Chapter 333: Things Going…Not as Planned

In the end, the participants in the current trip ended up being me, Cortina, Finia, and also Lyell, Maria and Fina, as well as Kabby – six people and some more.

While Maria was close to perfect health now, I still couldn’t help but worry. Hopefully, there will be no harm if she enjoyed a hot spring cure now.

Also, this was Fina’s joyous hot spring debut too. As a sister, I had to engrave her form in the art gallery of my heart no matter what. No matter what.

For that reason, I borrowed the transcription tool from Maxwell. I was fully motivated to keep taking photographs with it for as long as my magic power lasted.

“There was a time I thought about that too.”

“Dear guest, um, please hold back from bringing a transcription tool inside the public bath.”

“…Figured as much.”

Thinking about it, there’s no way they’d allow you to bring a transcription tool to a place where women are defenselessly exposing their skin.

Maria was with us too this time, so I headed to the general large public bath. Cortina’s circumstances being what they were, she managed to reserve a beastmen bath almost exclusively for herself because there were luckily few people.

That said, the inn staff wasn’t making happy faces when they saw fleas floating around, so in the end, she only managed to get the sauna for exclusive use.

This hot spring of the mist sauna should be plenty good enough to steam those fleas.

“Hey, you come too. I’d be lonely on my own.”

“Squee!?”

“We live together, so the fleas might have spread to you too.”

“S-Squee…”

Being told that, Kabby couldn’t keep on refusing, so it got obediently taken along by Cortina. Let’s have her wash it thoroughly using this opportunity.

“Maria is going in with Fina and Finia, so why not come in with daddy, Nicole?”

“No.”

“Why not!? Wouldn’t daddy be lonely on his own?”

“Should’ve taken Cloud along then.”

“He seemed to have burned his crotch for some reason and passed up the opportunity this time.”

“That sounds terrible.”

I answered while looking away. I mean, anyone can make a mistake in holding back.

I tried to nurse him in a hurry, but Cloud resisted with all his might and tottered away. The surrounding Adventurers looked at him as if seeing something frightening. I decided to ignore a part of them that had a look of envy on their faces.

“Look, they need helpers with Fina’s bathing, so I have to do my part too.”

“Ahh, you’re such a good girl Nicolee!”

Lyell gave me his bear hug, which urged me to drive a punch to his liver. But his crazy tough body didn’t even feel my punch.

When he squeezes me like that, he has enough muscles on his chest to crush me. I really need him to learn the ability to let go of his child already, or it’ll get too embarrassing.

While I endured the sweltering heat and punched him nonstop, Maria couldn’t endure watching and offered me a helping hand.

“Dear, we have to get moving already or they will prepare the food before we get there.”

“Ah right. We did ask them to take it to our room.”

Lyell quickly let me go after Maria’s reminder. Cortina on the side seemed to be itching to grab me with her hands spread out. She was in the state of wanting to hug me but unable to.

That was of course due to the fleas that have taken nest on her body. I didn’t lose out to Cortina in terms of hair density. Well only in terms of head hair. Anything neck and below, I still—No, never mind.

“Kh, I can’t hug you now, but I’ll let you fluff her in my stead okay, Finia?”

“Then, without reservation…”

“Fwah!?”

I got suddenly hugged from behind and made a strange yelp. Cortina, what do you mean, fluff me? My body is not hairy. My hair is long, though.

“Mhh, you have gained some meat as of late so you feel very nice to the hug.”

“When I’m out of the bath it’ll be my turn okay!”

“Yes, do it to your heart’s content.”

“What about my consent!?”

“Huh, we need it?”

I let Cortina’s question slide with dead fish-like eyes. While my height growth was slowing down, I was still growing squishier, so they kept doing this stuff all the time.

That said, I’m not sure what to think of them feeling up my chest even if we were both women.

“Enough, you two, we’re going already. Mommy can’t wait to go in already.”

Maria headed to the changing room in unusually high spirits while holding Fina. She was probably enjoying a family trip a great deal.

“Well, later. I’ll probably take a while.”

“Sigh, daddy will go take a lonely dip too.”

Seeing Lyell totter towards the men’s bath, even I started feeling sorry for him. Feeling the grief from his back, I reflexively called out to him.

“I-If you’re that desperate…”

“Y-You will!?”

“You can’t, Lady Nicole. It’s good that you are so kind, but you are no longer at an age where you should enter the men’s bath.”

“Ugh, you’re right.”

“Ghh… Finia, you’re a little too steadfast. You’ll be more popular with guys if you act a bit more vulnerable.”

“No thank you.”

Finia curtly handled Lyell, but she was right that if I entered the men’s bath with my current body, it’d attract a lot of stares. Even if I still looked childish at parts, my body still exuded enough womanly air.

Besides, if I went there, I would miss out on observing Fina’s first hot spring. Now that I didn’t have the transcription tool on me, I had to burn it into my brain using my flesh.

“Can’t be helped if that’s the case. Later, dad.”

“Ugh, Nicole, don’t abandon me.”

“Don’t say something so sloppy.”

“Boo-boo, is this the pathos of a father?”

Leaving Lyell who dropped his shoulders in dejection, I decided to head to the women’s bath. There would be no end if I kept paying attention to my sulking father. You may think I was cold, but ignoring him was the best option here.

Thinking about it, I sure have gotten used to entering women’s baths. I’d get branded as a criminal if I forgot and entered one when I revert to male form.

I had to pay attention so that doesn’t happen from now on.

Finia entered the changing room with me. These girls were saying I was nice to the touch, but their hugs were starting to feel just as good as of late.

Being an Elf, it seems that she was still growing bit by bit.