“Yeah — business has been slow lately. Customer numbers are down. Dad’s trying to drum up shogi as a town attraction, but the marketing isn’t really landing.”
I’d stopped by Reflet’s Silver Moon for the first time in a while, and Mika-san hit me with this. Hadn’t shown my face here in a bit. Things had taken a turn.
For an inn to make money, people need to stay there. And for that, there needs to be a reason to be in town. Reflet itself, by way of specialty or sights… doesn’t really have any.
If they had hot springs, it’d be a different story…
…Dig for one? No no — it’s not a volcanic region, you’d never hit anything.
“Maybe some kind of event…? A festival…”
“Festival of what?”
“Of… well, when you put it like that I’m not sure. In the country I’m from there’s a snow festival, or Tanabata?”
“This area barely gets snow, and what’s Tanabata?”
No good. Besides — a festival’s only good for short-term traffic. One week a year your inn’s packed, but the rest of the year crickets — that’s not sustainable…
To keep customers coming year-round, you need something only here has. Hot springs, still, would be the ideal — having a hot spring is enough of a draw on its own. Maybe I could boil water with magic and create artificial onsen? But I can’t be on call to boil water daily. And it wouldn’t have actual medicinal properties. At that point it’s just a big bath. Some other method… Hm?
”…Wait. I can make one. Hot springs.”
“Eh?”
Yes. I can. And — easily. Pipe hot water in from a real source via [Gate], let it run through here, and [Gate] the runoff back to source. Endless flow. No problem.
“You can really make a hot spring?”
“Yeah — probably. And it shouldn’t take much effort.”
“If that’s actually true, that’d be incredible help. So — what do we do?”
Mika-san was flustering when her father, Doran-san, came home. He latched onto the hot spring idea immediately.
“So — you’re saying with that magic of yours, you’ll connect a faraway hot spring directly to here? Can you really do that?”
“Yeah. Probably. We’ll try and see.”
I pulled out the smartphone and searched hot spring. On the outer edge of the Merisia Mountains, in a southern forest. There’s one. I had Mika-san check — she’d never heard of a hot spring there. Hidden one. Perfect.
[Gate] back to the mansion to fetch Cesca, then transfer to the Hanging Garden and have her steer us to the hidden source.
“That master would haul me out into the mountains for a hot spring just to see me undresseD… if you simply ordered me, I would strip right awaY, any timE.”
“That’s not why we’re here. And stop trying to drop your skirt!”
I chopped her on the head and made her settle. Her brain is too thoroughly pink-fantasy.
The Garden reached the target and I transferred down. Mm — that smell. Definitely the air of hot springs.
I pushed through some brush — a natural hot spring in the middle of the forest. Water quality looked good, not too cloudy. I stuck a hand in. Slightly hot? Better than lukewarm. Workable temperature.
Looking around, there were other springs nearby — flow shouldn’t be an issue.
I’d install pipes enchanted with [Gate] here to send the water up to the Silver Moon, and pipes on the other side to send the used water back. Effectively splicing the Silver Moon into the spring’s flow.
First — pulled mithril chunks from [Storage] (figured iron would rust) and shaped them with [Modeling] into 10cm-wide, 30cm-long pipes. Set several into different source springs. [Modeling] to anchor them so they wouldn’t wash away.
“All right — prep’s done.”
Now [Gate] back to Reflet — wait! Forgot Cesca! Leaving her behind a second time — I’d never hear the end of it.
I [Gate]‘d back up to Cesca in the Garden, relieved I’d caught myself.
Back in Silver Moon’s backyard. Earth magic — a 30cm-deep channel about a meter long. Lined with stone to keep silt down.
Pulled more mithril from [Storage], shaped it into a classic lion-with-open-mouth fountain head, set it at one end of the channel. If I enchant this with [Gate] directly, hot water will gush out non-stop…
[Program] — Open / Close keywords toggle the [Gate]. Set to Close for now. At the other end of the channel, embed a return pipe near the top — water passes through here and feeds back to the source.
“This should do it.”
With Doran-san and Mika-san watching, I touched the lion’s head and said Open. Instantly the mouth gushed hot water.
“Whoa!?”
“It’s coming out!”
