"Guuuuuu..."
Suddenly, my stomach growled.
"Oh my, are you hungry?"
Now that I think about it, I haven't eaten anything since yesterday. After getting thoroughly drained in the bath, my hunger felt even more intense.
"Well then, let's eat after you get out. Can you stand?"
The question was asked with a hint of concern.
"I'm fine... here we go."
As I stood up from the bath, my vision flickered with sparkling stars.
I felt the blood draining from my head, leaving a weird cold sensation.
(Oh, a head rush...)
Oddly impressed by it, I vaguely recalled that this could be dangerous. If I remember correctly, I shouldn't panic or stand up too quickly. Instead, I should either curl up or lie down.
Following that memory, I slowly moved to lie down on the spot and rolled over.
Being a fully grown man, trying to act tough and getting hurt wasn't an option.
"I think I got overheated."
I explained concisely.
"I figured..."
Yata-chan sighed with a hint of guilt.
"Don't worry about it."
For some reason, she looked serious, so I tried to respond lightly.
"Are you okay? Do you need a lap pillow?"
Yata-chan crouched down with concern, peering into my face.
Once again, I should emphasize—both of us were completely naked, without even a towel. There was nothing to hide.
Because of our positioning, more than Yata-chan's adorable face, something else stood out right in front of my eyes—completely bare.
I couldn't help but stare. My body reacted instinctively.
"Looks like you're fine… in more ways than one."
Yata-chan chuckled, barely holding back laughter.
Setting that aside, the dizziness only lasted a moment. As soon as I felt better, I sat up.
"Are you okay now?"
"Yes, for now."
I didn't feel any discomfort anymore.
"Wait just a moment."
With that, she fetched a cup of water for me.
"Thank you."
I took a sip. It was sweeter than I expected. I ended up drinking it all in one go.
"If you can drink that so easily, you're more dehydrated than you thought."
It wasn't just regular sports drinks but an oral rehydration solution.
The second cup she handed me tasted slightly bitter. When I stopped drinking after one sip, Yata-chan nodded, seemingly satisfied that I'd had enough.
"Well, are you really okay?"
I wasn't entirely sure myself.
"Eat, rest, and then we'll see."
The Meal
As we made our way to eat, Yata-chan left, passing me off to one of the inn's attendants.
Curious, I decided to ask some questions.
"Who exactly is Yata-chan?"
"Chan?"
The attendant tilted her head.
"Yata-sama is the head of this inn... actually, the entire hot spring town."
"I see. Quite an important figure."
That explained the distinct aura she had. Even though she was young, she must have endured a lot.
Though, to be honest, her youthful appearance seemed somewhat deceptive.
"What about Misago?"
"The young lady? She's the next proprietress."
"I see..."
So she really was a local big shot.
"Now then, do you have any meal requests? If not, you'll get the full kaiseki course."
That sounded a bit heavy.
"Something simple, like a rice bowl, would be nice."
Honestly, something too extravagant would be overwhelming. I'm just a regular guy at heart.
"A rice bowl it is."
She disappeared into the kitchen to place my order.
What arrived was a sea urchin rice bowl with grated yam, pickled daikon, a raw egg, fried oysters, miso soup, and kozuyu. My drink was pomegranate juice.
(Is this some kind of energy booster? Also, isn't this expensive? Even if I'm being treated as a guest, what kind of payment would they expect?)
Despite my inner worries, my hunger took over at the sight of the meal.
(If I'm going to eat, I might as well enjoy it.)
Pushing aside my hesitation, I clapped my hands together.
"Thank you for the meal."
Before I knew it, I had emptied my rice bowl in an instant.
"Would you like another serving?"
She asked, amused.
"Yes, please."
I quietly handed her the bowl.
"What an impressive appetite."
By the third refill, the food still went down smoothly. It must have been because of how delicious the rice was.
"More?"
Four bowls would be pushing it. Leaving food uneaten would be wasteful, but overeating would be just as bad. I decided to finish what I had and call it a meal.
"I'm good. That was delicious. Thank you for the meal."
I responded with a small bow.
"I'm glad to hear that!"
She replied happily.
After eating, I stepped into the lobby and found some magazines and newspapers.
Information is important, after all.
I picked up a few and settled into a chair to read.
The date on the newspaper was May 30, 2100.
Author's note :
Yata: "I'm pretty sure this was mostly my fault, but since he doesn't seem to hold a grudge, I guess it's fine."