Heat sank into her muscles, as blissfully soothing as a back-rub in a hot spring. It hurt a little, the way the best back-rubs did, but the tingling radiating out from his fingertips washed away the deep-muscle burn. Natsumi couldn't quite keep herself from leaning back into his hands; she only barely managed not to purr.

"We got back early Tuesday morning," she said, speaking slowly and carefully. One sentence with no undignified sounds; that was a good sign. "I wrote the report and then spent most of the last two days sleeping. I should probably go check up on Kaito-kun, see if he's back on his feet yet. And Tsuchibe-san. Oh--"

She cut herself off just in time. The strained knot of muscle at the point of her shoulder melted away under warm waves of Genma's chakra; Natsumi tried not to melt, too.

"That feels far better," she said, when she was certain she could speak coherently again. "Thank you, senpai."