One indian summer, Ikoma and his familiar comrades from the Kotetsujo went to a rural village famous for its rice growing culture. They stayed as guests in a modest inn, however they had to gather food and other necessary aid supplies in order to feed themselves next time, which is why some of them, himself included, had to participate in agriculture to cultivate rice even as the drizzle is falling down in the middle of the day. Another reason for the residents of Kotetsujo to stay in the village is to gather a mid-autumn festival once the moon is full.
After having done some works in the rice padding, Ikoma, having his clothes moisted in drizzle outside, runs back to the inn to his bedroom after asking the same question to one of his fellow friends beforehand and leave his cultivated rice supplies somewhere in the inn.
"Today is really tiring, I better needs to do something. Wanting to cultivate rice for hours can be effective with success, but it's also tiresome." He questioned while walking around. Feeling tired, he lies on back to the tatami and spread his arms.
"Hmpf! Why did I spend long hours doing nothing but working in the rice paddies, there's no way I could continue doing it so a break is needed for me!" Ikoma exasperatedly said to himself as he doesn't have much idea on what to do after. When he rolls his body to the point when he puts his right arm behind his head to the right side, it took minutes for him to finally do something seeing his clothes wet.
"It's been a while since we, passengers of the Kotetsujo, go to a day off at the rural village in a station months after we departed from the fall of Kongokaku so it's about time for me to do something to relax..." Ikoma monologued. Once he minutiously glanced at his folded, patterned bathrobe near him, he hurriedly lifted his body to a sitting position with his legs almost crossed.
"Well, I guess I should take a bath!" He said to himself while feeling prepared with both of his hands clenched.
He decides to take a bath as evening approaches and change his clothes into a bathrobe while inside his bedroom, however the drizzle keeps continuing to this day, and the sky get more and more grizzled, which didn't help matters. When he walks to the small hot spring house in the middle of the forest, holding his right arm an oriental umbrella and his left arm a small towel, he ponders about how Mumei, the young girl that give him the reason to survive further, has changed a lot since she met him. Then he has inner thoughts about it.
"Having passed hours doing rice growing work when we went to a rural village, this is the first time I go to the hot springs in a long time, I couldn't feel happier since I loved baths whenever I feel like it. Maybe when I leave the bath, I'll have the courage to met her again"
"Let's just head to the hot springs for now!" He talks to himself before arriving inside the bathhouse. Upon the entrance past the curtain with a written hot water sign, he removes his flip-flops and walk to the dressing room barefooted.
Once he undress his bathrobe by untying his sash that surrounds it, he gleefully proceeds to slide the door on one hand while covering his nether with a small towel on the other hand and enters the steamy indoor hot springs which contains a semi-large cypress bathtub partitioned in half by a single flat vertical line, but first he had to rinse his own body.
He sits on the wooden stool with a wooden bucket and fill it with faucet water before pouring into himself and wash his hair with a old-fashioned soap derived from natural plants. He then uses his towel to wash his back, and finally the rest of his body with the soap. Once submerged into the hot water up to his shoulders, he takes time to relax while his small towel is put on the top of his head and lets a sigh.
"Ahhh...It's been awhile since I took a bath this pleasant!" He said to himself.
When Ikoma spends his smooth time drenching himself in hot water by initially moving his prosthetic right hand on his left arm, shoulder and then his neck, he stretches his head by remembering the time where he always loved baths and he often spend moments sharing it with her sister, who later died in a Kabane massacre, and close his eyes happily.
"This is just confortable seeing myself bathing in joy!" He talked to himself.
Ikoma contently thinks about his overall accomplishments as a Kabaneri, and remember the days when he is trying his hardest to save the lives of the people he cares and wants to show off his skills to them. Moreover, his recollection of peaceful times with his close comrades as exemplified of today just make him feel warmer.
He spreads his arms at side to the tub and looks around the bath, which is mostly wooden: on the ground had small candle lamps brightening the steamed room, the large window striped with wooden sticks lets out a constant amount of steam to the outside and the wall is covered by intricate details of the eastern architecture, as in the case of a series of traditional paintings from the ancient era. The one strange thing that is differing from the rest of the bathing room is the rocky soil with striped design that still gives wooden vibes nonetheless. It is also believed that while the hot spring water itself is transparent, it actually contained medical benefits and the healing powers are derived from its mineral content.
