Forever and Always, My Childhood Friend is the Cutest Girl in the World Chapter 67: Collecting Data Part One: Our Footbath

 Chapter 67: Collecting Data Part One: Our Footbath

Link to Original Chapter: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n5894gb/67/ 

"We're here!" 

It's in the middle of Golden Week and Rin and after taking a train for an hour, we arrive at the hot spring town. 

"You know, it definitely looks quite elegant." 

Rin is surveying the area around her. She looks like a cat in unfamiliar territory. Since I'm really only familiar with concrete streets, the view from the station is a pleasant surprise. There's mountains in the distance. In front of the station is the shopping district and nearby, homes are lined up one by one. Billboards all over the town advertize their steamed buns and various souvenirs. 

"I'm getting excited!" 

"If you end up tripping from excitement, we might have to bring you to the hospital." 

"You better not be setting up any flags." 

"Don't worry, pretty sure we avoided that flag already. Have as much fun as you want." 

"Alright! LET'S GOOOO!!!" 

"Really, you're going to get a noise complaint at some point." 

"Does it look like I'm operating heavy machinery?" 

As we continue our back and forth, we head straight for the onsen. Before I know it... 

"Tohru-kun, look, look!" 

"Hmm?" 

I turn to look at Rin, who's tugging at my sleeve and letting out an excited voice. Before my eyes, I see an interesting spot by the roundabout. 

"Hey, is that the rumoured..." 

"Footbath." 

It's here in the flesh and blood, a bath just for soaking your feet. 

"Cool, so this is what it's like in real life. I've never seen one before." 

It's a rectangular man-made ditch filled with warm water. Both sides are furnished with sheets of wood so people can sit as they soak their feet. 

"Looks like we have material right away for your story." 

"I can definitely use that." 

The shutter of my phone camera goes off. I put on a smile, happy with this good omen to start the trip. I feel Rin tugging at my sleeve again. 

"How about we go in?" 

She has a serious expression on her face. In contrast, her body is fidgeting nervously. 

"Seems like you're excited too, Rin." 

"Don't get me wrong, this is all for collecting data. You can't write a good description by just viewing it, you have to experience it first hand." 

"I see, I see. Seems like Rin is getting all riled up too." 

"I-I'm not getting riled up, you hear me?" 

"So you say." 

"O-okay, maybe a little bit." 

"Just a little?" 

I gently pat her head. Her cheeks are flushed red as she puffs her cheeks and grumbles. However, she purrs afterwards as if it feels good. She's too cute. 

"C-come on, let's get in." 

"S-sure." 

Why do I feel embarrassed too? I take off my shoes and socks as we both enter the footbath. 

"Ahh..." 

The water is a bit hot, so I can feel directly feel the heat of the onsen. The water goes up to about ankle length, as my both my feet start to feel warmer. My upper body feels normal, but my lower body has a different, but comfortable warmth to it. 

"This really does feel good." 

"I definitely agree." 

Rin has a relaxed face like she's drinking tea on the balcony. Of course, I'm completely relaxed right now too. I let my shoulders droop as I place my hands down. A warm sensation creeps up on the back of my hand. I turn around and see Rin giving me a kind smile. With a gentle voice, she starts speaking. 

"Let's make sure to have a lot of fun today." 

"Yeah, for sure." 

The hot water envelopes my feet. It's the best kind of warmth, for my hand and for my heart.

___________________

Author’s Note: “Forever and Always, My Childhood Friend is the Cutest Girl in the World” will be released in three days! It seems like it’s been a long time, but only eight months have passed. 

I can’t express my gratitude for sticking with the story even after it has completed. I’m proud of the work put into the Light Novel, so I do hope you check it out. 

And after a long wait, I have more news on my new story! I will begin posting it in three days! It’s currently scheduled for 7pm on November 20th. 

Haha, yes they both have the same release date. 

So here’s a rough outline of my new work:

A romcom between a gloomy and cynical realist and a clumsy and caring silver-haired girl as they fill the void formed by their loneliness!

As usual, it will be an overflowingly sweet romcom. I want it to leave a sweet taste in the reader's mouth but also I also want them to feel pure, genuine emotion after reading. It’ll be both a romcom and human drama, hopefully!

I’m looking forward to seeing how this turns out. I personally think it will be a fresh and interesting story. 

I plan on updating the story every day for a while, since I have some writing that is currently in progress. 

I’ll do my best to make sure everyone can enjoy this story, so I appreciate all the support I get! 

I hope all of you are looking forward to the novel release of Sekaosa and my new upcoming work in three days! 

__________

Translator's Note: I have one chapter left after this, not sure if I’ll TL his new work or not. I guess I’ll have to wait and see on that. 

Chapter 66

Chapter 68