Vol 3 Chapter 80 – Mixed Bath with the Blonde Beauty, Ange【Empire War Arc】

Roy and Manabu were soaking in the large bath of the command building. Unlike the other wings, Stark members were not allowed to use this one.

That was because the large bath in the east wing was women-only, and the one in the west wing was men-only.

The centrally located command building bath was reserved for Roy’s main party. Thanks to that, they were relaxing without a care in the world.

“Boss, what’s it like between you and Shirasato-san?”

Out of nowhere, Manabu asked about Yukino. Ever since the Tower of Agni, he had been calling her “Shirasato.” He had said it was a form of self-imposed punishment and a reminder—a way of throwing away his old-world feelings and choosing to live as comrades instead.

Sarina and Sophia had sometimes asked the same kind of thing. Roy gave his usual answer.

“What do you mean, ‘what’s it like’? It’s normal.”

“Eeeh… No confessions, no… y’know, man-woman stuff?”

The women always sighed and walked away at this point, but Manabu took it a step further and brought up confessing. Why now, in the bath, of all places? They always slept together, but that was because their relationship revolved around getting stronger.

The other night when Yukino had reacted so intensely to the idea of sleeping separately, that had been a mix of purification-starved “clinginess” and the way a child hated being separated from a favorite doll.

“Just being around someone all the time doesn’t mean you automatically fall for them.”

“Shirasato-san… Boss is a tough opponent. Do your best.”

Hearing Roy’s words, Manabu turned and pumped a clenched fist behind him. It was the same guts pose Yukino often used.

“What are you cheering Yukino on for…?”

“That’s all I can say. Just… try to understand how women feel, Boss. Pick up on the subtle signs they’re giving you.”

“…You’re telling me she’s plotting some massive prank on me, is that it!?”

“Ah—no, well… Think of it as training. Try to guess what she’s thinking. Figure out what she’s planning. Just, um, no interrogations or rough stuff, okay?”

So reading her intentions from her gaze, her expression, the way she phrases things, huh. Even doing it a little before bed every night might pay off.

“Obviously. I’d never raise a hand against a party member. Still… you might be right. Could be worth trying it your way.”

After that, the conversation drifted to strategy, world affairs, and stories about their old world. Manabu seemed to have devoured every war game and strategy sim back home, and Roy found the discussion genuinely useful.

“Boss… I’m about to overheat, so I’m gonna head back.”

“Got it. Your insights are a big help, Manabu. If I’m ever not in a position to move, handing you command might not be a bad idea.”

“No way, that’d be way too much for me. Someone like Sophia-san or Ange-san would be better suited. Anyway, I’m heading out.”

Manabu headed back toward the changing room. It had only been fifteen minutes, but his face was already bright red. Come to think of it, at inns with baths he always seemed to head back to the room before anyone else.

Guess he just never was the long-soak type.

As Roy was lounging and relaxing, someone else came in. The steam made it hard to see, but he could tell the person had blond hair.

Probably one of the Stark members they had brought along. He had told them beforehand that when the other baths were crowded, they could use the command bath too, so it was not impossible.

“Fuu~, a bath after a battle is the best~♪”

A woman—!? Even through the steam, the gleam of that beautiful blonde hair was obvious. Roy had brought a handful from Stark, a handful of Union Knights, and all of the Shadow Clan Ombra. If he stopped to think about it, there was only one person this could be.

Ange.

Unlike the smithing village Shimute, there was nowhere here to hide. She came close enough for him to see clearly, and Roy quickly covered his face with his hand, doing his best not to look.

“Huh? You’re… Roy, aren’t you? What are you doing here?”

“What do you mean, what am I doing here? It’s the guys’ time right now! What are you doing in here?”

Ange fell silent in thought, then seemed to realize something. “Wait here a second,” she said, and headed back into the changing room.

“Hey, wait! …Tch…”

Ange returned almost immediately.

“Sorry to keep you. It’s fine now, so you don’t have to cover your face.”

Trusting her words, Roy lowered his hand and looked—and saw Ange with a towel wrapped around her body.

Her blond hair was pulled up into a bun. Her chest was so large the towel looked about to pop off, the upper halves of her breasts straining as if they wanted to break free.

The towel, now soaked through, clung tightly to her body, outlining her shape from the dip of her navel all the way up her narrowed waist.

Roy found himself staring for a moment before shaking his head hard and deciding to get out.

“Come on, keep me company. You don’t mind this sort of thing.”

“I do mind this sort of thing!”

“Now, now. C’mon, back you go, back you go.”

She grabbed his arm and pulled him down into the water again. They ended up sitting side by side, and if he turned his head left he’d get an eyeful of dangerous, overflowing cleavage, so Roy made a point of staring straight ahead.

“Hey, can I call you Roy-kun?”

“Where’s that coming from? What’s wrong with just calling me Roy?”

“Mou, answering a question with a question is a bad habit, you know. Try to pick up on a maiden’s heart when she wants to call you something different from everyone else~”

For some reason, it set his teeth on edge. She just… was not that kind of character in his head. Although, if he thought about it, there had been signs. She would stare at him in everyday moments, say nothing, and yet the air around her felt like she wanted to say something all the time.

“Anyway, I should get going.”

Grab.

“Don’t try to slip out on me like that.”

She hauled him back again—this time adding the “penalty” of wrapping her arm around his.

“Hey, that’s… kind of pressing up against me.”

“Hehe, so you’re not a total iron mask after all.”

“What if someone else comes in?”

“No one will. I sealed the entrance with earth magic, and I passed Manabu on my way in, so he won’t come back here. Palco can’t get past that, so that just leaves you and me. Just the two of us.”

“Wh-What about the other girls—”

“They’re not coming either. I matched the wall’s color and texture perfectly. Besides, this is my apology… You did clearly explain that it’s men from the afternoon, Roy-kun. Someone must have flipped the sign, but if I’d remembered, I wouldn’t have walked in. So… I’m sorry.”

She squeezed his arm tighter, and Roy’s lips started to tremble.

“I’m not bothered. If anything, I came out ahead. You’ve apologized, so we’re good, right? Alright, time to get out.”

Squish.

“Let go. You know I’m a man, right?”

“I know. Honestly… I just wanted a chance to talk with you, just the two of us. If you really hate it that much, I’ll let you go, but…”

Even as she held his arm, Ange wore a sad expression.

Roy realized he had never really sat down and talked with her. Even back at the Ignia estate, they had only exchanged the barest minimum of everyday words. Thinking about it that way, this really was a good opportunity.

And, in the eyes of the Regzeria Kingdom, Ange had been declared dead by her own father, the king. Counting on the Union Knights alone to keep her safe was a dangerous assumption.

He placed a hand gently on her head to say alright, and she gave him a small smile as they both sank a little deeper into the bath.

“…Hehe, thanks, Roy-kun.”

And so, Roy ended up continuing his mixed bath with Ange.