For a moment, time stopped.
　And.

...What?

　Huh?
　Cecily's reaction.........
　There is no change in the smirk, but it's clearly a reaction that can't be described as favorable.
　...............

''I think it feels pretty good........''
Oh, really?　You seem to have a lot of confidence in yourself.

　Cecily's temples twitched in response.
　That smile was also somewhat awkward.
　He doesn't seem to be convinced of something...?

　Oh, I see.
　I've been disappointed.
　Doesn't she know the fact that I have mastered the art of massage--rubbing?

"I have a few techniques.
Yeah.

　Huh?
　That face ... doesn't trust you?
　You're not saying that you, Miss Cecily you have a lot of wisdom about massage therapy?
　So you're not satisfied with a modicum of skill?
　...........
　Hmm.
　If that's the case, maybe we should show that we're confident.
　If you show your confidence, they might let you at least try it.
　Okay.

I'll make you feel good. So, for once in your life why don't you give me a chance to do that?
..........

　Cecily looked at me with a noh mask on her face.
　Then she closed her eyes lazily.

''There's one thing I want to ask you. It's very important.
Yes, sir.
Is that just me?
'No, I meant to tell everyone. I can't treat Miss Cecily specially about this, as expected.
"Hmm.
..........

　Cold.
　Cecily-san's expression was so cold that she was almost frozen.
　I think I can even see an illusion of a blizzard in the background.......
　Or rather.
　So--are you that particular about rubbing therapy?
　I wonder if the famous Arkwright family hired a famous rubbing therapist after all.
　And the person who supported Cecily Arkwright's growth behind the scenes is the one who hired a massage therapist....
　In other words.........too heavy a burden for me?
　Should I back off here...?

..........

　Nope.
　It's not gonna happen.
　If I pull out here, it's always me.
　And besides it's just too pathetic to come to a conclusion without ever being tried.
　Mia taught me that.
　If you'll just give it a try you'll understand.

　Good.
　If you get upset, you won't be able to communicate with them.

　I take a breath to calm my mind.
　..........
　The murmur disappears from my mind like a receding wave.
　I clasp my palms together in front of my chest.
　My mind is already at peace.　
　My mind is already at peace.
　I looked at Cecily with a sincere expression on my face.

''Don't worry.......I was taught by Mia-san.
Mia?　Ah, you were the maid of honor with the headmaster, I believe. I heard that you were coming and going to your house, but... heh, you were doing that while Currier and I were getting ready for Kurohiko... heh...
'Yes. For you guys ... and most of all, for myself.
"Kurohiko.
Yes, sir.

　The Runoos Red gemstone it had a cold glow to it.
　What a surprise.
　Frost on the gemstone, dulling its shine........
　A gaze that shot out from Cecily-san with her arms loosely crossed, as if she was going to shoot me dead.
　..........I don't know.
　Why does a single rubbing treatment make her do this?
　I ...............I had no idea.

''If you want--''

　Miss Cecily cinched her hips.　

'I mean ... being rubbed, well, I'm not afraid to.

　I thought her expression softened a bit - but it soon returned to sub-zero.

But I can't help but feel a little disappointed in the heart of the woman who, in such a crowded place, without a second thought, declares that she is going to act evenly with all of us. No, sir.
But is it really so bad?　I just want people to feel good--
'I knew you were not the kind of man who could be tattled on like that, no matter what I thought in my heart. No, I still want to believe in you but this is too--

　Cecily looks sad this time.
　It's like there's even a mixture of regretful emotions.

　At this moment.
　I understood.
　..............
　I didn't know if she had that much of a feeling about the rubbing treatment.

''I'm sorry, Cecily-san.

　It would indeed be better to break in here.
　Apparently, this was not an area that I could aggressively step into.

'I didn't know that I, Cecily-san, had such an obsession with massage.......rubbing therapy.

　Cecily stopped in a flash.

'....Hmm?

　I clenched my fists so tightly that they trembled and looked down and I meditated tightly.

