Chapter 1: Port City Libelle

Chapter 1: Port City Libelle

Port City Libelle

The sun sat on its throne in the clear sky, its rays baking the earth.

These sunbeams flooded the ruins. Plants had withered, and water was so scant that even the air itself felt dry. Each gust of wind sent sand spinning into the air. It was clear at a glance that this gray-brown wasteland, extending as far as the eye could see, would be a difficult place for any living thing to call home.

This desolate terrain was the region known as the Wild Frontier.

There was not much of interest in sight. Dust clouds drifted across the dried-up land. It was a harsh environment that few people dared to tread; an arid, ruinous wasteland that separated one sheltered country from another.

Only one road led through it, climbing up a small hill. It could hardly be called well-maintained—if anything, it was such a sad excuse for a road that it was almost as if the ground had just been worn down by chance.

Two girls were walking down this long path.

One was a mature-looking young woman with lovely features. A large, black ribbon secured her hair in a stylish ponytail, and she wore the indigo robes of a priestess. The deep slit in the right side of her skirt revealed stunning long legs in knee-high laced boots.

Her footsteps were swift and sure. This young woman seemed well accustomed to travel and showed no signs of exhaustion.

The other girl had a more childlike face.

Her black hair seemed to tangle around her shoulders. At a glance, her chest was one of her more prominent features, even completely covered by her clothes. Her steps were a bit unsteady. Noticing that exhaustion was wearing her down, the other girl shortened her stride to match her companion’s pace.

The two girls were wearing matching cloaks, partly to protect them from the sun. As they walked down the path in silence, one of the girls mumbled to herself.

“My soul’s too worn out to go on…”

“If that were true, you wouldn’t be able to complain about it.” The more mature-looking young woman shot down the girl with the baby face.

This was far from the first or second time she had made such a declaration. In fact, she’d complained countless times over the course of the journey thus far. The cold response seemed to imply it wasn’t worth taking her moaning seriously anymore.

The baby-faced girl wasn’t discouraged in the least, however.

“Hee-hee, maybe you’re right, Menou. If I really couldn’t go on, I guess I wouldn’t have enough energy to complain, either. Do you wanna know why I still have a little energy in spite of this awful journey?”

“Perhaps those humps on your chest store enough moisture to keep you hydrated…?”

“Of course not!”

The response from the girl called Menou clearly indicated that she didn’t care to waste energy thinking about the answer. The other girl flailed her fists indignantly at Menou’s rudeness and disinterest.

“Menou, you perv! Reserve those types of comments until we’re at the next stage of our relationship!”

“I’m sorry, Akari. I won’t say that ever again.” Menou’s expression turned serious. She bowed immediately. “I sincerely apologize. I went too far this time. Could you please refrain from spouting that sort of nonsense in the future?”

“Aww… Why’re you being so cold?”

For some reason, Menou’s apology was met with displeasure.

The girl called Akari sounded genuinely upset as she pressed closer to Menou.

“You don’t want to deepen your relationship with me, Menou? You can be so mean!”

“Is it impossible for you to walk in silence…?” Menou looked up at the sky, lamenting that talking to her traveling companion was like talking to a brick wall.

The journey across borders by way of this pilgrimage route was a long and arduous one.

On this continent, virtually every border was surrounded by the Wild Frontier. The rugged terrain could only be traversed by foot through this unforgiving path. As if spending time in undeveloped territory wasn’t difficult enough, the fact that it was no-man’s-land meant there were outlaws, too. On top of that, wild animals, monsters of all kinds, and conjured soldiers from the eastern Wild Frontier could attack at any moment.

Travelers walked on foot amid these threats.

They would walk the path in the morning and reach a lodging area in the afternoon. There, they could tend to their belongings, wash their clothes, buy supplies, and otherwise prepare for the next day, and go to bed as soon as the sun set. Then they would wake up at dawn the next morning and do it all over again.

