Chapter 24: Bathhouse Revelations and a Fashion Faux Pas

This peculiar atmosphere… Could it be that she harbors feelings for Brook?

I had actually harbored this suspicion from the very beginning, given the delicate composition of our team; it would be utterly unbelievable if two men and two women didn’t ignite some sparks. However, in the initial stages, we were still unfamiliar with each other, and I, being rather oblivious to such matters, simply couldn’t discern anything.

Later, upon learning that Sally was only a temporary addition to the team, half of the answer became strikingly evident, though I had never truly focused on the other half.

It wasn’t until Tiffany unexpectedly revealed her thoughts to me just now that I finally began to perceive a hint of the truth. Yet, come to think of it, I had never once seen Brook show any interest in Tiffany. Could this merely be a case of unrequited affection? Still, I couldn’t be certain, as it was only speculation, and I might very well be mistaken.

“Honestly, I think Amos is actually better than Brook.” Sally interjected into the discussion, revealing that even as a temporary member, she held her own opinions.

“But I still believe Brook is better,” Tiffany defended her crush. “Amos feels far too steady.”

‘So that’s it, Tiffany; you prefer lively and uninhibited boys, do you…’

This bath session truly unearthed some incredible revelations. Is this really how girls discuss boys among themselves?

“An… gelina… what… are you… doing… here!”

Suddenly, faint whispers seemed to drift from behind the wall at my back.

‘Strange, was someone outside?’

‘Could it be a peeping tom? A chill snaked through me. Was I truly encountering such a situation on my very first visit to a women’s bathhouse?’

Glancing back at the bathhouse wall behind me, I noticed it was built quite high, which should have ensured its security. Moreover, the sounds seemed to have ceased.

Observing Tiffany and Sally, I saw that neither of them had reacted in the slightest.

‘Alright, it seemed I had misheard, and my tension immediately eased.’

After soaking for a while longer, just as I began to feel a little lightheaded and wondered if it was time to leave…

“Flora, have you and Lady Angelina made up?”

Sally abruptly asked me this out of the blue.

“Made up about what?” I pondered for a good while before realizing she was referring to the events of that night.

“Oh, of course, we made up ages ago.”

“…Ah, no, we didn’t even argue in the first place.”

It suddenly dawned on me that Angelina and I had actually conspired to put on an act that night, pretending everything was fine. I quickly tried to salvage the situation, but it was too late. The looks Tiffany and she gave me began to turn peculiar, their expressions unmistakably tinged with a hint of suggestive amusement.

‘What was happening? Feeling a sudden surge of guilt, I instinctively submerged half my face in the water, peering at them with just one eye.’

“As expected, a lovers’ quarrel always ends in reconciliation under the covers…” Tiffany remarked to Sally with a sudden sigh of admiration.

“Hey! Wha—!”

In my shock, my mouth flew open, and bathwater instantly rushed in.

“Thump!” Simultaneously, a soft thud, as if something heavy had fallen, echoed from beyond the wall behind me.

“Cough, cough, cough… What did you just say?”

However, I had no mind to pay attention to anything else at that moment; Tiffany’s words had truly startled me beyond measure.

“Don’t pretend; we all saw it.”

Sally wore an expression of disdain, while Tiffany, equally cooperative, scooted closer to her, nodding incessantly in agreement.

“Saw what?”

The words had barely left my lips when I sensed something amiss, immediately recalling the incident where Sally had stumbled upon Angelina and me arguing that night. Could it be…

“You and Angelina slept together that night, didn’t you? The door wasn’t even properly closed. If I hadn’t kindly pointed it out, you probably wouldn’t have even known!”

Indeed! Sally immediately fixed her gaze on me, her eyes glinting with a mischievous smile, and reminded me.

‘In other words, I must have been misunderstood! They had seen Angelina and me in the same room late at night, and were thus absolutely convinced that, either before or after, we had spent the entire night… together?!’

‘Wait a minute, the crucial point is that it wasn’t like that at all!’

‘Alright, while it was undeniable that Angelina had indeed harbored such intentions when she snuck in, and even I, deceived by her, had almost succumbed, thankfully the final outcome wasn’t what she had envisioned!’

“It’s just a shame we didn’t witness it firsthand. But if it were under the moonlight, with feathers fluttering, and two bodies entangled in a dance of love and hatred… such a scene would be utterly unimaginable for ordinary people like us!”

Sally’s reaction was one thing, but Tiffany’s was utterly outrageous. This matter clearly had nothing to do with her, yet she too joined in the commotion, her face a picture of blissful absorption. What exactly was she trying to achieve?

“This is a complete misunderstanding! There’s nothing going on between her and me; you’ve got it all wrong!”

‘I absolutely had to stop their public execution of me. I had known Angelina forgot to close the door, but I never imagined it would lead to such a misunderstanding in this place. In my desperation, I almost couldn’t resist rushing over to cover both women’s mouths.’

“No need to explain!”

Tiffany even leaned closer, whispering comfort into my ear. “After all, you angels are all women; such situations are perfectly normal. We understand.”

‘Understand my foot!’

‘Truly, one misstep leads to eternal regret, and by the time I looked back, I was already branded a yuri.’

Shamefaced, I turned my back, unable to look at them any longer.

“I truly envy the intimate relationship you share with Lady Angelina,” Sally’s envious voice reached my ears from behind.

“What’s there to envy? Do you have *that kind* of affection for Angelina?” I glanced back at her, having assumed her feelings for Angelina were purely reverential. I hadn’t expected them to change so quickly.

“That’s not affection at all!”

