The cold November air quietly enveloped the mountains of Hakone. Seigetsutei, the inn where they had arrived for the Rise Cosmetics company trip, was a long-established ryokan tucked away in the mountains. The General Affairs staff had arrived just past two in the afternoon, and the warm hand towels and matcha they were greeted with by the inn's staff brought relieved smiles to their faces. In the inn's lobby, listening to the cheerful voices of her colleagues around her, Yui felt a small weight deep in her chest. *(Ren is in this inn too.)* Under the pretext of a management inspection, the company president, Ren, was staying at the same ryokan. He hadn't been on the same bus as the General Affairs employees, but he should have already arrived. And yet, he hadn't shown his face. *(I want to see him, but I also don't.)* For the past two weeks, Yui and Ren's secret trysts had continued. A relationship they couldn't tell anyone about, one that only existed at night. During the day, they were the cold CEO and a mere employee. But at night, those large hands knew every inch of Yui's body, and the voice that whispered her name by her ear wouldn't leave her head. *(I know this is crazy, but...)* Yui gazed absently at the autumn-leaf-covered mountains visible from the inn's window. The red and yellow leaves sparkled, swaying in the wind. In the evening, it was time for the welcome drinks. The employees were gathered in the large banquet hall. With beers and soft drinks in hand, they chatted noisily. The buzz of conversation suddenly fell silent. Ren had entered. His platinum-silver hair gleamed coldly even under the inn's soft lighting. His narrow, blue eyes were expressionless, not even glancing at the employees. His upright, straight-backed posture looked unnervingly perfect, even in the traditional Japanese space of the inn. "[cold]I hope you will all rest well today and prepare for the work ahead starting tomorrow." A short, indifferent greeting. The employees raised their glasses with tense expressions. Yui was at a small table in the corner with her colleagues Miho and Yamamoto. Ren's gaze swept across the room for a moment. Her eyes met his. But Ren immediately looked away, as if there was nothing there at all. *(...I know.)* This was their rule. During the day, they were strangers. In fact, they were supposed to maintain a distance that was almost cold. If they didn't, something would break. But still, a sharp pain squeezed the center of her chest. Even though they were in the same inn, he felt so far away. Even if she wanted to touch him, even if she wanted to call out to him, she couldn't do anything with everyone watching. *(What am I doing?)* Yui traced the water droplets on the glass in her hand with her finger. The evening banquet began. Dishes were laid out in rows in the banquet hall. Yuba tofu, fluffy tempura, and rice cooked with wild vegetables. As the alcohol flowed, the employees' voices gradually grew louder. Yui was seated next to Sawada. As always, Sawada was listening to the conversations around him with a gentle smile. "[gentle]Yui-san, do you have enough to drink? You don't have to force yourself." Sawada said, glancing at Yui's glass. "[gentle]Ah, I'm fine. Thank you." Yui put on a smile. Sawada paused for a moment, then spoke in a casual tone. "[gentle]The president doesn't smile much today either, does he? I wonder if he's always like that." Yui's heart leaped in her chest. "[gentle]I... wonder. I'm not really sure." Sawada slowly tilted the ochoko in his hand and took a sip of sake. "[gentle]Yui-san, are you... maybe a little concerned about the president?" It was a direct question. Yui nearly dropped the chopsticks she was holding. *(Why is he asking me that?)* Sawada's gentle brown eyes were fixed on Yui. Those eyes seemed to hold some other emotion, not just the concern of a superior. "[surprised]What? No, not at all! The president is really scary, and that's just..." Her voice cracked a little. It was an obvious reaction, even she could tell. Sawada said "I see" quietly, then looked down with a slightly lonely expression. "[sad]...Yeah, you're right. But I still think it's better not to get too close to that person." Those words, the same warning he had given her before, pricked Yui's heart like a small thorn. *(I know. I know, but...)* To change the subject, Yui started talking about the food. The banquet ended, and Yui returned to her room. Her roommate Miho had gone out, saying she was going to a second party with other colleagues. Alone, Yui changed into a yukata and sat by the window. The silence of the mountains seeped deeply into the room. Just then, her smartphone buzzed briefly. [Private open-air bath. Midnight. Come.] The sender was Kazama Ren. Yui clutched her phone and couldn't move for a while. *(I was just told by Sawada-senpai not to go...)* But her fingers were already typing a reply. [Understood.] Just past midnight, Yui slipped through the inn's corridors and walked along a cobblestone path leading deeper into the grounds. The cold air slipped through the sleeves of her yukata and stung her skin. Her breath was white. The private open-air bath was in a secluded spot surrounded by trees. Only the small light from the changing area faintly illuminated the darkness. When Yui opened the sliding door, steam billowed up softly. Under a sky full of stars, Ren was already in the water. He was submerged up to his shoulders, looking up at the sky. His wet platinum-silver hair sparkled and swayed, reflecting the light from the bath. The light from a small andon lantern placed on the rocks softly illuminated Ren's profile. "[cold]You came." Ren said without turning around. Yui put her hands on her obi. She wore nothing under the yukata. The sash came undone, and the yukata fell softly to her feet. Her skin shrank against the chilly air. Ren stood up from the water. His exposed