After that came the grilled dishes, starting with grilled mackerel marinated in soy sauce and clams.
Then there were the fried dishes, featuring tempura made with squid and pumpkin.
And finally, the steamed dishes, with a Japanese-style egg custard containing shiitake mushrooms, lily roots, and sea urchin roe.
Each dish was praised for its incredible taste and quality, and the plating was also a feast for our eyes.
According to Noah, the plating was infused with a restrained passion, like the new sprouts breaking through the cold winter earth… but I couldn’t quite grasp that. I understood that gourmet columns might be written like that, but sometimes it just left me feeling dazed.
After finishing the steamed dishes, the main course finally arrived. A plate decorated with sushi featuring tuna, striped jack mackerel, octopus, salmon, and white shrimp was set before us alongside miso soup.
Fufu. “Do you all know? This miso soup signifies the last dish in a kaiseki meal. Of course, it’s a wonderful soup on its own too.”
I picked up an octopus sushi, dipped it in soy sauce, and brought it to my mouth. Personally, I loved the unique chewy texture.
When I mentioned this,
“Then, Mika-chan, can you do it for me? I’m not too fond of chewy things,” said Noah.
“Eh? I’m fine with it…”
“Hey, I can’t be fine with it. I’m starting to feel full.”
“…Ah, if that’s the case, I can’t help it. Fufu.”
When Noah offered me her octopus sushi, I gladly accepted it.
However, since I was getting full as well, I figured I should pass one of mine to Noah too.
As I savored Noah’s hand-fed octopus sushi while considering what to give her, I picked up a piece of tuna sushi.
“Um, Mika-chan, this feels like a bit of a painful exchange for my conscience.”
“Huh? I’m just craving something different. I already tried the tuna as sashimi earlier. You don’t have to feel too burdened.”
“Then, I’ll take the liberty to exchange this… Umm…!”
Soon, the sushi on the plate began to disappear one by one. Even Noah, who had been lost in thought after taking the tuna sushi, became focused on finishing her own plate.
Personally, I found the bursting texture of the shrimp sushi to be the tastiest among them, while Noah preferred the tuna, and Haruna chose the striped jack mackerel.
The miso soup was perfectly delicious but nothing extraordinary to note. By this point, Noah seemed to have enough remarks memorized to easily fill both sides of an A4 paper.
After our meal, we moved on to desserts. The final part of today’s kaiseki meal was completed with fruit like melon, strawberries, kiwi, and melon, along with matcha served at the end.
“Ah, could you entrust the tea to this person?”
After we finished discussing the general dishes and enjoyed our fruit, it naturally transitioned into me brewing the matcha. The staff who originally prepared it seemed a bit flustered at first, but when Noah explained that I belonged to the Trinity T-party, they nodded in understanding.
…Why do they understand? This side is fundamentally more accustomed to black tea or milk tea. Not that I can’t brew green tea.
Anyway, I ladled the right amount of powder into the tea bowl and poured in water, stirring it back and forth with a tool called the chasen at a regular pace. This was a process for creating a froth known as “uwa.”
When the froth rose a little over halfway, I passed it to Haruna and then repeated the process to brew a cup each for Noah and myself.
The froth is meant to reduce the bitterness of the matcha, but if stirred too much, the tea can get a bit cold, plus I prefer a bit less froth, so I kept it moderate.
Fufu, “I wonder how many people have had the pleasure of being treated to tea by Mika-chan.”
“Indeed. If it’s tea brewed by the person in charge of the T-party, it must have a special taste…”
“Puhut. Noah-chan, there can’t be anything special about that, right? In the end, the most important part is the tea leaves. That staff member’s tea would probably taste similar.”
“How humble♪”
No, I’m serious… Also, why is Haruna nodding along with you?
I gently gathered my left fingers, placing the tea bowl containing the matcha on my palm. I supported it with my right hand, turned it so that the cherry blossom design wouldn’t face me, and finally brought it to my lips for a sip.
As I savored the harmony of the tea’s bitterness and umami, I opened my eyes to see Noah awkwardly mimicking me and Haruna naturally assuming a similar posture.
Hahaha. “Noah-chan, it’s perfectly fine to drink normally☆”
Fufu… “There might be more opportunities to drink tea together in the future, so perhaps I should learn these details slowly as well?”
