“Phewww… I can’t believe we’ve got a bathhouse this large all to ourselves. Talk about the high life…”
After being led to the baths, Homura and the others immersed themselves in hot water. The bathwater was slowly warming them to their cores. They had healed their injuries using magic, but nothing could beat a hot bath when it came to healing fatigue.
The wooden bathhouse was wide and spacious and infused with the aroma of wood. Rich, verdant foliage peeked in through the window as a cool breeze meandered inside, thinning the steam that had accumulated.
“And there’s even food—honest-to-goodness rice—waiting for us when we get out. This is the life…,” said Jin.
“Indeed, we must cleanse ourselves properly before receiving this precious gift.”
Jin sank down into the water up to her shoulders, staring at the visions of pure white rice that danced through her head in the steam.
“You know, Jin, when it comes to rice, sometimes you get a little strange…”
“Do I? Is it not transcendent, to purify the body and partake of rice?”
Jin’s face was completely serious as she spoke.
“See?! You don’t even realize you’re doing it!”
At first, Homura had thought Jin might be making a joke…but it looked like she was serious after all. Jin’s obsession with rice was so great that it was making her lose her mind.
“It must be tough being human, letting your energy source drive you so crazy!” Proto said. She was trying to sympathize with the humans, though none of it made much sense to her. “You carbonoids should just evolve to be more like me. All I need is light to stay functional. It’s far more efficient.”
Jin frowned in response. “Bite your tongue. Human evolution culminates in the joy of eating rice.”
“You’re starting to scare me a little now, too, Jin…”
Jin’s devotion to rice was so great that it was even beginning to frighten the mechanical life-form from outer space.
“You’re pretty scary yourself, Proto,” said Homura. “Have you taken a look at yourself now…?”
“What was I supposed to do? I got gravel in my casing…!”
Proto had disassembled the separate parts of her exterior shell, which was built in the shape of a teenage girl, and was currently rinsing out her insides over at the wash station. Apparently, dirt had gotten in during her fight with that gigantic monstrous beast in Aurerich.
If someone who didn’t know better were to see Proto right now, they would probably think they had just stumbled onto a murder scene where the victim had been chopped up into little bits. Proto’s exterior shell had been detached at the joints with only her head still connected, as that part was necessary for her to converse. The wire tentacles that extended from Proto’s main unit were artfully manipulating the water pail, splashing hot water onto the pieces of her exterior shell.
“I’m mostly used to it by now, but you look so human at first glance; when I see you taken apart, it still feels kind of ghastly…”
That wasn’t the only shocking sight waiting for them that day, however. Tsutsumi suddenly jumped out of the bath. Proto’s current state seemed to have reminded her of something.
“Oh, I forgot…”
“What is it, Tsutsumi? Did you get gravel stuck inside you, too?” Homura asked, meaning it as a joke. If only Tsutsumi’s answer were a joke as well.
“No… I’ve still got…my teeth in…”
“Your what…?”
Her what…?
Before Homura could make sense of what Tsutsumi had said, Tsutsumi suddenly stabbed a finger into her own body.
“Ts-Tsutsumi?! What are you doing?!”
“Gotta get…the teeth…”
Tsutsumi pried open her flesh with her fingers and began rooting around inside her body. As blood spilled onto the floor, she eventually pried something white and triangular from inside—a shark’s tooth.
“Ugh, it’s like a horror movie!”
Homura quickly looked away.
“Hmm, I think…there might be…more…”
Tsutsumi still had teeth trapped inside her from when she had been eaten by that crawler shark. Her body had started to regenerate before they could be extracted, leaving them stuck inside her even after all this time.
Tsutsumi was fairly inured to pain. She could feel something was out of place inside herself, but she hadn’t bothered giving much thought to the cause. It was only when she saw Proto taken apart that it occurred to her there might be something stuck inside her.
Tsutsumi began ripping all sorts of holes in her body, poking around for more shark teeth. Sometimes she found one, sometimes she didn’t, but either way, the holes closed quickly due to her incredible powers of regeneration. She washed the blood away, leaving only clean, smooth skin behind.
After removing several teeth, Tsutsumi seemed satisfied.
“Geez, Tsutsumi. Are you done yet…?”