"After all I had done in this whole day, it is better for me to lie down my mind and thinks about something else." He monologues as he lies his head down to the floor while breathing. "Now I wonder what I'm going to do after the bath..."
Suddenly, he hears a small noise with his eyes wide-open and lifted his head in accordance, which suggests that someone other than Ikoma wants to go to the bath.
"I hear something, who could it be?" The young man doubted in response.
Fortunately, the wooden sliding door for the dressing room before the bathroom is partially covered with wooden structure as such, but that's only because Ikoma, slightly blushed, seems curious about who will enter the bath after him.
"Hot springs! Hot springs! Hot springs!" Sings out the mysterious bather. Once opening the sliding door, holding a towel with the left hand, the naked bather joyously walks in the bathing area while jumping by uneven steps. Once hearing the squeaky voice and the loud footsteps, Ikoma tilts his head and take a slight look at it, only to find out it's Mumei.
"Wha...What are you even looking at!?" She yells at Ikoma while she is stopping by near the bathtub. When she immediately covered her short, slender body with both of her hands holding a towel barely down to her ass through thighs, it caused Ikoma to only take a small glimpse since he couldn't let himself get called out by her for misunderstanding it.
"I-I 'm in the bath after an h-hard work, th-that's all!" He stutters. "You could join the bath with me if you want." And that's before he look away with his eyes sloped low and almost drowning himself in hot water up to his nose as the bubbles blow.
"Well then. But don't look at me, you dunce." She said with a bashful look.
Embarassed in shame, the heavily blushed Ikoma did not know that the other bather turned out to be her in need of rest. While she pours her body into herself with a wooden bucket using hot water, Ikoma did not have much choice but stay in the bathtub lest that he wants to leave the bath in front of the young girl while naked.
"It just bothers me seeing a girl wanting to bath with me, it reminds me of my dead sister whom I tenderly loved." He monologued. Just when he tried to flood himself further up to his towel on head with his eyes closed upwards, he is on the verge of passing himself out.
"What's more is that she looked at me uneasily, I don't want to remember the time when Biba assaulted everyone, it's crazy!" Fortunately, Mumei enters the bath while standing bent over behind him and is covering her body with her towel.
"Ikoma! What's with you trying to deluge yourself over nothing when I look at you aside in that case?" She called out on him as if the older boy with a bicolored hair shuddered in shame with a groan in which he comes out a little down halfway to his torso in response."Perhaps you didn't attempt to look at me I hope if you don't want to play like a coward."
Ikoma then responds with a moan-like voice. "Alright I do, but remember that we're naked!" In spite of that, Mumei did submerge herself at the right side of the partitioned bath anyway and breathes herself in joy, with her towel placed on the top of her head like Ikoma.
"Ahhh...That's a nice bath there. It warms me after a cold drizzle, isn't true?" She exhaled as she outstretches her arms and stretches her hands together with fingers tangled, with her eyes closed upwards.
"Me too. I hate the cold myself" Ikoma speaks with a laid back manner to her while he rests his arms hiding his nether and positioned his legs crossed. "But I actually feel sorry for not saving enough people because of Biba."
He keeps saying but is unable to held back his sadness and frustration for the events that ensued during his reign of terror, hence he looks down on himself on hot water as he is feeling in uncertainty, especially since he blamed himself for his failure to save the lives of many people because of Biba. Nevertheless, he had to retain his uneasiness by putting his prosthetic right hand clenched against his own chest."So I believe it is your fault that you couldn't protect me and the others enough and vice-versa, you're acting too stubborn for following Biba's orders and then end up costing much of lives because of troubles."
"But why do you blame yourself for that?" Mumei asked while empathizing with the boy.
She is stunned by the way of his words, and as such she is determined to consider her future actions because it seems convincing, but couldn't do so without much reluctance because of her childish brashness. Meanwhile, Ikoma, who is concealing his own misery, then speak out gently."It did hurt me a bit. But it is because of my determination of caring just about me and everyone that I wanted to lift them out of fear and hurry up to fight regardless of strength. That's why I'm with Kotetsujo to show to them that I'm actually quite capable of solving things through pragmatism."
