After a long, relaxing break in the rest room, it was finally time for the bath. The bedrock bath had been heavenly, but there was still something irreplaceable about the thought of soaking in actual hot water.
The jacuzzi was tempting, but the aroma bath was also hard to pass up.
"By the way, Illness-san, are there any other options besides the jacuzzi and the aroma bath?"
"Of cou—rse. According to what I heard from Alice-sama... there are also highly concentrated carbonated springs, lie-down baths, electric baths, ultrasonic baths, waterfall baths, and footbaths availableee."
"...There are way more than I imagined!?"
It really was like a theme park for hot springs. The highly concentrated carbonated spring was, as the name suggested, a bath with high levels of carbonation that was incredibly effective for physical recovery. Then there was the lie-down bath—a shallow pool where you could soak while lying flat—which I was certain would be diabolically comfortable.
If I recalled correctly, electric baths were supposed to be good for lower back pain. And the ultrasonic bath... was that similar to a micro-bubble bath? I wasn't entirely clear on the difference between that and a jacuzzi, but there was no doubt it would feel great.
With waterfall baths that poured down like a cascade and standard footbaths to boot, it was a staggering lineup.
"...I’m spoiled for choice. I want to try them all."
"I believe that should be possibleee. Since they are all on the same floor, you can go on a tour of the different pools as you ple—ase."
"Oh? I see. In that case, I don't have to narrow it down to just one."
"It will be easier to understand once you see them for yourse—lf, so allow me to guide youuu."
Illness-san led the way to the bathing area, and I was greeted by an incredibly vast space housing a wide variety of tubs. To put it simply, the place looked exactly like a high-end super sento or a full-scale hot spring resort.
This was wonderful; I could spend all day here. I wished I had known about this place sooner... though, preparing this many baths must be quite a burden on Illness-san. I should probably resolve to use it only occasionally.
"Kaito-sama, this way is the changing ro—om."
"The changing room is huge, too."
"Alice-sama mentioned that using the facility while wearing a swimsuit is the official rule, so I have prepared one for youuu. Please use thi—s."
For a split second, I wondered why a swimsuit was necessary, but the logic clicked into place after a moment’s thought. This place was massive, featuring multiple bedrock baths and large relaxation areas.
It probably wasn't intended for solo use. The layout seemed designed with the assumption that one would use it with others—likely a lover. At the very least, I suspected Alice intended to use it with me if the opportunity arose.
However, Alice was notoriously shy. Between her own tendencies and—well, mostly because of me—she had developed a bit of a trauma regarding mixed bathing. A swimsuit rule was the perfect compromise for her.
Furthermore, and this was purely my own conjecture, I had a feeling Alice had actually intended to invite me here much earlier. She had claimed she simply forgot to mention the room’s existence, but it made more sense to think she’d kept it a secret because she wanted to surprise me with it.
So, why had I remained in the dark for so long despite it being several days since the house was finished? That girl... even with the swimsuit rule, she must have lost her nerve. Considering she was the type to minimize skin exposure to the absolute limit even at the beach, it was a distinct possibility. Maybe I should be the one to invite her next time? If I waited for Alice to make the first move, there was no telling when it would actually happen.
As I was lost in thought, I heard a sentence that made me doubt my ears.
"Well then, I shall get ready as we—ll."
"...Eh? You too, Illness-san?"
"Ye—s. I shall be assisting you in various ways in the bath area as we—ll."
"...I see."
Calm down, Kaito Miyama. There was no ulterior motive in Illness-san's words; she simply meant she would support me so that I could relax. Don't let your mind wander to inappropriate places just because she said "assisting." That's the lowest a person can sink. Take a deep breath. Clear your head. Don't think about anything strange... don't think about anything strange... Okay, I'm fine now...
"—Wait, Illness-san!? What are you doing!?"
"Yesee? I was just thinking it was time to change my clothe—s."
"Wait, no, no! Right here!?"
I had been trying so hard to remain calm, but the sight of Illness-san starting to slide her clothes off made my brain boil over instantly.
What on earth was happening!? I—I understood the logic. Illness-san intended to support me in the bath area as well. Naturally, if she stayed in her current maid uniform, her clothes would get soaked and she wouldn't be able to move easily... I could grasp that intellectually, but my sanity couldn't keep up with the situation!
"I am wearing a swimsuit underneath beforehand, so it is quite all ri—ght."
"A-Ah, I see. As expected, your preparation is impeccable, Illness-san."
...No, that doesn't mean "Oh, okay then!" though!
Serious-senpai: "Guaaahhh... E-Endure... Once it becomes April... I'll switch over to cherry blossom bean paste..."
???: "No, that doesn't make it okay, does it!?"
Machina: "...White chocolate and cherry blossom bean paste... that might actually be a good combo."
???: "And this one over here is just moving the conversation forward on the assumption that she's going to eat her..."