Chapter 10

A few days had passed since Miss Haruno and the others arrived at the temple. The preparation period was down to just one day.

During this week, we not only trained in Gifts and magic, but also in combat. We conducted group combat training not just with Lulitra, but also with Haruno, Sera, and Rium. We didn't just train; we also shared meals and slept together, and the five of us even went out into the city to get used to the streets. Of course, we had separate bedrooms.

Incidentally, the source of our funds was the money from selling the water I took from my 'Infinite Bathroom.'

Thanks to this, I think we were able to build a stronger bond of trust. No, let me be honest and rephrase that: I think I was able to earn their affection.

It wasn't just Haruno. Over the past week, I had also become more familiar with Sera and Rium. Of course, I haven't forgotten about Lulitra. Though our relationship is more of a master-servant dynamic, I think we've become good friends.

The hose we had commissioned from the craftsmen was also completed. It was made a bit longer so it could reach a considerable distance. The rubber mouthpiece securely attaches to the faucet, and the hose, made from the skin of a sea beast, is excellent and doesn't leak or burst.

However, we still couldn't find a third companion. We didn't receive any word from the butler, but several potential companions visited me over the past week. However, they all had the predatory eyes of carnivores, and compared to Haruno and Sera, they were inferior, so I turned them down. Regardless of whether my journey is that of a hero, it was questionable whether I had the strength to undertake it, so I used that as the official reason. Of course, the real reason was that I was afraid to think about how Haruno and the others would react if I brought on a companion who could only bathe with me in a mixed bath.

The temple had been bustling over the past few days. It seemed that a group called the 'Pilgrims of the Goddess of Light' was staying there. They were a group of women who went on pilgrimages to various temples under the pretext that 'the Goddess of Light would appear on earth in the form of a priestess.' Among them were priestesses like Sera and temple knights, fully armed women. Given that they traveled through areas infested with monsters, they were top-tier in terms of strength within the temple. The leader of the pilgrimage group had a long-standing relationship with Sera, and over the past few days, they often approached our group of five. They were surprised by how Sera's hair had become more beautiful, and they chatted animatedly with Haruno and Rium. For me, it was a relief that this deterred the many potential companions who were swarming around us.

The day before the departure ceremony, other heroes had also visited the temple to update their status cards. I was able to see their companions at that time, but surprisingly, the only one who had formed a four-person party was the self-proclaimed Cosmos, Nishizawa Akizakura. Cosmos's companions were a princess who was a mage, the elf from before, and a female knight who was the princess's bodyguard. This female knight was also quite beautiful, and with Cosmos, who was a narcissist and dressed up, they formed a glamorous party. She wasn't chosen just because she was the princess's bodyguard. Most of the female potential companions gathered under his banner, and she was the one who emerged victorious and became his companion. Her strength must be genuine.

Moreover, it seemed that eight selected bodyguards would accompany the party. As the princess's bodyguards, they were all women. It was questionable whether such a group was appropriate, but officially, it was treated as three four-person parties. In a sense, it was a loophole. Perhaps it was because the princess was setting out on her journey that they were being so cautious. When the bodyguards gathered around Cosmos, they looked more like cheerleaders than bodyguards. I don't think that's just my subjective opinion. Probably.

I envied and was jealous of Cosmos for forming a party of eleven people, including three women, but I didn't feel any particular resentment towards him. For some reason, he seemed like a good person. His determination to fight the demon king as a hero was evident, and perhaps that's why I couldn't hate him.

The companion of the other male hero, Kamisoutha Natsuki, was surprisingly a single elderly warrior, forming a two-person party. According to Sera, this elderly man was said to be the strongest knight and the best general in this Jupiter Polis. He had passed on his family's leadership to his son and joined the hero's party. Among the five, Natsuki, who was particularly physical, seemed to exude the aura of a seasoned warrior when standing next to the old general. Many potential companions had gathered under his banner, but he fought them all and dismissed them all as insufficient. I'm not sure of the details, but he might have had a background in some form of martial arts.

The party of the female hero, Nakahana Ritsu, was glamorous in a different sense. While Cosmos only chose women, and Natsuki dismissed everyone as insufficient, and Haruno and I rejected the men who had ulterior motives, all the other men gathered under her banner. From among them, she chose two companions. Both were strong, but it was clear from their faces that there was more to her selection criteria. They were both aesthetically pleasing, and even compared to the handsome Cosmos, they were not inferior. It seemed that in a situation where she had a wide selection, Nakahana Ritsu chose her companions based on her preferences. She chose two strong individuals and no bodyguards, so I hope she retained at least a minimum of rationality. She had even tried to make the prince, the heir, her companion, so she was a woman who tended to go all out.

