We then went into the tarmac and warmed up in the hastily prepared showers.

　I would have liked to take a hot bath, but the facilities for that were not yet available, so we had to use the existing showers provided in our individual rooms.

　While I dried my undressed clothes with the heating spell scroll, I went into the private room filled with the scent of wood to prepare for the hot water.

'Well, this one's water and this one's boiling water, adjust the amount to suit your needs. ...... and...'

　He played with the ratio of the two types of water streams to get them close to the right temperature.

　Just as I was finishing my preparations, the door to the private room was opened from the outside and a nude garnet walked in, as if it were a matter of course.

'You're interrupting me. Whoa, that's a nice touch.
Nawah!　What the hell were you thinking?
Okay, okay, calm down. I have a good reason.

　Garnett is looking up at my face, which is even higher than a head, and smiling at me with a pretense of not caring at all about the current state of our mutual, threadbare appearance.

　However, their white skin is blushing not only from their cheeks, but also from their ears.

I was going to take a bath in another room at first, but because all the rooms started using hot showers at once, I was told to wait for a while because the hot water supply was not enough.
...... that he came to me because he didn't want to wait in line.
So there you go. Here, give it to me.

　He pulled my arm to point the shower at me, so I did what he wanted and bathed him face first.

　At first Garnett squeezed both eyes shut and frowned, but he soon got used to it and started moving his head and changing the angle at which he was bathed, as if he were a cat being petted.

　No, cats don't like water, so in this case it should be a metaphor for a dog.

　The lack of hot water when a large number of people use it at once is an unavoidable problem due to the convenience of this garrison's hot water (Kyuto) system.

　It is not that each building heats water individually, but rather a large amount of hot water is heated in one place and distributed to each location, so if many people use it at the same time, the hot water available at the moment will run out all at once.

　It is the same as the hot spring inn in Green Hollow in that it draws in hot water from the outside, but the amount of hot water stored is too different from that place which has a natural source.

　...... Now, the reason I've been devoting my thoughts to these unimportant considerations since a while ago is also to get other thoughts out of my head.

　The fact that Garnett is looking up at me at close range means that I'll be looking down at him at close range if I look at him.

　Euphemistically speaking, it's a very bad angle, considering the way we look at each other.

　We casually avert our gaze, deliberately divert our thoughts, and continue to stay on to avoid going in any more strange directions.

'Enough of this, let's take a turn.'
'Ah!　A little better.
I'm cold, too, now.

　This time I take a bath in the hot water to warm myself up.

　The cold night breeze and the lake water have chilled me to the bone, and the warmth of the hot water spitting out of the shower soaks into my body.

　This is not a bad thing, but I still miss the hot springs of Green Hollow.

　The feeling of submerging yourself up to your shoulders in a tub of water that warms your entire body is an indescribable feeling of happiness.

　I half seriously wondered if the hot spring had some kind of magic power behind it.

...... hmmm... ......

　I felt Garnett sneak up on me to close the distance, so I held my left hand over where my head might be with my eyes closed and grabbed it gingerly to prevent it from happening.

''Phew!''
I don't want you to get hit with it at the same time. It's all bad.
What do you mean "a lot of things"? A lot of things?

　She ruffles her hair lightly, pouring hot water on her golden head to silence Garnett, who asks back mockingly.

　Her hair is soft and her body is thin.
　It's hard to imagine Garnett with a straight face from her usual behavior.

　I moved the position of the hot water to below the neck and casually put one hand on its cheek.

"...... Hey, Luke. You're looking a little tired these days.

　Garnett uttered something that cut deep and unexpectedly, with a hand on her cheek.

　There was no reason to lie here, and even if he was deceitful, these blue eyes would be able to see right through him.

''A little, as expected. But it's not a big deal. It's not a big deal. That's what the job of an arms dealer was like in the beginning.
Well, that's okay. Don't do anything rash. You need to get a good night's rest or you're gonna keel over.　There's no point in [repair] or [decomposition] for fatigue, right?

　Garnet gently laid her own hand on my cheek, smiling softly as she closed her eyes.

'Once this case is wrapped up, let's leave the basement to Roy and focus on the weapons store business for the time being. It would be bad for Erica and Alexia if it goes on too long.
Hmm?　Are we talking about another woman in this situation?

　While saying such things in a joking tone, Garnett let out an amused smile.

　It's not that he is never seriously blaming them, but as the one who was told, I can't help but feel defensive.

It's a good thing ...... and I'd like to do something for you as well. It's not too much of a stretch, and maybe it's getting in the way of your objectives .......
'What?　What's stopping me from doing this?

　As if to say he didn't remember me at all, Garnett opened only one eye and looked up at me.

'...... Agart Ram. He's looking for his mother's revenge. You've left me devoted to our situation, and you haven't made any progress on that side at all.
What? You got to worry about that?

　Garnett grabbed my hand that was on her cheek and pulled it away from her face, then looked up firmly into my eyes with her blue twin eyes and smiled with a smirk on the edge of her mouth.

''Those guys are still being chased by the Silver Wing Knights. I'm sure there will be progress at some point even if I don't join them. Until then, it's fine to keep things as they are.

　Although it was never told to me in words, I got the sense that there was a desire behind this statement to prioritize any progress, if any, in that direction.

　But my reaction to that has been the same for a long time.

Let me help you then. I'll do whatever I can. We won't be strangers, you know, eventually.
Heh, thanks, ....... That's the spirit.

　Garnett closed the distance from the original close proximity to me to the point of close contact, rested his forehead against my chest plate, and said this with a heartfelt sense of joy.