The Termal Region was famed as the resting place of Grace, one of the Great Five Heroes, who was also known as the Light of Life. That alone made it a worthy tourist destination.

But that wasn’t all. The region was also famous for its natural hot springs, which bubbled up all across the land. It was a place rich in history, where one could relax and heal in warm mineral waters. That was why the Termal Region had become one of the top travel destinations across the three nations.

Among the many inns scattered throughout the area, one hot spring inn was renowned for being capable of accommodating the largest number of guests. It didn’t have the prettiest structure, being large and functional rather than elegant, but the annex, built farther away, was a different story altogether.

While the rooms in the main building were packed together as though it were a chicken coop, the annex was surrounded by trees and carefully arranged gardens, which created a tranquil atmosphere that resembled the middle of a forest.

Yurina let out a small gasp as she entered her room, her head swiveling around. “Wow!”

Outside the window were a beautiful garden and a pond, and inside was the faint scent of sulfur mingled with the crisp, clean air. Even for someone like her, who had grown up in a noble household and stayed at countless luxurious lodgings, this place was enough to make her eyes shine in awe.

As soon as she entered the room, she tossed her luggage and the pendant that maintained her disguise onto the bed. Her body shimmered, and she returned to her female form. She cheerfully looked around the room. The view outside and the spotless interior were wonderful, but what made her heart race was something else.

She turned around and said, “Hehe. I guess fighting that beast legion was worth it after all, right, Dale?”

***

Yurina hummed a happy tune as she asked me her impression of the room.

I looked around calmly and gave her a slightly awkward smile. “Yeah. It’s clean. I like it.”

We had lived under the same roof once before, but at least we had our own rooms. This time, however, things were different. While this was supposed to be a deluxe suite, it didn’t feel that spacious to me. But that was only natural; we couldn’t expect separate bedrooms in a twin room meant for two people. At least the beds were separate, which was something comforting.

It seemed Yurina had noticed my less-than-thrilled expression. Looking sheepish, she fidgeted and glanced at me. “Sorry. I dragged you here without even asking first. You must’ve been surprised, right?”

The sight reminded me of Laneige, and I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Nah, it’s fine. I should be thanking you for inviting me. If it weren’t for you, I’d probably be stuck sharing a room with Albert or worse, Berald.”

Albert, I could tolerate. But Berald? Not in a million years. The number of sleepless nights I had in my past life because of that guy’s snoring was too high to count. No joke, many times, nearby monsters had fled our campsite because of the sheer volume of his snoring.

Yurina looked at me. “Oh? You’d rather not share a room with another guy?”

“Huh? No, that’s not what I...”

Her cheeks turned pink as she giggled mischievously. “Dale, you perv.”

She spun lightly on her heels and came closer, taking my hand in hers. Her silver hair brushed my arm, releasing a faint, floral scent.

“Isn’t it nice, though? You get to share a room with me, and I’m still a woman on the inside.”

Where the hell did she learn to act like this? Her fingers gently stroked mine, and my heartbeat went haywire like a broken engine.

She continued, “Maybe I should tell the innkeeper.”

“Tell them what?”

“That we need only one bed.”

This was bad. My sanity was hanging by a thread.

She looked at me. “Dale...”

Our eyes met, and her face inched closer, close enough for me to feel her breath on my skin. Then, we heard a ring.

Ding!

A clear chime rang from our Hero Watches.

[All cadets who’ve dropped off their luggage, gather in the dining hall.]

We scrambled apart instantly.

“Ah, r-right! Dinner! We should eat first!” she said.

“Ahem. Y-yeah, and you, put that pendant back on!” I replied.

Yurina slipped the pendant around her neck and transformed into Yuren. “L-let’s go, Dale.”

We headed toward the dining area, but a familiar voice called out to us.

“Ah, there you are.”

“Professor Baldwin?” I muttered.

“Those in the deluxe suites will dine in the annex’s restaurant, not the main building,” she explained.

I nodded, stepping closer. “Ah, understood. But what brings you here, Professor?”

“I couldn’t just leave our award-winning cadets unattended, could I?”

“Ah, I see.”

She was acting as our supervising professor.

The professor added with a subtle smile, “My room’s in this annex too.”

With a graceful tug on my tie, she leaned close, her voice sultry and teasing. “You’re welcome to drop by anytime, Dale.”

Yurina interrupted her sharply, glaring daggers at her. “Professor, I thought guests were allowed to invite only people of the same gender into their rooms?”

Professor Baldwin met her fierce gaze with a calm shrug. “Professors have their own privileges, you know.”

“Heh. That’s one piece of information I really didn’t need to hear,” Yurina replied.

“Funny, coming from you, Yuren. You seem to be enjoying your own special privileges too.”

“That’s... due to unavoidable circumstances!”

“How convenient those circumstances are,” replied the professor.

The air between the two of them grew noticeably colder as they stared each other down. At that moment, another voice appeared in the hallway.

“Ah, there you all are.”

Iris and Camilla approached us, easing the tension a little. We waited together for the rest of the deluxe-suite group to arrive when we heard two more familiar voices.

“The deluxe suite cadets eat separately, huh?”

“Y-yeah, that’s what I heard.”

Senior Sophia came walking down the corridor, and behind her was Laneige, looking small and nervous.

The moment she spotted me, Laneige ran like an excited puppy and stood by my side. “Ah, D-Dale! How’s your room?”

“I-it’s nice. The view’s beautiful, and, um...”

Laneige stole a glance at Senior Sophia. Judging by the flicker of unease in her eyes, she still hadn’t grown close to her roommate. In fact, Senior Sophia seemed to scare her a little.

