Chapter 141: Fan Service Chapter, The Steamy Hot Spring Incident
The world is never stingy with talented people, and the Royal Academy of Machinart also opens its doors wide for the Wiseman candidates, generally satisfying any request as long as it isn't too excessive.
Since Kobayashi had become a glove holder, he received preferential treatment far beyond that of an ordinary student. The Royal Library, high-grade lockers, high-grade automaton workshops, high-grade magic training grounds... and other facilities were all open to him 24/7, free of charge.
Among them, what he was looking forward to the most was not the Royal Library, but—
"Akabane-kun, let's go to the hot springs!"
"...Huh?"
In the shabby men's dormitory, Raishin looked at the extremely excited Kobayashi with a face full of confusion, not understanding why he was so worked up.
"Don't you know, Akabane-kun? This academy has an open-air hot spring!"
"...I actually didn't know."
"You're too focused on studying! You have to give yourself some free time to let your brain cool down. That way, you can learn better."
"I'm sorry, I don't have that kind of luxury."
Being "second-to-last" was no joke.
The Royal Academy of Machinart was one of the top institutions of learning in the world. Its standards for students were also exceptionally high. For someone like him, who had never received a related education, it was very difficult to catch up to the front-runners.
During this period, he was either in remedial classes or on his way to remedial classes. On top of that, he was learning new knowledge every day, but without any prior knowledge base, he didn't understand it at all. His head was about to explode, and he was stuck in a vicious cycle.
"By the way, is it really okay for you to be so relaxed, Mr. Fourth-to-Last?"
"...Eh? Don't you know? After the exam yesterday, my rank has already entered the top 1000, Mr. Second-to-Last."
"What?!"
Raishin was even more depressed.
It was already late at night, and he still hadn't slept. Wasn't it precisely because he couldn't keep up with his studies that he was burning the midnight oil? But to work so hard and still have a lower rank than the other guy... don't tell me his brain just works better?
Not entirely.
A good brain was part of it, but the key was that he had been secretly getting tutoring behind the scenes.
Charlotte was one of the top thirteen, and in order to revive her family and become the Wiseman, a rich theoretical knowledge base was essential. So he had asked her to help him study.
Although the tsundere girl was always saying things like, "Why should I help a potential enemy?", her body was still very honest, sitting on his bed and, to cover up her shyness, she would even say, "I just can't watch anymore. You being so stupid will lower the prestige of this year's Night Party. If I become the Wiseman, I'll be looked down upon by others. So, it can't be helped, I'll just help you."
Yes, she understands prestige.
Thanks to her help, and his own cramming in the library, his rank had improved by leaps and bounds.
"But you don't have to be sad, Akabane-kun. At least your Night Party rank is higher than mine, Mr. Second-to-Last," he said pointedly.
"...Are you deliberately teasing me?"
Raishin stared with dead fish eyes.
Because Felix and Eliza had been disqualified, opening up two spots, he and Kobayashi had naturally filled the vacancies. And as the great hero who had resolved the incident, his own rank had risen to 99th, once again becoming second-to-last. It complemented his registration code, "Second-to-Last," perfectly.
"How could I be deliberately teasing you?" he said, waving his hand and quickly changing the subject. "So, want to go to the hot springs to relax?"
"...Forget it. I have a make-up exam tomorrow. I have to work harder tonight. I'm getting sick of constantly being in the hell of remedial classes and make-up exams."
He thought about it and still refused.
Seeing that he was really working hard, he didn't disturb him and went to the hot springs by himself.
After he left, Yaya came over.
"Raishin, it's a good thing you didn't go to the hot springs."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because Raishin is going to bathe in the hot springs with Yaya, and then we'll do this and that... ahh—how embarrassing!"
"What 'ahh'?! I told you I have to study. You too, don't bother me."
He grabbed her by the collar and unceremoniously threw her out the door. Although he felt bad for her, if she stayed by his side, she would only harass him, making it impossible for him to study.
"Raishin? Raishin?!"
"Be quiet! Do you know what time it is?"
"Ngh..."
Her aggrieved whimper came through, but she obediently quieted down.
With the quiet environment, he gradually got into the zone. But just as he settled down, there was another knock on the door.
"Yaya! Can't you just...!"
As soon as he opened the door, his anger turned to surprise, because appearing before him was a bewitching and beautiful mature woman.
"Hey, boy."
"...Miss Shouko?!"
Perhaps to cater to certain students with special needs, there was an open-air hot spring pool on campus. And its location was hidden and quiet, not easily discovered.
It was surrounded by a bamboo forest and paved with pebbles. In the hot spring pool, there were several rockeries as partitions. It was an almost perfect recreation of a Japanese style.
