Nicole sank deeper into the hot spring, letting the mineral-rich water envelop her shoulders. Steam rose in lazy curls around her face, carrying the faint scent of sulfur and something else—something alien yet pleasant that reminded her of jasmine.
"God, this feels amazing," she murmured, closing her eyes.
"Told you." Yuzuriha's voice came from across the pool. "Hot springs are sacred in Japan. Not just for cleansing the body, but the spirit too."
Nicole opened one eye. Yuzuriha reclined against the smooth rock edge of the pool, her purple hair piled high in a messy bun secured with what looked like two wooden chopsticks. Her pale skin glistened with moisture in the oasis's sunset glow.
Xavier's clone stood with his back to them about twenty meters away, vigilantly scanning the surrounding area. He'd positioned himself far enough to give them privacy but close enough to respond to trouble. Nicole found it both comforting and slightly unnerving—knowing he was there but wasn't really Xavier.
"Does it creep you out?" she asked, nodding toward the clone.
Yuzuriha followed her gaze. "The not-quite-Xavier-kun? Not really. Though I keep expecting him to peek." She giggled. "The real one probably would."
"He would not," Nicole said, more defensively than she'd intended.
"So protective." Yuzuriha's eyes gleamed with amusement. "Already staking your claim?"
Nicole felt heat rise to her cheeks. "I'm not staking anything."
"Your face says otherwise." Yuzuriha stretched her arms above her head, deliberately drawing attention to her chest as it broke the water's surface. "But I don't blame you. Xavier-kun is... exceptional."
Nicole found herself staring at Yuzuriha's breasts—perfectly shaped, neither too large nor too small, with pink nipples that stood out against her fair skin. She quickly looked away, but not before Yuzuriha noticed.
"Like what you see?" Yuzuriha teased, sliding through the water toward her. "Don't be embarrassed. Comparison is natural."
"I wasn't comparing," Nicole lied.
"No? Then let me." Yuzuriha moved beside her, so close their shoulders touched. "Yours are bigger than mine. Probably a full cup size." Without warning, she reached out and cupped Nicole's left breast, lifting it slightly as if weighing it. "Definitely heavier."
Nicole yelped and slapped her hand away. "What the hell?"
"Sorry, sorry." Yuzuriha laughed, not sounding sorry at all. "Just girl talk. We do this all the time in Japanese bath houses."
"Well, we don't do that in America," Nicole said, crossing her arms over her chest protectively.
"Boring." Yuzuriha settled back against the rocks. "But you have nothing to worry about. Men love your type—the perfect hourglass. Though some prefer my more... athletic build."
Despite her embarrassment, Nicole found herself genuinely curious. "What type does Xavier prefer?"
Yuzuriha's smile turned cat-like. "Why don't you ask him yourself?"
"I'm asking you."
"Well, he certainly seemed to appreciate both our assets equally." Yuzuriha traced a finger along her collarbone, her expression dreamy. "Though he was quite focused on other things by the end."
Nicole felt a knot form in her stomach. "What do you mean?"
"You know exactly what I mean, Aurora-chan."
Nicole blinked at the nickname. "Aurora?"
"Your fake name." Yuzuriha smiled. "It suits you better than 'Nicole,' which sounds too formal."
Nicole considered this. No one had ever given her a nickname that wasn't just a shortening of her name. Not even her father—especially not her father, who insisted on proper names at all times.
"Fine, but don't change the subject." Nicole leaned forward, droplets of water running down her neck. "Are you saying you and Xavier...?"
Yuzuriha tilted her head, her purple eyes studying Nicole's face. "Did you two?"
"I asked first."
"Ladies share secrets in the bath. That's the rule." Yuzuriha dipped her fingers in the water, creating small ripples. "So? Did you and Xavier-kun enjoy your nights together?"
Nicole opened her mouth, then closed it. She thought about the nights before—the kisses, the touches, the way Xavier had made her feel both safe and exhilarated. They'd gone further than she'd expected, but not all the way. He'd stopped them, citing the lack of protection and his unwillingness to risk a pregnancy in their situation.
"Yes," she lied. "We did."
Something flashed in Yuzuriha's eyes—surprise, perhaps, or something else Nicole couldn't quite identify.
"I see." Yuzuriha leaned back, her expression unreadable. "Then we're in the same boat."
Nicole's heart sank. "What do you mean?"
"Xavier-kun and I had our own special night." Yuzuriha sighed dramatically. "He's quite... substantial, isn't he?"
The knot in Nicole's stomach tightened. "Substantial?"
