Ch.165Chapter 165

The bus heading to the hot springs traveled for a long time. After stopping at a rest area, Iris gave up her window seat, allowing me to sit with Karen and enjoy the scenery beyond the window.

Time passed quickly as Karen and I chatted and giggled together.

Before we knew it, we arrived at the Hot Spring Village.

I could see a large lodging and behind it, an enormous amount of steam rising into the sky.

I was captivated by the overwhelming sight of steam rising as if there was a fire. As I stared blankly at the sky, small puffs of breath rose from my mouth.

The similar yet different sensations alternately captured my attention.

“Come on, let’s go in. We came to see the hot springs, right?”

“Yeah.”

Sera urged me to move as I stood frozen.

Since I couldn’t keep standing in the cold, I started walking. I walked quickly to keep up with the group, and soon we entered the inn where I alternately looked at the prepared robes and beds.

Aria glanced around briefly and put a robe in her basket.

“Should we go wash up right away?”

“We’ve been on the bus for so long. Shouldn’t we eat something first?”

Karen gave a slight bitter smile at Sera’s words.

“Can I rest in bed for a while?”

“That’s right, Karen mentioned getting motion sickness. Sure, let’s unpack and rest for now.”

“Yay~”

Karen collapsed onto the bed, and I welcomed the situation with open arms.

Going straight to the hot springs would be fun too, but this was my first time at such a lodging, so I wanted to look around.

If we entered the hot springs while tired, we might want to go straight to sleep afterward. Then we’d have no choice but to stay in our room, so I wanted to take this opportunity if possible.

“What does everyone want to do? There seemed to be a lot of interesting things in the lobby and hallways earlier.”

“I’m curious about that box from before.”

When I asked with anticipation, Ouro, who was beside me, mentioned what she was curious about.

But what box? I hadn’t seen anything like a box on our way here, so I was curious about what box Ouro was referring to.

“What is it?”

“The big box?”

“Big box… I haven’t seen anything like that.”

I tilted my head in confusion.

Ouro stretched her hands upward as if trying to indicate something large, but I couldn’t understand what she meant by a box bigger than my height.

A box that size would be large enough to package a refrigerator, and I couldn’t imagine such a thing just lying around in the hallway of an inn like this.

She probably wasn’t talking about going to some trash disposal area in a corner here.

“Should we look around a bit? It’s quite a nice place.”

Sera smiled and called the others to join.

“We’ll come back when it’s time to enter the hot springs, right?”

“Aria, do you want to rest?”

“Yes, I want to rest a bit. Long-distance travel after so long is quite tiring.”

Aria waved her hand and lay down on the bed next to Karen’s. Karen had her hand on her forehead with her eyes closed. Whether she was sleeping or still suffering from aftereffects, she seemed to be having a hard time.

That left Iris, but she shook her head, perhaps also tired from the journey.

“I think I’ll need to rest properly and see you a bit later.”

“I guess the kids don’t feel fatigue like we do.”

Sera glanced at Ouro and me with a bitter smile.

“Are you tired too, Sera?”

“I am a bit tired. But since you want to look around, I should at least play the role of guardian. It’s just looking around inside the inn, so it won’t take long. Let’s go.”

“Okay. Ouro, let’s go.”

“Yes.”

Sera nodded that she was fine, then smiled and told us to go together.

I could see the hallway that looked both simple and well-decorated. I followed along. Near the elevators and stairs, there were information boards showing what was on each floor, and in the center, a magnificent chandelier spanned multiple floors, showcasing its beauty.

Though it was called a hot spring inn, it was beautiful enough to be called a hotel.

Not every floor was the same, but some floors had hall-like spaces. Some were cafes where you could drink coffee, and others had displays like pianos.

I wondered if people occasionally came to perform, but that didn’t seem to be happening now. There was just a lone piano sitting there.

Just looking around made me feel good. As I walked along the carpet-like floor humming, Ouro suddenly stopped.

“Huh? What is it? What are you doing?”

When I turned my head, I could see Ouro facing a vending machine located in the middle of the hallway.

“Box.”

“…That’s the box?”

