by Mamare Touno
“All right, I’ve got it now! This gloppy black stuff is Worcestershire sauce, and the runny black stuff is soy sauce, yes?”
Murmuring that to herself, Roe2 added more of both.
Isuzu and Minori exchanged looks. They were both thinking the same thing. Both sauce camps were still in competition with each other.
“Well, well. It’s perfectly clear to me now. Learning should always be thus.”
“Mayonnaise is yummy, too.”
Serara was looking to recruit allies, and possibly because she’d pressed her, Roe2 gingerly added mayonnaise on top of everything else. Isuzu grew worried, but still she said nothing. The politics surrounding fried eggs were complicated and rigid. Simply expressing her opinion might be taken as interference in domestic affairs.
“…I hear they turned back partway there.”
“A caravan would have difficulty, then?”
“Even so, individual merchants might be able to manage…”
Travelers were in close conversation with influential villagers and artisans, their foreheads practically touching. This probably wasn’t just idle gossip; it might be an important exchange of information that would determine future policy for the town.
Hearing the sigh-filled conversation, Isuzu looked up. Now that she was paying attention, the merchants’ faces seemed gloomy.
“Do you think something happened?”
At Isuzu’s puzzled question, her friends all looked around the dining hall.
The comfortable hall held merchants who seemed to have been staying there for quite some time, and there were a lot of artisans with grim expressions.
“If you head west from here, there’s a mountainous area known as Boxroot. It has a pretty lake, and it’s governed by an aristocrat who grew prosperous on tariffs, but they say monster activity in the Boxroot Mountains has increased.”
“Is that right…”
After eating a mouthful of rice mixed with egg yolk from her spoon, Roe2 interpreted the conversations in the dining hall for them. She said she’d heard about the situation while Isuzu and the others were in their room.
“In general, the monsters’ levels range from twenty to thirty. That’s similar to the ones we fought this afternoon. I expect there was some sort of power struggle in the mountains. High-elevation monsters that are mildly strong are coming down into the foothills. Their activity ranges are probably shifting in a chain reaction.”
“Did you see it, Roe2?”
“Yes. After all, I’ve been traveling in the shadows of the forest the whole time.”
After answering Minori’s question as if it was nothing important, Roe2 set down her bowl, saying, “Thank you for the meal.” She’d been casual about it, but she’d been the first of the group to finish. Privately, Isuzu updated her opinion of the woman: For somebody gorgeous, she eats fast. It made her feel friendlier toward her.
“We’ll be fine, but it must be very hard on the merchants.”
At Minori’s words, Isuzu thought for a little while. “Provided we’re merely traveling along ordinary highways, the monster levels are all about ten. Most of the terrain is like that. I hear the red clay highway in particular has an ancient-tech spell meant to ward off wild beasts.”
Rundelhaus, meanwhile, spoke as if he was organizing a fresh idea that had just occurred to him: “If merchants are trading based on that assumption, of course things would get ugly if level-twenty monsters started appearing on the highway.”
The merchants who were staying in the dining hall long-term had probably had trouble crossing the mountain pass and were stranded.
“We’re in trouble, too, you know. Our horses are injured.” Serara’s interjection brought the reality home to Isuzu as well.
It was true: That was a big problem. She really doubted that a People of the Earth town like this one would have a shop that sold Adventurer equipment. The possibility of finding an Adventurer item artisan here was very nearly zero.
“Horses, hm? Oh, yes, they did run off, didn’t they? You could just summon horses, couldn’t you?” Maybe because her belly was full, Roe2 seemed to be in a good mood.
It certainly would have been possible for a Summoner, but not for Isuzu and the others.
“Can you do that sort of thing, big sister Roe2?”
Touya was probably thinking the same thing. He had asked the question in his usual, cheerful voice. However, the response wasn’t what Isuzu had expected.
“Big—b-big sis?! Boy… Would you call me ‘big sister’?”
