After dinner, I learned how to use the dishwasher from Akizuki-san.
“This is amazing.”
“Right? One of the things that impressed me when I came to this dorm was the dishwasher. The building may be old, but the facilities are pretty modern.”
“It’s great for preventing dry hands from washing dishes, and it’s a real relief to have it.”
“Tsukasa-kun, you sometimes act your age, but you’re usually more composed and mature. Which one is your true self?”
“Uh… well, it’s not like I’m doing it consciously.”
Should I be seen as more age-appropriate, or should I lean into the more mature demeanor influenced by my memories as Beck? It’s a tough question.
“I just couldn’t resist teasing you when you said something so cute.”
“W-wait, Akizuki-san, that’s a bit…”
Akizuki-san ruffled my hair. I couldn’t avoid it, and though I just let it happen, it was still quite embarrassing.
Because of our height difference, Akizuki-san was standing on her toes, and as a result, her apron was pushed up by a certain… prominent feature. I had no choice but to blur my focus.
“Tsukasa-kun, your hair is so fluffy… I think I’m fine with you after all.”
“Is that because of what Haruka-senpai said earlier?”
“Well, the story’s been exaggerated a bit. Back when I was a student, for some reason, there was this rumor that if someone beat me in a duel, they could date me.”
“That would definitely be troublesome if people believed that. How did you resolve it?”
“Well, if I never lost, I didn’t have to date anyone, right?”
So she was undefeated during her school days? I thought she wasn’t just anybody, but still…
“Akizuki-san, you were part of the student council back then, right? Does that mean…?”
“Oh, I guess I didn’t tell Futaba-chan to keep quiet about that. Well, I was the student council president.”
“Student council president… that means you were ranked number one, right?”
“I was lucky to have a good party. I wasn’t a top-ranked student from my first year like you, Tsukasa-kun.”
“Even so, it’s still impressive. Being the president and cooking so well…”
“Getting that much respect, I might start getting carried away. But as someone older, I’ve got to maintain my dignity.”
Despite looking pleased, Akizuki-san lightly pinched my cheek and left the kitchen.
“Is Suzuri-san in such a good mood because of Fujiwara?”
“Well, maybe. Erisa-chan, are you going to take a bath now?”
“Mikuriya-san and Nanami-san said they’d go in later, so we’ll go first. Is that okay with you, junior?”
“Yes, I’m fine with going last.”
“Make sure to bathe Rin once in a while, too. That cat seems to listen to you the best.”
Maybe it’s because I “captured” her—though cats usually hate baths, I wonder how Rin would react.
(…Seems like she’s off somewhere again.)
I looked around, but Rin was nowhere to be found. I thought about checking the garden, but wandering around the yard near the bath would look suspicious.
I returned to my room to wait for my turn in the bath and pulled out my smartphone for the first time in a while.
(My video… it’s still being viewed this much?)
The videos on external sites had been taken down, but on S-Channel, my video was still ranked number one.
“Oh… what’s this?”
There was a video of a dungeon training camp conducted by the third-year students. It was posted by someone named Houshou-senpai—it had already risen to second place and looked like it was about to surpass mine.
I opened the video and checked the description. I never expected to see my name there.
“Tsukasa Fujiwara’s video inspired us to search for differently-colored monsters during the camp.”
That’s what it said, though finding such monsters on purpose isn’t easy. Still, the video was filled with encouraging comments from viewers cheering on Houshou-senpai’s party’s exploration.
There was also a video from Kashino-senpai, showing her and Amagi-senpai exploring the ‘Third Park Dungeon’ located on the academy grounds.
I figured I should study how to edit videos, like the ones Cipher had filmed, so I watched a few videos to learn. At least, that was the plan, until—
“—Meow.”
I heard a cat’s meow from somewhere. Could it be Rin nearby? That’s when I finally recognized a strange sense of déjà vu.
(Wait… the water spirit isn’t causing more trouble, is it?)
◆◇◆
After my consciousness slipped away, it resurfaced again. I was confused, but I suspected this was some kind of trick from the water spirit.
“Seriously… what is it up to now?”
I left my room and headed toward the bathroom. The water spirit was supposed to be there, but—
When I reached the changing room, things seemed different. I could hear voices coming from the bathroom.
“Erisa-chan, why do you look so serious?”
“Oh, nothing. I was just thinking about how impressive buoyancy is.”
“Now that you mention it, it does make soaking in the bath feel different.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m just admiring the effects, that’s all. Suzuri-san and Akoya, it’s easier for you two to relax in the bath, right?”
“Definitely… oh, by the way, Erisa-chan, do you know where my shoulder massage tool went?”
“Huh? You mean the one about this big, with a vibrating tip?”
“Yeah, that’s the one. I thought I saw it somewhere recently, but I can’t find it in my room.”
“Could it be in Fujiwara’s room?”
My heart raced—not because I thought this was a dream, but because everyone was talking so casually.
The water spirit didn’t seem to have malicious intentions, but I couldn’t just enter the bathroom like this. Standing around eavesdropping wasn’t right either, but I was curious about the conversation.
“Suzuri-san, you’ve been leaving stuff in that room, haven’t you?”
“W-well, I know I should apologize for that, but Fujiwara-kun came over so suddenly…”
“Erisa wasn’t too keen on the idea of a guy coming over.”
“Well, I had to be careful about that for obvious reasons, but I guess it’s okay now. Fujiwara is… honest, I guess?”
“Ahaha, the way you said that doesn’t quite sound right. Isn’t that right, Akoya-chan?”
“The dream I had… no, it had nothing to do with the real him.”
Now that I understood that these weren’t just characters from my vision, hearing their conversation only made me feel guiltier.
“…Hm?”
“Master, you were here?”
The water spirit’s voice came out of nowhere—not from the bathroom, but from the faucet in the changing room, where water gathered and the spirit emerged.
“I didn’t account for this… If you’re here, it’ll affect the generation of magic power.”
“…What did you just say?”
“I was referring to the generation of magic power. Your companions are helping with that… Ah, am I going to get scolded?”
“They’re tired from the dungeon… What do you mean by that?”
“There’s no problem with that. Both of them are well-suited to serving you… Ah, please don’t glare at me like that…!”
It seemed the water spirit prioritized the collection of magic power, disregarding the feerings of the Mikuriya sisters. I couldn’t help but feel responsible for letting such a troublesome entity stay.
“There’s always the option of not seeing them for one night, but if that happens, the excess energy might go to waste.”
“Don’t call it that… And what happens if we leave it alone?”
“…Who knows?”
“You…!”
“Oh, they’re getting out of the bath. Master, I’ll handle things here, so please go ahead!”
It seemed the water spirit was blocking the door leading from the bathroom to the changing room. Not wanting to cause suspicion, I had no choice but to leave.
I had hoped I could avoid such incidents tonight, but the eerie aura surrounding the West Wing made it impossible to ignore.