The prune-haired girlie doesn't seem to disagree for how he feels for one and she tries to comfort the young man as change awaits. "It can't be helped, but the way we see each other through fate at first and then trying to help people harduously means something precious." She answered as she recalled Ikoma reminding her of the moment when they first see each other.
But before discussing further, Mumei carefully take a glance at how Ikoma is feeling, wondering whether or not he is looking airheaded as she crosses her arms to the partitioned line of the same semi-large bathtub and looks on him as her stomach lies flat in the hot water with her legs folded.
"B-But wait!" Ikoma mumbled and wanted to shy away somewhat but to no avail.
"What's wrong with you, idiot?" Mumei jested. "You do tell me that it is my fault that I'm too brash to fix my mistakes just because of big brother and why should I?" She expresses to him with an smug face while Ikoma looked a bit disgusted with his eyes squinted and his prosthetic arm behind his head.
"It's true though, you couldn't make it anymore obvious if you actually try being a little less sensitive, don't you?" Ikoma winked with kind-hearted mind and has his eyes looked at the young girl, desperate that he has and will always care about Mumei like a little sister in need of having her smile protected anytime.
"If you want to be more considerate, then think to yourself for a little." He said as he closes his eyes for a little while and rests his arms down the soil of the tub.
"Are you sure of me?" Mumei wondered. "If you say so, then I'll try being more earnest to myself." She cheerfully teased him and couldn't get any happier if she truly care about her own responsibility. Then she goes back to position herself back-to-back near Ikoma as she crosses her arms and her legs together.
Spending a bit too much time sitting in the same heated bathtub, Ikoma spread his arms resting on the partitioned line of the tub as he grew tired but somehow doesn't want to leave the bath. However, Mumei wants to tell him something and is emotionally covered with worry and is concerned about the well-being of the bicolored hero.
"I understand. But my mind sense regret and I couldn't look back without feeling terribly." She said with her eyes slightly lowered in sorrow because, even with the occasional bickering, struggling and separating each other, she doesn't want to give up to look after Ikoma.
"You know, Mumei." The bicolored man voiced out with a very silent tone. "Given how you are now, you'll eventually overcome it with a smile on your face."
The young cutie lowers her head to pour her hands together with water and is wondering why. "I wouldn't said I would be fine if it wasn't for you, and I'm really sorry for not trusting on your believe so..." She continued while feeling less nervous than before. "I will follow your words on yours then."
Ikoma, with his eyes moved to look towards Mumei, tells her that having to worry oneself too much will not bring fortune in the end. "It doesn't matter, Mumei. So long as I'll be here, I will always make you happy for us and everyone. I will never give up caring for, so it is soothing for us to talk together, alone for once. It is because of you that I shielded the people I protect from being hurt."
Mumei is even more surprised that with the way Ikoma cares for her, it is expected that their bond will surely grow into something bigger assuming it'll happen. "But why do you compliment me? I could thank the fact that I saved your life, but this though?" She said before Ikoma tell to her again that worry is not a main priority, the first and most important thing to do is to be responsible and have a good will.
"I did it for the better of us. I don't want to actually die, I want to survive just to not let you in danger. Understand?" Ikoma responded while he rests his prosthetic arm in hot water.
Following what Ikoma said about, Mumei thinks hard about herself. However Ikoma bathtime's conversation with her didn't last long and had to tell to the young girl that he needs to leave to do other things.
"Sorry for interrupting all of a sudden, but it's time for me to leave the bath since I did enjoy too much!" He said in a rush standing before Mumei, while partially submerged up to midway to his thighs.
Seeing the young man, having such a slightly muscular body while holding a towel from his head and a feminine face on his side, Mumei then turned back away from him and cover her blushing face with both of her hands.
"Hmm. But why are you leaving the hot springs like that?" She said with a walled voice as looking at his nude lower body would otherwise bring shame and therefore wants to hide it.
"I feel regretted not to talk with you any further, but we'll resume the talk later..." Ikoma said as he's in the way of getting out of the bath from behind and leaves Mumei being the only bather around.
But that's not all, as Mumei hurriedly jump past the partitioned bath like a kid she is and grab Ikoma's chest from behind with her soft, modest chest pressing against his back without seemingly half-knowing why.