''I'm so embarrassed for myself that I thought I could at least try.......I'm so embarrassed.
"...Blackberry?　Huh?
So I apologize again. I'm so, so sorry!　I'm sure the rubbing therapy is invaluable to Cecily--wow!

　Suddenly, Cecily-san closed the distance between us and grabbed me by both shoulders.

'Why, Cecily-san...?'
I'm sorry, Kurohiko.

　With his head hanging down, Cecily said.

'What?'
I was the one who was completely mistaken... or perhaps I was the one who had a wrong mind...
...What's that?
'Keh, but it's bad enough that you don't say enough, right?　If he said that....I'd be wrong. Especially if he said something like that with a serious face on the day we're staying out together.
'What?　Huh?

　I was troubled and called around for help.
　Then I saw Ray, who was desperately trying to hold back his laughter (next to him was Ira, who had no idea what was going on and was stunned by what was happening).
　(Next to her was a dumbfounded expression on her face, as if she had no idea what was happening to Ira-san.
　Hmm?
　Rubbing?
　Next, senior Lei indicated his own chest with his finger.
　................
　Huh?
　...rubbing the ...breasts?
　What is that guy saying all of a sudden........
　Rubbing Cecily-san's breasts in a place like this, that's a completely crazy person--

　Ah.

　Something clicked in me.
　Oh, I see.
　That's what it means.
　I mean, I'd be pissed.
　Even if it wasn't Cecily, I'd be furious.

"I'm sorry, Cecily. I guess I didn't say the right thing...
'No, let's just say that it was an unfortunate misunderstanding and let bygones be bygones - or is it okay to let it go?　I think I was wrong, after all.

　Cecily looked up and let go of her body, and her usual smile returned to her face.
　And she lightly lifted her own breasts with her hand.

'If you want, as a substitute for an apology.......do you really want to rub them?
I can't help but be somewhat disappointed in the spirit of it.
Mmmm... you're a smart-ass, Kurohiko.

　Cecily's mouth quirks up in disapproval.
　She looks like she's been tricked.
　I grinned at her.

'Well, let's call it a day.
Huh I kind of miss Kurohiko when I met him.
'Huh?　Was that a compliment?
...you're already a jerk.
Haha, surprisingly, I'm the only person I can say this to at the moment, Cecily.

　This time, Cecily smiles with a satisfied smile on her face.

'Well, by the way, can I ask you something?　That thing you did earlier why did you speak to me in the first place?
I thought I'd ask Cecily to rub me first and see what she thought. I'm sure I'll be able to get a good idea of what you think and besides, in a way, Cecily is someone I can go to for advice.　
Yes, yes, yes, that's very nice of you to say.

　Cecily pecking my chest happily, pecking me in the chest.
　She seems to be quite pleased with herself.

　But what is this dizzying change in emotion?
　And that's when the conversation between senior Ray and Ira-san jumped into my ears.

''It's hard to get in between that one, isn't it?
You know what, Ray?
What is it?
When it comes to the size of my breasts, I'd beat Cecily, wouldn't I?
...Yeah, well, in terms of size. Well Ira?
'Boys are interested in breasts, after all... I didn't really understand it, but that's what their conversation is about now, isn't it?　Then maybe I should just show off my breasts, too?
Yeah, they're different.
'What?　Isn't it?
'Trying to control a relationship based on s*x appeal alone is second-rate, to say the least. It's just an added value, you know. Do you understand, Ira?
I don't know.
Well anyway, I don't think that's a good look for you, Ira. Besides, as Kurohiko said.　He said the thing about Isla is that she's so hardworking and naive.
Oh, yeah, I get it. I'm going to do my best to be a little naive and s*xy.
'Not good, there's a nostalgic situation going on over here too with people from the past... what?　This kid ... was he such an a**h*le?
Hmm?　What's going on?
Oh, yeah, it's nothing. I'm talking to you. Well, don't worry about it. I'll make sure Isla gets where she needs to go.
?
'Hmmm ... but then again, boys like girls' breasts, don't they? What's so good about these things?　Well, that's what's so cute about it.