Steam rose from the surroundings, and he soaked in the hot spring with a look of complete comfort.
The bright moonlight poured down. In such an atmosphere, he couldn't help but say, "Ah, if only I had some sparkling liquor."
"I'll go prepare it."
His attendant, upon hearing her master's sigh, immediately stood up.
"Please do."
He placed a towel over his face and waved his hand lazily.
Now it seemed that solving her weakness to water was a very correct choice. At the very least, when he had a need in the hot spring, she could help.
He closed his eyes and enjoyed the quiet night sky. Before long, the sound of light footsteps came to his ear.
Is RyuZU back?
Just as he was thinking this—
"How's the water, boy?"
"The water is just right...?"
Appearing before him was not RyuZU, but a very familiar-looking, yet a complete stranger, mature woman.
—Shouko Karyuusai.
Because of the angle, he could see a different, hidden scenery.
His fingers began to move uncontrollably.
At this moment, a girl's inquiry came from the entrance. "Master, what's wrong... a peeping tom?!"
The silver-haired girl's expression changed instantly upon seeing him under Shouko. She quickly rushed over and spread her arms like a mother hen, blocking him from the man's line of sight.
But her slender figure couldn't block the vastness behind her at all. In fact, because she had spread her arms and left herself wide open, he got a complete view.
Shouko reminded her, "Irori, he can see everything, you know."
"Eh...?"
Irori looked at her own undefended body, then at him, who was staring straight at her, and her small face instantly turned bright red.
He had thought she would let out a shy scream and then squat down, but she just crossed her arms over her chest and still stubbornly stood in front of Shouko. However, her eyes, while showing shyness, were also glaring fiercely at him.
She really is loyal.
It would be impolite to keep staring... although he kept telling himself this, he just couldn't control his eyes.
"What, what? What's going on?"
It was only when another little girl bounced out from behind that this indescribable awkwardness was broken.
Irori raised a fist and said to Shouko, "As I thought, there's a peeping tom here! Even a sacred place of machinart has this kind of person! Master, let me take care of him..."
"Hey, hey, hey, don't get the wrong idea," he said, interrupting her slander. "I was here first. If we're talking about peeping toms, that would be you."
"Wh...!"
"And it seems you're not just peeping toms, but exhibitionists as well."
His words dealt real damage to her, and for a moment, she didn't know what to say.
It was Shouko who said, "Come on, let's also get in. Isn't this the reason we came here?"
"Master!"
"Boy, do you mind if we join you?"
Ignoring Irori's anxiousness, she asked for his permission.
And he said, unconcerned, "This isn't my private hot spring, and there's no sign that says mixed bathing is forbidden. So whether you stay or not is your own freedom. Of course, I would very much like for you to stay."
Because RyuZU would be back later, and he could talk to her about cooperation.
Irori, however, misunderstood. She shouted, "As I thought! Master, you can't..."
"Then we won't be polite."
"Master?!"
Seeing her casually walk into the hot spring and sit opposite him, Irori was dumbfounded.
The little Komurasaki beside her also let out a cheer, jumped into the hot spring with a plop, and even did a special "play dead" move.
During this time, neither side spoke.
Irori kept a close eye on him, as if on guard against him making any strange moves. And he, likewise, kept a close eye on the three beauties of different styles, giving his eyes a very pleasant treatment.
In the past, he would never have done this. But should one say that he had become depraved, or that he had been led astray by a certain perverted man who believed in gender equality? In any case, right now he just wanted to enjoy this hard-won sight.
Unlike the nervous Irori, Shouko seemed very relaxed, and even had the leisure to ask Irori to pour her some sake.
Seeing that he had no drink, she also asked, "How about it? Want a cup too?"
"Thank you, but no. My attendant has already gone to get... oh, she's back."
As soon as his voice fell, RyuZU appeared at his side.
The silver-haired girl, kneeling there, was exceptionally out of place. But she made no other move. Instead, with proper and elegant manners, she poured him a drink. She didn't say a single word the entire time, yet she drew everyone's attention.
Irori was even a little nervous and quickly stood in front of her master.
This little trick of unintentionally revealing one's ability to shock the other party... he was a master at it. Seeing their shocked, excited, or curious eyes, his mood became quite pleasant.
After staring intently at RyuZU, Shouko slowly opened her mouth. "She's... an automaton?"
"That's right," he said to them with some pride. "Let me introduce you. She is my proud attendant, RyuZU."
Confirming her thoughts, the way she looked at RyuZU changed.
This was a hot spring, so she could see all of her. Whether it was her appearance, her movements, or her expressions, they were not much different from an ordinary human's. She was on par with the automatons she had created.
