◇010 "Fujinoyu"
"Fujinoyu" was the public bath run by Emi-chan's grandmother, who was a classmate of mine in elementary school.
Since Emi-chan and her parents lived in an apartment, her grandmother managed the bathhouse with the help of a worker.
Well, that "Fujinoyu" also closed down due to the changing times and the passing of her grandmother, and a few years later, it was turned into a parking lot. I remember feeling a little sad about it, even as a child.
But my family had a normal bath at home, so did I ever actually go to "Fujinoyu"?
...Oh, that's right. There was that one time when the water pipes broke and we couldn’t use the bath at home. I went to "Fujinoyu" then. I remember paying for it myself that time.
I passed through the curtain of "Fujinoyu" that appeared in the garden of the Philharmonie house. On both sides were old, worn-out geta boxes. Beneath them, there was also an old wooden slatted floor. In front was the reception counter, where Emi-chan’s grandmother used to sit.
On the right, there was a red curtain, and on the left, a blue one, marking the separate entrances for men and women. ...Now that I think about it, how does that work?
"Father, the money."
"Ah, yeah. Got it."
My father placed a gold coin on the counter.
After confirming that, I deliberately tried to enter the "men's bath" side.
However, I couldn’t go past the curtain, as if there was an invisible wall, much like the one in the back room of the candy store.
I suppose I can’t enter because of the gender difference.
...Wait, that’s not it!? It’s not like I wanted to enter the men’s bath, it was just for confirmation!!
"What's wrong?"
"Well, the blue curtain is for the men’s bath, and the red one is for the women’s bath. So, I guess I can't go in here."
By the way, my father was able to pass through the blue curtain without any problem. The gold coin on the counter clinked and scattered, just like when I was at the candy store.
Oh, next to the counter, I saw soap, towels, bath towels, shampoo, and conditioner for sale. There were also toothbrushes, toothpaste, plastic cups, and razors.
I was able to step behind the counter. I thought customers weren’t allowed to go there, but it seems that’s not the case. How does this work?
Oh, but I remember standing behind the counter at the candy store too… I'm not sure.
Maybe if it’s considered part of the "store," I’m allowed in? After all, the back of the candy store was completely part of the house.
Stepping through the red curtain, I entered the changing room. There were many large wicker chests stacked on several shelves, and this is where I would undress.
Each chest, or nagigōri, was like a locker with a glass window and could be locked.
There was a calendar in the changing room, and it was from the same year that I had come here before. It made me feel like I had time-traveled.
In the changing room, there was also a retro-style massage chair. There were fans and hairdryers too. This was nice. But since they weren’t for sale, I probably couldn’t take them outside. Well, even if I could, there wouldn’t be much use since there's no electricity.
There was also a fridge where you could buy drinks. A cold one after the bath is essential, right?
I took off my socks and placed them in the chest, then entered the bathroom barefoot.
I was mainly there to check the water supply.
I grabbed a plastic bucket nearby, placed it under the faucet, and pressed the blue button on the push-button tap. Water started flowing out with a splashing sound.
"Well, it's like a magic tool."
"If you press the red one, hot water will come out."
I could hear my mother surprised behind me. Good, the hot water works fine. The large bathtub is filled to the brim with water, but it’s better to wash off here. There’s also a shower, after all.
The bathroom has a large bathtub at the back, and on the wall, there is a faded painting of Mount Fuji.
Although I can’t enter, I could see from the window into the boiler room, where firewood was burning fiercely. With that, I figured there shouldn’t be any problems.
So, it seems I can go in.
"Um, what should we do? Should we go in?"
I returned to the reception area and spoke to my father and mother.
My mother was fine, but I couldn’t follow my father. He would have to go on his own into the men's bath.
"There’s no danger, right? Since we’re here, I thought I might as well go in, but it feels a bit uneasy by myself... so let’s all go in."
"Wait, all of us?"
My father also called out to the knight, Ewan, who had been waiting outside the bathhouse, along with his fellow knights and the butler, Sebastian.
In turn, my mother called out to the maids, including my bodyguard, Tanya, and the other women.
I gave my father a quick lesson on how to use things like the razor, toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, and conditioner. Soap was available in this world too, so that wasn’t a problem.
I also showed him how to use the faucets and the shower inside.
A single gold coin was enough to cover the bath fee for everyone. In Earth terms, that would be in the thousands, though. A bath fee of nearly five thousand yen per person would be considered outrageous.
We separated by gender and each went through the respective curtain.
"Is this where we undress?"
"If we don’t have hangers, madam’s dress will wrinkle..."
"Oh, there are hangers here?"
The women were bustling about in the changing room. First, my mother and I were being undressed by the maids. No matter how many times this happens, I never quite get used to it.
The Duke’s family also has a bath. A bigger one than this. We have a magic tool that provides hot water, so it’s much easier to take a bath, but it takes time to charge up the magic power. So, we only take a bath once a day.
For a Japanese person, it might seem normal, but even high-ranking nobles don’t get to enjoy the luxury of daily baths.
Compared to the slums in the poor districts, this feels like heaven. Back there, we could only wipe our bodies with a cloth squeezed out with hot water.
Once my mother finished undressing, she confidently displayed a body that could rival professional models. Even though she’s my mother, she has an incredible figure. Her chest is bigger than I expected.
