On the Airship (Conclusion)
The sweltering heat of the sauna made even breathing a chore.
It had been a while since I last felt this suffocating sensation with every breath.
"You didn't take off your blindfold...?!"
Yuri, who was sitting next to me, suddenly raised her voice.
"Ah, it's actually waterproof, you see..."
To answer her question, I pointed to my blindfold and reflexively turned my head toward her.
As a result, Yuri's breathtaking figure filled my vision once more.
She was incredibly close.
So close that I couldn't tell if the warmth brushing against my face was her breath or the sauna's heat.
"Ah, I see. It's an enchanted item..."
"...It's not that valuable of an item."
Flustered, Yuri and I quickly turned our heads back to face forward.
I knew the blindfold was waterproof because no blood had ever seeped into it during my battles.
Besides, a cloth imbued with simple waterproofing magic wasn't exactly a rare commodity.
While I had to take it off to wash my face when bathing, the sauna was an exception.
More importantly...
This is dangerous.
I had sat down next to her without much thought, but in her current state, she was incredibly stimulating.
I should have sat a bit further away.
"Cadet Kaen is running a bit late..."
"Indeed..."
Having nothing left to say to each other, we both began looking around for Kaen.
Just as we were having that brief exchange...
Kaen finally stepped into the sauna room.
"S-Sorry I'm late...!"
As Kaen spoke, her lips glistened slightly, as if she had indeed gone to drink some water just as Yuri suggested.
With every step Kaen took, her towel swayed precariously.
She was just as dangerous.
"U-Um... uh..."
Instead of sitting down immediately, Kaen stood right in the middle, looking back and forth between Yuri and me as if debating where to sit.
Every time her gaze landed on me, her eyes widened a fraction more.
Since Yuri was sitting at the very end, the only available spot was the one right next to me.
I wished she would just sit down already... Standing right in front of me, barely covered by a single towel that looked ready to burst, she was making it incredibly difficult to maintain my composure.
"Heeu..."
Finally ending her deep internal conflict, Kaen let out a strange whimper and sat down next to me.
She then shifted slightly to put a tiny bit of distance between us.
And so, the three of us were gathered in the sauna.
"......"
Only then did I realize that Kaen and Yuri weren't particularly close.
At best, they only knew each other's names.
In this highly awkward and unusual combination, I was the sole link.
Perhaps because of that, the two girls on either side of me were quietly watching me.
I could feel the weight of their intense gazes.
It seemed best to start a conversation.
But I didn't have much to say.
I couldn't think of a single topic they had in common.
In the end, a completely trivial question slipped out of my mouth.
"About the duel... Is Miss Yuri participating as well?"
"Is there a reward if I win?"
"A reward..."
My voice trailed off at Yuri's sharp question.
There is no such thing.
The duel itself was just an excuse Kaen had cooked up. In other words, I needed Kaen's help here.
"W-Well, won't it just make you feel good to win?!"
Kaen quickly chimed in, raising her voice to salvage the situation.
Yuri burst into a soft chuckle.
"...Pfft, that's not wrong. Winning does make one feel good. ...Zeto, to be honest, my victory last time felt a bit hollow."
"Haha, is that so?"
Well, judging by Yuri's reaction, it seemed we had managed to gloss over it.
After that, the duel to see 'who would feel better by winning' continued.
I planned to play along for a bit and leave before I hit my limit.
It wasn't because I couldn't handle the heat.
It was because the towel wrapped around my waist didn't feel very reliable.
As time passed, beads of sweat began to form on our bodies from the heat.
Meanwhile, I could feel Kaen repeatedly stealing blatant glances at me.
The moment I turned my head ever so slightly toward her, she reacted.
"Um... Cadet Zeto, I heard you consumed a Mandragora this time... Y-Your body is incredible..."
"...I don't think a Mandragora has much to do with physical build?"
Yuri, who had been stealing slightly more subtle glances than Kaen, chimed in.
"I-Is that so? I don't know much about elixirs... Anyway, as a fellow swordsman, I'm quite envious of your... um, muscles...!"
Embarrassed, Kaen scratched her head with a silly expression.
As she did, her long twin-tails brushed lightly against my skin.
Was she intoxicated by the heat?
Kaen seemed completely out of it.
Drenched in sweat, she had been rambling incoherently for a while now.
