EXCLUSIVE BONUS CONTENT A Late-Night Status Change It was the night Arihito slept on the first floor after offering his bed to Falma, who’d had nowhere to stay that evening. “Honestly… That was awfully bold of you. I mean, Atobe is still a man…,” said Igarashi. Falma went down to the first floor but never came back, so Kyouka and Louisa went to check up on her. What they saw terrified them. Falma had been standing in the doorway of the changing room, talking to someone inside—most likely Arihito. “You don’t have to worry. I said it before: I see Mr. Atobe like a little brother, that’s all,” said Falma. “W-well… That doesn’t quite make it all right for you to go watch him while he’s bathing,” said Louisa, trying to choose her words carefully. But no matter how hard she tried, she kept stumbling, and her face turned bright red. Falma looked at her, brought her hand to her own cheek, and smiled. “What’s this now? …Goodness, Louisa. And you, Ms. Igarashi. Do you have a thing for…? How sweet. Seeing all of you reminds me of when I was young.” The three of them had gotten a lot closer over dinner, to the point that they were starting to feel more like friends than a strict relationship of a Chest Cracker and her clients. “A-actually, I think you’ve gotten the wrong idea… I mean, I understand why you might think that, but he and I are just party members to each other,” said Kyouka in a quiet voice, sticking up her pointer finger as she explained. Falma seemed to find that amusing because her eyes shone as she listened. “I’m sorry, I should have shown more restraint. I’m sure the two of you haven’t gone to take a bath with Mr. Atobe yet… Oh?” Kyouka and Louisa glanced discreetly at each other. Louisa had been drunk when she’d gone in, but she did vaguely remember washing Arihito’s back and using her massage skills on him. Kyouka had been with Elitia, but her face turned even redder as she remembered seeing Arihito in the bath. “That’s right—you’re just in the same party. But you know, my husband and I hadn’t even taken a bath together when we were still fellow party members, so you two are a bit further than we got.” “N-no, we’re not… Theresia always seemed to want to take a bath with him, so we couldn’t let her do as she pleased…,” said Kyouka. “Th-that’s right… I agree. I know there’s nothing suspicious about Mr. Atobe and Theresia’s relationship, but if they’re going to take baths together, I’m going to tell them it bothers me…,” said Louisa. “And that’s how I feel as well. I think everyone does. I was actually a bit nervous when I went to check, but as I had suspected, Mr. Atobe was being a perfect gentleman. It was very reassuring,” said Falma. Obviously, Kyouka and Louisa weren’t going to overlook the fact that she tried to wash the back of a man who was around the same age as her, even though she had a husband and children. She did think that Arihito understood the situation the best, though. “Atobe will beg for your husband’s forgiveness if he ever meets him… He’s very serious about that kind of thing,” said Kyouka. “I know… And I definitely understand how that makes you want to tease him a little,” said Falma. “Indeed… O-oh, no, I would never tease Mr. Atobe…” Louisa realized Falma was saying something ridiculous and got flustered, but Falma just put a finger to her lips as if she was saying they should be quiet. “…Theresia is resting downstairs as well. We could probably at least go see… How about it?” she said. “I think that’s fine as long as we don’t go too far… Why do you want to do that, by the way?” asked Igarashi. “I wonder… Maybe you two were right, and I had a little too much to drink, and it’s starting to get to me.” Falma looked like she’d already sobered up, but Kyouka and Louisa didn’t say anything. They were starting to think they could learn a thing or two from Falma and her assertiveness. Before Falma went downstairs, she went to the other bedroom to check on the girls. Kyouka and Louisa finally followed behind in their pajamas. They didn’t want to all go together and make a lot of sound walking or they’d wake up Arihito. Louisa knocked quietly on Misaki and the other girls’ door, and they heard an almost panicked-sounding voice from inside. “Hmm…? It sounds like they’re all still awake. What are they up to?” said Igarashi. “That’s why you just open the door in situations like this.” “B-but, Falma, that’s a bit…” Falma opened the door and went in. The three of them couldn’t have imagined the scene they’d walked in on. “Aaaah… Wh-why’d you open the door? Can’t you tell that now’s not a good time?!” cried Misaki. “Ah… Th-this isn’t what you think—Misaki just…,” said Suzuna. “R-right, Misaki asked Madoka to find some swimsuits. We just got together to try them on… We’re not doing anything weird,” said Elitia. “Even Ellie is all in…,” said Kyouka. “Wh-what’s that supposed to mean? Are you saying that I’m not being serious enough even though we’re going seeking tomorrow? That might be true, but Misaki said we needed to get bathing suits ready since we’re going to the Beach of the Setting Sun…” “Heeeey, you two were totally gung ho