Chapter 14
THE CITY OF IRENE still contained many Chimera Clausen-related facilities that had yet to be dealt with. Once the War-Torn Burial Ground was purified, Mira worked with Scorpion and Snake to investigate these facilities one by one. Many of them still had functioning technomancy dolls within, so considerable firepower was necessary.
At sunset, Mira returned with Scorpion and Snake to the former Melville Commerce estate. After Chimera had been crushed, Ebatess Commerce bought it at a deeply discounted rate and let Isuzu use it as their largest base in the entire continent.
“Baths truly are wonderful…” Mira mused.
“Sure are!”
“Very wonderful.”
In the end, Melville’s excesses became an unexpected luxury for Isuzu. The enormous bathroom in this giant mansion was made of marble, and the faucets gleamed with silver and gold. The chandelier on the ceiling shone magnificently, adding yet another layer of extravagance.
The three girls relaxed together in the big tub. With their jobs done for the day, they’d beelined for the bath. Mira had been especially eager. Camouflaged as just another girl, she looked Scorpion and Snake up and down.
Truly…wonderful.
Scorpion was healthy and fit while Snake was unnervingly seductive. While Mira was busy appreciating her position as someone who could ogle girls as openly as she pleased, Scorpion suddenly turned to her as if she had noticed something.
Mira was shook; had she been caught? Habitual offender that she was, she managed to avert her eyes calmly and casually. There was no need for her to do so; Scorpion looked right past her.
“Hey…what do you think that is?” Scorpion pointed at something curiously.
“What?” Mira turned around to look. It was a door at the back of the bathroom, opposite from the entrance.
“Where do you think it goes?”
“Hrmm… I wonder.”
A wooden door in the middle of a marble wall seemed out of place, making it even more suspicious. What was the deal? Mira and Scorpion began discussing it, but Snake stood up.
“Let’s just open it.”
She might have been a woman of few words, but she was just as curious. She got out of the tub and stepped toward the door.
“I’ll look, too!”
“Me too.”
Scorpion and Mira ran after her. They were all naked, making this the perfect peeping moment for Mira. However, she was so caught up in the secret hidden behind the door that she ran ahead of the others without even stealing a glance.
Mira grasped the doorknob and turned around to confirm with them. “Okay. I’m going to open it.”
“Yep. Do it!”
“Any time.”
What was hidden behind it? Scorpion and Snake tensed, as if expecting something to pop out. Once Mira was sure that they were ready, she slowly turned the knob.
“What is it?” Scorpion wondered.
“Dark,” Snake deadpanned.
Their reactions didn’t offer any insight, so Mira peeked inside. “Hrmm… It certainly is dark. But could it be…?”
Beyond the door was a long passage that was too dim to see down. Scorpion was a Miao; she didn’t need a lot of light to see. But even she didn’t know what exactly she was looking at.
“How about this? It ought to help.” Mira lit up her Ethereal Arts: Illumination spell and looked around. Instantly, she gleefully ran in. “Ooh, ooooh! Isn’t this just wonderful?!”
Despite Mira’s excitement, Scorpion looked dubious, and Snake seemed to have no idea what was going on. They entered curiously, unsure of what this room was meant to be. When they saw what was inside, they were even more confused. What was Mira so wound up about?
“Hrmm. Do you mean to say you don’t know what this is? And what a surprise to find it in a place like this…” Mira grinned wolfishly for a moment before finally revealing the secret of this room. “This…is a sauna!”
Indeed, the room beyond the wooden door was something very rare for a private individual to own. One might expect such luxury from a CEO. At least his taste in accommodations wasn’t so bad, Mira thought to herself as she fiddled with the heater.
It was simple enough to tell how it worked, and she quickly succeeded in starting a fire.
“What’s a sauna, though?” Scorpion asked Snake.
“Dunno.”
It seemed Mira’s explanation hadn’t enlightened the girls any.
“Just wait,” Mira replied with a smile as she turned up the heat.
“Are you sure that’s safe…?”
“Hey, it’s getting hot.”
They watched Mira uneasily as the temperature in the sauna skyrocketed.
“Worry not, friends. Go on and take a seat, you’ll soon understand.” Mira finished adjusting the heater, plopped down on a bench, and urged the others to do the same.
“So…what does it do, though?”
“Tell us.”
Though they sat, the Hidden were clearly still confused and growing increasingly annoyed. They offered Mira one more chance to explain herself.
“Well, you see…” Mira gleefully told them all about saunas and their effects—while they were also a fun pastime, they also had health and beauty benefits.
“Wow. So basically…you sweat in a hot room. And then good stuff happens?” Scorpion murmured in surprise. “Then how about we heat it up even more?” With that, she imitated Mira and began fiddling with the heater.
“Health is important.” Snake was impressed by the sauna’s effects. Her doubt had turned to interest as she gazed at the heater.
“…Say, Scorpion. Don’t you think you’re turning it up too much?” Mira asked.
The room temperature had climbed steadily from the moment Scorpion began her adjustments.