"Mmm." Yuzuriha's hand disappeared beneath the water, indicating a length with her fingers that made Nicole's eyes widen. "Almost too much, really. I swear I could feel it here." She pressed a hand to her lower abdomen. "Like a pleasant fullness that stays with you afterward. It might as well since he refuses to pull out."
Nicole tried to keep her expression neutral, but inside, her emotions churned. Anger, jealousy, and hurt swirled together in a toxic cocktail. Xavier had told her they couldn't have sex because they lacked protection, that he wouldn't risk getting her pregnant in a gate. Had that just been an excuse? Had he simply not wanted her enough?
"When?" she asked, hating how small her voice sounded.
"Before you joined our happy little tent arrangement." Yuzuriha traced patterns in the water's surface.
Nicole remembered. The night before she'd nearly been killed by Kaisen. The night before Xavier had saved her.
"He told me we couldn't because we didn't have condoms," Nicole said before she could stop herself.
Yuzuriha's eyebrows rose slightly. "Did he now?"
"Yes." Nicole felt tears threatening and blinked them back furiously. "Said he wouldn't risk getting me pregnant in a place like this."
"How... responsible of him." Yuzuriha studied her face for a long moment, then sighed. "You're too easy to read, Aurora-chan."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means Xavier-kun and I didn't have sex either." Yuzuriha smiled, not her usual teasing smirk but something gentler. "I was testing you."
Nicole stared at her. "You were lying?"
"Of course I was lying. And so were you." Yuzuriha splashed water in her direction. "Though I suspected as much when you said yes. Your face turned the same color as your hair."
Relief washed over Nicole, followed quickly by embarrassment. "You're such a bitch!"
"I prefer 'strategically mischievous.'" Yuzuriha's laughter echoed off the rock walls surrounding the hot spring. "But I got what I wanted—confirmation that you care about him."
Nicole sank deeper into the water, until only her eyes and the top of her head remained above the surface. She blew bubbles in frustration.
"Don't pout." Yuzuriha moved closer again. "I'm not trying to steal your man. Well, not permanently anyway."
Nicole emerged from the water. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Yuzuriha shrugged, the motion causing small waves to ripple across the pool's surface. "It means I like Xavier-kun. He's different—sees me as a person, not just a body or a tool. That's rare in our world." She met Nicole's gaze directly. "But I don't do commitment, and I don't do exclusivity."
"So what are you saying?"
"I'm saying we might both want the same man, but that doesn't mean we have to be enemies." Yuzuriha tilted her head. "Unless you're the jealous type?"
Nicole considered the question. Before entering this gate, she might have answered differently. Her relationships—what few she'd had—had been carefully controlled affairs, more about appearances than genuine connection. Jealousy hadn't been an issue because she'd never cared enough.
But Xavier was different. The thought of him with Yuzuriha made something primal twist inside her.
"I don't know what I am anymore," she admitted.
"Honesty. Good." Yuzuriha nodded approvingly. "Let's start there. What do you want from Xavier-kun?"
"I don't know that either." Nicole pushed a strand of wet hair from her face. "Before, I was just trying to piss off my father by opening a guild. Now I'm stuck in a death gate trying not to get eaten by sand spiders while developing feelings for a D-Rank hunter."
"Life comes at you fast in the gates." Yuzuriha smiled. "But you didn't answer my question. What do you want?"
Nicole stared at the water's surface, watching the steam rise in delicate spirals. "I want... I want what I felt every night in his tent. Safe, but excited. Seen, really seen. Not as Damian Demara's daughter or 'that Instagram girl' but just... me."
"Xavier-kun is good at seeing people," Yuzuriha agreed. "Too good, sometimes."
"What about you?" Nicole asked. "What do you want from him?"
Yuzuriha's expression grew distant. "Freedom. Pleasure. Someone who understands boundaries." She drew a line in the water with her finger. "I had someone I loved once. Lost her. Never again."
"Her?"
"My sister." Yuzuriha's voice took on an edge Nicole hadn't heard before. "Not like that, you pervert."
"Sorry, I just—"
"I know what you thought." Yuzuriha waved dismissively. "But no. Saya was my little sister. She died three years ago after a long illness. I spent years taking care of her, sacrificing everything. When she was gone..." She trailed off, staring at something Nicole couldn't see.
Nicole reached out hesitantly, placing her hand on Yuzuriha's arm. "I'm sorry."
Yuzuriha blinked, returning to the present. "Don't be. It made me who I am." She shook her head as if clearing away the memories. "The point is, I don't do deep attachments anymore. They hurt too much when they end. And they always end."