Ouro pointed at the vending machine and called it a box. I raised my eyebrows, wondering if this was the box she had been talking about earlier.

As I tilted my head in confusion, Sera approached Ouro with a chuckle.

“Did you like that box, Ouro?”

“That’s food, right?”

“Yes, it’s food.”

Ouro pointed at the drinks inside the vending machine.

It wasn’t just drinks. It wasn’t an ordinary drink vending machine you’d see outside, but a special one that also sold bread and snacks.

Instead of just having one sample displayed, the products were attached to springs and clustered together, looking like clothes hanging on a rack.

Ouro seemed fascinated, her eyes sparkling, perhaps because while she had seen other things, this type of vending machine was new to her.

Sera found Ouro’s reaction cute and took out her wallet from her small bag.

“Is there anything you want to eat, Ouro?”

“How do you get it out?”

“This is called a vending machine. You have to give it money to get items.”

“Hmm… I want that one.”

Ouro pressed her hands against the transparent glass and pointed at the item she wanted. Sera nodded and inserted some money.

After entering the product number, the spring began to turn, pushing the item forward until it dropped with a thud.

Ouro stared at it intently before expressing her amazement.

“…That’s amazing.”

“Really? I guess you’ve never seen a vending machine like this before?”

“No, it’s my first time.”

Ouro clutched the snack that had just dropped with both hands and looked back at the vending machine.

She seemed more interested in the vending machine holding all those snacks than in the snack she had just received.

I was quietly observing this when Sera’s voice brought me back to attention.

“What are you doing? Should I buy something for Ourr too? The professor gave us some money, and feeding Ourr and Ouro might help them remember something.”

“Hmm, a drink would be fine for me.”

Since I didn’t particularly want anything to eat, I opted for a simple drink. Sera nodded and picked out a suitable beverage.

“This is something I recommend. Would you like to try it? Or is there something else you want?”

“Something you recommend?”

“Yes, it’s a fruity drink with carbonation. It has a stronger fruit flavor than others.”

“Oh… then I’ll have this.”

My eyes sparkled at the sight of the orange-flavored carbonated drink.

When I inserted my finger and opened it, the strong carbonation sound made my ears happy. I held the chubby can with both hands and lifted it.

Tilting my head back, I gulped it down, and just as Sera said, the intense carbonation along with the rich orange flavor made my mouth happy.

It was sweeter and tastier than other fruit sodas I’d had before, making me nod involuntarily.

“Delicious!”

“Me, me too. I want that too.”

I exclaimed with admiration. As I expressed my joy to Sera, before she could respond, Ouro begged for one too.

“Alright, alright. Should Ouro have one too? Since we’re at it, I should have one as well.”

Sera said that and took out two identical drinks from the vending machine.

Ouro received the can and opened her eyes wide.

“It’s cold. The snack wasn’t cold.”

“That’s because drinks are kept in a separate refrigerator. The areas for snacks and drinks are separated, see?”

“Ohhh…”

Ouro’s eyes sparkled at Sera’s explanation, and she nodded.

Ouro struggled to open the can with her small hands. When she finally managed to open it, she closed her eyes tightly and, adopting the same posture as me, raised both arms high, tilted her head back, and drank eagerly.

I could see her gulping it down.

It made sense to hold the chubby can with both hands since it’s difficult to grip with one, but I made a subtle expression wondering if I had also drunk like that.

Sera saw this and laughed.

“You two really are twins; even the way you eat is identical.”

That’s exactly what I was thinking, and it seemed Sera had the same thought. It was like we were on the same wavelength.

“Ahh!”

“…No, that doesn’t resemble me at all.”

I might have acknowledged the similarity in posture, but I immediately denied any resemblance when she made that old-man-like exclamation after downing the carbonated drink in one go.

Sera burst into laughter at my comment and ruffled my hair vigorously.

I was startled by the sudden touch, but it didn’t feel bad, so I just let it happen.

“Oh, right. Let’s go to that hall over there.”

“Yes, let’s have coffee there and eat the cookies Ouro has.”

“Yay.”

Since our journey exploring the inn wasn’t over yet, we decided to keep walking.