'Tori, let's go take a bath.

Oh, great. Let's go get ready then.

I immediately nodded my head as I finished preparing dinner and took a breath.

Yes, I love my father and I am not in the uncomfortable situation of always taking a bath with him.

I am saying that we should go to a public bathhouse because we don't have a bath at home.

In this world, each household does not have a bathtub as in the previous world. Only aristocrats and big merchants have them, and commoners sometimes wipe themselves with wet towels or make a lot of hot water to bathe themselves by working hard to the point of death.

So, when they want to take a bath like this, they go to a public bathhouse.

Of course, the prices are cheap, three copper coins, because they are for the masses. However, since this can be the price of an average meal, some people think it is expensive just to take a hot bath.

Such people will not use it unless they are very dirty.

My father and I go up to the fourth floor and pack our towels, bath towels, soap, and change of clothes in our backpacks. Since it is a bathhouse, we don't need to do much preparation. That's all you need.

I put my dad's stuff and my stuff in the backpack together, since it would be too bulky if I split them into two backpacks.

Okay, you didn't forget anything, did you?

'Yeah.'

Let's go!

I nod, and my father smiles as he lifts my backpack with a light touch.

I lead my father down the stairs to the first floor.

Mom was at the reception desk and Letty was cleaning the cafeteria space.

Tori and I are going to take a bath.

'Oh, no, again? Isn't this the fourth time already?'

When my father said this, my mother sounded a bit dismayed.

This is the fourth time in a seven-day week that my father and I have taken a bath. In a previous life when we had a bath in the house, we would have been too clean for the values of the people in this world.

However, as a former Japanese who loves taking a bath, I will not compromise on this point, even if it may make me feel uncomfortable.

A cook handles foodstuffs. It is important to always be clean. By doing so, you can serve food safely to your customers, right?

You always say you are an employee, not a cook.

'...... employees also serve the food and serve the customers, so there's nothing wrong with keeping it clean.'

It is only natural for employees to be clean as long as they are in the business of handling foodstuffs. There is nothing wrong with that.

Taking a bath relaxes your body and is good for your health. My father's back feels better since you started taking a bath, doesn't it?

'Yes, that's right. I feel better when I go to the baths because my body is tired.

When my father and I mentioned such advantages, my mother's gaze was blank.

Well, I guess it's not so easy to understand if you don't know the benefits of taking a bath and in light of the values we have here. My father and I spend more than half of our week there.

I should probably hold off on this for today and save it for tomorrow.

While such an awkward atmosphere is prevailing, Lettie, who was mopping the floor, blurts out

I love it. I want to go to the bathroom after I'm done cleaning.

'...... I guess so. Shall I and Letty take a bath soon? I don't want anyone to say that Abel and Tori are cleaner.

'Oh, I'll be back early then.

'Yes, okay. Have a good day.

Thanks to Letty's one voice, we were able to make peace and father and I were able to leave the inn without incident.

With a quick wave to Mom and Letty, Dad and I walk down the main street.

'By the way, you've grown to like taking a bath too, haven't you?

'Yeah, Tori's right, you'll feel better after a bath. And I can't stop drinking afterwards.

At first, my father wiped himself with hot water and went once every five days. But as he started going with me again and again, he became captivated by the wonderful and invigorating feeling of the baths.

Now he loves baths as much as I do.

After walking along the main street toward the center of the city for a while, and then taking a side street, a large public bathhouse came into view.

The stone structure is more unusual than the other buildings. The whole building is square in shape and the pillars are decorated with fine ornaments. The atmosphere is solemn and majestic, reminiscent of the Parthenon in a previous life.

A number of men and women, young and old, enter, and my father and I are among them.

Once inside, there is a receptionist, to whom we give three copper coins in exchange for a wooden sign and a key. The number is 82.

The fact that they can provide so many locks and lockers is a sign that they are making a lot of money.

No, it is precisely because they are so well prepared that people can easily visit.

After the reception, the men and women are separated. Unfortunately.

Both male and female guards were holding spears in the aisles, and it was obvious what would happen if one tried to blend in with the crowd with ulterior motives.

It must be a great comfort for women to know that there is security like this. Oops, if you look too much at the women's side, the guards will think you are looking at the women's side.

I walked down the men's aisle, trying not to look at them too much.

The hallway leads to a changing room. There is a bathhouse just in front of it, and this room is a little humid because many people are coming and going.

Finding a locker whose number is written on a wooden tag, my father and I quickly take off our clothes.

Everyone here looks exactly as they were born. There is nothing to be ashamed of.

We grab some towels, soap, and other necessities, lock the door, and we are ready to go.

All right, let's go in.

'Yeah.'

I replied, feeling naked and strangely brave.

And then, holding a towel, I walk into the bathhouse without hesitation.

The baths are also made of stone, and the lamps of the magical tools cast a dim light in the slightly dimly lit room.

There is a large bathhouse in the center, so spacious that it could not be filled even with 30 people. In addition, there are several other bathhouses in the back of the room.

It is a large and magnificent bathhouse that is truly worthy of being called a public bathhouse.

The inside of the bathhouse is filled with humid air, and here and there one can hear people's happy voices. Since many people from the city come here, there is usually someone you know when you arrive.

Then, we'll meet up with them at a suitable time.

'OK'.

From here on, me and my dad split up. We are not children, and there is no need for us to stick close to him.

He walks a little bit, and I guess he knew someone earlier. A voice called out to me.

Maybe the voice was Carlos the butcher. Maybe his son, Carlo, is there.

'Oh, it's Tori.

'You must be Tori.'



As I was walking along, my gaze wandered around the street, I immediately saw a familiar face.

They are Carlo, the butcher's son, and Hurt, the grocer's son.

Harth always wears glasses, but today he is not wearing them because he is taking a bath.

Oh, there are two of them. Is Dusty here too, by any chance?

'No, I haven't seen him.

'Well, Dusty doesn't like to bathe. Unless he gets very dirty, he'll just wipe with a cloth.

Dusty is the son of a baker and a friend of ours.

I wondered if he might be there since there are two of them, but it seems that he has not come because he still hates taking a bath. What a waste.

I'm going to wash up now.

'...... I was going to go up soon, but now I've met you. Let's wait a bit.

'I'll wait too. The last time we met, I was too busy to talk much.

'Okay. Thank you. I'll get this done as soon as I can.

I leave Hurt and Carlo and head for the washing area on the left.

I pick up a stack of wooden tubs and sit down in one of the bath chairs.

In front of me is a long and narrow faucet-like device.

It works in the same way as Natalia's magical device. Of course, the temperature of the water is set appropriately.

When hot water is poured into the tub, it covers it all at once.

The warm water runs over the skin, washing away sweat and dust together. The refreshing sensation was so pleasant that I repeatedly covered myself with the hot water as if to wash away the sweat from my entire body.

When my body felt a little refreshed, I lather soap on a towel and wash my whole body.

After I finished washing my hair with the soap, I covered myself with the tub of hot water in the same way.

The feeling of exhilaration when the dirt from the whole body is washed away with the lather is tremendous. This is why I can't stop taking a bath.