Massage

“…Given the circumstances, I won’t be here starting next Monday, so please take good care of the counseling room.”

“No.”

“Aw, don’t be like that. I’ll bring back something delicious! You can eat all the snacks in the counseling room!”

“Do I look like a child to you? …Do whatever you want.”

“Thank you.”

After entrusting the counseling room to Orca, I began packing my bags.

Let’s see, what to pack… Since I won’t be gone too long, just the essentials should be fine.

Just pack roughly. Very roughly.

Though I packed with the excitement of going on a trip, when I thought about it – wasn’t this just a work trip?

It wasn’t like someone ordered me to go, but ultimately, this wasn’t a vacation.

“So? Where are you going?”

“Not too far. Here?”

“…That’s quite close. Are you going on a trip or something?”

When I pointed out my destination on the map, Orca looked puzzled.

She must be wondering why I’d go somewhere so nearby.

Well, even if I wanted to tell her, I couldn’t.

This was something I couldn’t share with anyone.

“No, no. There’s a popular hotel nearby that I’ve wanted to visit. You know that famous hotel around there?”

“Are you talking about Esteri Hotel? It’s not bad.”

“Ah, Stella. When did you get here?”

“Just now. I wondered why you suddenly called me – are you taking a vacation?”

“Yes. I’ll be away for about… ten days.”

“Ten days.”

A troubled expression briefly flashed across Stella’s face.

Well, of course. Her life was currently in danger.

Though it feels awkward to say this myself, she’s been relying on me quite a bit lately.

Even though the Watcher was cooperating with her, he was essentially a core member of a hostile organization.

As someone with no background, I must be the most comfortable person for her to be around.

She soon smiled and said to me:

“Alright. Have a good trip. I’ll let the Watcher know.”

“…Thank you.”

“What’s with that expression?”

“Nothing, just… genuinely grateful.”

“Hmph.”

Stella seemed to guess I had my reasons and let me go without pressing further.

Even though her life was threatened by a terrorist organization with unknown motives, and when she contacted the Imperial Family for help, they sent assassins instead – in this situation where everything in the world seemed suspicious, she still trusted me.

I was… no, extremely grateful.

“There’s plenty to enjoy at Esteri Hotel. Make sure to have fun.”

“Um… Yes.”

“Your reaction seems awkward. Aren’t you looking forward to it?”

“Actually, it’s my first time staying at a hotel. Even if you say there’s lots to enjoy, I’m not sure…”

“Ah, I see. I thought the same at first.”

Though this wasn’t a vacation but work, her mention of “enjoyable things” did make me curious.

Hotels are just lodging places, right? How much fun could there really be?

“I thought it was just a place to sleep… but it’s not.”

“Huh?”

“You’ll understand when you get there. Tell me your impressions later.”

As Stella smiled and I smiled back, Orca suddenly started poking the back of my neck.

“…What are you doing?”

“Nothing. Absolutely nothing.”

“?”

It clearly wasn’t “nothing.”

Her face was obviously full of displeasure. What’s her problem?

I tried hard to ask why she was suddenly sulking, but by the time I left the Academy, I still hadn’t gotten any answer.

***

“Welcome to Esteri Hotel. How may I assist you?”

“I have a reservation under the name Ophelia.”

“One moment please. …Room 1303 for a one-week stay, correct?”

“Yes.”

Even while checking in, my eyes kept wandering around the lobby.

Pictures and videos hadn’t done it justice – the extravagant decorations seemed designed to capture one’s attention.

“Is this your first time staying with us?”

“Ah… Yes.”

The receptionist must have noticed my curiosity.

When she smiled and initiated conversation, embarrassment flooded me, turning my face bright red.

“In that case, would you like to try our massage service?”

“…Massage?”

“Yes. Our guests always make sure to try it at least once – the masseuses are exceptionally skilled. …This is a secret, but even we staff members occasionally get treatments. It’s wonderful.”

