Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 15
While Same—also known as Shizuma—was caught up in a bit of trouble in Lindblum, his former classmates who had returned to the kingdom were making an important decision.
Inside a meeting room provided to them, they spoke in hushed voices to avoid being overheard.
“…Let’s not tell the king about this incident. If it gets out that another adventurer took the core from us, it could affect how we’re treated.”
First, Isaka suggested they keep part of what happened on the expedition a secret.
“…Yeah. Fortunately, we’re the only ones who know. We were supposed to be looking for Silent in the first place. If we didn’t find anything in that dungeon near the border, turning back is the only option.”
“Yeah, no one’s gonna find out if we keep quiet. I mean, the core seemed like something even a regular person could take. If we train, we’ll be able to handle it ourselves.”
“Right! We can’t do it now, but… there are still plenty of dungeons out there, right? If we get one from a different place, it should be fine.”
Muraki and Samie agreed, and Inami expressed an optimistic view.
To protect themselves, the students decided to conceal both what they witnessed deep within the dungeon and the fact that Same had obtained the dungeon core.
They had no real understanding of what it meant to lose the core of a natural mega-dungeon located on the kingdom’s border.
However, one person among them had begun to feel uneasy about this group and quietly decided to distance themselves.
(Shizuma-kun might still be in that great forest… I need to find someone I can talk to and have them take me there. If I stay with this group, we’ll end up making a big mistake.)
That person, Hishida, made up their mind.
But they didn’t realize something—that they, too, were already disliked, already abandoned. That they would never cross paths with Shizuma again.
“Anyway, from now on, we need to focus on getting stronger. We’ll start collecting dungeon cores after we’ve powered up. At the very least, we need to be at the level of that girl who helped us, Melt-san, before we can even talk about it.”
“Yeah! We’ll get strong too… and move like that, like superhumans!”
“Totally. I’m going to master this weapon.”
“And I’ll keep practicing magic!”
In the near future, surely these students will meet Same—Shizuma—again.
And when they do… something will come to an end.
—————————-
“Okay, repeat after me. What are you?”
“We are foolish beasts, lower than humans. It’s only natural that we should be hunted down like the sow pigs we are.”
“Hey, you two, say it too.”
Yes, I beat the crap out of those drunk female adventurers(?) until they were mentally broken.
Nobody stepped in. One person seemed to go get the guards, but that’s about it.
Anyway, I think it’s time to let them go.
“Don’t ever show up in my sight again. If you try to come after me, I’ll kill you next time. I think you’ve figured out I’m not just talk, right? Or do I need to pick one of you right now to be the first to die?”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry! We’ll leave this town! Please, just spare our lives!”
“We’ll pay you! Anything you want!”
“Don’t need it. Bye. Disappear in five seconds.”
And just like that, the three of them bolted into the alley and vanished.
Too much? They pulled weapons and were fully intent on stomping all over someone’s dignity.
Even the gawkers who saw the whole thing didn’t dare meet my eyes.
“That was terrifying… Was that guy always living in this town?”
“He snapped… Wasn’t he just laughing in the tavern earlier?”
“Serves them right… everyone knows how nasty those women were.”
…Let’s get out of here before the guards arrive.
“I’m back.”
“Mm. …You okay?”
Back at the inn, as expected, it wasn’t the landlady but the owner who greeted me.
Judging from his tone, he’d already heard a bit from Melt.
“Yeah, no problem. What’s up?”
“That girl you’re with came rushing back earlier. Said you were being followed by some shady women.”
“But stuff like that happens all the time, right?”
“Yeah. That’s why I didn’t call the guards. Sorry—this is a business, after all.”
“It’s fine. I’m guessing Melt told you something like ‘he’ll probably be okay,’ right?”
Most likely, the owner was actually preparing to come help. He was dressed for going out, and a sword was leaned against the counter.
He must’ve planned to shelter me if I ran back.