On the pilgrimage route, all aspects of life revolved around walking.

On all but the worst parts of the road, they would travel even in the rain, pressing ever forward. This simple lifestyle—in which everything was devoted to moving ahead—was said to purge anything superficial from the soul and spirit. That was why traversing the Wild Frontier was considered a pilgrimage and had a spiritual significance to priestesses.

Two weeks had passed on a journey that even the toughest priestess would consider a challenge, but the girl next to Menou was as chatty as ever, much to Menou’s surprise.

“Hey, Menou? Hey! Can you hear me? It hurts when you give me the cold shoulder, you know! Haven’t you ever heard the saying ‘speech is silver, silence is golden’? It means that being quiet is important, but there’s value in talking, too. In conclusion, chatting is fun!”

“Fine, fine. I just have to hear you out, right? Once you’re done, will you please be quiet?” Menou finally caved when Akari dragged out ancient wisdom to back up her baseless argument. Reluctantly, she asked the question Akari wanted to hear. “Well? Why do you still have energy to go on?”

Akari grinned and puffed out her chest proudly as if Menou had just happened to stumble on the perfect question. “It’s because having you next to me is like an oasis for my soul, obviously!”

“I swear…” Menou sighed wearily at the answer, which was somehow even sillier than she’d expected.

It was impossible to tell from the way Akari was so attached to Menou, but the two of them had only known each other for about three weeks. From the moment they first met, Akari was strangely fond of Menou, but she’d only gotten more persistent about it over the past few weeks. At this point, Menou was beginning to give up on treating Akari like a guest.

“Can’t you find a way to be more self-sufficient? When I’m with you, it feels like… I don’t know, like you’re absorbing all my energy or something.”

“Sorry, no can do. I need Vitamin Menou to live, and the only way I can get it is from you! Otherwise, I’ll wither away!”

“I seriously doubt that… You lived perfectly fine for sixteen years before you met me, didn’t you?”

“I no longer have any recollection of my past sixteen years.”

“Wow.”

It had been more than two weeks since they left Menou’s hometown of Garm, the ancient capital, and began their trek through the Wild Frontier. After putting up with this behavior for the entire journey, Menou couldn’t find it in her to engage with Akari anymore.

Speaking of which, there were two main methods of crossing the Wild Frontier.

One was walking by way of the pilgrimage route. Though the Wild Frontier was undeveloped, the route featured a clear path and regular rest stops along the way, so it was relatively safe. The other option was to take on the Wild Frontier, but it was much more dangerous than the route Menou and Akari were currently taking. Those who chose to do so were called adventurers.

“This is our time, Menou,” Akari appealed. “We’re young, so we gotta live in the present! There’s no point looking back at the past! We’ve gotta walk toward the future!”

“You should glance at the past to prepare for the future.”

Their optimistic journey across the wasteland had gone well overall, aside from a few minor hiccups. Over the course of the past two weeks, Menou had learned exactly how to deal with Akari.

It was the same way she dealt with Momo, who wasn’t at her side right now. And unlike her dependable assistant, Akari was a hindrance. In other words, the best way to handle her was to be even colder and blunter than she was with Momo at her most excited state.

Their days spent doing nothing but walking were almost over.

“Ooh!”

The two had reached the top of the hill. Their view opened up, and Akari exclaimed in delight at the sight that spread out below them. The deep-blue sea could be seen on the horizon.

“Menou, look! It’s the ocean! And ships! And a town!”

“Yeah.” Menou smiled.

She felt a sense of accomplishment, too. Her body was exhausted, and her spirit, worn down. But once they reached their goal, all those hardships would become a sense of fulfillment.

There was a seaside town below the hill. The reddish-brown outline of the buildings was decidedly jagged. The salt breeze from the sea had worn down the cliffs into a strange shape.

“That’s Libelle, our next stop.”

Libelle, the port city.

