"Yesterday, I booked a junk collector. I’m planning to take advantage of the upcoming move to throw away some furniture I no longer use and some collectibles I don’t want to keep."
"After booking the junk collector, as I was sorting through the things I wanted to throw away, I suddenly realized - the furniture isn’t worth anything, so throwing them away is fine. But it would feel like such a waste if I were to just toss out my collectibles."
"So I decided to give my collectibles away instead."
"The junk collector is probably coming tomorrow."
"So if I can’t give them away before tomorrow, the junk collector will get them for a bargain."
"I’ve given similar collectibles to Asheng, Uncle Gen, and Tachibana before, but they didn’t like them, so now the only people I have left to give them to are you three."
"If you come to my place now, it won’t be too late."
"If you plan to stay here until the bathhouse closes before coming to my place, then it will be a bit late."
Hijikata’s rapid speech successfully drew the interest of Nagakura and the others, including Saito.
"Hijikata, what exactly are your collectibles?" Harada asked excitedly.
With a meaningful smile, Hijikata, in a teasing tone, aroused Nagakura and the others’ curiosity by saying:
"It’s a secret for now. You’ll know what they are once you get to my place."
"Alright! Let’s hurry to your place!" Harada sprang up like a coil.
Nagakura hesitated for a moment, then slowly stood up following Harada.
At the same moment Nagakura rose, Saito silently straightened up—though Saito wore his usual expressionless face as if burdened by existential woes, upon closer inspection, his eyes revealed a faint curiosity brought on by Hijikata’s words.
Seeing Nagakura and the others stand up, Hijikata’s eyes flashed a look of relief.
"Asheng, Uncle Gen, Tachibana, we’re heading out first."
Hijikata turned his face towards Kondo, Inoue, and Aoto and said:
"You guys continue with your bath."
"Watch the time, don’t soak too long."
"Granny Tang is a kind-hearted old lady."
"Since we’re regulars here, she might feel embarrassed to ask us to leave out of courtesy."
"If we soak until they can’t stand it and urge us to leave, it’ll be embarrassing for both parties."
"Moreover, if you soak too long, you can easily get dizzy."
Hijikata emphasized the word "dizzy" in his speech.
At the same time, he glanced at Aoto intentionally or unintentionally.
"Make sure not to get dizzy like Toshisuke."
"If you do get dizzy, remember to get out of the bath and lie down somewhere cool."
"Speaking of which...some time ago, I caught a cold and went to the Ten Thousand Herbs House in Shimomachi Second District for medicine. I happened to see they had medicine for treating heatstroke and dizziness on the shelves."
"Ha, now that it’s hot, those medicines for heatstroke and bathing dizziness are becoming increasingly popular."
"That Ten Thousand Herbs House is quite a magical pharmacy, too, staying open every day until 12 p.m. (midnight) before closing."
At first glance, Hijikata’s words sounded like a routine reminder.
But to Aoto, who’s now back-to-back with the dizzy Toshi, it was clear there was a deeper meaning behind Hijikata’s words.
Aoto lifted his gaze, casting a grateful look at Hijikata
——Hijikata, you’re truly something...!
At this moment, Aoto was very certain: Hijikata must have figured out what had happened! Those words were specifically meant for him!
After speaking, Hijikata no longer hesitated or lingered, leading Nagakura and the others out of the bath swiftly.
With the departure of Hijikata and his group, the bustling bathhouse suddenly became quiet.
From the moment Hijikata suddenly stood up and took Nagakura and the others with him to get his unwanted collectibles, Kondo and Inoue were clueless about what Hijikata was planning to do.
Not until Hijikata and Nagakura’s group disappeared from the bathhouse did the two finally realize what Hijikata was aiming for.
The two, now with an enlightened look, quickly turned around to face Aoto.
"Mr. Tachibana."
Kondo, with a probing tone, carefully and deeply asked:
"Could it be that Toshisuke is...right behind you now?"
Hearing Kondo’s words, Aoto couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
——Good...you guessed right...! So Kondo and the others do know Mr. Chokata is a girl!
Not wanting Mr. Nagakura, Mr. Saito, and Mr. Harada to discover her female identity—when Kondo and the others were about to enter the bathhouse, Toshisuke, afraid of her gender being exposed, blurted out these words instinctively.
She only mentioned Nagakura and the others...but not Kondo, Hijikata, and Inoue.
Given Toshisuke’s familial relationship with the three...Aoto boldly speculated: Kondo, Hijikata, and Inoue know Toshisuke is a girl!
Under this assumption, Aoto came up with the lie about "I was just taking a bath with Mr. Chokata."
Toshisuke is a girl, so how could she take a bath with you in the men’s bath?—If Kondo and the others knew Toshisuke’s true gender, they wouldn’t have remained indifferent after hearing Aoto’s lie.

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