Chapter 37: Steamy Hot Springs
The following morning...
I bid farewell to Mei with a passionate kiss and, guided by the classic maid named Lori, made my way to the back of the annex.
During the night, my adventurer level had increased by one, but there was something more important now!
I aimed for the hot springs, yes, the hot springs.
After all, it's the essence of Japan, right? As someone reincarnated as a Japanese person, when I become successful in this world, I definitely want to live in a house with hot springs. Not a rabbit hutch.
The hot springs produced by Gen-san were a typical Japanese-style onsen, enclosed by rocks of various sizes. Castles and bridges are European, though.
First, I washed off the dirt from my body at the washing area and immediately soaked up to my shoulders.
Forget about the hot springs, I hadn't even taken a bath since coming to this world, so without realizing it, I stretched my body out and floated around, enjoying the paradise. There wasn't a maid specifically for backwashing, but it was nice to relax in a leisurely manner.
Last night, I was completely captivated by Mei-neesan's high-level skills, but it was also amazing. After all, I hardly remember anything about the night with Cecily, so this feels like the real thing. I'm glad to be alive. No, I died, but...
I've come a long way when I think about it.
Suddenly, an icy coldness reminiscent of the Ice Age drifted onto my back while I was spending such blissful moments.
(I'm jealous...)
Telepathy squeezed my heart inside the hot spring.
...I cautiously turned around.
Through the steam, with a towel draped around her body, Lina was looking at me with absolute zero eyes.
"Ri-Rina-chan? Sh-Shouldn't we get out soon...?"
(I've been dirtied...)
It feels like a drama.
A chilly wind blew from somewhere and swayed Lina's golden hair.
"Th-That's not true, it's not like that."
My lines sounded completely wooden.
(So, clean me up properly!)
Lina threw herself at me in the hot spring, rather than embracing me.
And then she pushed me down into the water, straddled me, and started by slapping me lightly with an open hand, and gradually switched to closed fists, hitting me warmly. It escalated quickly and the hostility became palpable.
S-Stop, it hurts, and more importantly, I can't breathe! I drank the water! H-Help... I'm going to die...
With a start, I realized that Lina was displaying her terrifying strength, and she had dragged me out of the water and into the washing area.
"Wash me!"
She commanded loudly as if she had suddenly become a queen.
Then she thrust a soap-like object, presumably provided there, and a towel she had been wearing against me.
"Scrub! Put more strength into it!!"
Until just a moment ago, I was in a dreamy state, but now I'm Sansuke.
As commanded by Lina, I polished her whole body from behind and from the front. Her body, which has nothing, feels like I'm washing a mannequin, but let's stop it from squirming and sighing occasionally. It might make me feel strange.
After having her entire body and hair washed twice each, Lina finally started to calm down.
"It was terrible, you know? Suddenly ○○ with ××, and △△ with slurp slurp slurp slurp..."
N-No, you don't have to say it. Please don't say it. I don't want to imagine it.
"That's enough, stop it, please!"
"Are you jealous?"
For some reason, Lina's mood improved a little.
"I won't do it again, I promise!"
"Next time you make me go through something like that, I'll make you share the sensation too, okay?"
Ugh! That's impossible, absolutely impossible! Wait, when Lina was slashed or hit with a wooden sword, the sensation was shared, I forgot about that. What kind of terrible thing have I done?
I'm not sure why it didn't happen this time though.
"I'm sorry, I won't do it again!"
I apologized profusely. I can't stand the feeling of being touched by a middle-aged naked man.
Afterwards, I was led by a maid and joined Gen-san for breakfast, but Lina shrank on her own and retreated into a leather bag. Well, it's fine since Lina doesn't eat.
Gen-san seemed a bit dissatisfied, but perhaps remembering the fun we had last night, he chuckled and stopped. Please, stop it, it's seriously creepy...
Well, we have parts that don't match at all, and honestly, he's a creepy old man, but we strangely had a lot to talk about when it came to our favorite games, anime, and sci-fi movies.
And he generously taught me things about this world and useful know-how for reincarnated individuals. It was honestly helpful, and it's not like it benefits him in any way.
Thinking about it, he doesn't seem like a bad guy at his core.
And speaking of strange things, I noticed another strange thing.
When I asked Gen-san for his date of birth, it turned out that we were only seven years apart. Isn't that an odd coincidence?
Gen-san was reincarnated into this world at the age of 23, which was 13 years ago.
If Gen-san died when he was 23, that means I was 16 at that time. Since I died two years later, Gen-san should only be 25 now.
