Chapter 388 – Let's Pass By Each Other

◎ Torda Hot Spring Town, Louise Hotel, Bathhouse

「Hafuu, as expected of a hot spring.」

Kazane spoke with a slightly coquettish voice as she entered the bath.

It was a sulfur spring, which welled up around this area. While feeling the hot water warm her to the core, Kazane looked up at the sky. The stars were shining in the cloudless sky.

Two hours had already passed since Kazane came to Torda Hot Spring Town by Transfer.

During the day, Kazane had worked hard building houses, and until just now, she had been in the preparatory meeting for tomorrow's Brutuza subjugation, so she was soaking in Torda's hot springs to heal today's tiredness.

As a precaution against assassination, Tiara was refraining from using the open air bath, and since Yumika and Louise were acting as Tiara's guards, only Kazane and Emily were here. Tatsuo, Naoki, and Lyle were in the men's bath, and Jinrai was conversing with Yuuko-nee around the cocoon. It seemed they already had no problem understanding each other, at least on a basic level. Jinrai's improvement didn't know the word stop.

And Kazane was relaxing in the hot water with a truly enchanted expression. The water in Kazane Magic Hot Spring Town wasn't bad, but the sulfur scent here made it feel more like a hot spring.

「The Cottage bath isn't bad, but in the end, there's something different about hot springs, right?」

「It's not like I don't get what you mean. However, in the world, it seems there are Water Orbs that produce hot spring water.」

Emily, who came to the bathhouse with Kazane, said that as she poured hot water over her body. After those words, Kazane looked at Emily with a surprised expression.

「Seriously?」

「Yeah. When I saw the Water Orb, I became curious and did a little research. It seems several have been found.」

A Water Orb was a means of Transferring water from somewhere else in the world by loading it with magical power. So, in theory, hot spring water could certainly be summoned in the same way.

「Haa, I absolutely want one. I wonder if I can get one somewhere?」

「After all, such things usually don't appear on the market.」

The regular customers for rare things were people like aristocrats and merchants, so few items appeared where ordinary adventurers or the like could get them. Considering the fact that adventurers were in their line of work to obtain money and glory, using such items themselves was also out of the question. Freely stockpiling and using the items they obtained themselves could be called a special privilege of high-ranking parties, and even among them, Kazane's hoarding far surpassed the rest. Well, putting that aside, Kazane wanted a Water Orb that produced hot spring water.

「Couldn't we obtain one in a dungeon or something?」

「I think it's possible. In the first place, we obtained the Water Orb at Blue Rifon Fort.」

However, that was from a Monster House treasure chest, which wasn't that common. One that could produce hot spring water was likely even more rare.

「Isn't searching for one using connections or an intermediary also a possible method?」

Kazane said「Hmm, is that so? That would work, wouldn't it」and nodded.

(Should I try asking Makka-san or Anglais-san?)

She thought consulting Yuuko-nee or her husband could also work, but she felt that if she asked Naga, he would search for one forcibly, which scared Kazane a little. As Kazane thought about that in the bathtub, Emily stared at her.

『Umm, you see. Naoki has a girl he loves. It's Kazane.』

Emily remembered the words Yumika spoke during their journey.

As a matter of fact, it would be a lie to say that Yumika's words at that time didn't weigh on her mind. That was natural. But she wasn't convinced.

Emily didn't dislike her brother Lyle. However, she had never seen him as an object of romantic interest. His face wasn't bad, but he was an uncool loser that was no match for Naoki as a man. That was Emily's evaluation of Lyle.

However, Emily also understood that she might think that way because she was a relative. Basically all the women Lyle had had his eye on had gotten heart marks in their eyes for Naoki, but as a matter of fact, Lyle was also reasonably popular. He gave off a childish aura, so he wasn't popular with older women, but if he wasn't too choosy, he had the raw material to open the path to being a popular man.

However, she didn't know if the sibling relationship between herself and Lyle was the same as the relationship between Kazane and Naoki.

(Naoki certainly might be inferior to Kazane and Yumika in terms of ability. That's true, but…)

Emily knew. She knew that Naoki had been continuously fighting for the last three and a half years. He had always fought with utmost effort; sometimes to protect Lyle and Emily, sometimes to save the people of a city, and sometimes to fight villains who trampled the weak.

No matter what happened, he never gave up, and he was a hero who always accomplished things to the end. That wasn't just Emily's subjective opinion. In fact, many people in Hyvern were saved by Naoki, which was why Naoki dashed up the ranks to become a rank B adventurer at a young age.

And Emily knew. Naoki had been secretly thinking about a girl from his hometown as he lived his life for the past three years. She knew that he had been thinking about Yumika as he kept fighting.

However, Yumika wasn't the same, and she treated that with disdain. In spite of that, she had a deep intimacy with Naoki… Emily felt that way.