"Why are you even doing this to me!?" The young man's face is mildly reddish in reactions to embarassment while his mind grow slightly aroused indirectly.
"I was just feeling curious about how you're feeling, isn't it?" Mumei playfully teases him from behind with a scary-like face marred in curiosity.
The boy's veins glowed strangely at a random, leaving him wonder if he has not been drinking blood at all today due to rice planting overwork, with the young girl watching in wonder.
"What's wrong then?" She asked with a confused look.
"It's because I didn't drink blood for a while." Ikoma answered with a straight face, with Mumei thereafter letting him to freely walk out of the bath.
Before the chatting ends, Ikoma wants to tell Mumei about why she went to the bath in the first place, as it is clearly a place for mixed bathing. "By the way, Mumei, why did you come after me in the bath in the first place?"
"I just came here passing by without thought, that's why!" Mumei groaned while nervous, still standing rushedly with her face half-ruddy and holding her short towel with both of her hands, and doesn't want to embarrass him further.
"I jest" Ikoma joked around.
Mumei, who feels a little sorry that she can't last her bathtime conversation with Ikoma any longer, yells at him slightly. "Thanks Ikoma, but I'm sorry for being a bit rude that you couldn't bathe with me further!" And just before Ikoma heads back to the dressing room and is about to open the sliding door, Mumei yells at him further. "Wait a minute!"
Ikoma, holding his towel left to the shoulder with his prosthetic hand, has his eyes slightly widening because of her.
"I'm a little anxious now, but I don't think it's very possible for me to bath alone without feeling like that at this time." Mumei said while her eyes lean the other way around out of embarassment. Then Ikoma replies to Mumei with his eyes closed upwards.
"Don't worry, I'm sure there are others who were waiting for you in the bath once they join." He reassures to the cute Kabaneri as his eyelids slanted outwards before returning back to the dressing room, as the latter looks to herself overjoyed.
When Ikoma has finished bathing, seeing his body and hair mostly wet, he had to dry his with a towel, though there is a hairdryer aside and use it to wither his short and partially spiky hair. Once dressed himself back in bathrobe with his eyes closed upwards, he is delighted for getting along with the frail-looking yet bright-minded girl. Leaving out the bathhouse, he is delighted over discussing with Mumei, with his left hand on hip and his right hand that carry his towel on shoulders drying his wet face.
"Ahh... I feel so refreshed to have taken the hot bath smoothly." he said himself before clenching his prosthetic hand happily. "Now I had to return to the inn immediately!"
Some moment later in the late evening, just when he is about to head back to the inn in the forest, he meets Mumei at random point and stop by, who is holding a towel with her hands at the right side of the bathhouse.
"What!?" They shouted simultaneously as they point their individual fingers to their faces each other with their eyes widened.
The fact they see one after another in the middle of the road protected by forests from the intensifying drizzle created a side effect in their liaison, however Ikoma sees the young girl being largely concerned for the betterment of himself underneath.
"Why are you here?" Mumei yells at him with her fitting exaggerated face.
"Sorry for the waiting, but why are you here seriously as well? Stucking in the same bath for too long!" Ikoma said as he squeezes out flat-looking eyes in his face, as Mumei is implied to have stayed in the bath for a dozen more minutes. Mumei acts surprised that Ikoma is still here and laugh at him for no apparent reason. This upsets the boy a little.
When the two are planning to return to the inn, something strange happened, causing the two to feel lost in an empty road.
"Are you alright Ikoma?" Mumei said to Ikoma, as she is questioning about why she is stuck in the same bath for a long-lasting time.
"Nothing at all. I'm just wondering why are you waiting for me after such a long bath." Ikoma replied. But Mumei did have an idea on how to find a comfy place even though it's a bit far away.
"Mumei!" Ikoma yells at her in response once she rushed lightly.
"Look, Ikoma! Shall we head to the teahouse nearby?" Mumei said to him.
Once they settled to the teahouse, they didn't expect anything outstanding until the female tea owner welcomed them with benevolence. "Welcome to the teahouse next to the inn. Mind any questions?"
"Nice to meet you. We just wanted a drink or something." Ikoma, who is with Mumei, replied with politeness and is eager to drink something refreshing after a hot bath. In response, the tea owner asked. "Shall we serve you tea?"