The water filled the channel, rose to the return pipe height, and held there. Excess flows back to the source. Perfect.
I rolled up my trousers and stepped in. Yep — slightly hot, but fine.
“This is… incredible…”
“But there’s no space for a proper open-air bath here, you know?”
Doran-san stared at the flow in a daze. Mika-san already at the practical problem. I’d thought about that part already.
“The big house behind your place — vacant, right?”
“Yes, but… what are you—”
“Let’s buy it.”
"""Eh!?"""
That’s the fastest way. I went to the real-estate office, asked the asking price on the rear lot — 8 platinum. Paid cash. The mithril-golem fragments alone went for an absurd amount, so money isn’t a problem right now, and that house has a use of its own.
Signed the contract, returned to Silver Moon with the deed.
“You actually bought it!?”
“All right — let’s just blast this out in one go.”
While Mika-san stared incredulously, I opened a [Gate] under the entire rear house and transferred the whole house into the Hanging Garden. The house sank smoothly into the ground and was gone.
"""Whuh!?"""
While they were still gaping, I did the same with the fence between the property and the Silver Moon.
Earth magic — rough out the bath area. Plenty of room. Then [Modeling] to finish the details.
“Right — men’s bath and women’s bath, how do you want it? Completely separated?”
“Eh? Ah — yes, separate, please.”
“Got it.”
Two separate baths. Surrounded by stone walls, washing area with stone tiles, hinoki roof and pillars, hinoki partition between the men’s and women’s sides. And on top of the partition — [Paralyze] enchantment. Divine retribution for peepers.
Small dressing rooms for both, noren curtains in place — exterior complete.
Last: enchanted the roofs with [Mirage] under [Program] to fully block any view from above.
Came out completely Japanese-style — but pretty solid work, if I say so myself.
I was nodding to myself in satisfaction when I noticed Mika-san and Doran-san looking on, slack-jawed.
”…I’m just tired of being surprised at this point…”
“Built it in no time at all…”
Hm — overdid it? Got into it and just kept building. Made wooden buckets and stools too.
“Anyway — using this open-air bath for business, is that okay? The land and the bath itself belong to you.”
“I’ll lease it indefinitely. If the business starts paying, you can buy it from me down the line. Eight platinum, total.”
I showed Doran-san the deed and the purchase price. Lost a building, gained a hot spring, calling it net-zero. How’s that?
“Hmph — not bad. We’d get inn revenue and bath-only revenue. All right then. Grateful to take you up on it.”
“This spring won’t cure diseases, but it’s pretty effective on body anomalies. Bad eyesight, back pain, lingering effects of poison — soak for a while and they’ll gradually improve.”
“It does that?”
Why yes — I [Program]‘d it with [Recovery]. Snapping someone instantly cured would draw attention, so I tuned it to dissolve slowly into the water and act gradually.
Test run. Both baths opened, filling up. Meanwhile, Mika-san and Doran-san told their friends about a free day.
On the men’s side came Doran-san, plus Baral-san — the proprietor of Bear-Hachi’s Weapons — and Shimon-san of the tool shop, and Zanac-san of Fashion King Zanac. The old-man density on the men’s side is way too high!
I was thinking that while soaking, when Doran-san and Baral-san dragged a bench into the washing area and started a shogi game. Not even here?
The women’s side had Mika-san, plus Aer-san of Parento and her employees, plus our own Cesca. …Wait — a robot in a hot bath, is that okay? That pervert Doctor would’ve thought of it. Probably fine.
“Master — shall I wash your back?”
“Quit talking nonsense and stay in your bath!”
I yelled over the partition. How rosy-pink is the inside of that head!
“Now now — no need to be modeSt.”
“Wait — Cesca-chan! What are you doing climbing the fence!?”
“Gufgh!?”
From the women’s side I heard Mika-san trying to stop the idiot, followed by Cesca’s muffled cry and the sound of something falling. [Paralyze] works on her too, huh. Did say she has organic components.
“Try to climb the fence and peep — that’s what happens. Be warned.”
The old men on the men’s side all winced and nodded vigorously at my explanation. Did NOT see the first offender coming from the women’s side, though.
With the troublemaker neutralized, I finally got to relax in the bath. Ahh — what a nice soak.