Glancing at her, I saw Kaen lifting and lowering the towel covering her chest, trying to fan herself.
Then, she asked an incredibly random question.
"...Come to think of it, Cadet Zeto, how do you check your own body?"
As she asked, her towel—soaked through with sweat—had become slightly translucent. It was supposed to be a thick towel, too.
I stole a quick glance at her before turning my head back to face forward and speaking.
"Check my body?"
"Like... whether you've gained muscle... things like that?"
"I can tell by touching it."
"Then, when checking someone else's body..."
"...Touching it would give a more detailed understanding. Though I don't know why I'd ever need to check someone else's body..."
"Ah... I see..."
Kaen trailed off, her curiosity satisfied.
She really doesn't look well.
Sweat dripped from Kaen's chin, and her face was completely flushed.
Her breathing was also slightly ragged.
Was Kaen the most sensitive to heat among the three of us?
Even I wasn't struggling that much.
On the other hand, a quick glance at Yuri on my left revealed she hadn't shed a single drop of sweat.
I guess the Clementine name of fire wasn't just for show.
Just as she had claimed, Yuri was highly resistant to heat.
Eventually, Yuri leaned forward to peer at Kaen's face and spoke to her.
"Cadet Kaen, seeing how red your face is, it seems you're already reaching your limit. You may leave if you wish."
Yuri was teasing her, clearly eager to win their 'feel-good' duel.
She really was... incredibly competitive.
At Yuri's slightly mocking tone, Kaen hastily retorted.
"N-No way! Your face is quite red too, Cadet Yuri!"
"M-Mine? I'm not hot at all...!"
"Then why is your face so red?!"
"That's...!"
Before I knew it, they had pressed close to me, leaning forward slightly to bicker face-to-face right in front of me.
Every time they nudged me while arguing, a dizzying sight filled my vision.
This is... my limit...
Gently pushing away Yuri and Kaen, who were still locked in their fierce battle, I quickly stood up and looked down at them.
"...I'll stop here."
""......""
At my declaration of surrender, both Kaen and Yuri's mouths fell open.
Was that too sudden?
It didn't matter.
If I stayed here any longer, something incredibly embarrassing was bound to happen.
I quickly turned around and made my exit from the sauna.
This should count as playing along reasonably well before leaving.
It shouldn't look too strange.
That was a close call.
Stepping out of the sauna, I self-consciously adjusted the towel around my waist and headed straight for the showers.
***
In the end, the duel concluded with Yuri's victory.
After showering and changing, I walked out to see Yuri dragging a panting, completely dazed Kaen along.
I waited for them to finish showering and handed them some drinks I had bought nearby.
After all, I was technically the loser who had dropped out first.
Both Kaen and Yuri looked utterly exhausted as they took the drinks from me.
It was only natural, considering how long they had endured the heat.
"Qi Sensing... that... lets you perceive the entire shape of things, right...?"
Kaen, who had downed her drink in a single gulp, suddenly asked about Qi Sensing. Yuri, standing beside her, answered on my behalf with a tired, "Of course it does..."
I didn't know what they had discussed inside the sauna, but it seemed Yuri had decided to speak casually to Kaen now.
I whispered to Kaen that I would seek her out for the information once we arrived in the North, and then we parted ways.
The moment I opened the door to my cabin, Sierra manifested from the Demon Blade and threw herself into my arms.
However, her eyes were narrowed into thin slits.
"My disciple, did you enjoy your time in the sauna...?"
A chill ran down my spine at her words.
According to Sierra, she had realized the situation was unavoidable. Since I couldn't exactly wear a sword into a sauna, she had chosen not to manifest.
After all, her movements were anchored to the Demon Blade.
She gave a bright smile, saying I had returned much sooner than she expected, and began to pat my head.
But as she was stroking my hair, she lost her grip on me, clipped right through the floor of the airship, and vanished, only to reappear with a pop right next to the Demon Blade. I couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Since my character concept allowed me to perceive her demonic energy through Qi Sensing, she didn't find my laughter odd.
Instead, looking thoroughly embarrassed, she clung to my arm and began to pat my head even more vigorously in silence.
Perhaps because the bed was so luxurious, I slept incredibly soundly.
"Good morning, my disciple."
Lured awake by Sierra's gentle voice as she leaned against me, I sat up in bed and immediately prepared to head out.
