Chapter 4 part 8

###Nostalgic Soak

"I caused trouble for everyone. It was because of my... inexperience and ignorance. I'm sorry."

After we returned to the Spacer Guild and filed our mission report, Stella bowed her head slightly.

Her full combat gear, which had been chilled to the bone during the planetary expedition, had finally stabilized to a comfortable temperature. She had already packed up, ready to head back home.

...Her expression when she saw the payment was priceless. Completely stunned.

It was like she couldn’t decide between *"Do I really deserve this?"* and *"Wait, I’m actually getting the full amount?"* To be fair, this job was so tedious no one else would’ve touched it.

The reward was officially calculated, sure, but it still stung a little, knowing how little it truly amounted to. Probably just enough for her to grab a low-gravity rest pod and sip on some synthetic nutrient broth.

"I’ll... return home and talk with my family again. I need to think more carefully about the mission and what it meant."

"That’s a good idea," Lunar said softly. "It’d be best if you can find a path that suits you."

"Yes. And Lunar, thank you for everything."

Lunar gave a faint smile.

That gentle expression on her face—when she was the one who deliberately pushed Stella into frustration—was something else. What an actress. If it were me, I’d probably be bawling and saying, *"I’m so sorry for everything!"*

"It really was... unpleasant work."

"I know, right?"

"Poor thing. But I guess it couldn’t be helped."

Moona, sitting off to the side, didn’t look the least bit bothered. She had been absentmindedly tinkering with her ion-maintenance tools the entire time.

Does she even *have* human emotions?

"But you know, no one usually becomes a mercenary at her age. If there’s stable work available, wouldn’t you normally start there and work your way up? If she were my kid, I’d have given her a good smack."

Hearing Mamu—an actual mother—say that, it sounded pretty reasonable. It’s probably what most parents would think.

...In the end, whether Stella continues down this path will depend on her own resolve.

Even so, I’d like to see her try her best. Even if she ends up walking away from this life, giving it her all would still mean something. Irresponsible of me to think that? Probably.

"My, my. Diana' missions always seem like hard work," I muttered, taking off my neural-dampening cap.

The layers covering my head worked perfectly for hiding my glowing hair, but now that the mission was over, it all felt stifling.

"Mr. Narwhal, you’re coming to use the warm bath after this, right?"

"Yeah. But I need to swing by my rest pod first. Gotta grab some sanitizing solution and wipe down before heading over."

"...Huh? You’re about to get into a warm bath—why clean yourself beforehand?"

"You don’t know, Yunikon? You’ve gotta clean yourself properly before using someone else’s bath."

"...What?"

"...He’s even stranger than I thought," Lunar said, shaking her head with a smirk.

Hey, you don’t have to say it like that, Lunar.

Still, there’s a lot I need to prep for.

"Alright, let’s wrap it up here. I’ll head back to the home base and get the bath ready," Moona said.

"Thanks. I’ll see you there."

With that, the mission—long and tedious as it was—finally came to an end.

Tonight, I’d finally get to enjoy a full-gravity immersion bath. For the first time in what felt like ages.

"So yeah, I’ve come to borrow the bath!"

"That was fast! Did you *run* here?"

"Too excited, so yeah, I ran."

"You ran here *after* cleaning yourself at the pod? That’s... counterproductive. But whatever."

Aioi was outside the Diana Clan House, calibrating plasma arrows under the fading light of the artificial stellar cycle.

"Ms. Moona! Mr. Narwhal is here!"

"Quick. Bring him to the bath."

"Got it!"

Aioi led me down the hall to a door marked *Gravity Bath.*

Beyond it, the hum of energy fluctuations—soft, rhythmic booms—echoed faintly.

"The changing room’s just ahead. The bath is beyond that," Aioi said. "Not that clean freak Mr. Narwhal needs the reminder, but make sure to keep it tidy."

"I know, I know. I brought all my stuff, don’t worry."

