Volume 5 - CH 1

Chapter 1 – Ferry Information and Observation Bath

“…I’m not sure where to board from, so let’s just take the Lutto for now and circle around the ferry.”

“…It’s not locked, right?”

“Hahaha, sorry.”

Good grief, when I say let’s get on board, I don’t know where to get on… Alessia-san’s dumbfounded look at me gives me the chills…

As I move around the ferry, I am again amazed at the size of the ferry. 192 meters long and 27 meters wide. I knew this from the purchase screen, but the real thing feels much bigger than I imagined.

It’s like a steel fortress… I decided to name the ferry the Fortress.

“I have decided. The name of this ferry will be the Fortress.” [T/n: He said it in English.]

“That was sudden. So, Wataru-san, what does it mean?”

“It means ‘fortress.’* Since we don’t know how to get in, don’t you think it fits? Alessia-san.” [T/n: In Japanese.]

“…It fits perfectly. But first, let’s find out how to get into that fortress.”

“…Yes.”

We look for the entrance to get in and proceed ahead. Oh, there’s some kind of bridge in that dented area on the right side. I think we can get in if we drop it down, and maybe that’s where the car will get in. I’m afraid to try it from the outside, so I’ll try it later.

The exterior of the ship will be disguised as a wooden ship later. It will be noticeable because of its size, but wood is still better than metal.

…Yeah, Fortress is a perfect name. I don’t see how we’re going to get on board. It can’t be helped, so let’s repatriate it and get on top of the magic circle when we summon it again.

“Everyone, I will summon it again, so when the magic circle appears, please get on top of it.”

“Get on top of the magic circle?”

“Yes, you can get on top of the magic circle when the ship is summoned. Don’t worry.”

“I understand.”

We can get on the magic circle wherever we want, right? Let’s just remind everyone for now.

“Then, after repatriation… summons… everyone, please jump on.”

When everyone jumped on top of the magic circle, we were surrounded by light. I notice that there is an information center in front of me, and next to it is a store.

“Wooo, there are cup noodles, juice, snacks, ice cream, white lover, instant miso soup, toothbrushes, T-shirts, wooooーー”

“Master, Master, I know you’re excited, but everyone’s in trouble.”

“Eh? Oh, sorry Ines. I’m just so excited to have something in front of me that I had given up on, thinking I might never get it again.”

“Yes, I know it can’t be helped, but there are people from Girasole here, so please calm down and show them around. We have a lot of time, so let’s take our time and have fun.”

“I understand. I’m sorry, everyone. I will show you around the ship now.”

“Don’t worry about it. I don’t know about this, but I’m sure you saw something you missed, didn’t you? You can show us around at your own pace, Wataru-san.”

“Thank you, Alessia-san.”

Let’s calm down; since the thing I wanted appeared in front of me, I was at once caught up in an unexplainable excitement… As Ines said, there’s plenty of time to enjoy everything. I’ll take my time now and show them around.

“Now, here is the store. It’s small because it’s on the ship, but you can buy things here if you pay for them. Let me demonstrate.”

I take a black carbonated drink from the juice section of the kiosk and place it in the cash register… 2 copper coins are displayed in the cash register. 2 copper coins… Where do I put them?

Ah, here it is; there was a coin slot on the coin tray stand next to the register; I put in the two copper coins… and the register was accounted for… I don’t know how it works, but it’s creepy, to be honest.

I’ve seen videos of unattended cash registers. I can understand that one somehow, but this one, I don’t understand at all.

“Now, I’m done paying. If there is something you are interested in, you can buy it. If you don’t understand something, please ask me, and I will explain it to you.”

At my words, the girls began to look around the store. They were very curious and asked me questions about various items.

Most of the things they couldn’t understand even if they saw them, which is true because they are from another world. I explain the drinks, then the snacks, T-shirts, toothbrushes, etc.

I bought some and let them try them. The white lover was very popular, and when it came to the cup noodles, they froze in shock. I was relieved to see that they seemed to like the taste.

I also almost cried when I ate a cup of noodles that I shared with everyone. The soy sauce flavor, the seafood flavor, the curry flavor, and the udon broth flavor. It was the best.

Incidentally, I asked Ilma-san to try some of the Donbei Kitsune Udon…, and she just smiled bewitchingly at me, saying it was delicious… Which is it?

I wanted to know if it was effective for the fox-eared beauty, but I couldn’t be sure. If she liked it, I would have given it to Camille-san for extra points.

