Ch.162162. Bath Resumption (5)

Phew…

When I’m in this water, it feels like I don’t have to think about any worries.

It really makes my body feel at ease.

…I understand why they call it welfare now.

If places like this exist, people could surely organize their thoughts and work harder.

And if magical girls who’ve been through fierce battles with monsters could sort their thoughts and review their experiences in warm water like this.

…Well, Eden didn’t have anything like this.

Even if it did, it would just be a large bath hall.

Though there weren’t many people since everyone used private facilities, living underground meant we couldn’t create open-air baths like this.

We couldn’t bathe in hot springs while looking at the stars outside.

“You know what? This water is from a hot spring.”

“…How do you supply hot spring water in the city?”

“It’s true. A hot spring was discovered underneath here.”

“…What? But that doesn’t make sense with the underground facility.”

“Hmm… To be precise, it’s not directly below us. They do have to pipe it in. Then they reheat it… something like that. I heard a hot spring was discovered not too far from here.”

“That’s what doesn’t make sense… The Association’s underground facility should be built on stable ground. Such facilities should be… hmm, for villains like us.”

“Well, I didn’t dig it. The Association Director just got excited and said, ‘We can make an open-air bath,’ and showed us this. Anyway, this water is from a hot spring. Feel your body. Isn’t it slippery?”

Not believing Blanc, I ran my hand over my body.

“Huh…?”

“See? I told you it’s a hot spring.”

“…I wonder how much piping they wasted.”

“Piping? Well… they said it’s not that far.”

“And the geothermal energy that escapes through those pipes, or the energy needed to resupply that lost heat… isn’t it too wasteful? Couldn’t they just create the atmosphere…”

“Hmm… But it’s probably better than just heating tap water. The maintenance cost is probably low too. Most of the Association’s electricity comes from collecting magical power discarded in the training grounds.”

“What…?”

“You didn’t know?”

“They convert magical power…?”

“Well, it’s similar to the energy you all used to collect. The technology is still lacking, and there aren’t enough magical girls. So they made a contract with the other world to just use it for the Association.”

“What…”

“So, this much usage is acceptable. Since they saved on those massive electricity bills, a little luxury like this should be fine.”

“Well… if that’s the case…”

The magical girls, the Association also has technology to convert energy?

Of course, they probably only create electrical energy from magical power.

Our side… first processes negative energy generated from emotions into magical power, and then again…

Yeah.

What’s the point of thinking about it now.

The person who did that was…

Sigh.

“No need to think about such complicated things. Welfare is meant to be a bit luxurious. It’s free for employees, so what’s the problem?”

“But… neither Ellie nor I are employees. Is that still okay…?”

“You have access cards. That makes you employees.”

“What…?”

“You’re probably registered as regular staff? Or maybe I registered you as magical girls. Since you can enter the training grounds…”

“Magical girls? What are you talking about…? Us…?”

“That’s just how you’re registered, you know that, right?”

“…But isn’t that strange? We’re… supposed to be the adversaries of magical girls.”

Blanc glances beyond the door.

Is she thinking about what Ellie might be going through over there?

After letting out a brief laugh.

“Looking at that, I don’t think of you as adversaries.”

“…I consider it the fate of the defeated. The vanquished must bear all the humiliation.”

“Hmm… That’s not what I meant.”

“What…?”

“What humiliation… Just… can’t you live like that, helping others, having fun, just… normally, happily?”

“You call that normal…?”

“Well… Given your past, I understand it’s unavoidable. But excluding that, I think it’s perfectly normal. Don’t you?”

“…Sigh, well. If you say so, I guess that’s how it is.”

The conversation between us didn’t continue further.

There’s not much point in us talking, since we know each other too well.

Well… I can tell what she wants to say just by looking at her gestures and movements.

Though lately, that accuracy has been decreasing.

Maybe it’s because of the gap in time.

If I were told to figure it out again, I could.

…It’s big.

The moon is incredibly big.

“When is the full moon?”

“I don’t know. Tomorrow, maybe.”

“…Nights with a full moon are really bright, aren’t they?”

“Are they? I never really noticed.”

“Even without artificial light… it’s bright enough for faces to be illuminated by the soft moonlight, isn’t it?”

“Is it…?”

I look up at the moon, not yet completely full.

But bright enough for anyone to say it’s bright.

That kind of moon.

“…The moon is beautiful.”

“Bine?”

“When I think about it, I wonder if I ever paid attention to the moon. I only cared about the moon out of concern that it might obscure your figure when you came at me.”

Because if I couldn’t catch every single movement, defeat would be instantaneous.

“Bine…?”

“If the moon’s brightness obscured you, wouldn’t that be too unfair?”

“Wait, is this…?”

“Well. Yes. The moon is beautiful, Blanc. White, bright.”

So I looked at white-haired Blanc.

…Why is she submerging her head in the water…?

