"I'm doomed. I'll never be able to get married now."
"I'm doomed. He saw everything. I really won't be able to get married now..."
A few minutes later.
Since their original clothes had been reduced to shreds, Yoshino, Mako, and the others changed into temporary outfits provided by the Astral Express crew.
They hugged themselves, trembling.
In a rural place as isolated and conservative as Hoori, they had never imagined they would all end up completely naked in front of Setsuna at once.
"Ugh..."
Yoshino Tomotake thought about it for a moment. Maybe she should simply accept the arrangement made by Tomotake Yasuharu after all.
She curled up on a chair with her arms wrapped around herself, burying her crimson face against her knees. She looked up at Setsuna with an expression that was equal parts humiliation and grievance.
"Commander, you have to take responsibility! Mako and I have both lost our purity because of you! Aaaaaah—"
Beside her, Mako Hitachi was so embarrassed she wanted to smash her head into a wall.
"How can even eating a meal turn into something like this?! Mr. Alien, do you have some kind of weird magic?! You definitely do, don't you?!"
"???"
"I have to take responsibility for this too?!"
Setsuna marveled at just how traditional Hoori Town's customs were. Country girls really were innocent.
Still, he had absolutely no objection. Buying the ticket after boarding was fundamentally no different from buying the ticket first and then taking the vehicle away.
"Fine. I'll support all of you. Whatever you want, just ask."
"Hey!"
Faced with such a straightforward invitation, the innocent girls once again turned red from head to toe.
"Why did my clothes explode too?! Isn't that obviously weird?!"
The little blade floated in the air and protested.
Her clothes were actually formed from spiritual energy, yet somehow even they had mysteriously shattered into pieces.
"That proves your skills have steadily improved until you've practically reached the realm of the divine."
Setsuna praised Erina and Momo Akanegakubo.
"You're the first Totsuki chefs ever to make a spirit body's clothes explode."
"Uh... Thanks for the compliment?"
Erina smiled as she looked toward Roka Maniwa.
"So?"
"Mm..."
It took Roka and Koharu quite a while to recover from the lingering aftertaste of that extraordinary flavor.
The way they looked at Erina immediately changed.
What the two sides had created simply did not belong in the same dimension. Before meeting her, Roka had never imagined desserts could be taken to such an absurd level.
"May I ask... how did you do that?"
"If you want to learn, you may come with me. You both possess decent talent. With a little training, you should be able to accomplish something worthwhile in the field of confectionery."
"That was our agreement earlier, wasn't it?"
Erina removed her chef's apron, letting her waterfall of golden hair cascade freely down her back as she returned to her usual aristocratic appearance.
"If you intend to go back on your word, I'll simply open a branch beside Tashinoya and use the exact same menu as yours."
Momo Akanegakubo hugged her stuffed toy and muttered under her breath.
"???"
"Then we'd definitely go bankrupt, wouldn't we?!"
Roka and Koharu were horrified.
They sighed and shook their heads.
"I understand that a bet must be honored. Mm... Please take care of us from now on?"
"Could you teach me how you made that dessert just now? I'd like to let everyone here taste it someday..."
Roka was extremely curious how this little girl, who looked about the same age as Koharu, could possess such extraordinary culinary skill.
"If you study seriously for two years, you might be able to reach about fifty percent of my level. But that should already be enough."
Momo puffed out her cheeks as she spoke.
Then she casually poked Setsuna.
"Commander, our opponents were way too weak this time. If we're going to have another Food War, could you find someone stronger next time? The upperclassmen want to test their culinary skills against worthy opponents too."
"Someone stronger?"
Setsuna pondered for a moment.
"Do you want to challenge the Dark Cooking World or go to the Gourmet Planet? I'll look around when I have time and see if I can get you some legendary cooking utensils."
"And don't worry. If you can't beat them through cooking, you can always flip the table and call in the fleet to physically eliminate the enemy."
...
"Haaah—"
Toward evening.
After abducting Roka and Koharu and settling the commotion caused by the Food War, the Astral Express crew toured Hoori Town once more.
Setsuna was in an excellent mood. After checking his list, he found that only Lena remained someone they had yet to encounter.
But that airheaded tourist would be easy enough to deal with. He could simply send someone to trick her into coming over.
"I'm exhausted..."
Mako felt both physically and mentally drained.
Setsuna and the Starsea Empire had become increasingly mysterious in her mind. That otherworldly empire seemed to contain an endless number of hidden masters.
The problem was that he had seen her completely naked. The more she thought about it, the more embarrassed she became.
She patted her cheeks, then continued fulfilling her duties as a guide.
"Um, up ahead is the best hot spring inn in Hoori Town. Both tourists and locals like bathing there. If you need accommodations, you can stay overnight there too."
