Infinite Stratos, Volume 2, page 16
That was a grin, wasn’t it? Laura understood it as such. A few minutes after Chifuyu left, her mood suddenly changed.
“Ha, haha... Hahaha!”
—What a pair of cheaters.
The brother and the sister both disappeared as soon as they’d said what they wanted. Talking about herself, after all. That was the absolute peak of it.
—Think as myself, act as myself, huh...
Twinges of pain greeted each laugh which leaked out, but still, deep inside, Laura felt joy. Defeat. Absolute failure. Yet, it still felt unbearably good. Yes, for Laura Bodewig, this was just the beginning.
◇
“—as a result, the tournament has been canceled. However, all first-round matches will be played out to facilitate the gathering of tracking data. Please check your new time and location from your compu—”
The TV in the cafeteria beeped as someone switched it off. I’d been watching out of the corner of my eye as I worked through my seafood shio ramen, and it felt like something was slipping away. Rather... The noodles were, at least.
“Hmm. Looks like you were right, Charles.”
“Yeah. Oh, Ichika, could you pass the shichimi?”
“Here.”
“Thanks.”
You could criticize us for being so relaxed after the events of the day, but the truth of the matter was, the teachers had just finally finished debriefing us. By the time we were let go, we barely had enough time to make it to the cafeteria before closing. And as we rushed in, we were greeted by a crowd of girls who must have wanted to hear the story directly. We thought it’d be best to get our dinner out of the way first, and went straight for our table, but then a chyron came up on the TV that an important announcement was coming, and that was apparently it.
“That really hit the spot. The food here’s great at the cafeteria and in the dorm kitchens— Hm?”
I wasn’t quite sure why, but suddenly all the girls who’d been waiting to talk to us after we finished seemed deeply disappointed. Their spirits seemed as sunk as the battleship Yamato—not that I’d actually seen it go down.
“Championship... Chance... Gone...” bewailed one of the girls.
“Date... Canceled...”
“WAAAHH!”
The patter of dozens of feet could be heard as they fled crying. What was that all about?
“What’s up with them?”
“Beats me.”
Charles and I were nonplussed. It was just another example of how girls didn’t make any sense.
“.........”
After the group had left, I noticed one other figure stood up, as if in a daze; it was my childhood friend, Houki. She looked as if her soul had floated straight out of her body, so I went up to her to see what was wrong.
“Hey, Houki. About that promise last month—”
“Bwah!”
Well, that was quite a response. I guess she wasn’t dead just yet.
“I wouldn’t mind going out with you.”
“......What?”
“I said, I wouldn’t mind going out with you... Wha?!”
She bounded like a spring, wrapping her arms around my neck effortlessly, even though I was taller.
—What in the...
“R-Really? Like, really, really, for real, really?!” She asked, over and over.
—Keep asking like that, and it will be a prank...! As if.
“Of course.”
“But why now? At least tell me why...”
Houki suddenly retreated, crossing her arms as she cleared her throat. I wondered why her face was so red. Ah, well.
“It’s a promise with a childhood friend, right? So yeah, let’s go out.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, we can go out shopping or something anytime.”
“.........”
Houki’s expression hardened in an instant. So, this was what they based demon masks on.
“I knew it...”
“Huh?”
It was best not to prod Houki too much when she had that kind of expression. She was like nitroglycerin, or your stomach after too many chili peppers—best treated with a delicate, soft—soft-serve?—touch.
“I knew it was something like that!”
Bam!
“Oof!”
A straight punch with all her weight thrown into it. For a moment, my vision dimmed. It was like getting hit by a cannon.
“Hmph!”
Urk... With a kick, her toes buried themselves in my solar plexus.
—You idiot, you’re flashing your panties... They’re oh so white.
“Ugh...”
Houki stalked off—I was too busy collapsing to see where to. I’d taken some serious damage. I didn’t want to move for a while. I couldn’t move for a while.
“Sometimes I think you do things like that on purpose, Ichika.”
“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Oh, whatever.”
Charles avoided eye contact a bit huffily. What was with that reaction? It took me a full 15 minutes to finally recover. Rubbing my still-aching gut, I sat down across from Charles.
“By the way, there’s something I wanted to ask you.”
“Sure, what? Ask away.”
Charles had finished her tsukimi udon, and looked up with a grin. After everything that had happened between the match and now, I was amazed that she was able to stay in such a good mood.
“Can people communicate through their IS? Like, not just over a private channel, but as if they’re whisked off into a separate dimension?” I asked.
“Huh? Actually, I think I’ve heard of something like that. They say it’s just because of the networking between the IS, but sometimes pilots who’re on the same wavelength report sharing thoughts with each other. Is that what you mean?”
“That’s exactly it! Same wavelength, though... I’m not sure I understand that.”
“There’s a lot about IS and their abilities that no one understands. Their inventor, Professor Shinonono, disappeared without even telling us everything she knew about them, and I think even before that she’d said in an interview that she’d built parts of them to self-evolve so even she didn’t really know.”
“That’s definitely something Tabane would do...”
