Chapter 13. Crisis and Opportunity (7)

“Um, are you really thinking of bathing together?”

“…How many times do I have to say the same thing?”

Ria asked me with an expression that suggested she was getting tired of it.

Come to think of it, it’s not entirely strange. There’s a place called the ‘women’s bath’ in the world. Sometimes, places like saunas are exclusively for women.

In the first place, aren’t there always women’s baths in bathhouses? It’s also natural for people who know each other to go to the bathhouse together. Even at the association where Ria and I train, there’s a changing room.

At least until now, we’ve been showering one by one, taking turns. The place we’re staying at in the convent is a room for two, and the shower room was designed assuming one person would use it. Since there’s only one showerhead, it’s natural.

There’s a reason why I didn’t feel particularly uncomfortable, even if the person I was staying with wasn’t Ria.

“Besides, haven’t we showered together in the communal shower room quite a few times? Why are you so uncomfortable now?”

“W-well, there were shower booths there.”

As I weakly protested, Ria stared blankly at the ceiling.

“No, so, in the end, does being with me make you that embarrassed? We’ve fought side-by-side, risking our lives, you’ve helped me pick out swimsuits, and I’ve even changed clothes in front of you, and now?”

“No, that’s not what I mean.”

“Haa.”

However, before I could say anything else, Ria sighed deeply with an expression that suggested she had reached a moment of enlightenment, and said.

“Okay, okay. I get it, I get it. Then, we can just go in and wash separately. I’ll go first then?”

Ria said that and slipped into the bathroom.

…….

Huh.

Is she sulking?

Having been with Ria for quite a long time, I’ve seen many times how Ria expresses her emotions, but this kind of reaction while talking to me feels like a very long time.

“…….”

I squeezed my eyes shut.

Right. If you think about it, Ria is right. It’s strange to be so embarrassed now. Rather, it might seem like I’m building a wall now.

The two of us have already seen each other wearing swimsuits that only cover the important parts of our bodies, and we’ve faced enemies in such attire, pressed close together. We’ve even showered naked in the shower room. Of course, neither Ria nor I saw each other naked.

When I was receiving swimming lessons from Ria, she touched me in various places on my body, and to be embarrassed now…

…….

That’s right.

To be honest, I was more embarrassed now.

As time goes by, I’m becoming more and more conscious of Ria. In the realm of ‘possible’ and ‘impossible,’ Ria has always been in the ‘possible’ realm for me. The problem is that in Ria’s eyes, I am ‘impossible.’

If it were in the past, I might have been able to push aside my embarrassment by thinking from Ria’s perspective. If we thought we couldn’t get any closer, we wouldn’t have had any lingering feelings.

But now.

Now that we’ve become friends who are somewhat close, friends who can risk their lives to protect each other. Now that I think I might even hand over my remains to Ria if something happens-it’s a little different.

In relationships with people, it’s not important whether it’s possible or impossible.

What’s important is whether I want it or not.

And, it seems I want Ria… in many ways.

I let out a deep sigh.

I ran my hands down my face, performing a dry wash, and with a firm resolve, I headed towards the bathroom.

*

“…What is it?”

“What is what?”

“No, why is your body shining like that?”

“…….”

At Ria’s words, I seriously considered what to answer.

And I realized that there was no other answer but one.

“Because I’m embarrassed.”

“How are you supposed to wash if your body can’t be seen? And aren’t you covering your body with a towel right now?”

As Ria said, I was indeed covering my chest, stomach, and below with a towel.

Because I’m embarrassed.

I’ll say it twice because it’s important.

However, for some reason, the towel here wasn’t large enough to cover my entire body. In terms of size, it was only slightly larger than the towels commonly used in Korea. I thought about whether I could make it into something like underwear by tying two together, but I couldn’t manage to tie it at all.

Come to think of it, ancient Egypt was a sexually quite liberal society that didn’t care much about things like premarital chastity.

