by Ennki Hakari
“Wait, you mean you were just wandering around the forest this whole time?” Ariane looked like she couldn’t believe her own ears.
I could hardly argue with her criticism. She was right to be angry.
“I’m sorry. I became fixated on getting back and completely forgot about my objective. Let’s head in that direction and see if we can find something.” I pointed off toward the Anetto Mountains, barely visible through a gap in the trees.
I handed the sleeping Ponta over to Ariane and, before she could protest, used Dimensional Step to teleport off into the forest once more. I hoped that fox’s sleeping face would have a calming effect on Ariane while I searched for a teleportation landmark.
About ten minutes later, I found myself in a small clearing. A large boulder jutted out of the grass in its center. Off to its side, a massive tree sprouted up, its branches practically hugging the boulder. This seemed like a good enough landmark.
The tree stood tall, as if it ruled the entire clearing, keeping away any other trees or branches that would dare invade its space.
If such a tree were found in Japan, it would without a doubt be surrounded by decorative ropes and talismans and treated as a holy spot.
“Well, I think this’ll do the trick.”
I committed the spot to memory. It was certainly an impressive sight, so it wasn’t too difficult to memorize every detail. I started back.
The sky above, or what little I could see through the dense tree cover, was covered in dark clouds. Heavy raindrops began to fall. I looked up at the weeping heavens and wondered if we might need to put off our trip after returning to Lalatoya. It would all depend on the weather.
I hurried back to Ariane and Ponta using Dimensional Step.
When I emerged from the bushes, Ariane’s face was buried in Ponta’s soft, fuzzy stomach, rubbing her face back and forth.
“Aww, Ponta! Your belly’s soooo soft!”
“Kyuu kyuu!”
Ariane spoke with an uncharacteristically cutesy voice as she rubbed her face back and forth. Ponta cried in delight as it twisted about, probably ticklish from her nuzzling.
I watched in silence until Ariane finally noticed me.
“Oh, uh, Arc! Well, you were pretty fast this time. Did you, uh, find a landmark?”
Her amethyst cheeks took on a pink hue that I could see even from this distance. She stammered as she spoke, clearly embarrassed. I was excited to have caught a glimpse of her softer side, but I strove to keep my cool.
“Yes, there’s a great location not too far from here. Depending on the weather, we may want to call it a day after we take the haunted wolves back to Lalatoya.”
Ariane cleared her throat and nodded coolly at my suggestion, returning to form. Her cheeks, however, were still flushed a delicate shade of pink. “You’re probably right. Since you can teleport us, there’s no need to rush back into the woods if the weather’s bad.”
Ariane used her spirit magic to fill the shallow pit she’d dug to collect the blood from the wolves dangling above it. I helped her remove the wolves from the branch and line them up on the ground.
The creatures were a little lighter now that their blood had been drained. I was impressed that Ariane had been able to lift them onto the branch by herself…and before draining them, at that.
Ponta slapped at the haunted wolves’ noses with its front paws, getting in a few good blows. Apparently, the fox got a burst of courage when its opponents were no longer moving.
“Well, off to Lalatoya. I’ll give you a good belly-nuzzle later, Ponta.”
“Kyiii!”
Ariane elbowed me hard in the side. When I turned, her arms were crossed and she was looking in the other direction. Even from behind, though, I could tell she was puffing out her cheeks.
Well, at least Ponta had been happy about my offer. The fox resumed its place back atop my helmet as I summoned my spell.
“Transport Gate!”
I was more careful this time, since we also had three large haunted wolves to bring with us. The pillar of light that appeared at my feet had grown from its usual three meters in diameter to four, to accommodate the added cargo. The world turned black, and the next instant, we were out of the forest and standing in front of the large tree house we’d left the previous morning. We’d made it back to Lalatoya safe and sound.
I looked down and, sure enough, the haunted wolves had teleported with us.