about all this a minute ago! Are you throwing me under the bus just ’cause we got caught?” Elitia and Suzuna glanced at each other and shrank back. Kyouka and Louisa couldn’t help but smile awkwardly at Misaki, who was for some reason looking quite full of herself. “I know you didn’t know we were coming, but it is a little strange for all of you to be wearing swimsuits together in your room,” said Kyouka. “…Kyouka, you didn’t think you were the only one safe from this, did you? Oh-ho-ho, I don’t think so!” said Misaki with a meaningful smile, then pulled out the bag she had hidden behind her. “Madoka is so amazing at what she does. You know what this is, right?” “I—I wonder… Though I guess there’s really no point in faking ignorance now…” “It’s…a swimsuit, isn’t it? But I’m not a party member; I’m only a registrar who’s sharing a house with you, so I’m sure that’s just one for Kyouka. Right?” said Louisa. “Not at all. Louisa, you are still a member of Arihito’s—of our household.” Louisa didn’t even have time to feel relieved before Misaki pulled a bathing suit out of the bag, as if to say that one was for Louisa. The only problem: It was a string bikini type, with very little fabric to speak of. “W-wait… I am incredibly sorry that you went to the trouble of getting this kind of bathing suit ready because you thought I would wear it, but I really must insist on a different bathing suit…” “Louisa, swimsuits are incredibly valuable and rare. It’s hard just to find one! It’s so annoying to go around to all the shops in District Eight and Seven to see if they happen to have any in stock. Madoka had to use every connection she had in the Merchants Guild to get these. Don’t you think she did a great job?” said Misaki. “Ah… W-well…I do want to respect Madoka’s intentions, but…,” said Louisa as she glanced at Kyouka, who didn’t know what that expression meant, but a moment later she was also accepting the bathing suit that Misaki was pushing on her in a fluster. “Ohhh…!” Louisa wailed while Kyouka hugged her swimsuit to her chest as if she cherished it. “Madoka got one for me, too. I’ll have to thank her later,” said Kyouka. “Yeah, I think she’s still awake, so we’ll go by her room later. This is soooo cool! I can’t waaait to see you try this on, Kyouka,” said Misaki. “Huh…?” Kyouka spread out the swimsuit she’d been clutching in order to get a better look. It was white—that much was okay. It was a bikini, the kind that you fastened with strings on the side of your hips, but the strings were placed quite high. Kyouka suspected it would be pretty risqué if she actually put it on. She looked at Louisa, surprised that the Labyrinth Country would have swimsuits this elaborate, but she also felt like she wouldn’t be comfortable going in public wearing something like this. “…Is the fabric used for swimsuits this rare in the Labyrinth Country?” asked Kyouka. “No—at least, not the kinds used for these…,” said Louisa. “Misaki, you must’ve had quite a time finding my size. I might as well accept. I could never really find a good one myself, though I’m a bit old to be showing off that much… What’s this?” asked Falma, but then saw Misaki holding yet another bathing suit. They were supposed to be rare, but she kept pulling them out one after another. That left Kyouka and Louisa feeling a bit shocked, but it was really just that Madoka was that well connected as a Merchant and that good at negotiating. “We got an extra one in that size in case Kyouka or Louisa couldn’t wear the one we got for them,” explained Misaki. “Wait… That one is clearly a much less embarrassing design!” “Kyouka, that’s just how things happen sometimes… But yours is even better than mine. I almost want to switch with you,” said Louisa. “Ah… W-well…I’m really sorry, Louisa, but I have to draw the line somewhere.” “U-um… If you like, you can trade with me… But actually, I’ve already worn it once, so I guess that wouldn’t work, would it?” Suzuna seemed concerned when the older group of women started bickering, but Elitia patted her gently on the shoulder. “Do you think Kyouka and the others could even wear our swimsuits?” she said. “Oh… S-sorry, I just…” Suzuna shrank back, and Kyouka and Louisa seemed sorry for upsetting her. Elitia adjusted the shoulder strap of her tricolor-striped bathing suit, then went back to her own bed. She looked like she had something on her mind about Kyouka and the other older girls but didn’t say it. “Misaki, can we change soon? Arihito’s probably asleep by now, and I also…,” she started. None of them had noticed a certain thing, even now. Last night, Arihito had slept in a separate room on the same floor as them, on his side so that his back was to them. Even if he rolled over in his sleep and ended up on his back, their location in relation to each other wouldn’t be a problem. That night, however, Arihito was on the floor below. If he slept on his back, that would mean that he was “behind” them. The day’s fatigue had already been washed away by his Recovery Support 1. Even so, at a steady interval, everyone in the party felt a certain sensation. Each one experienced