Hot Bath!

Sukuranburu ni nin sankyaku (スクランブル二人三脚) is the 161st chapter of the manga and the fourth chapter of the Hot Springs Obstacle Course Race Arc.

The girls hear voices from the other side of the spring and go to check it out, while the boys do the same. As they walk in opposite directions around a large rock dividing the two sides both groups miss each other. Mousse is anxious to see Shampoo naked, but Ryoga feels it is his duty to protect Akane from being peeped upon. Soon Shampoo discovers that the boys really are on the other side and makes a nude entrance which shocks Ryoga.

Continuing from the Previous Chapter
With the warm waters of the hot spring all around them, Ranma suggests that they stay here a while, an idea which Ryoga and Mousse happily agree to. Ranma, however, quietly slips away so that he can retrieve his clothes and continue the race. Unfortunately, Ryoga sees through Ranma's ruse and confronts him.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the spring, the girls hear all the commotion, prompting Shampoo to declare that it must be Ranma. Shampoo continues by deciding that she must go over and see him, although Ukyo angrily adds that it's more like Shampoo wants Ranma to see her. Unlike her fellow competitors, Akane notes that, given their current location, the noise could be from a dangerous wild animal. With this in mind Shampoo decides to throw a large slab of stone over to the other side of the spring to check what's over there.

The stone slab soon lands atop the quarrelling Ranma's head, rendering him unconscious. Deducing that the sound was of a skull, the girls decide to head over, as Mousse comments that they mustn't be alone and announces that the girls have to be on the other side. As Mousse begins to swim off, Ryoga declares that he won't allow anyone to peep whilst he's here, but almost immediately changes his tone when Mousse informs him that Akane might be over there. Ryoga attempts to put aside his thoughts of feigning hearing a bear as an excuse to see Akane, but quickly chases after Mousse who's still swimming away (with the still knocked-out Ranma in tow).

Peeping Toms
Once the groups get round to the opposite sides of the spring, however, they both see that there's nobody there and decide it must have just been their imagination.

With all their heart-pounding wasted, Ryoga and Mousse decide to leave Ranma behind so that they may continue the race. The pair soon realise, however, that they entered the spring in their cursed forms and therefore have to clothes; forcing them to begin fighting to see who gets Ranma's. The ensuing argument quickly gets the attention of the girls on the other side of the spring.

Having easily defeated Mousse, Ryoga claims Ranma's clothes, only for Ranma to reappear and take them back. As they pair argue over the other trying to ditch them, Shampoo emerges, completely nude, from over the boulder separating the two sides of the spring and leaps straight at Ranma with joy (much to Ranma and Ryoga's shock).

Whilst Ryoga falls back from his ensuing nose bleed, Shampoo gropes Ranma until Ukyo intervenes by dunking Ranma under the water as she interrogates Shampoo about what she thinks she's doing. Just then a flurry of stone slabs begin raining down on Ranma. As Ranma looks up he sees the culprit is, unsurprisingly, Akane, who angrily asks Ranma if he has no shame. Hearing this, Ranma retorts by asking Akane what he ever did to her, only to get a stone slab to the face.

Onto the Next Stage
Mousse, meanwhile, swims past the stunned Ryoga, desperately looking for his glasses so that he may finally get to see Shampoo. In despair, Mousse punches blindly, hitting a log which acts the plug for the spring. A large drain then opens up, dragging everyone into it.

As Ranma comes-to once more, he notices that there isn't anyone around, before feeling the freezing wind brush past his bare skin. Luckily, Ranma notices a basket containing a and  sandals, but as he puts them no he notices that the clothing has chains, lead and iron sown into it. Rather than be naked, Ranma decides to keep wearing the metal-laiden outfit. Returning his thoughts to the race, Ranma notes how he'll need a partner, moments before Akane (also wearing a Yukata) appears.

Despite his friendly greeting, Akane quickly begins walking away from Ranma; asking him if he wouldn't prefer pairing with Ukyo and Shampoo. Ranma tells Akane how she can think he'd chose either of them over her, as she's the only person here! This infuriates Akane further who hits Ranma before tearfully reminding Ranma that she was the one who invited him in the first place. Ranma however as no recollection of this, much to Akane's growing irritation. Having had enough of her stupid fiancé, Akane begins to walk off, with Ranma following in the hope Akane will tell him when she asked him.

Eventually the pair arrive at a sand bath, with Ranma still none-the-wiser as to when Akane invited him. Suddenly a large hole engulfs the pair, although Akane continues to demand Ranma stop following her, whilst Ranma argues that's not possible since they are both sinking into the sand.

Cast in Order of Appearance

 * Ryoga Hibiki (human)
 * Mousse (human)
 * Ranma Saotome (male)
 * Akane Tendo
 * Shampoo (human)
 * Ukyo Kuonji
 * Ryoga Hibiki (P-chan, flashback)
 * Mousse (duck, flashback)

Quotes

 * (Akane) "Huh? Someone's on the other side!"
 * (Shampoo) "Must be Ranma! I go see him!"
 * (Ukyo) "You mean let him see you, don't you?!"
 * (Akane) "Oooo, how I hate you...!"
 * (Ranma) "What did I ever do to you?!"
 * (Akane) "I'll make a list!"
 * (Mousse) "It's not fair. [...] Why am I always the one to suffer?!"
 * (Akane) "Just team up with Shampoo or Ukyo, why don't you?"
 * (Ranma) "How can you think I'd choose either of them over you? I mean... you're the only one here!!"