While being lured by the multitude of Kagura’s cuisine, we arrived at the ryokan with Tori’s guidance.

  There is an elegant door at the entrance of the ryokan, a large number of the ryokan’s employees wearing kimonos are standing at the side of the road.

  「Welcome and thank you very much for coming, Toriela’s Firm party-sama.Welcome to Hidamari Inn. 」


  When a woman - who was wearing light pink kimono - who appears to be the proprietress bowed, the employees also bowed in an orderly manner.

  It can be seen that they look refined just by that movement alone.

  Everyone - including the members of the Silver Wind party - is greatly surprised since no inn in the Kingdom welcomes their customers like that.

  「We are truly grateful for your visit here from such a distant land, Alfried-sama. You must be tired from today’s journey, please take your time and enjoy your stay here.」


  「Thank you」


  The woman who looked like the proprietress especially came in front of me and greeted me politely, so I equally answered her lightly.

  Tori might have told her that I’m a noble at the time he made the reservation.

  「Well then, allow me to show you the way inside at once.」


  We followed behind the proprietress and entered the ryokan while a large number of employees bowed to us.

  After that, we changed our shoes to indoor shoes and walked toward the inner side of the ryokan as prompted by the proprietress.

  Upon walking into the wooden corridor, we could see a lush courtyard from the window.

  Gravels covered the ground and in the middle of the courtyard is a big pond, allowing you to feel the elegance of the place. Just by walking about at the ryokan like this seems to be fun enough already.

  We walked down the long corridor and went up upstairs, that’s when the proprietress stopped.

  「The second floor will be the room for the male guests of Toriela’s Firm. The second floor is currently reserved for the guests from Toriela’s Firm, so please be assured that you will not run into other guests of the ryokan.」


  「The entire second floor has been booked!」


  「Toriela-san is so generous!」


  It seems that Tori has booked the entire second floor of this ryokan. Oh well, but when you think that all of Toriela’s Firms employees are staying at this ryokan, then it’s reasonable, but still that seems quite generous of him.

  That said, the employees will also be excellently received. I don’t want to know about the lodging fees, but I think I will try to fully enjoy my stay in this ryokan to not waste the money spent here.

  「There is still some time before dinner, in that case, I recommend you to use the large public bath to help relieve your fatigue from your travel if you like.」


  「「Bath (of course)!」」


  The female’s group - Aleutia and Ilya - took the proprietress’s offer.

  「I’ll take a bath right away, so please guide us there as soon as possible! I’m fed up with taking a bath in such a cramped room in the ship」


  「My skin feels kinda sticky, perhaps it’s because my skin was exposed to the seawind again today.」


  There is also a public bath using a magic tool on board the ship, but it’s cramped. It is certainly unpopular with women since you couldn’t immerse yourself and took some rest comfortably in the bath.

  I think that I want to comfortably immerse myself in the ryokan’s spacious bath.

  「Bath, huh. That sounds good!」


  「Yeah. I want to get refreshed before lying down comfortably in my room!」


  「’k then, let’s immediately head to the bath!」


  It seems that Roomba, Irvine, and Mort have shifted their interest to the bath.

  Therefore, after checking the room that was comfortably assigned to us, we immediately went for the bathhouse.

  Incidentally, they have indeed prepared my room, but perhaps they had taken into account the fact that I’m a noble since the room itself was quite wide. I guess it’s about as wide as the dining room back in the mansion?

  I was pleased with the room since the floor is covered with tatami mats as if it was a matter of course.

  I will buy some tatami mats in Kagura at all costs, and I’m going to lay them out back in My Home in Koryatt village.

  We were told that the change of clothes and towel will be prepared by the ryokan’s employee, so we don’t have to worry about anything else.

  Thinking about this ryokan, the change of clothes that they prepared for us should be yukataafter all, right?

  The female group will be worried about their underwear and the likes, but the Firm’s employee will deliver their luggage to them while they are taking a bath.

  We walked toward the bathhouse while looking forward to the Japanese-style bath with Kagura’s style.

  In the middle of all that, I found a sign that caught my eyes. I was interested in the sign and unintentionally stopped in my tracks.

  『There is no mixed bathing at this ryokan』


  「Heeー, so there is mixed bathing in Kagura」


  「「「What’s mixed bathing?」」」


  My muttering somehow or other got a response from the men.

  「……I wonder. I don’t really understand those words myself, though I feel that it should be awfully important.」


  「Yeah, I feel that it’s something that we can’t overlook.」


  「Is it delicious?」


  I feel that Roomba was the only person that was slightly off, but for Irvine and Mort to strangely be able to react on the pinpoint part of the words is surprising.

  They actually have heard and know about the real meaning of those words, aren’t they? Is this plain harassment or a new type of sexual harassment or something?

  「What is mixed bathing, really.」


  「Who knows? There’s the character for ‘bath’, so it might have something to do when you take a bath, right?」


  Looking at Aleutia and Ilya’s response of exchanging glances, it seems that they really don't know about it.