As for Haruno's companions, they were, of course, the priestess Sera and the mage Rium. Various male knights had come to her as potential companions over the past week, but like me, she hadn't added anyone to her party. Haruno had told the butler not to let anyone through, but the fact that so many still came must have shown how desperate they were. For me, it would have been a big commotion if the pilgrimage group hadn't been there. I was grateful to the members of the pilgrimage group for helping Haruno.

That evening, I lay on my bed, lost in thought about one person. About how I felt about Haruno.

Over the past few days, we had talked about many things. She was a first-year high school student in her original world. When I heard the name of her school, it was one I knew. She had been in an all-girls school since middle school and said it had been a while since she had talked to boys, blushing shyly. She was born into a politician's family, though she humbly said it wasn't a big deal. I suspected she was a local notable. Despite her modesty, she was a genuine young lady.

Since we were sharing, I also told her about my family background. I was born to a salaryman father and a part-time working mother and attended a regular public high school. Apart from being from Japan, we had nothing in common. Despite this, we met and got to know each other in this different world. Was it fate? Maybe that was a bit too romantic.

I think I like her. Her appearance, with her long, lustrous black hair, her serious demeanor as a young lady, her strong core, and her unexpectedly playful side. I feel proud when I think that the shampoo I provided helped restore the luster to her black hair. I can't deny that I feel a sense of familiarity as a fellow countryman, but it's true that her presence has been a source of comfort for me over the past week. More than anything, I genuinely want to bathe with her. I want to see what's hidden under that cuirass, surcoat, and cloak in the bathtub. I'm not joking; I'm completely serious.

After thinking this, I rolled off the bed and fell to the floor. Lying on the floor, I thought about it. I was in a dilemma, deeply troubled by Haruno.

I like her. If that were the only thing, there would be nothing to worry about. It's a simple boy-meets-girl story, albeit a rather fantastical one, given that we were summoned to a different world.

"But Sera is also great..."

The problem was that Haruno wasn't the only one I liked. Sera, the female priestess who had guided Haruno in awakening her Gift. Being chosen as one of the five heroes' guides meant she was an elite among priestesses, though she was naturally innocent. I knew how much effort she had put into helping Haruno awaken her Gift, who had almost failed to do so. She couldn't leave Haruno alone and even volunteered to be her guide and joined her party.

Despite the promise of a successful career if she had stayed at the temple, she had given it all up. While a strong sense of responsibility was part of it, it seemed there was more to it when I saw the two of them together. They had worked hard together to awaken Haruno's Gift and had become close friends. The desire to help her dear friend was probably the strongest feeling in Sera.

She was an older sister, one year older than me, at eighteen. Her golden hair, which reminded me of warm sunlight, had become even more lustrous and radiant since she started using my shampoo. Her skin had become more vibrant, and she, who was already known as a beautiful young priestess, had become even more beautiful. Most of all, what was hidden under her loose priestess robe surpassed even Haruno's.

I wanted to bathe with her too. I wanted to see what was hidden in the bathtub. I genuinely wished for that with her as well.

"But Rium is also hard to give up!"

I also hadn't forgotten about Rium, Haruno's other companion. A fourteen-year-old girl with cocoa-colored straight hair that reached her shoulders, she would be in the second year of junior high school in my hometown, Japan. Her small stature made her look like a primary school student.

There was something about her that I wanted to care for, to dote on. She seemed expressionless at first, but I knew there was more to her. When she showed a youthful expression of joy at the lathered shampoo, I wanted to teach her more things. I was sure she would light up with curiosity again.

I regretted not being able to bathe with her due to Haruno's presence. I should have accepted her request more openly. It was a regret I had, though it was pointless to say it now.

While I could understand liking Haruno alone, liking all three members of Haruno's party seemed rather unprincipled. According to what I heard, the prince, the heir to this country, and the princess who joined Cosmos's party had different mothers. While it was partly because they were royalty, it wasn't an unusual story in this world. For various reasons, if one had the appropriate 'power' in terms of authority or wealth, polygamy or polyandry was allowed.

Hearing this, perhaps the restraints in me had come off. The reason I didn't hate Cosmos might be because I saw a similarity in this aspect. If that were the case, as a man, I was below him since I didn't have the intention to fight as a hero.

