Until the water boiled, Eiji had time to spare.
The fire in the hearth was being tended to by Yuna's Holy Flame, and all that was left for the water in the tub was to wait and let it heat up. Yuna had gone back to the house to fetch a change of clothes. In the meantime, he wanted to clear a piece of lingering homework: towels and soap.
First, he brought out a hemp sack from the house and transferred the emergency rations inside onto a shelf. Then, opening his Relicta Arca, he pulled out a chunk of magic wolf fat. Setting it alongside the ash he had scooped from the hearth, a memory clicked in the back of his mind. Middle school science class. Mix oil and lye, and you get soap. He was pretty sure they had run an experiment like that.
Still half in doubt, he checked it, and the appraisal responded just as it had with the magic sword.
Evolution Path: Soap
It seemed his science memory had been accurate. Rolling the chant around on his tongue, particles of light blended the fat and ash together, leaving four whitish blocks lined up neatly on the stone paving. Pushing one with a finger confirmed it was plenty solid. Bringing it to his nose, however, revealed no scent whatsoever. Unscented soap. He wasn't in a position to be picky, but it felt a little bland.
Next, he laid a hand on the emptied hemp sack. The very bag tossed at him alongside the claim that he would give up in three days. Now that its contents were relocated, its duty was fulfilled. The final line of the appraisal took the same form as it had for the scrap of metal back then.
Originally an object for carrying things. Currently serves no purpose.
Then it just needed a new one. Rolling the chant once more, the sack unraveled and rewove itself, reborn as four hemp hand towels. They were coarse to the touch, but they were certainly cloth that could get the job of wiping done. A bag handed over to be discarded had become towels for after a bath. Not a bad second career.
Just as he stood up clutching the soap and towels, Yuna returned carrying a bundle of fresh clothes and a small pouch. Eiji held out a bar of soap, deciding to apologize proactively.
"I managed to make soap, but... sorry. Hair conditioner was out of the question."
"Huh? Conditioner?"
"You were trying to say something earlier, right? Wasn't it about that?"
"Earlier...? Ah! N-No... that's not it at all!"
Still frozen in the posture of accepting the soap, Yuna's face flushed bright red in an instant. It was a reaction completely different from what he had anticipated.
"Then what was it?"
"Th-That's..."
"That's?"
"...Never mind. I mean, it's really not that big a deal."
Embarrassed, she turned her face away. He had no clue what was going on.
Still, who knew what hornet's nest he might stir up if he pressed any further?
Eiji settled for stacking two hand towels on top of the soap in her hands.
Before long, steam began wafting from the plugged wooden tub. Dialing down the hearth's fire a bit, he dipped his hand in. The temperature was spot-on. On only their second day in the abandoned village, they had actually managed to draw a hot bath.
"..."
Yet Yuna herself wasn't moving. Clutching her change of clothes, soap, and towels to her chest, she stood frozen before the open doorway. It looked as though an invisible line had been drawn between her and the steam.
Before he could ask what was wrong, Yuna spoke.
"Um, about what I started to say earlier..."
"Yeah?"
"...I'm scared of taking a bath by myself."
"Ah, I see."
At that, it finally clicked.
Just on the other side of the plaza, monsters had been lurking only moments ago. Getting into a bath meant stripping naked in an enclosed room. Washing her hair meant keeping her eyes shut. It was only natural to be terrified. It seemed she had just been too embarrassed to say it out loud, even right up to holding her fresh clothes. He felt that was far more important than hair conditioner, though. Sometimes, he really couldn't comprehend his childhood friend's priorities.
"I'll be right out here. Want me to drop the crossbar latch, too?"
"No. As long as you're here, Eiji-kun... I'll be fine."
Yuna gave a small nod and finally stepped through the doorway. The door clicked shut.
Resting the straw-mat-wrapped magic sword across his knees, Eiji sat down with his back against the door. It was a position that gave him a clear view of both the plaza and the mountain path. This was enough to count as a proper watch.
(Well... it's not like I have anything else to do anyway. Guess I'll just zone out.)
With that thought, he closed his eyes.
When he agreed to it, he figured it would be an easy job.
However—
From beyond the door came the rustle of clothes.
Why did the sound of cloth gliding over bare skin seem to amplify so drastically through a single wooden door?
Right now, just on the other side of this thin barrier, Yuna was in a completely exposed state...
(Wait, what on earth am I thinking?!)
Eiji straightened his posture and looked up at the sky. In the twilight just before complete nightfall, an eager few stars were beginning to emerge.
One, two, three.
He began counting them with a blank mind.
The sound of water being ladled from the tub shifted into the sound of it cascading down her shoulders. Rinsing off.
Four, five.
Every time the water splashed, he lost track of the count.
Six. Wait, had he counted up to five?
The sound of lathering soap. The long trickle of water rinsing her hair. Back to square one.
One, two.
Never had his habit of counting been more useful than today. It narrowly kept his thoughts from running wild with inappropriate imaginations.
Eventually, there was a heavy, resonant splash as water spilled over the brim. Yuna had submerged herself in the tub.
A long, soft exhale drifted faintly through the door.
"Eiji-kun, are you still there?"
"I'm here."
"...You're not peeking, are you?"
"As if I would! What kind of guy do you think I am?"
There was a faint ripple in the water. It sounded like she was smiling.