“It’s fine. I think. I mean, I only turned it up like halfway.” Scorpion stood up and pointed at the temperature control lever. Indeed, it had only been moved about halfway.
Surely that would be okay. Mira hadn’t been to a sauna in a while, so maybe it just felt hotter. Instead of fretting, she decided to relax and enjoy this rare opportunity.
“Hey, Mira. What’s this?” Scorpion asked after a while.
“Hm? Let me see.”
On closer inspection, the heater had a hole meant for putting something in. The label next to it bore the word “Water.”
Mira quickly discerned the meaning and replied, “Showing might be better than telling here,” warned Scorpion to back off, and poured water into it using her Ethereal Arts.
“Aah! It just got hotter!” Scorpion’s tail reflexively stood on end.
“Steam?” Snake coolly analyzed the situation. The heater hissed and began spewing fog. The temperature in the room spiked.
“Yet another means of savoring one’s sauna experience.” Mira explained that, because humidity affected how heat felt, it was important to find the perfect balance. Personally, she loved the humidity.
Indeed, balance was important. But Scorpion was having so much fun messing with the heater that she failed to hear. Struck by inspiration, Scorpion ran out of the room and returned with a bucket full of water. Mira didn’t notice; she laid on the bench and switched into pure comfort mode, muttering, “It warms even the soul…”
The room was filled with steam in no time.
“Whoa, hoooot!”
“You went too far.”
“Whaaaat?!”
With an anguished sound, the heater belched steam and clouded up the room. With the sudden rise in humidity, the sauna felt even hotter than it had before. Scorpion panicked, lost her balance, and fell onto Mira, who was still laying on her back.
“Oops! A-cups… Is that you, Mira?”
“Yes. Can you get off of me?”
While Scorpion squeezed Mira’s breasts, the summoner sat up and cursed Eros for not reversing the situation. When she spotted the bucket lying next to the heater, she quickly understood what had happened.
“You went all out, didn’t you?” Mira asked.
The blinding cloud lasted only a short time, and Scorpion’s naked body was soon in full view again. But the humidity remained high; she was sweating bullets.
“Umm, Snake said she wanted it hotter—” Scorpion began.
“I did not.”
“But it feels nice now, right?” she demanded. She then sat back down as if nothing had happened and quietly muttered, “Sooo hot…”
“Good grief…” Mira chuckled to herself. There was always someone like Scorpion at the saunas she’d been to. When she looked at her friends, her eyes went wide in shock.
The sudden rise in humidity had caused an outpouring of sweat. Not just for Mira, but for Scorpion and Snake too, who now looked more seductive than ever.
Long live saunas!
She may have lost the perfectly balanced temperature…but forget the health benefits! This was what really reminded Mira of just how wonderful saunas were. She hit upon an evil scheme to up the ante.
While it wasn’t healthy to exert oneself in a sauna, there was one thing that was a time-honored tradition.
“I forgot! Did you know that saunas are also used for tests of endurance?” Mira mentioned it as if she’d just happened to remember it.
“Ooh, really? I’m pretty confident in my endurance,” Scorpion bragged.
“This is nothing,” Snake replied with perfect composure.
They’d fallen for it immediately. The plan could not fail—their auras seemed to change out of nowhere; they were in competition mode.
“Do not think you can easily best an experienced sauna-goer such as myself.” Mira smirked and stared at Scorpion and Snake.
Somehow even Mira’s competitive nature was awakened from its slumber. She’d set this up for the eye candy, but she soon found that victory would be sweeter.
***
“C’mon. You’re basically at your limit, right? Go ahead and leave,” Scorpion urged.
“Scorpion, your face is saying, ‘I can’t take anymore,’” Snake disagreed.
“I am just getting started!” Mira boasted.
Fifteen minutes into the test of endurance, the trio acted calm and collected, but they were all far past their limit. None of them dared stand up. It seemed all of them were in it to win it. They looked back and forth between each other, waiting for the others to show a hint of weakness.
They really are just like ninjas. Scorpion has impressive endurance. Perhaps I should aim for Snake. Even she’s starting to buckle under this heat.
Mira eyed them both carefully. Based on how much Scorpion was sweating, she was clearly suffering. But her determined expression was unwavering. Meanwhile, the usually emotionless Snake was clearly struggling to withstand the heat.
Now, this…this is marvelous!
The moment she saw the look on Snake’s face, resolve surged in Mira’s heart once more. Hadn’t this been her goal all along?
Mira began to gaze at Scorpion and Snake in utter silence with a serious look in her eyes. They, understandably, believed Mira’s sudden silence was due to her being close to her limit. Unfortunately, seeing someone else’s limits only made them more vividly aware of their own.
Scorpion and Snake began to realize that they didn’t have much left in them. Mira was driven by lust rather than her tolerance to the heat. She noticed the lack of composure on Scorpion’s face and felt her own limit approaching. At the same time, she glanced at Snake. Faced with her ample bosom, Mira spoke her greatest desire: “I want milk…coffee milk when we get out.” The lewdness of the comment went right over the girls’ heads, but it did cause Scorpion and Snake to waver.
