I’m currently taking a bath with a mixed company.
It’s an awkward situation, and I don’t know how to respond.
Seeing my silence, Evangelin fidgets with her fingers, looking flustered.
“Oh, is it not allowed…?”
Her expression darkens slightly.
Evangelin lowers her head.
It’s the first time I’ve seen her, always so cheerful, show such a gloomy face.
Looking at her like that makes my heart feel weak for no reason.
Even though this is a world without proper common sense, her suggestion for a mixed bath was a brave move in her own right.
To coldly turn her down right in front of her seems a bit harsh.
Normally, I would have rejected her, but I owe her a debt of gratitude.
During summer school, she risked her life to defend against an enemy attack.
If it weren’t for her, I might not have made it out alive that day.
Sure, I might be a bit petty, but I’m not a no-good jerk who doesn’t know how to appreciate kindness.
So, a mixed bath might make me feel a bit uncomfortable, but I can manage it.
Besides, I don’t want to leave the hot spring just yet.
“Um… what if someone else comes in?”
I offer that as an excuse.
“Oh! In that case, I’ll sense it with my spirit power and hide, so it won’t be a problem!”
Evangelin beams with a bright smile.
Wait, are we really using spirit power while bathing together?
This is driving me mad.
I really don’t want to leave right now…
Even if I did, I’d still have to send Evangelin out.
She doesn’t seem to have any intention of leaving.
With that in mind, maybe having one person here isn’t so bad after all.
“Do as you wish.”
If she’s volunteering as an early warning system, there’s no need to kick her out.
Bubbles rise in the hot spring as I contemplate.
Splash!
Water from the hot spring splashes up.
Evangelin comes closer, her eyes sparkling.
“Really?!”
“Yeah.”
“Wow! I’m truly moved!”
Clap.
She claps her hands together, her lively voice echoing around the open-air bath.
“Hawawawawa…”
Evangelin trails off, perhaps due to the warmth of the hot spring, and she sticks to me with a flushed face.
If only she’d fix that weird baby-talk and her daily spicy chicken eating habits, she’d be perfect.
I seriously don’t get why she insists on talking like that.
“Kim Deok-Sung.”
While I’m lost in thought,
Evangelin’s voice tickles my ear as I turn my head.
Evangeline, her hair damp, was staring directly at me.
“What do you think of Mr. Kim Deok-Sung, the girl?”
Her voice sounded like she was holding onto some expectation.
Her eyes sparkled with anticipation.
What do I think, huh?
To be honest, compared to the other heroines, Evangeline and Beatrice are physically distant, so it’s true that there’s less intimacy.
Though she has a completely wild personality that strays far from the original work, it’s a bit much to say that in front of her.
The Black Prince would probably have some kind of enlightening answer.
I suddenly regretted leaving Durandal behind.
It feels unnecessarily empty.
“U-uh… a good person?”
I hesitated, considering what to say, and finally managed to spit it out.
Excluding her strange behaviors and odd eating habits, I can say that among the heroines, Evangeline is definitely a top contender for being a good person.
She wasn’t rude from the start like Eri, didn’t cause trouble with brute force like Rin, never acted tsundere like Olivia, nor was she arrogant like Haru.
If you exclude her speech and overreactions, she might be the closest to a normal person?
Thinking that, Evangeline suddenly looked a bit different.
“G-g-g-g-good person…?”
Evangeline stuttered like she had a glitch.
“F-for me, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime glory…!!!”
Her eyes sparkled.
Splash!
A water spray erupted.
Yeah, her overreactions and speech are a problem.
What happens if I just react normally?
The atmosphere turned awkward for no reason.
I needed to change the subject.
“Anyway, do you happen to know what kind of person Trixie is?”
Trixie Smith.
No, Beatrice.
It’s surprising that she hasn’t returned to the Cult and is still at St. George Academy, but I didn’t expect her to come to Japan as an exchange student with Evangeline.
Well, Beatrice doesn’t seem to have some grand scheme hidden behind it all.
In both the original and this reality, what she longs for is a “free life.”
She probably wants to keep living like this.
The question is whether Evangeline knows about her true identity.
“If it’s about Trixie’s identity…”
Evangeline’s eyes trembled at my words.
So, my assumption was right.
She knows.
After all, she’s the princess of England.
Plus, during summer school, she got involved with the Soviet’s EX-rank hero because of Beatrice.
At this point, not knowing her identity would be the weird part.
“I… I know. At least that Trixie is Saint Beatrice.”
Evangeline said with an unusually serious expression.
Her eyes turned toward me.
“But Trixie, no, Beatrice is a kind and poor girl! The Cult only used her! Mr. Kim Deok-Sung! Please… for the sake of the girl…”
Suddenly, Evangeline grabbed my arm with teary eyes.
It seems she’s really misunderstood something.
I have no immediate plans to do anything about Beatrice.
There’s no need for that.
To create a bidirectional gate that doesn’t appear in the original work, I need Beatrice.
To create the gate, Beatrice is needed.
And Evangelin’s words are not lies.
In fact, Beatrice was merely used as a symbol of The Cult without real power.
The elder didn’t just become the main villain in the Cult story for nothing.
“So please forgive Trixie. If not, I could even offer my body…”
Evangelin bites her lip.
Her face turns red.
