Mixed Bathing in Another Dimension: The Hero of the Unlimited Bath

by Nagaharu Hibihana

  “Why is that?”

  “If I did that, then I wouldn’t be able to look you straight in the face.” It made me really embarrassed to say this out loud, and I knew that my face had turned as red as a cherry.

  Haruno was also blushing to an extreme degree. “...It’s not fair for you to say something like that at a time like this,” Haruno said in a pouty tone, as she pursed her lips.

  “Really, I’m just telling you the truth!” I argued, desperate to get her to believe me.

  It was the bare, naked truth. Haruno’s face turned even redder as she looked downwards. It appeared that she believed me.

  With her head down, she started to speak. “The truth is, at first, you scared me. You know, when I asked you to let me into the Unlimited Bath.”

  “Oh... Yeah, I guess that makes sense, considering what happened.”

  “But then you told me that there was no need to hurry, remember? That’s when I realized you weren’t so scary after all.”

  Good. Seems like I made the right decision back there.

  “You did some really considerate things for Sera and I after that, as well.”

  “I just couldn’t ignore you,” I said, as I unconsciously averted my gaze. Now it was my turn to be embarrassed.

  As I flitted my eyes around, I caught Haruno smiling and looking back at me. “It’s been fun so far. Thank you very much. I was happy to get all the soap, too.”

  “No, the pleasure was all mine... I’m glad that that you got your beautiful hair back.”

  “It’s all thanks to your shampoo, Touya.” Haruno looked downward again. Seeing her thank me so politely left me at a loss. Then, she smiled, and her expression turned serious. “Touya, I have something important to ask you.”

  Bewildered at her sudden change in tone, I fixed my posture and got ready to listen to her. My Japanese instincts had me sitting cross-legged on my bed.

  Haruno looked deep into my eyes. I felt so nervous as I waited for her to open her mouth again.

  “Would you... like to bathe with me?”

  I fell off the bed. “You got all serious for that?!”

  “This is important! Extremely important! To me, at least!”

  “Well, that may be so, but come on, look at how tense the situation got!”

  “I just thought it’d be the proper atmosphere for what I was asking!”

  “Urk...” Haruno’s momentum had left me reeling.

  She had probably already figured out that I liked her. I hadn’t told her straight out, but I wasn’t hiding it, either. I didn’t know what was going on in Haruno’s mind, but if she considered the details surrounding my Unlimited Bath, there was no way she could feel indifferently to it. In other words, she was exactly right in approaching me this way.

  I sat up straight and answered her honestly. “I want to bathe with you.”

  As she listened to my words, Haruno turned her head down in embarrassment, and her face took on a fiery red color.

  If I go any further, she might end up hating me. But I chose to be completely honest with her... Deciding that it’d be impossible for me to keep hiding things from her, I strengthened my resolve and kept speaking.

  “I also want to bathe with Sera and Rium.” Haruno’s eyes went wide, probably either from shock or surprise.

  I knew I shouldn’t have said that! I thought, when suddenly, she burst out laughing.

  “...I’m supposed to get angry here, aren’t I?”

  “Yeah, I mean I know I’m the one who said it, but it’s okay to be angry, you know! The only reason I said it was because I felt like I wouldn’t be able to hide it.”

  Right after she heard that, Haruno’s face went blank. As I wondered what I’d said wrong, she asked me in an accusing tone: “Are you afraid of me?”

  Apparently she thought I felt like I couldn’t hide anything from her because I was afraid of her. Haruno was so sharp that I couldn’t help but wonder how hard it must have been for her to deal with people up until now.

  Again, I decided to take the honest route. “I’m afraid of you hating me because I hide stuff.”

  I was sure that Haruno wouldn’t have liked it if I hid something from her, so I decided to be honest about everything. I didn’t want her to hate me. I knew that what I was saying sounded crazy, but that was the biggest reason why I was saying it. I should have just done away with my impure desires, but if humans could purify themselves that easily, we all probably would have attained enlightenment by now.

  Haruno let out a sigh, then started speaking in an awkward tone. “...Sorry. I was testing you, Touya.”