By this point, it had become less of a test of endurance and more of a battle of stubbornness. Just then, they heard the sound of a bell from afar. Seven chimes. Scorpion’s ears perked up as she declared, “Oh, it’s almost dinner time!”
Thirty minutes from now, at 7:30 p.m., they would be treated to an exquisite meal made by a chef from Ebatess Commerce. His repertoire was reportedly vast, and they could order most anything their hearts desired.
“… I think I’ll ask him for coffee milk,” Mira murmured to herself.
Scorpion and Snake agreed. It was then that their hearts, previously steeled by fierce competition, began to melt in the heat.
The three looked at each other. Finally, Scorpion said, “So we’re all hungry, right?”
“Food is best when it’s still hot,” Snake added.
“Indeed. We mustn’t keep everyone waiting.”
This new Isuzu Alliance base had a rule: everyone ate dinner together, as a way of making information sharing easier.
Each made an excuse for exiting the sauna that didn’t involve admitting defeat, and they unanimously decided to call it a draw. Delicious food was waiting for them. And post-bath coffee milk too. The trio excitedly moved toward the exit.
“Hot! Hot! Hot!” Scorpion ran out of the sauna, screaming the same word over and over again.
“So sweaty…”
“Saunas are meant to be enjoyed in moderation…”
Snake and Mira followed along behind the Miao.
The bath chamber was still humid and warm. Scorpion and Snake were comfortable—but it felt chilly compared to the sauna. Mira, however, knew that a sauna experience did not end the moment one left the room.
Urgh! I don’t see it! On closer inspection, this room only had baths full of hot water; it didn’t contain the pool of icy water she sought. Seriously? You went through the effort to build a sauna in your home, and you didn’t bother with the cold plunge?!
Deprived of the finishing touch and left in the heat, Mira looked all around in confusion. She spotted a big shower next to the sauna door.
“There we go!” Ah… So this place uses a shower, rather than a pool. She ran over and twisted the lever. Icy water rained down, soothing her burning body. “Brrrrr…that hits the spot…” Water flowed down her stressed body, washing the sweat away with it. It felt amazing as she shivered beneath it.
“Aww, no fair! I wanna shower, too!”
Hearing Mira’s elated voice, Scorpion quickly jumped into the shower with her. It was close quarters; the shower had been designed for just one person. Yet the Hidden still squeezed in with the small summoner.
“Wait your turn!” Mira pushed back, even as she was nearly shoved out of the shower. Scorpion didn’t give up; she fought for the opportunity to cool her overheated body. It was like two opposing athletes struggling to reach the goal.
“Seems nice.” Snake decided to join in. They’d all endured past their limits in the sauna, adding desperation to the battle for the shower.
“Ah! Snake, don’t push!”
Snake squeezed in from in front of Mira and moaned under the shower water, “Feels nice, too.”
Meanwhile, Scorpion had been totally pushed out. She shoved her way back in, hoping to retake her territory.
“I was here…first…” Mira struggled. As they pushed each other back and forth in the shower, she ended up stuck between Scorpion and Snake. Since the two Hidden were both taller than her, this greatly reduced the amount of water she received—however, she soon realized she was being exposed to another sensation.
“Goodness…”
She was sandwiched front and back, in contact with an alarming amount of skin. Mira’s whole body was covered by Scorpion and Snake. The heat began to rise once more.
Bare skin before her eyes, body heat enveloping her body. The dripping water, the friction. While Mira was violently shaken back and forth by their struggle, she experienced bliss as she ascended to heaven.
“Paradise…”
But once their heads had cooled a little, the three realized something. There were other smaller showers nearby. The first shower outputted the most water, but it was more efficient to use the others rather than keep fighting over the one.
The trio laughed sheepishly at their simultaneous realization. Maybe the heat had addled their brains, or maybe their competitive spirits were still aflame; whatever the case, they’d been fighting for no reason at all.
Soon, they were refreshed and dressing in the changing room.
“Ah, I just realized we left the heater on.” Mira recalled now that they’d run out of the sauna without turning it off.
When she turned around to go back and take care of the heater, Scorpion stopped her. “I’ll take care of it!” She was still buck-naked, as she’d forgotten her change of clothes in her room. The clothes she’d worn were already in the laundry, so she was out of luck. “Just make sure you bring me something to wear, Snake. Okay?”
“Mira, you go to dinner ahead of us,” Snake added.
“Mm, very well. I’ll order three servings of coffee milk.”
On their way out of the changing room, Mira and Snake said goodbye and each went their own ways. Mira went to the cafeteria, while Snake went to Scorpion’s room.
Back in the sauna, as Scorpion twisted the temperature control lever, she realized something.
“Whoa… We were right below maximum power…”
The lever pointed at the halfway point, naturally leading one to assume that it was at half power. But the lever could be turned three whole rotations, and it took her two-and-a-half spins to the left to shut it down. One more half turn to the right, and it would have been on full blast.
“No wonder…” Scorpion wiped away the sweat that was already forming on her brow. She decided to keep this little tidbit to herself.
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