The receptionist explained they had female masseuses for women guests and emphasized how relaxing it was.

“Hmm…”

“It’s complimentary for hotel guests. If you have time…”

Massage, huh… Now that I think about it, my body has felt heavy lately.

Maybe trying it once wouldn’t be bad. I’ve always wanted to experience a proper massage.

Back where I used to live, most massage places seemed suspicious, making me hesitant to visit.

But now I didn’t need to worry about that. This was an expensive hotel – they wouldn’t offer shady services.

Plus, I’m in a woman’s body now. Not the target for those kinds of services anyway! Meaning I didn’t have to fear legal repercussions!

“Where do I go for it?”

“I’ll show you the way.”

I’m here for work, not leisure… but taking a short break should be fine, right? My official reason is vacation anyway.

No one would complain about me relaxing a little! Right, exactly!

This isn’t slacking off at all.

Making excuses to myself internally, I suppressed my excitedly pounding chest and followed the staff.

Though I’ve heard first massages can be painful – what if it hurts and isn’t enjoyable?

Such worries disappeared within ten minutes of starting the massage.

“How does this feel?”

“Amazing… Ah, right there… a bit more…”

“Your shoulders? Of course.”

Oooh, this feels so goooood…

The soft, warm fabric, the soothing lighting, the calming background music.

Combined with the relaxing massage… It was so comfortable I worried I might let out an unladylike groan.

“You must have it tough.”

“Huh?”

“Your chest. I used to envy women like you, but not since becoming a masseuse.”

“Ah…”

“Women with larger chests always suffer from shoulder strain.”

I could understand that.

Not that I dislike having large breasts – I was male before, after all.

Sometimes I catch myself staring at my reflection. But what others admire isn’t necessarily comfortable for the owner.

I’d heard before that large breasts cause shoulder pain, but back then it wasn’t my problem so I ignored it.

Who could have imagined they’d be this heavy?

“Today I’ll thoroughly relieve your fatigue.”

“Thank you…”

“My pleasure. Please don’t hesitate to ask if you want anything specific.”

Anything specific…

Lying relaxed, I drifted into thought.

Hmm… Maybe I shouldn’t just relax without doing anything?

“By the way, do long-term guests here use these services often?”

“Of course. Part of why Esteri Hotel is expensive is because we offer these complimentary services. Long-term guests would be missing out if they didn’t use them.”

“Hmm…”

“The male masseuses have been incredibly busy lately. More long-term guests, and they visit frequently.”

“With skills like yours, I’d do the same.”

“Oh, you flatter me… Though some say those guests are a bit intimidating.”

“Intimidating?”

“Well… how should I put this? People who make lots of money through physical work – knights and such. There’s talk they might be here on some mission.”

“I see.”

“If you’re staying long, you’ll probably see them often. Try not to be too startled.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Closing my eyes to signal the end of conversation, the chatty masseuse naturally stopped talking and focused on massaging.

…As expected, talkative staff members are the best sources of information.

I took a chance probing and easily obtained relevant information – lucky.

Though currently enjoying relaxation, I didn’t come here for vacation.

I came to prevent major upcoming incidents.

Honestly, I wanted to experience all main story events, but that’s impossible now.

With playable characters’ stories converging and multiple events happening simultaneously, I’m certain the children couldn’t handle all incidents at once.

Some things can be achieved through effort, others can’t.

When something seems impossible despite effort, cutting it off beforehand is also a teacher’s duty.

“Phew…”

The staff member’s speculation was half right, half wrong.

Correct about them being in physically demanding professions.

Wrong about them being knights.

The group whose identity the world has been buzzing about since recent terror incidents.

I’ve come to the lodging where they’re staying.

The reason is simple: they’ll get in the way.

They’re the type to show up when events start getting dull and cause trouble, but with incidents accelerating like this, they’ll just become nuisances interrupting ongoing events.

I need to deal with them before that happens.

…But first, a little more rest.