What to offer?
Hearing such a thing after a long time makes me dizzy.
It’s good there are no extras around, or else…
It’s terrifying just to imagine it.
Looks like they got that close.
This was a relationship that didn’t exist in the original.
In the original, there was absolutely no connection between Beatrice, the last heroine to join, and Evangelin, who was just a background heroine.
“U-um. If it’s Kim Deok-Sung, he could definitely make me happy… Hawa-wawawa…”
Evangelin places her hand on her chest while turning red.
Adding such lewd talk to her already almost bare body in a wet towel is driving me insane.
“I wasn’t planning on forgiving her anyway, so please stop with the nonsense.”
“Is that really true? Hehe. Kim Deok-Sung is so kind!”
Thud.
Evangelin jumps into my arms.
Splish.
A white spray rises, and steam billows up.
Kind, huh?
Is this a light novel thing? Everyone is called kind.
I feel awkward for no reason.
“Who’s saying I’m kind?”
Is the standard for kindness set too low?
More than anything, thanks to her jumping into my chest, my bare skin is touching hers through a thin, wet towel.
Even in this light novel world, this is too suggestive.
It’s the kind of high-level service scene you won’t even see in a mainstream anime, only added in the BD version.
“Huhuhuhu. I’ve fallen for such a kind and cute Kim Deok-Sung…”
Evangelin mumbles softly, burying her head in my chest.
Blood rushes below, against my will.
This can’t happen.
I need to calm down.
I haven’t finished everything yet, and I can’t create the bidirectional gate.
I can’t get into this without being responsible.
Let’s change the topic.
“Anyway, is your injury from when you threw yourself to block during summer school any better?”
Swish.
I change the topic and gently push Evangelin away.
I finally feel like I can breathe.
“Hehe. Of course! Thanks to that battle experience, I’ve even awakened Jinmyeong Liberation! You’re worried about me, Kim Deok-Sung? I’m so touched!”
Evangelin says with sparkling eyes.
Awakening Jinmyeong Liberation?
In the original, she awakened during this very math trip episode while facing the villain, but it seems she awakened a bit earlier.
Should I be happy about this or not?
Well, it’s a good thing our ally’s power has strengthened, so leaning towards happiness seems right.
“Uh, yeah. Good job. I’m glad you’re okay.”
The boiling blood inside me has settled.
It’s about time to wrap up the hot spring bath.
It’s time to wrap things up.
I need to get out before someone else walks in.
I lower the towel around my neck and wrap it around my waist before standing up.
“Well then, I’m heading out first.”
Swish.
Steam rises all over my body.
I’m really glad I came to this outdoor hot spring.
Now I just need to go back to my room, rest a bit, and then enjoy some kaiseki cuisine.
Just then, I think to myself.
“Kim Deok-Sung.”
Squish.
I feel a soft sensation from behind as Evangelin’s voice reaches me.
She wraps her arms around my waist.
“If you could stay with me a little longer… Would that be so bad?”
Evangelin’s moist voice lingers in my ears.
Just a little longer together?
I’m really losing my mind here.
*
At the same time.
Ryokan, the women’s room.
A tatami room overlooking a Japanese garden.
Girls in yukatas are gathered enjoying some sweets.
It’s Olivia, Haru, Makoto, Eri, and Rin and Beatrice who came to visit their room.
“Shinozaki-san. I hope you’re keeping your promise?”
Squish.
Olivia chews on the sweet delicacies while speaking.
The promise she mentioned is to block any approach of rival competitors.
In response to Olivia’s words, Rin crosses her arms and says,
“Of course. I’m diligently fulfilling it, so don’t worry, Bonaparte.”
“Don’t talk nonsense, Cow. You couldn’t even stop Mayuzumi-sensei from coming near.”
As soon as Rin finishes, Eri glares at Rin and says,
“Exactly. Shinozaki-san, honestly, you should have blocked her back then.”
From the side, Makoto turns to Rin with a glaring look.
“Rin-nee, is your defense that weak? I’m so disappointed in you. Your score is minus a million! Beep beep!”
Whack.
Haru slams her hands on the table as she speaks.
“Th-that’s…”
Rin stutters.
Hell in a pressure cooker.
She didn’t expect to bump into Mayuzumi-sensei there, let alone that she would suddenly charge at her.
“B-but didn’t you guys follow Deok-Sung and me?”
Rin quickly changes the subject.
The first to respond to Rin’s words is Olivia.
She blushes and says,
“Th-th-tha-that was! As a personal maid! It was an unavoidable task to monitor your promise fulfillment with the other aides!”
The moment Olivia shouts that,
Creak.
The accommodation door opens.
In this tense situation, everyone’s eyes snap to the unexpectedly opened door.
There stands Han Seo-Jin.
Dressed in a different yukata than usual, Han Seo-Jin, with her gray bob fluttering, looks at everyone with a blank expression and says,
“I have an urgent report for you all.”
“W-wh-what is it?!”
Olivia reacts to Han Seo-Jin’s words.
“Kim Deok-Sung and Princess Evangelin Stewart are currently bathing together.”
Her shocking statement freezes the inside of the accommodation.
Seeing everyone’s astonished faces, Han Seo-Jin expresses in a numb voice,
“Therefore, please prepare to head to the large bathhouse.”
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