It was a city that could be reached by leaving through the border of Grisarika Kingdom from the ancient capital of Garm and walking the pilgrimage route across the Wild Frontier for two weeks. Libelle was not as prosperous as the famed sightseeing city of Garm. Though it was a port city, it primarily served as a fishing harbor, so its economic scale was relatively limited.

Menou looked in the opposite direction of the town, back down the path they had traversed.

This was her second time on this journey. When Menou was young, she once took this pilgrimage with her Master and mentor—Flare.

“Look. The ocean,” Flare had said.

“Yes, ma’am.”

The familiar view and the scent of the sea must have jogged her memory, for a conversation she had in this very same place replayed in the back of her mind.

“…Come on. It’s the ocean.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“This is your first time seeing it, isn’t it?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Well? What’s your first impression?”

“It’s big.”

“Is that all?”

“And blue.”

The red-haired priestess stared down at young Menou. “…Sheesh, you’re a boring one.”

Standing here now, Menou finally understood how her master must have felt when she made that almost sulky remark.

“I wasn’t a very cute kid, myself, but…she did have that sort of side to her, I suppose.”

“What’s up?”

“Oh, nothing. I was just thinking back on the past.” Menou narrowed her eyes, spying something more important.

She looked out across the enormous sea to the horizon. Far off in the distance, a splotch of white was faintly visible. Following Menou’s gaze, Akari noticed it, too.

“Oh, there’s some clouds over the ocean, huh?” Akari commented. “If the weather’s gonna take a turn for the worse, we better hurry into town.”

“…No, that’s no cloud.” Taking care to keep her tone steady, Menou corrected her. “There’s fog over the sea.”

“Fog?”

“Yes.”

Since they were in a somewhat elevated area, they could see a shroud of white over the horizon, dense enough to be mistaken for a cloud. Its permanent presence had nothing to do with the climate or the currents. It was because the most frightening being in existence was sealed in that spot.

A Human Error.

The cause of one of the great disasters that had scarred this world was trapped inside.

The port city was on the southern tip of the continent, closest to the site of one of the Four Major Human Errors: Pandemonium.

The church here stood on high ground that overlooked the entire city.

Libelle was in the Vanira Kingdom and south of Garm, the ancient capital of Grisarika Kingdom.

Once Menou completed the immigration check necessary to enter the city, she headed to the church. As soon as she applied for funds, the pastor wanted to speak to her.

This was part of Menou’s role as an Executioner. She couldn’t get Akari involved, so she sat the girl down in a pew and spoke to her seriously.

“I have to greet the pastor in charge of this church. You sit here and wait in the chapel, all right? No talking to strangers or following me. Understand?”

“Okay. That’s fine, but… Menou…”

“But?”

“What’s this?”

After Menou addressed Akari like she was instructing a five-year-old, Akari held up her hand to indicate the object wrapped around her wrist. Menou had tied it there herself just a moment ago.

“It’s a rope,” Menou responded calmly.

Akari’s mouth moved to repeat the word rope , but no words came. Incidentally, Menou was holding the other end.

Akari had such a strong tendency to wander off if something caught her attention. She made the perfect target for a kidnapping. Even on the pilgrimage route, she had managed to cause Menou plenty of trouble. So, as she had once threatened to do, Menou had put her on a leash.

Not literally, of course. It was only attached to her wrist, but Menou was still nodding with satisfaction.

“You can’t be trusted to wait quietly on your own. I’ve learned my lesson. Whenever I take my eyes off you, I’ll be sure to keep you on a tight leash.”

“C-come on, Menou!” Akari came back to her senses with a start and began struggling against the rope. She held her hand to her chest and raised her voice in a way that seemed almost deliberate. “Not in front of other people! Save it for when we’re alone! I know we’re attached at the hip, but I’m not ready to do this in public! It’s embarrassing!”

“Would you please be quiet?”

Akari started exclaiming hysterically in a voice loud enough for everyone in the room to hear. Menou bore down on her with a calm yet threatening smile.