I know I’m still only six, but even so, I can’t help but unconsciously touch my own chest. If I have her blood in me, maybe there’s hope, right…?
I sincerely, desperately hope I don’t end up with a sad outcome like in my past life.
"Well then, let’s go in, Sakuraile-chan."
"Yes, Mother."
Deciding not to think about a sad future, we took our towels and entered the bathroom.
"Let’s wash off first. We don’t want to dirty the bathtub."
"Then, young lady, please allow me."
Alisa, the maid, approached with soap and a towel in hand. Oh, so I’ll be washed here too, huh...
She lathered the towel with soap and scrubbed my body. I still haven’t gotten used to this..
"This soap smells really nice. And it lathers up so well. I've never seen soap like this before."
"Do you think it would sell?"
"Absolutely. Nobles will rush to buy it."
There were about twenty soaps on the counter. There may not be many available, but I’m sure it could sell for quite a sum.
After washing my body, it was time to wash my hair. My mother tried to wash it with the soap too, but I stopped her. That will damage your hair! You’ve got such beautiful hair, don’t waste it! ...I mean, I have the same hair color, but that’s a bit of self-praise.
I recommended using shampoo and conditioner, and I washed my hair the same way.
"Wow, it feels so much smoother...!"
My mother was amazed as she checked her hair with her fingers. She’ll be even more amazed once it dries.
After gathering up my wet hair with a towel, I entered the bathtub. I stretched my legs and submerged myself up to my shoulders in the perfectly warm water, letting out a sigh of contentment.
"Ahhh..."
"My, my, that sounds like a nice, relaxing noise."
Of course it does. My hair and body are both fresh and clean—it feels great.
From the men’s bath next door, I could hear similar sounds. It seems they’re relaxing over there too.
After thoroughly enjoying the bath, I got out before I got too lightheaded. I poured some cold fruit milk from the fridge into my still-warm body. Ahh, pure bliss!
My mother, who had also drunk the fruit milk, looked at me with sparkling eyes.
"This is delicious! Are there different flavors?"
"If you drink too much, you’ll upset your stomach, so just one bottle, okay?"
In the small fridge, there was regular milk, fruit milk, coffee milk, and strawberry milk. Unfortunately, there were only three bottles of each. The maids were already bickering over the remaining bottles. I hope they get along.
After drying off with the bath towel, I used a hair dryer to dry my mother’s hair.
"The sound is loud, but it feels great. This is so convenient!"
My mother, wanting to try it out herself, dried my hair for me. I have to say, the hair dryer is amazing.
After drying my hair and combing it, I changed back into my clothes and went outside. The cool breeze felt so refreshing.
My father and the others had already finished and were relaxing in the shade.
"So, how was the men’s bath?"
"Well, that soap is really nice. It smells good, and it cleans well. And the razor! At first, I was a bit scared, but once I got used to it, I could shave cleanly. Everyone will want one of these."
It seems my father really liked the straight razor. It’s convenient. You don’t have to throw it away after one use, so you can use it multiple times.
"Sakuraile-chan, do you think we could keep this bathhouse running and still open the candy store?"
I tried what my mother suggested, but it didn’t work. It seems that with my current amount of magical power, I can’t summon two shops at once.
However, if I keep using it every day, my magical power is supposed to increase with time, so I’m hopeful for the future.
"For now, I’ll try summoning them alternately every other day."
"Yes, that sounds like a good idea."
Since the "Fujinoyu" here only uses my magic, the servants were also allowed to use it. The bath fees are covered by my father. He’s so generous!
At first, there won’t be enough shampoo and other supplies for everyone, so we’ll have to share them.
While it might not be useful for making money, it’s definitely helpful in terms of hygiene.
Being able to summon a public bath means I can take a bath anywhere. Though, I’m not planning on traveling anytime soon.
But a bathhouse, huh... Shampoo and conditioner wouldn’t be a good birthday gift for Elliot...
I guess a plastic model would be a safer bet. He probably doesn’t need a straight razor just yet.
I suddenly wondered if giving Elliot a gift that would make him really happy would instantly increase his favorability, and whether that would level up my "Gift" again.
No, no, that’s not it. What would I even do with increased favorability!?
I have to keep my distance from the targets of my affection—it's dangerous otherwise!
Yeah. A capsule toy of animal figures would be just fine for his birthday gift. It’s a perfect choice—one that won’t boost his favorability too much, but also won’t lower it enough to make him dislike me.
By the way, the capsule toys I summoned from the candy store could be obtained with a single copper coin. They’re the same size as a 100 yen coin. A thousand-yen gacha—how expensive!
Even so, I’ve been using copper coins every day to buy them all. They’re well-made here too, and they’re unique to this world, so they wouldn’t be a bad gift from the Duke’s family either.
However, there are animals in the capsules that don’t exist here, like pandas and zebras, and they’re a little deformed. So, they seem to be thought of more as magical beasts or summoned creatures rather than regular animals.
Well, in any case, I’ll go with that for Elliot’s birthday present.
Until Prince Elliot’s birthday party, there’s still so much I need to learn about noble etiquette...
Ugh, I’m dreading it. If there were a way to avoid going, I’d rather not go, but being a noble means I can’t exactly avoid it.
Sigh, it’s such a hassle.
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