired up, pointing at her.

“Fufufu, don’t blame me if I make you strip if you win, okay? Pervert-san,” She teased, her words making Momo second-guess whether it was a good idea to join after all.

“A~Aya! You wouldn’t do that, would you, Shouichi-kun?!” Momo gasped, hugging her body, looking terrified.

“Of course, I’ll make both of you strip until there’s nothing left, Hahaha!” Shouichi jested, laughing menacingly, causing the two girls to recoil in disgust.

“You’ve been hit again, Shouichi-kun,” Momo said gleefully, tapping the screen to spin again. It landed on Ayane’s name, meaning she’d be the commander of this round.

“Hehehe, truth or dare?” Ayane chuckled, eyeing Shouichi’s barely covered body. He had lost every round, now stripped down to his last piece — his boxers.

“Dare!” Shouichi shouted, his voice booming, making both girls look at each other, puzzled.

“Woah? Shouichi-kun! You really don’t have anything left!” Momo appeared flustered. “Please don’t dare him to strip anymore, I can’t take it!” She begged Ayane, but Ayane ignored her pleas.

“I dare you to strip, Shouichi!” Ayane commanded sternly, her devious grin widening.

“…Alrighty then!” Shouichi sprang to his feet energetically, a grin plastered on his face.

“Eek! I didn’t think you were an exhibitionist!” Momo squeaked, covering her eyes in embarrassment.

Bam! Shouichi slapped a piece of clothing on the table.

“Eh? That’s not your underwear!” Ayane was flabbergasted. “That’s a sweatband! You’re cheating!” She objected.

“Hahahaha! You didn’t specify what type of cloth, so technically, a sweatband is clothing too,” Shouichi retorted smartly, clearly pleased with himself.

“Fufufu, that’s actually clever, Shouichi-kun,” Momo giggled like a little kid, her gaze briefly lingering on his naked body. His toned physique was somewhat alluring, but She quickly snapped herself back to reality.

“Tsk!” Ayane crossed her arms and pouted, clearly exasperated by his antics.

“What’s with the sweatband? You always wear it,” Momo asked curiously.

“Oh, it’s a scar from when I was a kid,” Shouichi replied, showing her the scar on his left wrist. Momo gently touched it, examining it closely.

“Does it still hurt? It’s pretty big,” Momo inquired.

“No, it doesn’t hurt anymore,” Shouichi replied, shaking his head.

“That’s good! You don’t need to hide it. It’s not ugly. It’s part of you, right?” Momo said sincerely, looking at him with soft eyes. “Dang it! She’s so cute, I might die right now!” Shouichi thought to himself, his mind in turmoil.

“I don’t mind it either…” Ayane mumbled, though loud enough for Shouichi to hear.

“Come on! Let’s spin the wheel,” Shouichi suggested, trying to lighten the mood as he tapped on the phone.

“It’s Ayane!” and the commander was “Shouichi!”

“I’ve been waiting for this moment! Time for payback!” Shouichi declared, itching for his revenge.

“Dare!” Ayane said confidently. “Ayane-chan! You know he’s going to make you strip too,” Momo thought, her mind momentarily blank. She hadn’t realised just how far Ayane and Shouichi had taken things together.

Bam! Ayane slapped her shirt onto the table, leaving her blue bra exposed. It didn’t faze Shouichi much since he’d already seen her in a bikini earlier; it was just all in good fun at this point.

“I… I think we’ve played this game completely wrong!” Momo shrieked in second-hand embarrassment, her eyes darting between the two topless friends. They both turned toward her with mischievous grins, almost as if saying, “You’re next!”

Eventually, Momo lost the game and was pressured to join the ‘primitive tribe.’

“One of us! One of us! One of us!” The three of them clinked their cups, enjoying the forbidden liquor. It got better after a few shots, the burning sensation fading as they went.

“Shouichi-kun! Let’s go into the onsen with me!” Momo suddenly said, her face and earlobes flushed bright red. Her shy personality was completely gone, replaced by boldness. She even leaned in so close to him that her chest brushed against his upper arm.

“My! Tomako-san, I didn’t think you’d be this bold,” Ayane remarked, clearly taken aback.

“No! Shouichi, you’re coming with me!” Ayane tugged at him, pulling him to her side.

The tug-of-war between the two girls, with Shouichi caught in the middle like a rag doll, was hilarious.

“Ay! You two!” Shouichi lifted his hand in the air, gesturing for a stop. His stern and calm demeanour halted the girls in their tracks. “Let’s all just go together!” He suggested. Even he was surprised by the words coming out of his mouth. In that moment, he realised why teenagers weren’t allowed to drink alcohol. But it was too late for regrets.

The hot, earthy steam engulfed the private hot spring in the back of their VVIP suite. The three of them soaked in serenity and tranquillity, the peaceful atmosphere providing a much-needed break for Shouichi’s tired body and mind, his towel covering his eyes.

“Really? Yours looks bigger than mine,” Momo’s excited voice broke the silence.

“Can I touch them?” Ayane asked casually.

“Eek! It’s ticklish!” Momo yelped.

“Hey! You girls better stop with the lewd stuff! I’m a guy here, in case you didn’t realise!” Shouichi yelled at the two girls, who were deep in their girly conversation. “Sigh... I doubt they see me as a man at all. They’re way too comfortable around me,” He lamented.

After they finished soaking, Ayane and Momo hopped onto Shouichi’s bed, exhausted from the wonderful trip. They fell asleep almost instantly, leaving Shouichi, who had just finished exiting the hot spring, standing in a dazed state at the edge of the bed.

“Sigh… I guess I either sleep on the floor or with them. It’d be improper to do so, though…” Shouichi thought long and hard, before realising he could just use their bed. He quickly walked over to Ayane’s side.

“Ayane! Where’s your keycard?” He leaned in close and whispered into her ear, the faint scent of lavender soap filling his senses.

“Hmmp…” She mumbled, still asleep, but her arms reached out, pulling him into an embrace. His face ended up buried in her soft, warm chest.

“Eh?! I’m dead! She’s choking me!” Shouichi panicked, but after a few seconds, she released him.

“Woah! She’s still asleep… That’s odd,” He muttered to himself. Stepping back, he pondered, “I need a new strategy, but man… I’m so pooped. Can’t think straight anymore.”

It was clear that his consciousness was slipping away.

“Guess I’ll sleep at the foot of the bed then!” Shouichi decided after seeing there was enough room at the foot. He honestly couldn’t care less about sleeping near their feet.