Senior Sophia caught that hesitant look, scoffed, and turned her head away with her arms crossed. “Hmph, if I bother you that much, you can always find another room.”

Laneige waved her hands in panic. “N-no! It’s not that. I’m not uncomfortable or anything!”

Edging closer, she tugged at Senior Sophia’s collar and said in a small, trembling voice, “I-I know. That you used your invitation ticket... to bring me here.”

With Laneige’s timid nature, being stuck in a six-person dorm with near-strangers would’ve been torture. That was why Senior Sophia had used her special invitation to bring Laneige into her private room.

Laneige continued, “E-even if you act scary sometimes, I know you’ve always been kind to me.”

Senior Sophia turned away sharply, saying in a cold tone, “Who says I’ve ever done anything for you?”

However, guilt was written all over her face. Before I had rescued Laneige, she had known about the bullying, and she looked away. She had told herself it wasn’t her business, closing her eyes and ears to it all.

Laneige replied, “That’s not true. Back when we first enrolled, I tripped and fell, and you helped me up. You even gave me your handkerchief when I dirtied my uniform.”

“That? That was ages ago. I don’t even remember.”

Laneige tugged on Senior Sophia’s collar again, her voice soft but firm. “E-even if you don’t remember, I do. I just... I’m not used to calling us friends yet, that’s all.”

Senior Sophia snorted and twisted a strand of hair around her finger, pretending not to care. “Anyway, where’s that loudmouth Berald gone off to?”

As if she had spoken of the devil, Berald came striding up, waving energetically. “Did someone call for me? Wahaha! As expected of the deluxe suites, the rooms are incredible!”

Beside him walked a soft-spoken blond young man with delicate features. “Berald! Wait for me!”

It was someone I recognized. “Jules?”

“Ahaha, hey there, Dale.”

“You’re rooming with Berald?”

“Y-yeah. I didn’t even do much during the war. It feels kind of unfair, honestly.”

Berald roared with laughter and clapped Jules on the shoulder. “Heh! Don’t say that! I owe you one from summer break, remember?”

“That should be everyone, right?”

“Yes. That’s all of them.”

“Huh? But what about Albert and Senior Aaron?” I asked.

“Aaron didn’t join the trip due to personal reasons. As for Albert, he declined the deluxe suite and chose to stay in a six-person room with the others.”

“Ah!”

Albert, that brat. Guess he finally got tired of dealing with the other cadets and gave up..

“Alright then, let’s head straight to the hot springs.”

“Huh? Not the dining hall first?”

“They said the annex dining schedule’s different from the main building. We’ll eat later.”

“Got it.”

Following Professor Baldwin’s lead, we made our way toward the hot springs. The path split into two, one way to the men’s bath, the other to the women’s. Heading toward the men’s section were Berald, Jules, Yurina, and me.

“Then I’ll see you all at the entrance in an hour,” Yurina said to the women.

“Okay.”

But a hand caught her by the back of the neck. It was Iris. “Hold it right there. And where do you think you’re going?”

Yurina looked as if she had been caught unawares. “I, uh...”

Iris smiled sweetly. “Oh my, what a coincidence! Seems everyone here already knows Yuren’s, or should I say, Yurina’s little secret.”

Yurina clicked her tongue in defeat and turned toward the women’s side. Thus, the women, including Yurina, entered the bath together. Since it was a private facility attached to the deluxe suites, there wasn’t a single other guest inside.

***

Inside the women’s changing room, everyone started undressing. At that moment, five pairs of eyes naturally gravitated toward one person.

Iris frowned slightly, crossing her arms over her chest. “Why is everyone staring at me like that?”

But the motion only pressed her abundant curves together, emphasizing them even more.

“No matter how many times I see it, they are a sight to behold,” Elisha said.

“You’re one to talk, Professor Baldwin,” Iris replied.

Elisha shrugged gracefully as she removed her robe. “Heh! I could never compare to you, Iris.”

Yurina followed suit, setting aside her clothes.

Elisha teasingly said, “Oh my! I haven’t seen you in your true form for a while. Impressive, Yurina.”

“Ah, d-don’t touch me!”

Their laughter and playful banter filled the room with the cheerful noise of the “gifted” ones. Meanwhile, in a shadowed corner of the changing area, two others struggled in silence.

“Ghh!”

“Urgh!”

Camilla and Sophia clutched their towels tightly, glaring at the “gifted” ones with the desperate fury of revolutionaries rising against the upper class.

At that moment, Laneige said, “Hehe. I can’t believe we’re really in a hot spring together. It feels like a dream.”

Sophia looked at her. “Laneige. Come here.”

“H-huh? Why?”

“Because that area belongs to the ‘gifted.’ We belong over here.”

Sophia tugged her over. Laneige tilted her head and started undressing, and a sound that should never have existed echoed in the ears of the “ungifted.”

Shocked, Sophia muttered, “L-Laneige. What? What is that?”

“H-huh? W-what do you mean? Is something wrong with me?” Laneige concernedly asked.

“N-no.”

They had never noticed it since her loose robes and slouched posture had hidden it well. But beneath those layers, Laneige had been concealing ample proof of abundance, enough to crush the spirits of the “ungifted.” She was not quite on Iris’s level, perhaps, but easily she rivaled Yurina, maybe even surpassed Professor Baldwin, in that department.

Sophia’s eyes burned with betrayal. “Y-you traitor! You said we were friends! Friends!”

At that moment, a cold wind blew through the steamy bathhouse. The tears of the “ungifted” fell quietly to the floor, like the first drops of rain before a storm.