　There was an exchange of such things.
　.........Surprisingly, Ray-senpai, I have a feeling that he's not someone to be underestimated.
　I mean, that?
　I suddenly realize.

'Mr Currier, where did you go?'

　As I was passing Cecily-san vainly, I didn't see any sign of Currier-san, come to think of it.
　Apparently, Cecily-san also noticed that Currier-san was nowhere to be found.

''Huh?　Currier's not here.
If you're looking for Mr. Currier, he was just down the hall.

　It was Mr. Banton who said that and indicated the dimly lit alleyway with his hand.
　Ah.
　I can see a figure crouched and curled up in some kind of a crouch behind a wooden barrel in the alleyway.
　Mr. Cecily sighed.

'What in the world are you doing in a place like that, dear...'

　Cecily walks up to me with a face like a mother bringing back her own unworthy daughter.
　Bewildered, the figure trembles.

''I'll commend you for not running away but...you're hardly hidden, are you?
Wow, there it is again!
Am I some kind of monster or something?

　Cecily-san held her forehead as if she had a headache.

''It's not as if it's the same person who said something like, 'I can kill everyone here with the sword lying around there'...'...

　　　　　　　　　　*

　Miss Currier, who had been taken away by Cecily, was reluctantly pushed into the carriage with her face intact.

　It was decided to change their plans and take one of the Horns' carriages to the Cirrus Baths (the plan was to split up into two carriages, but due to the number of people in the carriage, one carriage was sufficient).
　Cecily finished transferring the luggage to the Horns' carriage and thanked Mr. Banton before closing the door.
　Then Mr. Bunton greeted the Horns and the other members of the family, and our carriage started to move.

　Our seats in the carriage were decided by a kind of rock-paper-scissors game in this world.
　Or rather, it was almost like rock-paper-scissors.
　Apparently, the shape of the hands imitating the beasts in the mythology have a relationship like goo, choki, and par.
　So, Currier-san is on my right and Ira-san is on my left.
　Cecily-san and Rei-senpai on the other side.
　............
　However, I think.
　I'm happy to be a flower on both sides of the table, but shouldn't the seats have been appropriate?
　And for some reason I was the only one not given the right to participate in rock-paper-scissors, a mysterious penalty.
　I didn't even know what I had gotten myself into, and I had taken my seat.

　Well.
　Zeke and Hyrgis-san are not here, but they have some business that they can't miss and will be arriving in the evening.
　That's right.
　Since only two of them got out of the carriage, I wondered what happened to the rest of them (although I was so surprised by Currier-san's twin-tailed transformation that Zeke and Hyrgis-san had been blown out of my mind halfway through the trip).
　Well, I was relieved to hear that they would be able to meet up with us for the night.
　For what it's worth, being a guy alone in a facility like a hot spring seems like a bit of a hassle.......
　That's true.
　Since it's such a good time, I'll find an opportunity to give Zeke a good rubdown too.

　Furthermore, in the carriage, another thing that had been bothering me was easily resolved.
　It started with a sudden apology from Currier-san, and then the shocking truth was told to me.
　The reason for his recent distant attitude is that he was preparing for today's dress to surprise me.　
　I'm not going to be able to say that I'm not going to be able to do anything about it.
　According to Currier, she couldn't get past me as well as Cecily, and as a result she was cold to me.
　I received an apology from them, after being told how it happened.
　But instead of making me feel bad........what filled me was relief.
　Yes.
　My fears were only fears.
　.............
　Well, I said something like 'I'll teach you the secret to being girly' before..........................
　Now that I think about it, the preparations for the girls' surprise may have already begun at that time.
　But then--

　Huh?

　So what's going to happen to my determination to be proactive?
　I wasn't being avoided by these girls.
　The lily-white world is also a product of an illusion.
　Now that that's been revealed.......is it necessary to practice Makina-san's teachings?
　What have I been fighting against... all this time?

..........

　Nope.
　Wrong.
　Makina-san's teachings are not wrong.
　It works.
　It's still valid.
　Yes, it is.
　It's an indisputable fact that I've been lacking in proactivity until now.
　Although the cause of Currier-san's attitude has been discovered, this is merely one matter of concern that has been squashed.　
　If that's the case........we can't afford to lose our offensive stance here.
　Nothing has been completed yet.

