Chapter 45

EXCLUSIVE BONUS CONTENT A Night in the District Seven Spa District Seven boasted several establishments popular among the locals, including a Guild-run spa. This beloved watering hole provided Seekers a place to rub elbows with other parties and a chance let loose and have fun, a rare find in the Labyrinth Country. It had separate baths for men and women, so Arihito expected he would finally be able to take a relaxing dip in peace—but it was not to be. “You must be Mr. Atobe. Your party’s request to rent out the family bath for the evening was approved, so please make your way there.” “Okay… Wait, what?” Arihito responded without much thought to what the receptionist had told him and then did a double take when the completely unexpected information sank in. “S-sorry…I’m quite sure all my party members who arrived before me are women. I am a man, after all, so for what it’s worth, I think I should probably just use the men’s bath…” “Unfortunately, the men’s bath is currently at capacity. Our establishment has quite the local following, so we have to limit how many people can access the baths at once. We also have several customers on a waiting list.” Arihito’s heart fell when she showed him the register of names. He’d signed similar lists before he reincarnated to get a seat at a family restaurant and other establishments, but he’d never confronted a situation where fifty people stood ahead of him in line. “Of course, we asked all your party members to sign this consent form before they entered the facility, so I don’t believe you’ll risk losing their trust if you join them, Mr. Atobe,” the receptionist explained. “I—I see…” Theresia’s name headed off the list, as if for some reason she represented the group, followed by a column with all the others’ signatures. Arihito had seen this handwriting before; it looked like Kyouka’s. Does this mean Igarashi’s gotten that used to our relationship now…? I’m definitely not there yet. I mean, I still have pretty mixed feelings about bathing together with Theresia as it is… “We have towels and bathrobes you may borrow, as well as a dining area where you can purchase light refreshments. Please be sure to wear the bathrobe, as well as underwear, if you do make your way there.” “O-okay…” The receptionist handed Arihito the key to a rental locker before he could make up his mind about what to do. It all reminded him so much of the public baths he’d been to in his previous life; memories, and some nerves, hit him as he headed over to one of the three family baths set up in the spa. The family bath was much larger than the bathing room back at their apartment and could comfortably fit up to sixteen people. “Wheeee! I’ve never gotten to try out a huuuge private bath like this before. Suzu, wanna breaststroke race me to the other side?” “Misaki, you know Arihito’ll get angry if you fool around too much, right?” “No waaay, I’ll bet he’ll toootally swim with me.” Arihito puzzled over what exactly Misaki must think of him and was about to undress when a thought hit him—wasn’t it best to wear a bathing suit when sharing a coed bath so nobody would feel uncomfortable? “I imagine it must feel a bit daunting for Mr. Atobe to be the last one in. Perhaps we should leave word that we have our bathing suits on.” “Good idea, Louisa,” agreed Igarashi. “But honestly, I feel like even with your suit on…you kinda put guys in a tough spot. I mean, it’s hard not to look…” “…Your boobs are just as big as hers, Kyouka,” added Melissa. “I wish mine were a little bigger… U-um, Kyouka, Louisa, how can I grow up to be just like you two?” asked Madoka, though Arihito personally thought she was too young to worry about looking so mature. He started to feel pretty awkward standing there outside the room and eavesdropping on their conversations. “Bow!” “Hm? What’s wrong, Cion?” asked Igarashi. “Oh, do you think he’s here?” asked Misaki. “…M-Misaki, I’m going for a dip in the cold bath…” “Suzu, you’re gonna catch a cold that way, y’know. It’s fiiine, it’s only Arihito. Just stay for a little while. I promise I won’t do anything.” Arihito realized Cion was trying to open the door from the inside and took a step closer. Guard dogs weren’t allowed to bathe in the water, but they could soak their paws in the foot baths in private family rooms—or so Arihito