Mira began feeling dizzy after a while, probably due to their long conversation. She stood up and went to a corner to wash herself, grabbing a small stool and wood bucket on her way.

After she filled the bucket with hot water and soaked a towel in it, she noticed her hair suddenly come loose.

「What is it, do you still need something?」

Mira turned around and looked up, seeing Aselia carefully folding the ribbon that once held Mira’s hair in place. Looking at her from below also accentuated her bountiful breasts.

「Well, you did tell me a very valuable story. Washing your hair and back is the least I can do to return the favor!」

Their conversation had gone into many tangents as they spoke, but Aselia’s first reason to approach Mira had been an overlap between Mira and Aselia’s little sister. That reason was still valid now, but Aselia chose to find an excuse instead.

She had a very different personality compared to Mariana, but somehow Mira thought they sounded similar, mostly due to the slightly high tone with which they spoke to her. Then again, Mira also enjoyed having someone else washing her hair, so she had no reason to refuse Aselia’s offer.

「Do as you wish.」

Hearing Mira consent, she happily grabbed a nearby shower head and began washing Mira’s hair. Her fingers seemed used to that action, the tips barely touching Mira’s scalp, which tickled slightly but also felt pleasant making her close her eyes.
That way, Aselia could satisfy her sisterly desires, while Mira could relax and not worry about anything.

With her body fully washed and cooled down, Mira entered the bath again, silently staring at the garden.

The bamboo beats sounding in regular intervals gave a strong Japanese ambiance to the bath, which Mira relished until she started feeling light-headed again.

One hour and a half passed since Mira arrived at the bath, she finally felt satisfied.

(I guess it’s time to get out and grab dinner.)

Mira timed her steps to the next beat of the bamboo, which Aselia also imitated going out of the bath together with her. When Mira began wiping her body with a towel, Aselia violently rubbed her body with a towel which she moved around like a nunchuck, finishing as soon as she could.

After that, the two left that room together.

When they reached the changing room, Aselia sped through the other clients, heading to a locker in a corner of the room.

Mira went to a large mirror that was placed there, carefully watching herself as she dried her hair with concept magic. She was impressed all over again seeing how quickly the water evaporated.

(What a bizarre sight.)

Her hair that moments before was soaked wet and was a disheveled mess, transformed into silky strands in just a few seconds. She lightly flung her hair, which fluttered in the air like powder snow before landing on her luscious skin. Her eyes were focused on the mirror, watching her bewitchingly cute appearance, as she gently moved some strands of hair to the front to cover her chest. Then she nodded in satisfaction.

「Man, am I sexy.」

It was like she had discovered herself anew.

Next Mira took off the key to her locker and opened it to get a towel. The fabric felt really comfortable, which she enjoyed the most through her soft after-bath skin.

「Oh, you haven’t changed yet?」

Aselia had changed as fast as she could, and now she appeared in front of Mira again, holding a small basket under her arm. She was wearing a soft violet yukata, which was not fastened around her waist exposing more of her skin, which to Mira looked even more lustful than when she was naked.

「Ah… mm, not yet…」

After a quick glance at Aselia, Mira looked away and took her basket from her Item Box, fishing out underwear from it. When Aselia saw that basket appear out of thin air, like it was some trick, she got extremely excited again.

「That’s so cool! You took that out of the Item Box from your Operator’s Bracelet, right? That’s amazing… I want to have one soon too…」

After a while Mira returned the basket to her Item Box, her cheeks slightly flushed as Aselia caressed her silver bracelet. To Aselia, a rank C adventurer, the Operator’s Bracelet was something akin to a proof of higher levels, and in a way, it was the embodiment of her goals.

「Anyway, I’d like to change now.」
「Oh, sorry sorry.」

Hearing that, Aselia let go of Mira’s wrist, 「I’ll get one soon too」 she said while taking a step back. Mira had given her a tangible goal, so she was more motivated than ever, smiling broadly while shaking her fist in the air. Mira liked her motivated spirits, silently rooting for her in her mind.