Currently, I was wandering around various parts of the airship.
I searched my memories for the locations of hidden items scattered throughout the vessel and went around collecting them.
As I picked them up, a thought crossed my mind: Wait, am I technically stealing things that other people dropped?
If so, did that mean every player in the game was a thief?
But since they were hidden in such obscure places... I decided to treat it as finders keepers and move on.
None of them were particularly valuable anyway.
The final destination I reached was a very special place on the airship.
It was the lowest deck of the vessel, accessible only by climbing down a long ladder.
Was there something down here too...?
I couldn't clearly recall the locations of minor items.
Climbing down the ladder with Sierra floating behind me, my eyes fell upon a girl with platinum-blonde hair... Eisel.
"Oh..."
Upon spotting me, a soft gasp escaped Eisel's lips.
Her face made it clear she hadn't expected me to show up here.
Since I hadn't seen her face for a while after boarding the airship, seeing her now felt strangely unfamiliar.
Since we ran into each other by chance, maybe I should chat with her for a bit.
We hadn't really spoken lately.
We would be arriving in the North soon, but there seemed to be plenty of time for a quick conversation.
***
During the mock battle, I had watched with my own eyes as Zeto coughed up blood and collapsed.
It was merely an illusion, not reality.
Even so, the sight had left a profound scar on my mind.
I was terrified to even look at him.
Since then, just looking at his face would trigger vivid memories of him bleeding out and dying.
Because of that, I had been intentionally avoiding Zeto for the past few days.
I simply couldn't bring myself to face him while maintaining my composure.
I was terrified that if I looked at him, my tears would spill over without my consent.
As I hung my head, clouds drifted beneath the glass floor where I sat huddled.
This was the airship's secluded lowest deck—the very place I had brought Zeto to in the previous timeline.
With its floor made entirely of transparent glass, this unique room gave one the sensation of soaring freely through the sky, just like the airship itself.
But to Zeto, it had held little meaning.
The words I had spoken back then, desperately trying to describe the unique sights, feelings, and emotions to the blind Zeto, came rushing back to me.
The conversations we had shared in this room still echoed vividly in my ears.
I was still reminiscing about him, still yearning for him.
I was lost in deep nostalgia, blankly watching the clouds drift past beneath my feet.
Thud, thud.
The sound of someone climbing down the ladder echoed through the space.
Who is it? There shouldn't be anyone else who knows about this place...
Could it be a crew member?
But with our arrival in the North drawing near, the busy crew wouldn't have any reason to come down here.
The footsteps descending the ladder grew louder.
"Ah..."
Finally, the person came into view.
I had never in a million years expected him to descend to this deck, and a soft gasp escaped my lips.
Zeto...
He stepped completely off the ladder and dusted off his hands.
Hearing my voice, Zeto turned his head in my direction.
Soon, he spoke.
"Miss Eisel, so you were here."
"Ah... yes..."
My mind went completely blank, and I could only manage a brief reply.
Running into Zeto like this wasn't a first.
But this time was different.
In a way, this was the very first time in this regression that we had crossed paths completely by accident.
Hadn't we met like this quite often in the previous timeline?
He had always approached me so naturally, just like this.
"What is this place?"
"I wonder... More importantly, what brings you down here?"
At my question, Zeto stepped closer to me, a gentle smile playing on his lips.
"When I'm in a new place, I feel compelled to wander wherever my feet take me."
"..."
His words overlapped so perfectly with what he had said in the previous timeline that I momentarily lost my voice.
Right... That's how it was... It was a habit of his.
"My... that sounds like a rather troublesome habit."
The words that slipped from my mouth were the exact same response I had given in the past.
"Haha, right?"
Even his subsequent chuckle.
Everything was identical to the previous timeline.
For a fleeting moment, I couldn't tell if the scene unfolding before me was a hallucination born of my own longing, or if it was actually happening in reality.
It was a deeply surreal feeling.
"I was wondering where you went since I hadn't seen you on the airship. So you were here."
Zeto said as he casually sat down right next to me.
The smile gracing his lips felt like warm sunshine, just as it always had.
I stopped staring at him and hung my head.
...Even though I knew that letting Zeto get close to me might put him in danger.
I simply couldn't bring myself to push away his unchanging kindness.