remembered the receptionist explaining as he put his hand on the door. “…I haven’t seen Theresia for a while,” noted Elitia. “Where could she be?” “…Hm?” The door to the bath slid open before Arihito could move it. And there, standing right in front of him, was Theresia: stark naked, stripped of all armor but her mask, just like she was every night at bath time. ““……”” It was too much for Arihito to take in. Words failed him the minute his eyes met hers. He’d never expected her to conceal her presence so no one would notice her go to greet him in her birthday suit—the sight set Arihito’s eyes spinning and her innocence delivered a devastating one-two punch. “T-T-T-Theresia… Weren’t you wearing a bathing suit when you got in…?” stammered Igarashi in a panic, though she was too shy to leave the safety of the water and expose herself in front of Arihito. Louisa sat along the edge of the bath and blushed as she crossed her arms over her chest to hide anything visible through the robe; unfortunately, that made her look even more seductive to Arihito, who averted his gaze to Theresia and then, realizing she was no spot to land on, looked up at the ceiling. “……” Theresia reached up and sandwiched Arihito’s cheeks between her hands then angled his face down toward her. “T-Theresia… Um, I know it’s a little late to say this, but you know…” She had clearly spent some time soaking in the water; a red blush had crept all over her pale skin and even tinted her lizard mask a shade of scarlet. She didn’t look overheated to Arihito, though he did worry another dip might prove risky for her. Maybe she had almost overshot her timing and was riding the resulting high? “……” “Heh-heh-heh, looks like the time has finally come… I get to wash your back, get you to wash mine, and go exploring for your most ticklish spots! Suzu’s gonna help me, of course!” “M-Misaki… I told you not to go too crazy…” Suzuna would never choose to try something like that on her own—or so Arihito thought until she quietly stood up in the water and walked over to him with Misaki. He couldn’t help but think the thin bathrobe fit Suzuna so well, it looked like it might have been custom-made for her. He quickly turned his eyes away; Suzuna saw this and smiled. “…Arihito, I know Misaki brought the idea up before I had the chance, but…the truth is, I would like that. I want to show how grateful I am to you… P-plus, you did so much for me and Ariadne the other day…” “S-Suzuna, you don’t have to worry about that. I mean, we did it to raise our devotion levels, so you really did me a favor. Would you mind if I asked you to help me out again sometime?” “O-of course. I’ll be happy to, whenever you want…” “I trust that you’re doing something really important, Atobe, but…you can’t keep Suzuna up too late, okay? We stay up late enough as it is with the—” “A-ahem… Kyouka, loose lips sink ships, you know, and your lips are looking dangerously loose. Why don’t you keep quiet for a bit?” cut in Elitia. “…S-sorry. You’re right, Louisa and I have helped Atobe wash up before, so I think maybe we should sit this one out today.” “Actually, I can’t recall much of that day…,” said Louisa. “Would you mind if I made up for that now?” In the end, the task fell to three ladies: Louisa, Suzuna, and Misaki, not to mention Theresia, who never left Arihito’s side. He sat himself down in one of the little chairs in front of a washing station and reluctantly entrusted his body into his friends’ hands, wondering how it would work if even more people tried to scrub him down at once. “Whoa… Arihito, I didn’t realize you were so ripped…,” said Misaki. “I—I guess…I just haven’t really stopped moving since I came to the Labyrinth Country.” “I’m going to clean between your fingers now. Spread your hand out… Thank you. Okay, next I’ll work over here…” “Ms. Suzuna, your technique is so surgical… I mean, precise. Mr. Atobe, do you feel an itch anywhere I may scratch for you?” “N-no itch, but…” Something soft pressed up against Arihito’s back, forcibly calling all the nerves along his skin to attention. To top it off, Theresia was squatting in front of him and washing his legs; Kyouka had wrapped a towel around her, but it didn’t do much to cover her up. “…Y-you know, this… It kinda makes me think about our nightly ritual…” “Hm…? Misaki, did you say someth—?” “Nothing