Apparently, if I focused a little harder when summoning Transport Gate, I could create a larger pillar and bring things along with me. That could prove rather useful. Of course, I’d need to practice more in order to perfect the technique.
“The rain’s falling pretty hard here.”
Ariane was right—what had started as a light drizzle in the forest was already a full-blown downpour in Lalatoya. If I didn’t get out of the rain soon, my armor might fill up and start sounding like a water xylophone.
“Arc, can you wait at my house for a bit? I’m going to get some help to carry and skin the wolves.”
She didn’t bother waiting for a reply before running off into the village.
I took another look at the beasts lying at my feet.
The wolves’ tails were no longer the pale white I’d seen in the forest. They were now glowing a distinct white-blue. It looked rather mystical out here under the cloud-covered sky. A veil made from these would truly be a sight to behold.
Ponta must have been soaked through, because I could feel it trying to shake the accumulated water from its fur.
“I’m so sorry. Let’s get you out of the rain.”
I knocked on the door to the tree house. A voice asked who it was and, after I replied, a confused-looking Glenys appeared.
“Oh, Arc. You’re certainly back early.”
“Well, Miss Ariane has acquired a present for her sister’s wedding, so we came to drop it off.”
Glenys’s gaze fell on the beasts lying in the garden. “Haunted wolves? That’s quite impressive. And three of them, at that!” She looked up at the coursing rain. “Please, come inside. I assume Ariane went off to make a deal with the hunters?”
“I believe so. Thank you for your kindness.”
I stepped across the threshold and followed Glenys up to the second floor, where she poured me a cup of hot tea. I removed my drenched helmet and sipped at my drink. The liquid was light brown and tasted just like straight black tea.
Ponta sat on the chair next to me and licked its soaked fur, trying to straighten out its coat. Around my third cup of tea, the fox drifted off to sleep.
“Well, Ariane’s certainly taking her time. Why don’t you stay here for the night? It’s raining pretty heavily now.”
I looked out the dining room window. Just as she’d said, the rain was falling in sheets, hammering against the glass panes. Even though it was only around four o’clock, it was already pitch-black outside.
It would probably be some time before Ariane returned, so I figured this was a good opportunity to fulfill the dream I’d been harboring for a while now.
“Miss Glenys, I hear that you have a bath here. Would it be possible for me to use it? I’d be more than happy to pay for any costs associated with heating the water.”
“The bath? Of course I don’t mind! But please don’t worry about paying me. Do you…need a bath?” Glenys easily acquiesced to my impassioned plea, though she looked slightly perplexed. “Well, I guess it doesn’t really matter. Why don’t you wash little Ponta while you’re at it?”
“Of course. Ponta could use a good scrubbing.”
I picked the slumbering cottontail fox up and followed Glenys down to a secluded bathhouse off the first floor. The place sat in the shadow of the large tree, obscuring it from the building’s entrance.
Water was collected from a small creek and heated using a stove embedded in the massive wooden bath. However, the stove itself appeared to be magical, relying on stones for fuel, which gave it a rather modern appearance. Glen
ys told me that these same magical water heaters were also common among human nobles.
After she left, Ponta and I took a nice long bath. Once my weary bones had warmed up, I made my way back into the house. Just as we were sitting down to a glass of cold tea and dinner with Glenys, Ariane appeared in the dining room.
She looked taken aback to find me dressed in a traditional elven robe with Ponta sitting atop my bare skull.
“You’ve certainly made yourself at home.”
“A bath works wonders on both mind and body!”
Lacking any skin or muscle tissue on my skull, I wasn’t sure the face I was making looked like a proper smile, but Ariane seemed to pick up on it.
“That’s good to hear.”
Then she puffed out her cheeks, as if she’d suddenly remembered something.
“I’m locking the door to the bath from now on, just so you know!”
Side Story:
Arc and Ponta’s Bathtime Adventure
I got permission from Ariane’s mother to use the bath. It was the first chance I’d had to wash myself since coming to this world.