"Hehe... But we used to take baths together when we were little, remember?"
"Ah. Now that you mention it, that did happen."
That was back before elementary school. The two of them had come home caked in mud from a puddle in the park, and their mothers decided to toss them into the bath together to get it over with. All he remembered was that they were still laughing while getting the mud scrubbed off, and the lecture afterward had gone on forever. Then—
"...Pervert."
For some reason, an accusing murmur slipped through the door.
"Huh?! Why am I getting blamed for that?!"
"I mean, you remember it, don't you?"
"No, no, I barely remember anything!"
It was a remark delivered as if she had read his exact thoughts. Talk about completely unreasonable.
"So you do remember a little? Like what I looked like naked."
"Stop twisting my words! That's not what I meant! I just meant I remember being in the bath, I don't actually remember any of the details!"
He scrambled to deny it, completely flustered.
Even if he did remember, everything between then and now was completely different.
Besides, even if he had seen her, she had seen him too. They were even.
"I guess you're right. Sorry, sorry."
An amused chuckle reached him, mingling with the slosh of water. Just like always, she was only teasing him.
Forgetting the weight of the sword resting across his knees, the tension finally began to leave his shoulders.
Only the sound of water continued through the door. Then it abruptly went quiet—
"...Do you want to try getting in together again? Like back then?"
Only Yuna's hesitant question reached his ears.
His train of thought ground to a dead halt at his childhood friend's sudden proposal.
Together? Get in? Where? The bath?
The words pieced themselves together, and the meaning finally registered.
"Wait, what?! In together, as in the bath?!"
His voice cracked completely.
He knew he had to say something, but nothing followed. His mind went entirely blank, wiping out even the tally of stars he had painstakingly kept. In the bath together. With whom? Who? For what purpose?
The other side of the door filled the silence first.
"J-Just kidding! I-It was a joke! Don't take it seriously!"
"I-I see. Right, of course. Sorry, I didn't catch the joke."
With that, an involuntary breath of relief escaped him. A mix of relief and a strange sense of letdown... It left him with rather complicated feelings.
Then, his childhood friend murmured softly.
"...No. I should be the one apologizing. I was just teasing a bit."
For a tease, her voice was far too quiet.
Had she been at least half-serious? The thought reared its head, and he hurriedly shoved it back down.
This time, it wasn't a matter of lacking the courage to check. If he verified it, he would end up wanting to open this door. That was what terrified him.
Taking a deep breath, Eiji went back to recounting the stars.
The silence dragged on.
The sound of water ceased, and the next voice he heard carried a tone entirely different from before.
"...Eiji-kun."
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry, okay...?"
It was an abrupt apology. He thought it might be a continuation of the teasing, but the warmth—or lack thereof—in her voice denied it.
"For what?"
"Back there... I couldn't do anything."
The reference immediately brought it to mind. She was talking about the battle with the magic wolves. Eiji replied without hesitation.
"That's not true."
"It is. The only time I managed to put up a defensive skill right away was once, and my attacks didn't do anything at all... Even though you were fighting for us, all I could do was watch."
Yuna's voice broke off there. Only the faint, repetitive splash of fingertips toying with the water's surface lingered.
"Even though they called me a Saint that only appears once every hundred years... I'm pathetic."
Her voice trembled, accompanied by a small ripple in the water. Perhaps she had buried her face in her hands.
He searched for words of comfort, then stopped himself. This childhood friend of his would only smile quietly and swallow down any hollow platitudes. What she needed wasn't empty comfort, but facts.
Lowering his gaze from the night sky, Eiji began folding down his fingers.
"No, you did more than enough."
"That's not true...!"
"It is. If it weren't for that barrier, I would've died right there, you know."
The other side of the door remained silent. Confirming there was no rebuttal, he pressed on.
"Besides, thanks to you throwing that Force to stagger it, I was able to bring down the first one. And because I took that one down, I was able to power up with my skill. After that, you healed my wounds, and you used Purify on the meat so we could eat it... Even the water in that bath was purified by you, and heated by a fire you lit with magic."
The fingers he had folded down had long surpassed one hand.
Pausing for a beat, Eiji drove the point home.
"For someone who supposedly couldn't do anything, aren't you doing way too much?"
"..."
Another silence fell.
A long moment passed before her reply came through.
"Saying things like that... is really unfair."
Her voice was thick with held-back tears for just a moment, and as if to mask it, the water splashed briskly. After that, there were no further sounds of sniffling. She seemed to have pulled herself together.
"But... I'll try harder so I can do better next time. I don't want to be a burden... and I want to protect you too, Eiji-kun."
"Yeah... I'm counting on you."
He couldn't bring himself to say, I'll protect you. He simply didn't have the strength to back up those words today. Having been saved by a barrier, saved by Force, and healed afterward, he had only barely pulled through.
If he had been on his own, he would have died long ago.
(I've thought so many times that if I had a combat class like Goda or Kaito, I'd actually be able to protect you.)
Was it really right for him to keep standing by Yuna's side in this world? Wouldn't she actually be safer staying with them? After today's fight, that question weighed heavier than ever.
Without finding an answer, he kept the thought to himself. It wasn't something he should voice to a girl who was already struggling with her own anxiety.
"I'm getting out now. Thanks for keeping watch."
"...Sure."
Beyond the door, the water stirred with one final, heavy splash.