“That’s a great attitude, Mr. Noah. By the way, the matcha should be consumed in three sips.”
“Yes, Haruna-chan. Thank you for letting me know!”
Ah… why is my mind filled with such lewd thoughts today? The notion of having more opportunities to drink tea together seems to hint at a change in our relationship, and countless follow-up scenarios rush to mind.
Hoo… “This feels like the taste of a happy ending in a tragic story.”
“Indeed, Mika-chan brews tea wonderfully… ironically, though, you actually prefer coffee.”
“Oh really? Then I should learn how to brew coffee.”
Ugh. Haruna, please don’t go telling people I like coffee… No matter what, as the representative of the T-party, I have an image to maintain.
Setting the empty tea bowl aside, Haruna let out a slurping sound as she finished her tea and performed the same action.
For some reason, Noah, who seemed to have been deep in thought, drained her tea bowl with a slurping sound just like Haruna and set it down.
Haruna and I exchanged silent smiles. Noah’s cute behavior, following our lead without us having to tell her to drink comfortably, made it all the more endearing.
After that, the staff members cleared the remaining dishes and left. Once we were alone, the atmosphere turned oddly peculiar again. There was a silence so profound that even the sound of someone swallowing could be heard.
This was especially intensified when the sound of Haruna’s yukata obi rustling met the floor.
Having bathed with a lover, or even hogging a bathtub while being more interested in the ash from offerings rather than the offerings themselves was usual, but…
The thought of mixed bathing at an onsen felt somehow strange.
Anyway, it was the first time I was showing my naked body to two others, which made me incredibly embarrassed.
However, as Noah’s obi slipped down and Haruna began to partially loosen her yukata to strip down, I found myself with no remaining choices.
Feeling an awkward anticipation rise, I untied the knot around my waist. But just then, someone gently hugged me from behind.
“Mika-chan… can I lend you a hand…?”
“Wah——!? Noah-chan, that’s a bit much…!”
Fufu.
“Eep?!”
As Noah’s breath tickled my ear, her hand brushed past the loosened fabric and touched my bare skin.
Without realizing it, I let out a high-pitched squeak, lowering my head as I glanced down. What I saw was so embarrassing, I never wanted to show it, especially in this situation.
“Noah-chan, just give me a moment to take it off myself…!”
That was something I absolutely, absolutely didn’t want to show. Never.
Imagining what might happen if I did show it… but in truth, I hoped deep down that she could read my feelings.
No matter how I thought about it, this was strange. How on earth did I end up like this?
*
As the night transitioned into spring, the air was infused with a chill. Honestly, it wasn’t the best environment to be outside in the nude.
Aside from the embarrassment of baring my skin, we all practiced the kakeyu method, wetting our hands and feet, then immersing ourselves in the hot spring water. If the weather were just a bit warmer, I would have enjoyed this moment more leisurely.
Hua…
And as I slipped into the hot spring, an involuntary pleasant sound escaped me, fully realizing what paradise was.
I jokingly referred to Rion’s loot bag as Eden before, but excluding the jokes, this place felt like the real Eden.
Though that loot bag was quite impressive. It was remarkable, but nothing could compare to this moment I was truly experiencing.
“Wow…”
“Oh, this is indeed… a unique experience,” came the awed remarks from the other two, as they similarly appreciated the sensation.
“Each dish in the hot pot has its ideal pairing. Perhaps that’s why I feel this experience will be etched in my memory for a lifetime. Fufufu.”
Fufu, “I think the same. Each of us lifts each other higher… yes, it’s just as you said, Mika-chan.”
“…Uh, Noah-chan, that refers to our idol activities, doesn’t it?”
“Just a minor detail♪”
Noah’s brazen response made me chuckle. Then I realized something too late.
To my left, Noah was rubbing her cheeks with her hand, seated so close that I could touch her with a slight arm movement.
On my right, Haruna had completely leaned against me, casually resting one hand on my thigh beneath the surface.
…Haruna, when did hot pot become such a bizarre dish where ingredients devour each other?
It truly was the flower of both sides, but the reality was that I was flanked by two lionesses ready to pounce at the slightest chance.
And in that situation, I felt warmth rising in my body.
This was undoubtedly a heat stemming from the hot spring. Probably.