“I heard you were strong. Looks like it’s true.”
“Yup. Sorry for the fuss. You can put the sword away now. They’ll probably be gone from this town by tomorrow.”
“…Heh, smart guy. And sounds like you’ve got skills. Go reassure that girl of yours.”
I gave a polite nod and headed to the room where Melt was waiting.
It seemed the other guests were already asleep—the whole inn was quiet.
“I’m back.”
“Same! You’re okay!?”
“Shhh… it’s late, remember?”
“Oh, right. But… are you really okay?”
“I beat them up.”
“Wow… you’re amazing.”
“Let’s sleep. Tomorrow morning, I’m thinking we’ll hit the public bathhouse, then visit the Pigeon Trading Company.”
“Okay, sounds good. I’ll come with you after all.”
There was a flyer about the bathhouse posted in the hallway earlier.
Hmm… maybe we can find an inn that has its own bath next time.
—————————-
“W-where am I!? What is this place!? …Oh, the inn.”
“Mm… morning, Melt.”
The next morning, I woke to Melt’s panicked voice.
She must’ve been disoriented. Well, we’ve been sleeping in tents for a while, so it’s probably been a long time since she woke up in a real bed.
“Good morning, Same. We were going somewhere, right?”
“Yeah, the public bath. During our travels, we’ve just been wiping off with water. I want to soak in a big tub.”
“I get it… I probably haven’t been in a big bath since people still lived in our village.”
“Really? You remember the rules?”
“Of course! Don’t treat me like a kid!”
“Then explain the steps.”
“First, you pay. Then undress in the changing room. After that, you go into the bath and clean yourself in the river first.”
“Stop. There probably isn’t a river flowing through this bathhouse.”
“What!? But you’re not supposed to get in the tub without washing first! You might shed hair or something!”
“Makes sense… sounds like you understand the rules. I’m sure there’ll be a spot for rinsing off before the tub.”
“Alright then, let’s go!”
I see—because beastkin have issues with shedding, they tend to be more disciplined in public baths than humans.
Though honestly, I’ve never really seen Melt shed any fur. I mean, I’ve spent a lot of time wrapped up in her tail during our travels, so I’d know.
The public bathhouse isn’t in the adventurer’s district but rather on the next street over.
It’s commonly known as “Inn Street.” Just like the name implies, it’s lined with inns used by traveling merchants, travelers, and people journeying long distances.
A lot of folks probably want to avoid getting involved with adventurers. Things like what happened yesterday aren’t exactly uncommon.
The inns and eateries on this street tend to be more expensive than those in the adventurer’s district, and the bathhouse is no exception—one use costs a silver coin, about 1,000 yen.
But honestly, how much do regular bathhouses cost anyway…?
I’ve never been to one, so I’m not sure… But tracing back memories from the game developer, I vaguely recall playing mahjong at a super sentō once. Is that what super sentōs are like…?
If it’s a regular bathhouse, I guess the price is fair.
“Ah, isn’t that it? The building with all the chimneys.”
“Oh, yeah, that’s probably it.”
We spotted a building on Inn Street, much larger than the others around it and with multiple tall chimneys.
I couldn’t read the sign, but it matched the picture on the flyer we saw earlier.
“Okay, here—one silver coin for the entrance, and I’ll give you another one just in case.”
“Thanks, as always. Someday, once my own purse is full, I’ll pay you back properly.”
“Don’t worry about it—it’s just part of our travel expenses. Besides, you’ve taught me so much, and I’m counting on you to teach me more.”
“Oh, right, I’m supposed to teach you how to read too. Hmm… okay, I’ll accept your generosity for now.”
Being with Melt helps soothe the part of me that always feels on the edge of breaking down.
Honestly, if I were alone, I probably would’ve done something reckless by now.
Like settling everything with brute force—flashing the dungeon core at the guild and, if they tried to take it, fighting them off. I could’ve ended up clashing with an entire nation.
