“Hyah?! S-Suimei-dono! Y-You’re so bold...”
“Huh? N-No! Y-You’ve got it wrong! I didn’t mean—”
“Suimei! Why’re you taking advantage of the situation?!” Hatsumi yelled.
“I-It’s not my fault!” Suimei protested. “I was about to drown!”
“Suimei-dono, if you’re going to do this, then maybe not in public...” Felmenia muttered.
“And what the hell’re you saying, dammit?!”
A while after all the commotion, now that everyone had soaked in the bath, things had calmed down a fair bit. Not wanting to get chills from getting out too early, everyone remained in the bath. Towels were hiding all their important bits, but they definitely weren’t used to this situation. Aside from Elliot, Christa, Hydemary, and Liliana, they were all being very awkward.
“Suimei-kun... sorry.”
“Well, this is one thing that can’t be avoided.”
Meanwhile, Suimei was casting magicka on Lefille to suppress her curse. With one hand on her back to support her, he had his other hand right below her belly against the curse seal. He’d given her this treatment on fixed intervals, so neither were embarrassed by it at this point.
“Anyway, I’m begging you here. Don’t cut loose too much,” Suimei said to Felmenia and Hatsumi. “Lefille still has this problem to deal with too. You’ve gotta be a little more considerate of others.”
“Forgive me...”
“Sorry...”
The two of them apologized honestly. However, there were those there who were nowhere near as admirable.
“And why the hell do they have to be criticized by you?” Graziella spat out.
“That’s right,” Titania agreed. “It’s your fault for being so unreliable.”
“You two are so... C’mon, say something, Reiji,” Suimei said. “It’ll be best coming from you.”
“Huh? You’re pushing this on me?”
And while Reiji had no idea why Suimei was passing the baton, the two princesses threw up a fuss.
“You bastard! It’s cowardly to bring Reiji into this!”
“That’s right. Have some shame!”
“I don’t wanna hear that crap from you two, dammit!”
Suimei’s roar echoed through the bathhouse.
“I don’t know why, but I’m exhausted...”
“Seriously. Why do I gotta be so worn out when I came here to relax...?”
“Oh? I’m actually pretty relaxed right now. Isn’t it just a matter of perspective?”
Reiji slumped his shoulders, Suimei leaned his head over the back of a chair with a hand over his eyes, and Elliot cackled. Meanwhile, the girls were taking a break in the dining room as if nothing had happened. Felmenia and Hatsumi were spreading all the sweets they’d gotten back in modern Japan on top of the table.
“Ah! Chocolate! It’s chocolate!”
Mizuki was smiling ear to ear. She was especially excited by this, having been deprived of such sweets for so long. Her hands fidgeted about nonstop, eager to dig in.
“It certainly smells sweet, but is it really something to get that worked up over?” Titania asked.
“It is!” Mizuki exclaimed. “Tia, Graziella-san, come on, eat up!”
“Then don’t mind if I do...”
“Hmm. Let’s try some.”
And just like that, the three girls who’d been left behind in this world let out sighs of admiration as they had one piece of chocolate after the other.
“We brought back some rice, miso, and dashi too,” Suimei told Mizuki. “You can have a proper Japanese meal.”
“Suimei-kun! Good job!”
“Will you forgive me now?”
“Obviously not. I’ll hold this grudge for eternity.”
Mizuki grinned and giggled, whereas Suimei furrowed his brow. He was sure she was going to continue making demands of him. He turned to Reiji for help, but his friend shut his eyes as if to tell him that here, he reaped what he sowed. It seemed Suimei had no allies on this front.
“By the way, where’s Mary-chan?” Hatsumi asked.
“Hydemary is... taking a break,” Liliana answered.
“She got sleepy after the bath,” Suimei added. “That girl tends to nap a lot.”
Just as they said, Hydemary had entered rest mode pretty much the moment she’d gotten out of the bath. After drying her hair with magicka, she’d locked herself in her personal room—something she was capable of manifesting anywhere.