“You have got to learn some self-awareness. If you keep acting this way, I’ll roll you up in a mat and drag you around instead, understand?”

“I say no to violence! Be gentler with me! All I want is your love, Menou!”

“Then you’d better behave yourself.”

“So all I have to do is behave to get your love and affection?!”

“Over my dead body.”

Anyone would guess from this exchange that they were just engaging in friendly banter.

This was a church, however. As a priestess, Menou could hardly bear Akari’s rowdiness and grabbed both her shoulders to give her a stern reminder.

“Listen. Just sit there quietly and wait, all right? That’s all you have to do. Even a ten-year-old could do it, so a sixteen-year-old can manage, right?”

“Menou, you worry too much. Can’t you at least loosen the rope a little bit?”

“Oh, I worry, all right. Sometimes, you’re so oblivious to danger, I worry you might be mentally ten years old. If you prove you can wait this time, I won’t have to tie you up anymore. Got it?”

“You really don’t trust me…” Akari slumped, and Menou left her there and headed for the inner sanctum of the church.

All churches were basically laid out in a similar manner, though there were some small, aesthetic differences to match the townscape. Menou reached the pastor’s office without any issues and knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

“Excuse me.” Menou entered the room. Sitting at the desk was a gloomy, nervous-looking woman with slender features, bags under her eyes, and glasses.

She was the pastor in charge of the Faust in Libelle. Menou wasn’t familiar with her temperament, but she did know in advance that her name was Sicilia.

“Well, let’s get down to it, Ms. Menou. About your application. Let me give you my opinion…”

“Yes, ma’am.”

As soon as Menou arrived in the city, she had applied for expenses related to her duties.

Carrying money during a journey on foot would be risky, not to mention a physical burden. If she had a regular bank account, however, influential members of the Noblesse would be able to track her.

Thus, Executioners like Menou relied on loans from the churches in their destinations. No matter where the church might be, they were expected to provide as much assistance as possible.

Of course, the amount that could be granted varied greatly from one church to the next.

“At a glance, many items in your application strike me as unnecessary. Why would you do all your traveling in the kingdom on the expensive long-distance trains, I wonder? There are certainly more cost-effective methods of transportation. In fact, I believe you could save even more money by walking from place to place. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Menou had requested money to travel from this city to the next, but the pastor in charge of the church was taking issue with her plan.

“Of course, we would like to help you as much as possible, but don’t you think it’s your responsibility to reduce your expenses as much as possible, too?”

“Yes. You’re exactly right.” Menou responded relatively calmly. She knew it was her position as an Executioner that the pastor disliked so strongly.

Executioners who worked for the holy land specialized in dirty work, and they were considered outsiders by most parishes. An unexpected visit would never be met with a warm welcome. The hospitality she had received from Archbishop Orwell in the ancient capital of Garm was a rare exception.

And as it turned out, Orwell had been committing atrocities to resist the onset of age.

Sicilia’s attitude was unpleasant but not strange. If anything, it was almost a relief to get such a normal reaction.

That said, it was a little frustrating. Menou kept a firm hold on her irritation as she objected to the pastor’s complaints.

“I’m sure you’re aware of the dangers posed by an Otherworlder. The longer our journey takes, the more danger there will be, hence the preference for rapid transportation. Could I ask you to reconsider my request, given the circumstances?”

“My, my. So you haven’t been able to get this situation under control? Isn’t that gross negligence on your part? What have you been doing all this time? It’s your job to deal with Otherworlders, not ours, as I recall. Besides, what do you intend to do by traveling with such haste?”

Menou’s one protest was met with another wall of complaints.

She fell silent for a moment, which Sicilia used to drive home her final rejection.

“Nowhere in your plan is the ultimate goal of figuring out how to dispose of the Otherworlder accompanying you. Surely you do not truly intend to bring her to the holy land?”

Menou flinched and maintained her silence.

