I Was Sent to an All-Female Frontline Unit to Get Rid of Some of the Trouble, but the Most Beautiful Girls Who Are Rumored to Hate Men Love Me So Much That I Have a Hard Time at Night - Chapter 18: Bath (3)

Chapter 18: Bath (3)

“Y-You’re kidding…! A-Are you really going to wash me…!?”

“Yes!”

This morning, I went to wake up Norn-san in Elena-san’s place.

I wanted to be of some help, even if just a little, but in the end, I only caused more trouble for Elena-san.

That’s why, this time, I really want to be of help to her.

“U-Um…”

After a brief pause, Elena-san continued.

“I’m happy about it, but I’ve already washed most of my body, so can we save it for next time? …I mean, if I let Finn-kun wash me right now, I definitely won’t be able to hold myself back, so I need to mentally prepare for it first…!”

“Understood!”

I felt like she mumbled something in a low voice, but the sound of the water drowned it out.

Still, I clearly heard her say she wanted to save it for next time, so I made sure to respond properly.

After that, once we both finished washing our bodies,

We wrapped our towels around where they needed to be and started soaking in the bath together.

“A bath feels so nice~”

“Yes… very much…”

“Finn-kun, you look so cute when you’re in the bath…!”

Yesterday, I soaked alone in this huge bath.

But now, Elena-san is here with me.

Even with the two of us, this vast bath still feels too spacious.

“Taking a bath with someone else feels really nice…”

“It really does.”

“Yesterday, I was alone in the bath… No, more than that. Until yesterday, I was prepared to die.”

“You mean because you thought we were going to abandon you, right? After these past two days, do you finally understand that’s impossible?”

“Y-Yes! Everyone is so kind, I don’t worry about that at all anymore!”

Everyone here is so kind.

They treat me with such kindness, so having such worries would be nothing but an insult to them.

Hearing my response, Elena-san paused for a moment.

“You said that worry is gone… does that mean you have something else you’re worried about?”

“…! T-That is…”

It’s something pointless to talk about.

But if Elena-san is willing to listen, maybe I can talk about it…?

After hesitating for a moment, I made up my mind and opened my mouth.

“It might not be a worry but more of a deep concern… I wonder if I even have the right to live…”

“!?”

“Maybe… maybe I should just die.”

This society revolves around the nobility.

And yet, as a commoner, I was born with more power than nobles.

In this world, that is an anomaly, and if an anomaly appears, the military could collapse.

And if the military collapses, the Luvankrum Empire itself might fall.

If that’s the case…

“Maybe… I should just—”

“Finn-kun!”

“!?”

Elena-san called my name with such force that it pulled me back from the half-crazed state I had been slipping into.

Then, she gently embraced me.

“I don’t know what happened, but you must never say something like that…! Because of you, Finn-kun, I—and everyone else—have become so much happier… If you care about me and everyone else, then you absolutely must never say something like that!”

“Elena-san… I’m sorry.”

When I apologized, Elena-san stroked my hair and spoke in a soft voice.

“Mmhmm. Finn-kun, you’re such a sweet boy who can apologize so honestly. There’s no way someone like you should die.”

For a while after that, Elena-san continued stroking my hair.

Then, she gently released me from her embrace.

“Hey, Finn-kun. If it’s okay, can you tell me why you said something like that?”

“…Even if I tell you, nothing will change, and it will only make the mood heavier—”

“I’m asking because I want to hear it! …Besides,”

Elena-san’s expression darkened in a way I had never seen before.

A tremendous aura of magic radiated from her, causing the bathwater and steam to shake violently.

“If there’s someone out there who made Finn-kun think that way, who made you say something like that… I swear, I will—”

“E-Elena-san?”

Her demeanor was different from usual, so I called out to her.

At that, she quickly snapped back to her usual self and frantically waved both hands.

“N-Never mind! Um… anyway, I just want to hear what you have to say, Finn-kun! Even if nothing changes, just talking about your worries to someone might make you feel a little better.”

“Just talking to someone…”

—My superior officer sent me to the frontlines, knowing I was meant to die.

—To the military, I might not just be useless, but a harmful existence.

—If I’m harmful to the military, then I might also be harmful to this country.

Saying those things wouldn’t change anything.

But…

Talking with Elena-san makes me want to say everything.

“…The truth is, the reason I was sent to the frontlines is—”

Just as I was about to say it—

“Teraward-kun…”

I heard someone calling my name, so I turned in the direction of the voice.

There, with their cheeks flushed red and wrapped in bath towels, everyone was approaching us.

“Tera-kun…!”

“So cute…”

“It’s so hot…”

“Hey, Teraward-kun… Just for a little bit.”

“Just for a little bit is fine, so… can I touch your body?”

“Huh…? My body…?”

“Ah…!”

As I was bewildered, Elena-san hastily opened her mouth.

“Finn-kun! Run!”

“Huh…? Run—”

“We can talk anytime later, but Finn-kun’s first time only happens once…! I’ll hold them back, so hurry and escape to the changing room!”

“O-Okay!”

The way she said it had more tension than during today’s actual battle. Without even having time to ask questions, I rushed into the changing room.

“Everyone! I understand how you feel, but at least hold back a little in front of Finn-kun!”

“But…”

“Elena-senpai, if you were with Tera-kun, then you’d understand this feeling—”

I could hear their voices from inside, but I ignored them, got dressed in the changing room, and returned to my room.

“Today… a lot happened again.”

In the end, I didn’t fully understand the situation, but since I got to spend bath time with Elena-san today, I didn’t feel lonely like yesterday.

I crawled into bed, pulled the blanket over myself, and fell asleep.

—The next day.

After having breakfast with everyone, I was finally allowed to participate in training for the first time since coming to this front line.

Together with everyone, I stepped out of the base—at that moment.

“Hmm… Oh, perfect timing!”

Along with the sound of a man’s voice, I also heard the galloping of horses.

Multiple men dressed in the Luvankrum Empire’s military uniforms approached us and stopped their horses right in front of us.

Then, while still on his horse, one of the men spoke.

“We have been dispatched by the military high command—”

Just as the man began to speak, Norn-san interrupted.

“I already don’t want anything to do with military men, and now you’re talking down to us from horseback? I so don’t want to hear this.”

“Wha—! We are messengers from the military high command! There’s no such thing as a ‘condescending tone’ from those delivering orders from above!”

The man shouted angrily, and everyone started murmuring in small voices.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen a military man other than Teraward-kun, but…”

“Honestly, I just can’t…”

“After meeting Tera-kun, I mean, I already felt this way, but now I just can’t deal with any other guys at all…”

They all started speaking at once, so I couldn’t make out exactly what they were saying, but from their tone, it was clear they weren’t saying anything good.

Perhaps sensing that, the man on the horse spoke with a displeased expression.

“F-Fine then! We have come to retrieve the corpse of Finn Teraward, who was temporarily assigned to this unit the other day! Now hurry up and hand it over!”

“!?”

My… corpse?

“…Finn-kun’s corpse?”

Elena-san repeated the same thought I had in my mind, and the man shouted in an angry voice.

“That’s right! He was temporarily assigned just the other day! Ah… or is there not even a body left anymore? If that’s the case, then—”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but Finn-kun is right here.”

Elena-san said this while gesturing toward me.

The man on the horse looked at me.

“Wha—!?”

He wore a shocked expression, as if he had just seen a ghost.