Arrival at the Hot Springs
I could tell the hot spring territory lay just ahead the moment we drew near. Pale white steam rose into the sky even from a distance, and ornate buildings came into view beyond it.
"We should make it before nightfall."
"Seems that way."
The carriage had made for a comfortable journey, but a faint weariness still clung to my body all the same.
"I just want to get there and collapse into a proper bed."
Everyone seemed to be thinking much the same thing.
The closer we came to the territory, the more the sharp reek of sulfur and a wave of heat pressed against us.
"Miss Julian?"
I pushed the front curtain aside and stuck my face out, and Maximilian nearly jumped out of his skin.
"We're almost there. We're almost there."
Another ten minutes, maybe — that was all it would take. Anticipation got the better of me, and I climbed forward into the front seat. Priest Daniel and Maximilian shifted aside with practiced courtesy and made room.
"It's cold. Why come out when you could stay inside?"
Maximilian looked genuinely worried.
"Come on, we're basically there."
Besides, I was bundled up well enough that the chill barely registered.
Being a tourist destination, the place had plenty of foot traffic. Given the hour, though, few people were heading into the territory the way we were; most were simply wandering about.
"I'll find us lodging first."
I half-listened to Priest Daniel and took in the surroundings instead.
It was a city wreathed in steam. A pale, milky haze blanketed the entire territory — a strange, almost dreamlike sight. Just how scalding did the springs have to be to produce this?
Off to the side, water ran through something like a ravine, and white vapor rose from that as well.
"How enormous are these hot springs, exactly…?"
Even the water flowing along the roadside was hot spring water?
"Well, I don't know the full details myself, but I've heard they've been flowing for over a hundred years."
A hundred years without running dry — and the water still boiling?
"It isn't only the springs. This is an important city for sulfur mining as well."
So they harvested sulfur here, too…
The deeper we went, the more refined the buildings became, until every structure was built of marble.
"Wow…"
Marble!
Every building was large, tall, and lavish. It felt like walking through the upper-district noble mansions of the Capital.
"We'll take this one."
Maximilian chose an inn without a moment's hesitation.
"Do you know the place?"
"Yes, well…"
Apparently a friend had recommended it. Reasonable rates, good facilities — and if you brought a letter of introduction, you could even get a small discount.
We left the carriage and our luggage with the inn. Honestly, there were a few expensive items among our things, and I fretted a little about leaving them.
"If it bothers you, you can keep them with you separately."
"Mm. It should be fine."
We had a noble's letter of introduction. Surely they wouldn't steal from our bags.
We rented two rooms — a men's double and a women's quadruple. When I heard the nightly rate ran over twenty gold, I nearly had a heart attack.
"Without the letter of introduction, it would have been over thirty."
Really…?
Given that this was the sort of establishment nobles used, the price made sense — but my hands still trembled at the number.
And we weren't staying one night. We were staying three nights and four days. Three nights… sixty gold just for lodging! No — two rooms, so call it a hundred and twenty?
Still, it was worth the cost. They would watch the carriage and our luggage, tend the horses, and provide two meals a day.
And on top of that…
"The rooms are pretty nice."
The facilities were excellent. The interior was entirely marble, and the furniture was solid, well-made stuff. That alone wouldn't have been enough to call it worth the price, though.
I approached the windowed side of the room and found a door leading outside.
"This is…"
"That appears to be the hot spring bath."
Beyond the door, high walls enclosed the space on all sides. In the center lay a sunken basin, with channels for water running around its edge.
"Wow. I never imagined there'd be a hot spring bath attached to the room itself."
It was empty now, but opening a waterway somewhere would fill it.
"There's another one in here, too."
"What?"
Emma called from what looked like a washroom on the inner side of the room, not the outdoor space. I hurried over and found a bathroom with a proper tub that could hold water.
"Wow — an outdoor spring and an indoor one?"
"Walls or no walls, open-air bathing can be uncomfortable for women."
That was true enough…
Especially for anyone with a strong sense of chastity, using an open-air spring would be difficult. So they provided an indoor tub for people like that…
"Should I call that thorough preparation…"
Or overkill?
Still, having a private bath for each room was clearly a good thing.
Hot springs or not, the idea of climbing in with complete strangers would give anyone pause. Private baths by room solved that neatly.
And of course — from the standpoint of someone who used to be a man — there was no way I could share a mixed bath with Sister Mary or Emma!
If at all possible, I intended to enjoy this alone.
We unpacked and wandered the room, inspecting everything.
I examined the outdoor spring and, as expected, found a wooden sluice that could be opened.
"Open this, and the water should flow in."
"Planning to enjoy a soak right away?"
Well… better to do it before dinner, right?
"Yes. It'll take time to fill, after all."
I pulled the stopper blocking the waterway, and scalding water gushed through the channel into the bath.
"According to the instructions, you're supposed to leave it open the entire time you're bathing."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. That way the water doesn't cool and stays at a steady temperature."
