'Calm down… calm down, T.M. Opera O… Although the Three Goddesses have reclaimed the good fortune They bestowed upon you at Arima Kinen, leading to this situation, you must remain strong. You are the Overlord, after all.'
'The worse the situation, the calmer you need to be. Just treat this as an ordinary hot spring trip, just that it's with Ryuji and I, with no one else around, and probably in the same room too, that's all…'
'—THAT'S ALL MY FOOT!'
The more T.M. Opera O thought about it, the more she felt that the Three Goddesses had actually pranked her.
After achieving a 'fusion' with Ryuji at Arima Kinen, her luck had completely plummeted, but not in the conventional way.
For instance, despite them just wanting to draw for the hair dryer, not only did they get the special prize, it coincidentally was a hot spring voucher, for couples at that! And it would even expire if not used today!
Can this truly not be intervention by higher forces?! Three Goddesses! Come out and explain yourselves!
"We sure are lucky today; we even managed to draw the hair dryer too."
Wada said to T.M. Opera O, who was walking next to him, holding a not-so-small box containing the dryer they had wanted.
"Two draws, and our food, entertainment, and shelter for today are taken care of. We even got what we wanted!"
"When I was drawing just now, the staff member's jaw almost dropped. It was quite funny, right, T.M. Opera O?"
"Ah… well, we're quite lucky, I guess..."
T.M. Opera O, however, no longer had the mind for hair dryers.
All she was feeling right now was an impending sense of crisis, the feeling of being chased into a dead end.
Of course, T.M. Opera O's distracted expression did not escape Wada's notice, and his eyes flickered slightly.
Although he understood why T.M. Opera O was so nervous, he still feigned ignorance and asked:
"What's wrong, T.M. Opera O? Is there something wrong?"
"Uhh—n- no, nothing at all! Hahahahaha! Ryuji, how could I, the Overlord, have anything wrong with her?"
T.M. Opera O secretly pulled up her face mask as she laughed so that Wada wouldn't notice her now crimson cheeks.
"I'm just a little tired from the race… so I'm worried I won't be able to soak for long when we go to the hot spring. It would be a waste of such a valuable trip then."
"Ah, we're here."
Just then, Wada and T.M. Opera O had arrived at the designated hot spring resort.
Wada walked up without hesitation and opened the door of the resort, entering the very Japanese-style decorated estate.
"Wow, what a nice place."
T.M. Opera O was slightly surprised by the interior decor. She hadn't expected such a nice hot spring resort in Chiba.
Wada also nodded subconsciously. This place seemed no less impressive than the hot spring resort he had stayed in with Nase and her father when he was in Kyoto.
Of course, he couldn't reveal this to T.M. Opera O, or she might throw a tantrum.
"Welcome. It's quite rare to see guests on Christmas."
An elderly woman wearing a kimono then came forward and said to Wada and T.M. Opera O,
"Are you two planning to stay overnight?"
"Yes, I wonder if this voucher can be used." Wada put down the dryer he was holding and then took out the hot spring voucher.
"Ah, I see. You two are quite lucky to win this voucher. Congratulations."
The woman nodded knowingly as soon as she saw the voucher. Clearly, the lucky draw event was coordinated with all the surrounding businesses.
Immediately, the woman bowed slightly to Wada and T.M. Opera O and said:
"Then, please come in, both of you. This voucher allows you to experience all the facilities of our estate for free."
"Although we are just a local establishment and perhaps don't have facilities as good as the ones in big cities, we definitely won't disappoint you."
"That's reassuring."
T.M. Opera O seemed to relax a bit upon hearing this.
After all, since she was already here, she should enjoy herself.
Although she wanted to go to bed more, relaxing in a hot spring didn't sound bad either.
"Then, Ryuji, I'll go to the women's bath first. Oh, by the way, where is the women's bath? I don't see any curtains here."
"—There is no women's bath."
However, as T.M. Opera O spoke, the woman smiled slightly and uttered words that made both T.M. Opera O and Wada tremble.
"H- huh? No, no women's bath? What does that mean?"
T.M. Opera O's expression instantly stiffened. She seemed to think her ears had deceived her as she asked,
"Madam, please don't joke with us."
"Oh my, esteemed Uma Musume guest, I'm not joking. Our hot spring resort in Chiba does not have women's baths."
The woman's expression began to turn serious, and her stern demeanor made T.M. Opera O feel strange. Fortunately, the woman explained to T.M. Opera O:
"We are not a public hot spring resort, but a hot spring specifically for families and couples."
"Each room has its own private hot spring facility, which makes it convenient for everyone to do whatever they want in their room without being disturbed."
"Oh, and to add on, although we don't have natural hot spring structures here, please rest assured that all the hot spring water we provide comes from natural hot springs flowing down the mountain."
"Please be assured of this; our estate aims to give the absolutely best service to our guests."
"…"
The woman's words made both T.M. Opera O and Wada fall silent for a while.
Finally, Wada's cheek twitched slightly, and he smiled at the woman, saying:
"That's truly… thoughtful."
"Then please guide us to our room. Oh, and also, could you bring us dinner a little later?"
"No problem at all."
The woman nodded, understanding perfectly (A/N: Or so she thought), with a subtle smile as she looked at the man and woman in front of her.
'A Uma Musume and a young man, huh?'
Her cunning smile deepened even more, and she bowed slightly before leaving.
"Please don't hesitate to ask if you need anything, just call me anytime. Dinner will take some time to prepare, so please wait patiently."
"Ah, your room is 107, at the end of the corridor. There shouldn't be any other guests today, so please feel free to do whatever you like~"
Leaving behind a slightly hidden remark, the woman quickly walked away as if afraid that she would incur the wrath of a Uma Musume, leaving T.M. Opera O and Wada alone to exchange glances, unsure of what to do.
As this was happening, Wada naturally noticed that though T.M. Opera O was trying to act calm, her tail was shaking non-stop, and her ears were drooped, showing her embarrassment.
Thus, though he was feeling embarrassed too, he quickly tried to break the tension.
"Um… T.M. Opera O, it's okay. I've heard of these family hot spring resorts before. It's a unique Chiba culture. Maybe other places don't have it, but it's actually very normal here."
Everything Wada said was, of course, a fabrication.
Although there were indeed such resorts in Chiba, such family resorts were not rare at all.
"It's okay, T.M. Opera O. You can go bathe first. You just finished the Arima Kinen, so you must be feeling very sore, right? This is the perfect time to relax. Go and enjoy yourself."
"…"
However, it would have been better if Wada didn't say anything.
Because as soon as he brought up the word 'bathe,' T.M. Opera O's tail wagged even more vigorously, even looking similar to an electric fan, making it obvious the turmoil in her heart.
'R- right now— just what am I supposed to do right now?!' X 2
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Brain's empty today, don't know what to say here.
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If you spot any errors, feel free to comment about it and I will fix it as soon as I can.