　While I was renewing my resolve like that, the carriage arrived at the Cirrus Baths.

　　　　　　　　　　*

　Cirrus Baths is located in the north-eastern part of the city.
　It is also relatively close to the Holy Tree and the Great Sacred Wall.
　The area to the southeast, where most of the nobles live, is the counterpart to the Holy Tree and Castle Renowthred.
　The northeastern district is said to be the district with the most nature left in the royal capital (come to think of it, the area to the left of the Sacred Tree seemed to have a lot of greenery when I looked over it from the school in the past).
　The Cirrus Baths were located further back on the high ground at the end of a long and winding slope in that district.
　The atmosphere could be described as mountainous.
　To put it bluntly, it reminded me of a Japanese hot spring.

　Exiting the carriage, we ducked through an ivy-tangled gate.
　A stone-paved path leads to the back.
　Lush trees lined both sides of the path.
　A unique bluish scent mixed with the smell of earth hit my nose.
　As we left the road, we came to an open space.
　And a wooden building showed itself.
　Looking at it, the appearance of the inn also has a Japanese style...or rather a Japanese feel to it.
　Why is that?
　As I was wondering that I was wondering, Ira-san spoke to me.

"What's wrong, Kurohiko?
I just thought, "Well, it's kind of different from the other buildings in the royal capital.
'Oh, I see. It's the first time for Kurohiko to visit Cirrus Bath, isn't it? Honestly........so shall I explain it to you?

　The other members of the group also stopped.

''This Cirrus Bathhouse is the only bathhouse in this royal city that incorporates Eastern culture.
''Eastern culture... I mean, is it the culture of the country you hear so much about, the East?''
Exactly!

　He jabbed a finger at me.

'Well, in a nutshell, right?　The Duke of Ferraris, an aristocrat of Eastern cultural tastes, built a bathhouse for the nobility, the Cirrus Baths you see here.

　Ira shows the building with his hand as if he were a guide.

This unique bathhouse is very popular among the nobility. It is one of the most popular baths in the capital. Oh, by the way, the Horns also helped with the construction of the bathhouse, with some financial support.

　Tehehe, Ira-san appealed modestly.

''What's more, that daughter of the Duke of Ferraris' family is the president of our public morality society.

　Senior Ray added plainly.
　The chairman of the wind society is getting connected in an unexpected way........

''This bathhouse was modeled after a place called 'Shirasu' in the east, so I heard they named it 'Shirasu Bathhouse'.

　Cecily then casually shared some trivia with us.

　Hmm.
　I had long predicted that Tōkoku would be a country with a Japanese-like culture, but.......now that I'm here, my prediction is becoming more and more certain.
　Come to think of it, according to mythology, Higashikuni--or was it Takashinokuni in mythology--is the country that was ruled by that forbidding king, I think I've heard.
　The Eastern Kingdom.........
　If I have the opportunity, I want to go there at least once.

　Then we proceeded to the inn.

　The interior also had a Japanese feel to it here and there.
　I mean, I really feel like a Japanese hot spring inn.
　I was expecting something like a health spa in an atmosphere where you can also stay overnight, but perhaps because of the purveyors of the aristocracy, it is an inn with a more relaxed atmosphere.
　I don't know.
　It felt a little nostalgic.

　At the reception desk, Ira-san began to communicate with us quickly.
　He was exchanging appropriately sociable language with the pompous-looking person who came out, fisting his hands, saying, "Well, well, well, well, Ira-sama of the Horns.
　I was told earlier that he's an idiot, but he's a competent man, isn't he, Ira-san?
　In my previous world, I feel like she's the type of person who would probably be in charge of organizing a drinking party.
　........well, I've never participated in a drinking party in the first place, so that's just an image.

