Thermae Akai 2

So you...

Are you the delegation from Red Winter Academy, here to view our bathhouse...?

Yes. I am Amami Nodoka of Red Winter Federal Academy, under special dispensation from President Cherino to study Gehenna Academy's bathing facilities.

I must say, it's exciting to experience Gehenna's famous hot water baths personally.

I look forward to working with you.

Haaa... I was expecting something to come up after Chair Makoto's last trip to Red Winter Academy, but...

She really has a knack for making annoying work that no one asked for...

...Is there a problem?

No, no. Please spend as much time bathing as you want.

Gehenna's dorms are usually pretty hands-off... I don't spend much time managing things personally.

Hands off? But the facilities here are so clean and well-maintained.

Yeah, and these towels are so soft. And look at all the high-end beauty products!

Oh, that...

The Hot Springs Department did that on their own.

On...their own?

Yeah. Originally, there was just one big hot tub in the center of the room, and we only had cheap cucumber-scented soap...

But then the Hot Springs Department decided that Gehenna Academy's hot spring facilities were being neglected, and they've been taking care of maintenance since.

(So the Hot Springs Department runs the baths here... That was a blind spot in our intelligence.)

The bath water also smells quite nice... Has the Hot Springs Department added bath salts or something?

No, that's naturally occurring from the hot springs here.

The underground water that flows from the Hinnom Volcano contains sulfur, so by drawing the water up to the academy, students can enjoy bathing in a hot spring all over Gehenna.

It's one of the unique perks offered by the Gehenna District.

(So we also need to keep in mind that groundwater changes from place to place...)

...Would I be able to take a bath and see how the water feels?

Of course, please feel free.

Let's see...

Ow! That's hot!

Wh-What in the world?! Why is this water so hot?!

Is the bath too hot? It's only 70°C...

70 degrees?! That's the temperature for making shabu-shabu in a hot pot, not relaxing in a hot tub!

Anyone who bathes in this water will surely scald themselves!

How strange. The students of Gehenna asked us to keep the water at this temperature. They actually complain if we change it...

I can't speak for the students of Gehenna, but our Red Winter Academy students won't want to boil themselves alive.

Are there any baths with a lower temperature?

The cold baths are over here.

Let's see...

Gah, that's freezing!

Why is the cold bath filled with ice water?!

Wow, this makes me nostalgic for all the times we had to bath in the frozen river out back...

Why not? People say that moving from hot water to cold stimulates the skin and works as a natural beauty routine.

This kind of intense stimulation is popular in Gehenna, so all of our baths are kept at these temperatures...

Perhaps it's too harsh for the students of Red Winter.

It's not just harsh for people from Red Winter Academy, but for life as we know it!

And without the help of the Hot Springs Department, recreating this set-up in Red Winter Academy would be difficult...

Clearly we need to examine the other academies' bathing facilities too!

Trinity General School welcomes the special delegation from Red Winter Academy.

I was made aware of your arrival from the other students.

...I have also been informed that you had an unpleasant experience at Gehenna Academy.

N-No, I wouldn't go so far as to call it...unpleasant.

Your diplomacy does you credit, but I don't expect an academy unable to keep its own students under control to be capable of properly receiving and attending to its guests.

Please enjoy this tea and refresh yourselves here momentarily. We shall escort you through the baths as soon as the attendants are finished cleaning.

Wh-Whoa... They brought out a bunch of fancy black tea and snacks.

Do you think they'll let us take some home with us after the tour...?

What a deep flavor! I don't know a lot about tea, but these leaves have to be pricey!

If I knew they were going to throw a tea party, I would have brought the lingonberry jam I made.

Being pampered from the get-go is a wonderful first impression...

I apologize for the delay. The baths are clean now, so please follow me.

Mmm... That smells nice...

I'm picking up a faint hint of black tea from the water.

You have an excellent nose.

In the Trinity dormitories, we don't just serve delicious tea, we also add tea leaves to our bath water.

Not only does it give our baths a certain...je ne sais quoi, but it also releases the nutrients contained in the tea leaves, which has wonderful health benefits when absorbed by the skin.

The water temperature is... Let's see...

Oh my, this is the perfect temperature to enjoy a bath!

Maintaining an optimal temperature is essential for both brewing tea and drawing baths, and therefore key to cultivating a healthy body and soul.

Trinity's elegant bathing facilities are a step above those run by certain...uncouth academies who burn their bodies and beverages with boiling water.