「Huh? You won’t wear a yukata?」

Seeing Mira take her usual dress from the locker, Aselia asked her puzzled.

「Well, I don’t really own one, you see.」

Hearing that, Aselia quickly ran to the other side of the changing room, towards a large shelf placed there. She looked through whatever was there, picking something up and returning with the same swiftness with which she had left.

「I think this is around your size.」

She handed Mira a yukata of a light green color.

「Are you sure I can use this?」
「Yeah, they’re there for you to use.」

Those were clothes provided by the inn, placed in the changing rooms. Aselia explained that not only were there yukatas of all sizes, but some had small modifications to accommodate people of other races, like Meous with their tails. Mira put the yukata on while being impressed by the service provided.

(Anyway… how do I put this on?)

Mira was visiting a rather unique inn, so wearing a yukata during her stay made perfect sense. The only problem was her lack of knowledge on how to wear those traditional Japanese robes.

Figuring she could just wear it like any bathrobe, Mira flung it around her and stuck her arms through the sleeves. Aselia had picked well, the yukata fitting Mira’s frame perfectly without being too long or too short. Then she wrapped the band around her and fastened it with a belt.

「Wait, it’s the other way around.」

Saying that, Aselia stood in front of Mira and carefully fixed Mira’s yukata, straightening the wrinkled sleeves and other parts while she was at it. She finished it by tying the belt around her again, then she took a step back and looked at Mira.

「Alright, that’s how it should look.」

After looking up and down along Mira’s body, Aselia gently patted her head. That was another act out of sisterly instinct, which Aselia did not even realize she was doing. Mira felt like she was being treated like a child, but seeing the longing and nostalgic look on Aselia’s face made her accept it without complaining.

(I can’t let little things bother me. I’m an adult after all.)

Fully clothed, they left the changing room, coming out to a large space with small souvenir stores and ping-pong tables set. Many guests were there, spending a relaxing and calm time after soaking in the bath. The way everything was illuminated with the soft light of paper lanterns made the scene resemble Mira’s old world so much that she almost began to doubt she was still in that new world. Amidst that, she picked up a certain item she knew well, a flat circle fixed to a pole.

(This is identical to the rackets we had there…the owner of this place is definitely a former player.)

Mira was convinced that such a faithful reproduction of old architecture, ambiance and recreational events could only come from the brain of someone who lived in that other world.

Mira was impressed with that former player, not only for the elaborate reproduction of such an inn, but also for conserving the culture of that world, which Mira relished there.

「Mira, you can have this, for earlier. There’s nothing better than this after a bath.」

Aselia came back from a quick visit to the nearby shop, handing Mira one of the bottles she bought.

「Ohh, it’s pretty cold!」

The bottle had a ‘Coffee Milk’ label written in brown letters. That was also something common to have after a bath.

「Ah, say, do you wanna play a few rounds?」

When Aselia saw what Mira was holding, she narrowed her eyes and looked at Mira as if a predacious bird eyeing its prey.

「Well, not really.」

She replied, returning the racket to the table. As soon as it left her hands, Aselia’s attitude returned to normal.

「You know how to play though?」
「Of course, I’m pretty good at it actually!」

Aselia picked up a racket and did a practice swing, producing a clear sound through the resistance between the flat racket and air. At the same time, the deep valley on her chest seemed to tremble like an earthquake. Mira watched her satisfied, which Aselia met with an innocent smile.

「You’ve played before as well?」
「Well, somewhat. Though you seem quite knowledgeable around here. You also know how to properly wear a yukata…do you come here often?」

Yukatas, coffee milk and ping-pong after a bath, those things were not usual in that world. But Aselia seemed very accustomed to it all. Mira enjoyed seeing how knowledgeable Aselia was about her native culture.

