Noin-san suddenly appeared before Fia-sensei and me, looking quite different from her usual self. Draped in heavy, jet-black plate armor, she looked as though she had undergone some kind of "Dark Evolution."
Who could have predicted that Noin-san, the Hero who once saved the world, would show up looking like a massive iron golem? If the First Hero's devotees saw her like this, they would probably collapse from the shock. Her appearance was just that jarring.
Noin-san stood barely five-foot-three normally, but in this suit, she loomed over six-and-a-half feet tall. That armor had to be incredibly thick.
"...Fia-sensei, please, say something," I managed.
"Hikari can be such a huge idiot sometimes, can't she?" Fia-sensei replied, her voice laced with exasperation.
We watched as Noin-san approached the tub, her heavy footsteps echoing through the bathhouse. She didn't seem to pay our stunned expressions any mind. Once she reached the water's edge, she knelt and began scrubbing herself before getting in.
Wait... there was absolutely no point in that! She was just scrubbing the metal!
"...Um, Noin-san? I’m not saying you have to be naked, but maybe instead of that heavy equipment, you could wear something a bit... lighter?"
Why was I discussing equipment loadouts in a bathhouse? The absurdity of the words made me feel like I was losing my mind. Noin-san paused for a moment at my suggestion, then slowly shook her head.
"...No. I am an unwed maiden; I cannot recklessly expose my skin to a gentleman."
"I... I see..."
I was at a loss. I wanted to point out how extreme she was being, but the words wouldn't come. My brain couldn't process the surreal sight of a giant suit of armor climbing into a bathtub.
Having finished washing her body—or rather, her casing—Noin-san slowly lowered herself into the water. Naturally, when a mass as large as an iron golem entered the tub, the displacement was massive. A wave of hot water slammed into me.
"...Noin-san, is the water actually getting inside that suit?"
"Rest assured," she declared. "It is completely waterproof!"
"Then there's no point in you being in the bath at all!"
I was speechless. If she was that embarrassed, she really should have just skipped the bath entirely. As I stood there in a daze, Fia-sensei, who had been silent for a while, finally spoke up.
"Hey, Hikari? You made that armor out of magic power, didn't you?"
"Yes, what of it?"
"...Dispel."
"Huh?"
"Wait, what?"
The moment Fia-sensei whispered the word, a sound like shattering glass echoed through the room. The jet-black armor Noin-san was wearing simply vanished into thin air.
"Soaking in a tub with armor on is a total breach of manners," Fia said casually. "So, I’m revoking it."
Let’s look at the facts. Noin-san had been encased in very thick armor. It was waterproof, meaning not a single drop of water had touched her skin. Therefore, there was a significant gap between her body and the surrounding water. When that armor vanished instantly, Noin-san’s body was left exposed in that hollow space for a brief, clear moment.
And most importantly, because the armor had been so visually striking, I had been staring directly at her.
The image was seared into my mind. The porcelain white of her skin, her black hair swept up... the curves that affirmed her womanhood, and the rosy peaks atop them.
I saw every bit of her.
Noin-san froze. Then, her face turned an impossible shade of crimson, as if she were about to explode. She let out a silent, strangled scream. Her mouth moved like a fish out of water for a few seconds before she simply tipped over and sank to the bottom of the tub.
"N-Noin-san!?"
"Hikari!? A-Are you okay? Oh boy... this is..."
"Fia-sensei? Is she alright?"
"No. She’s completely fainted."
Fia-sensei hurriedly fished the submerged Noin-san out of the water. After checking her pulse, she let out a sigh and shook her head. It seemed her embarrassment had reached such a peak that her brain had simply shut down. I felt like I'd seen someone else in this exact state recently.
"...Fia-sensei, that was a bit much, doing it so suddenly like that..."
"I-I’m sorry. I didn't think she'd react quite this dramatically. We should probably lay her down outside. Miyama-kun, I’ll take Hikari and head up first."
"Right. Okay."
Even Fia-sensei, the cause of the disaster, hadn't expected Noin-san to pass out. Looking sheepish, she told me she would take her out to look after her.
"I’m really sorry for the chaos. Let’s talk more once you’ve finished your bath."
"Understood. I need to apologize to her too."
Even if it was an accident, I had seen her naked. Noin-san was a woman of very traditional values; having her modesty compromised like that was likely a much bigger deal to her than I could fathom. I resolved to offer her my most sincere apologies the moment she woke up.
Dear Mother, Father—Noin-san arrived in what seemed like the perfect defense, but her reliance on magic-constructed armor proved to be her undoing. Fia-sensei’s cancellation spell left her completely exposed. I feel incredibly guilty, but the sight of her naked... it isn't something I’ll be able to forget anytime soon.
Serious-senpai Act 3: This is turning into a weird trope... Is this the one where she demands he takes responsibility? It's not, right? It's definitely not! There's no way!