As for same-sex relationships, I don’t know, but considering that the people who met us were wearing thin cloths that barely showed their bodies, they might not care much about seeing naked bodies in the bathroom.

But I’m embarrassed.

I’ll say it three times because it’s important.

So, I used both hands to cover my front somehow, and then covered it with holy power.

That was the method I came up with.

“…….”

Ria, who was in the large bathtub, set up like an open-air hot spring in the Egyptian-style garden, scowled and crawled towards me through the water.

“W-w-what is it!?”

As I retreated to the corner of the bathtub and shouted, Ria, for some reason, approached me with a mischievous smile on her lips.

The steam rising from the warm water and the splashing water made Ria’s body not clearly visible. However, it was clear that her body in the water was not covered even by a single towel, unlike me.

Even just what was visible above the water was an excessively stimulating sight for me, who had no experience of directly seeing a woman’s naked body, both in my past life and this one.

No, even in this world, I had lived a relatively ascetic life, so it was even more so.

Ria, who approached as if she were a crocodile about to devour me, raised one hand and waved it in front of me.

The light emanating from my body simultaneously turned into mist and disappeared upon touching Ria’s hand.

“Kyaa!?”

I screamed and turned my body to the side.

“Ah, your butt is showing.”

“What are you talking about!?”

“No, you’re showing it right now.”

If I turn my body, the wet towel will be clearly visible clinging to me.

As I glared at Ria by only turning my head, Ria looked at me with a slightly flushed face and was smiling.

“Hey, no matter what, who goes into a public bath with a flashlight? And only covering the important parts. It actually emphasizes them more, doesn’t it? Is it like censorship for broadcast animation?”

I can’t say I got inspiration from that.

“You don’t need to be so scared. I’m not going to eat you.”

Ria said that and sat down right next to me.

“…….”

I pouted and readjusted my posture. Of course, I was still covering my chest and stomach with my hands, and the towel was still in place below.

As I entered the water, it didn’t stick tightly and kept floating up, which was a bit unsettling, but it was better for my psychological stability.

“B-but, why aren’t you covering yourself at all!?”

“No, it’s a bath, isn’t it? We’re not here to swim, we’re here to wash.”

She replied as if she found it absurd herself.

And her words were so logical and rational that I couldn’t say anything. That’s right. When washing your body, wouldn’t it be inconvenient to have something covering it?

“Or, are you actually wanting to see?”

Ria said, teasingly.

“People who like that kind of thing tend to make a bigger fuss, trying not to show they like it.”

That, too, was a damn reasonable deduction.

How could I not want to see?

She’s pretty, and even in a slightly loose nun’s habit, her body visible outside is so beautiful. Not wanting to see what’s underneath is no different from meaning my sexual orientation doesn’t lean towards women.

“…….”

“Shall I show you? Do you want to see? Huh? Huh?”

It’s frustrating.

It felt so frustrating that only I was feeling embarrassed, just like when I wore a swimsuit last time.

I’m conscious of Ria, but it felt so frustrating that Ria wasn’t conscious of me.

“Sniffle.”

“Uh, hey…”

Out of sheer frustration, I got a runny nose.

My eyes are stinging, it’s probably just because some water got into my eyes. You know, people accustomed to modern society’s water quality sometimes get water poisoning when they go elsewhere. Anyway, that’s probably it. Although I’ve never done it before, anyway.

“Hey, I think I teased you too much, sorry…”

“…….”

“A-are you angry?”

Ria’s voice suddenly softened.

I know this is cheating. While I know it’s cowardly on one hand, it felt a little satisfying that Ria turned towards me with a worried and apologetic expression.

I didn’t say anything and pushed myself further into the water. As I stared at Ria with my body submerged up to just below my nose, Ria became even more restless.

…….

I’m pathetic.

While thinking I’m pathetic, on the other hand, the fact that I want to keep doing this makes me seem like just a selfish human being.

Saint, my foot.