“Um…? Blanc? Didn’t you just say that putting your head in a bath used by many people…”

Blub blub blub blub…

“…Blanc?”

Just to be sure, I move closer.

I pat her back a few times.

“Blanc…?”

“Puha! Uh, uhm? Bine…?”

“Why are you suddenly doing something you don’t normally do…?”

“Bine, get away from me right now… Remember what I said earlier about not being able to hold back? That’s now. Okay?”

“What…?”

“5… 4… 3…”

“Eek?!”

When she looked at me, her face was flustered.

Her white skin was clearly red enough to be visible even under the warm light.

“If the water is too hot… if you feel dizzy or something, I recommend getting out quickly…”

“No, it’s not the water. Just… sit over there on the opposite side… No, if you sit there, I can still see you. That won’t work. I can see you right away, even if I just lift my head, I can see you, that won’t work…”

Behind Blanc, the murmuring of people grows louder.

“Let go! I’ll go by myself! Why are you restraining me even here!”

“Hehehe… Let’s go do something nice together, unnie~?”

“Who are you calling unnie! Hey! You know I’m older than you!”

“Hehehe… Our Ellie is just so cute? If only Bine wasn’t here, how much hehehe…”

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean!”

“Well… Ellie is small.”

“What!? Hey, Seo Arin, I’m bigger than you!”

“Pfft. I still have room to grow, but you don’t.”

“W-what!? Hey, Yuri, put me down right now! Put me down! I need to teach that little brat a lesson to make myself feel better. Put me down, I said put me down!”

Hmm…

They’re still at it over there.

Don’t they get tired?

Especially Yuri, doesn’t she get tired of being like that with Ellie all day?

Slide.

The sound of the door opening, and people coming out.

“Ah…”

Right. Come to think of it, this is an open-air bath…

“Eek…! I-I didn’t see anything!”

Then, Ellie, looking betrayed.

“W-what…? Bine, even you… are abandoning me…? You’re saying you can’t see this atrocious scene…?”

“E-Ellie…? Q-quickly come in…! I-I don’t know where to look…”

“What’s with the fuss. Don’t you see this every day?”

Hyewon delivers a sharp remark to my flustered state.

“Well, when you look in the mirror, all you see is chest and that area and such. We’re all the same, what’s strange about it… But, why is Yunseul like that?”

“I-I-I-I don’t know…!”

“Yunseul…?”

Going behind Blanc and tapping the head of Blanc, who’s still lowering her head.

“Uh, uah…?”

“What’s with that face like a pure maiden in love.”

“Ah, aue…?”

“Are you broken? How are you going to work tomorrow?”

“Auue…”

“Bine, what’s wrong with her… Ah, she’s broken too…”

“Q-quickly come in…!”

Into this warm hot spring, all the girls from before enter.

This time, Arin comes right next to me and.

“I can finally sit next to unnie. Hehe…”

“Arin…?”

“It’s been so long since we’ve been together like this… It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“What…?”

“You only bathed with me at our dormitory. And that was a really long time ago.”

“I suppose so…?”

Arin grabs my arm and hugs it to her chest.

“Hehe… This is really nice. Isn’t the atmosphere good too?”

“I was just having that conversation with Blanc… but she broke down just from that conversation.”

“What…?”

Arin looks at me with suspicious eyes.

“What kind of conversation did you have that made Yunseul unnie…”

“Just… saying the moon is beautiful…?”

“Huh…?!?! I-is that true…?”

For some reason, Arin is surprised.

She hugs my arm even tighter to her chest.

As if she can’t give it to anyone else.

“Unnie…! How could you say something like that?”

“What…?”

“That’s… Haah… Unnie, please look it up later. Before that, could you say those words to me too…?”

“Well… that the moon is beautiful…? Isn’t it bright and beautiful?”

“Yes, it really is beautiful. Unnie.”

“Well… Arin, I don’t think I did anything wrong… I was just… reminiscing about memories with Blanc when I said that.”

“…You talked about it that way?”

“What…?”

“Exactly what memories were you recalling when you said it?”

“Obviously… night time. When we were fighting…”

“Ah… I see. Then I’m relieved. That’s good.”

Arin loosened her grip on my arm a bit.

Still, she kept it against her chest.

Then, Ellie, who was in Yuri’s arms.

“Let me go! I, I need to get that fox girl, that fox girl right now! Our Bine! Our Bineee!!”

“Ehehe… Our Ellie? Why are you like this? Not giving our cute little sister a chance. Isn’t it okay to give her this much opportunity?”

“No! No! I said no! Kyaah?! D-don’t touch there!”

“Noisy Ellie… I have no choice but to quiet you down like this? If you don’t listen to unnie… I might cross the line?”

“H-hiek?!?”

Really.

I don’t understand why everyone is acting like this.

The water was warm, truly.

Arin’s heart seemed to be beating faster than usual.

Well, maybe it’s the effect of the earlier confrontation.