Part 38: Relaxing Bath

BGM: Town


05/30 (WED), Evening
Not only do I get drenched, but the water inside the machine is absolutely filthy. I wish I could exchange this memory for one that I'm missing. At least I changed into my school jersey beforehand. My uniform is safe, but I can't say that's enough to make up for the experience. Honestly, this is probably the worst thing I've gone through since Divine Selection started. I've only got myself to blame, though. It never would've happened if I wasn't such a pushover.

Naturally, I'm not too keen on using the bath at Shigetsugu's place, so I head to a nearby public bathhouse.



Yay! This place is huge!



...I can't believe Naomi was right.

Hmm?

Nothing.

This whole time, she was actually a he. I should've known, based on his stride and his outfit, but his outward appearance really and truly made him look like a girl. I guess I've got Miharu to blame for warping my perspective. She carries herself more like a boy, so part of me sees it as normal, despite understanding that she's a rare exception to the norm.

Ugh...

I can only sigh at my own silliness.



Youngsters like you shouldn't be sighing their lives away.

You're to blame for it!

Hoho, how frightening...

They both tagged along with me to the bathhouse. I guess I should be thankful that he's a boy. Now we won't end up alone in here. Making conversation with him would be a challenge by itself, but I can't hide my fear. Plus, something's odd about how we both suddenly got headaches when we came face to face. It has to be related to our memories. Somehow.

Come along.

Okay!

He scurries along behind Shigetsugu. Now that I think about it, Shigetsugu hasn't referred to him by name. Maybe to ensure that I don't get my hands on his name card, but it's possible that he simply doesn't know it. I'm not quite sure how I reached that conclusion. But... it might explain why I find their relationship so abnormal.



Treating someone as family despite not even knowing their name...

Eep. I'll get some weird looks if I mutter stuff like that to myself here. Less thinking, more washing.

…

BGM: A Time of Healing
Phew...

While this game is, for the most part, completely devoid of content that could be considered actual 'fanservice', there is an illustration here of Rinka relaxing in the open bath. It's not leering or anything (nothing is shown and it doesn't feel exploitative or invasive), but, well, it is still an illustration of a high school girl in a bath regardless, so I'm not going to be including that in the LP.

A sigh pours out of me as I soak in the warm water. This time it's a relaxed one, though. I usually just shower at home, so it's been a while since I've gotten to enjoy a bath like this. It's been even longer since I was last at a bathhouse. I was still in elementary school, so I came with my gran.

Gran...

I whisper quietly so that the sound of the faucet will drown it out. I still message and talk to her over the phone, but I haven't seen her at all since March. She's my one and only family. I can't blame her, since she has other relatives, but it's hard not to feel lonely sometimes. Then again, I should be thankful that she's away right now. Otherwise, she'd run the risk of being taken hostage by people like Numeral XI.

...Don't need to worry about Lethe being targeted, at least. Not like it can talk.

The next time I'll be able to see her is over summer vacation. I'll be sure to pay her a visit. Summer vacation... Assuming I don't get eliminated, Divine Selection is scheduled to end around then. So I won't ever get to see her again if I'm eliminated... However, being the sole survivor means I won't be able to see Miharu ever again... Sonya's words come to mind. It's possible to alter fate so it lets us both make it through together. There are still too many unknowns within Divine Selection, but I feel like I know which answer I should be pursuing.

Thinking about Sonya causes my eyes to tear up, but I suck it up and keep them from falling. I need to focus on what I can do right now.

Things didn't go quite as I expected, but I can still make the most of this situation.

That's the conclusion I've come to. My initial plan was to get my hands on Shigetsugu's and that boy's information, but I can leave that alone for now. I'm pretty sure they don't think poorly of me. In that case, it's possible for me to form an alliance with them. Doing so would put me on level ground against the likes of Alan and Numeral XI. However, I'm not convinced that I have it in me to eliminate those two when the time comes. I feel like I'd struggle with it even now. I lack Miharu's determination. Even if Sonya had asked me to eliminate her, I highly doubt I would've been able to.

Let's think about something more pleasant...

Like the fireworks display we all promised to go see, for example. ...Which happens to take place after Divine Selection ends. It's impossible to influence my thoughts away from Divine Selection, so I resort to counting the droplets of water as they fall from my hair.

…

BGM: Town


Is there a reason you waited for me?

Both Shigetsugu and the boy are perched on a sofa by the entrance. The boy has fallen asleep with his back against it, though.

This one was rather adamant, you see. Fell asleep before you finished, though. Hardly surprising with that frame. Must be exhausted after fighting two large foreigners.

You could have just left with him.

