"Hey! Hey! Hey!"
"What are you all staring at?!" "What kind of looks are those?!" "Why is everyone looking at me?!"
"Those looks of yours are incredibly rude!"
"My clothes... my clothes are all in a mature woman's style!"
No matter how much Hanasaka Warabi stamped her feet in protest, desperately trying to preserve the last shred of dignity befitting the eldest of the Supreme Five Swords — even puffing out a chest that had precious little to puff out, straining to project even a hint of a "mature woman's" silhouette —
it was no use.
That feeble defense crumbled completely under the collective gaze of everyone present — a gaze that said, without words, "We all know. Drop the act." Especially those two pairs of eyes: Aihara Enju and Hiruko Kohina, staring up at her with the desperate, shining hope of children who had just found their savior.
And the others, all biting back laughter with barely contained effort.
Warabi understood.
Her reputation.
It had been thoroughly and irrevocably destroyed today.
"Aaaargh——!!"
"Fine, fine, I'll lend you some!"
But listen here! "These are just borrowed, got it?!" "Don't you dare call them children's clothes!"
"Absolutely not!" "I'm going to get them now!" "Everyone wait on the first floor!"
With that, Hanasaka Warabi finally threw all pride to the wind, let out a furious howl, spun on her heel, and thundered up the stairs toward the second floor, each footstep heavier than the last.
"Yeah, yeah, we know~" "We'll keep your secret~"
"Warabi-chan's very mature-woman-style~ clothes~"
Onigawara Rin called after that retreating figure, delivering one final, perfectly-aimed jab with a voice dripping in teasing warmth.
"SHUT UP!!"
"Onigawara Rin, you absolute wretch!" "Just you wait!" "I'm going to snap that stupid sword of yours in half when I get back!"
From the staircase, Warabi's furious shriek came ricocheting back immediately.
Having just been forced to acknowledge that her figure was on par with an elementary schooler, Hanasaka Warabi was absolutely beside herself with humiliated rage.
"Alright, alright."
Haimer, who had been standing to one side watching the whole spectacle unfold, finally couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing.
He shook his head helplessly.
This bunch.
They really were...
full of life.
But.
That was just fine.
Compared to a dead, joyless silence —
he far preferred this kind of lively, chaotic warmth.
This was what a "home" was supposed to feel like.
Haimer pulled his gaze away and turned around.
He looked at the women who were still gathered in the hall.
His expression softened.
"Now that the clothing problem is sorted out," he said, "go on ahead."
"At the end of the first-floor corridor, the large door carved with the wave pattern — that's the one." "I won't walk you there myself."
"I need a little time to collect my thoughts."
With that, Haimer gestured toward the far end of the corridor.
"Yes!"
The women answered in bright, unison chorus.
Every face lit up with undisguised anticipation.
A bath, after all.
For girls, that held an absolutely irresistible allure.
*
At the far end of the first-floor corridor, a pair of heavy double doors stood in quiet solitude.
The doors were made of thick oak. Carved into the panels were exquisite wave patterns — every line flowing and natural, as though real waves were cresting and rolling through the grain of the wood.
Hestia walked at the front of the group.
She reached out.
And pushed open the doors.
"Creak——"
With that low, muffled groan of old wood —
a wave of heat rolled out.
Warm. Humid. Carrying the faint mineral bite of sulfur —
blended with something else: the refined, orchid-like fragrance of high-end aromatherapy.
It hit them all at once.
The scent of Orario's subterranean hot spring waters.
The scent of luxury and indulgence.
White mist billowed out from the gap in the doors, instantly wrapping around everyone like a soft cocoon.
Like stepping into a world suspended among the clouds.
Even those who had braced themselves — the Holy Emperor and the others — couldn't help it.
In that moment, when the scene within finally came into focus —
every one of them forgot to breathe.
The first impression was: vast.
A full hundred square meters of space, easily.
The floor was laid with non-slip stone tiles. The surrounding walls were built from solid, uncut rock — the natural grain of the stone left exposed.
At the very center.
A massive bath.
The water was crystal clear, so transparent you could see straight to the bottom. Above the surface, pale wisps of white steam curled lazily upward.
"Is this... the bathhouse?"
"And... the water is so clear."
