“Phew, that was refreshing!” I exhaled.
“Hee hee, how did you like our magical open-air bath? It’s the pride and joy of the Martial Arts Club!”
Yes, Miss Leona didn’t stutter, and you didn’t mishear! To my surprise, they had set up an authentic open-air bath! This otherworld was on a whole different level.
“What an amazing magical item!” I said. “Is it the Martial Arts Club’s?”
“Yep! It was really expensive, but we all pitched in with the money we earned from dungeon exploring. Nothing more important than a nice bath, after all.”
“I totally get you!”
Miss Leona and I, steam still wafting from our bodies, returned to Eugene and the others. He was training with the boys from the Martial Arts Club. While the club members were bare-handed, Eugene was wielding a wooden sword. To all appearances, Eugene had an advantage thanks to his weapon. In action, though, he wasn’t pressing the attack, just parrying and dodging them without breaking a sweat. The boys were chatting as they practiced.
“Your swordsmanship is amazing. I heard you hail from the empire, but what school did you learn?”
“It’s the Niten Enmei-ryu, a style from the Eastern Continent. That’s where my old man’s from.”
“Cool! So this is a foreign style.”
“No one from the Swordsmanship Club has ever learned an Eastern style of swordplay, so this is great training.”
“All right, let’s go another round!”
“I don’t mind, but is it really okay for me to be the only one with a sword?”
“Yeah, this is great. It helps us practice for our upcoming match against the Swordsmanship Club!”
“Next time, we’ll get those sword-swinging bastards! Right, guys?!”
“Yeah!”
Apparently, the boys from the Martial Arts Club were taking advantage of the opportunity to practice against Eugene, a swordsman. They were really excited about this. I heard they spent the entire day dungeon exploring, so I’m impressed they still have this much energy.
After sparring, Eugene and the boys went to wash off their sweat at a nearby waterfall. According to them, there was a small spring they could bathe in, but wouldn’t it be cold? Miss Leona and I chatted with the other girls in the Martial Arts Club as we waited for the boys to return, which didn’t take long.
“Welcome back, Eugene!” I said, greeting him with a wave.
“Sorry for keeping you waiting, Sumire,” he said.
It had gotten dark. They told me that this was “nighttime” in the dungeon.
“There’s nighttime inside a building?!” I’d exclaimed, shocked, but they had told me to abandon my common sense and logic. Babel was a dungeon that God had created, so normal rules didn’t apply to it. It had its own ecosystem, and its monsters had their own lives to lead. That was why, like the world outside, Babel had a day and night cycle. The darkness of night was making me drowsy.
“Oh, yeah. Where are you two gonna sleep? Eugene, are you gonna sleep in the same tent as the other boys while Miss Sumire sleeps in ours?” Miss Leona asked.
That was my plan, so I was about to nod, but Eugene spoke up before I could.
“Nah. I have my own tent, so I’ll sleep in that.”
“Huh?! Eugene, you brought a tent?!” I cried. “We weren’t planning on spending the night in here, though.”
“I always bring a tent when I’m dungeon exploring. Sometimes, the wait for the Dungeon Elevator can eat up half your day.”
I couldn’t believe that Eugene was so well prepared that he could spend the night on a whim like this.
“Hey, hey, show me your tent!” I said.
“Sure,” he replied.
Eugene extracted his tent from his exploration bag. It must have been a magical tent, since it started out small and, in the blink of an eye, grew so large that it could fit four people inside. It looked quite sturdy too.
“Whoa, that’s an Autumn Peak brand, right?! I’m sooo jealous,” Miss Leona said, giving Eugene and his tent an envious look. Apparently, even this otherworld had name brands for outdoor equipment.
“In any case, I’ll sleep in here, so don’t worry about me. Sumire, you and Leona should—”
“Hey, Eugene, how many people can your tent fit?” I interrupted him.
“Hmm? It’s for four people.”
“Then I’ll sleep in there too! I was feeling guilty about squeezing in with Miss Leona and the others.”
“Huh?!”
At my words, both Eugene and Miss Leona reacted with palpable surprise. I hadn’t said anything weird, though, had I? I was in Eugene’s party, so I figured the sensible thing to do was stick together.
“You’re fine with that, right, Eugene?” I asked.
“W-Well, I am if you are,” he mumbled.
“Uh... Oh! You two are like that, huh? Ah ha ha, sorry to have bothered you!” Miss Leona ran off, her face red.
Hmm? I wonder what’s wrong?
“A-All right, it’s time to sleep, Sumire.”
“Okay!”
Eugene was acting strangely too. He was usually so calm, but now it was like he couldn’t settle down.
Wait, huh? That was when I finally realized why Miss Leona had been blushing earlier. Now that I thought about it, sleeping in the same tent meant... AAAAHHH!!! WHY THE HECK DID I SAY THAT?!
♢ Eugene’s POV ♢
I can’t relax.
Sumire was lying down, a thin blanket over her body, and close enough that I could touch her if I reached out. She was so beautiful that she could have passed for the princess of some distant country, and she looked even more alluring than usual after her bath. Since she hadn’t brought any pajamas, a girl from the Martial Arts Club had lent her some. The thin shirt accentuated her curves.
“Oh? You plan on making a move? Even though you have me?” Eri’s voice echoed in my head for some reason.
Damn you, fallen Angel! Stop showing up in my impure thoughts! I shook my head as if to dislodge them all from my brain.
“Eugene?” Sumire called out to me.
“Y-Yeah?” I replied, my voice higher than usual. I waited for Sumire to continue, willing my racing heart to slow down.
“Do you have any siblings?”
She just wanted to know about my family.