it slightly differently, but it was mostly the same. “Ah… It’s been a while since I’ve felt this… It feels like I’m being warmed…,” said Misaki. “Hmm… Is this…because Atobe is on the floor below us…?” wondered Kyouka. “What’s going on, everyone? All your faces are red…” Louisa was confused by the change in the other girls, but Falma looked at them, then at her own bathing suit. “It seems that you and I aren’t quite one of the group, Louisa… I wonder if we could join in if we all wore our bathing suits together.” “Huh…? What do you mean, Falma…?” “Louisa, let’s get changed. Everyone else seems to want to wear their bathing suits and go see Mr. Atobe… Right, Ms. Igarashi?” Louisa assumed that there was no way Kyouka would want to do something like that, but she was shocked when she looked at her face. Kyouka didn’t deny it. In fact, she seemed to be warming up to the idea of changing into her bathing suit. “…If we make sure he doesn’t wake up… W-we can’t let him notice, so we’ll just be quick about it…” “Yeah… He’ll at least have to let us watch him sleep,” said Elitia. “I’m a little nervous. I think Theresia is still awake…but…,” said Suzuna. Now Elitia and Suzuna also wanted to go see Arihito. Louisa looked at their blissful expressions, seemingly stemming from the warmth they felt, and had a feeling that she’d get hit with whatever it was as well. The lights were out on the first floor, and Arihito was lying on the couch. They saw that he was in fact sleeping on his back. Kyouka breathed an excited sigh. “Really… But I guess there’s nothing we can do. I did ask him to face the other way when he slept in the beginning, though.” “…Theresia, do you mind? Just for a bit?” “……” Theresia seemed like she’d been half-asleep, but her eyes opened when the others came down the stairs, and she moved to Arihito’s side. She did protect him while he was sleeping, but it wasn’t like she wouldn’t let anyone touch him at all. She checked he was breathing slow and steady and touched him softly. “U-uh… Is it really okay for us to do that? Even though he’s sleeping so peacefully…?” asked Madoka. “I feel like I do when he’s behind me, encouraging me. If this happens every night…I think I understand how things ended up like this,” said Melissa. The two of them were joining in for the first time and seemed a little unsure. They saw the other girls were all wearing swimsuits, so they’d decided to change as well. “Everyone… Oh, is something like this really okay…?” said Louisa. “It must be quite…difficult for the party if Mr. Atobe does this every night. You won’t be able to get much sleep,” said Falma, seemingly so interested that Louisa couldn’t say anything against it. Louisa had assumed that Falma would take some joy in participating, but she thought it was best that Arihito didn’t see her and how curious she really was with the whole situation. “…So do you just stare at him the whole time?” asked Falma. All of the swimsuit-clad members began fidgeting nervously. Kyouka and Louisa pressed their hands to their chests in anxiousness, the motion almost causing the small pieces of fabric of their bathing suits to slip out of place, but it barely managed to stay put. Even considering the situation, they weren’t ready to show Arihito that much skin. “Falma… Is there anything we can do that won’t wake him up…?” asked Kyouka. “Hmm… Should I really tell you? I think this is something that people should consider for themselves once they’re adults…” “F-Falma… Don’t, they’re too young for that…,” said Louisa in a quiet voice as she tried to stop her, but Falma took off a bracelet she was wearing and showed it to everyone. “This is a Quiet Bracelet… My husband gave it to me as a present so I could do chores while the kids were sleeping without waking them. I’ll let you all borrow it.” All of their minds raced at what they could do if they had that bracelet. Madoka couldn’t think of anything, but when she saw Melissa lick her lips, Madoka’s entire face went red, all the way to the tips of her ears. “Falma, could I borrow it first?” “Sure. You can show everyone else what they can do, since you’re the eldest in the party.” Falma handed the bracelet to Kyouka, who promptly put it on. Equipping the bracelet gave the wearer a valuable skill that let them act without waking a sleeping person. Even when Kyouka moved close to Arihito and touched his arm, he showed absolutely no signs of stirring. As usual, Arihito didn’t notice what happened while he slept. He still didn’t fully understand what Recovery Support 1 actually did when it activated in the middle of the night. By the time he woke up in the morning, he would no longer be able to see the records of what had happened the previous night. As for what exactly was transpiring, Arihito and the girls wouldn’t find that out for some time. Even if they could see the display on his license, that wouldn’t solve all of the mysteries. ♦Current Status♦ > ARIHITO’s RECOVERY SUPPORT 1 activated Overheal > ARIHITO’s party received Trust Level bonus Party-wide status change: ×?
Chapter 31
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