If Yumika knew about that, her thoughts would be「???」, but that recognition was true inside Emily. It was a terrible misunderstanding.

But, even if it was just a little, Emily was starting to wonder if she should take Yumika's words into consideration. For that reason, she wanted to try asking.

「Hey, Kazane. In Kazane's standpoint, Naoki…」

「Mm?」

「What kind of existence is Naoki?」

「A terribly gross younger brother.」

It was an immediate reply. Moreover, from Kazane's point of view, that was a hard fact.

「No, he isn't gross.」

However, Emily couldn't concede that point. It was about the man she loved. There was no way she wouldn't be offended when he was spoken ill of.

And after Emily's words of protest, Kazane thought (Aah, even though he's that gross, it's amazing that he has friends who will stand up for him). No matter how gross the other party was, they were companions who had fought together for years. She was impressed and thought (does compassion well up in that situation?).

In the first place, the younger brother named Naoki was the type of man who liked looking at his older sister's armpits, stealing and hiding his older sister's panties, and occasionally, staring at his older sister's face while making a revolting smile. Kazane was disgusted from the bottom of her heart when she saw Naoki sniffing her shoes when he was in middle school. And she recoiled even more when her younger brother did a dogeza while making the excuse that he had lost to a passing fancy.

Kazane's official opinion was that there was no way a girl could fall in love with a trash man like him, and as Kazane herself said before, she seriously felt like she would take him to court if she weren't his older sister.

However, having said that, it was also true that Kazane doted on Naoki as a『younger brother』. Every day, her younger brother's revolting parts weighed on her mind, and she sighed (if only he weren't gross…).

Honestly, having one's relative interact with them like that during puberty would normally cause antipathy to the point that murderous impulses would well up, but Kazane's heart could be called big in that respect.

In any case, there was no way such trash could be popular with women, so Kazane guessed that Emily cared about him as an adventurer companion.

And in that place was an ecstatic Emily and a depressed Kazane. Why were there times when people failed to understand each other like this? Someone looking for an omniscient viewpoint would likely leak those words as they watched that room where two people passed by each other.

In this way, the evening before the day of the Brutuza subjugation grew late.

Name: Yuihama Kazane

Occupation: Summoning Fighter

Title: Ogre Killer, Dragon Slayer, High Beast Summoner, Rea King, Liberator, Guardian

Equipment: Staff 『White Blaze』, Draghorn Tonfa x2, Dragon Eating Ogre Army Armor (True), Indestructible Cloak, Mysterious Pouch, Crimson Saint Coffin, Heroic Spirit Summoning Ring, Circlet of Wisdom, Aim Bracelet, White Magic Accumulator (Revised) ×2, Rainbow Necklace, Rainbow Dragon Ring, Angel Bracelet

Level : 39

Health: 155+20

Magic Power: 363+520

Strength: 78+45

Agility: 80+39

Endurance: 44+20

Wisdom : 75

Dexterity : 53

Spell : 『Fly』『Torch』『Fire』『Heal』『Firestorm』『Healer Ray』『High Heal』『Golden Dusk「Dragon Exclusive」』『Mirror Shield』『Rabbit Speed』『Flare Mirage』

Skill : 『Kick Devil』『Kick Decapitation Wave』『Warrior's Memory: Lv2』『Night Vision』『Crushing Blow』『Dog's Sense of Smell: Lv2』『Golem Maker: Lv4』『Aegis Shield』『Fire Principle: Third Chapter』『Healing Principle: Fourth Chapter』『Air Jump: Lv2』『Killing Leg: Lv3』『Fear Voice』『Invisible』『Tiger Eye』『Wall Walking』『Intuition: Lv2』『Cheat Death』『Nimble』『Charge』『Material Shield: Lv2』『Information Link: Lv2』『Optical Camouflage』『High Dash』『Bloodsucking Blade』『Dragonization: Lv2「Dragon」』『Regenerate』『Soul Breaking Blade』『Stealthy Hand Placement』『Thunder Chariot: Lv2』『Sturdier Teeth: Lv2「Dragon」』『Crystallization: Lv2「Dragon」』『Devil King's Intimidation』『Stone Minotaur: Lv2』『Mega Beam: Lv2』『Space Expansion』『Pseudo-Silver Creation』『Poison Claw』『Fireball「Dragon」』『Cuticle「Dragon」』『Arms Creation: Black Flame』『Ingredient Connoisseur: Lv2』『Dragon Pheromone「Dragon」』『Boost』『Monkey's Strong Arm』『Two-sword Style』『Boobies Plus』『Living Armor』『Alarm』『Six-sword Style』『Mental Attack Complete Protection』『Spider Web』『Wire Cutter』『Flexible』『Magic Power Absorption』

Yumika:「……… He was sniffing the stench.」

Kazane:「… Yeah.」