It was another lovely spring day occurring in the scenic resort town of Hinata City, Japan.  The sun was shining high, there were sparse clouds throughout the skyline, the sakura trees were blooming in vibrant shades of pink, and the temperature was staying steady in the low 60s.  There was a calming breeze blowing through the area which had a lovely cooling effect for the people travelling throughout town.  All in all, the setting was quite pleasant for those who were out and about in Hinata and the surrounding area.

On this lovely day, at the Hinata Hot Springs Girls Dormitory (referred to shorthand as Hinata House), life as usual went on.  The numerous residents were going on with their daily lives, managing in the various chores that needed to be tended to on the regular basis, whether it was preparing breakfast, doing laundry, or one of the numerous day-to-day maintenance issues that needed to be addressed.  Of course, the vast majority of the maintenance issues usually fell onto the dorm's manager, one Keitaro Urashima.

Whether it was checking on the water pipes, fixing loose shingles on the roof, tending to any loose floorboards in the hallways, fixing any electrical problems, or any of the numerous tasks that needed regular observance and upkeep, Keitaro tended to have plenty on his plate, so to speak.  Whereas most people would be exhausted at the end of the day from completing so many daily chores, Mr. Urashima had a rather surprising amount of energy so as to not collapse from fatigue or exhaustion.  Don't misunderstand, Keitaro did get tired after a long day's work.  He just didn't get as tired as most people would from so much labor-intensive activity.

Currently, Keitaro was scrubbing the bath area of the well-known Hinata Hot Springs, the very landmark that made Hinata House known throughout the area.  Given that the dormitory was for girls exclusively (with Keitaro being the exception), he waited until the baths were empty before tending to them.  The hot springs were rather large in total area, able to hold upwards of twenty people at one time.  So obviously cleaning them down alone would take quite some time.  It certainly wasn't something Keitaro preferred to do all by his lonesome, but he had done it enough times by now that he could finish the task within a few hours if he paced himself and took small breaks in between to eat and rehydrate himself.

As he scrubbed and rinsed over the currently emptied onsen and surrounding area, Keitaro thought back to the past few months of his life.

After failing his entrance exams to get into the highly esteemed Tokyo University, Keitaro was somewhat down on his luck.  His parents gave him an ultimatum upon learning of his failure:  Get a regular, full-time job if he wished to keep living at home with them, or else move out and strike out on his own.  They believed it was time for him to be self-sufficient, and did not plan for their son (now in his twenties) to be staying home just to apply himself for constant studying in the hopes that he would someday be accepted into Tokyo U.  When they first suggested he try for a different university, Keitaro adamantly refused to do so.  He would only accept Tokyo U and no other.

The reason for doing so was rather silly and what most would consider an obnoxious, childish one at that.

When Keitaro was really little, he made a promise long ago to a little girl around his age who he developed something of a crush on.  They met for only one summer at the Hinata House, but that time together left an impression on him all the same.  Apparently, there was an old urban legend that if two people enrolled into Tokyo University together, they would fall in love and live happily ever after.  Such an idea seemed so wonderful for someone so young and still ignorant to the ways of the world.  Even so, that dream was what inspired Keitaro to pursue getting into Tokyo U no matter how many times he failed in the effort.

Now, all these years later, Keitaro found himself back at Hinata House, serving as the manager of the facility.  As luck would have it, given that Keitaro was in need of both a job and a new place to live, an opportunity presented itself.  His grandmother, Hina Urashima, decided to retire from the position as dormitory manager and travel the world.  The matriarch of the Urashima family decided to call on her grandson and run the facility in her stead.  Given that Keitaro had no other real options, he took the position all too eagerly.

Of course, given Keitaro's overall luck, he ended up walking into something he didn't fully prepare for.  For starters, the Hinata House he recalled from his childhood years was once a simple hotel that allowed for both male and female residents.  But when Keitaro arrived to take over as manager of the place, he was surprised to learn that the place had been converted into a girls-only dormitory.  Not only that, but Keitaro had an unfortunate run-in with one of the residents of the place in the hot springs on his first day there.  None other than Naru Narusegawa ended up meeting face-to-face with Keitaro, the two of them wearing nothing more than towels in the hot springs.  Fearing he was a creeper and a sick pervert, Naru was ready to give Keitaro a serious physical thrashing and turn him over to the police.  After running through a series of hijinks his first day, Keitaro ended up being saved by another member of his family, none other than his aunt, Haruka Urashima.

