"One hundred ninety-eight..."
"One hundred ninety-nine..."
"Two hundred."
Finishing two hundred push-ups in one go, although Sora was dripping with sweat, his expression was quite satisfied.
"I finally gathered enough experience points."
"Deep Blue, add my points!"
"..."
As the experience points were rapidly consumed, his character level increased once again. Sora only felt a warm current appear out of thin air, surging towards his limbs and bones. His entire body felt as if it were soaking in a hot spring; the muscle soreness and fatigue quickly vanished.
[Congratulations, your character level has increased.]
[Your stamina has permanently increased...]
[Your endurance has permanently increased...]
[Your charm has permanently increased...]
"I've gotten stronger." Sora clenched his fist tightly, clearly feeling the vigorous vitality within his body. "And I haven't gone bald."
The physical enhancement after leveling up wasn't exaggerated, so he didn't need to slowly adapt to it. Sora chugged half a bottle of water in one breath, then headed to the bathroom to take a shower.
After a quick shower, Sora stood before the mirror and noticed his physique had clearly improved again. The muscle lines on his body were clearly visible, and the contours of his eight-pack abs were distinct, perfectly aligning with the golden ratio.
"Unfortunately, the experience points required for the next level up are even more..."
Sora sighed regretfully, turning and leaving the bathroom.
"Let's go soak in the hot spring for a bit."
After his character level increased, Sora's spirit was now increasingly invigorated. Completely devoid of sleepiness, he simply decided to go out and soak in the hot spring.
It was almost 1:00 AM. The hallway was exceptionally quiet, and the entire inn had fallen into slumber. Only Sora's footsteps echoed softly.
Arriving at the end of the hallway, Sora, playing on his phone without looking up, walked straight in.
Behind the changing room was the open-air hot spring pool.
To create an atmosphere, there were no bright lights in the open-air courtyard. Instead, stone lanterns were used for illumination. These are very common architectural elements in Japan, standing only up to an adult's calf. They come in various shapes but are generally made of stone with hollow centers where candles are lit. The dim light creates a faint, hazy beauty.
Taking off his clothes and setting down his phone, Sora followed the pebble-paved path and soon arrived at the edge of the mist-shrouded hot spring pool. Unsurprisingly, it was naturally completely empty this late at night.
"Phew..."
Sora entered the hot spring, reclined halfway, closed his eyes, and exhaled in satisfaction.
Enjoying a quiet night alone was also quite flavorful.
But not long after, the crisp clack-clack sound of wooden geta sandals stepping on stone slabs suddenly broke the silence of the night.
"There are still customers coming to soak in the hot spring this late?"
Sora was slightly surprised but didn't pay it much mind.
This wasn't a private bath; it was completely normal for other customers to come soak.
The sound of geta quickly approached the edge of the pool, followed by the gentle sound of water as the newcomer soon entered the hot spring.
Sora opened his eyes and looked over. The water mist was hazy, and the lighting was dim. He could only vaguely tell that the customer sitting opposite him wasn't very tall, and he couldn't see their specific appearance clearly at all.
Time quietly slipped away in the silence.
The unfamiliar customer didn't speak, and Sora similarly had no intention of chatting with a stranger.
After a while longer, Sora felt he had soaked enough, so he stood up and walked toward the shore, preparing to return to his room to rest.
Arriving in front of a stone lantern, Sora was just about to wrap a towel around himself.
The next second.
A girl's panicked, startled cry suddenly pierced the air.
"Ahhhhh!"
Sora was startled by the exclamation.
What the hell?
This is definitely the men's hot spring pool, why is there a girl's voice?
And the voice sounds so familiar...
"Ruri-san?"
Sora couldn't help but call out.
"..."
The girl's exclamation came to an abrupt halt.
Gokou Ruri covered her face with both hands, quietly opening a gap between two fingers, her voice hesitant: "Sora... kun?"
Her gaze fell on Sora. As if her eyes had been burned by fire, Ruri hurriedly averted her gaze again. Her heart almost leapt into her throat, her mind filled entirely with the terrifying image she had just seen.
When Sora-kun is wearing clothes, he looks completely ordinary. I didn't expect him to be so terrifying, it's just like... just like...
Ruri suddenly recalled the giant beast of the Amazon rainforest she had seen on TV, and finally knew how to describe it:
"An anaconda..."
Terrifying!
Truly too terrifying!
It's clearly a terrifying monster that would only appear in manga!
Sora quickly covered his body with the towel, unable to resist asking:
"Why did Ruri-san come to bathe in the men's hot spring?"
"Eh?" Hearing this, Ruri was taken aback, looking over in surprise. "This is clearly the women's hot spring."
"Women's hot spring?"
Sora frowned slightly.
Did I go into the wrong hot spring pool?
No.
I remember very clearly, the men's hot spring is definitely at the very end of the hallway. I couldn't have made a mistake.
"C-Could it be that I went into the wrong one?"
Ruri crouched shyly in the hot spring, exposing only her small head, her tone quite hesitant.
The reason she had sneaked out in the middle of the night to soak in the hot spring was solely because... she couldn't sleep in an unfamiliar bed.
Many people have the habit of struggling to sleep in unfamiliar beds, and Ruri was no exception.
She originally thought that after experiencing so many things today, she would definitely fall asleep early in a state of physical and mental exhaustion. Unfortunately, cruel reality left Ruri in utter despair.
Whether it was counting sheep, counting stars, or trying other sleep-inducing tricks, she tossed and turned, trying them several times, but her brain remained incredibly alert.
Tossing and turning until the early hours of the morning without any hint of sleepiness, Ruri finally got angry.
What to do if I can't sleep?
Get up and party, of course!
And so, in a fit of frustration, Ruri gritted her teeth, quietly left the room, and sneaked out to soak in the hot spring.
But if I remember correctly, the wooden sign hanging at the entrance clearly said "Women's Hot Spring". Why is Sora-kun in here?
"Sorry, maybe I went into the wrong one." Sora broke the silence. "I'll leave first."
Regardless of who went into the wrong hot spring, they had to leave as quickly as possible now to avoid embarrassment.
However, after taking just two steps, the sound of footsteps suddenly approached from the direction of the entrance.
Sora's expression changed slightly.
If I'm discovered now, I'll definitely be treated as a perverted sex offender, won't I?
No!
I absolutely cannot be discovered!
Just as Sora was pondering how to escape, an elderly female voice sounded in the dim night. It sounded like the old woman who had led them to their rooms earlier:
"I don't know which mischievous scamp swapped the wooden signs for the men's and women's hot springs..."
Hearing this sentence, Sora couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Good news.
I didn't go into the wrong hot spring pool. This is indeed the men's bath. I don't need to worry about a social death crisis.
"I-It really was me who went to the wrong one?"
Ruri, on the other hand, widened her eyes in a flustered panic and hurriedly called out to Sora for help:
"Sora-kun, don't leave me behind!"