All of them wanted to buy cup noodles in bulk to take with them on their adventures, so I asked them to hold off until later because I had to give them directions. I bought ice cream for everyone and handed it out.

The girls, who had only known the milk ice cream I had been making, were eating it with gusto, cheering each other on and commenting on the taste.

Rimu and Fuu-chan were also excited about the various foods. I was happy to hear them say “delicious” and “love it” over and over again.

“There are so many more things I want to introduce, but let’s move on.”

“Oh, Wataru-san, let me buy this one thing.”

“Oh, me too.”

They picked up one famous chocolate candy after another and paid for them. They are already used to it… but even so, chocolate is very popular even in the other world… It’s amazing. I hope there won’t be a war between mushrooms and bamboo shoots, though… [T/n: There are biscuits covered in chocolate in the shape of mushrooms and bamboo shoots in Japan, and there seems to be some rivalry among their fans.]

“I want one.”

Rimu also carried a box of chocolates on his head; well done, Rimu is a bamboo shoots guy.

“Rimu, you can’t take anything here unless you pay for it. If you want something, you have to tell me from now on.”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s move on.”

We headed to the next room with the ladies, who were making a lot of noise with the snacks they had gotten.

“This is the economy room.”

“Wow, it’s a big room. Is it a shared room?”

“Yeah, that mattress, blanket, and pillow make up one person’s space.”

“Wow, what’s this mattress called? It’s soft. It’s amazing that you have this in a shared room.”

Mattresses. It looks like this would be a good idea to set this up on a hut boat… If I repatriate the Fortress, will the mattresses disappear? Hmm… it’s the ship’s furnishings, so it’s going to disappear like the oars. As for the goods, we’re paying for them, so they’re not going to disappear, are they?

“Next, this way. These are standard rooms; there are two-person rooms and four-person rooms.”

“They’re not very big, but the beds are nice and soft.”

“Yes, we have different types of rooms, so if you’re interested, you can have a look around. And here are the shared toilets, that one is for men and this one is for women. The rooms you will be staying in have their own toilets, so you may not use them.”

“The room we are staying in has a toilet?”

“Yes, they are of a higher rank than the rooms we have seen so far, so they have a bath and a toilet. There are many rooms, so each person can have one room.”

“Wow, what are the rooms like?”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“We won’t take away the best room, you know. It’s an owner’s perk.”

“Well, that’s true. But let’s see the room.”

“Yes.”

“Hey, Wataru-san, why are the stairs moving?”

“That is an escalator. It’s hard for people with weak legs to move around so many times, so if you get on it, you can be carried without moving.”

“I see. If it makes things easier, that’s great.”

“Next, let’s look at this one. This is called an elevator. Push the button for the floor you want to go to, and it will take you to that floor. If it’s too much trouble, you can take the stairs.”

“It’s great that the elevator carries you up and down, but are there that many people with weak legs?”

“Hmm, I don’t know. Well, some people may have trouble walking as they get older, so I guess that’s the reason.”

“Oh, that’s right.”

What was the actual reason in Japan? I guess it is for people with weak legs, but I think it is simply because stairs are troublesome for them.

“Let’s take a ride, then. But if we all ride together, we’ll be limited to a certain number of people. Let’s split up and ride together at once. Let’s go to the bottom parking lot and split up into four people.”

The part where they split up, curious and happy, somehow makes me think they are adventurers. It’s a weird place to realize that.

We split into two groups and moved to the parking lot. Emerging into a dimly lit, dark space, they are quite surprised at how the scenery has changed even though they haven’t moved themselves.

“Wataru-san, I understand the elevator, but what is this place? Seems like it’s just a large, dimly lit space.”

“Yes, this place, well, is it a place to park carriages? There is another floor above, which is also a parking lot, but there is a big door there so that carriages can go in and out.”

“It’s such a big place, and yet there’s another one up there, well, it’s a big ship, so when it’s full, do they need this many people?”

“You’re right, Alessia-san. Well, I don’t intend to put anyone else on board, so it might be a good place to exercise when it’s raining or when we can’t go out on deck.”

“It’s certainly spacious enough, maybe too spacious.”

“Well, let’s move on.”

There’s not much to see in the parking lot.

“This is one floor up from where we started. The rooms we’ll be staying in are on this floor. First of all, there are 20 deluxe rooms. You are probably used to the Western-style rooms, but please be careful in this Japanese-style room because you have to take off your shoes.”