Keitaro also remembered that day that Haruka despised being referred to as "Aunt Haruka," as she would give him a sizable walloping every time he referred to her as such.

After clearing the air with several of the dorm's residents as to who Keitaro was and what he was at Hinata House for, Haruka managed to help smooth things over with Naru and the other girls living there.  While initially distrusting towards Keitaro, Naru slowly over time managed to soften up somewhat to him.  Of course, she would give him a solid punch or kick to his head or torso whenever she felt he was doing something perverted.  But over time, her thrashings became less and less as she learned to make peace with Keitaro's nature.  He might have acted as a pervert now and then through his actions, but they were all practically freak occurrences and out of his control when they happened.  In time, Naru began to see Keitaro in a different light, going from disapproval to acceptance to friendship, until feelings of romance began forming.

Alongside Naru, the other residents of Hinata House warmed up to their new manager the more they got to know him.  There was Mitsune Konno, known better by her nickname "Kitsune".  The older girl had a somewhat foxy attitude in that she wasn't afraid to flirt with Keitaro much of the time, usually in trying to delay a rent payment when possible, as well as how her facial features were somewhat foxlike, especially with her eyes closed to the point where she was looking through narrow slits.  While somewhat of a prankster and lazy in her overall nature, Kitsune had warmed up to Keitaro fairly quickly.

Then there was Kaolla Su.  The foreigner was a little ball of energy in how hyper she could be at times.  Generally playful in her nature, Kaolla had a tendency to desire testing out inventions of hers on Keitaro, which sometimes ended up with him being physically injured afterwards.  The girl took an almost automatic liking to Keitaro not long after his arrival, seeing him as a sort of "big brother" for her to play with on-and-off whenever she had free time.

There was also Shinobu Maehara.  A recent arrival at the Hinata House, Shinobu was a rather timid girl who was going through drama at home with her parents who at the time were undergoing a rather messy divorce.  When the dilemma came up of who she would end up living with, Shinobu tried a third option and ended up staying at the Hinata House.  She saw something in Keitaro's character that started out as admiration, but not long after evolved into a schoolgirl crush, followed by genuine romantic feelings.  However, she was too timid to ever fully admit her feelings to anybody else or confess directly to Keitaro as to how he made her feel.  She simply was content that she got to live in the same building as her crush and help around where she could, usually with laundry, cooking, or doing the dishes.

Probably the most combative resident to Keitaro's arrival would have been Motoko Aoyama.  The kendo practitioner had a rather low opinion of men in general, and the thought of one being the dormitory manager was unacceptable and far as she was concerned.  Initially trying to get Keitaro booted out of the Hinata House, Motoko eventually made a begrudging concession and accepted him as her manager.  At times she would physically attack him like Naru would, usually using a wooden sword or bamboo sword in the process and send Keitaro flying.  But over time, Motoko began to see Keitaro's reliability, his continuous drive and his overall kind nature and began developing feelings for him.  Of course, given her previous thoughts on men, such feelings were uncharted territory for Motoko, and the stern kendo girl wasn't sure how to act upon them.

As the months passed, the residents at Hinata House began to warm up to Keitaro overall.  He was a good worker.  He put the effort in so long as his body was physically willing.  That little tidbit helped to convince Naru and Motoko to let up on the beatings, for if they regularly thrashed their manager, then the daily and weekly chores would suffer as a result and someone else would need to tend to them in Keitaro's place.  Since Haruka was busy enough managing the nearby teahouse just down the road from the dorms, it would most likely fall onto one the the residents to substitute in place of their injured manager.  Even though Keitaro could bounce back and recover from his injuries (far more than the average man), it was prudent to avoid hurting him if they wanted the facilities to remain in peak condition.

Speaking of facilities, that takes us back to Mr. Urashima tending to the baths.  He was nearly done with scrubbing and rinsing out the baths, and so the girls could enjoy a soak that night if they so desired.  The one thing that everyone at Hinata House valued the most out of all the perks of living in the dorms was the famous hot springs there.  A good soak for an hour or so seemed to make one's physical stress and mental strains just melt away.  The pleasure of relaxing in the hot spring's waters was at times borderline orgasmic.  Everyone who tried them agreed that the experience brought forth nirvana at times.  So it was that Keitaro would make a mental note to make sure they were cleaned on a regular basis, given how often the girls used them.