"That's... bleak."
"That's reality." Yuzuriha's smile returned, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "So you see, we want different things from Xavier-kun. You want the fairy tale. I want the fun parts without the messy emotions."
"And you think that can work? Sharing him?"
"Why not? If everyone's honest about expectations." Yuzuriha studied Nicole's face. "Though I suspect you'd prefer exclusivity."
Nicole thought about it. The idea of Xavier with someone else bothered her, but there was also something practical about Yuzuriha's approach.
"What happens when we get out of this gate?" she asked. "If we get out."
"We will." Yuzuriha's confidence was absolute. "Xavier-kun won't let us die here."
"You have a lot of faith in him."
"I've seen what he can do." Yuzuriha's eyes gleamed. "Haven't you?"
"Yes," she admitted. "I have."
"Then you know we're getting out. And when we do..." Yuzuriha shrugged. "Life goes on. You return to your social media empire and billion-dollar daddy, I go back to taking whatever contracts pay the most for the least effort, and Xavier-kun..." She paused. "What does he do, exactly?"
"Construction, I think. And D-rank hunter work."
Yuzuriha snorted. "Right. And I'm secretly an S-Rank."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean we're all playing parts, Aurora-chan. Some more obviously than others." Yuzuriha stretched, arms extended above her head. "But that's a mystery for another day. Back to our original topic—what happens outside the gate depends on what you want to happen."
Nicole traced circles in the water, thinking. "I want to start my own guild."
Yuzuriha's eyebrows rose. "Really? Not just ride daddy's coattails at Phoenix Imperium?"
"Hell no." Nicole's voice hardened. "My father sees me as an asset, not a daughter. A valuable genetic resource to be paired with the right bloodline."
"Charming."
"He actually tried to arrange a marriage for me. To some British lord with the right 'genetic contribution' for 'optimal offspring.'" Nicole's fingers curled into fists beneath the water. "Like I'm a fucking slut."
"And your own guild is the alternative?"
"It's the only way I'll ever have control over my life." Nicole looked up, meeting Yuzuriha's gaze. "I have the resources, the connections. What I need is credibility. And for that—"
"You need gate clearances," Yuzuriha finished for her. "Without daddy's help."
"Twenty-five C-Rank gates minimum, without assistance from higher-ranked hunters." Nicole recited the Association requirements from memory. "It's doable."
"And Xavier-kun fits into this plan how, exactly?"
Nicole hadn't thought that far ahead. "I don't know. He's D-Rank, so technically he could help without violating the rules."
"If he's really D-Rank," Yuzuriha said pointedly.
Nicole had noticed. It was impossible not to. "Then what is he?"
"That," Yuzuriha said, "is the million-dollar question."
They fell silent for a moment, the only sound the gentle lapping of water against stone and the distant call of some alien bird from the oasis beyond.
"I think he'd help you," Yuzuriha said finally. "If you asked. He seems the type."
"Why would he? He barely knows me."
"He likes you. More than likes you, I'd guess, based on how he looks at you when he thinks no one's watching." Yuzuriha studied her fingernails. "And I think he respects anyone trying to break free of family expectations. He has his sister, after all."
"Noel," Nicole said, remembering how Xavier had spoken of her. "He'd do anything for her."
"Exactly. Family bonds mean something to him." Yuzuriha's expression grew thoughtful. "Though I wonder what he'd say about your guild idea."
"Why?"
"Just curious what kind of guild the great Nicole Demara would create." Yuzuriha leaned forward, resting her chin on her palm. "Something flashy and Instagram-worthy? Or something more... substantial?"
The question wasn't as mocking as Nicole might have expected. There seemed genuine curiosity behind it.
"I'd want it to be different," she said slowly, organizing thoughts she'd never fully articulated. "Not like Phoenix Imperium with its corporate structure and obsession with efficiency metrics. Not like the old-school guilds either, with their rigid hierarchies and traditions."
"What then?"
"Something more... equal. Where people are valued for what they contribute, not just their rank or family connections." Nicole traced patterns in the water as she spoke. "Where hunters support each other instead of competing constantly. Where decisions are made collectively instead of handed down from on high."
Yuzuriha studied her face. "Sounds almost socialist for a billionaire's daughter."
"Maybe I've learned something from watching my father destroy people in the name of optimization." Nicole's voice hardened. "His world is all about the numbers—efficiency ratings, profit margins, performance metrics. People are just variables in an equation."
