Though I had been suddenly thrown into a Hot Spring, just as it had been with Shiro-san, this was a Dream. While my senses felt identical to reality, there were several major differences.
For starters, even though we were at a bathhouse, we hadn't passed through a Dressing Room to get here. Neither Lilia-san nor I had a change of clothes, and the Magic Box was useless inside the Dream world. Furthermore, there didn't even seem to be an exit from this bath area.
"U-Umm, Lilia-san, are you okay?"
"W-Wait a moment. I'm desperately telling myself... this is a Dream... just a Dream..."
While perhaps not quite as extreme as Alice, Lilia-san was weak when it came to romance and prone to intense shyness. Being suddenly forced into a Hot Spring wearing only a towel without any mental preparation seemed to be a heavy ordeal for her. Her face was so red she looked like she might already be suffering from heatstroke as she desperately repeated to herself, like a mantra, that this was all a Dream.
However, in a way, it was fortunate that Lilia-san and I had experience with Mixed Bathing before. Even though that time had happened because Luna-san tricked her, having already crossed that bridge once made a significant difference mentally.
If it hadn't been for that prior experience, Lilia-san might have performed the impressive feat of fainting right there in the Dream...
"Lilia-san, a thought just occurred to me."
"What is it?"
"I'm sorry for bringing up the past, but Lilia-san, you used to faint from embarrassment, didn't you?"
"Y-Yes, to my eternal shame, my thoughts would simply shut down from the sheer intensity of the embarrassment. It was something like that."
"And while I'm sure you're feeling very embarrassed right now, since this is a Dream, is it even possible to faint?"
".........I see. So I don't even have the escape route of losing consciousness."
I didn't actually know if that was the case. It might have been possible to faint in a Dream, but since fainting isn't exactly something one does on purpose, there was no way to test it. Regardless, it was probably better to assume she couldn't.
"More importantly, is this truly a Dream? I can't distinguish it from reality at all, and I have all my normal senses..."
"To be precise, it seems our spirits have been pulled into a special space. Well, there are many parts I don't quite understand myself... but standing here forever won't help, so shall we get into the water for now?"
"S-So it seems."
"Oh, and since this isn't an actual Hot Spring Inn or anything, I think it's fine to keep our towels on."
While dipping a towel into the water is usually against etiquette, this wasn't a public facility or a general Hot Spring Inn; it was a Dream. Prioritizing Lilia-san's mental stability wouldn't be an issue here.
And so, both Lilia-san and I decided to enter the water with our towels wrapped around us.
Once we were submerged... just as I had felt at the ocean, the sensations were so realistic that it was hard to believe it was a Dream. It truly felt like I was soaking in a Hot Spring.
"Ah, but still, from my perspective, quite a lot of time has passed, so getting into a Hot Spring is a nice change of pace."
"It was a short time for us, but for you, Kaito-san, over two full days have passed, haven't they? Was it not difficult?"
"No, I'm really not tired at all. For me, it was just receiving presents while having fun chatting. I didn't have to worry about the time, so it was actually quite relaxing."
"Hehe, that's just like you, Kaito-san. As a noble, I often receive many greetings at parties and the like, but the mental fatigue is still quite significant. I suppose it's a bit different from a noble's party, but I still envy that mental strength of yours."
It was just my own assumption, but greetings between nobles likely involved a lot of probing each other's intentions, so I could understand why it would be wearying.
As a side note, Lilia-san still seemed incredibly flustered. Her face was flushed and her eyes wandered as she spoke, clearly trying to focus on the conversation to distract herself from her shame. She was going through a hard time, but I couldn't help but find it rather cute.
"Lilia-san, you've... had a lot of trouble this time as well. Though I suppose I'm the cause of most of it..."
"I truly wonder why things turn out this way... No, even so, we've made it through the difficult parts, so there shouldn't be anything else to worry about."
"Somehow, when you say that, Lilia-san, I feel like something else is going to happen..."
"I agree. I have that feeling as well, so I will remain on guard and not lower my alert level until the very end."
Hearing my words, Lilia-san replied that she wouldn't let her guard down, perhaps sensing the potential for trouble based on her past experiences.
Well, unexpected situations usually don't occur when one is braced and alert, so it'll probably be fine... though I had a lingering anxiety that something might happen the moment we let our guard down after the Anniversary Party ends.
Serious-senpai: Oh? Did they just avoid a follow-up attack by refusing to be optimistic? However, now that the Stomach Annihilator has pronounced a Death Sentence, I have a feeling her stomach is still going to take a heavy blow from something else after the party.