My Strict Boss Is the Secret Artist Drawing Spicy Comics of Us novel · Chapter 15 of 24

Chapter 15: The Private Bath

Reiji Takamine stood at the door of the Cypress bath at nine o'clock with a towel over his arm and no glasses on.

He had booked this bath in September, alone, at a desk in Nakano, to find out what steam looked like on a man.

He had drawn the page that same night, and it had been wrong.

The man in the steam had no face, because Reiji had not been able to picture one that would stay.

Now the door was open, and the face was in the water.

The bath was a square pool of pale wood in a garden walled by bamboo.

Red maples hung over it and dropped leaves on the surface, and a lantern in the corner lit the steam to gold.

Ichinose sat in the middle of it with his arms along the rim and a folded white towel on his head.

His ears were pink. His tuft was flat for once, wet against his forehead.

"You're late, Chief."

"It is two minutes past."

"I counted."

"Of course you did."

Reiji set his towel on the stones and stepped in.

The water closed around his calves, then his thighs, then his waist, and the heat of it went through him.

He lowered himself onto the bench across from Ichinose and found he could not look at him directly.

So he looked at a maple leaf, floating, with its five red points.

"You booked this in September," Ichinose said.

"Yes."

"Before the booth."

"Yes."

"Before the stall."

"I drew a bath chapter in September," Reiji said, to the leaf.

"I wanted to know how the steam moves. I did not know who would be in it."

Water lapped. Somewhere beyond the bamboo, a man was humming a sentimental song, very off key.

Ichinose's eyes went wide.

"Is that the Director?"

"The public bath is on the other side of that fence."

"He's singing."

"He is on a vigilance trip," Reiji said. "He has found the maples."

Ichinose put his towel over his face and shook.

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