Tabane didn’t care about anything other than what she was focused on at that very moment. She probably could have figured it out, but I think she was just slacking. As I thought about that, I realized that Charles was looking at me. It may have just been my imagination, but it seemed more like a glare than anything.
“Ichika, this separate dimension of yours... was it with Bodewig?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Mhm... thought so.”
Charles acted nonchalant as she went to return her dishes, but from our training together, and our unspoken communication as a duo, I realized her mood had suddenly turned. Even though she tried her best not to show it, it was obvious in the hardening of her tone and her increased pace. Still, what set her off? Truly, it was a mystery.
“Oh, there you are, Orimura, Dunois. You held up well earlier.”
“You too, Ms. Yamada. Aren’t your hands tired from writing down everything?”
“No, no. I’ve always been good at little things like that. No need to worry about me. I am a teacher, after all.”
Ms. Yamada puffed out her chest with a self-satisfied chuckle. Again, those voluptuous mounds bounced. Not knowing where to look, I instinctively looked away.
“.........”
“Ichika, you pervert...” The whisper was quiet, but I heard it clearly.
“Huh? Hey, wait, Charles! It isn’t like that.”
“Hmph. If you say so.”
Ugh, what had her so mad? Didn’t she like her udon? I guess I was the one who told her the traditional way was to slurp down the egg yolk last, but...
“Huh? Is something the matter?”
“No, no! Nothing at all.”
“Oh, good. Anyway, I have some good news!”
Ms. Yamada pumped both fists. Again, her breasts bounced. Come on... I mean, I liked to watch it, but I didn’t want to watch it.
“Finally! Boys can finally take baths!”
“Ohh! Really? I thought it wouldn’t be until next month.”
“Well, as it turns out, today we had someone inspecting the boiler, so it was supposed to be closed all day. But that’s all wrapped up, so I thought, why not let the boys in?”
Incredible! Amazing! Wonderful! With everything that had happened with the tournament, I just wanted to relax and let my worries float away. Honestly. Every single match I was in, even the class league the month before, something crazy and unexpected happened. At this point, I was batting 1.000. Not a number I was proud of.
“Thank you so much, Ms. Yamada!”
Overflowing with gratitude, I grasped her hands. With her hands in mine, I gazed at Ms. Yamada, my eyes shining as if painted with glitter. Ah, baths were so wonderful! They were a part of Japanese culture, tradition, I’d say even the very Japanese spirit itself!
“If you get much closer, I may not—”
“Hm?”
“Ah, wait! It’s nothing! Nothing at all!”
Somehow, Ms. Yamada’s gaze flitted around as if she couldn’t control her emotions. Wasn’t she the one who told me to look people in the eye? And for some reason, her face was red. Did she have a cold? Colds during the rainy season really took a lot out of a person. I wish she’d take better care of herself.
“Ahem!”
Charles cleared her throat, as if to provide punctuation. The temperature of her gaze seemed to have dropped a few degrees. I wonder why? Wasn’t she happy about the baths? I sure was!
“A-Anyway, go ahead and take a bath, you two. You must be exhausted from that game of twenty questions.”
“All right! It’s off to the—erm.”
As I answered enthusiastically, I realized something. Ms. Yamada’s exact wording of: “Go ahead and take a bath, you two.” ‘You two.’ Meaning, me and Charles. Oh no. Oh, no, no, no. Charles was still passing as a boy. It’d be really weird if we went separately, after how big of a deal it was. I couldn’t imagine flaunting it like that would be appreciated.
“U-Umm...”
“What’s wrong? Hurry up and go get something to change into. I have the key to the baths, so I’ll be waiting for you in front of the locker room. See you there!” Ms. Yamada walked off briskly.
Ahh, what could we do about this?
“Charles...”
“Yeah. This is a problem. What are we going to do? Let’s figure it out while we get clean clothes from our room.”
“Okay. I just hope we think of something...”
We were on the same page—or it was just really obvious. Anyway, Charles and I returned to our room. Nothing came to mind while getting clothes, but at the same time, we were too stressed for idle chatter, so we just silently got ready for our bath. And then...
“Oh, there you are. Well, here you go! The water’s nice and hot!”
“T-Thanks.”
With a final “Enjoy yourselves!” Ms. Yamada left, shutting the locker room door behind her. For a while, we sat in silence, back-to-back in the locker room.
“.........”
“.........”
Oh no. This wasn’t good. I really wanted to take a bath, but I couldn’t with Charles. First of all... Well, I’d seen her naked before, but that was different. I shouldn’t even need to say this, but girls of a certain age shouldn’t be showing that much skin to men. And at the same time, I absolutely had to avoid seeing naked girls. A lot of people would say “no harm, no foul,” but they’re wrong. It’s a huge mistake. Only an idiot would think that. There was, in fact, harm. Harm to the girl’s dignity, to her propriety, to her value. It was a man’s place to protect women, not to degrade them. I may not be Houki, but sometimes I could expect people to be ashamed of themselves, too.
“Err... Charles?”
“Y-Yes?”
Why so polite all of a sudden? Ah well, whatever. We should just talk face-to-face. It was amazing how many words you couldn’t say while facing away from each other, but could while looking each other in the eye.