As for Keitaro himself, whenever he desired to sit and relax in a hot spring, a sort of halfway solution was made for him so as to not make things awkward between the sexes.  Chances were good that someone of the female sex would end up being in the hot springs during most hours of the day, whether that was one person, a small group, or every resident in the dorms.  To avoid awkward run-ins and unintentional mingling between the manager and the other dorm residents, Keitaro was given his own private hot tub on the upper balcony of the dormitory.  While it was just big enough for one (or perhaps two if they were pressed up against each other), Keitaro was content that he had his own personal bath to relax in when he desired without the worry of running into one of his tenants in the nude.  He saw it as a minor perk of being manager, and was glad to enjoy the small creature comfort.

As he finished up with cleaning the hot springs, Keitaro gathered up his equipment and returned it to the nearby shed.  Once the mop, bucket, scrubbing brush, sponge, and liquid soap were returned, he made his way inside Hinata House.  He figured he would check the fridge and grab a quick bite before moving onto the next task.  If he was lucky, maybe Shinobu made sandwiches or something early in the day before heading off to school.  She had a tendency to make her senpai something he could enjoy during the day while she was away.  That was one of the numerous things Keitaro liked about the girl.

‘If she ever marries, I hope whoever ends up with her realizes how fortunate they are to have her.' thought Keitaro.  In his opinion, Shinobu was ideal wife material.  Kind, caring, helpful with housework where possible.  If she were a bit older or he a bit younger, Keitaro might have considered asking her out.  The thought brought a slight blush to his cheeks.  He didn't want to go too far down the rabbit hole and start having naughty thoughts about one of his tenants.  In his view, Shinobu was something more akin to a younger sister than a girlfriend.  Best to keep it that way, he thought.

As he rummaged through the fridge for something to eat, another person entered the kitchen.

"Hey there, Keitaro!  How are things?" said the cheerful, country girl voice belonging to Kitsune.  Turning around, Keitaro responded.

"Oh, Kitsune.  Hi there.  Just finished up with cleaning the hot springs.  Figured I would grab a quick bite is all."

"Well well well, you're just full of energy, aintcha Keitaro?" said the girl with a sly grin.

"Just doing my job Kitsune," responded her manager, "By the way, are you going to have this month's rent ready?"

"Well now, by chance could I ask for a small extension?" inquired the fox-like girl.

"How long of an extension?" groaned Keitaro.

"Oh, I dunno...a few days, maybe a week?" she asked.

"A week?  Really, Kitsune...I can only give you so long in time.  This has been...what the fifth time this year?  Sixth?  I can only cover your rent payments out of my pocket for so long.  I'm not rich, you know."  The exasperation in Keitaro's voice was clear enough.

"Okay then, Keitaro.  I'll try really hard to have the money for ya before week's end.  If by chance I can't, then maybe I can make it up to ya in another way."  The insinuation in Kitsune's voice was all too apparent.

"What other way?" asked Keitaro, pretty sure he knew what she was implying.

At this point, Kitsune sauntered over towards her manager, swaying her hips in just the right way as her bosom gently bounced.  With the way she moved, it was as if she was auditioning to be a runway model.  Keitaro had to admit, Kitsune had curves in all the right places, and he knew that she knew it too.  Coming straight up to Keitaro, pressing her generous bosom against his chest and draping her arms around his neck as if they were lovers, Kitsune leaned in and whispered seductively into Keitaro's ear.

"I could give ya a massage...a private one in my room or your room.  Just the two of us, alone and undisturbed.  I promise ya'll will feel like a million yen when I'm done with you."  If Kitsune was trying to seduce Keitaro, she was doing a pretty good job at it.  At the moment, Keitaro's heart rate was picking up and his breathing was intensifying.  Again, he knew that Kitsune knew this too, given her body's proximity to his.

Placing his hands against her shoulders and gently pushing her away, Keitaro responded to her offer.

"Kitsune, I appreciate the offer, even though I'm pretty sure you're just teasing.  That being said, I'll just take the money, plain and simple.  And I'll give you a week to have it ready.  That reasonable?"

"Well, ain't you just the sweetest thing, Keitaro?" Kitsune's face lit up, glad that she got some leeway from her manager.  She was aware that if it were anyone else, including Haruka, that Kitsune would be in a bit of a tighter situation.  Maybe Grandma Hina would be as sympathetic to her as Keitaro was, but that was no sure guarantee.