The Holy Emperor walked to the edge of the pool, crouched down, and extended her slender fingers to gently stir the surface.
The temperature was perfect.
Not scalding. Not cold. Just like the most comfortable warmth a human body could feel.
"Wooaaah——!!"
And then — a whoop shattered everyone's stunned reverie.
Aihara Enju had already hit her limit.
She had already yanked off her skirt at lightning speed —
revealing a small body that, though petite, was brimming with vitality.
As a Cursed Child, her skin was pale — but it was covered all over with scars, large and small.
But at this moment,
Aihara Enju paid none of that any mind.
She leapt like a cheerful little rabbit and launched herself straight into the bath.
"Splash——!"
Water flew in all directions.
"That feels amazing——!!"
A second later, Aihara Enju popped her head up from the water. Her orange-red twin-tails were completely soaked, plastered flat against her cheeks. She swiped the droplets off her face and let out a long, blissful sigh.
"This water is so warm!"
"And it doesn't smell weird at all!"
Back in the old world —
even in the Cursed Children's settlements where they had at least some protection, bathing was an outright luxury.
Water was scarce. Bath water was recycled over and over, filtered time and again until it reeked of harsh chemical disinfectant — sometimes even running slightly murky.
Nothing like this.
Clear, warm, and carrying the faint sweetness of flowers.
"Kohina! Get in!"
"It really feels amazing!"
Aihara Enju waved enthusiastically up at Hiruko Kohina, who was still standing at the edge.
Hiruko Kohina looked at Enju in the water, then looked down at her own clothes.
She hesitated for a moment.
Then.
Clumsily mimicking Enju, she pulled off her clothes.
This was the first time she had ever exposed her body in front of so many people.
Scars covered her, just as they covered Enju — only more of them, and deeper.
"...!"
At the sight of it, Onigawara Rin and the others drew a sharp breath in unison.
Hands flew instinctively to cover their mouths.
They had always known these children had lived through terrible things.
But seeing those scars with their own eyes — the visual impact of it sent a tremor through every heart in the room. These wounds. On an ordinary person, they would have been fatal many times over.
But.
Right now.
Hiruko Kohina paid no attention to those stares.
Carefully, she dipped one foot into the water.
Soon.
She squinted her eyes in bliss.
"Splash —"
And slid in completely.
The two little ones finally reclaimed something that belonged to childhood.
They became two perfectly ordinary little girls who just wanted to splash around in the water.
Pale little backsides bared to the world, sending great sheets of water flying.
"Hahaha! It's so warm!" "There's so much water!" "Take this!" "Splash——"
Aihara Enju scooped up a huge double-handful of water and hurled it straight at Hiruko Kohina.
"?!!"
Hiruko Kohina froze.
She clearly hadn't expected an ambush.
Water hit her full in the face, leaving her momentarily dazed.
But then.
A competitive spark ignited behind Hiruko Kohina's eyes.
She wasn't about to lose.
"Splash——"
She sent a wave crashing right back at Aihara Enju.
The water carved an arc through the air.
Direct hit.
The two little girls instantly erupted into a full-blown water fight across the wide expanse of the bath. Bright laughter and the sound of splashing water shattered the silence of the bathhouse — and with that burst of cheerful energy, the last traces of awkwardness that had hung in the air dissolved completely.
"Honestly..."
"These two children — honestly, so impatient."
Watching the two small figures frolicking in the water, Hestia shook her head helplessly.
But even as she said it, the sight of that steaming, inviting water was already working on her.
So.
"Let's hurry up and get in too!"
With that, Hestia threw caution to the wind and untied the ribbons of her signature white dress with cheerful decisiveness.
The blue sash that had been cinching tightly across her chest.
Slid away with her movement.
In that instant — it was as if some magnificent, long-confined force had finally been set free.
Thud.
The visual impression alone was enough to conjure the sound of something heavy and weighty dropping into place.
Standing at barely a hundred and forty centimeters tall —
that preposterous, gravity-defying figure of hers revealed itself in full.
The sheer, visceral visual impact of it.
Onigawara Rin stared, then instinctively glanced down at her own figure — perfectly decent, all things considered — and fell into a deep, profound silence.
...