She was an Executioner, working in the shadows of the Faust.

It was her duty to kill Akari, who had been summoned from another world. The reason she made contact with her when she arrived in Grisarika Kingdom was to execute her.

Menou, however, had failed her duty.

She was physically unable to kill her.

“I understand this Otherworlder, Akari Tokitou, cannot be killed by any normal means. She recovers with the Pure Concept of Time , correct? That will not be easy to undo, I’m sure.”

Sicilia was right about that.

The moment Otherworlders were summoned, they acquired abilities called Pure Concepts. These powers were all supernatural, but Akari’s power of Time automatically invoked a skill called Regression when she was killed, undoing the very moment of her death.

Thus, Menou was traveling with Akari to keep an eye on her dangerous powers and, if possible, find an opportunity to kill her.

And Menou still had yet to discover any way to successfully execute the girl.

“You have no destination in mind and no confidence in your ability to restrain the Otherworlder, yet you ask for more money to continue your journey? I wish you’d stop joking around. You ought to take your job more seriously.”

“May I ask what exactly you’re trying to say, ma’am?”

“Certainly.” Sicilia held up the application in front of Menou’s face. “I’m saying I won’t provide you with a single coin for your shoddy travel plan.”

With that, she ripped the paper to shreds.

Menou watched expressionlessly as her application was reduced to garbage. Her eyes trailed after the strips as they fluttered to the floor, until Sicilia drew her gaze back up with a finger.

“Perhaps you weren’t aware, but our budget is far from limitless. The amount we have to provide for outsiders like you is tight.”

“Yes, I’m aware.”

“Very good. Then you understand we must expend our money with care. We’re always looking to ensure that there’s a return proportionate to the cost demanded of us. Wouldn’t you say that makes sense?”

“So what do you propose?”

“There’s something we would like you to help us with.”

Executioners were near-universally hated. To local church administrators, requests for funding from people like Menou were nothing but outsiders coming in to beg for money.

At the same time, there wasn’t a single person in the Faust who would doubt the abilities of an Executioner, who had undergone arduous training in the holy land and been selected for the job.

“If you can offer a real contribution to our cause, I certainly won’t turn up my nose at you. We will offer the money you applied for as a contingency fee.”

Thus, it was quite common to be given conditions like this one.

“Sigh…”

After meeting up with Akari in the chapel, Menou heaved a sigh as they stepped outside.

The specifics of the request she’d been given sounded unmistakably annoying. When she submitted her funding application, she’d been resigned to a certain degree of haggling, but this was just aggravating.

They couldn’t continue their journey without any money, however. First, they had to secure a hotel. I’ll just have to figure something out , Menou thought, rubbing her temples.

She looked up to find Akari peering closely at her face.

“You tired, Menou?”

“I suppose. Money problems are universal, after all.”

“Really? I guess now that you mention it, you seemed kinda poor when we first met.”

“Well, excuse me for being broke.”

It was true that when she met Akari, she didn’t have much leeway in her budget. Besides, she worked for the church. She would never earn a salary beyond expenses for her missions and the bare minimum needed to live. That was the nature of the Faust.

As Menou looked back at Akari, her gaze automatically turned reproachful.

Originally, she was supposed to have killed Akari the day they met. In fact, she had buried a knife in the back of the girl’s neck so skillfully that Akari never even noticed.

But Akari was resurrected by the Regression ability of her Pure Concept, Time . Menou concluded it would be impossible to assassinate her alone, and thus, she was stuck traveling around with the girl—all to find a method to kill Akari, who was immortal with her Pure Concept of Time .

Immediately after that realization, however, they were confronted with the archbishop’s crimes and forced to flee Garm quickly.

I’ll lower my hotel standards by one star , Menou decided silently. I’ll put up with a cold shower if I have to. The sheets might smell moldy, but I can deal with that, too.

“Ahh… But…”

As Menou slumped with disappointment at the thought of resting her weary bones in a shabby hotel, a hand suddenly grabbed her arm tightly and tugged her forward.