"And your world would be different?"
"It would try to be." Nicole met Yuzuriha's gaze. "People matter. Their stories matter. Their reasons for hunting matter."
Yuzuriha tilted her head, purple eyes narrowed slightly. "You're surprising, Aurora-chan. There's more beneath that Instagram facade than I expected."
"There's more beneath your carefree sex kitten act too," Nicole countered.
Yuzuriha laughed, the sound echoing off the rock walls. "Touché. Maybe that's why Xavier-kun likes us both. We're more than we appear."
"Maybe." Nicole glanced toward the clone, still standing vigilant with his back to them. "Do you think he can hear us?"
"Probably not details, but he might sense emotional shifts." Yuzuriha shrugged. "Does it matter? He'll report to Xavier-kun either way."
"I guess not." Nicole sank deeper into the water, letting it lap at her chin. "So where does this leave us?"
"Naked in a hot spring having surprisingly deep girl talk?" Yuzuriha suggested with a grin.
Despite herself, Nicole laughed. "You know what I mean. Us and Xavier. This... triangle, or whatever it is."
"It leaves us wherever we want it to." Yuzuriha's smile turned sad. "I told you—I don't do attachment anymore."
Nicole studied her, seeing past the playful facade to the pain beneath. "That must be lonely."
"Better lonely than broken." Yuzuriha shook her head, as if dismissing the thought. "But enough serious talk. We're supposed to be relaxing." She moved through the water with graceful purpose, positioning herself behind Nicole. "Let me wash your hair. It's a traditional bath house service."
Nicole tensed. "Is this another Japanese custom that involves inappropriate touching?"
"Only if you want it to," Yuzuriha teased, then added more seriously, "No, it's just hair washing. Trust me, it feels amazing when someone else does it."
After a moment's hesitation, Nicole nodded. "Fine."
Yuzuriha's fingers were gentle as they worked through Nicole's pink locks, massaging her scalp with surprising skill. The tension in Nicole's shoulders began to melt away.
"You're good at this," she murmured.
"I used to wash Saya's hair when she was too weak to do it herself." Yuzuriha's voice held no sadness, just statement of fact. "She loved it. Said it was the one time she felt normal."
Nicole closed her eyes, trying to imagine the bond between the sisters. "You must miss her."
"Every day." Yuzuriha's fingers never paused in their rhythmic movement. "But she made me promise to live freely after she was gone. No more sacrifices, no more putting others first. It was her final wish."
"Is that why you became a hunter?"
"I was already a hunter. Joined a guild to pay for treatments that turned out to be fake." Bitterness crept into Yuzuriha's voice. "After she died, I made sure that guild paid for their lies. Then I came to America for a fresh start."
"I'm sorry about your sister," Nicole said softly. "And about what that guild did."
"Don't be. The past is the past." Yuzuriha gently tilted Nicole's head back to rinse her hair. "What matters is the now. And right now, we're alive in a beautiful oasis with a handsome man standing guard while we gossip like schoolgirls."
Nicole couldn't help but laugh. "When you put it that way..."
"Exactly. Life is too short for regrets, especially in our line of work." Yuzuriha finished rinsing and moved back beside Nicole. "So, Aurora-chan, let's make a pact."
"What kind of pact?"
"No matter what happens with Xavier-kun—whether you claim him, I seduce him, or somehow we end up sharing him, we remain civil. Maybe even friends." Yuzuriha extended her hand beneath the water. "Deal?"
Nicole hesitated only briefly before taking it. "Deal."
"Good." Yuzuriha's smile turned mischievous. "Now, one last important question before we leave this sanctuary of female bonding."
"What?"
"If you could choose any part of Xavier-kun to lick honey off of, what would it be?"
Nicole sputtered, heat rushing to her face. "What kind of question is that?"
"The fun kind." Yuzuriha waggled her eyebrows. "I'd pick his abs, personally. Or maybe his—"
"I am not having this conversation!" Nicole splashed water at Yuzuriha's face, cutting her off.
Yuzuriha retaliated immediately, sending a wave crashing over Nicole's head. Within seconds, they were engaged in a full-scale water battle, their laughter echoing off the rocks.
From his position near the path, Xavier's clone turned slightly, watching the two women with an expression that might have been amusement before returning to his vigilant stance.
Eventually, they tired of their water fight and settled back against the rocks, still giggling occasionally.
"Your guild," Yuzuriha said suddenly. "What would you call it?"
Nicole paused, considering. She'd thought about this more than she cared to admit.
"The Cunning Hares."