“Don’t just stand there, you two. Get in before you catch a cold.”
Maha and Ruri stood in a daze at the entrance, bath towels wrapped around their bodies. Ney had entered before them and was already washing away. The two girls shared a look and sighed, then reluctantly entered the bathing area.
This was Al-kimiya’s exclusive shared bath. It had two large bath areas with different temperatures, both meant for relaxation, and a body-washing area. Soap was provided, and an alchemically-run shower dispensed hot water.
Maha had left her glasses in her room as they would just fog up. Those with very poor eyesight generally took their glasses with them into the baths, but Maha had no need.
“Ruri, you already know how the baths work, right?” Maha asked.
“Yes. Wash body first. Then shared baths.”
“Right. Let’s wash up then.”
“Yes!”
They sat on either side of Ney, foamed up the soap, and began scrubbing their bodies. They say you can glean some things about someone’s character from where they start washing themselves; Maha began with her arms, and Ruri with her hair.
“Hm. Your bodies are awfully…meager, huh?” Ney muttered. Having finished washing herself, she began sizing the two girls up.
“I could say the same about you,” Maha said.
“Yeah.” Ruri nodded.
“Who’re you calling a loli?!” It was a fact that Ney’s body was scrawnier than even Ruri’s.
“…I’m still growing, anyway,” Maha said. “My mother has a good figure too. So I have nothing to be worried about.”
“Oh. Then me too,” Ruri said.
The two sounded boastful, but they were only joking with Ney, of course. Honestly, the three of them were fine as they were. Although they were not particularly well-endowed, their skin was fair, and they had more than enough womanly charm. I would even venture to say they were a treat for the eyes… Eheh, heh heh… Ah—ahem. Pardon.
“Is that so?” Ney asked. “From what I recall, Diriyah was already as filled out as she is now by the time she was your age.”
Maha froze stiff, her expression flat.
“M-Miss Maha. I-It’s okay! Everyone grow different rate!” said Ruri encouragingly.
“Must be nice, Ruri… To still have all that potential…” Maha said, her expression even more vacant than usual.
“Ahhhh! Miss Maha in despair!” Ruri shouted.
“Why not use alchemy to cheat a little?” I suggested.
“…I’m not paying compensation for something so meaningless.”
“Did you perhaps hesitate just now?”
“Shut up.”
By now, you might be starting to wonder just how I’m here in the baths. The answer is fairly simple: The alchemy tome I communicate through is waterproofed. How about that!
After washing their bodies, all three got in one of the big baths. Ruri took a big sigh as she sank in, then asked, “Captain Ney. Why choose come to baths with everyone for reward?”
“Ney likes going to big baths like these,” Maha answered. “Especially with cute girls.”
“Are you implying that you think you’re cute?” joked Ney.
“It’s true, isn’t it?”
“Aha ha ha!”
Ruri smiled wryly at their exchange. “You two are very close. Have you known each other long?”
“Oh, we’ve been a couple for years and years,” Ney said.
“Huh?! Really?!” Ruri exclaimed.
“Don’t believe everything she says,” Maha chided. “But yes, we have known each other for a long time.”
“Indeed. You were born and raised here at the Base, after all,” said Ney.
“There’s also the fact my mother didn’t bother to raise me, so you were more like my actual mother.”
Ney’s expression turned nostalgic, as though recalling the past. In contrast, Maha’s turned glum. Ruri looked between them both, confused why there was such a difference between them. Noticing that, Ney smiled wryly and explained, “Diriyah devoted everything she had to her alchemy research. She even went as far as to use Maha, her own daughter, as a test subject. The reason Maha can interface at all with Metako is because the experiments conducted on her changed her to the point of making them compatible.”
“Oh… I see,” Ruri said. For the first time I’d seen, her expression seemed angry as she thought about Diriyah. It was a bit of a surprise considering she had smiled even when hearing she was to be disposed of.
“I can’t say whether the things Diriyah did and didn’t do are right or wrong, but ‘tis a fact that Maha is stronger because of it. She’s the ace of Al-kimiya,” Ney said.
“Not that I wanted to be.”