“I dunno what’s bothering you, but a little sightseeing will cheer you up for sure!”

“Er…”

Akari’s eyes sparkled. Most likely, brightening Menou’s spirits was just an excuse to explore this unfamiliar city.

Menou was in no mood. More importantly, her wallet wasn’t up for the task. Putting her mission-related expenses in this town aside, the money for the next leg of their journey was a contingency fee, dependent on the completion of her task. What a dreadful world. Up-front payment ought to be a universal policy , Menou thought bleakly.

“We can’t. There’s not enough…”

Money , she was about to say, but then Menou trailed off.

She sensed a familiar presence from the shadows of the street. At the same time, her scripture glowed faintly. It was a Guiding Force signal that could only be relayed between scriptures that were in sync. Without opening her book, Menou silently read the message being spelled out inside, not alerting Akari.

“What’s the matter, Menou? Aw, it’s not your fault you’re poor. I can deal with it, don’t worry!”

“…Change of plans.”

Ignoring the other girl’s misplaced magnanimity, Menou adjusted her plans for the day. If she carried out her task, she would receive funds for the requisite investigation. Then she could simply cover the sightseeing costs as part of those investigation funds. Menou still held a little resentment toward that bespectacled pastor, after all.

“Now, let’s get going! We’re splurging today, Akari!”

“My love got through to you!” Akari always managed to twist her words. Menou eyed the exuberant girl suspiciously.

“I’m calling it off if you’re going to keep being stupid.”

“I’m sorry! Please go sightseeing with meee!” Akari immediately latched on to Menou. “I wanna see the sights with you, Menou! Okay? Okay! So please don’t change your miiind!”

“All right, all right. Fine. Just let go of me already.” Menou briskly pushed the crying girl’s face away from hers, and Akari broke into a smile. Menou couldn’t quite hold back a little grin when she saw her roller coaster of expressions.

“So where should we go first?”

“Let me see…”

Sightseeing could encompass any number of things. They could look at buildings, try some of the local delicacies, or go visit the harbor of this port city.

But they had just finished a long journey. Menou tugged on her ponytail and stared thoughtfully at Akari.

After two weeks of walking across a wasteland, they were more than a little dirty. And after considering the message she’d just received in her scripture, she came up with a destination that would accomplish several goals at once.

“Let’s go to the bathhouse.”

Plunk. Ripples spread on the surface of the hot water.

“Ahhh…”

Akari let out a sigh that was almost suggestive in tone. Judging by her expression as she sank up to her shoulders into the hot water of the steamy bathhouse, she was quite content.

“It’s the perfect temperature. All the stress is melting away… It feels so goood.”

Sure enough, her body and even her face were relaxed to the point of melting. Once she finished her assessment out loud, she let her lips slide under the water and blew bubbles, a decidedly poor show of manners.

Menou, too, was next to her in the public bathhouse. She had her light-tawny hair wrapped up in a towel and was stretching out her legs, enjoying the hot water.

“Phew…” She let out a sigh as she relaxed. The pleasant warmth spreading through her body seemed to melt the exhaustion away. On the pilgrimage, there were few opportunities to use hot water. Usually, they had the option of taking a cold shower or wiping themselves down with a damp towel.

Akari stretched both hands out in front of her.

“I sorta thought calling a trip to a bathhouse a ‘splurge’ was just proof of your poor-person mindset, but this is great. Plus, we’ve got the place to ourselves!”

“Well, it is the middle of the afternoon. Also, you don’t have to keep pointing out that I’m poor. A priestess is pure, proper, and powerful, remember? In other words, this is honorable poverty.”

“Okay, okaaay. You’re pure, proper, and powerful. I get it.”

Akari and Menou were the only two people in the large bath. Since there was no one around to see them, they were free to stretch out and relax in the hot water.

“Heeey, Menou.”

“Hmm?”