  “You already knew, huh?”

  Haruno gave me a small nod. “If you had hidden the bathing stuff from me, I probably would have had second thoughts about staying friends with you.”

  Haruno seemed to feel bad about this, but considering it from her side, it was only natural that she’d want to ascertain that, and I wasn’t intolerant enough to judge her for it.

  “But since you told me the truth, I feel like things look positive for your request, even if I may not be able to grant it right away,” Haruno said, then let out another sigh. “But I didn’t expect you to be so honest about Sera and Rium as well.”

  “But you knew, right?”

  “Well, yeah. Sometimes your eyes look really perverted...”

  I was aware – that’s exactly why I decided to be completely honest with her, since I’d just end up giving myself away.

  “What do you think I should do in this situation?” she asked.

  “Uh, I don’t think I’m the right person to answer that.”

  “Do you think I should bathe with you?”

  After her possibly reconsidering our friendship, then thinking positively about it, this is where we had arrived at. Honestly, I was torn. I felt that if I let this chance go, like I did with Rium, I’d only regret it in the end. But at that moment, I only had one answer.

  “I don’t want to bathe with you while you still have reservations.”

  It may sound like I was being a wuss, but I wanted to treat her feelings with respect, even if it meant wimping out. Luckily, it seemed like she understood this.

  As her cheeks turned a bashful shade of red, she gave me such a teasingly sweet look. “...You’re so unfair, Touya.” Although she averted her gaze again, she didn’t seem pouty like before. After a moment, she turned her face back to me. She looked a bit calmer. “I think I’ve been relying a little too much on you, since we’re from the same world and all.”

  Of course, I also had special feelings for her because we were from the same world, but my feelings went much farther than that. “I’m in the same boat – but that’s not the only reason I started to like you.”

  “The same goes for me. You’re perverted, Touya, but I also know that you’re kind and trustworthy.”

  We stared at each other in silence for a moment. I could feel my face getting hot. Wait a minute... did we just confess our feelings for each other? And is it actually turning out to be a success?

  I had no words. I felt like if I got any closer to her, it might ruin everything, so I remained perfectly frozen on my bed. Haruno was still red, with a very meek expression on her face.

  Eventually she looked up, and stared at me with serious, determined eyes. “What I’m afraid of... is getting to the point where I rely on you for everything.”

  “But I never really...”

  “No. We’re surviving now because the temple is supporting us, but it’s almost time for us both to depart,” Haruno said in a placating manner.

  She was right. The only reason we were surviving now was because the temple was covering all of our living expenses. We wouldn’t be here right now if it weren’t for them. Perhaps I could have survived by selling water, but maybe that’s why Haruno felt like she would end up relying on me for everything.

  “Honestly, I wanted to depart with you. But if I rely on you here, I’ll only end up making trouble for you.” Clearl
y, Sera wasn’t the only one in their group who had a strong sense of responsibility. “I want to get strong. Strong enough so that I don’t need to rely on you or my allies for everything.”

  “I understand. I’ve only made it this far thanks to Rulitora as well.”

  Despite the fact that Haruno and I were summoned as heroes, we still had a long way to go. My daily training with Rulitora had taught me that through and through.

  “Once my party is ready, we’re going to travel to Athenapolis,” Haruno said.

  “Rium’s homeland?”

  “Yes. Apparently that’s where her teacher is. You’re going to Rulitora’s homeland, right, Touya?”

  “Yeah, they’re in dire need of water. A perfect match for me and my gift, wouldn’t you say?”

  Haruno agreed with a chuckle. “Touya, let’s meet again once we both get stronger.”

  “Once we get stronger, huh? Sounds good to me.”

  There’s no way I can fight the demon lord. Once I learned just how weak I really was, that thought never left my mind. When I depart, I’m just going to be running for my life. But if I think about it as a way to gain confidence for the next time I meet Haruno, maybe it’ll give me a more positive outlook on my journey. I need to get stronger in this world. Rising in social standing is a good option as well. With power and capital, I’ll be able to take care of Haruno and her party members. Just thinking about it made me smile.

