The Bathhouse is Complete!
When the bathhouse we built was finally finished, the entire village gathered around.
“Wow! This is the first time I’ve ever seen such a big building!”
“And with a hot spring too, that’s just too luxurious!”
Everyone was saying things like that, and it seemed to be very well received.
“It’s all thanks to you, Kurose-kun.”
When the village chief said that, I scratched my cheek in embarrassment.
“No, it’s not really…”
I tried to play it down, but inside I was overflowing with happiness.
After that, we all went into the bathhouse, shared our impressions, and then went our separate ways.
And then, the next day…
The long-awaited day had finally come. Yes! Today was the long-anticipated bathing day!
From early morning, many villagers gathered at the bathhouse. Of course, Shiraishi-san and I were there too.
At the moment, I was in the men’s bath. As for the women’s side, Shiraishi-san was in charge, so there shouldn’t be any problem. That meant now was the perfect chance for the men to bond through the age-old tradition of being naked together.
“Ahh, a bath really is the best.”
Watching the villagers happily wash themselves, I couldn’t help but smile. Then, a boy came up and spoke to me.
“Mister, I want to go in too… is that okay?”
“Of course, I don’t mind. Go in as much as you like.”
“Thanks!”
With a big grin, he ran off happily. Watching his back, I then slipped into the bath myself to ease my fatigue. That’s when someone called out from behind me.
“Kurose-san. May I have a word?”
“What is it?”
Turning around, I saw—it was the village chief. I wondered what he wanted, and then he said,
“The truth is… I thought I should take a break now and then. Would you mind terribly if I came here to relax occasionally?”
“I don’t mind at all.”
“Ohh! Really? You have my gratitude!”
The chief left in high spirits, and as I watched his back I thought to myself,
(He’s enjoying this more than anyone.)
“Well, that’s fine…”
Muttering that, I sank into the bath again.
It felt so good to soak in a proper bath again. I never thought I’d end up building a bathhouse in another world. Not that it was really a proper one—far from it.
There weren’t any showers, just hot spring water mixed with river water to get the right temperature, poured into something that only resembled a bathtub.
It was complete, but I wasn’t satisfied. Maybe this was the limit of my Craft skill.
Meanwhile, in the women’s bath, the villagers’ women, led by Shiraishi-san, were enjoying themselves.
“Wow! This is amazing!”
The girls laughed and chattered around me.
“It really is incredible!”
“Up until now we just wiped ourselves down with well water… this is unbelievable…”
“I never thought I’d get to soak in a hot spring after being summoned to another world.”
“Yeah, yeah!”
The others nodded eagerly in agreement.
“And it’s so spacious!”
“This is the biggest bath I’ve ever been in!”
“Same here!”
As they all chatted noisily, Shiraishi-san watched with a smile.
From then on, the bathhouse became the village’s main place of recreation.
What do you think about this chapter?