"We will pay to drink cold tea each, please." Ikoma then responded.
Although the two Kabaneris were accustomed to drink human blood in order for them to turn them back to what they originally were, they were curious to finally taste something else, as they were both served cold teas for each once headed to the dining room. The cold teas were filled in tall ceramic-made cups, coinciding with the continuous drizzle outside. To much of the surprise, they have the courage of drinking such while sitting on wooden chairs.
"Hmmm, it tastes so humble." Mumei reacted when she drinked it with both of their hands holding the cup, not knowing she could finally relish something different since childhood. Meanwhile, Ikoma, who sits to her on the table with umbrellas set aside near the entrance, had a similar impression on said tea. "That's what I've been thinking, right?"
Reprising his conversation at the indoor bath, Ikoma asked something to the young girl about his love of bathing.
"To be honest, I avidly loved baths and I always do whenever I feel bad. Even when I got too busy doing the Kabane researchs until their attack in Aragane Station, I still bathe mainly because I was exhausted whenever."
Mumei then conservately talks to him about his love of baths with a smile. "I see. So you always feel great once you have finished the bath each time, I get it now." and that's before Ikoma responds to Mumei in exchange with his eyes fixed on her for a bit.
"Everyone wanted to bath for the purpose of faciliating themselves in happiness, otherwise you can't do that without feeling in despair and that's what happens when we stuck inside the Kotetsujo for too long so it's necessary to wash yourselves sometimes."
"You're right, Ikoma. Just as we mostly drink human blood for survival, I think you had a point that the same way we should bathe like anyone else, more often than not." The young girl complies to Ikoma as she looks at his face carefully.
"No problem, I think we should do that once we smell dirty anytime." Ikoma said to the little girl with a face full of wonders, appropriately closing his eyes upwards. Once he stand up from the table, he looks up the mildly large window where he can clearly watch the drizzle on a worsening state. "I can only hope it won't rain so heavily."
"I feel the same way" is what Mumei eponymously feeling about. Then Ikoma changed subjects all of a sudden and then questions the girl over the fact he occasionally had nightmares by the time Biba is with the Kotetsujo.
"Mumei, I keep wondering whether or not I would watch over you so long we shall return to being human. It's something that I can't stop hallucinating every night while sleeping." He said softly.
"Why do you think so" Mumei wondered, as she did not get the clear picture over what Ikoma resented about. It is true that for one moment in the past, they are arguing each other as Ikoma is very curious over Mumei's deep attachment to big brother, but somehow Ikoma, who is optimistic to the point he doesn't like to get into conflicts with the beloved, vows to her that he should seriously care for her as a person this time. Strangely enough, Mumei, looking upside down dreaming about random things, had her eyes widened while the boy with a fluffy white wick is still around.
"Hey! Mumei" Ikoma called on her.
"?" Mumei wondered again while waking up from her dreamy state, as she is asked by Ikoma about the thing he forgot in a long time, as his head turns towards the cutie.
"I'm wondering if you still have a big mark in your back, right?" Ikoma questioned.
"W-why are you asking me like that, you nitwit?" Mumei blushed over a simple question that she shouldn't get afraid about as impulsive of a girly brat she is, only for her to get confused when Ikoma turned around towards the girl.
"Ikoma! Are you alright?" She wondered.
Ikoma slowly walks and approaches the startled Mumei while standing and puts his prosthetic hand to her shoulder, with his face smiling. It is not meant to be romantic seeing they don't fall in love yet and Mumei is a bit too young to truly understand what romance means, but the reason behind it is essentially an excuse for Ikoma to tease the girl and kind of obligated her to answer his question. "I wasn't trying to reproach you, just curious to see if it's really disappeared."
"I hope you aren't trying to harass me like this, you imbecile!" Mumei bashed for a bit, only for Ikoma to comfort and remind that they should return being human if Mumei truly wanted to have her big mark in her back disappears.
"I was merely teasing you, it's for the better." Ikoma said gently.
"I know, I know, but still." Mumei quickly reacted, with her eyes brigthened while Ikoma pats her head as a sign of a betterment of their friendly communion.