Isuzu had a vague premonition that the atmosphere was about to head south in a big way, but before she could stop them, her friends had answered: “Big sister?” “You mean ‘big sister Roe’?” “Would ‘Lady’ be more suitable than ‘Mademoiselle’? No, that’s not right, is it. Sister Roe2.”
The bespectacled woman clenched her fists, basking in the lingering echoes of emotion. She nodded wordlessly, breathing deeply over and over, as if savoring the feeling.
“Big sister. That’s nice. Big sister… When I hear that phrase, it makes me feel as if someone’s counting on me.”
No, we aren’t, Isuzu almost said.
Her friend Minori had even struck a pose, the palm of her hand held out to interrupt Roe2, as if the Kannagi meant to say something.
However, with Roe2 the way she was now, neither of them could cut in. Her expression was proud, radiant, and filled with goodwill.
“Being counted on is rather exhilarating. Big sisters are good things, aren’t they? I’d like to be treated as a big sister—I’d like to be admired as a big sister! All right, I’ll accompany you on your journey. You may depend on me in battle. I’ll provide horses as well, of course. I’ll summon the most splendid horses the world has ever seen, so many that you could stack them! As my reward, you will let me act as your big sister. Will that do?!”
Roe2, with her dashing expression and figure, had made a declaration that seemed pretty uncool to Isuzu. She’d asserted herself all in a rush, and Isuzu’s group found themselves steamrolled.
6
“Ooh, look how big it is.”
“Wow. That’s amazing.”
In the night’s darkness, the Bug Lights that had popped into existence with charming little sounds illuminated dense clouds of steam and a bath surrounded by rocks. They’d been told there was a bath, but that it wasn’t attached to the rooms at the inn. Instead, it was in a depression a few minutes’ walk down the gravel path around back… And so they’d gone to see.
The surrounding trees provided a perfect screen, while hot springwater and cold river water cascaded into the rock bath like waterfalls. It was closer to a true hot spring than a bath, and it was apparently made from a mixture of hot water drawn from the earth and cold water from the Ricouart River.
The structure that looked like a shed was probably the changing room. After marveling at the rock bath for a little while, Serara went into the small building with Minori and Isuzu.
Like the rock bath, the changing room was deserted.
Ordinary People of the Earth went to bed early. Felinoids had good night vision, and it was possible to use Light-Storing Stones like the ones in the inn dining hall. Even regular households probably had lanterns, at least. However, it took fuel and preparation to use them, and it wasn’t easy to light up a large space. Taking one along to the bath would have been a pain.
According to the universal way of life among the People of the Earth, if the alternative was to go to the trouble of getting a light ready and work at night, then it was better to finish what they needed to do while the sun was up and turn in early.
When Serara and the other two had headed for the bath, the innkeeper had told them, “It’ll be so empty you’ll think you reserved it.” This was only natural for him to say, but it had also been true.
Serara knew she was timid enough to feel unnerved by the bath being described as “reserved,” but since Adventurers had Magic Lights, they could enjoy the rock bath
to their hearts’ content without any problems, even at this hour.
Isuzu, who’d stripped energetically and tied her hair back, wrapped herself in a towel. At the changing room exit, she turned to look back.
Serara was flustered, but no matter what she did, she ended up moving slowly.
It depressed her, but even if the only people around were friends of the same gender, it took courage for plump girls to undress.
Since it wasn’t as if anyone was paying attention to her, this was sheer, embarrassing self-consciousness.
Hurrying as fast as she could, Serara pulled her hair together at the back of her head with her bath clip, then timidly made for the rock bath, holding her bath towel so that it hid her front. This was another world, after all, and defense was important.
Minori was waiting for her there.
“It isn’t all that hot. There are stone flags over there. Would you like to rinse off?” Her younger friend gave her an untroubled smile, and Serara relaxed just a little.
Smiling and nodding, she headed over that way.