I see...

What do you think? Would you consider installing the same bathing facilities used by Trinity Academy in Red Winter Academy?

I think the Red Winter Academy students would like it too...

What do you think, Shigure?

Hmm, I'm sorry for asking such a blunt question, but...

How much does all of this cost in terms of upkeep?

Oh, the facility is not that expensive, all things considered...

If you add up the cost of maintaining the bone china tiles, with the cost of the tea leaves that go into the bathtub...

We budget at least one million yen a month.

What?! It's that expensive?

Expensive? The tea leaves we use for our baths are supremely affordable, they only cost us a mere 10,000 yen per bucket.

It is embarrassing to admit, but compared to the black tea that we drink, the tea leaves we use for bathing are very poor quality...

To think that tea leaves that cost more than 10,000 yen a bucket are considered poor quality...

I won't be beguiled by Trinity's bourgeois baths!

Really... I never expected famous academies like Trinity and Gehenna to have such disappointing bathing facilities.

If any other academy tried to maintain facilities like that, they'd go bankrupt within a month!

But weren't you a little harsh when we left Trinity?

Even if we didn't sign a contract with them, they might have let us keep those fancy snacks if we left on good terms...

I-I wasn't interested in snacking like the bourgeoisie anyway!

As envoys of Red Winter Academy, we represent our school! We can't embarrass Red Winter by sweating the small stuff like being perfectly polite all the time!

Honestly, I'm not sure if anything we do could make our academy more or less ashamed of us...

Either way, I think someone from the Yin-Yang Club was supposed to welcome us to Hyakkiyako Academy, but I don't see anyone...

Are we in the wrong place?

Excuse me, is anyone here?

...Hmm? Who are you? I don't think I've seen you around Hyakkiyako Academy before.

P-Perhaps they're guests from another academy...?

Oh, thank goodness. I thought we were lost.

We're from Red Winter Academy, and we're here to tour your facilities...

A tour...?

Tsukuyo... Could they be guests here for the Free Ninja Experience Event we posted on the channel...?

B-But... That post barely received 10 views, let alone comments...

But what if they're two of those ten people?

I thought the students of Hyakkiyako Academy were the only ones interested in ninjas...

...This could be our chance to turn the "Michiruchi, A Girl's Ninja Scroll" channel into a global phenomenon!

Welcome. We have been waiting for you.

Welcome to Hyakkiyako Academy!

Heehee, thank you for the warm greetings.

What would you like to try out first? Throwing stars? Vaulting over bamboo shoots?

...Throwing stars? ...Vaulting over bamboo shoots?

I've never heard of bathing like that before...

Bathing...?

Don't you know? We're visiting to tour your bathing facilities...

Oh, you should have said so from the beginning!

Hold on, I'll show you our time-honored ninja bathing tradition!

This is...?

Drum barrel baths!

You put water in a drum barrel and light a fire underneath to enjoy a warm bath with very little water!

And drum barrels are easy to set up, so you can place a bath tub anywhere you like, even outdoors if you know a place with a great view!

Th-The only downside is that you can get stuck in the barrel...

Last time I took a long bath, I couldn't even m-move when I tried to get back out...

I was so large I got stuck... Sorry, I'm sure it wouldn't happen to you...

Th-Though the drums we used back then were really too small...

(Wh-What...? Their expressions suddenly turned terrifying.)

Um, is there a problem...?

I can't believe that students of a major institution like Hyakkiyako Academy are washing themselves in such conditions...

Everyone. No matter how harshly Hyakkiyako's violent dictator cracks down on you, you mustn't lose hope!

Your comrades from Red Winter Academy will always be there to assist in your struggle!

Y-Yeah... Th-Thank you...

Here! This is some of the special hot springs manju we made back when we managed a hot springs resort!

It's not a lot, but hide it on your person, and it'll revitalize your energy when they try to starve you!

Y-Yeah... Th-Thanks...

Let's fight side-by-side for baths that are free and comfortable for all!

Yeah... Sure...

I-I think there's been some kind of misunderstanding...

Kyaaahhh! I'm in trouble... I'm running late...

Oh, the Ninjutsu Research Club. Have you come across any students from another academy?

I was told a special delegation from Red Winter Academy was going to be here...

Um, perhaps...

Uh, no, I don't think so...

Oh no, they must have left already... Kaho is going to give me such a scolding...

...Where did this manju come from?

We...got it from some comrades who were passing through.

...Comrades?