"Then here's wishing you find your other half soon."
"I'll take the blessing… Oh right, I still don't know your name, handsome. I'm Wolbach."
"Oh—Shichen," he said, giving his name without hesitation.
"Hm… that does sound familiar. Anyway, you don't know who I am?" Wolbach asked casually.
"First time hearing your name. Does it count as knowing you now?"
"Hahaha~ you're funny."
Wolbach laughed, shoulders trembling and sending ripples across the water; waves rolled over the surface, and this time Shichen finally caught a glimpse of the sakura-pink "key points."
The movement wasn't any different from before, so why could he see them now?
Maybe she'd concealed them earlier and had relaxed her guard with him.
With her power, that'd be easy enough. Shichen only gave a casual look—he didn't care that much. Nothing he hadn't seen before, even if the color was striking.
He'd seen plenty that appealed to him more than Wolbach—fair and rosy, exactly the look he liked.
"Is that so? Lots of people say that about me—and I happen to agree," Shichen said with a smile.
"You really are full of yourself~ but I don't mind~"
"Thanks."
"Sigh… our little fated meeting might end here. Who knows if we'll see each other again."
"What do you mean, sis?"
"Some things are better left unknown."
Wolbach shook her head, then suddenly stood. "Alright, I should be going… Oh—and don't come to the hot springs in this town anymore, okay?"
"Is that so?"
Shichen didn't dwell on it; he studied Wolbach instead.
Standing there facing him with no towel, she was of course completely in his line of sight.
Weird—nothing out of place at all. Then again, she was a goddess.
But Shichen had seen a lot and was a bit jaded; sometimes "wandering into soft, bushy grass" made for a nice change of pace.
Which was why he'd been so keen on teasing Darkness lately.
"Um… the way you're staring makes me really self-conscious. If possible, could you not watch me getting out of the bath when I'm totally defenseless?" Wolbach asked, cheeks flushed.
"Oh? So you do get shy, sis."
"Isn't that obvious?" Wolbach pouted playfully.
"I figured someone who came to the coed bath wouldn't be shy."
"I came here because I thought no one would be around… Could you please stop staring?" Unable to take it, Wolbach turned her body sideways to face him.
Sideways was best; turning her back would be even more embarrassing—he'd have a full view of her butt.
And from his angle, he might even catch something more scandalous.
Which wouldn't be much different from a front view anyway!
"It's fine—don't mind me," Shichen said breezily, waving as he looked.
The side profile wasn't bad—an unmistakable S-curve, every contour pale and smooth, not a flaw in sight.
He wasn't sure if it was an isekai thing, a two-dimensional aesthetic, or simply because she was a goddess.
But Megumin and the others were the same.
Even Kasumigaoka Utaha, originally just an ordinary person, looked like that now.
He figured the different "dimension" was why they were all so beautiful.
"You… I thought you weren't interested in me. I almost started doubting my charm," Wolbach murmured.
"You're joking—you're very charming."
"Really? Then why didn't you look at me when you came in?"
"I couldn't just be rude, could I?"
"Hehe~ so you were putting on airs. You should've said so sooner—I wasted effort trying to seduce you."
"If I didn't, how would I get to take advantage of you, sis?" Shichen replied with a smile.
"Hmph~ still a bad boy… I'm off."
Wolbach stopped caring whether he watched or not, stepped out of the pool, and jogged away.
"Till fate lets us meet again."
Shichen didn't answer. He leaned against the edge of the bath and looked up at the darkening sky.
He didn't care about Wolbach's earlier conversation with that man. From the moment Aqua came to soak here, their plan was already ruined.
Judging from their talk, they'd definitely tampered with the springs to bring down the Axis Church.
Too bad for them: Aqua can purify any water source. Shichen could already feel the baths had become ordinary.
Just plain hot water now.
Pure coincidence—if he'd known earlier, he might not have come.
The Axis Church had driven him up the wall today anyway; letting them take a hit wasn't so bad.
They weren't bad at heart, just a pain—and they were Aqua's believers. Since he'd helped, so be it; he simply wouldn't come back.
With that thought, Shichen planned to enjoy the soak—when a noisy commotion erupted next door.
"As expected of a high-end inn! Our villa's bath is already pretty big, but this one's so huge you could swim in it!"
"Hey, Megumin, swimming in the bath is bad manners… w-wait, what are you doing? Why are you pulling my towel—kyaa!"
"Darkness can make a girly squeal like that? Wow… This isn't the coed bath—we're all women. What's there to be shy about? Come on, let me see your flab!"
"No! That's way too embarrassing! Stop! My towel!"
The racket came from the women's side—obviously Megumin and Darkness.
Shichen was glad he'd already cured Darkness's swelling; otherwise, with her towel yanked off, everything would be on display.
The soundproofing here was awful—raise your voice a little and it carried.
Then again, not many people were as rowdy as Megumin.
"Megumin, keep it down," Shichen couldn't help reminding her.
"Eh? Shichen? You're there! Isn't that the coed side?" Megumin yelped.
"Shichen's in the coed bath?" Yunyun asked.
"I am. Keep it down—you're loud enough to be heard over here."
"Th-this isn't my fault," Darkness blurted.
"I know…"
"Wait! Why are you in the coed bath? Explain yourself!" Megumin cut him off, demanding an answer.
"Explain what? I came because I felt like it."
"How could you! You already have us—why do you still want to bathe with other people?"
"Relax. It's just me here."
"Huh? Really?"
"Good thing it's only me. If someone else heard you two making a scene, then what? Be careful next time."
"Ah? Oh, okay."
"Don't let it happen again."
"Okay… Wait—you still haven't explained why you're in the coed bath!"
"I'm here so your big mouth doesn't get overheard by strangers. Good thing I had foresight."
"Is that so?"
"Exactly. Anyway, keep it down and enjoy the hot spring."
"Fine… but I don't think this hot spring is anything special. Aqua, you're the water goddess—what do you think?"
"Uh? I think… I think it's okay."
"Really? How about you?" Megumin asked the others.
"It felt pretty good at first, but now I don't feel much," Yunyun replied.
"Right? Did we just get used to it, or did it stop working?"
"No one else on your side? You're awfully loud," Shichen asked.
"Nope, just us," Megumin said.
"That so? Then carry on," Shichen said, deciding not to interfere.
"Did you hear that, Darkness? Shichen says we can keep going! Let me see your flab!"
"Quit it! Why only me? Isn't Yunyun bigger?"
"Eh? Me?"
"Nope. I've already seen Yunyun's—boring. I haven't seen yours yet."
"Nooo…"
"Give up and accept it!"
"Megumin, wait—I'm curious about something. Why is there a mark on your butt—"
"Wait! Don't say it!"
"Mmph!"
Darkness's mouth was clapped shut, but Shichen already knew what she meant.
Everyone in the Crimson Demon Clan has a mark—an emblem of their identity as that special mage race.
It's basically a code—the clan was "modified" long ago by someone from another world.
Only now did Shichen learn Megumin's mark was on her butt. Back when he'd occasionally helped with her enhancement-magic conditioning, he'd only brushed the area; he'd never actually looked.
Even in yesterday's coed bath they'd kept towels on; he'd only seen their calves and shoulders.
So where was Yunyun's mark?
"Darkness, where's Yunyun's mark?" Shichen asked outright.
"Eh? Me?" Yunyun squeaked, flustered.