The drainage was well designed, the notice said, so overflow wasn't a concern.
"But how are you supposed to bathe outside in this cold?"
The thought struck me suddenly. I understood that a winter hot spring was special. But to undress and get in, you still had to step outside.
Using the indoor tub avoided the problem entirely… but the outdoor bath meant facing the cold wind, however briefly.
"We'll worry about that in a bit."
More importantly — was I really going to have to bathe with the other two?
I hadn't thought of that…
Was there no choice?
While I waited for the water to fill, Maximilian came over from the neighboring room.
"Heading into the spring right away?"
"Yes. I want a good wash before dinner."
He nodded.
"That does sound best."
"So — what brings you over?"
Maximilian hesitated, fidgeting, then drew a deep breath.
"Would you care to look around the area with me tomorrow?"
Hmm…? Did he mean all of us?
"Just… the two of us, I mean."
I started to glance back over my shoulder, and he flinched and rushed on. His reaction drew a small laugh out of me. At some point, the time I spent with Maximilian had grown, and every one of those occasions had been enjoyable. Strangely, I found myself laughing more; my heart felt lighter. Whatever had happened between us in the past had faded so completely that we felt like old friends. Yes — was this what a best friend was?
Maximilian started to say something, then his eyes went wide as he looked at me.
"Is that all right?"
"Why? Do you not want to?"
"N-no, not at all!"
I gave a short laugh and patted his arm.
"Tomorrow, after breakfast. We'll go together."
"Yes!"
Was he that happy about it?
After he left and I stepped back into the room, Sister Mary fixed me with a long, steady look.
"What was that about?"
"Nothing much. He asked if I wanted to walk around together tomorrow."
It was the sort of thing that happened often enough, so I told her lightly.
"For a fool, he does pay attention."
"Pardon?"
Had she just called Maximilian a fool?
"Never mind. The water's nearly ready. Shall we enjoy the spring?"
Hmm? Had the bath filled while I was talking with Maximilian? I trotted over to the spring and found it more than half full.
Accounting for the water we'd displace climbing in, it was about time.
But was it really all right to go in with the two of them? Was I allowed to see them bare?
I'd seen Emma's body often enough when we were younger… though once we were older, I'd been careful. Emma was one thing — but Sister Mary? Was a man-who-used-to-be allowed to look at the body of a grown young woman? In this world, chastity was taken even more seriously, wasn't it?
Was this right?
While I was still trying to sort my thoughts, Emma and Sister Mary had already finished preparing for the spring. They had undressed and draped large towels loosely over the important places — a sight that, to any man, would have been blatantly indecent… downright lewd, the kind of thing that would make you cover your eyes…
And yet it stirred nothing in me. No reaction at all!
Was it because I saw my own body often enough? Or because I was a woman now? I didn't know the reason, but looking at a woman's body produced no sexual feeling whatsoever.
And so the dilemma vanished.
"Let's go. Come on."
I stripped off my clothes without ceremony and took the large towel Sister Mary had set out.
The three of us stood before the door, and Sister Mary took hold of the handle.
"The moment I open it, run."
Emma and I nodded, and Sister Mary opened the door.
"Now."
Emma and I hit the cold wind and plunged into the spring as fast as we could.
"Hot—!!!"
The water was scalding. But the winter air left no time to test the temperature first.
And then the fierce heat faded almost at once. What had felt blistering at first became familiar in less than ten seconds, and the cool breeze on my shoulders blended with the deep warmth rising from below until my whole body began to unwind.
"The water is excellent."
Sister Mary, who had slipped in after us, spoke from where she was submerged.
Mm. Still nothing. No reaction at all…
Objectively — even through the eyes of the man I used to be — Sister Mary's figure was extraordinary. And yet not a single thought stirred.
Honestly, it was a shock. I had definitely been a man… had living as a woman for over a year changed my sensibilities?
More to the point — why was this what shocked me?
"Is something the matter?"
Sister Mary, catching my blatant stare, covered herself with her arms.
"Ah — no…"
"Is there a problem?"
She sounded cautious.
"I-it's nothing. I was just noticing that… chests float in water."
Beyond the figure itself, that was the one genuinely curious thing.
They floated! They bobbed right on the surface!
It was a phenomenon I, with no chest to speak of, could never observe — and one that barely showed even on Emma, whose figure was more modest.
But Sister Mary's full, maternal chest floated in the water!
It even swayed with the ripples!
Sister Mary turned slightly and covered her chest with her arms.
Even among women, it seemed, that was embarrassing. I had been the one to say it, and even I thought it had been a terribly rude remark.
"I-I'm sorry. I won't look."
Even if I felt no desire, the comment had been discourteous and thoughtless.
While Sister Mary and I put on our little comedy, Emma had already surrendered herself to the spring, melting into the water without a care in the world.
Before long, my own thoughts emptied out as well. I tipped my head back toward the sky and simply enjoyed the hot spring.