“You must be worn out from today. Take your bath. I’ll kill some time in the locker room for a while, then head back to our room.”
“Wait, what about you, Ichika?”
“It’s not like we can take a bath together. So if it’s gonna be like that, you may as well enjoy yourself. I’ll just shower.”
Men grin and bear it. I didn’t even mind, if it was for my partner Charles. I wasn’t about to do the same for someone I’d never met, but I owed her a lot. Nowadays, it wasn’t unusual for girls to just ask random men for things, and that I had no interest in. It didn’t matter who you were, if you were just going to be rude and demand things, I had no reason to pay any attention to you. But flipped the other way around, if you had a good reason for what you wanted, I’d do anything to make it happen. It may not be obvious, but I was great around the house, and even good at massages. Chifuyu could vouch for that. Not to brag, but I’d probably make a great househusband. Ehehe.
“Nah, I’m fine. If we’re going to do that, I should wait in the locker room. I’m not that big of a fan of baths anyway, but you like them, right?”
“Yeah!”
—Of course I do!
If I had to choose between eating and bathing, I’d put my checkmark next to bathing on the ballot. Maybe if you combined eating and cooking it would be a different— Huh? Why was Charles’ face so red?
“Is something wrong?”
“Nothing! Just go and take your bath! Don’t worry about me, okay?”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah.”
“All right, then! Thanks, Charles! I owe you one!”
Arguing with her when she insisted that much would be impolite. Besides, I was excited. My first bath in forever—and not only that, but the place was huge! I made my way out of Charles’ line of sight, and stripped out of my clothes. It wasn’t just the IS suit, mens’ clothes were so easy to take off. I wasn’t kidding when I said I could be naked in half the time it took me to get dressed.
“I’m getting in now.”
“Okay. Just chill.”
I wasn’t quite sure about that response. Was she going to prank me or something? No way.
“Whoa!”
It was huge! Gigantic! There was a large bath, two medium-sized jacuzzis, and a wooden bathtub. Not just that, though. It had a sauna, showers all around, and even a waterfall! Everything I could ask for!
—I’m so glad I was born Japanese! And I’m so glad I go to a school funded by the national government!
I was so hyped up. I could use anything in here as much as I wanted. What Japanese person—what human being—wouldn’t be excited?
“Wait, get a hold of yourself. Diving into things never pays off. I need to shower first.”
—Hahahah, “diving” into things.
“Woohoo!”
I could even yell! After all, it was a big room! (Warning: Do not try this at home.) Still holding back my enthusiasm, I ran water over myself and began to scrub with body wash. First a shower, then a soak, then another shower, then another soak—and, done. That was how I bathed. It wasn’t a hard and fast rule, but it made me enjoy baths more, so it was how I did it. After I washed off, I sunk into the large bath I’d been looking forward to.
”Haaah...”
A feeling of relief spread across my body. The emptying-out of all my exhaustion and stiffness melting away. The blanket-like pressure and relaxation of the warmth. I let them wash over me, thinking of nothing, simply enjoying the bath.
“Ahh, I feel alive again...”
Again... Again... Again...
This was the real deal. Even the echoes were beautiful. It had everything I expected from a bath. I’d have to give it five stars. I lost track of time as I soaked, and soon I began to feel sleepy. Maybe it was because I was so exhausted, but as the relaxation continued, I began to doze off.
—Ahh, I wish I could just fall asleep...
I’d probably drown if I did. That wouldn’t be good.
Rattle.
—Huh? Am I imagining things, or did the door to the locker room just open?
I wasn’t really thinking clearly. I couldn’t reject the idea that I was just hearing things.
Splish, splash, splish.
I heard the sound of two beautiful legs walking on the wet tile. I could tell they were beautiful because the sound was beautiful. If they made a beautiful sound, they were probably beautiful. Ah—
“I’m getting in.”
“......?!”
Even though my face was half-submerged, I rocketed upright. What appeared from the steam was a bare-naked Charles. Of course, she was wrapped in a towel, but it was only a thin sports towel. It was transparent enough to let through the color of her skin. And with the light behind her, I could clearly see her every curve.
“Wh-What?!”
“Don’t stare... Ichika, you pervert.”
“Sorry!”
Ah, why was I apologizing? I didn’t know! I didn’t know, but I apologized anyway, and immediately turned around. It was a reflexive spin as fast as an IS’. The human body was amazing.
“W-Why?! What are you doing in here? I mean, obviously, you’re taking a bath, but that could have waited until I was out— Why are you in here now?”
This was bad. My mind was racing. Even though I realized it, I couldn’t get a hold of myself.
—What am I supposed to do about this? Wait for someone else to solve it? Just melt? I hope I’m not soaking in solvent.
“Do you not want me here?”
“That’s not it, just...”
I mean, I didn’t mind. It was just awkward. Very awkward. I was a healthy 15 year old boy who was interested in the opposite sex just like anyone else, and I couldn’t say it was purely platonic. And here I was, alone in this huge bath—it even had steam and echoes—with a naked girl. That wasn’t good. At least, I didn’t think it was. I could hear Charles’ breath from behind me, and my heart raced.
“I thought I’d try it out. If it’s bothering you, I can leave.”
