"I pick the hot springs," you announce, setting your food tray aside.
Devon's eyes widen in genuine surprise. "Seriously? I was fully expecting you to pick the most boring option, which would definitely be the beach."
"The beach means swimwear," you explain, "which means displaying all... this..." you gesture vaguely at your chest, "publicly. And clubs are just asking for trouble with your current... condition."
"So onsen by default? NICE!" Devon pumps her tiny fist triumphantly, then immediately fumbles for her phone. "Ooh. Let me check if they have openings today."
You watch as she taps away at her phone, brows furrowed in concentration. Her excitement seems oddly genuine for someone who, in their male form, considered personal grooming optional at best.
"Here it is--Ukiyo Spa & Onsen," Devon says, turning her phone to show you. "Apparently it's, like, THE place for hot girls to go."
You squint at the image. "That looks expensive."
Devon's enthusiasm dims slightly as she scrolls through the website. "Oh. Shit. Yeah, it's... not cheap. Like, at all." She chews her lip, a gesture that looks strangely natural on her new face. "I can pay half? I mean, I've already spent way more than I planned on the X-Change stuff, but..."
Suddenly, you get a call.
"It's Veronica," you tell Devon, who immediately makes a gagging motion.
"The puppetmaster checking in on her toys!"
You shoot Devon a warning look before answering. Veronica's face fills your screen, perfectly made up. Her hair is pulled back in a sleek ponytail, and she's wearing a crisp white blouse with a subtle gold chain disappearing beneath the collar--her power outfit.
"Baby!" she exclaims, her face lighting up. "Sorry I had to rush off earlier. It's been INSANE here."
Before you can even respond, she continues, words tumbling out in that breathless way she has when she's riding a professional high:
"The Matsuhisa team tried to renegotiate the exclusivity clause this morning--can you believe it? After we EXPLICITLY agreed on terms yesterday! So Davis--my counsel, you remember Davis, right?--he pulls out this precedent from the ByteDance acquisition in '28, and I swear Hiroshi's face when he realized we'd prepared for this exact scenario..."
You can't help but smile as she recounts her morning victory, her eyes sparkling with the unique joy she gets from outmaneuvering competitors.
"...and then Akira--that's their CFO--tries to suggest a 'compromise' on the distribution rights," she continues, making air quotes with her free hand. "As if we hadn't already modeled every possible scenario! So I pull up this projection showing exactly how their model undervalues the Summer City market by nearly 30%..."
Devon has wandered into frame behind you, clearly bored by Veronica's business talk.
"Oh!" Veronica interrupts herself. "Hi, Devon! How are you enjoying your... female awakening?"
Devon leans over your shoulder, placing her face uncomfortably close to yours in the frame. "Living my best life as a breeding vessel, thanks for asking!"
Veronica laughs. "I see your transformation hasn't improved your attitude." Her eyes shift back to you. "So what are you two up to?"
"We're at Paradise Mall," you explain. "We got Devon some... protection."
"NanoShield," Devon clarifies proudly. "For my slutty, slutty womb."
"Devon!" you hiss.
Veronica just laughs again. "Glad to hear you're being responsible." Her eyes narrow playfully. "Though I'm curious why that's necessary?"
"Because Jake emptied his balls inside me," Devon states matter-of-factly. "And it was AMAZING, Veronica, seriously, the female orgasm is like... it's like if you took a regular orgasm and exploded it into a million pieces and then each piece had its own orgasm."
"I'm familiar with the sensation."
"Anyway," you cut in, desperate to change the subject, "we made a deal. She got the birth control, and now I have to go out and 'have fun' with her." You make air quotes around 'have fun.' "We're thinking about trying that Japanese spa place."
Veronica's face lights up. "Ukiyo? Oh my god, I love it there! I've been trying to get you to go there with me for SO LONG!"
"You have?" You don't recall her ever mentioning it.
"Yes! Remember when I had that knot in my shoulder from the Prismatic pitch? I told you we should do a spa day, and you said--" she lowers her voice to a comically deep register, "'I don't need someone rubbing oils on me to relax, babe. That's what Xbox is for.'"
Devon snorts with laughter.
"I don't sound like that," you protest.
"You absolutely sound like that," Devon confirms.
"Well, now you can experience what you've been missing," Veronica says. "But dammit, I'm a little jealous. Your first time at Ukiyo and I'm not there to witness it. Ugh!"
She tilts her head, studying both of you through the screen.
"You're going to love it. The treatments are divine, and the private onsens on the rooftop are... well, you'll see."
"We might not be able to afford the *full* experience," you admit. "The prices on their website are pretty steep. So we're going to do maybe one of the cheaper packages."
"Don't worry about that," Veronica waves dismissively. "I'm a Jade Tier member--comes with the territory when you bring clients there. I'll call and set it up under my account."
She pulls out her phone and starts typing. "I'll reserve an onsen for you. One of the private ones. We wouldn't want other people seeing you in your current... condition."
"What's that supposed to mean?" you ask, suddenly self-conscious. You have the same sort of thoughts, but it's different when it's your girlfriend saying it...
"Nothing bad, baby. You look gorgeous. I just meant because of the whole situation."
"We have to be naked, right?" Devon asks, suddenly sounding less confident. "Like, FULLY naked?"
"It's traditional," Veronica confirms. "But don't worry, it's very normal there. No one cares."
"Sweet," Devon says, recovering her bravado. "Alex's massive rack will distract everyone from looking at me anyway."
"All public areas are segregated by gender," Veronica laughs. She glances down at her phone. "Okay, I've booked you for 4:30 this afternoon. Full treatment packages and private onsen access after."
A notification pings on your phone--the reservation details.
"Thanks," you say, genuinely grateful despite feeling SLIGHTLY manipulated. "Are you... I mean, are you okay with me and Devon being naked together? I mean, um..."
The question sounds ridiculous the moment it leaves your mouth.
Veronica actually snorts. "Baby, I hate to break it to you, but right now you're both hot girls, and from what Devon just told us, she's VERY into men at the moment." She grins wickedly. "Unless there's something you want to tell me about your feelings for Devon?"
"NO!" you and Devon exclaim simultaneously, scooting further apart.
"That's what I thought!" Veronica says smugly. "It's just a spa day. Treat it like one!!! You should enjoy your body, babe. In a safe environment."
Devon leans back into frame. "Yeah, *babe*, enjoy your body," she mimics in a passable Veronica impression.