I followed Glenys through the house, cradling a snoring Ponta in my arms. When she opened a door down on the first floor, I was greeted by a walkway that ran through the backyard to a small building. The walkway had a roof to keep the rain off, but it lacked walls, giving me a perfect view of the backyard.
A changing room was waiting for me behind another wooden door. Off to my right stood a series of shelves packed with baskets made of interweaved vines, containing various supplies. It looked a lot like a changing room in a traditional public bathhouse back in Japan.
Glenys pulled out one of the baskets, which contained some neatly folded clothes.
“You can put these on when you’re done with the bath. It must be tiring to always wear that armor, no?”
She held out an elven robe—the same that she herself was wearing—marked with a unique crest on the back.
“Much appreciated.”
Glenys showed me how to tie it closed using a leather belt connected to the back. After giving me a quick rundown on how the bath worked, she left me and Ponta alone in the changing room so she could start preparing dinner.
Ponta let out a yawn and glanced around the room, waking up at last.
“Let’s clean you up, buddy.”
“Kyi?”
The fox tilted its head to the side in confusion. I chuckled.
I removed my gleaming Belenus Holy Armor and placed it piece by piece onto the changing room floor. There was no way it would fit into any of the baskets.
Ponta ran around and through the pieces of my armor as if they were some sort of obstacle course.
Once I’d taken everything off, I was completely bare. Even though there was nothing for me to hide on my skeletal body, I still used a small towel to cover the area where my private parts would have been.
“Huh. So…it’s just like a normal bathhouse in here?”
I picked Ponta up by the scruff of the neck and set it on my shoulder.
The changing room was connected to the bath by large frosted-glass doors. The sight that greeted me on the other side was quite impressive.
“Whoa!”
The floor of the bathing area was made of textured stones. Off to my right was a bath surrounded by square posts made of exquisite wood. A light steam rose off the surface of the water. To my left, a large mirror hung from the wall, probably for washing up before entering the bath. On the ground were several stools and some wooden pails. A metal pipe jutted from the ceiling with something that looked awfully like a showerhead affixed to the end. The whole bath area was doused in warm light from a series of crystal lamps embedded in the ceiling.
For a moment, I felt like I was in the bath of a traditional Japanese inn, completely forgetting that I was in another world.
I made my way to the washing area—it was customary to clean yourself before entering the bath—and removed my towel. I twisted the bulb halfway up the U-shaped pipe and was greeted with a shower of warm water.
“Kyi! Kyiiii!”
Surprised at the sudden spray, Ponta dove off my shoulder and ran to the corner of the room. It shook its whole body, trying to get the water out of its fur.
I realized it might be a bit of a hard sell to get a wild creature like Ponta to enjoy a shower. I decided to worry about the fox later and focus on my own body first.
Warm water flowed over my skull, dripping down my lower jaw and through my empty ribcage. It continued down my spine to my pelvis, where it drained out onto the floor.
It was a very peculiar sensation, almost like urinating. But I let the water wash over my entire body, enjoying the warmth seeping into my bones.
“This feels so good!” I threw my arms out and yelled without thinking.
The green cottontail fox tensed in the corner of the room, but I didn’t pay it much mind.
My gaze wandered to the top of the shelves in front of me. A hard, round, green object sat in a wooden box. I brought it up to my nose and give it a whiff. The scent of herbs assaulted me—apparently this was some kind of soap.
I tried to work up a lather, but it was practically impossible without any flesh on my hands. The soap simply scraped against my bones.
I glanced over to Ponta, who was starting to show some interest in the bath, dipping its front feet into the water and splashing around. Watching Ponta’s beautiful green fur coat sway from side to side gave me an idea. The fox was too fixated on the bath to notice as I walked up behind it, snatching it up with my left hand. I used my right hand to draw some water into the wooden pail I’d brought with me and promptly dumped it over Ponta.
