Bathhouse

Bathhouse

 

[KetchupMayoMustard – So who’s that girl with light blue hair?]

[CopperRiRiRi – Is she the older sister? Ha-eun and Chae-a are already cute, but that kid is super cute too.]

[FurEnthusiast – 9 tails! 9 times the cuteness! And she has ears too!]

There were some strange comments occasionally.

But I sigh in relief, thinking it’s fortunate that the comments are mostly positive.

Yuna beside me tilts her head, seemingly not understanding my behavior.

I looked at Yuna like that for a moment, pondering, then explained what this was.

“This is called broadcasting… You can talk to very nice viewers.”

At those words, Yuna stared blankly at the phone, then drooped her ears and said to me.

“Yuna not stupid. Know can’t talk while watching this.”

It seems she thought I was teasing her.

I quickly waved my hands at Yuna’s reaction and pointed to the chat window.

“That’s not it…! You really can talk to the viewers…!”

When I repeated the same thing, Yuna tilted her head and looked at the phone.

Then she said to me, as if finding it very fascinating.

“Something is going up fast.”

Fortunately, it seems she realized what I said was true.

I looked at Yuna and pointed to each thing with my finger as I continued speaking.

“This is what people write.”

 

At those words, Yuna’s eyes sparkled and she wagged her nine tails as she said to me.

“But I don’t see people. Where are they?”

At that question, I froze.

I wasn’t sure how to explain about telecommunications.

As I was wondering how to explain, Chae-a who was next to me approached proudly and declared confidently.

“Chae-a knows!”

At those words, Yuna looked at Chae-a with sparkling eyes.

Chae-a explained to Yuna how it works.

“When you write a letter and send it… Pigeon Uncle delivers it for you! You send it in this small box!”

Hearing this, I tilted my head in confusion.

But for Yuna, it seemed to be a convincing explanation as she wagged her tail and nodded.

I was debating whether I should clarify this or not.

Thinking it might be better to explain with the help of the viewers, I looked at the chat window with eyes hoping for a solution.

[Seo-rinSeo-rin – That’s right, that’s right. Pigeon Uncle sends letters in the box. Right, Pigeon Uncle?]

[NotHuggable – Ah hahaha, this was found out. Well, can’t be helped. Pigeon Uncle, please take care of this letter too.]

[DecidedToDrawEmoticons – It’s a secret, but you figured it out ㅠㅠ Ah, this is an industry secret.]

Everyone just teases and no one tells the truth.

After a brief internal struggle about what to do, I decided to give up on telling the truth and smiled along with Chae-a and Yuna.

‘I don’t know!’

Anyway, the truth isn’t necessary in the current situation.

I was thinking we could just enjoy it and move on, when.

Yuna asks us a question with a somewhat serious expression.

“Then, how does Pigeon Uncle send letters in this small box?”

To this question, Chae-a thought for a moment and then said with a giggle.

“Pigeon Uncle can do it by coming secretly…! Like this?”

Chae-a grabbed a pigeon from behind her phone…?

Grabbed? Huh?

“Coo coo?”

What is this, really?

I’m standing there with a shocked expression, looking at the pigeon that suddenly popped out from behind the phone.

Yuna’s eyes sparkle as she exclaims, “Wow!”

“This is so amazing. The pigeon uncle is incredible too.”

She wagged her tail extremely fast, her eyes sparkling like an adventurer who had made the discovery of the century.

While I’m feeling my sanity crumbling as I look at Yuna and the pigeon standing there blankly watching us.

The chat window starts scrolling up quickly.

[Coocoocoocoo – Coo coo? Coocoo]

[PatPat – Hahahaha Was it really delivered by a pigeon?]

[Seo-rinSeo-rin – Wait, where on earth did you catch that pigeon from?]

[GradStudentRecruiting – Oh noooo don’t touch it, it’s dirty. Let it go outside quickly. No, wait, I’ll come right away.]

Urgent messages keep popping up.

As I realize that in this world, pigeons are perceived as dirty creatures, I’m lost in thought.

Chae-a releases the pigeon and says.

“Well then, goodbye…!”

“Coo coo.”

The pigeon salutes Chae-a, then opens the window with its beak and flies out.

As I’m stretching my cheeks, wondering if I’m dreaming, someone rushes in.

“Kids!”

Ha-eun recognized the voice as Han A-rin’s.

Wondering why she came in so urgently, Ha-eun looked up curiously.

Han A-rin used magic on us and took out hand sanitizer and wet wipes.

Then, as she started washing our hands, she seemed to think it wasn’t enough.

She sighed and said.

“We needed to do laundry anyway, so this might be a good opportunity to get thoroughly clean. Kids? Shall we go to the bathhouse?”

Chae-a was the first to react to the mention of the bathhouse.

