Chapter 94
Ch 94 -- My Heart's Desire, Taking A Bath
Fer swiftly brought me out of the city and into a deserted part of the forest . He erected a Barrier around a large area to ensure my safety and then headed off to hunt . Me, I was in a hurry to have a bath .
First off I cast "Stone Wall" repeatedly inside Fer's Barrier, creating a roofless square-sided room with four walls . I wanted to be able to look at the sky while enjoying my bath and if it rained? So what, I was going to get wet anyway . I pulled my new bath (MY bath!) out of my Item Box and positioned it in the middle of my magical bathhouse .
"Sui, are you awake?" I enquired telepathically and Sui popped out of her bag .
"Fuh~ . . . whaaaat zit, Aruuuji . . . " Sui-chan was still sleepy . She was finding her new bag very comfortable, it seemed .
"Sui, can you use your Water magic to fill this for me?" I indicated the bath .
"Ok . . . " Sui's tentacle stretched out and pure water flowed from the tip into the bath, filling it quickly .
"Sui, that's enough . " The flow of water from Sui's tentacle stopped when the bath was about 80% full .
Now for my Fire magic . . . . "Fireball!" I made a small fireball and plopped it into the bath water . The fireball disappeared in a sudden explosion of steam and boiling water . Oops, maybe it was a bit too much . . . I needed to stir the water but I had forgotten to get a paddle, I didn't want to scald my hand after all . I needed other things for my bath anyway so I opened up Net Super and started ordering various necessities .
"Lessee, a paddle for stirring the bath, yes and body wash . " I personally prefer a liquid body wash soap to regular soap . I added a bottle of rinse-in shampoo as it's less bother to use and it was just for me . Towels, I bought some face towels and bath towels too . Is that all? Oh, bath salts, something that would smell good and invigorate my skin . I put everything into the shopping cart and fed the Net Super some coins to settle the bill . A cardboard box with my order popped into view .
I stirred the bath water with the plastic paddle, waiting for it to cool down a bit and then I realised it was being kept at that temperature by the crushed mana stones embedded in the pottery . It was a magical bath, after all, the water wouldn't cool down naturally . Duh . "How stupid of me . . . " I muttered to myself . "Sui, can you add some cold water to the bath?" Sui-chan obliged, squirting cold water from a tentacle . I gingerly put my hand in to the water to test it, thinking I should get a bath thermometer next time I ordered anything from the Net Super, but it was just right now . Excellent .
I stripped off my clothes and began preparations to bathe by thoroughly washing my hair . I'd only been able to wash my hair with plain water since I got here and it wasn't in the best of condition .
"Geh, the shampoo isn't lathering up at all, my hair is super-greasy after so long . . . " I added more shampoo after a first rinse and finally got bubbles to appear . Thinking about the condition of my hair I washed my body down twice with the liquid soap from the Net Super . I put some hot water from the bath in a large pot and washed each foot carefully . I didn't want my new bath (MY bath!) to get dirty footprints in it after all . "Okay, my feet are clean!"
Finally I sprinkled bath salts into the bath and stirred them until they dissolved in the hot water . They were a favourite choice of mine with a citrus-y smell . I paused, savouring the moment, before I got into the bath .
"Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo"
After such a long time without having a bath, I couldn't stop moaning as I finally got to soak myself properly again . I patted the rim of the bath (MY bath!) contentedly .
"Ohhhh yes, having a bath feels grrreat . . . "
"Aruji-, does being in the water make you feel good?" Sui asked me curiously . "Oh yes, the water's nice and hot, so it feels good . " I thought for a moment . "Do you want to come in too, Sui?"
"Uh-huh-" Splash, and Sui was floating in the bath beside me .
"Oh, you're right . This warm water feels good . The smell is good too~" Sui seemed to like being in the bath .
Myself, I stretched out, feeling the knots and tensions in my body dissolve in the hot water . The smell of citrus wafting from the bath water added a relaxing effect to the overdue experience . Life is good, I decided, bathing is best . I looked up at the open sky above me . It is a wonderful thing to take a bath while looking up at a blue sky . Paradise, paradise .
Japanese people can not live without a bath . This is simply a fact . I thoroughly enjoyed my bath with Sui .
I took a long indulgent bath . The water stayed hot because of the magical properties of the crushed mana stones in the pottery and I didn't have to add more hot water half-way through . The bath had been expensive but boy was it worth it, I decided . After climbing out of the bath and drying myself and changing my clothes, it was time to clean up . First of all I erased the Stone Walls of my temporary bath-house using my Earth magic .
"Sui, can you get rid of this water and all the foam bubbles?" I asked . I didn't want to just tip the water out on the ground, it would become muddy .
"I understand~" Sui burbled and turned into her Giant Slime form before splitting up into a host of Little Suis who sucked up the bath water and froth, cleaning everything up nicely .
"I want to drink something cold after a bath . " I decided so I bought some milk coffee from the Net Super . Sui-chan had been in the bath with me so I bought her some fruit-flavoured milk .
"Sui, this is delicious when you drink it after having a bath . " I explained as I put the fruit milk in a dish for her .
"Wow, it's true . It's cold, sweet and delicious-" she said, sucking up the fruit milk with a tentacle .
Yeah, for me drinking cold sweet milk coffee just after a bath hits the spot .