  In spite of herself, the proprietress in front was smiling wryly.

  Letting the proprietress answer here might somehow seem like some sort of harassment, so I will just answer it myself.

  「Mixed bathing means that men and women take a bath at the same place, you know.」


  「「Naa!? There’s such a marvelous bath here!?」」


  Irvine and Mort strongly grabbed my shoulder.

  I understand about your excitement but, calm down will ya.

  「Eeeh!? Even though they’re not married couples, men and women take a bath at the same place!?」


  「S, sha, that’s shameful!」


  Aleutia and Ilya’s cheeks reddened as they make a ruckus.

  「No, but, there’s none here, right?」


  When I answer so, Irvine and Mort have an expression that looks like the end of the world or something, then they suddenly turn around toward the proprietress.

  「……it is just as written on the sign, there is no mixed bathing in our ryokan.」


  「「Daaaaaaaaaaaammmmmnnnnnn!」」


  Irvine and Mort fell to the ground after hearing the proprietress’s words who said that with a wry smile on her face.

  「I thought for a moment, just what kind of inn is this.」


  「There is a customs of mixed bathing, but it’s not that kind of service.」


  「The, there are really different customs in Kagura, aren’t they」


  Aleutia and Ilya look relieved after hearing the proprietress’s clear answers.

  「In order to avoid that kind of situation, I decided with the best high-class ryokan near the port, y’see」


  My bad. I found the keyword of mixed bathing, so I just explained it.

  「……huh. So mixed bathing is not delicious food?」


  「You can enjoy a fine Kagura sake even while you’re bathing, would that be fine with you? 」


  「Ooh! Really!? Then, please bring them to me later!」


  Giving the fallen duo a sidelong glance, the proprietress recommends a sake to Roomba.

  Hey, what’s that. Drinking sake at the spacious ryokan’s bath, that’s so enviable. I also want to do such stylish stuff.

  「……wait a minute? They don’t have one of those mixed bathings here, so does it mean you can find them somewhere else?」


  「Yeah, just like what Irvine said. I can go to a ryokan that has mixed bathing.」


  The collapsed Irvine and Mort stand up as their eyes glittered and boiled with ambition.

  「But, we have already reserved this ryokan so we can’t do that, y’know? What’s more, the two of you are Alfred-sama’s guards so you can’t stay at another inn, yeah?」


  「「Daaaaaaaaaaaammmmmnnnnnn!」」


  However. Tori’s ruthless comment made them fall to the ground again.

  Irvine and Mort are too frantic.

  Aleutia and Ilya looked at the two of them with eyes that were even colder than the freezing point.

  But, the two who were true to their desire didn’t give in.

  「Alfried-sama. Please say that you wanted to go to a ryokan that has mixed bathing!」


  「That’s right! Just say it like when you mercilessly force Elam to cook the octopus with you!」


  Irvine and Mort are begging me while crawling toward me.

  If I selfishly said it with that as the reason, then I will be given the title of a perverted noble, don’t you think? That kind of dishonorable title is not a joke.

  Rather, how much cancellation fees do you think it would cost for the ryokan’s reservation?

  「That’s impossible, so why don’t you just give up.」


  When I flatly turned them down, Irvine and Mort dropped limply on the ground.

  I happen to see Tori patting his chest with a sigh of relief from my peripheral vision.

  How vexing. Even though I’m not the kind of noble who will say something unreasonable like that. There’s no way I would cause that kind of inconvenient and costly method, right?

  「But well, I’m a small kid anyway, so normally I enter the women’s bath, right」


  When I said that in a whisper, Irvine and Mort stood up with a serious look on their faces.

  「I see. If that’s the case, then we can enter the women’s bath as Alfried-sama’s escort, yeah……」


  「Stop messing around」


  「That’s definitely not allowed, alright? 」


  Irvine’s suggestion was instantly denied.

  「That’s right you guys. Why do you think we have female escorts for? I’ll have Aleutia and Ilya to protect me, so you guys should just enter the men’s bath!」


  「Kuu……!　What an enviable position!」


  「Is this what they called a noble’s privilege………!」


  When I solemnly told them that, they are so frustrated that they are crying tears of regret.

  「……we weren’t hired for that kind of reason」


  Aleutia denies it from the back as her shoulder trembles.

  Well, I want you to endure it for a bit here.

  When I was wondering about how to persuade Aleutia and Ilya, my shoulder was tapped by the proprietress *tonton*.

  「May I ask how old are you, Alfried-sama?」


  I see, you’re verifying my age, huh. I didn’t think that I will be asked this question this year.

  Indeed, to be recognized as an adult in this world you have to be fifteen years old. I am seven years old, about half of the age for being recognized as an adult.

  If you compare it with the time when I was in Japan, a ten years old kid will end up taking a bath at the women’s bath.

  If I lower my actual age by about two here, then I might be able to just barely go in, I guess………


  「I am five――」


  「「This guy is seven years old!」」


  Author Note :

  『I am a Dullahan. Looking for my neck』