"Mm. We usually stay aboard the train, but occasionally experiencing some local culture isn't bad either."
After following the mountain path, they arrived at a hot spring hidden deep within the woods.
Ikaros and the Angeloids had already arrived and were standing by.
"Master, we cleared the entire premises in advance, inspected the water quality and all relevant parameters, and established an isolation barrier. Everything has been confirmed safe."
"Huh?"
Mako was stunned.
"I was wondering why we hadn't seen a single person along the way... So it was you?!"
"Of course. Ensuring that the Commander's itinerary remains undisturbed is also part of our duty."
Ikaros answered as though it were only natural.
"Uh... This is actually my first time having an entire hot spring reserved for us."
Yoshino looked around. Even all the employees had been replaced by Angeloids, who attended to everyone with meticulous care.
She was not particularly accustomed to this kind of privilege.
"Ah, Mr. Alien, the men's bath is over there. Please make sure you don't go the wrong way."
Mako mischievously pointed Setsuna in a particular direction.
Looking over their group, everyone except Setsuna was a woman.
However...
"Master, I'm coming with you!!—"
"M-Me too! I'm going with the Commander!!—"
"Master, I am required to remain at your side while carrying out my protection duties."
In an instant, Setsuna was surrounded by Jibril, Gudako, Ikaros, and the others, who crowded around him and escorted him straight into the changing room.
"Huh?"
Yoshino, Mako, and Shiro stared blankly.
"Is everyone in the Starsea Empire this open-minded?!"
Splash—
Five minutes later.
Setsuna had not needed to do anything at all. Everything had been arranged for him perfectly.
"Haaah—"
Half his body submerged in the hot spring, he tilted his head back and exhaled a breath of hot air.
The water temperature was perfect. Steam drifted from the surface, seemingly dissolving and carrying away all his exhaustion.
This place might not compare to the carefully excavated artificial hot springs built by the Bulins in the capital, but it possessed a certain rustic charm, and the environment itself was quite pleasant...
"Master..."
Wrapped in a bath towel, Jibril carefully edged closer before squeezing in beside Setsuna with a silly little grin.
"What are you grinning about?"
Setsuna pinched Jibril's cheek.
"Nothing... I just realized I don't get many opportunities to go on expeditions with Master..."
"This world is pretty fun. There just haven't been enough chances to fight."
She folded her wings and pressed even closer to Setsuna, her smooth skin directly brushing against his arm.
Setting aside the Flügels' terrifying combat capabilities, their figures and beauty were also exceptional.
Her rainbow-colored hair spread across the surface of the water, making her look both adorable and seductive.
"The Astral Express convoy still has several worlds left to trailblaze. You'll get plenty of chances to have fun."
Setsuna rubbed her head.
"Albedo's train crew discovered a universe with an extremely high power level. That's where we're going next."
"Ehehe..."
Jibril felt that coming along on this journey had definitely been worth it.
She rubbed her head against Setsuna's shoulder.
"Master, want me to wash you?"
"Mm."
There was obviously no reason Setsuna would refuse such an offer.
Jibril folded the towel several times, then began carefully washing him bit by bit.
Starting from his neck and arms, she meticulously attended to every inch.
Whether consciously or unconsciously, she pressed closer and closer until Setsuna could clearly feel the warmth of her breath and the mist she exhaled.
"Master, I..."
Jibril spoke timidly, as though she had something she wanted to say.
"I know."
Setsuna wrapped an arm around her, gently kissed her forehead, then sealed her lips with his before she could continue.
"Mmm..."
Jibril immediately melted against him, the soft fullness of her body pressing into his. Just as the atmosphere grew increasingly intimate and Setsuna began considering whether they should move somewhere else...
Suddenly...
"Huh? Goshujin-sama, what are you doing?!"
A loud cry came from above.
"???"
Setsuna looked up and saw little Murasame floating in midair, craning her neck as she peered down at them.
"Eek! Go die!!!"
Startled, Jibril nearly blasted the little blade with a Heavenly Smite.
"?"
"What are you doing here?!"
Setsuna reached up and pulled Murasame down.
"I don't need to bathe, but you left Murasame-maru off to the side, and I got bored, so I came over to have a look..."
The little blade looked extremely guilty as her gaze darted between the two of them.
"...But it seems like I saw something I shouldn't have. Ah, I'll leave now! You two continue! I won't disturb you!!"
"I'll go guard Murasame-maru!"
With that, she tried to flee.
"No. You can't leave."
Crack—
Space stretched backward. Murasame had barely made it two steps before she was sucked straight into Setsuna's hand.
"Eeeeeh?!"
The little blade flailed wildly in Setsuna's grasp.
"M-Master, what are you planning to do?! I-I'm only a spirit body!"
"A spirit body? I can still touch you and hold you. Why would being a spirit body matter?"