Compared to their old world counterparts, the “natural, additive-free shampoo and conditioner” and “experimental creamy soap” that they’d brought from Akiba weren’t very high-class articles, and their performance was sure to be bad as well. Still, the People of the Earth treated them as ultraluxury items, and they were good enough for practical purposes. The three of them used the products with loofahs and towels, and they washed their hair as well.
After the Catastrophe, it was times like these that made Serara think, I’ve changed, too.
Before, Serara thought, she’d been awkward, slow, and clumsy enough that even she could tell. Even she’d thought, It’s only a bath, but on school trips, she’d been the only one on her team to stay in for a long time and cause trouble for the other team members.
She didn’t know whether she’d changed because she was a Housekeeper, or whether it was living in this world that had done it.
In the old world, she hadn’t hated doing thorough tasks like cleaning and laundry, and she’d often volunteered for them. However, her skill with them certainly hadn’t been better than average.
In this world, since she’d become a Housekeeper and had done chores the entire time, she seemed to have grown more dexterous at a variety of things.
Serara thought it would be nice if it was because she’d mastered things, and not just some sort of game-related subclass bonus.
She still wasn’t all that skilled, but even so, she was much better than before. She thought that being attentive and efficient at housework was a wonderful thing, and that it made one seem a bit like a young wife.
She and Minori washed each other’s backs, then rinsed their hair at the same pace.
“I’m finished, Serara.”
“I’m done, too, Minori!”
Their eyes met, and the two of them snickered. Then they jumped Isuzu, who was looking dazed, and began washing her hair.
Unbound, Isuzu’s hair was wavy, and it fell all the way to her waist.
Isuzu said she wasn’t anything like a girl, and that she was skinny as a rail, and freckled, and just your average high school kid, but Serara had noticed that she took very good care of her long hair. This was patently obvious from the way she washed it slowly and carefully every time she took a bath, even though she badmouthed it as she worked. Serara and Minori had been waiting for the opportunity to touch their friend’s hair.
“We’ll make your hair soft and fluffy, Isuzu.”
“I brought two different types of comb.”
“Don’t bother; it’s a pain. I can do it myself.”
“No, no, this is a Housekeeper’s job, too.”
“Apprentices don’t run from any task.”
“Does it itch anywhere?”
“Geez, Serara…”
“If you talk, you’ll get soap in your mouth, Isuzu.”
“Minori, you, too? Argh.”
“Serara’s practicing for the future.”
“Huh?”
“It’s practice for being a newlywed.”
“Whaaat?!”
At Minori’s overly solemn tones, the three of them laughed as if they couldn’t hold it back—Is that true? Really? Why?!—and their voices echoed in the rock bath. Even so, Serara’s hands didn’t pause. She knew that washing long hair really was a lot of work, and besides, washing Isuzu’s hair was a special event that she and Minori had discussed beforehand.
It was wonderful that they’d gotten their chance now, on the road.
In the glow of the Magic Lights, which were spinning cheerfully in midair, Serara relaxed in the big rock bath, sinking up to her shoulders. The heat of the hot spring slowly soaked into her body, and it felt heavenly. The two beside her were also smiling and sighing.
The bath was big, about five meters square. This was spacious compared to the lion-footed bathtubs found in high-class People of the Earth inns, and it was deep enough that, if they stretched their legs out in the water, the tips of their chins touched its surface. In a few places, it was even deeper.
Two streams of water flowed into the rock bath, one hot and one cold. Searching for the perfect temperature, Serara and the others sat down companionably.
“Mmmm, what a great bath!”
Isuzu smiled as she spoke.
Minori was smiling, too, and Serara was happy.
The sky held the Magic Lights and a moon that was about half full. The three of them looked up, then giggled for no reason.
Adventurer bodies were astonishing things: Even though they’d been traveling and had spent some of the time camping, they didn’t get muscle aches, and they weren’t particularly fatigued. Even so, they’d been tense and on edge, and they were glad to have found an inn where the three of them could soak in a hot spring like this.
