Babaluno Ye

(Bai Ziye)

Huff, cough cough cough!

They survived.

I was almost suffocated by a female employee of the Association in the spa pool of the bathhouse.

Fortunately, my high compatibility with Crystal allowed me to use magic to a certain extent even after reverting to my original form; otherwise, it could have been fatal.

"Sorry!!!"

After that clumsy girl loudly apologized, she ran out of the public bathhouse, her face flushed, leaving me alone in an awkward situation. I didn't even know her name. Luckily, I remembered what she looked like. I'll look for SpiCa another day... I can't find her... I'll ask Yin Wei for help to find out who she is.

"Tsk tsk tsk, he's clearly blessed with good fortune."

How about it?

Not only did I strike up a conversation with another woman, I almost got killed!

"It doesn't sound like something to brag about."

At least, I can now interact with women as Bai Ziye.

It's a done deal that I can't go back to being a girl, and I'll have to live as a girl from now on. Adapting to this identity is very important to me.

"Well, Barbara and Ceruno have successfully merged, shouldn't you be heading to the VIP room by now?"

Huh? You achieved your goal so quickly?

Even now, my face is still burning. Although my will to survive prevailed just now, thinking back on it now, what happened was quite bad—a woman whose name I didn't even know tripped and fell on top of me...

The little thing crossed its arms in front of me.

"Hmph, so you don't know how lucky you are!"

The so-called VIP bath was much larger than I expected. Although it was indoors, it was decorated like an outdoor natural hot spring. The water was a translucent pink, bubbling with a fruity fragrance. Three girls were soaking in it, besides Mono and Miss Freya...

"Oh~ Yezi is here!"

The green-haired girl sitting on the edge of the bathtub was also smiling and greeting me. Considering her physical characteristics, it wasn't hard to guess that she was a combination of Ceruno and Barbara, Mono called... Babaluno.

Beneath her long, tied-up hair, her fair and delicate nape was revealed. Barbara's elven ears were also well-preserved, and her skin became even more delicate and smooth, almost unrealistically white, as if she had a built-in beauty filter.

Although she merged with Barbara, Ceruno's figure did not shrink at all. Her firm breasts were still full, and about a third of them were above the water in the grapefruit-scented pool, as white as Arctic iceberg.

I didn't go into the water; I just stood on the edge of the pool.

He asked, "How did you suddenly let go of your worries?"

"Well, rather than letting go of my inner conflicts, it's more like I was forced into it by circumstances."

Babaluno her cheek and gave a wry smile.

"I was just going to give it a try, but it feels like I'll lose my hand if I don't make up my mind."

"... Um?"

A severed hand?

"A portion has already been integrated. If the remaining portion isn't fully integrated, the integrated portion will be lost... That's what Mono said."

Babaluno said that, I looked at Mono again.

But the latter just shrugged and remained silent, while explaining it to me in my head.

"Of course it's fake. If she could just pull her hand away, she could have easily dragged her arm back... but how could things have turned out this way without pushing her?"

As expected...

"So, are you Ceruno or Barbara now?" I asked.

Babaluno tilted her little head.

"Well, I am both~ I am both Barbara and Ceruno... maybe more Ceruno... I'm not really sure myself, but Ceruno and Barbara get along quite well, at least my current self isn't contradictory~"

Similar to Heat Haze and the others, after merging, even their consciousnesses became one.

Mono leaned over the edge of the pool and came up with a terrible idea.

"That's great! Going on a date now will increase the attraction between both of you at the same time!"

Why am I including Barbara in my strategy guide?

"Hmph, can't you have any self-awareness as the mistress of a harem?!"

I don't think I'm building a harem; the only person I like is Ceruno.

Babaluno also said:

"No matter what, as long as my feelings and memories can be inherited by both of us after we separate, I, as Barbara, will be able to speak."

Memories are inherited, and the feeling of "speaking" will also remain. If it becomes muscle memory, then Miss Barbara will also be able to speak.

Mono's method should work...

"Um?"

A plate of snacks and drinks was floating on the water; they were almost all eaten, and I wasn't left with a single bite...

I asked, "How long have you been soaking?"

Babaluno glanced at the time.

"Twenty minutes."

"Did I also soak in the public bath for twenty minutes?"

Time flies faster than I expected; before I knew it, it was already 9:30.

"Soaking for too long can make you dizzy, how about we soak here instead?"

Miss Freya seemed to have drunk some wine in the bath; she was already half-asleep and looked like she was about to fall asleep in the tub.

"Don't rush, spending so much money for less than half an hour, isn't that a good deal?"

Babaluno waved to me.

"I mixed some fruit from my plate into a potion in the bath. This pool is good for your health; it's much more comfortable than the large public bath. Why don't you come in and soak before the water is completely circulated and filtered?"

"Has this entire pool of water been mixed into a magic potion?"

Hehe~

Babaluno her familiar, goofy smile.

In terms of smiling, she's more like Ceruno, unlike Barbara always has a tense, expressionless face. But Barbara isn't necessarily a dull person; perhaps, just like her inability to speak, she simply doesn't know how to express her emotions through facial expressions.

"I... Barbara doesn't like the taste of gin, so I wanted to mask it with the scent of fruit. Alchemy magic can be mixed with herbs and fruits, and this pool can also be used as a large cauldron for alchemy."

Wouldn't she herself become a medicinal ingredient?

This is not a bath, but a magical potion brewed by a beautiful girl.

Mono then asked:

"Speaking of which, why doesn't Barbara like Gin?"

Babaluno and replied:

"Gin contains juniper berries, and juniper is a member of the cypress family. Although I know there's nothing wrong with it, I still can't quite accept it emotionally."

For Barbara, the gin was soaking in the seeds of her close relatives...

That's roughly how it feels.

I put my yukata back into the Star Crystal, then gently entered the water and sat down on the stone steps, but Babaluno hesitated and moved aside.

This small action may seem insignificant, but it can actually be quite hurtful.

"What's wrong? Do you hate me?"

"N-nothing..."

Babaluno shook her head and answered honestly:

"I'm not just Ceruno now, I'm also Barbara... Yezi, I don't know how to bridge the distance between us."

Don't overthink it, just follow your heart.

I took a chocolate chip cookie from the tray and put it in her mouth, then said:

"Ceruno is my beloved lover, and Barbara is my friend. Both are close to me, but your restraint doesn't match either of them, does it?"

"That..."

After swallowing the cookie, she wriggled her way to sit next to me, her face flushed, and asked:

"Can you hug me while we take a bath?"