“Miss Maha…”
I couldn’t see Maha’s expression as she hung her head, but her voice was becoming flatter and more dispirited by the minute. Ruri looked at her with worry.
“‘Tis true. But if you weren’t so strong, the Base would have long been lost to the demons,” said Ney. “The world would be over as well at that point. I understand how you feel, but Diriyah’s way of doing things is not wholly wrong.”
“I know,” said Maha weakly. Irritation could faintly be heard in her voice.
“Miss Maha, do you hate Mother Diriyah?” Ruri asked. Ney and Maha had been dancing around that exact question, but Ruri brought it up like it was nothing. Her child-like innocence was cruel at times.
“…I don’t know. I used to, I think. But now I just don’t know.”
“Perhaps you’ve grown up then, Maha,” Ney said.
“I don’t think it’s that. I think I’m just…fed up thinking about it. Hating my mother isn’t going to help me kill any demons.”
“M-Miss Maha?” Ruri said, a bit worried.
“Killing demons has become my only reason for being. I was born for it, live to keep doing it…and I’ll likely keep doing it for as long as I breathe.” Maha brought her hand up from under the water and stared at it. It was rough and balled up tight. But something soft moved to hold it. “…Ruri?”
Gently wrapping Maha’s hands was both of Ruri’s own, warmed by the bath. Ruri said, “You tried best. But I feel you regret how you lived.”
“…I don’t regret anything,” Maha said, quickly averting her gaze. Ruri’s sincere eyes were too much for her to bear.
Earnestly, Ruri continued, “No. Killing demons can’t be everything. What you really want? Please. Tell me.”
Something that had been dormant for a long time in the depths of Maha’s heart began to stir. Though she tried to shut out everything, Ruri wouldn’t let her, her strong reasoning shining through. Maha stood up and moved to leave. “…The heat’s getting to me. I’ll head out first.”
“Miss Maha…”
“Go on ahead. The two of us will linger a little longer. We’ll wash Metako for you while we’re at it,” Ney said. She and Ruri watched as Maha disappeared behind the steam. “Forgive her, Ruri. She didn’t mean to snub you.”
“N-no, it’s okay. But… Oh… Maybe I said too much.”
“…You know, there was a time Maha told me that living just wasn’t worth it and that she wished she had never been brought into this world.” Just recalling the event seemed to pain Ney.
“Oh no…” Ruri seemed speechless.
“It’s hard to blame her given her circumstances. There are her troubles with her mother for starters, and then the fact that everybody only wants her to fight. She’s since found a reason to live through being a soldier, but put another way, you could say she’s come to see the rest of herself as worthless.”
“But there’s more to Miss Maha than fighting! Miss Maha kind! It’s cute how she eats a lot! She paints really well!” Ruri uncharacteristically raised her voice in protest.
Ney nodded proudly. “You’ve been seeing her for who she truly is. Thank you. I feel the same way, of course. The problem is Maha doesn’t see herself that way.”
“…Oh.”
“Nobody is born into this world by choice. That’s why we all have to find our own meaning for our existence. But Maha hasn't been given the time to search for her own meaning. That’s why your arrival has shaken her so much.”
“Huh? Me?”
“Yes, my dear. For better or worse, your presence has had a big effect on Maha. You threaten to rob her of the only identity she clung to, but you’re too sweet a girl for her to hate.”
“I wouldn’t—”
“I know. You don’t mean to do anything bad. But your arrival spells something for Maha that she can neither fully acknowledge nor ignore.”
After learning about how Maha felt from the very one that raised her, Ruri frowned. “I’m not very smart. I can’t understand difficult things.”
“…I see.”
“But…”
Ney looked over, sensing a spark of determination in the small girl.
“But I want to see Miss Maha smile. Not fake smile or cold smile she make while fighting. I want to see her smile from heart.”
“…Is that so? Who knows, you might just be the one to do it.”
“I will try!”
Maha knew nothing of this conversation. She would probably get angry and tell them to mind their own business if she heard about it. But this conversation was the beginning of a change within Ruri. Her vague image of Maha as someone resembling an older sister began to shift into a more concrete image of someone she wanted to see smile.