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“Still, what a disaster. You two went through all the trouble of coming here just to take a bath together, a girl and her mistress, only to find that the very water you needed has run out.”

Satsuki-san said this as she placed the fifth skewer on the plate.
We were currently in the dining hall inside the inn, having taken a seat in a tatami room toward the back. Of course, this was at Satsuki-san’s request—she’s a vampire who can’t be exposed to direct sunlight.

The dining hall was quite crowded, with most of the seats filled.
Even if we couldn’t go into the hot springs, we could still enjoy our meal. Or rather, since the hot springs weren’t available, we might as well have fun somewhere else. That’s probably the idea.
Kuzuha-chan, who was sitting next to me and had already started on her eighth mitarashi dango¹, felt the same way. Actually, she’s just stuffing her mouth. Oh, she’s grabbed her ninth one.

“No, it’s true I’m wearing a maid uniform, but that’s only because this was the only thing I had to wear—we’re not master and servant.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“Yes, we’re, umm…friends.”

I still have some doubts about the word “friends,” but Kuzuha-chan has labeled us as such. I decided to just go along with it.

“I see. That’s lovely in its own way… fufu. Either way, what a disaster. This hot spring is the main tourist attraction here, after all.”
“Yeah. I didn’t really expect this.”
“Dhell mih abhut idh! I’dh bhin wooging fah idh dhoo!”
“Kuzuha-chan, please swallow before you speak. And you’ve put too much on your mouth.”

I get that she’s agitated because the hot spring she was looking forward to was taken away, but that was a bit rude.
When I pointed it out, Kuzuha-chan nodded obediently and started wiping her mouth with a hand towel.
Satsuki-san gazed at us, let out a dreamy sigh, and said,

“Aah…being scolded by a silver-haired loli vampire—what a wonderful reward… Ah, but if Satsuki-chan here could make a wish, I’d want you to gently wipe that girl’s mouth and say something like, ‘Geez, you’re helpless without me’… like a maid!!”
“I’m sorry, I don’t quite understand what you mean.”
“…………”
“Kuzuha-chan, if you make a mess on purpose, I won’t wipe it off, you know.”

When I gave Kuzuha-chan—who had deliberately smeared sauce around her mouth and was glancing my way—a stern warning, she looked slightly dejected. I’m not doing it. It’s too much trouble.
Since neither of them seemed to get into a weird vibe, I just left them be and took a bite of the last one, my third. I gently pierced the dango with my pointed fangs, a hallmark of a vampire, and pulled the skewer out.
The chewy, springy texture paired with the sweet-and-salty sauce. The more I chewed, the more fun it got, and the sweetness of the dango seeped out.

……I never would’ve thought I’d get to eat dango in another world.

Since my first impression of the town was that it had a “Japanese” feel, I was actually looking forward to it a little, and sure enough, I was able to eat traditional Japanese sweets just as I’d hoped.
This Japanese-style sweetness is so familiar to Japanese people. It’s simple, and depending on the situation, might even feel a bit cloying, but it’s still nostalgic.
Even though I haven’t spent that much time in this other world yet, this unique blend of soy sauce-based spiciness and sweetness is a flavor that’s incredibly comforting.

“The dango here are delicious, aren’t they? Even looking at all of Sakurazaka, there aren’t many shops that serve food and sweets on the same level as this place.”
“You’re right, they’re delicious.”

Satsuki-san nodded contentedly at my agreement and finished her second one.

……So big.

I’m talking about her height. She isn’t particularly long-torsoed, but our basic heights are just too different. Even when we’re both sitting down, I end up looking up at her.
Satsuki-san was resting her chest, which looked like it might spill out of her loose-fitting clothes, on the table. On her chest was a mysterious crest, just like the one on my stomach. Apparently, the location of the crest varies from vampire to vampire.

Of course, the coffin she’d been carrying on her back was now set down on the floor. The way she was carrying it, she couldn’t sit down without putting it down first.
The coffin, which stood out even more now that it was on the ground, was drawing quite a few stares, but she didn’t seem to mind. Nibbling on a mochi ball, she turned to speak to me.

