24 Magical Girl Makes a Bath

Author: Kumanano
Raw: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n7313mj/24/
Translator: Lilia v4
Editor: Yuriko AYA

I stare at the magic stones.

“Magic stones can put out water, and heat water, right. Then the kitchen water and the shower hot water use these magic stones?”
“Yes, they use magic stones.”

Someday the mana will run out, and water won’t come out, and you won’t be able to use the shower either.
But she said reusing magic stones a moment ago.

“The reusing magic stones you mentioned a moment ago, how do you do it? Do you ask someone? Or do you put mana in yourself?”
“Um, magic stones absorb mana in the air. So when they aren’t being used, the mana is replenished. Of course, someone who has mana can also put mana into a magic stone.”

That’s like electricity being charged on a solar panel?
Being able to replenish, that’s what it meant.

“But as I said a moment ago, it isn’t permanent. If you keep using them, cracks enter the magic stone and it breaks.”

Chargeable batteries also become unusable someday.
But being able to use them over and over is nice.

“With one of these magic stones, how much water comes out?”
“It depends on the magic stone, but I think several bucketfuls come out.”

In other words, if you have multiple magic stones, you can make bathwater.

“Sarche, give me a lot of water magic stones and fire magic stones.”
“I don’t mind, but what will you use them for?”
“A bath!”

As a Japanese person, a bath is important.
There’s a shower here, but there was no bath.

“You want a bath?”
“Are there baths in this world too?”
“There are, but only in rich people’s houses and large public baths, I suppose.”

There seem to be things like sento.
Before Mom died, I went with her once.
There are super sento too.

“Ordinary homes don’t have them?”
“Some homes do, but showers are more common, I suppose?”

To make a bath, I receive water magic stones and fire magic stones.
It’s late today, so I’ll make it tomorrow.

“Come to think of it, there was something I was curious about.”

Sarche asks.

“Do you have a change of clothes? If there’s anything you need, I was thinking we’d go buy it in town.”

I had them in the Extra-dimensional Box so I could change right away.
And when I ran from the Cat God, I put the house’s things in the Extra-dimensional Box, so I even have the dresser and all.

“I have some, for what it’s worth.”
“But when we met, you were empty-handed, weren’t you.”
“Magic? My change of clothes is in the Extra-dimensional Box.”
“You can use an Extra-dimensional Box too?”
“Can you use one too, Sarche?”
“Well, I can. But you can’t use it unless you have a lot of mana.”

The Cat God said the size is decided by mana capacity, or something.
I wonder if this world’s Extra-dimensional Box is the same mechanism.

“Right. I had futons and such too, but if I sleep with Kumayuru and Kumakyuu it’s small, so I want a somewhat large futon.”
“Then next time let’s go buy one in town. And clothes together with it. You should have a few outfits of this world’s clothes.”

Clothes and futons aren’t urgent, so we decide to buy them in town once things have settled.
Town, huh. I’m a little looking forward to it.

The next day, I make a hut that will be a bath next to the house.
I go in from the hut’s entrance, and first make a changing room.
Then, with one door in between, I make the bathroom.
It’s for one person, but large enough that cub-form Kumayuru and Kumakyuu can get in with me.
I really wanted to make a large bath, but water and fire magic stones are finite.
And I make not only a tub, but a shower too.
For the temperature settings, I rely on Sarche’s knowledge.

“This should be all right. If it’s too hot or too lukewarm, tell me and I’ll adjust it.”

The amount of water and the temperature are adjusted by the number of magic stones.
If you press the switch once, water comes out of the water magic stones, and the fire magic stones heat the water.
The water adjustment is adjusted by the number of magic stones.
If the magic stones’ mana runs out, the water stops.
The fire magic stones are the same. If the mana runs out, they can’t heat the water.
You can’t do automatic temperature adjustment, so this becomes the basic water amount and temperature. I also install extra magic stones, so you can add water to make it lukewarm, or boil it hotter.
With this, the bath is complete.
Around Sarche’s house, an archive hut, a storeroom hut, and now a hut with a bath have been made.

“Thank you.”
“But a bath, huh. Maybe I’ll have you let me use it too.”
“That’s fine.”

Originally they’re Sarche’s magic stones.
I won’t refuse.

And that night, I get in the bath.
I take Kumayuru and Kumakyuu and move to the hut I made next to the house.
I take off my clothes in the changing room and move to the bath.
I take away the day’s tiredness and get in the bath.
It’s a little lukewarm, so I press the button that raises the temperature and raise the tub’s temperature.

“It really is another world.”

Dad and Mom said they wanted me to be happy in this world.
The warmth of being hugged with kind hands.
I can’t see them anymore, can I.
If Kumayuru and Kumakyuu hadn’t been with me, I don’t think I could have borne it.
Those Kumayuru and Kumakyuu have their heads out at my feet, looking comfortable.
This time I’ll definitely protect Kumayuru and Kumakyuu.

“Kuuun.”

Kumayuru and Kumakyuu look at me with worried faces.
I hug Kumayuru and Kumakyuu.

“Thank you for being with me.”
“Kuuun.”
“No matter what happens, I’ll definitely protect you.”
“Kuuun.”
“Let’s be happy, the three of us.”
“Kuuun.”

I will never let my family be killed again.
I don’t want to see Kumayuru and Kumakyuu die.
I can use magic in this world too.
I’ll get stronger, and protect Kumayuru and Kumakyuu.
I’ll become happy in this world.
While hugging Kumayuru and Kumakyuu, I swore it.

The next morning, while we’re eating breakfast, there’s a clack, and something like a white bird suddenly appears in front of Sarche.
I look the way the bird appeared, and next to the window there’s something like a small square door.
I’ve seen something like it somewhere.
I remember right away.
It’s a small door like the ones on TV for dogs and cats to come and go from a room.
That’s on the upper part of the wall.
It’s swaying a little, as if to show that this white bird came in.
The white bird is perched on the table.
But something feels off.
The bird’s shape is strange.
When I look closely, the bird looks paper-like.

“Sarche, that white bird is…”
“A messenger bird. You don’t have them in your world?”

I shake my head.
Sarche holds her hand over the bird, and the white bird collapses.
Then the collapsed bird becomes a single sheet of paper.

“The bird became paper.”
“To be precise, the paper took the shape of a bird, and only went back to paper in its original form.”
“There’s writing…”

Something like writing is written on the paper.

“It’s a letter.”
“Do people of this world send letters this way?”
“Only some people.”
“Only some people?”
“You can’t use it unless you have a fair amount of mana.”

While saying that, Sarche reads the letter.
Gradually her face grows severe.

“Yuna, I’m going to work for a while, but you can do as you like. But there are monsters deep in the forest, so you must not go.”
“There are monsters?”
“Around this house is all right. But there are monsters deeper in.”

When you’re told not to go, you want to go. That’s how people are.
Kids especially are like that.
But on the surface I answer “All right,” and look at the paper Sarche is holding.

“Are you that curious?”

She asks, as I’m looking at the letter Sarche is holding.

“Yeah, paper becoming a bird and flying is strange, so.”
“In your world, how do you send letters to people far away?”
“Ordinarily, there are people who carry letters.”

A mail carrier carries them.
And as a way to contact people there are phones and such too, but explaining is hard, so I leave it at the explanation of letters.

“I see. I don’t have time now, so I’ll tell you when I get back.”

Sarche finishes breakfast, gets ready, and leaves.