"‘All your stuff?’ Okay, Anyway, I’ll leave you to Ms. Moona."

Aioi’s hurried footsteps echoed as she left, and for some reason, the sight of her running off warmed me.

Wish I had someone like her managing me back in my past life. Not that I ever joined a club or anything.

"Pardon the intrusion—whoa, it’s steamy in here."

"Welcome, Narwhal," Moona greeted, standing by the edge of the tub. "The gravitational field is stabilized, and the water’s heated. Get in. Though I’ll admit, I didn’t expect to let anyone outside the crew use this."

The bath exceeded every expectation.

Unlike the cramped emergency decontamination units I was used to, this tub was spacious—long enough to stretch out fully.

Its stone-composite walls gave it a rustic feel, reminiscent of old-world open-air baths.

"...This thing embedded in the tub wall, what is it?"

"That?" Moona smirked. "It’s a gravity-heat stabilization mechanism. I designed it myself."

"You *made* this?"

Her smirk deepened at my shock.

"It’s a system that transfers heat from the ion generator directly into the water, while maintaining precise gravity stabilization. When it consumed too much energy, I supplemented it with heat generated from the main engine."

"That’s... incredible. What an invention."

"...Hmph. It’s nothing. Unlike Commander Havoc who gives away his schematics freely, I don’t create tools to sell. This is just something practical for our crew."

Her sleeves were damp, likely from operating the mechanism manually.

But the fact she could create something like this—well, it left me impressed.

Maybe you should just be Commander Havoc at this point, huh?

"Now then," she said, stepping back. "My work here is done. Enjoy yourself, Narwhal. And... thank you for earlier. You saved me."

"Don’t worry about it. I should be thanking *you.* Thanks, Moona."

From my bag, I pulled out a small ceramic bottle.

"...What’s that?"

"Chilled stellar ale. To drink while soaking."

"...And this?"

"Chilled nutrient milk for afterward."

For a moment, Moona looked like she didn’t know whether to laugh or sigh. Finally, she forced a small, unconvincing smile.

"I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. Just don’t drown in there while drinking."

"I won’t."

With that, she left, and I was finally alone.

It had been far too long since I’d felt anything like this.

"...!"

I let out a triumphant grunt, quickly stripping down.

After scrubbing myself off thoroughly, I slid into the water.

"Ahhhhh..."

The heat wrapped around me, seeping into every sore muscle and micro-abrasion I hadn’t even noticed.

The sting was almost pleasant, a reminder of how far I’d come.

This sensation, like a weight I couldn’t scrub away, dissolved into the bathwater, carried off by the steady heat.

The artificial chill of the climate-controlled atmosphere brushed against my face, contrasting sharply with the warmth enveloping the rest of me.

Every sensation flooding my body felt achingly familiar—so much so, it nearly brought me to tears.

Pretending to take a swig from the chilled bottle in my hand, I exhaled a crude, contented sigh.

"Mmn... the ale’s too weak..."

Natural hot springs? None that I’ve come across in this sector. At least, none that the guild’s databases or stellar charts mention.

If they exist, they’d be far out—somewhere in the Empire’s territory or the Holy Commonwealth. Well beyond my reach. I’m not even sure if they’re real or just stories from another era.

I’ve managed to make do with synthesized food, improvising when needed. My environmental suit? I’ve patched it up more times than I can count.

Lodging? That’s simple enough to figure out.

But baths—full-gravity baths with actual heated water? Those are something else entirely. Something I used to take for granted in my past life, their value and meaning now impossibly distant.

The barriers are astronomical: the water itself, the energy required to stabilize gravity, the sheer cost of fuel.

And yet, against all odds, here I am, submerged in this warmth.

"...I want to go home."

As the warmth soaked in, I felt a strange ache in my chest—a bittersweet longing to the memories i have, living in the old earth.

For just a moment, I let myself whisper words I’d never say out loud.