to concern yourself over, Mr. Atobe. We ladies have lots of little secrets, after all…,” Louisa whispered into Arihito’s ear, making him unconsciously gulp. He couldn’t betray their trust; he couldn’t let himself react. The more he repeated these mantras to himself, the more Arihito noticed feelings he had not thought existed growing larger and larger. We’re going to District Five tomorrow… Do we really have time for this…? Shouldn’t we be steeling ourselves somehow…?! That’s when he remembered. Four Seasons were currently staying over at their apartment, which meant those four ladies should also be here; it was at this very moment that he understood why he hadn’t yet seen them. “Haaah… I can’t take it anymore!” “Kaede, aren’t you giving in a bit quick? I bet I could go for another ten minutes.” “You push yourself to too many extremes, Ibuki… I can barely stand on my own two feet,” said Anna. “Phew…” Ryouko sighed. “I can already feel my skin glowing. I’d forgotten how much I love saunas, and they’re so good for your metabolism… Oh?” The four ladies of Four Seasons walked out of the sauna connected to the family bath. They were all wearing bathrobes; the heat had left their skin flushed and dewy with sweat, and not even Arihito could ignore how much more captivating it made them look. “Oh, Kaede, wanna get in on this?” offered Misaki. “We’ve pretty much got him good and clean, though.” “O-oh…Arihito’s here already. Pretty cold of you to start without us, Misaki.” “Kaede, you’re making it sound like you planned to do that all along…,” said Ibuki. “…It’s a well-known fact that the bath is precisely the place for deepening bonds by washing each other’s bodies. There’s nothing untoward about it,” countered Anna. “Th-that’s true… If you say so, then I’d love to. But is it really all right…? I wouldn’t want to go over your heads, Kyouka, Louisa…” “R-Ryouko, you’re putting them on the spot…!” said Anna. Kyouka and Louisa turned toward each other. Kyouka seemed troubled at first but then looked over at Arihito and chuckled. “…Atobe, is there anything else I can do for you? I could clean your ears after you take a bath…but maybe that’s a bit too intimate.” “In that case, I could give you a massage, Mr. Atobe…,” offered Louisa. “I’d like to do something for him, too! Louisa, can I help you?” asked Madoka. “…I can groom you if you want, Arihito,” added Melissa. “Bow!” Arihito wondered if it was really all right for him to receive so much from his friends without giving anything in return. Soon enough, the four ladies attending to him switched places with Four Seasons. “…Wh-whoa, this is a bit more embarrassing than I’d thought… Arihito, thank you again for everything. I figure you’ll be all rushed tomorrow on your way to District Five, so I wanted to get that in now while I can,” said Kaede. “Arihito, I know I always call you ‘Teacher’…,” Ibuki started, “but it’s only ’cause I learn so much when I’m with you. I really do think of you as my teacher. Even after you go to the next district, that’ll never change.” “You’ve taught me so much as a fellow rearguard, Arihito. I swear you’ll see a new and improved version of me the next time we embark on a joint expedition. I promise I’ll have new serves to show you.” “At first…I admit I thought you looked a little unreliable. It’s a bit embarrassing to remember how terribly I read you. Mr. Atobe, we’re going to do everything we can to get to District Six very soon and catch up with you. But it may take a while until we meet again…” “Right… But there’s always a chance we’ll go back and visit previous districts. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you need anything,” Arihito reassured them. For a while, none of the four ladies could say anything. Kaede’s eyes filled with emotion and glistened with tears; she opened her arms wide and went to hug him from behind, from where he couldn’t see her. “Kaede, I know you’re not gonna glom on to him like that. You’re such a good friend.” “…M-Misaki, don’t be so sure of yourself, or next time I really will steal him away,” Kaede retorted, and everyone in the bath laughed. In that moment, Arihito took her comment as nothing more than a joke. Theresia stood off to the side, staring straight at Arihito and holding a bucket filled with warm water as if to silently say, But that’s my job.