"One more thing, Kitsune," responded Keitaro, "I wish you would be a little more self-respecting and treat yourself right."

"Whadda ya mean by that?" asked Kitsune, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.

"While most guys would jump at the chance to get intimate with you and do...well, you know, things...with you, I wish you'd be a bit more reserved at times.  And also maybe let up on the drinking from time to time."  His tone was serious, but measured.

"You think I'm tryin' ta be easy?"  inquired Kitsune.

"No, I know it's an act, at least where I'm concerned.  I just wish you'd reserve that kind of behavior for someone who you're close with.  Really, actually close with, that's all."  Keitaro was trying to walk a fine line between being direct and being helpful.  He knew Kitsune would use her feminine charms to try to get out of rent payments or to get something out of Keitaro that she wouldn't ordinarily get out of most other men.

There was a momentary pause as Kitsune stood still and stared at Keitaro with a somewhat blank look on her face.  In the time that she had come to know him, he was more perceptive than she gave him credit for.  He would let her take advantage of him (all but sexually) and still not hold a grudge over it.  He had a big enough heart that he could grant her more leeway than most would.  If another person was the dorm manager in Keitaro's place, then Kitsune would most likely have been evicted from the dorms by now for all the payments she was either late on or couldn't come up with.  It gave her a moment to reflect on how good she had it and how fortunate she was to have Keitaro as her manager.

"Alright, Keitaro," responded Kitsune, "I'll try not to be too flirty from now on.  And I promise I'll have the rent money, or at least most of it before the week's out."  With that, she went to the fridge, grabbed a bottle of iced tea and closed the door, getting ready to leave.  However, she decided to surprise Keitaro and catch him off guard.

In the span of a heartbeat, Kitsune spun around quickly and placed her hands upon Keitaro's shoulders and once more pressed her breasts into his chest yet again.  In his momentary state of being caught unaware, Kitsune dove in for the kill, so to speak.  She planted a quick kiss on Keitaro's lips, lasting only a second, but leaving quite an impression on the young man.  She then proceeded to lean into his ear to whisper once more.

"Who says it's all an act where you're concerned?  If you wanted to, we could be close, you an' me.  Just something to think about, in case things with Naru don't pan out."  The huskiness in her voice was making itself all too apparent.

Before Keitaro could respond, Kitsune had pushed herself away from him, satisfied that she caught him unaware and brought forth a blush to his cheeks.  It was roughly the same shade of red that was on Kitsune's cheeks if a third person was in the room to observe.  If Kitsune was still acting, she was putting on a hell of a performance.

As she turned around, she sauntered off once again, making her way towards her dorm room.  Her hips swayed in all the right places as Keitaro momentarily glanced at the defined rounded features of her buttocks as she left the room.  He was pretty sure she was doing it on purpose, expecting him to take in the view, so to speak.

While the act of getting flirty with him was enough of a shocker for Keitaro, a more serious thought was racing through his mind in that moment:

‘Does Kitsune like me?  Like, really like me?  As in "more than friends" kind of like me?'

The thought of it all was too much, too quickly.  Keitaro felt his face getting warm and his heartbeat still pounding somewhat from the physical contact, especially that kiss that came without warning.  During that momentary meeting of the lips, Keitaro could smell Kitsune's scent.  It was that female scent that girls seemed to automatically give off.  Were those pheromones they were talking about in his classes on human health from his highschool days?  What was it about young women that made them so darn appealing?  Their scent certainly played a role.  While Kitsune at times gave off the scent of strong alcohol (usually sake), she had her own unique scent that could drive Keitaro a little crazy deep down inside, especially in his loins.  He was a young, red-blooded virile man after all.  He had physical wants and desires like most guys his age.  He just made the effort of not acting on them automatically and coming off as a guy who only wanted one thing exclusively from the opposite sex.

Before his mind wandered off into whether or not Kitsune was basically proposing being his girlfriend, Keitaro felt it best to keep his mind busy.  As the saying goes, "Gotta make hay while the sun shines," and there were still other tasks around the Hinata House that needed tending too.  After grabbing some rice cakes to snack on and downing them with some grape juice in the fridge, Keitaro made his way off towards the "To Do" list in the common room area of the dorms.  There were still a few chores he could finish before sundown and he needed something to keep his mind wandering into the realm of romance.

With that, Keitaro vacated the kitchen, off to manage the next assignment.