After passing through a small obstacle, a strangle creeper, we eventually arrived at the water source we were looking for.

'Oh, wow! That's good, that's good!

'That's true. Wow, I'm glad we came here even without the smell!

Satsuki and Irene started to smile and get excited.
It was such a beautiful view.

In front of us was a waterfall basin with splashing water.
The water flowing down from the high, mossy rocks formed a large, clear pond underneath.

The sound of birdsong harmonized with the sound of the cascading waterfall.
The surrounding dense forest trees were generously sharing the late afternoon sunlight, as if they were giving up their space for this place.
In addition, there was a good rocky area near the waterfall basin, which seemed to be a good place to take a rest.

'Hey, let's have lunch here. I'm starving.

That's what Irene, our employer, said, so we decided to take a short rest there.
But first...

'Irene, I think you'd better clean yourself up first.

I tell her, and the silver-haired transvestite puffs out her cheeks.

'I know, I know. I'm going to wash my clothes and body, so please don't peek at me.

'I'm not going to do that. I've seen you naked many times over the years.'

'Oh, I'm not like that! I'm growing up! I'm growing up!

'Okay, okay. Go ahead and go.

'Mmmkay! All right, what do you want to see? You can watch, it's Will anyway!

Irene was about to start a striptease when she thought of something.
Satsuki stops her with a choke hold.

'How, how! Calm down, Princess! You've got too much blood in your head!

'Let me go! I'm going to show her what I've become!

'Just calm down! You don't have anything worth showing off!

'Mukkyaaaaa! You're an enemy too, Satsuki! I'll strip you too, Satsuki!

'What?

I turned my back to the scene when Irene forcefully untied Satsuki from her chokehold and attacked her.
Even though Satsuki's skill has improved, Irene still overwhelms her with pure aura power, I thought to myself.

Eventually, after they had finished playing with each other, Irene went to the waterfall basin to bathe and wash her clothes.
For some reason, she took Satsuki along with her, and they seemed to be having more fun together.

I consciously tried not to look at the scene, but I could hear Satsuki and Irene frolicking in the water under the sound of the waterfall.

You'll be able to find a lot more than just a few of them in the marketplace.

...... Evil thoughts are terrible.
This is just like a bad boy trying to peep into a woman's bath at a public bathhouse.

Then Cyril walks up to me.

'What's wrong, do you have a headache?

'No. I'm just fed up with my evil thoughts.

'...... Evil thoughts? Oh, were you trying to take a peek at Satsuki or Irene's naked body?

Cyril said, elbowing me in the face.
But it's not too far off the mark, and I can't help but feel resentful.

'I'm ashamed to say I'm not far off the mark.

'...... Oh, so that's how it is in William, too. But so be it. I guess that means you're a boy too.

And then Cyril patted me on the head as if he was a good boy.

...... Why do you do that?
I'm so embarrassed that I can see my cheeks flushing.

'...... Even if you do that, I'm having trouble reacting.

'Mmmm, that's not true. You're reacting really well right now.

'You know what? You know, men won't like you if you're always trying to mount them, right?

'Hmmm, what about ...... William? Do you hate me for doing this?'

'No, I'm fine with it. ......'

'Then fine. As long as you don't hate me for it.'

Cyril said, still smiling and nodding my head.

...... You're being played for a fool.



I'm sorry.


A little while later.
The five of us were sitting on a rocky beach by a waterfall, spreading out our lunch there.

Baskets of sandwiches were laid out on the rug that we had gathered around us.
The sandwiches, filled with a variety of colorful ingredients from meat to vegetables, all looked very tasty.

''Well then, let's eat...''

After everyone greeted each other for the meal, each of them picked up a sandwich of their choice.
I also picked up one and brought it to my mouth.

'...... delicious'.

I said frankly what I felt.
Fresh leafy greens, juicy meat, and a moderately sweet sauce that went well with the savory grilled bread.

When I ate one of them, Satsuki, who was watching me, looked very happy.

I'm sure you'll agree that it's a great idea.

'...... I was surprised. Satsuki has a talent for cooking too?

'Well...' 'Praise me more, praise me more.

Then Satsuki squirmed, embarrassed.
...... Well, it's good that you're happy.

The sandwiches in front of you are made jointly by Satsuki, Mee and Cyril.
They woke up early in the morning and borrowed the kitchen of the inn to make it, but since tasteless preserved food is the norm when traveling, it was very nice to be able to have such a feast at least for lunch on the first day.

'No, I cooked all the ingredients and seasoned the sauce under Cyril's guidance. Satsuki just did as she was told.



When Mee complained, Satsuki's mouth twitched.

'Why don't you just shut up? If you hadn't told me, I would have gotten all the credit.

'That's why I'm calling you shallow. You should be a little ashamed.

'But even if you say so, wouldn't you be happy if Will ate what you made and said it was delicious?

It's not the same thing as this! You can't change the subject!

Satsuki laughed as Mee raised her tail in protest.

I turned my gaze to Cyril, who was heading for a nearby fire.
When she returned, I took a cup of tea from her and then called out to the girl sitting next to me.

'Is Cyril a good cook?

'Well, I guess so. He was born into a decent merchant family and was made to do some sort of bridal training at one point, so to a certain extent.

I had never heard about Cyril's birth, so it was a bit new to me.

But the same is true for Satsuki and Mee.
I sipped the tea that Cyril had brewed for me, thinking that it was possible to spend time together even without knowing the history of the person.

In this way, we finished our meal.
After a short break, it's time to start a new journey.

'All right, let's get going...'

I looked up at the sight of the Fire Dragon Mountain in the distance and started walking again with my friends.