Come now. He was giddy about being able to speak with someone around his age. I can only assume he had no friends before, and now he's being avoided by those in our neighborhood.

Are he and I really that close in age?

He's not much smaller than me, but his attitude and facial expressions make him seem years younger. I give the boy another look up and down.



I honestly find it hard to believe that someone like him could make those two retreat.

Which is understandable. But something similar happened before.

I wait for him to follow up, but he offers a smile instead.

I'd like to go on, but boy am I thirsty. Could you get me some coffee milk? I'd hate to wake him up by moving.

...Sure.

I return after grabbing something for the both of us.

Oops. I only brought enough to pay for the bath. Mind if I pay you back later?

...This is intentional, isn't it?

Hohoho! Not at all.

Unimpressed as I am over an old man mooching off someone my age, I'm better off forcing him to keep talking.

It wasn't too long after I'd met him. He had woken up in the middle of the night, so I took him out for a walk. I had to use the restroom while we were out, and fortunately a nearby park had one.



After taking care of business, I returned to find him gone. His curiosity had gotten the better of him, leading him to chase a small animal. As I wandered around looking for him, three young men approached. Not friendly youngsters, either. They were the type to prey on old men. Even I'm aware that I don't look well off, but I doubt they cared. They were satisfied with any target weaker than them.



One punched me before demanding I give them my money. Another stood by, bat in hand.

That's awful...!

However, he came back during that. After processing the situation, he asked me a simple question. He asked, 'Are these people trying to hurt you?'” Part of me regrets saying yes. As soon as I did, he wasted no time in hospitalizing all three.

I am mesmerized as he describes the event in detail. He dodged a bat swing and ripped it from the assailant's hands in one motion, following up with a solid blow to the face. Then he struck the legs of the second one with said bat, before smashing them in the face as well. The one who punched Shigetsugu tried to run, but the boy spun around to build momentum before flinging the bat straight at his head. He finished by knocking the final attacker off his feet, jumping on top of him and strangling him into unconsciousness.

I didn't even have the chance to make him stop.

There's no doubt Shigetsugu would have experienced far worse had the boy not shown up. They would have beaten him, regardless of whether or not he gave them money.



He approached me afterwards and casually suggested we go home. I was gobsmacked, to say the least. But... I wasn't afraid. If anything, I was relieved. I knew I could rely on him not to buckle under the threat of violence.

Do you think his body is programmed to fight like that?

Most likely. He has to be aware of his own size and frailty. I can only imagine what fearsome things lay dormant in his memories. There's simply no way a child could fight like that without proper combat training and experience.

Child soldiers in countries rife with combat come to mind. I'm only aware of what I've seen in the news, but there've been plenty of pictures featuring kids holding weapons and engaging in warfare. Assuming Shigetsugu's right, then he might be from such a place. It would explain his cause of death, too. Being exposed to fire seems like it'd be common.

I truly believe that this child is kindhearted by nature, though. He fights not for himself, but for my sake.

Is that your way of differentiating him from Numerals III and XI?

This is no comparison, especially not against people I don't know. I'm simply saying what I believe.

I can't say I know much about him. And yet, for some reason, I can see where Shigetsugu's coming from.



Well, we should probably mosey along. Would you be so kind as to carry him back for me? I'd hate to wake him up now.

He's doing this on purpose. I know he is.

…..



And just like that, I end up carrying the boy home. We're both a similar size, so I need to stop and catch my breath now and again. One thing I've noticed is that he's more built than you'd expect.

Apologies for making you do this, but my poor back just won't allow it.

Ugh. Can you just... be quiet, please?

Hohoho. How intimidating...

Shigetsugu isn't the most pleasant person to deal with, I've gathered. That aside, this kid must be as young as I think based on how deeply asleep he is.



Mmm... Mom... Why did you... have to die...?

I hear him mumbling in his sleep. His speech differs a fair bit from how he speaks with Shigetsugu, too. I stop dead in my tracks. This might be what I've been looking for.

Is something the matter?

...I had to take a break.

I move his attention away from me with that answer. It doesn't seem like he's notoiced what just happened. I repeat the boy's words in my head as we're walking along. It has to be his regret. I'm going to assume that his amnesia doesn't restrict the content of his dreams. In the same vein, it's no stretch to say that he lost his mother at a young age due to where he was raised. Which means his regret shouldn't be too hard to guess.

I do my best not to think about it any further, though. I'd best save it for when I get home. Shigetsugu might realize that I've obtained Numeral IV's regret card if my book starts to glow here. Ideally, I'd want to avoid making them wary of me. I can feel the sweat running down my brow. Not from my nerves. It's because I'm exerting myself right after a hot bath. I'll have to take a shower once I'm home and done with this.