CH 20

“Phew…”

[This is a fine hot bath.]

We are taking a bath together after Ys wraps up a few things in the ritual hall.

Even with my legs stretched out, there is still enough room in the bathtub for me to stretch my entire body, while Ys maneuvers expertly with her eight legs to swim around in the bathtub.

It is as though the warmth of the water melts away the fatigue from my entire body.

[Even so, you’ve grown accustomed to it.]

“Hmm? About what?”

[In the beginning, you were kicking up a lot of fuss and groaning, but before long, you’re able to look at your own body normally.]

“Oh, you mean that.”

Ys starts talking to me at this point, to which I reply.

Being in a bath essentially means that I am naked right now, but I do not dwell on that matter already.

If I have any strong sentiments about it, it’s only that my body is more comfortable than it was in the past since my chest is floating in the hot water.

“Well, even if I don’t like it, I’ll get adjusted to it.”

[I guess that’s true.]

To speak plainly, right after I assumed my current body, difficulties arose as a result of the distinctions between men and women.

To be specific, I had to cope with using the bathroom, taking a bath, and getting dressed.

Yeah. This body is so enigmatically alluring that at first I couldn’t stare directly at this part or that part, which may seem narcissistic.

However, as the saying goes, it takes three days for a person to grow tired of a beautiful woman[i], and human beings can get used to it if they have it in front of their eyes 24/7. After roughly five days, I had virtually given up on that kind of annoyance.

Another reason is that I have come to the realization that changing my clothing on my own, even if I am embarrassed to do it, is preferable than letting someone else do it for me since it only adds more embarrassment and makes me feel less flustered.

“Ah, but I still have a hard time with… underwear and such.”

[Speaking of which, the doctor gave you a pair of strangely glamorous underwear, but you’ve never worn them.]

“If I put it on, something fundamental to me as a man would probably come off…”

I won’t say anything about the glamorous underwear that Ys mentions, but the ones I currently wear regularly are plain ones with no patterns.

I personally thought initially that I would either have to hold my chest down with a sarashi or not wear any such thing at all. However, the doctor told me with her lips curved up, “If you force them to be held down with a sarashi or something, they will grow even bigger, or they will sway and hurt if you don’t wear them,” so I reluctantly started wearing them.

I admit that it has helped enormously when I actually put it on, but there is also a sense that it has snapped various fine parts of my… heart.

Hahaha, I wonder if I’ll be able to handle this when I become a man again…

“Oh right. So, are you sure that there will be someone other than me in this dormitory in the future?”

[Ah, I have confirmed with Susanoo-sama that this dormitory will be for Akira, myself, and the other people who will be partnered with Akira. Apparently, this is the limit of the concession.]

“I see. What about my true identity?”

[He said he would leave it up to me and Akira to make a decision. Well, for my part, I believe that it is better to speak frankly of your identity than to hide it, and it will lead to an improvement in the relationship of trust.]

“I suppose it depends on the person with whom I am actually working. There is a possibility that the relationship of trust could be completely destroyed as a result of the disclosure.]

[That’s another valid point.]

At any rate, if I think about this any more, the subject will likely be set in a strange direction, so to switch my thoughts, I change the subject to something else and ask about the results of the Ys’ work that she was doing before taking a bath… building a line for communication with Takamagahara.

And as a result, it seems that what Ys said before taking a bath has been confirmed.

I am anxious beyond measure, but the reality is that there is nothing I can do about it because I presently do not even know what sort of person I will be paired up with.

“I mean, did you notice anyone in today’s practical training who looked like a potential partner from your perspective, Ys?”

[Well… the girl who had a match with Akira and a few others who weren’t too fazed by what they witnessed would be a good choice, right?]

“…That includes the owner of that persistent stare, doesn’t it? I’m sure it does.”

[She’s included… but it can be mutually fatal for both sides to team up with someone who is frightened of the power of their allies. That aspect is unavoidable.]

What I recall are the myriad fireballs that Hono-san unleashed and the stares that were cast at me following the match, aside from the terrified ones.

Some of those glances include the unnerving ones, but I dare not pay heed to them. If I had to worry about every single one of them, I wouldn’t be able to save myself.

More significantly, as Ys has already stated, working with a partner who is apprehensive of the power of an ally is not a decent candidate.

There is a high possibility that they will cast me aside and flee, or on the other hand, that they will blindly believe that everything will be all right if they entrust me to handle the situation. Therefore, whichever direction of inclination I take, I can say with certainty that it is not a good thing.

“But what kind of partner will I actually be teaming up with…”

[That’s a matter of convenience between human beings, so it’s hard to say. But I think it is more likely that you will be added to a group that is lacking in numbers rather than breaking up and reassembling the group that already exists.]

“Ah, I see what you mean.”

When I reflect on it, Ys’ words are quite reasonable.

Each group has its own rules, policies, and cooperation that have been developed over the years. It would be too risky to mischievously interfere with them.

In this regard, the eradication squads are often organized into groups of three in order to maintain the motto of “elite corps,” but if there is a group with just two members, there is a very high likelihood that I will be assigned to that group.

[Either way, it all depends on tomorrow. Since they went through the trouble of setting up today’s practical as an individual one, that would be the case.]

“Maybe. All right, I’m off to bed early today.”

Having concluded this, Ys and I leave the bath, and after changing my clothes, we head to the bedroom.

“That reminds me…”

[You better get yourself familiarize with it.]

“Ah…”

And then I slip into bed, mildly heartbroken by the frilly canopy bed that unexpectedly surfaces in my field of vision as I have forgotten about it.

——————

T/N:

[i] This is a proverb that has a few meanings. But in this context, it means someone will eventually get used/bored of it