Katsuko padded out a few minutes later, keeping in the veiling steam as much as possible. Her skin prickled with more than just the sensation of air against parts she usually kept covered--although that was a large part of it, too. It was just--

The last time she'd went to an onsen was before the labs, for her fourteenth birthday. She'd never felt comfortable being naked (vulnerable) in front of anyone else...after. It was just too much work, with the questions and the staring and the crawling sensation of being watched.

But Ryouma had saved her from Masahiko and shown her his scars. Fair was fair.

Still, she kept her face turned away from him as she slipped out of her towel and into the water.