  “Are you thinking about perverted stuff again?” Haruno was so sharp. Or maybe my face was just that easy to read.

  “I just thought that if I got stronger, I might be able to bathe with you, Sera, and Rium.”

  “Oh, come on... Well, I’ll think about it. I can’t vouch for Sera and Rium, though.”

  “Huh?”

  Haruno looked straight at me, then nodded her blushing face slowly, as if she’d decided on something. After taking a few steps toward me, she pushed her body up against mine and moved her face in close. “We won’t see each other for a while, so I’ll just do this...” she said, then closed her eyes. It was plain to see that she was waiting for a kiss.

  “Whoa, Haruno?!”

  But she wouldn’t say anything, which left me at a loss for words as well.

  If I don’t kiss her here, what’ll that make me? I shook off my embarrassment and pulled her body in so close that I could feel her soft, voluptuous chest pushing up against me.

  My face is still a bit too far away, I thought, then put some muscle into the arm I had around her waist and pushed us even closer together. Despite how formidable she’d looked when she was fighting, she had an unbelievably thin waist.

  “...Haruno.” With my heart beating in my chest, I moved my face in, closed my eyes, and pressed my lips to hers.

  I had no recollection of how much time passed after that. Whether we stayed like that for a moment or an eternity, eventually, I slowly pulled my lips back, opened my eyes, and looked her in the face. She slowly opened her eyes as well and stared back. We were so close that we could feel the tickle of each other’s breath.

  As I stared at Haruno’s pink cheeks and moist eyes, a thought rose into my mind. I need to get strong enough to earn her respect.

  “Touya...” This time, it was Haruno who pressed her lips to mine.

  We had said all we needed to. Just looking into each other’s eyes and calling out each other’s names was enough to make us happy. My heart was beating so fast. Back in my home world, I’d been pretty jaded when it came to love, but I think I simply never had a chance to really experience it.

  I must be a really possessive person. Right now, I feel like I don’t want to hand Haruno over to anyone. I even wish we could depart on our journeys together. But if I did that, I’d be preventing her from reaching her goal of getting strong enough to not have to rely on anyone, and that’s the one thing I don’t want to do. I’m afraid of the demon lord, but I don’t just want my journey to be a means of escape. I want it to be a way for me to achieve one of my goals. And someday, I’m going to bathe with Haruno’s entire party.

  “...Your eyes look perverted again.” Suddenly, Haruno was looking at me with accusing eyes.

  “Yeah, I was thinking about bathing with you,” I answered proudly, filled with indomitable confidence.

  “I guess this is what they mean when they say love creates weakness.”

  “You can say that again. Honestly, I don’t want to leave your side. I wish we could depart together.”

  In response, Haruno gave me a dazzling smile. It was so adorable that it made me hug her with all my might. Haruno seemed surprised and shivered for a moment, but then quickly moved her arm around my body and hugged me back. I didn’t want to leave her, but I felt that if I didn’t let go soon, I would never be able to. We kissed one last time, reconfirming how we both felt, then pulled our lips apart.

  Suddenly, I heard a rattle. Haruno looked toward the door, and my eyes quickly followed. We were inside the temple, so I doubted it was some kind of intruder, but I gave Haruno a dagger just in case, moved in front of her, and opened the door.

  “Ha... Ha ha ha...” On the other side of the door we saw Sera, Rium, and the three temple knights.

  Apparently, they’d been waiting there the whole time, hoping something would happen on our last night before we departed. Hoping ‘something’ would happen? It was obvious what they were after, although I couldn’t help but wonder how they were able to hear us.

  Haruno quickly shot away from me and bowed her head down. I tried to play it off as best I could.

  “Errr... Uhh, I’m sorry you all had to see that,” Haruno said.

  “Oh no, it was quite the... Um, I mean...!” Sera stammered.

  “Yeah, you don’t need to apologize for anything, Haruno! If anyone should be sorry, it’s me!” I shouted.

  “But, Sir Touya, you seemed so serious and manly, even I... Err, wait, no!” Sera seemed really confused.