"She's a fine automaton."
"Right?"
He seemed very happy to be acknowledged. Then he also praised, "Your automatons are not bad either. From their appearance, you can't tell they're automatons at all."
"Hmph hmph hmph. After all, they are also my proud automatons," she said, taking a proud sip of her sake.
"Should one say, as expected of the number one person in the world of lifelike automatons? This craftsmanship that far surpasses ordinary people... I'll acknowledge it."
"...Oh my? You know me?"
"Who doesn't know the famous Shouko Karyuusai?"
Building a relationship starts with mutual flattery.
She was very receptive to his high-EQ statement, and the smile on her face softened considerably.
She had told Raishin before that she was coming to look for a human who could use magic. She must have recognized him because of that. After all, for a stranger to appear in the academy, it would be easy to associate him with her.
Actually, that wasn't the case. Raishin, who was deep in the mire of remedial classes, had completely forgotten about this matter, which was why he had been so surprised to see her.
And his high-EQ statement was purely him improvising. At the same time, he was constantly complaining in his heart. This so-called high-and-mighty Royal Academy of Machinart really was a public toilet; anyone could just come and go as they pleased.
"And so, I heard you specifically asked Raishin to see me. What is your purpose?"
"What purpose could one have in finding the number one person in the world of lifelike automatons?"
His rhetorical question, plus RyuZU beside him, made his purpose self-evident.
To be honest, she was also very interested in RyuZU. As the number one person in the field, she had never heard of anyone who could create a girl-type humanoid automaton on par with the Setsugetsuka series. It was impossible for her not to be interested.
"And... RyuZU is made with a technology different from this world's. She will absolutely, definitely... overturn your understanding."
"You're very confident."
"Of course."
His confident appearance made her feel a little competitive. At the very least, she was also the number one person in the field. To overturn her understanding... no matter how she thought about it, it was impossible. So her gaze towards him became sharp and dangerous.
The atmosphere suddenly became tense.
However—
"Ah! There's something in the water! Yuck!" Irori suddenly cried out, then crossed her arms over her chest and squatted down, hiding in the water.
Komurasaki said strangely, "I can't see or feel anything. What in the world... ah!"
She also, as if having been attacked, quickly hugged her arms and squatted down.
"Could it be some advanced concealment magic?"
"But a magic user who could hide from me... ah!"
Shouko was slightly surprised, but then she, too, was attacked and struck the same pose.
Then, the three of them simultaneously turned their gazes to him.
"...Eh?"
The innocent man blinked. For some reason, he had been wrongly accused.
Shouko questioned, "Boy, don't tell me you were audacious enough to do such a ridiculous thing to me? I'm getting angry, you know."
"No, no, no, how could I?"
He waved his hand, indicating that he disdained to do such a thing. Unfortunately, it was completely unconvincing.
To prove his innocence, he activated his [Probe] ability to see who was causing the trouble.
His spiritual power, like a pair of gentle, large hands, casually explored the hot spring. The three women, as if struck by lightning, simultaneously let out a soft cry.
He, with his eyes closed, really wanted to praise her. As expected of the number one person in the field; the degree of completion was just too high!
But now was not the time to be saying such things. He had to clear his name quickly.
As his perception continuously captured and surrounded, he finally locked onto a strange existence. It was like mana, but not mana. And it was very weak, as if its life force were about to be exhausted.
Just as he was about to catch it, Irori couldn't stand the feeling of his perception roaming over her body.
"Ah, ah—!"
She let out a sharp cry and activated her own magic. A suction force burst forth from her body. The heat was instantly absorbed, and the hot spring pool was instantly frozen into a block of ice.
He quickly escaped, but because he was disturbed at the last moment, he didn't manage to catch the unknown entity.
Looking at the completely frozen hot spring, the surrounding temperature plummeted, and early summer instantly turned into a harsh winter.
He raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but praise, "Amazing."
"You're also very amazing," she also praised.
It was just that her gaze on him had shifted slightly downwards.
"Right?" he smiled smugly.
Without any shyness, he took the bath towel that RyuZU handed him, wrapped it around his body, and then shook his head in regret.
"A pity. Such a good hot spring, wasted."
"Indeed... I feel very sorry," she was also helpless.
Her own automaton had caused the trouble. She had no room to argue.
Then she leaned forward slightly, revealing a forbidden sight, and tempted him, "Since that's the case, then as an apology, how about I give you a little compensation? Shall I go to your room for an all-night talk?"
Do you think he would be fooled just like that?
Yes, that's right!
"Please do!" he gave a crisp thumbs up.
(End of Chapter)