“Kyiiiiiiii?!”
Ponta’s delicate, poofy green fur was now sopping wet and clung close to its body, making the fox look half its normal size. I splashed water over my tense companion a few more times, until it looked like a deflated balloon.
I took Ponta back with me to the washing area and began rubbing the soap into its fur.
“Let’s wash you up, huh?”
I gave Ponta a thorough scrub, working up a nice, thick lather of soap. My partner had transformed from a deflated furball into a loofah. The fox looked up at me with uncertain eyes, so I leaned in and blew on it, sending bubbles flying off into the air. One of them floated all the way up to the ceiling and caught the light of the crystal lamps, casting a rainbow down upon us.
“Kweee!”
Excited by the show, Ponta batted its paws around, trying to catch the bubbles as they drifted through the air. The more it moved, the more bubbles went flying off. Ponta—a giant bubble in its own right—took off after the rainbow-colored spheres that floated about the room.
I looked down at the bubbles in my hand and smiled. It had all gone according to plan.
As I worked the lather from Ponta into my skeletal frame, I reminded myself to ask Glenys if they had a brush or something for future baths. I couldn’t keep using Ponta like this.
I let my gaze drift downward, where I caught sight of a brush with a sponge made out of a gourd attached to the end. Somehow, I had totally overlooked this. Ponta seemed to be having fun playing with the bubbles, however, so I didn’t feel too bad. I’d just use the brush from now on.
I washed the soap from my body, shaping the last of the lather into an elaborate hairdo on top of my head. The skeleton that faced me in the mirror wore a soapy afro atop its head. If my soap hair were black, I’d look almost exactly like a musician from a certain popular pirate manga back in my world. I snickered to myself and turned around to show off my new appearance.
“Hey, Ponta, what do you thi—whoa!”
Ponta gave me a quick glance before summoning up a magical gust of wind and flying toward me. The spirit creature collided with my soap hair, its wind continuing on throughout the bathhouse, creating a tornado of bubbles.
“Kweeee! Kyiii!”
“It’s a bubble hurricane!”
Po
nta squealed as it tumbled about in its magic tornado. I got caught up in the excitement and threw out my own arms, twisting my skeletal body into various superhero poses in front of the mirror.
The room was now completely covered in bubbles.
A shiver ran up my spine as I thought of what Glenys would say to me if she found the bath like this. I could still see the smile on her face as she held the wooden practice sword out toward me. Yep, I definitely needed to make sure the place was spotless, or she might never let me use the bath again.
I filled a pail with water and splashed it across the floor and walls. I grabbed Ponta by the scruff of the neck as it tried to run past me and washed the soap from both of our bodies. Ponta growled low in its throat as the warm water splashed over it, apparently enjoying the sensation.
“Kyiiiiii…”
After cleaning up the room, I picked Ponta up and headed for the bath.
“Aaaaah…”
Barely any water splashed out as I slid into the water, thanks to how little space my bones actually took up. The warmth instantly seeped into me, causing me to let out an audible sigh. This, combined with the pleasant scent of the wood, completely relaxed me.
The bath itself was exquisitely put together—I couldn’t find a single seam, despite the fact that it was a perfect square. It had probably been made by the same artisans who’d built the wall surrounding the village.
I rested the back of my skull on the edge and let my body loosen up. Ponta wasn’t able to stand in the deep water, so I set it atop my ribs. After a few moments, the fox started doggy-paddling around the water, summoning up the occasional gust of wind to slide across the surface like a hovercraft.
I let out a loud yawn as I watched Ponta play. I probably looked like the skeleton of some long-forgotten person who’d died in the bath.
“I might just fall asleep right here.”
After finishing its game, Ponta glided back across the water to my chest and scrambled back atop my skull. It gave its entire body a massive shake, sending droplets of water in every direction.
“Hyak?! Blech! Cut that out, will ya?”