  “Sera, just calm down. Deep breaths,” I said.

  “Hooo, haaa...”

  Following my advice, Sera raised both arms, stuck out her chest, and started breathing deeply. When she did this, her chest pushed up through the loose robe, allowing me to see its curves quite clearly. Next to me, Haruno hid her own chest with her hands and glared at me. It appeared that both Haruno and Sera had a habit of hiding their breasts.

  Recently, however, I’d noticed something. Compared to Haruno, who purposefully made her big boobs hard to see, Sera had big boobs that naturally hid themselves from those around them. Due to that, Sera’s sometimes unwillingly revealed themselves, such as with her deep breathing.

  “Did that calm you down?” I asked.

  “Yes. Please excuse me...” Finally calm, Sera took a long look at my face. “Hmm...”

  “Is something wrong?” I cocked my head. It seemed like she was pondering something.

  She lightly clapped her hands, then walked forward and embraced me. “I can’t do it as well as Lady Haruno, but...” With that, Sera gave me a kiss on my right cheek. Unlike Haruno’s straight, black hair, Sera had wavy blonde hair that lightly tickled my cheeks, making me feel like it was enveloping me.

  Sera moved her head back, smiled at me, then showed me her right cheek. It appeared that she wanted me to return the favor. Nervously, I planted a kiss smack on her right cheek.

  “Is it normal to say goodbye this way in your world?” I asked.

  “What? No, not at all. I just got a little jealous of Lady Haruno, that’s all.”

  “Uh... Okay.”

  “I’ll bathe with you eventually as well, because I trust you, Sir Touya.”

  Sera’s smile possessed not an ounce of malicious intent. Since she usually acted pretty casual around me, I took it in a positive light, hoping it meant that she trusted and admired me.

  Next, Rium yanked on the sleeve of my tunic. When I looked at her, she whispered: “Come down.”

  I did as she told and crouched down beside her, then showed her my le
ft cheek. Rium hesitated for a bit, then squinted as if she’d made up her mind and kissed my cheek. Unlike Sera’s, it was a long kiss.

  After she pulled her face away, Rium looked embarrassed and restless. She also couldn’t seem to bring herself to show me her cheek. In retaliation, I kissed Rium on both cheeks and her forehead, then squeezed her tiny body in close and patted her on the head. She looked so cute as her eyes bugged out in surprise.

  “You be careful, too, Rium. Make sure you get along with Haruno and Sera, you hear?” After I let her go, looked her in the eyes and said that, Rium simply nodded her red face over and over.

  Next, I took out something I’d prepared in advance: shampoo and soap that I’d stored up from the Unlimited Bath. With this, Haruno and her party members’ hair would remain protected. When the three temple knights saw that, they cheered. They must have been fans of my soap as well. I had given Haruno’s party so much that they could easily let the pilgrims use some as well. When I told this to the three knights, they were overjoyed, and thanked me with beaming faces.

  After they finished thanking me, Haruno shot me an exasperated look. “...You were pretty popular even back in your own world, weren’t you, Touya?”

  “Not one bit. You’re the first person I’ve ever kissed, you know.”

  I was certainly getting carried away – but they seemed to be fine with it, which just gave me more courage. I knew that I’d never be able to do any of this back in my home world.

  “I-It was my first time, too! So, um, once more!” Did seeing me kiss the other two spur this on – was she merely jealous? Either way, Haruno and I moved toward each other again for one last, intense kiss.

  The three knights cheered once more. But once Haruno and I continued to peck at each other, once, twice, thrice, their cheers grew softer, until nothing but silence enveloped us. That was how I ended the final night before my departure.

  The next morning, Rulitora and I updated our status cards. I had gotten to Level 7. My stats had all gone up, while my MP had skyrocketed. Level represented strength, which meant this was all thanks to my training. The reason my MP had gone up so high was probably because I had been creating water and soap every day. Meanwhile, Rulitora’s level and stats had hardly changed at all. It seemed that it became harder and harder to rise to each new level, so the training that took me to Level 7 had meant hardly anything to him.