Hating Gin: Ceruno
(Ceruno)
After all, it's a VIP room, so the service naturally has to live up to the VIP name.
The control panel next to the bathtub not only allows you to set the water temperature (up to 45°C), but also lets you purchase different types of bath salts, and even order food and drinks—services you can't enjoy in a large public bathhouse...
The so-called food and drink consisted only of some alcoholic beverages and snacks.
It's understandable that they don't offer any formal meals; if something were spilled, the cost of cleaning it up would be much higher than the cost of the meal.
It's also disgusting; nobody wants to soak in a greasy pool.
If we really wanted a proper meal, there's a food court in the bathhouse, but we had already eaten before we arrived, so we only ordered some drinks and snacks.
"Ceruno- chan, can we order any of these?" Mono asked.
"Of course, but once you order, you have to finish it."
"Yay!"
If Yezi were here, she'd probably be complaining about the high prices again.
There is a stone step at the edge of the bath, and the height and water level of this step are carefully considered.
Sitting on the steps by the shore is a foot bath;
Sitting on the steps allows for a half-body bath;
Sitting in the bathtub allows for a full-body bath.
Mono and I are currently soaking our whole bodies in the bath, but because we are relatively short, we have to tilt our heads back to avoid swallowing the bathwater after we sit down. Fortunately, our chests provide some support in the water, which is like having a built-in lifebuoy in a sense.
Whoosh~
When the temperature in the bathtub dropped to forty degrees Celsius, which I found a bit too warm, Barbara, who had been cautiously testing the waters at the edge, finally dared to put her little feet into the tub.
Is this temperature okay?
"Um."
She uttered a single syllable and nodded.
"Would you like to sit down on another step?"
She hesitated for a moment, looked at Miss Freya who was still taking a half-body bath, and then nervously got up and tentatively stretched out her foot.
Looking down from the surface, the bathtub was shallower than it actually was. Afraid that Barbara might slip, I reached out to catch her little foot. She flinched when she touched my hand before carefully stepping onto my palm.
"Hmm~"
I guided her nervous little feet to the bottom of the pool before letting go and letting Barbara sit down, supporting my shoulders.
Is it because he's shorter than me?
Even in a half-body bath, the water was almost up to Barbara's chest.
Mono suddenly said, "Ceruno, why don't you hug Barbara too? Just like you hugged me earlier!"
"Why..."
"You don't really think we're here to have fun today, do you?!"
Hmm...
It was to get closer to Miss Barbara and teach her to speak through complete fusion.
But I don't know much about Miss Barbara, and to become one with her means giving her everything, and of course, I have to accept everything about her.
Just like Heat Haze and Ms. Falcon, they have a deep-rooted friendship, so naturally they wouldn't rule out teaming up...
But how can I connect with a 1,400-year- Ancient Tree?
A notification bell rang at the door of the private room. To avoid embarrassment, the food, drinks, and bath salts ordered were not brought in directly, but placed in a hidden compartment by the door.
"Oh! My takeout is here!"
Mono climbed out of the water, nearly falling flat on his face, but quickly returned with a tray.
"Pastries, cookies, and drinks... Um, who ordered the drinks?"
She asked this while holding up the small metal flask, and Miss Freya raised her hand.
"That's my wine."
"GIN? What kind of alcohol is that?"
"It's the Qin Bar."
This sake is quite famous because of a certain national-level long-running Japan anime.
The large tray that was served along with the food and drinks was also quite interesting.
It's hollow and inflatable, so it's very light and can float directly on the water. It's also wide and not easy to tip over. The flask containing the gin is also short and stout with a low center of gravity, making it very stable. Just be careful not to splash water on it.
"However, it's not advisable to drink alcohol while soaking in a hot spring! Soaking in a hot spring causes blood to flow faster, and drinking alcohol has the same effect. If you have a heart condition, it could even lead to sudden death... But Miss Freya is a magical girl, so there's no need to worry?"
Given a magical girl's physical abilities, she wouldn't die suddenly from something like this.
Although she hasn't transformed yet.
"Hmm~"
When Miss Freya poured herself a small glass of gin, Miss Barbara frowned and let out an unhappy groan.
"What's wrong? Don't you like the taste of alcohol?"
She shook her head, but couldn't express any further thoughts.
"Wouldn't we know each other's thoughts once we're together?"
Mono sat down on the stone steps and took Barbara's arm, but she didn't react much to this intimate gesture.
"Would Barbara be willing to merge with Ceruno- chan? A method that teaches her to speak after just one merge seems like a worthwhile deal, right?"
Mono asked this, Barbara nodded.
She agreed, so the pressure fell on me...
"So, how exactly do we combine?"
I asked, "Although you have experience transforming into 'Celius,' that was just waiting for Sirius to crash in, and besides, she herself is Crystal... What are two magical girls going to do by combining?"
"You need to hand yourself, along with the Crystal, over to Barbara. Recall how the Crystal merged into your body, and then merge yourself into her body in the same way..."
I completely missed the point of Mono's explanation.
"For this reason, you must have a high degree of compatibility with Crystal. For example, Phoenix is actually a magical girl whose fusion is dominated by Heat Haze, because Heat Haze and the Sun Crystal have a high synchronization rate."
I want to merge into Barbara's body?
I understand, but I'm not sure if I can actually do it...
"Okay, I'll give it a try."
Mono said:
"It's okay, you can definitely do it."
I don't know where she gets her confidence from; I myself don't have much confidence.
To merge with Barbara, I first need to become one with the Vega Crystal, but am I synchronized with the Crystal enough?
"I am Crystal, Crystal is me."
Believing in the power of language, I muttered these words to myself, even if it was just simple self-deception, but it did have some effect.
A part of my body... to be precise, my arm, has turned into scattered light, and the outline of the arm is no longer visible.
"Wow! Oh my god!"
It's pretty cool, even brighter than LED lights at night.
That might work.
Mono encouraged him, "Alright! I told you you could do it. Your hand is Crystal now, so touch Barbara's Crystal with your hand!"
I sat down next to Barbara and reached out my hand to her... Her chest was completely undeveloped, almost as flat as a boy's.
Instead of feeling my fingertips touch her skin, they passed Past her chest. Then, before I could find the Crystal, a tremendous force pulled me inward.
But Mono shouted at this moment:
"Hurry up and transform your entire body into Crystal energy! Otherwise, you might become the Venus of today!"
Venus... the goddess of beauty?
"Will it make me look better?"
"I meant I'd lose an arm!"
Huh?!