body was well-trained, the muscles of his chest glistening with droplets of water. His wet silver hair clung to his forehead, and his icy blue eyes stared intently at Yui alone. A large hand pulled her waist closer. "[whispers]You're cold." Just like that, Ren guided her into the water, as if embracing her body. The hot water soaked into her chilled skin, and a sigh escaped Yui's lips. Ren placed his hand on Yui's chin, tilted her face up, and pressed his lips to hers. At first, it was a light kiss, just a touch. But it quickly deepened. His tongue entered, exploring the inside of her mouth. He sucked on her tongue, sending shivers around her waist. "[whispers]Nn... ah, fuu..." When their lips parted, a silver thread glistened in the starlight. Ren sat Yui's body on the edge of the rocks. Her lower half was still submerged in the water, but her chest was exposed to the starry sky. His large hands cupped her breasts from below. "[whispers]You liked it when I touched you here, didn't you?" The pads of his fingers slowly circled the tips of her nipples. "[crying]Ah...!" A sharp jolt of pleasure ran down her spine. Separate from her lower body soaking in the water, just the tips of her breasts grew intensely hot and throbbing. Ren's other hand stroked up Yui's thigh in the water, then moved between her legs. "[whispers]You don't have to hold back your voice. No one can hear us here." His low voice vibrated deep in her ear. A long middle finger traced Yui's secret place. It was already wet and melting with a heat different from the bathwater. "[whispers]You're this wet already. Did you get excited because I told you to come?" *(No... well, yes, but no...!)* Her head spun with embarrassment. But her body was honest, inviting Ren's finger deeper and deeper inside. With a wet, squelching sound, his middle finger entered her vagina. "[crying]Hya...!" Ren's finger pressed firmly upward against a rough spot on the inner wall of her vagina. "[whispers]It's here, isn't it? The place that makes you come right away." "[crying]No, w-wrong, not there, don't...!" Ren's finger began to relentlessly tap that spot. His thumb crushed her clitoris with a grinding pressure. "[crying]Ah, aah, I'm coming, I'm going to come...!!" Yui's hips jerked and bucked on their own. Her mind went completely blank. Her toes curled tightly in the water. "[whispers]Come." With that single word, Yui was pushed over the edge. "[crying]Aaaaaah!!" Her vagina clenched tightly around Ren's finger. Her love juices ran down his finger and dissolved into the water. But Ren didn't stop. He lifted Yui's still-trembling body, then sat himself on the rocks and straddled her over him. His already rock-hard, erect penis was positioned at the entrance of Yui's vagina in the water. "[whispers]Put it in yourself." "[crying]I... I can't..." "[cold]You can. Remember what I taught you." With trembling hands, Yui supported Ren's penis. It was hot and hard. It was as thick as a clenched fist. *(Can something like this really fit...?)* But her body was already craving it. She slowly lowered her hips. The sensation of the glans prying open her vaginal entrance. "[crying]Ah... aaaah...!" It sank deep inside her, inch by inch. It felt like a hot iron rod was piercing through the center of her body. "[whispers]It's all in. Good girl." Ren's voice softened just a little. Clinging to Ren's neck, Yui desperately tried to catch her breath. The glans was knocking lightly against the entrance of her womb. Ren's hands grabbed Yui's hips. "[cold]I'm going to move." He thrust up into her fiercely from below. "[crying]Ah, ah, ah, ah...!" The water rippled and splashed against the rocks, the sound echoing in the silence of the night. "[whispers]You like it here, don't you? This spot is squeezing my cock so tight, and it's drooling like crazy." The obscene words whispered in her ear made the depths of her body clench in response. "[crying]I like it... I love it...!" Crying, Yui dug her nails into Ren's back. "[whispers]Do you want more of me?" "[crying]I want... I want more... deeper...!" Ren's pistoning grew faster. His penis rubbed against her vaginal walls, thrust deep inside, stimulating all the pleasurable spots inside Yui at once. "[crying]I'm coming again... I'm going to come...!!" "[cold]Come. I'm going to come inside you." "[crying]Do it... give it to me deep inside...!!" Throb. Throb. Ren's penis swelled even more inside her vagina, and hot semen was released, hitting the entrance of her womb. "[crying]Ah... ah...!" With the sensation of the semen pouring into her, Yui reached her third climax. Her hips trembled violently, and she collapsed against Ren's chest. For a while, the two of them looked up at the starry sky, catching their ragged breath. Their bodies were still soaking in the water, and Yui could feel Ren's penis slowly softening inside her. Ren was silent. But that silence felt like something different from the intensity of moments before—something else entirely. Just then, Ren picked up his smartphone from the rocks with one hand. He tapped the screen and held it out to Yui. "[cold]...My sister." On the screen was a photo of a smiling young woman. Soft brown hair. Her eyes slightly resembled Ren's. Yui caught her breath. After saying just that, Ren immediately turned off the screen. And then, he quietly looked up at the starry sky again. For just a fleeting moment, a deep pain seeped into Ren's profile. *(This person... he's carrying a wound somewhere.)* Something inside Yui's heart changed with an audible shift. This wasn't just a secret affair. She wanted to touch something deeper within this person. She wanted to understand that pain, even just a little. *(Ah, I—)* Yui realized it quietly, but clearly. *(I love this person.)* Her chest ached so much she felt like crying. The next morning. Until checkout time, Yui walked around the inn's surroundings. She couldn't