As the rustling of discarded clothing filled the room one after another —
within the curling mist,
young and beautiful forms emerged,
like petals unfolding from a bud.
gradually coming into view.
The Holy Emperor turned away, somewhat shyly.
Even among women.
Even knowing they would all be living under the same roof from now on —
the aristocratic upbringing she had received since childhood, and a lifetime of never having been so candid in public, made the flush of embarrassment rise sharp and sudden.
Her cheeks burned.
Yet.
There was nowhere to hide here.
Mist drifted. Water murmured.
The private time belonging to the girls had begun.
Onigawara Rin was toweling off her body when she couldn't help sneaking a glance at the Holy Emperor beside her.
The steam made it hard to see clearly.
But that silhouette —
even to Rin's eyes — the eyes of another woman — it was breathtakingly, almost unfairly perfect.
What a sight it was.
Skin that had been wrapped up so modestly now finally met the open air.
Without the careful, flattering cut of her formal gown —
the figure it had merely hinted at was now on full, astonishing display.
And a lifetime of pampered living had left the Holy Emperor with skin so pale it was nearly translucent —
radiating the warm, luminous glow of the finest white jade.
Smooth beyond description. Not a single pore visible.
Though in daily life she always gave the impression of being soft and delicate —
that elegant swan's neck.
Those delicate collarbones.
And those full, rounded contours rising and falling gently with each breath.
Even seen from behind —
it struck you like a dry-mouthed bolt from the blue — a temptation that made the heart stutter.
Like a goddess high above all things finally tumbling down from her pedestal, on the verge of being touched by the color of the mortal world.
"Phew..."
The Holy Emperor had not yet noticed Onigawara Rin's stunned, admiring gaze.
She gently picked up a clean white bathing towel.
Draped it across herself.
Then.
With great care —
using those long, elegantly curved legs —
she stepped, one careful foot at a time, into the water.
Every movement retained the grace that was simply part of her bones.
As the warm water crept past her ankles —
past her knees —
past her waist —
until it enveloped her whole —
every single pore opened at once.
All the exhaustion, tension, unease, and that gnawing fear of being adrift in a strange new world that had accumulated through this entire day —
was drawn out of her, little by little, dissolving into the warm current.
The Holy Emperor leaned back against the smooth blue stone at the pool's edge.
She tilted her head back slightly.
"Mmm..."
A soft, irrepressible sigh of profound comfort escaped from the Holy Emperor's lips.
And with it, an expression she never showed in public — that utterly unguarded, languid ease that belonged only to a young girl.
Her skin, already pale, flushed quickly in the heat of the water —
a delicate pink spreading across it, like peach blossoms blooming against snow.
"..."
"Holy Emperor's... are really something, aren't they."
"Where..."
"Rin-san has a very nice figure too."
The Holy Emperor turned her head — and caught Onigawara Rin's gaze before Rin had time to pull it away.
Flustered, she tugged the bathing towel up a little higher.
Her cheeks went pink.
Being complimented so openly on her body —
even from another woman —
was something the Holy Emperor wasn't used to.
"And..."
"Compared to someone like me —"
"a figure like Rin-san's — trained through swordsmanship — is honestly far more enviable."
Saying so,
the Holy Emperor's gaze turned reciprocally to rest on Onigawara Rin.
There — flowing, taut lines of muscle. The faint suggestion of abs across her stomach. Arms built firm and solid from years of swinging a blade.
Not exaggerated.
But full of power.
A living expression of vitality.
That was a body forged only through years of rigorous, unrelenting training.
As for herself —
The Holy Emperor lowered her gaze.
Through the clear water —
she looked at her own pale, soft palms.
These hands.
They couldn't lift anything even slightly heavy.
She couldn't even hold a sword steady.
In this world of the Dungeon, where danger lurked at every corner —
would a body like hers really be all right?
A faint thread of anxiety.
Spread slowly through the Holy Emperor's heart.
*
On the other side.
"..."
Even with the Holy Emperor's kind words, Onigawara Rin's attention had not shifted at all — her gaze remained fixed on the one thing about the Holy Emperor that preoccupied her most.
Fixed on it. Transfixed, even.
It could only be said that Rin's gaze was locked, straight and unblinking, on the area the slightly embarrassed Holy Emperor was shielding with her bathing towel.