While I was wallowing in self-loathing, someone knocked on my door.

"Um, it's Haruno. Are you awake, Tounya?"

It was Haruno. I jumped up in a panic.

"Who, what is it? At this hour?"

"I have something to talk about... Is it okay now?"

"Of course, come in."

I couldn't refuse. I invited Haruno into my room.

"Sorry for the intrusion..."

She entered the room, greeting me softly. She was wearing a white pajama-like nightgown with a thick robe over it. In this world, pajamas existed, but the designs were limited. The temple provided the same pajamas for both men and women, and I was wearing the same.

Haruno held the collar of her robe with crossed hands, closing it. It might have become a habit for her to cover her chest.

"Tounya, your eyes..."

"Ah, sorry! It's the first time I've seen you in pajamas!"

I quickly raised my gaze and looked into Haruno's eyes, apologizing.

"Tounya... you're a pervert, aren't you?"

"I can't deny that."

I had just been thinking about bathing with Haruno and the others.

"But it's better than being denied, right?"

She sighed. For some reason, she could see through people's ulterior motives. According to her, it was a matter of getting used to it. Therefore, a little bit of lewdness was better than hiding it, though it was better not to look at all. If you accidentally looked, it was important to apologize sincerely.

"So, about the talk... Tounya, you can summon a light spirit, right?"

"Hmm? Yeah, I can."

"Can you attack me with it?"

"......Huh?"

I looked at Haruno with a puzzled expression. She started to panic at my reaction.

"Ah, it's okay."

"No, no, no, no, I've taken hits during practice, and it hurts quite a bit."

"Please trust me."

"I do. Probably the most in this world right now. But that's a different matter. I can't attack you, Haruno."

When I said that, Haruno looked a bit ticklish.

"You're being mean, Tounya."

"Attacking would be meaner."

"That's... yeah, you're right, I guess."

After a moment of thought, Haruno finally seemed to agree.

"Sorry. Can you open the 'Infinite Bathroom' for me?"

"Sure, no problem."

I didn't know what her purpose was, but I opened the door to the 'Infinite Bathroom' in the room as she asked.

"Then, I'll go in. Ah, Tounya, come too. I'll use the water."

"Got it."

Haruno entered the bathroom, scooped up some water in a basin, and poured it over her head.

"Whoa!?"

I didn't have time to stop her. I tried to hand her a towel, but she stopped me with her hand.

"Huh?"

Looking at her hand, I realized it wasn't wet at all.

"Look, Tounya. It's not wet at all."

She spread her hands to show me. The collar of her robe opened, revealing the size of her chest clearly.

"That's not the point!"

"Sorry!"

"Ugh..."

Regardless, she was right. Not just her hands, but her hair, robe, and pajamas were completely dry.

"How is that possible?"

"Infinite Reflection... the ability to be unaffected by all MP-related effects. It doesn't just apply to magic and magical items but also to things created by Gifts. They can't touch me."

I recognized the term. When I looked at Haruno, she nodded.

"This is my Gift."

She looked at me seriously.

I was speechless at how powerful her ability was, but then I realized something.

"Wait a minute! So, does that mean... Haruno, if magic doesn't affect you, can you not heal injuries with magic? That's not good!"

"It's okay. I can accept it if I consciously try to. Look."

She rolled up her sleeve and put her hand in the bathtub. When she took it out, her arm was clearly wet.

"It's the same as the 'Infinite Bathroom' door. If I don't consciously try, it repels everything."

It seemed she could turn it on and off. I sighed in relief.

"Don't scare me like that. If you couldn't heal with magic, I would have stopped you from leaving on your journey by force."

"Sorry for worrying you."

She apologized, but her face was smiling and happy.

According to Haruno, the soap from the 'Infinite Bathroom' would stop repelling after about an hour. She theorized that it was because the 'MP-made object' had become a 'regular object' for some reason. I had given her soap several times over the past few days, but it seemed she had been experimenting to confirm this.

"I didn't know that. But why tell me? About your Gift too?"

"Well... you trusted me and taught me about your Gift, and I didn't want to keep it a secret."

When I asked, Haruno fidgeted and answered. She had trusted me enough to reveal her Gift's ability.

I didn't think it was something to hide, but she didn't see it that way. It was nice to be appreciated.

"Thanks, Haruno."

"You're welcome, Tounya."

We thanked each other, looked into each other's eyes, and then laughed together.