That’s how strong Silent is—strong enough that such insane ideas seem viable.
…Though to be fair, Same isn’t exactly innocent either.
“Okay, I’ll head to the women’s side!”
“Alright. Let’s meet in the lounge once we’re done.”
“Yup! See you later!”
…People are kind of staring.
Well, Melt’s cute, so I guess it can’t be helped.
Her hair color’s unusual too—I haven’t seen anyone else with silver or white hair in town.
…No way this is like yesterday and I’m the one they’re eyeing, right?
Getting stared at in front of the men’s bath entrance… nah, I’m just being paranoid.
“Hey… check that guy out… it’s him from yesterday…”
“Unbelievable… pretty face, but that body…”
“He’s been through some serious stuff—you can tell.”
In the changing room were those onlookers from yesterday!!! I’m sorry, I swear I’m not a violent person!
But looking at myself in the big mirror there, yeah… balanced muscles, dense old scars—no matter how you slice it, I didn’t look like an ordinary guy.
…If Same looks like this, I wonder what Silent looks like…
“Whoa… this place is huge… and it feels really foreign.”
The bath area was far from a typical Japanese sentō—it looked more like an ancient Roman or Greek thermae.
That’s probably just my own knowledge talking. I’ve seen it in movies, after all.
“Glad it’s not a steam bath… Is that the place for rinsing off…?”
There was a fountain-like area with steam rising—must be hot water.
Buckets were placed nearby, and sure enough, other guests were pouring hot water over themselves there.
I followed suit, surprised at first by how hot the water was.
But it felt good. Like my body was melting and being washed clean all at once. I repeated it a couple more times.
“Ahh… this feels amazing…”
Then it was time for the main bath.
The tub was deeper than expected—so deep that even with my nearly 180 cm tall frame, sitting down meant the water came up to my neck.
“Ahh… I feel alive again…”
My thoughts, experiences, and memories—everything that’s happened since I came to this world—seem to be reassembling and imprinting themselves in my mind all over again.
It feels like relaxing is helping me organize my thoughts.
I guess I’ve been more mentally exhausted than I realized…
“A lot’s happened…”
It probably all started with malice.
That bitch Inami clearly intended to leave me behind at the mansion.
She even lied to the others. Why? What was her reason?
Did she think I’d be a burden? No, that can’t be it. I gave advice that was actually followed and worked. I know I made useful suggestions.
She probably just couldn’t stand having me in their group.
Someone once said it: she couldn’t accept someone like me—who wasn’t originally part of their group—even under these circumstances.
And everyone believed her words without checking the truth, and just left me behind.
To be honest, I don’t really hold a grudge against anyone except that bitch. But I don’t want to help them or get involved either. And if I ever get the chance, I’d love to rub it in their faces and even reveal something that could break their whole group apart. That’s how much I dislike them now.
Yeah, thinking about it again, there’s no way I could see them in a positive light.
Next: my current situation—being able to log out and return to being Shizuma.
That needs to be tested. But I’ll also have to start training as Shizuma too.
Right now, my Shizuma self is nothing but a weakness. For some reason, his stats were surprisingly decent, but still about the same level as that former classmate of mine.
Eventually, if I can secure a base or somewhere I can freely change forms, I should probably register as an adventurer under Shizuma too.
“…In the end, it all comes down to strength. I’ve got to get even stronger…”
Conclusion: self-improvement. The classic grind. Even if there’s no formal “level” system.
With those scrolls, I can visualize my own strength and share it with others, but there was no actual “level” stat.
Still, in a world where you can see your abilities, the fun of training yourself is way higher than it ever was back in the old world.
Right—I should ask Melt if she’d be willing to show me her stats one day.
“Did you hear that? He still wants to get stronger…”
“Even after beating three skilled adventurers barehanded, he still wants to train?”
“No normal person could beat three people at once…”
Damn! The usual trio of curious bystanders! Why are they always so close to me!