It was rare to see Sally blush with embarrassment, but the moment that unscrupulous angel was mentioned, she immediately launched into sycophantic praise. “Lady Angelina is an angel, not only stunningly beautiful but also incredibly powerful, and she can even forge divine artifacts. She’s perfect in every conceivable way, so naturally, she deserves respect… It’s just a pity I’m not an angel. She’s only ever truly kind to you, and this time, she even specifically requested to share a room with you.”

‘Alright, I finally understood! Simply put, she still harbored feelings for Angelina, but wasn’t that a rather rapid development?’

‘Honestly, if I could, I would have gladly swapped rooms with Sally. However, the thought of then having to share a bed with Tiffany immediately made me abandon the idea.’

‘It was better not to lead another girl astray. Besides, it wouldn’t look good for Brook, with his naturally red hair, to wear a green hat.’

‘Moreover, after the mix-up with Angelina, I was on the verge of developing a phobia for such situations, terrified of waking up one morning to discover that the person beside me was yet another male classmate who had transmigrated. I felt like I was going to explode!’

****

Emerging from the bathhouse, I stumbled back to my room, dizzy and wrapped in a towel, only to find Angelina absent.

Where could she have gone so late? The sky had already turned completely dark.

Sitting alone on a chair, I vigorously rubbed my wet hair with the towel. No wonder Angelina had seemed so bothered by hers earlier; long hair was truly difficult to manage, still dripping water after what felt like an eternity.

The room door creaked open, followed by the sound of Angelina’s approaching footsteps.

“Do you know what? Because you didn’t close the door that night, Sally went around spreading rumors everywhere, and now I’m utterly humiliated!” I immediately complained the moment she entered, astonished by how many things had transpired during a simple bath.

“Huh?” Angelina’s voice clearly faltered for a moment, but quickly returned to its usual nonchalance. “Oh, really? It doesn’t matter!”

“Hey, it’s all your fault for not closing the door…”

To my surprise, she seemed utterly unconcerned. I turned my head, intending to give her a proper lecture, only to see her holding two bags, one of which she handed to me.

“What’s this?”

I peeked inside the bag; to my astonishment, it was an outfit.

“I went out and bought them just now. After all, I can’t always wear this armor, can I? I brought you a set too.”

As she spoke, she tossed her own set onto the bed and began to undress.

“Be… be a little mindful,” I stammered, my face flushing as I saw her about to change immediately, and turned my back.

“Mindful of what? Aren’t we all the same?” Her teasing voice came from behind. Upon reflection, she wasn’t wrong; whether as women now or as men before, it seemed plausible. Yet, I still found it impossible to adapt.

“Where did you get the money… uh, for women’s clothes?” I pulled out the outfit and looked at it; it was another dress! While not a full-length one this time, why did it have to be such a cute style?

“This is too much! You clearly know my—!” I spun around in anger, only to find that she had already changed.

She, too, was wearing a set of women’s clothes; it turned out she hadn’t just bought them for me. Hers, however, appeared more mature: a white, ruffled-sleeve dress, paired with matching knee-high socks, giving her an aura of both purity and sensuality.

“Why are you so practiced at this?”

Though I was reluctant to admit I was captivated by her, I couldn’t help but blurt out the question.

“So, you think if you walk out dressed like that in men’s clothes, people won’t recognize you?” Angelina scoffed, her eyes fixed on my face with a mocking gaze.

“I…” Struck by the painful truth, I turned my face away, speechless.

I had already looked in the mirror and was well aware of the devastating impact of my current appearance, yet I still refused to concede defeat.

“But you didn’t have to buy this color or style! Why not buy pants, for example?”

“The only women’s clothes available here are skirts, and I didn’t know what style you’d prefer,” Angelina said, placing the discarded dirty clothes on the table as she urged me. “I borrowed the money from Amos and the others. You have no other choice but to wear it. Hurry and change; the dirty clothes need to be washed clean before they’re returned.”

Curiously, I glanced at the tight-fitting armor she had taken off, picking it up to find it remarkably light, almost imperceptible to the touch.

What a miraculous material. Just as I was about to put it back, I suddenly noticed a red leaf stuck in a crevice.

The leaf looked very familiar; trees with these same red leaves, a striking fiery crimson, grew just outside the bathhouse wall, occasionally drifting into the pool, which had left a strong impression on me.

“What’s with this leaf?”

Holding the leaf, I couldn’t help but inquire. Had this person been peeping earlier? Although the noise I heard in the bathhouse had been very subtle, and I hadn’t paid much attention at the time, recalling it now, it certainly seemed highly suspicious!

“That’s…” Angelina, who had been tidying the bed, glanced at the leaf in my hand, her movements pausing for two full seconds before she answered with an air of nonchalance. “There’s a large tree full of these red leaves right next to the clothing shop. I was standing under it, choosing clothes for ages, so I suppose one must have gotten caught in my outfit when it fell.”

Having said that, she opened the room door and walked out, leaving me with a parting remark. “Aren’t you shy? I’ll wait outside until you’ve changed before coming back in.”

‘Had I been mistaken? Gazing at the once again tightly closed room door, I couldn’t help but fall into a state of bewilderment.’

‘I looked at the leaf in my hand again, then at the door once more…’

‘Alright, perhaps I really had misunderstood. Besides, if Angelina truly wanted to peep, why would she bother going outside the wall? She could simply enter the bathhouse openly, as she was now free to come and go from the women’s bathhouse as she pleased.’

Standing up, I observed the neatly made, pristine bed, and the corner of my mouth twitched involuntarily. To keep a hotel bed so spotless… Did Angelina actually have such a severe case of mysophobia?

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