Chapter 78: Bathing in the Hot Springs with Shigure
"Ahhh… this feels amazing."
Takumi let out a blissful groan. He was currently soaking in a hot spring. Even though Shigure had sliced him up pretty badly earlier, they were all just surface wounds. After Akisame worked his miraculous healing touch, he was almost back to normal. He was just thinking about heading back to help Miu with some chores—maybe earn a few affection points—when the old pervert Ma suddenly sidled up with a sneaky grin.
"Hey, I've got something good for you."
"What is it? Let me warn you first—after buying Miu that stuffed doll today, my tiny savings are down to a pathetic 100 yen. I could maybe afford a bottle of water, but pure lewd photos are way out of my league now."
"Sigh… poor guy, you're seriously broke. But relax, it's not photos. You've got that salve slathered all over you. To let the medicine fully absorb, the best thing is to soak in a hot spring."
"Hot spring? Where?"
"Here's a map. It's up at Akiyama in town."
"Whoa… I've lived this long and never been to a real hot spring before. Today's finally a rest day—I've gotta try it! And if I get wrecked in training again, soaking like this will help with the fatigue. Thanks a ton, Kensei-sensei!"
Takumi reached out eagerly, but grabbed empty air. Kensei yanked the map back behind him, then held out a hand with a beaming smile.
"Payment up front. 100 yen, please."
"You bloodsucking vampire! That's just cruel!"
Takumi grumbled helplessly, but in the end he obediently handed over his last coin. He left the backyard medical annex and headed out. He'd originally planned to say hi to Miu—maybe even score a mixed bath together? Japanese hot springs have co-ed ones, right? The thought made him grin like an idiot… before he let out a wistful sigh. Yeah, that's just a fantasy.
Honestly, life at Ryōzanpaku had been pretty suffocating. Everyone here was stronger than him—especially Fuurinji Hayato, who was straight-up broken. In the anime the guy could sprint across the ocean, bullets bounced off him like raindrops, and he mastered 108 deadly techniques.
He really liked Miu and Shigure, but both women outclassed him by miles. The hellish training drained almost all his energy, leaving no room to pull off cute affection-building schemes. It was completely different from how relaxed and in-control he'd felt in the Oni Chichi world.
No helping it—the power levels between worlds were on entirely different scales. Most importantly, in this training ground, even if he somehow charmed both beauties with every trick in the book, there was no magic power to gain, no skills to copy. The "training ground" was exactly what it said on the tin: train alongside masters and comrades, rack up achievements, and grow stronger the honest way. So Takumi had mostly gone with the flow, not obsessing over grinding affection.
Compared to rushing through the Oni Chichi world like a tourist in a 2D-to-real-life transition, this constant day-to-day life at Ryōzanpaku finally made the world feel real.
"A hundred days is still way too short… but there'll be more chances to come back later. Next time I'll make Miu and Shigure look at me with new respect. Hmph. Grind through a few more Black Iron Delusion worlds to absorb power and train up. Maybe I only leave for a few days here, but years pass in other worlds. I get it now—to win Fuurinji Miu's heart and body, first I have to beat the invincible superman. If brute force won't cut it in Black Iron tiers, then Bronze worlds are next. Hope the next lottery gives me a 'Traversal Card' to jump into another Bronze world for training. If I could snag a Dragon Ball card or Saint Seiya one… that'd be perfect. Elder Hayato may be unbeatable here, but he's not unbeatable in every world."
Takumi exhaled sharply, shelving the idea of looking for Miu. Humming the tune to "YOU," he headed toward Akiyama. The town was built against the mountain called Akiyama. Since the local economy wasn't booming, the mountain hadn't been overdeveloped and still kept its pristine forest look.
Following the map, it took him over half an hour, but he finally found the hot spring. It wasn't huge—maybe three times the size of a normal bathtub—but Takumi was over the moon. Without a second thought he stripped down and cannonballed in with a splash, letting out a long, contented moan.
"So good!"
The water was probably around 50 degrees—perfectly comfortable. His knife wounds started itching like crazy, but he could bear it.
"Sigh… Shigure, did you really figure out what jealousy feels like? A woman who fights with a sword is just too dangerous…"
Squeak squeak…
A little mouse with a bow on its head was doing the backstroke. For its tiny size, this modest hot spring was basically an Olympic pool, so it swam around leisurely. Takumi watched enviously.
"Tōchūmaru, treating a hot spring like your personal pool is a real talent."
Squeak.
"Wait—Kensei-sensei, how is Tōchūmaru here? If he's around, doesn't that mean Shigure's—"
A horrifying possibility hit him. Could this be Shigure's secret private hot spring?! Oh crap—if she walks in right now—wait, if she's coming in—SHE'S ALREADY HERE!!!
He heard the gentle splash of someone entering the water. Takumi's whole body froze. Slowly he turned his head—and there she was. An absolutely stunning woman, skin glowing pink and white, delicate yet ripe, with willow brows, almond eyes, full breasts, curvaceous hips, and those sensual red lips. Her mature, voluptuous figure formed a breathtaking, flawless curve.
"Sh-Shigure… sensei."
"Young man… you're here too."
Shigure reacted with perfect calm, casually sinking her beautiful body into the water. Takumi's mouth went dry; he didn't dare move.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Really sorry! I didn't mean to!"
"What for?"
"I didn't know this was your private hot spring, sensei! I'll leave right now!"
"It's fine. Let's soak together. Even if it's small."
"Uh… together? You mean mixed bathing?"
Takumi never imagined his fantasy would actually come true—not with Miu, but with Shigure. It felt like a dream. Seeing her blank, expressionless face, he let out a shaky breath. He knew Shigure had grown up isolated, training to become a master—never living like a normal person—so she never developed ordinary ideas about things like this.
"Waaah… soaking in a hot spring together with Shigure… this is straight out of a dream! Too blissful! Is it really okay to be this happy?!"
Takumi was both thrilled and terrified. In a way, Shigure reminded him of his favorite Saber from Fate/stay night—lacking common sense about being a woman, yet terrifyingly powerful. If he ever pissed her off… it'd be game over.
"Young man… what's wrong? Is the water too hot?"
Seeing him sweating nervously, Shigure swam closer. Her warm, soft, generous breasts brushed against his arm first.
Gulp gulp gulp…
Takumi felt like he was being boiled alive.
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