　And while I was waiting for the procedure to be completed.
　Several customers were passing through this space, but most of their gazes were absorbed by Currier-san and Cecily-san.
　...........
　Yup.
　This can't be helped.
　Those two are indeed eye-catching as expected.
　However, Cecily-san seemed to be used to it because she was usually turned on, but...............................Currier-san seemed uncomfortable.
　And when she was about to walk out the front door of the inn with a normal trot, Cecily-san grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and brought her back.
　I was kind of jittery in silence.
　Currier-san.........

　After a while, Ira-san, who finished the procedure, comes back.
　She was holding her luggage in her hand.
　Ira-san and Ray-senpai's luggage had been delivered to the inn ahead of time.
　I thought I had a very small amount of luggage, but I see, that's what happened.

''Yes, these are the keys to Kurohiko and the others' rooms.

　Ira handed me the key to my room.
　As expected, there is no such thing as a key card.

　I heard that there were two rooms we took.
　In other words, there is a boys' room and a girls' room.

Well...let's go and leave our luggage in the room first, shall we?
Yes.
'So we'll meet back here once we've dropped our bags off?　And then we'll have lunch afterwards.
I understand.

　Me and Zeke's room and the girls' room were located far apart.
　Cirrus Baths is a popular inn, so they couldn't get rooms next to each other.
　Well, it's not that they don't have to be next to each other.....

''Oh, is it here?''

　I'll check the room for the coat of arms and the number.
　Yep.
　That's it.
　This is it.

　Unlock the door and go in.

Excuse me.

　Huh?
　Is that... is that... is that tatami?
　Oh, I didn't know they have tatami mats in this world too....
　But a bed on tatami.......well, it seems that beds are common in Japanese houses too.
　Let's not worry about the details.

　The room's furnishings and window frames have a hint of Japanese feel to them.
　The view from the window is full of trees and lacks interest, but a luxurious room with a panoramic view of the royal capital is more than I can handle.
　Above all, it's a calm space free from the hustle and bustle of the city.
　I'm sure I'll sleep well at night.　

　I put my luggage down.
　Hmm.
　With the size of this room, I'll have to move the table around to give her a massage.
　Well I suppose a bed would work just as well.
　Well.....
　Mm-hm.
　I'll think about that after I've brought someone else in.

Well, I'd better get going...

　When I returned to the lobby after locking the door, the girls were already there.
　Everyone has their baggage.
　Are they going to go soak in the hot water as soon as lunch is over?

Oh, here they are.
Sorry, I'm late.
No, I'm fine. Anyway, how was your room?　Does it look okay?
'Yes, perfectly. I mean, I even felt like I missed it.
Oh, I see. Is Kurohiko from the east?
Uh, uh... yes.
You're so familiar with it, I almost forgot about it.

　'Ta-ha-ha,' laughs Ira.

'So, we're having lunch?

　Ira turned to everyone again.

There's a courtyard in the center of the building that's open to guests, and you can bring in food to eat there. There is also a place in the inn where you can eat, but actually, I've made some baked goods.

　Ira-san discreetly held up the peach-colored container.

'Chu, how about for lunch...'

　Then Currier and Cecily looked at each other.

'Oh, well, we've made lunch together, too.

　Miss Cecily lifted the basket at hand.

'There's enough for all of us, in case you're wondering. It's sandwich bread, seared meat with spices, and salad, though. I think I can vouch for the taste.
Oh, I brought a nice cup of tea after dinner. Sure, for everyone.

　Lei-senpai followed.
　This is.........
　It's the kind of legendary event that every man has longed for at least once in his life, the kind of thing that is often seen in romantic comedies, where the heroine has made a lunch box for herself and can't eat it all.

..........

　Hmm?
　Huh?
　Wait, what?

　Lunch that Cecily and Currier's group spent a lot of time on.
　Ira's baked goods that can be used as a dessert.
　The tea which makes Ray's after-dinner relaxing time.
　Huh?

　It's a beautiful way to get to the end of the meal.

　The girls all looked at each other in unison.
　Apparently, they didn't indicate each other.
　...........
　Can it be said that this is, in a sense, an absurd coincidence of breathing?

　That's why there was no one left to bring and we ended our lunch harmoniously.