Leaving Shiina in her room to rest and recover from whatever strange mood had taken hold of her, Nathan made his way toward the baths.
She had not even been drunk, and yet she had acted like someone drifting in and out of a drunken haze. Maybe it had only been exhaustion. Maybe sleepiness had loosened her tongue. Or maybe she had known exactly what she was doing and had simply chosen to tease him.
In the end, it did not matter.
He intended to bathe, clear his head, and then return to his own room for the night.
The inn had gone quiet by then. Most of the guests were asleep, and the halls carried that deep stillness only found late at night, when even the wood beneath one's feet seemed reluctant to make a sound. They had already lost enough time in Minami Kyoto. Nathan had no interest in wasting more.
When he reached the entrance area again, the old owner was still awake behind the front desk, looking as alert as if the night had only just begun.