“We’re traveling to a place called the holy land, right?”

“That’s right.”

As they soaked in the hot water, the pair conversed in sluggish tones.

“So you actually remembered. I’m glad I bothered explaining it to you, then.”

“Of course I remember. So there are other people in this world who got summoned like me or came through natural phenomena? You said protecting those people in this ‘holy land’ place is part of your job.”

Officially, the Faust called people like Akari who had come from other worlds “lost lambs” and took care of them. Menou had told Akari when they first met that the point of their journey was to take her there.

“And you said that long ago there was a more advanced state of cultural development and stuff, too! That’s why people understand Japanese, even though it’s a different world, right?”

“That’s correct. There was an ancient civilization that used the knowledge of Otherworlders to advance themselves. And so the language here is quite similar to Japanese.”

Menou nodded, pleased that her teachings on the road thus far had been worthwhile.

However, there was one part of the truth that differed drastically from what Akari had learned.

When they were summoned, whether intentionally or by chance, Japanese people gained powerful abilities called Pure Concepts. These powers were inevitably unstable. Each time they were used, the Otherworlders’ memories faded, and their personalities changed, until finally, they became threats known as Human Errors and caused immense damage at random. This was also what had destroyed that highly advanced culture and its science, which was said to have even reached the stars.

The Sword of Salt. Starhusk. Pandemonium. Mechanical Society.

These four Human Errors were especially damaging and had left massive and unusual scars on the land that remained even a millennium later.

Based on this grim history, a system was formed in which Executioners like Menou quietly erased Otherworlders before they could cause harm in this world. Menou was bringing Akari on this journey to find a way to assassinate her despite the power that resurrected her when she was killed.

“But y’know, it’s been fun being in this world, even if some stuff has been hard. Which gets me thinking…”

Akari knew nothing of Menou’s true intentions or circumstances.

She placed her full trust in Menou, smiling warmly at her in the bath.

“It might be nice if I could just keep traveling with you in this world forever.”

Her blissful voice punctured a hole in Menou’s chest. Her eyes widened in surprise, and her lips moved in silence as she searched for an answer. Eventually, her shoulders sagged.

“…Don’t be stupid.”

Though Akari looked like she still wanted to enjoy the bath, Menou stood up, sending waves across the water’s surface.

Her body was sufficiently warmed up. There was no point staying any longer.

“There wouldn’t be a journey without a destination. Traveling without a purpose is just putting the cart before the horse.”

“You think? Personally, I’ve always liked making little stops along the way. Sometimes you learn a lot while you’re on the road, too.”

“Is that right? Well, I’m getting out.”

“Okaaay. I’ll be out in bit…”

Akari was the type to linger in the bath. She started to wave from the tub, but her hand paused as she stared at Menou.

“…Y’know, you have a great body, Menou,” Akari murmured, full of admiration.

Menou had long, smooth legs and a balanced build. She looked slender, but her muscles were solid. Though she wasn’t especially tall, she had a powerful presence with her lovely facial features and self-assured stature.

Just as Akari said, she had a well-proportioned body that could make even other women fall in love.

Menou narrowed her eyes as Akari stared.

“Stop ogling me.”

“Ack!”

She used one of her slim legs to splash water at the other girl, reprimanding her for commenting on someone else’s body in a bathhouse. Then she used the towel that was keeping her hair in place to cover up her front and prodded at Akari’s considerable bust, which was bobbing in the water.

“You wouldn’t like it if someone told you ‘you’ve got a great rack’ or something, would you?”

“Hmph. I don’t mind if it’s you, Menou!” Akari stood up from the water with a splash, responding almost instinctively.

Compared to Menou, who was toned from years of diligent training, Akari’s body was soft enough to pinch around her belly and arms. Her feminine curves contrasted with her youthful face, and they seemed to only accentuate each other. Most of all, her chest was impressive enough to warrant envy from other women and tended to attract attention from others.