“Alright, everyone, now for the main event!” Felmenia shouted, bringing over a large plate. Sitting atop it was a cake she’d also brought over from modern Japan.
“Wow! Look! A cake! A whole cake!”
“Amazing. You even managed to bring those over...?”
Both Mizuki and Reiji looked pleased by this. Chocolate was nice, but cake was on a whole different level. Now lined with several whole cakes, the table looked even more splendid than before.
Felmenia then presented a separate cake to Titania. This one she’d bought with her personal allowance, and it was a little fancier than the others.
“Your Highness, this one is for you.”
“Wow.” Titania’s eyes sparkled. But the shine quickly faded. “Is it really alright to enjoy such luxuries with the capital in this state...?”
“What are you saying?” Felmenia told her. “Have you not been working harder than anyone else?”
“But...”
“Your Highness, restoring your spirits is a part of war. Consider this a battle and eat up.”
“White Flame... I’m in your debt,” Titania muttered, voice choked with emotion.
She’d taken the field in battle, managed the distribution of provisions, and essentially helped out all over the place. Indulging in such a minor luxury wouldn’t bring divine punishment down on her head. Titania took a bite of cake and broke into a huge smile, which made Felmenia smile too.
“I would expect nothing less of you, White Flame,” Titania said. “I’m so proud to see you show such modest consideration.”
“No, I still have a long way to go.”
“That isn’t true. It seems that conversation was a misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding?”
“Yes.” Titania paused, then turned a harsh gaze toward Suimei. “Suimei, I’m told you once described the White Flame as a klutz. Is that correct?”
“Hm? Yeah, I sure did,” he acknowledged honestly.
“You sure did...? I’m surprised you can admit to it so shamelessly...”
Titania’s mood was even worse now. She then started listing all of Felmenia’s good points.
“She’s a good-natured woman.”
“Yup.”
“And very tactful, just as you saw.”
“Sure is.”
“She is also very modest at her job while accomplishing her duty.”
“Mm-hmm. No mistaking that.”
Suimei agreed on every point. Felmenia paid attention to all the small details and flawlessly handled chores that Suimei was bad at. However, precisely because he was in agreement, Titania’s expression darkened even more.
“So how is she a klutz?!”
“I mean, you know...”
“I know what?!”
“Tia, you don’t get it?” Suimei said with a bold smile full of unsaid meaning. “Talent and klutziness are two sides of the same coin.”
“Suimei...”
“S-Suimei-dono! That’s so mean!” Felmenia protested.
“Huh? Aah, um, well...”
Coming back to his senses, Suimei searched the room for help. But Lefille, Liliana, and Hatsumi all plainly averted their eyes. Reiji noticed, giving them all a curious look.
“What’s wrong, everyone?” he asked.
“Huh? Mm, I do believe Felmenia-san is talented, but...”
“Yes. I believe Lady Felmenia is very handy too.”
“Felmenia... is amazing, you know?”
“Why are you all praising me instead of denying it?!” Felmenia screamed.
Everyone who spoke refused to look Felmenia in the eye, none of them refuting Suimei’s claim that she was a klutz. They even provided their own reasons for why they thought so.
“I mean, despite being quite athletic, you trip on nothing all the time.”
“When you get engrossed in something, you lose sight of everything else.”
“You once... searched for Suimei... with tears and snot pouring down your face.”
Reiji’s group was speechless upon hearing of this unexpected side of Felmenia. Meanwhile, Felmenia realized she had no allies here and became despondent. She turned a pleading look toward Suimei.
“S-Suimei-dono...”
“W-Well, you know,” he muttered. “Everyone has a weakness or two. I also mess up every now and then too.”
“R-Right?! It’s okay then, right?!” Felmenia said, spluttering.
“Wh-White Flame!” Titania cut in, clearing her throat. “I believe you!”
“Y-Your Highness! Thank you!”
It seemed Titania still refused to accept that Felmenia was a klutz. She stubbornly mumbled “It’s a misunderstanding” and “It must be some kind of mistake” as she continued eating her cake.