“Are we free to use these rooms as we please?”

“Yes, it’s fine. You can choose your room later; we will continue with the tour. This is the only suite on the ship. I guess this is our room.”

“Wow, it’s kind of nice.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty nice. I’m looking forward to it.”

“Fufu, I envy you.”

“No, I won’t give it to you. Alessia-san.”

“Fufu, I know. Let’s move on.”

“Yes, the next one is… This is the game area. I will explain how to play later.”

“What is this, Wataru-san? It’s cute.”

“Eh? Oh, it’s called ‘Ufo catcher.’ Inside is a stuffed toy.”

“A stuffed toy? I want one. Wataru-san, what should I do?”

“Please calm down, Claretta-san. Just watch me, okay? First, put in one copper coin. Then press this button to move this crane. Next, press this button to move the crane vertically. Now, will the crane be able to catch the stuffed toy that you want? Oh, it didn’t work.”

Damn, if I had caught it here, I could have given it to Claretta-san… Damn it.

“Oh, it’s unfortunate, but I understand. I’ll try to get it.”

“Let’s wait until after the tour. We can do it again later.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Hey, Wataru-san. What are those boxes with drinks we bought at the store?”

“Ah, those are called vending machines. There is a place where vending machines are gathered on the next floor, so I will tell you there.”

“I understand.”

Let’s explain the theater room as I show them the movie. It will be completely obvious that I’m from another world, so it depends on the time to come.

“This is the casual room. It’s a four-person room with curtains that can be closed to protect your privacy. You probably won’t use it.”

“Yes, the deluxe room would be more comfortable.”

“Well, no doubt about it. And here’s the bathhouse, which is one of the reasons I bought the ferry in the first place.”

“Wow, it’s a big bath. How many people can fit in there? It looks so nice.”

“Here’s the amazing part. The things in these containers are called “shampoo and body soap.” Compared to the hard-to-clean powder you’ve been using up until now, this one will definitely make your hair and skin cleaner. It makes your hair and skin smooth and shiny.”

Oh no, the women’s eyes have changed…

“Wataru-san… how do you think it works?”

“Yes, you just put this shampoo on wet hair, wash it, and rinse it off in the shower. For the body soap, you can buy a towel at the store, lather it up, and then scrub it on your body.”

“Do you mind if I get in right away?”

“Wait a minute, let’s get ready to take a bath first. There are some things to prepare and some things I need to explain to you.”

I can’t lose here, I want them to change into yukata after getting out of the bath, and I haven’t explained about the yukata yet. I would love to see the ladies in yukata after taking a bath.

“Let me just make the necessary preparations for the bath. I will show you the rest after the bath.”

Under intense pressure, I prepared towels and explained how to put on the yukata. I manage to get them to understand and send them off to the bath.

Oh, Ines and Felicia have gone too. I wanted to go in with them, but… I head to the men’s bath alone and lonely. Well, when I explained about the shampoo, their eyes changed color. I was really scared.

“Ahhhh, it feels so nice to have a big bath.”

My soliloquy echoed in the bathroom, but I didn’t care. I had been taking showers and baths frequently, but I guess I hadn’t cleaned up all the dirt. With shampoo and body soap, I feel much cleaner than usual.

I take a leisurely soak in the warm water and look at the scenery. It’s a beautiful day, soaking in the spacious bath while looking at the blue ocean… It’s bigger than the Hideaway, and the viewpoint is higher, and it’s nice and luxurious to have it all to myself.

Hmm? …I wonder if the Hideaway will be useless? It has a big bath and one room for each of us… Yikes, I feel like we have much less chance to take a bath together.

…I need to do the barbecue and other events we did before on the Hideaway and create some opportunities.

When I left the bath, the ladies had not yet come out. I waited for the ladies to come out, looking forward to seeing them in their yukatas after the bath. After a while, the ladies came out… Thank you, Creator God-sama.

They had been more than beautiful enough up to now, but seeing them like this, I realized that they were not quite there yet. Their skin is glowing, and their hair is silky and smooth.

Is this what you get with shampoo? I wonder what would happen if they used a high-end product that contains moisturizing ingredients? It’s terrifying.

And the most amazing thing is the women’s breasts. Everyone’s wonderfully sized breasts are lifting up their yukata and showing off their cleavage… Once again, thank you so much, Creator God-sama.