Chae-a clasped her hands together, showing an incredibly excited reaction.

Then, waving her hands up and down as if begging, she said.

“Chae-a wants to go to the bathhouse. I want to see the huge palace…!”

“Palace? Oh, you mean the exterior. Alright, let’s go see it this time.”

Yuna seemed to be fixated on the word ‘palace’, wagging her tail very quickly while looking at Han A-rin.

Well, at that age, they really love words like princess and castle.

It’s natural that they would like palaces too, I thought as I watched this, when someone else rushed in urgently.

“Ha-eun!”

Judging by the voice, it seemed to be Seo-rin.

Seo-rin burst through the door, came inside with an urgent expression, looked at us, and said while raising her hand.

“Where’s the pigeon?!”

To that, Chae-a proudly answered instead.

“Pigeon Uncle left! Because Pigeon Uncle is busy, you know.”

“Huh?”

Seo-rin, realizing there was no pigeon, seemed to calm down and let out a sigh of relief as she plopped down on the floor.

Then, seeing Han A-rin awkwardly smiling nearby, she nodded as if understanding the situation.

Han A-rin, looking at Seo-rin, makes a suggestion.

“I was thinking of washing the kids’ clothes and giving them a bath. Want to go to the bathhouse together?”

At this question, Seo-rin smiles awkwardly, seeming a bit shy, but nods her head.

* * *

This world was fundamentally different from the common sense I knew at times.

Usually, those differences were mostly in areas involving ‘mana’.

As a result, there were times when I saw unexpected things in unexpected places, and this was one of those situations.

The hunter-exclusive bathhouse within the association.

As soon as we entered, small golems began to serve us, providing all kinds of convenient functions.

This alone was incredibly amazing, but what was even more amazing was.

‘Water comes out even without a faucet…!’

Thanks to water coming out of thin air, things that couldn’t normally exist.

Like Bluetooth showerheads, the association’s floating public bath, outdoor hot springs (not actually outdoors, it’s magic) existed.

As I stood there dumbfounded, experiencing culture shock, Chae-a jumped up and down and said to us.

“Wow! This must be a castle…!”

“A castle?”

“Yeah! I heard castles have amazing things like this!”

I agreed that the bathhouse was amazing, so I was nodding in agreement, when.

Ha-eun shakes her tail vigorously, her eyes sparkling, and points to one side.

“That… baba.”

Wondering what it is, I turn my gaze to the side and see a polar bear sitting dejectedly on ice in a tub.

Wondering why such a thing exists, I notice the words ‘Lukewarm Cold Bath’ written above it.

‘Isn’t lukewarm cold bath a contradiction…?’

Just as confusion starts to overwhelm me and my head begins to spin.

Yuna perks up her ears and tells me.

“Yuna wants to play with bear too. Yuna likes bears and dinosaurs.”

Yuna seems very excited about meeting the bear and looks ready to run over there right away.

But she stands next to me, saying we won’t go because it might be dangerous.

As I’m making up my mind to go there later for Yuna’s sake, Seo-rin hands us a basket and says.

“We’re planning to do laundry, so put everything in here. And when you’re all undressed, follow A-rin unnie.”

At those words, Chae-a undresses first and hurriedly runs towards Han A-rin.

She seemed eager to enjoy the bathhouse quickly, so I was about to undress and go too.

“… Scared. And I like dinosaur pajamas.”

Yuna shakes her head, looking hesitant, not wanting to part with her dinosaur pajamas.

Seeing Yuna like this, I pat her head and repeat that it’s okay, and she musters up the courage to take off her dinosaur pajamas.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve been to a bathhouse.’

Thinking that I feel somewhat excited, I decide to leisurely enjoy the bathhouse and move forward together with Yuna.

*

There was one more peculiar thing about the bathhouse in this world.

The first thing was that everyone wore something like a towel even when entering the bathhouse.

Seeing this, Han A-rin explained,

 

“Hunters often come here when they’re tired. They sometimes fall asleep while bathing, you know? But if they fall asleep when exhausted, it could be dangerous, so they often wear towels to prepare for this.”

I was making a puzzled expression, not understanding what danger had to do with towels.

 

Seeing me like this, Han A-rin added a few more explanations.

“Wearing this helps regulate body temperature, and if the user falls asleep, it’s designed to automatically float them up and take them to a safe place. It also automatically provides shampoo and body wash, and even has a cleaning spell…”

 

It seems to have many different functions.

Thinking how amazing it is, I wrap the small towel I was given around my body.

 

Chae-a urgently speaks while leading Yu-na and me by the hand.

“I want to go quickly!”

 

It’s the first time I’ve seen Chae-a this excited, so I start to feel happy too.

Suddenly, a wriggler on Chae-a’s shoulder pokes its head out and starts to say something.

 

“Wormy wormy.”

“…?”