But the fact that he is now 36 means that 13 years have passed in this world during the two years from the world I originally belonged to. Should I consider it as a time difference of 11 years in the "jumped" time?
"Did you notice?"
Gen-san had a serious expression on his face, not his usual grin. Honestly, this kind of demeanor isn't creepy, and I think it would even raise his likability if he were always like this. But coming from someone like me, it's not convincing at all.
"According to my hypothesis, this is what's happening."
Adjusting his glasses, he carefully chose his words.
"When we come to this world, we are also moving along the timeline."
It's becoming a bit sci-fi.
"While we are reincarnated in different spatial locations from where we were before, in terms of time, some individuals appear in this era, while others appeared in the history of this world a hundred or two hundred years ago. The chronological order of the year we were in our original world doesn't necessarily correspond to the year of our reincarnation. It's non-linear. Perhaps the biggest mystery of this world is hidden there."
***
Gen-san, or Lord Gents, as he is known in his territory, named this city in the heart of his domain Baden-Baden.
Of course, he named it when he developed it.
When I asked about the origin, it turns out there is a famous spa town in Germany called Baden-Baden, and it is called "Baden-Baden" in the local dialect.
Of course, he thoroughly searched for a place with hot springs before acquiring the territory.
He must really love hot springs. I do too.
Alright, if I become a noble with my own territory in the future, I'll name it something like "Kusatsu" or "Beppu."
While being rocked in the carriage with Mei, I was thinking about such things.
Inside the carriage were a silver sword and a set of arrows with silver tips that Gen-san said he would lend me until the completion of the labyrinth conquest. There was also a wooden box containing weapons for undead and gold coins.
I was secretly looking forward to returning to Suctari while being close to Mei, but for some reason, as soon as I got on the carriage, Lina became life-sized and sat next to me without yielding, while Mei sat across with an adult smile.
On the coachman's seat sat a level 11 coachman, and around the carriage were about ten cavalrymen serving as escorts. They were all level 10 or above.
Oh, by the way, Mei herself is a level 24 merchant. She's not just a seductive beauty.
"No need for such modesty. I'm nowhere near your feet, my lord. I'm still in the midst of learning," she said, modestly, but I think negotiating with people like them and dealing with the people in Suctari must be quite burdensome.
This level of a woman, who probably has the ability as well, willingly interacts with and even sends someone like me, a beginner whom she probably doesn't even prefer, isn't she dissatisfied?
"No, no, I can't provide details, but I receive unimaginable rewards elsewhere, and if I fulfill the contracted period, they will also support me when I become independent."
So it's a give-and-take situation. Well, that's fine then.
When I arrived at Lord Scutari's mansion in the afternoon, whether it was because the gatekeeper had been informed by Truma running around or not, Sebastian, a butler-like figure, came out to greet us.
Of course, not me, but Mei, the proxy of Lord Gents.
"I have come as the proxy of Lord Gents. I am Mei, the seventh secretary."
She greeted him with a perfect, flawless, yet not overly polite demeanor that indicated she was capable and all business. There was not a trace of the sweet atmosphere that had entertained me before. Truly impressive.
I was instructed by Sebastian to wait in another room for the time being, while Mei was escorted to Carrena's office.
In the waiting room, Zagoo secretly approached and shook my hand, saying apologetically, "You did well, you saved me."
It's good to know that I was able to repay him for teaching me the sword.
Besides, I had a lot of fun afterwards, and I obtained various valuable information from Mr. Genn, so it was a very fulfilling day for me.
Mei received a signature on a loan agreement from Carrena, then passed on instructions regarding the use of anti-undead weapons to the executives, and proceeded to browse through catalogs of products within the territory. After that, she guided the territorial troops for inspection, seamlessly managing a schedule with a remarkable density, and then hugged me before leaving in the evening.
For some reason, that night, Lina insisted on sleeping in her actual size and forcefully squeezed into my bed.
"It's cramped, isn't it?" I protested, but she replied in a monotone voice, "Yesterday was a treat, right?" and I couldn't argue back.
Well, it's true that last night, thanks to Lina, I had a lot of gains. It's like sleeping next to a child, right?
Transparent? Well, I'm fine with it. I'm not a DT, so I'm relaxed.
While still attached to Lina's cool, soft vinyl skin, I recalled Genn saying, "My goal is to ensure that I can live comfortably in every aspect of my life."
"What do I want to do in this world? How would I live once I'm freed from slavery?"
"What can I even do?"
With these thoughts in mind, I fell asleep, seriously contemplating them for the first time.