「It’s my first time in this inn, though Japanese-style buildings are really common.」
「Japanese style, you say…」
「Yeah, I like it a lot. There’s this serene and calm feeling to it, it always makes me feel at ease. I also learned how to wear kimonos. My master taught it all to me, and ahh, I call master the person who introduced me to it.」

Aselia sounded happy talking about it all, showing just how much she liked it. Mira was surprised to hear that her culture had permeated that world and was known as ‘Japanese Style’, while also being glad to hear how familiar Aselia was about it. In a way, it was a similar feeling to meeting a Japanophile tourist.

「Anyway, let’s hurry while the drinks are cold. This is how you do it, first you put your hand to your hip like this, and tilt the bottle up to drink it all.」

As she spoke, Aselia took that pose. Her eyes were focused on Mira, inviting her to imitate her. Mira could not refuse that look, so she forced a smile and copied Aselia’s pose, which she had seen before. Standing with a certain distance between both feet, left hand to the hip and tilting the bottle up to drink it all in one go.

(I’m pretty sure this isn’t a common thing to do though…)

While blaming Aselia’s master in her mind, Mira drank the sweet coffee milk.

「Mira, are you taking a train tomorrow too?」
「Yes, I am.」
「I guessed as much. Where are you going?」
「To Alis. And you? You’ve stopped thinking about a spirit sword and will look for a shield instead, yes?」

Having finished their drinks, the two went to place the empty bottles in a bin next to the shop, talking about their future plans as they did that. Almost everyone staying in the inns close to the station was planning on taking the train the next day, Aselia had mentioned she was headed towards Ozstein earlier. But that was still when she wanted to buy a spirit sword, and after talking with Mira she had settled on getting a Red Gem Shield instead. So there was no reason for her to go there anymore.

「I’ve decided I’ll go somewhere closer to His Majesty Solomon, in Lunatic Lake. I heard the markets there also sell elemental tools, so maybe I’ll find the shield there.」
「Ohh, I didn’t know there was such a place.」

Mira had still to visit the entirety of the capital city, and hearing that she smiled while adding the market to her list of places to visit.

「Also, will you tell me more about Solomon once I achieve rank C?」

She sounded slightly reserved asking that, though her eyes were very hopeful.

「Sure. Then to celebrate when you get there, I’ll tell you what Solomon used to do to train.」
「Really?! Thank you! I’ll do my best then!」

Hearing even more than she hoped for, Aselia jumped with joy, Mira’s eyes glued to her cleavage that shuffled slightly open from the movement.

「I’ve also noticed that you seem to travel alone, are you sure you’ll be safe?」
「Mhm, I can handle it.」

Mira looked away in a sly manner, trying to not arouse any suspicion. She was getting more brazen over time, but it was still hard for her to maintain a conversation while her eyes were distracted.

「Are you going to Alis for some request? Won’t you be lonely all the way there?」

Mira had already achieved a high rank, so that said enough about her power. On top of that, she was a celestial, which meant Mira was much older than Aselia. But her sisterly worries were too strong, making her ask that even if there was no real need for it.

Hearing her worried question, 「No need to worry. I won’t lose to any younglings.」 She replied with a presumptuous smile.

「Well, see you around then!」
「Mm, until we meet again.」

They agreed to contact each other through the Spellcaster’s Union when the time came, and Aselia left while jumping with happiness. She recalled there was a book on how to maintain shields at the bottom of her luggage, so she wanted to read that as soon as possible.

Mira watched her until she disappeared past a corner, then went to look at a map of the establishment, placed on one of the walls.

(Where was my room again…)

She had just followed the waitress around, so she had no idea where she had come from. She looked through the map trying to find the Sky Room, which was the same name written on her key.

Once she found it and traced the route there from the bathhouse, Mira finally left.

When Mira returned to her room, the waitress was already placing her dinner on the table. Looking up, she recognized Mira.

「Welcome back. Dinner is almost ready, just give me a minute.」
「Okay.」

She continued offloading items from a tray as she spoke. Mira nodded slightly and sat down. The colorful plates were all made of ceramic, which looked beautiful even to someone without art knowledge.