In the water's buoyancy —
even with the towel doing its level best —
that weighty, substantial presence was impossible to conceal.
Two breathtaking, ivory curves, pressed together and overflowing.
Still. Undeniably. There.
And as the water moved, they swayed with it —
a mesmerizing, dizzying undulation that made the eyes lose focus.
That was a frontier that Rin could never reach.
No matter how much she trained.
No matter how much milk she drank.
Not to mention...
there were the others too.
Rin couldn't help letting her gaze drift sideways.
Over there —
a cascade of black hair floating across the water's surface.
Tendou Kisara had her eyes closed, resting against the wall of the bath.
And beneath that cool, icily beautiful face —
an absolutely outrageous figure!
The scale of it was a genuine match for Kikakujou Mary — and for Goddess Hestia, who had completely given herself over to floating on the surface like a contented corpse!
This is... the great inequality the world is built on, isn't it?
Rin stared at that sight, and truly, helplessly couldn't stop herself from looking down.
Well...
She wasn't exactly flat, at least.
Better than Hanasaka Warabi, certainly.
But...
Up against this crowd of natural prodigies —
she was, plainly, too modest by comparison!
The indignity of it!
*
Elsewhere.
"Let it go."
Just as the Holy Emperor's quiet anxiety was beginning to take root —
Inaba Tsukuyo, who had been leaning silently against the pool's edge with her eyes shut all this while, finally found her opening and spoke.
"Kami-sama's Grace..."
"is a wondrous thing."
"It draws out the hidden potential within each person."
"Whether the Holy Emperor becomes a warrior, or something else entirely —"
"as long as you have that resolve,"
"Kami-sama will answer you. Without fail."
Inaba Tsukuyo could not see.
But her heart's eye saw more clearly than anyone's.
She could sense the unease stirring in the Holy Emperor's chest.
Just as she herself had once felt it.
A cursed body. Senses stripped away. She had once believed she was a being abandoned by god.
But Kami-sama had chosen her.
"That's right."
"Holy Emperor-san, there's absolutely no need to worry."
"Kami-sama is incredible!"
"We didn't know anything at first either — but just by following what Kami-sama said, we got stronger so fast!"
Kikakujou Mary scooted over, her golden hair soaked and clinging to her shoulders, a warm smile on her face.
"And..."
"Kami-sama has never once been wrong about people."
"If he chose you —"
"then that means you have something completely unique that belongs only to you."
"Kami-sama loves uncut gems most of all."
"Is that so..."
The Holy Emperor murmured to herself.
The great weight that had been sitting in her chest seemed to ease, just a little.
She lifted her head.
Through the hazy veil of steam —
she gazed toward that tightly shut door.
The image of the deity surfaced in her mind.
That man who always wore a gentle smile, yet somehow made every person near him feel completely, inexplicably at ease.
And those words —
"This flower already has someone it belongs to."
They echoed again in her ears.
A faint warmth rose in the Holy Emperor's cheeks.
The way her heart had lurched in that moment — she could still feel it.
*
And meanwhile —
First-floor hall.
Haimer sat alone on that soft sofa, a cup of tea in hand, his gaze drifting thoughtfully around the manor he had been living in these past few days.
Large enough, certainly.
But.
"The Five Swords, Kirukiru, Holy Emperor, Tendou Kisara..."
Haimer tallied the numbers quietly in his head.
"And myself, Hestia, Aihara Enju, Hiruko Kohina..."
"Already eight rooms taken."
"This house has three floors, yes."
"But the rooms left..."
"won't be many."
Haimer glanced up toward the second and third floors.
For now, there were no plans to bring in new members any time soon.
But.
If he truly intended to carry out that plan —
to bring the Cursed Children from the G-404 world here —
this much space
was nowhere near enough.
After all, the Cursed Children of that world were numerous — and all of them desperately in need of shelter.
Better to prepare early than scramble later.
Haimer's eyes drifted to the laurel tree standing silent in the courtyard below, bathed in moonlight.
His thoughts began to drift.
But then.
Suddenly.
Two hands.
Gently.
Came to rest against his temples.
A low, magnetic voice sounded close by his ear.
"What are you thinking about, God?"
Amou Kirukiru.
____
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