As a matter of fact, when she’d heard they’d be doing a lot of camping on the journey, she’d been a little frightened.
Minori had said that in the old world, this region was a big tourist area. She’d heard that the fish were delicious, and the dried seafood was famous.
Serara thought, absently, that she’d love to come here with Nyanta someday.
“It’s warm, isn’t it?”
“Yep. Nice and warm.”
“Mm-hm.”
The three of them relaxed limply, talking about that sort of thing.
Even Isuzu, who was always full of energy, was smiling like a cat during its afternoon nap. When she saw this, Serara felt entertained. To hide her smile, she ducked until her mouth was underwater and blew bubbles, and even that was exhilarating.
In baths this comfortable, maybe all humans turned into felines. Serara felt like taking a nap; she thought she might even have been developing cat ears.
If she did grow cat ears and whiskers, she’d be a felinoid, a kitty cat. Or, no, felinoids were all cat, so maybe she’d call herself a mew-mew. That would put her one step closer to her ambition. She wriggled her toes in the warm water. Pleasant fantasies were always a little ticklish.
“You look a bit dreamy, Serara.”
“That’s because I’m a kitty cat.”
She was warm all the way to the center of her brain, so she couldn’t think anything very complicated. If she sounded silly, there was no help for it… Or that was the excuse Serara made to herself as she responded, anyway.
“And? Do you want to bathe with Nyanta, Serara?”
Isuzu shattered her drowsy mood with one shot.
It might have been payback for earlier. She pressed Serara, wearing a bright smile with a trace of spite mixed into it.
“No, it isn’t like that.”
“But Nyanta is handsome, right?”
“Nyanta is dandy, and dashing, and stylish.”
Serara had given the very best retort she could muster, but Isuzu hugged Minori’s shoulders to her, beaming. Minori was looking from Isuzu to Serara in bewilderment, but Isuzu kept loudly broadcasting the attitude that Min
ori was on her team.
“If that’s what we’re talking about, then what about you and Rundelhaus, Isuzu?”
“Huh? Rudy’s just a walking buddy.”
To Minori’s response, Isuzu looked blank, while Serara was exasperated.
Considered normally, Isuzu and Rundelhaus had to look much more like a couple than Serara and Nyanta did, but for some reason, Isuzu didn’t seem to have noticed it.
Even though they look so good together…
She’d thought they were going on early-morning dates. She hadn’t been able to think otherwise. For Serara, who went on kitchen dates (or wanted to think she did), Isuzu’s denseness was a complete mystery. However, she thought this might be because she herself yearned too much for Nyanta. Even as the thought crossed her mind, she asked herself whether “yearning too much” might not be a questionable expression for a maidenly young woman to use, and she was steamed by a heat that had nothing to do with the bath.
In order to hide this, the only thing she could do was stick the lower half of her face underwater and blow bubbles.
“Serara will make a good wife.”
…Especially once Minori launched an additional attack in a cheerful voice.
“And what about you, Minori? Will you be Shiroe’s secretary?”
“Ah… That isn’t what I meant.”
“But you’re crazy about him, aren’t you? I’m cheering for you, you know.”
The brunt of the attack had shifted away from her, and Serara felt relieved.
Isuzu was happily messing with Minori, but Minori seemed like an amazing girl to Serara, too. She’d changed her subclass to Apprentice, and now, on the days when she didn’t go out hunting, she was working part-time at Shopping District 8.
She was a super middle schooler.
While she spent time with her as a friend, she’d noticed lots of cute things about her, and lots of klutzy things as well. However, she wanted to learn from her firm sense of responsibility and her cleverness, and particularly from the speed with which she worked. She thought so every time they cleaned up or pitched camp, but Minori always finished her work first. It wasn’t that each individual move she made was fast. She was quick at linking one job to another, and at preparing for tasks. To Serara, it seemed like a natural, mental difference, a difference in intelligence. In short, Minori was impressive.