So far the table held basic items like pickled vegetables and fried eggs.

Mira waited expectantly for the rest, her eyes following the waitress’ tail. Then a voice came from the corridor outside, and the main dishes were brought in. There was tempura, miso soup, a stew, and a bowl of white rice.

Mira’s chest was filled with a sense of nostalgia as she saw all those familiar dishes, even their plating being gorgeous and representable of Japanese cuisine.

「Should I introduce the dishes?」
「Yes please!」

With everything placed on the table, the Meou waitress asked Mira. She was very much looking forward to that as well, wondering what ingredients had been used in this world to recreate the dishes, so she replied immediately.

「Let’s start from here then. These are Garden Bird eggs, mixed with a broth of smoked Black Tuna and then fried. The bowl next to it is a dish called yamatoni, made of Frost Bison meat cooked in soy sauce, brown sugar, and ginger.」

She eloquently described each dish, going into detail about the ingredients and cooking methods, almost as if she had cooked everything herself.

When that was done, the Meou waitress began talking about things that were not directly related to the food as well. Like how the star of the inn’s meals, their freshly caught fish, had to be brought from the sea far away and it was always a rough process, and lamented that while dried products still were tasty, they could not compare to the fresh deal.

Another waitress that helped bring the food had to step in and force her to stop talking when that happened.

「Anyway, I hope the food is to your liking. Ring the bell there once you’re done and we’ll come to take the dishes away. Enjoy your meal.」

The other waitress bowed deeply to Mira and then dragged the Meou waitress out of the Sky Room. When the door closed behind them, Mira heard a low 「How many times do we have to tell you to stop that!」 and an 「I’m sorryyy」 from across the thin paper walls.

Mira looked towards one side of the room, looking for that bell the waitress mentioned. First, she saw a hanging scroll with ‘Self Control’ written on it, then some flowers arranged colorfully, and to the side of that, a bell similar to the one Solomon used to call Suleyman.

By the time Mira found that, she also had to desperately wipe the table.

(Self Control…! That’s not something you should write on a scroll like that!)

It was written with excessively elaborate calligraphy as well, which made it look very comical. That had made Mira spit out the miso soup she was drinking.

There were no major issues after all, and Mira was able to fully enjoy the Japanese cuisine she had missed so dearly.

She poured some hot water from a metal container into a teapot, watching the tea leaves slowly float inside, and after a while, she poured some tea into a cup. After a satisfying whiff of tea scent, she took a sip but quickly stuck her tongue out.

「It’s hot…」

Mira waited a bit for her tongue to cool and then finished her meal, taking a deep breath afterward. She flicked the bell after that, and while she heard no sound, it had definitely worked as the two waitresses soon appeared to collect the empty plates.

「Your bed is in the adjoining room. Please use the bell when you wake up tomorrow morning, we’ll bring you breakfast then.」
「Alright.」

The Meou waitress went and slid a door open, showing Mira a bed ready for her to slip in and sleep. A magnificent dragon was painted on it, which made Mira feel like she would sleep soundly on it.

When the waitresses were done cleaning up, Mira served herself a second cup of tea and drank it. After that Mira yawned widely and stretched.

「I guess it’s time to sleep.」

She muttered standing up. Through another door, she went to the bathroom to wash her hands, but was impressed to see a proper Japanese toilet installed there as well.
Once she had thoroughly washed her hands, she took the amenity toothbrush placed for her and got ready for bed.

When she was ready, Mira slipped into the bed and lay face up for a while, then she turned her head to the side and looked outside through the window with a wooden frame. It was late at night so everything was silent around her, but the stars still looked busy twinkling at her. Once she closed her eyes, there was only stillness. There was a fragrant scent lingering in the air, and her soft breathing was the only sound she heard.

Wrapped in soft blankets, Mira’s breathing became longer as she fell asleep.