When the two are sitting down on the mat to pass a few more minutes before leaving the teahouse, Mumei feel a bit bored and rests on Ikoma's head knowing she feel rushed to return to her own room. Meanwhile, Ikoma sings a ditty in major scale in hope for the drizzle to stop sometime. While sleeping for a little, Mumei did hear of the little song and now she is convinced that she'll eventually perform the same song assuming she'll remember the lyrics.
Once they left the teahouse for quite sometime before returning to the inn, they thanked the owner beforehand and it is astounding for them to interact more often than they actually do while hoping that the drizzle, already slowly emerging into rain, stops. As there is a not-so-long way of returning to the inn, they chat each other over the events that occured in this day, each holding umbrellas on one hand and towels on the other hand. Ikoma looks at Mumei and is curious about why they were getting closer each day:
"Tell me, Mumei, is it weird that we are ideologically similar in some way, like two oppossing heroes of the same tale?"
"That's fair enough." Mumei replied smiledly, somehow implying that Ikoma always does right things he sees. "As a matter of fact, couldn't be just us that wanting peace parallel each other coincidentally, no?"
"That's right, it's like we were literally made to partner each other for heroism." Ikoma reacted with a chuckle and his eyes leaning upwards.
"Well, now that you mentioned it" Mumei reacted amusingly, as she is walking on puddles of water while jumping in happiness, symbolizing her childishness and energy.
"Where are you going?" Ikoma is reacting to Mumei, fearing that she'll get lost.
"To the inn." Mumei said with eyes gleeing and leaning to Ikoma.
"I feel a bit worried to this moment." is exactly how the bicolored boy felt with small worry.
"I'm fine, let's just head there, others are waiting for us already." The young girl is warning to Ikoma that they should hurry up returning to the inn, but something strange is sticking in Ikoma's mind. Nevertheless, he doesn't want to forget about returning to the inn even though it's evening and the sky is still grey.
"It seems the shower will stop soon." Ikoma informed to the girl.
"You're a bit too optimistic for that, Ikoma!" Mumei replied in part.
"It doesn't matter, Mumei." Ikoma stopped by, standing idle and feel prepared to confess his feelings to Mumei, a platonic one that had potential to tie together if their friendship grew tighter through strength. He then begins to avow his true words over Mumei's wellbeing.
"But...I'll be honest, it is thanks to you that you saved me, for the sake of survive, to help people and gather together to fight the greater evil, but at the same time..." He admitted with a strong, convincing voice.
"Ikoma..." Mumei is extremely astounded by his way of words and just when she is about to tell him about her own sentiments, Ikoma is a bit reluctant to let her speak and is forced to continue his unprecedented moment of confession.
"Your cheerfulness and natural hotbloodedness, coupled with your strong willingness to save the beloved show that you're very capable and sensible for a little girl like you right?" He bravely musters up his own courage and continue expressing his honesty towards the prune-haired girlie with fiery and tries his hardest to hold his tears back.
"It is because of you that I really wanted to get along with you, to let you get a better understanding of the outside and more importantly, grow stronger when overcoming past the obstacles. To us, I'm like the egalitarian, upbeat thinker to you being the youthful attacker with near-invincible force. If it wasn't for you, I would feel ostracized to death, but I feel really grateful that I wanted to get you closer to the chest and be cheered, I just pray that you'll eventually feel confident to each other if all things go well."
Amidst Ikoma's end of confession, Mumei burst into tears and couldn't even put into words easily and is heavily affected by it. Therefore, she had to held back her tears by putting her hands to her eyes amidst her umbrella falling on the ground and had to feel pity over her past actions to Ikoma.
"I'm sorry. I really really feel sorry for you and yet...I'm moved by the way you confessed to me." She groans strongly.
"You don't have to cry like that, Mumei." Ikoma, holding her umbrella with his prosthetic hand before giving back to her will make the young girl feel safe anytime and swears that they should care to each other, while telling her that she will remember about his confession. "Let's head to the inn then."
"I feel reassured that from now on, we're going to muster up and believe in each other even more." Mumei said that for once, she had to be responsible for the things she does while needing help just in case difficulty awaits.
"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll do." Ikoma replied with his eyes closed, leaning upwards with a smile. In the meantime, the two rushed to the inn while wondering whether or not the light rain stops.
Although their bond come across as being short of romantic, it is clear they clearly care each other by their side and they will never separate whatever they do.