“Well, for the town as well, this hot spring is an important tourist attraction. Give it three days, they should be able to investigate the cause and resolve the issue.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. It shouldn’t just suddenly dry up, so it’s probably a problem with the waterways or something like that.”
“I see. Well then, Kuzuha-chan, shall we stay at the inn and wait until the hot spring water starts flowing again?”
“Are you sure? Could we stay that long…?”
“I wasn’t in a hurry to begin with.”

It’s true that I’d love to settle into a parasitic lifestyle as soon as possible, but there aren’t many people generous enough to support a whole person.
It’s just tiring to rush around looking for something that isn’t easy to find, so spending a few days lounging around here isn’t such a bad idea. Besides, I do have some savings.
Since we’ve come all this way, I think it’s fine to take it easy until the hot springs are up and running again.

“What a lovely friendship.”

Satsuki-san nodded thoughtfully, and Kuzuha-chan was happily tucking into her tenth one, but I still didn’t get it.
As someone who has no friends—or rather, never had any—I have absolutely no idea what kind of actions or words are appropriate for friendship.
That said, I hesitated to spoil the mood for the two of them, who seemed so content, so I just left them be and sipped my tea. Oh, it’s green tea. This. It brings back memories.
Maybe the “harmony” of the Republic is actually Japanese-style harmony. Just as I exhaled, lost in that thought, Satsuki-san stood up.

“Well, here I go then.”
“Go? Where to?”
“I did say give it three days, but Satsuki-chan’s not the type to sit around that long. If possible, why don’t I try to resolve this by myself?”
“Resolve it…? Can you actually do that?”
“Whether I can or not is part of the fun—we’ll see once I get there. Even if it doesn’t work out, investigating the cause now will make things easier later.”

As she replied to my question, Satsuki-san hoisted the coffin onto her back.
She handled the coffin with great care, and judging by the way she carried it, it didn’t seem to be empty.
That said, it’s hard to believe she’s actually carrying a corpse inside, no matter how you look at it. Maybe that coffin just contains a change of clothes or something.

“Heave-ho. Well then, Satsuki-chan will take care of the bill here. Phew, that was a real apple for the eyes.”

I don’t know what exactly qualified as an apple for her eyes, but it seems she was at least somewhat satisfied.
I don’t mind it if she wants to treat us, so I don’t have anything in particular to say. I bow my head to show my gratitude.
It feels like I owed her a favor of sorts, but since Satsuki-san herself called it an “apple for the eyes,” she must have gained something from it. It doesn’t seem like I need to think of this as a debt.
Kuzuha-chan, sitting next to me, also bowed her head,

“Thank you very much. Um, well… Satsuki-san. May I ask one thing?”
“Yes, what is it?”
“I’d like to tag along with the investigation into why the hot spring dried up… Would that be okay?”

…Not exactly surprising.

Kuzuha-chan probably wants to take a bath soon, too. Satsuki-san says she’ll come back soon enough, but those are the words of someone we’ve just met.
I have no proof, and no basis for it. Above all, it makes me uneasy. That’s about it.
If she says she’s going, there’s no reason to stop her, so I’ll just leave it to her.

“Hmm… Since Satsuki-chan’s just going to trace the waterway upstream to investigate the cause, it shouldn’t be too dangerous. It doesn’t seem like we’d fall behind monsters or beasts that easily, so I’m fine with it.”
“Yes. Thank you. Arje-san, shall we go?”
“Huh? …Oh, sure.”

I didn’t expect I’d end up going too, so my reaction was a bit slow.
Come to think of it, Kuzuha-chan wants to take a bath with me as soon as possible, so it makes sense that she’d drag me along. Still, I was really looking forward to sleeping in a fluffy, high-quality futon for the first time in ages, so I was a little taken aback.

…I guess there’s no helping it.

It seems, in Kuzuha-chan’s mind, my coming along is a done deal.
Far from just asking for my approval after the fact, she’s already included me in her plans on her own—I guess that just shows how eager she is.
Even though I nodded almost reflexively and got swept along, I’ll just go along with it.

“Well then, let’s pay and get going!”

With a friendly smile, Satsuki-san pulled what looked like a wallet from her cleavage. I’d thought it was big, but this was the first time I’d ever seen someone take something out of there.

“Hm? Is something wrong?”
“No, nothing at all.”

It was just a personal observation, so I didn’t have anything in particular to say.
Confirming just how flat my own chest was—and feeling, as expected, slightly unsatisfied—I followed the two of them.