“…Maybe,” Tsutsumi said, cocking her head. She was pretty sure she had gotten all the teeth. Proto had also finished washing her exterior shell. The brief bathtime horror show was nearly at an end.
But Tsutsumi wasn’t going to let Homura off the hook that easily. Her eyes were currently fixed on the shark teeth she had just yanked free from her own body. Her stomach rumbled.
“No, Tsutsumi. Don’t do it. Those are not food.”
“They…could be.”
“They’re not!”
Tsutsumi popped one of the teeth into her mouth like a corn chip.
“Mmm, crunchy…”
“Oh really, you think?!”
Crunching, grinding sounds filled the bathhouse.
“But the taste…is a little…” Tsutsumi cocked her head. Apparently the teeth did not taste nice.
“What did I tell you?! I know you love to eat and all, Tsutsumi, but you really shouldn’t put just anything in your mouth.”
Tsutsumi never hesitated to stick anything that looked even remotely edible into her mouth. Homura did her best to accept their “cultural” differences, but when they were as different as this, sometimes it wasn’t so easy.
There were also people in this world who did not look kindly on those who were not human. Homura worried about what they might think of Tsutsumi and Proto. But who knew, maybe it wouldn’t matter. Tsutsumi and Proto were awfully cute, after all.
“It would be a shame if you ruined that adorable little body of yours by eating too much. You don’t need to grow any bigger than you already are. You should keep your babyish charm…,” Homura said, glancing over Tsutsumi’s petite frame.
“Eat sexy to…be sexy…!”
Tsutsumi suddenly bit down on Homura’s shoulder. It was just a play bite.
“Tsutsumi, no!” Homura gasped, twisting to the side and pretending to resist. “You’re gonna get my sexy curves!”
“Would you stop that, you freak!”
“Ack!”
Psycho splashed hot water in Homura’s face, putting an end to this sleazy farce.
“Tsutsumi, don’t put filthy things in your mouth.”
“Yes, ma’am…”
“Hey, I just washed!” Homura said, running her eyes over her own smooth, taut skin.
She was relieved to see that she was, in fact, squeaky clean. She began considering her own body type, which had often drawn attention from others.
“Honestly, there are a lot of downsides to being so well endowed.”
It wasn’t nearly as great as it sounded.
“Well, those with tits have a responsibility not to patronize those without,” Psycho retorted.
“I mean it. It hurts when I move around too much, and it’s hard to even see your own feet…”
“Exactly,” Jin said curtly in agreement.
Tsutsumi quickly glanced down, but there was absolutely nothing in her way. She could even see her own belly button. She looked shocked.
“Besides, people are always staring…”
Thinking about the past made Homura feel depressed. It wasn’t just her body and appearance. She also had bad memories attached to her ability to create fire.
But she already had enough emotions to deal with right here and now. Emotions of a very different kind. She was currently feeling the most content she had felt since first arriving in this world.
“You know, I’ve taken a greater liking to this village than I thought I would. Hmph… I kinda wish I could just live here.”
Homura sank down into the water up to her shoulders and stared absently at the ceiling. Of course there were things about the village that felt out of place, but the resemblance to Japan helped her to relax.
“A warm bath, a wooden bathtub, and rice waiting for us when we get out. As long as we don’t think about those awful swimsuits…”
Homura leaned back, letting the relaxation seep into her soul.
“Now, if we just had manga and anime. But I guess that would be too much to expect from another world. If there’s one thing still tethering me to the past, it’s the lack of otaku content in this world…”
“You’re such a nerd…!”
“Did I ever say I wasn’t?”
Homura’s biggest regret about dying, apparently, was the lack of otaku culture in this world. Psycho rolled her eyes.
“Quit crying over what’s missing and try to figure out how you can be satisfied with what’s here instead!” she said sharply.
“Well, what about you? Are you completely satisfied with this village? Isn’t there something else you wish you had? Just one more thing?”
Psycho gave it some thought. Her response was as dastardly as always.
“Well…I wouldn’t mind if there were a few small-fry bad guys around to hunt down and slaughter.”
“What kind of an answer is that…?! Although actually, I know how you feel. Still, if living in peace is an option, we should probably just be content with that!”
“Peace is boring. I crave stimulation!” Psycho said, unconsciously tracing the tattoo circling her wrist with the tip of a finger.
“Well, if you ever go too far and I need to stop you, don’t expect me to hold back.”