Afterstories: Chapter 4: Arriving at the Inn

After enjoying the sights of Kyou to the fullest, We came back to our designated inn.

With the hostess’s guidance inside, we headed to our room where our luggage had already been brought in.

“Wow, tatami mats……”

I blurted out soon as I arrived in my room.

As I hadn’t seen tatami mats in a long time, it was very nostalgic.

“It’s a strange room, isn’t it?”

Edith muttered behind me.

It was wooden up to the corridor, a feature I also see in Blossom. What’s strange about is that this is the only room in the house with tatami mats instead of wooden planks for flooring.

“These are tatami mats, and are common in our country.”

“It has a very unusual feel.”

Irene murmured as she squatted down and patted the tatami mats.

Meanwhile, I went to the back of the room and lay down on the tatami. Yep, it had that same comfy feel as ever.

As I was resting comfortably, feeling the tatami mats with my cheeks,

“Master? Are you feeling unwell?”

Edith called out to me with concern.

If I were in her point of view, I might ask the same, suddenly seeing someone lying on the floor without reason. Indeed, wooden floors were not designed to be laid down, but that isn’t the same for tatami mats.

“No, I’m fine. I just miss the tatami.”

“haaa……is that so……”

Edith nodded, though she was getting the feeling that she wasn’t very convinced.

“Boy, are you used to these tatamis?”

I nodded at Mio’s question.

“Yes. There were tatami mats where I was, too.”

“In that case, I guess your place is close to Kyou.”

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It’s more of a period drama than a tourist attraction here. Or a different period even, but it’s the same for Blossom. It’s not the same as the modern western world where I used to see in movies.

But even if I think about it that way, Kyou is the closest thing here that is similar to Japan.

“Oooh, this is quite pleasant.”

Clarice, who was lying on the tatami mats imitating me, said as she rolled over.

I think she liked it too. It’s not exactly her room, but I still kind of felt proud of it as a Japanese person.

As for Irene, she was sitting calmly in front of a chabudai-like furniture, which is a short-legged Japanese dining table.

In front of her was Mio, brewing tea using a teapot from the inn.

“What an unusual way of making it.”

“The optimum temperature is different on each tea, after all.”

Unlike black tea made with hot water, the proper temperature for green tea is a little lower.

While explaining this, Mio poured tea into the teacup.

Meanwhile, Edith, who had been exploring the room with great interest, came back and said.

“Come to think of it, I don’t see any bed in here.”

She looked around the room again and continued as she sat down in front of the Japanese table.

“This room is quite large, but I don’t see a bed anywhere.”

To answer her curiosity, Mio replied to her.

“In Kyou, we use futons instead of beds. The housekeeper will bring them over later. We’ll lay it out on the floor of the room and sleep on it.”

“What an unusual way of sleeping as well.”

Indeed, this may come as a surprise to Edith, who is a member of the bed culture.

I’ve gotten used to sleeping in bed, but I remember my grandparents used to use futons at their house.

The country of Kyou is really Japanese in every way.

I feel at home, but that’s the reason why Irene, Edith, and Clarice find it so strange.

We sipped the tea that Mio brewed for us and took a break.

“How’s the country of Kyou?”

Mio turned to the four of us and asked.

“I felt great. So this is how you live in a country flourishing in trade. There are many unusual things here.”

Irene answers so.

In addition to the Japanese flavor, the country of Kyou is home to many other things from many different countries.

Because it functions as a transit point for many countries, once you leave the tourist area, you will find the streets jumbled together in various cultures.

To sum up, it is a fascinating place.

In contrast to the quiet, modern Japanese streets, the streets here are buzzing and full of activity.

“It was strange to see that even the basic ideas were so different when you’re in a different place.”

Edith says, and then turns her attention to the corner of the room.

I suppose that includes the futon.

Unlike the bed, a futon that can be folded away is the wisdom of being able to use the room effectively.

Well, as long as the room is this big, I feel like either is fine.

It may be difficult for Edith to realize that herself because they are rich and have large rooms.

“I’d love to meet a samurai or a ninja!”

On the other hand, Clarice is hyped to fight the ninjas and samurai she’d heard about on the way.

It’s only recently that she’s been quiet, but she really likes to compete, to begin with.

The first time I met her, she challenged me to a match and…….

I’m sure that if she found a samurai, she would challenge him to a fight in a heartbeat. Fortunately, the current Kyou is not a place where samurai is supposed to roam. Most of them are townspeople.

As Mio had said, this is a place that thrives on trade, so there’s no need for armed forces to go that far.

“It was unpleasant back then. I heard that there were a few samurai in the past.”

Mio, who doesn’t know about Clarice’s competitive nature, muttered lazily.

“But boy, you seem to be……happier than usual?”

“Of course.”

Mio smiled at me as if she was contented with my answer.

Nostalgia is a big part of it that I couldn’t deny, but a different yet also the same culture is even more attractive as a tourist attraction.

Initially, Japanese umbrellas and folding fans didn’t give me much of an affection.

But after going to another world, I now understood how valuable they are to me, together with these people dressed up in kimonos.

After enjoying the sightseeing in Kyou,

“This inn has a hot spring bath.”

Mio then spoke to us.

“Is it? Are we gonna enter too?”

Her words were met with a response from Irene.

“Of course. You are my guests, and appearance is irrelevant now, right? Plus, it’s also an open-air one, and that’s one of the things this inn is known for.”

Mio looks around at our faces and,

“There’s still sometime before dinner, shall we go ahead?”

Sensing a good feeling, she makes a suggestion.

“That’s good.”

“I’m curious about it, too.”

Edith and Clarice agreed to it as well.

They both wanted to take a hot spring bath as soon as possible.

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You can boil water in Irene’s house to take a bath, but the hot springs are a different story.

The hot springs are easier to bathe in because you don’t need to boil water manually anymore, and you don’t have to worry about the amount of water you use.

“Tomo, why don’t you come with us?”

“Okay.”

I nodded at Irene’s invitation.

The changing room, which is somewhat similar to a locker room in my past world, is, of course, separate for men and women, so I was only able to accompany them to the front of the entrances.

Upon going inside, I removed my clothes and changed into a yukata, which was already provided there, then got myself a towel to rub yourself of the grime before dipping on the hot spring.

“Over here. Let’s go.”

Upon going outside the changing room, Mio and the others were already there, and we headed for the hot spring.

As I walked down the inn’s corridor, it occurred to me that the way things were going, this means that we would be able to see each other in our yukata after the bath.

Their wet and sexy figures, being hugged by a loose yukata, the more I imagined the scenery, the more I want to anticipate it.

I walked the hall with those lewd thoughts in my head.

Soon, we arrived at the hot spring.

“I’ll see you inside, boy.”

“Of course.”

I nodded at Mio’s words and headed for the male entrance, which was obviously separated from the female’s, not minding that something was odd in what she had said.