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“Mmm, ah…”

I sank my body into the water and let out a sigh. As if in response to that, the tension in my entire body eased.
As I surrendered to the relaxation, my buttocks naturally settled onto the ground. A deep, soothing warmth seeped into my whole body, making me feel nice and toasty. I was savoring the heat straight from the spring.

…It’s just warm, huh?

It’s not as hot as I’d expected. It’s a gentle warmth that slowly and gently seeps deep into my core.
The water itself feels heavy, or rather, has a very slight slippery texture. When I scoop some up and pour it over my shoulders, it’s a little ticklish and feels nice.

Strictly speaking, there’s no need for me to take a bath. I could just use a healing spell to wash away the dirt.
Still, soaking in the water like this, while not quite as relaxing as a nap, is certainly pleasant.

Just as I was waking up from a nap, Apehead-san had prepared this bath as a token of gratitude.
A private bath he went out of his way to create with earth magic just for the four of us. It’s more than enough as a reward—or rather, a treat.

I sink down until my shoulders are submerged and gaze at my silver hair bobbing on the surface. As I let out another deep sigh, I hear footsteps approaching.
The lively, cheerful sound of her kicking the dirt was Kuzuha-chan’s. She’d naturally taken off all her clothes, and without even trying to hide them, she ran over and jumped right into the hot spring.

“It’s bath time!!”

With a loud “splash,” water sprayed everywhere.
After landing in the water, Kuzuha-chan, with her ears and tail soaked with hot water, happily splashed about on the surface. Doing this when other people were around would definitely be a nuisance, but since we’re the only ones here right now, it shouldn’t be a problem.
As if enjoying the splashes, Kuzuha-chan played in the hot water with an innocent smile. She looked just like a dog playing in the water. No, wait—she was a fox.

“It feels so good, doesn’t it, Arje-san!”
“I suppose.”
“You didn’t have to go ahead of us, did you? Were you that eager to get in the bath?”
“……Yeah, well.”

That’s certainly true. I’m covered in dust from the hike up here, and I worked up quite a sweat breaking the curse on the hot spring. The latter was mainly due to that Blood Boost thing, though.
However, there’s another, more important reason why I took off my clothes and got into the hot spring before the other three.

…I am, technically, a guy.

This body is unmistakably that of a girl, but my soul is that of a guy. At least, that’s how I see it.
For Kuzuha-chan and the others, it’s just a matter of girls bathing together, and that perception isn’t wrong at all. If you look at just the body, I’m a beautiful girl no matter how you look at it.

It’s not that I have any particular thoughts about seeing Kuzuha-chan and the others naked, but mentally, I’m still a guy. I thought it would be rude to stare at women taking their clothes off, so I stripped quickly and got in by myself.

Kuzuha-chan moved her slender yet healthy body with grace, darting this way and that.
Out of curiosity, I glanced at her tail and noticed that her three-pronged tail grew quite high up on her backside—a little above her tailbone.

“Oh my, you’re full of energy, aren’t you?”

Whoa, it’s huge.
That was my first, honest reaction. That’s how imposing a presence she was.
Satsuki-san, with her long black hair tied back, slowly stepped into the hot water. Her exposed breasts floated in the tub as if they were—no, as if they were two living creatures in their own right.

“Ahh, my chest feels so light. Hot springs really are the best! They wash away all my fatigue! My body literally feels lighter!”
“Huh, um… I guess so.”
“Oh dear, these family size mochi are so big it’s a problem. I can’t even see my feet.”

Sure, if they’re that big, you probably can’t see your feet, but she didn’t have to say it so bluntly.
I thought about calling her out on it, but from Satsuki-san’s perspective, I’m just another girl. If she meant it as girl talk, it would be weird for me to say anything in response.

Now that she’s sitting next to me again, she really is big. Not just her chest—everything.
Satsuki-san is tall for a woman. She isn’t overweight—in fact, aside from her chest, she’s on the slender side—but when you’re tall, your features tend to be proportionally larger.

“Come to think of it, Arje-chan and Kuzuha-chan, both of you seem pretty young… Aren’t you a little young to be traveling alone?”
“There are various circumstances involved.”
“Hmm, I suppose that’s true. My apologies.”

Even though I’d refused to give a clear answer, Satsuki-san bowed her head slightly toward me. A strand of her black hair sank deep into the hot water, and her chest swayed with the waves. She seems like the kind of person who, while coming across as forceful, also knows how to respect others properly.
Satsuki was watching Kuzuha-chan playing in the bath with a somewhat amused expression.
There was something about that scene that felt off. More than just a sense of unease—it was a flow of mana. A strange aura seemed to be emanating from Satsuki-san.
Since I use magic myself, I’ve become a bit sensitive to the flow of mana lately. I can’t see it, but I feel a breeze brushing against my skin.

