Although Aster was a little suspicious of Tina's intentions, even Kali and Liz seed to support her idea of letting him rest and refresh first. Their behavior was odd, almost as if they were trying to hold Tina back from doing sothing reckless. Despite his suspicions, he ultimately nodded in agreent.
"A bath sounds nice," Aster said, shrugging. "I could use the chance to relax a little."
As such, he decided to follow their suggestion. A hot bath should do wonders for his tired body.
Aster walked from the entrance toward the back of the first floor, where a door labeled
"Bath"
was located. Pushing the door open without hesitation, he stepped inside and found himself in a surprisingly spacious changing room.
The first thing that caught his attention was the row of lockers, each one fitted with a clean robe and a fluffy white towel.
"Japanese style?" Aster muttered, eyebrows raising slightly.
The room bore a striking resemblance to the public bathhouses he'd seen in ani, complete with woven baskets and wooden shelves for personal items. Familiarity brought a small smile to his face. At least he wouldn't need much guidance on how to use the space.
"But first..."
Before he started undressing, Aster moved back to the entrance to inspect the door. It was a traditional sliding door with frosted glass panels, elegant but notably insecure. He tried to slide it shut and lock it, but—
"There's no lock?" he muttered in disbelief.
After a mont of panicked thought, he grabbed a mop from the nearby cleaning tool storage and used it to wedge the door shut from the inside. He tested it with a small tug, nodded in satisfaction, and murmured, "Perfect. That'll do."
Returning to the nearest locker, Aster began removing his gear. Piece by piece, he placed his equipnt neatly inside one of the baskets. When his clothes were finally removed, he wrapped the provided towel securely around his waist.
Nearby, he noticed a washing machine tucked in the corner. The design reminded him of the one he'd used back at the Twister Hotel, and he wasted no ti loading his dirty clothes into it. With the machine humming softly, Aster moved on to the bathing area.
When he pushed open the second sliding door separating the changing room from the bath itself, his eyes widened.
The bath area was enormous, far larger than he'd expected.
A massive rectangular tub, steaming gently with hot water, dominated the space. It looked large enough to accommodate twenty people comfortably. To the left, neat rows of faucets and stools were arranged in traditional fashion, each with a mirror and soap dispensers.
"Impressive," he whistled under his breath. "But I wonder where they get all this water?"
His thoughts wandered briefly to the logistics of the place. Where was the water sourced? Was it heated naturally or through so kind of power system? Questions for later, he decided, brushing them aside with a shake of his head.
Finding an empty stool, Aster sat down and turned on the shower head. Warm water cascaded down over his skin, washing away the dirt and fatigue that had clung to him after the day's events. He leaned forward slightly, letting the water soak through his hair and down his back.
"Phew..."
Even just the shower was rejuvenating. Still, the main attraction was the enormous bath itself. After a minute of relaxing under the shower spray, Aster reached for the soap dispenser nearby. He pumped a generous amount of liquid soap into his hands, working it into a thick lather before scrubbing himself clean.
His arms, his chest, his legs—he carefully went over every part of himself, making sure to wash away any lingering gri. However, as he tried to reach his back, he encountered the usual problem.
"Of course..." Aster muttered, grimacing. "I can't fully reach my back."
Stretching his arms behind him wasn't quite enough to get the job done. He considered using the towel wrapped around his waist but hesitated.
"Let help you with that," a voice suddenly chid in from behind him.
Aster froze. The voice was familiar—too familiar. Slowly, he glanced over his shoulder and found himself face-to-face with Cassy, her expression bright and eager.
"Wait, what?!" Aster yelped, jolting upright.
Before he could say another word, a second pair of hands pressed him back down onto the stool.
"What's the rush, darling?" Tina's mischievous voice purred in his ear. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about~"
His eyes darted around the room, and sure enough, there they were. Liz stood awkwardly by the doorway, her face a mix of apology and exasperation. Kali had already claid a stool of her own and was calmly rinsing herself off as if this was all perfectly normal.
Everyone was dressed—or rather, barely dressed—in nothing but towels.
"I've been set up," Aster muttered under his breath.
He sighed heavily, rubbing a hand down his face. There was no point in fighting it. "Fine," he relented, gesturing toward his back. "If you're all here anyway, go ahead. Help out."
Cassy clapped her hands together in excitent. "Leave it to ! My mother always said I was great at this!"
She reached for the towel in her hand, fumbling slightly as she tried to navigate without sight. Her movents were clumsy but endearing, her hands groping blindly in search of the soap dispenser.
"It's right here—" Aster exclaid as he leaned forward, reaching for the soap and about to pass it to Cassy.
But before he could finish his sentence, Cassy's hand veered off course. Instead of grabbing the dispenser, her fingers closed around sothing much softer.
"Wha—!"
"...!"
Both of them froze.
Cassy yanked her hand back as if burned, her face turning a shade of red even more vibrant than her usual pale features. "S-Sorry, Star! I didn't an to—!"
"It's fine..." Aster replied weakly, though his face had turned blue instead of red. The pain from her accidental grab was enough to bring tears to his eyes, but he waved her off.
"Oh my, darling!" Tina cooed, crouching down in front of him with a mock-concerned expression. "Did she hurt you? Let take a look~"
Aster's patience snapped. Despite the lingering ache, he reached out and pushed Tina's head away from his crotch. "Enough, Tina!" he growled.
"Stop right there."
Kali's voice cut through the chaos like a blade. She stood over them with her arms crossed, her sharp eyes taking in the scene.
"What's going on here?" she asked flatly.
Aster opened his mouth to explain, but he hesitated when he realized how it must have looked. Cassy was still clinging to his back, her expression filled with worry. Tina was kneeling in front of him with an exaggerated pout, while Aster himself was caught in an awkward pose, his towel barely hanging on.
"...I can explain," he squeaked, his voice cracking.
Kali's eyes narrowed. "Leader, guilty."
"Wait, no! I'm innocent!"
His protest echoed through the bathhouse, but Kali's judgnt seed final.
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