“Satsuki-san, are you using any magic?”
“Thump.”
“……Thump?”
“Oh, come on. Nothing like that at all! I was just taking in the sight of a fox-like loli playing in the hot water. Yes, that’s all!”

Hmm, I feel like something similar happened not too long ago.
I do have my doubts, but she hasn’t tried to pry into our business that much. So it would be weird for us to be the only ones pushing to find out her thoughts and circumstances.
It’s only our first day meeting, but I don’t think she’s the kind of person who would harm us, so I’ll hold off on digging deeper. Coming to that conclusion, I lower my gaze to the bathtub.
My eyes met a red pair of eyes.

“Eek…!?”

Startled, I let out a squeal that sounded just like a little girl’s.
The other person smiled gently while bobbing in the water, then slowly rose to the surface.
With her blue flower accessory removed, revealing her golden hair, it was Iris-san. She wiped her face with her hand and, with a look of deep satisfaction, said,

“Arje, you’re so~ cute~♪”
“…Please don’t startle me like that.”
“Oh, sorry, sorry. Are you in a better mood now?”
“I wasn’t even angry.”

She clasped her hands together with exaggerated gestures, yet her expression showed no sign of remorse. She wasn’t apologizing earnestly, but there was something endearing about her that made it not come across as sarcastic.
To be honest, I wasn’t really angry to begin with—I was more startled—so I didn’t hold it against her.
More than that, I wondered when she’d gotten into the tub and made her way over to my side. That’s what really had me curious.

As she sat there beside me, I realized she was the complete opposite of Satsuki-san in every way.
Her vibrant golden short hair stood in stark contrast to Satsuki’s lustrous long black hair.
A petite frame, in stark contrast to her large, imposing physique.
Satsuki-san is forceful yet polite and maintains clear boundaries, while Iris-san seems calm on the surface but pushes right in all at once.

Still, there’s no doubt that both of them are incredibly beautiful.
Satsuki-san is elegant, and Iris-san is adorable. Both possess a fully realized beauty, each in their own distinct way.

The two, so different from one another, sit side by side naturally as they soak in the tub.
Every single movement gives the impression that they unconsciously respect each other, while at the same time fitting perfectly into their own spaces. It’s the kind of interaction that could only come from knowing each other for a very long time and on a deep level. I just get that feeling.
Satsuki looked up at the moon with a pensive expression.

“Ahh, this water feels so good.”
“Satsuki, you really love hot springs, don’t you?”
“Yes, I always have. …Arje-chan.”
“…Ah, yes.”

Since the atmosphere felt as if they were in a world of their own, I was slow to react when suddenly addressed.
Satsuki-san said nothing about my delayed reaction; rather, she smiled gently. Then she waved at Kuzuha-chan and called out to her.

“Kuzuha-chaaan!”
“Yes. What is it, Satsuki-san?”

Kuzuha-chan, having been called, came over toward us, her tails dragging behind her as she splashed through the bathwater. They seemed quite heavy from having absorbed so much water.
As Kuzuha-chan approached, Satsuki-san nodded with satisfaction and said,

“Have you two decided where you’re going next?”
“……We’re planning to stay here for a few days, and then head to the capital. Is that okay, Kuzuha-chan?”
“Yes. No problem at all!”
“Is that so… Well then, shall we go together?”
“Huh?”
“You see, we actually live in the capital. So, since we’re here anyway, I thought maybe we could go together… Right, Iris?”
“Yeah. That’s the first I’ve heard of it, but why not?”

It’s a level of mutual understanding that feels far too casual, but I suppose this is just normal for them.
That’s not the case for me, though. We’re still at a stage where we have so much to talk about. When I glanced at Kuzuha-chan, she cheerfully raised her hand and spoke up.

“I’ll go wherever you want to go, Arje-san. If you’d like someone to come along, I think that’s fine too.”
“…I see. Well then, Satsuki-san, Iris-san. May I ask us to come with you?”
“Of course, we’d be happy to.”
“Yeah. Count on us.”

Kuzuha probably knows the way to the capital, but since they live there, it seems best to rely on these two to show me around the capital itself.
They’re both vampires, and since they’re comfortable venturing deep into the mountains like this, it’s safe to assume they both possess a certain level of strength.
It’ll make things easier if we get attacked by monsters along the way, so I might as well take them up on their offer.
With those practical thoughts in mind, I took the hands offered to me by both Satsuki and Iris. Kuzuha-chan did the same, shaking hands with both of them.
Satsuki’s grip was enveloping, while Iris touched me without hesitation. I found it a little amusing that even in this small way, the two of them were so completely different.