Section 4: Father Check 4/Between Heat and Steam

I guess this is supposed to be a bathroom area? Maybe that's why the wind here feels colder, because of all the moisture in the air.

I don't mind the cold, but what about you, Fujimaru? Are you cold?

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Quite right. We're nowhere near needing to put the roof up.

It's a little chilly, but nothing I can't handle. More importantly, you might want to keep a good grip on the steering wheel.

Bathroom tile is notoriously slippery when wet. All the more so when you add suds to the mix.

Don't worry. I'm driving safely. ...Looks like we're almost there. Get ready.

Welcome, everyone, to the fourth checkpoint!

I'll explain the rules of this test once we get to the venue.

I think it'll be faster that way, you see. Go on now.

The theme for this test is...

"Perfect fathers have great endurance!"

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That's right. It's exactly what you're thinking.

For this check, I want to see how a perfect papa handles being in a steaming hot sauna for an extended period of time.

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Yes. Separating this out by gender was a pain, so I decided everyone would wear swimsuits and use the same sauna.

Oh, don't worry about the swimsuits. I'll at least take care of those for you.

I appreciate that, but... A sauna, huh?

At this point, I really have to wonder what a perfect papa is even supposed to be.

Granted, a father with high endurance does seem preferable to one without, but still...

Is there a problem?

(Uh-oh. I can't have her deducting points on a whim now...)

Not at all! I daresay a test like this is just the thing! Right up my alley! Harrumph!

Well, if we must, we must. Guess we'd better start by changing into those swimsuits.

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Of course. And I'm already fully hydrated.

You probably all think of me as a delicate princeand I ambut I'm also not one to rest on his laurels!

This is a fine opportunity to prove I'm not the kind of weakling who gives up in the face of a mere sauna!

Phew...

... ...

... ...

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(Staring)

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...This is dull.

It's too dull, dammit! We've barely moved since we got here!

It's nice and warm in here, yes, but is that really all there is to it!?

This is an endurance test, right? We'll conserve our energy better if we don't move.

As for talking... I don't know. Maybe it'll help keep us distracted?

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I'm only here to observe the proceedings...

...but I'll admit, this test is getting kind of samey.

So let's mix things up with a little löyly.

Löyly? What's that?

It's one of the few things you can do to change things up in a sauna. It involves

I'm not giving you any time to steel yourselves.

Now that the sauna stones are nice and hot, it's time to spawn in some water and make a splash!

Yeooowch! Too close! Too close!

Khh...!

Yikes, that's hot! What happened to not interfering directly!?

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Come on, don't tell me you're already at your limits? We're still just getting started.

No father worth his salt would ever go down before his darling daughter, riiight?

So go on. Let me see up close how a father puts up with pain!

I'm sorry, I just remembered I forgot something☆ You guys can take it from here!

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Gnn, I can't believe a Servant was the first to drop out! I guess I'm not all that surprised in this case.

Khh, and hearing him breathe a loud and audible sigh of relief right outside the door isn't doing my willpower any favors, either!

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Yes, you're right. I'm not so quick to surrender as that weakling.

I'm Goredolf Musik, a first-rate mage and the director of Chaldea. I've still got plenty of fight in me!

Hey! Wake up, Kadoc! You'll die if you fall asleep! (Probably)

I wasn't...sleeping...

Well, actually... If I'm being totally honest, I might have been spacing out a little bit.

But I'm still good. I'm not going anywhere just yet.

Good! That's what I like to hear! Let's show this girl what those with true Chaldean spirit are made of!

And I'm out.

Aha☆ So that's what it looks like when someone is completely spent! That was great!

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Stop! Don't move him if he's not ready! He did a great job, but now, he needs to rest!

Don't worry, I'll take care of you if there's an emergency. You two just keep hanging in there as long as you can!

Dammit. Guess it's just you and me now.

It looks like Oberon's keeping an eye on us, so at least we shouldn't have to worry about dying if we collapse...

...but honestly, I don't know how much longer I can last, either.

Still, I might be nearing my limit, but I'm going to hang on as long as I can.

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...ey. ...ey! Wake up, Fujimaru!

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It's fine. The same thing happened to me.

But never mind that now. I just realized something.

Take a look ahead of you.

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Right. Well, that's fine. I don't know what she's getting out of this, but she's been that way this whole time.

But that's not all. There's something else I noticed, too.

Take a closer look. It's hard to say for sure, since this steam is clouding things, but...

...doesn't it look like she hasn't shed so much as a single bead of sweat?

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Let's find out for sure.

I'll try for the next time she splashes water on the stones.

Oh my, your faces are so red, teehee. I love seeing people doing their best like that.

But I want to see even more. Sooo, how about a little more löyly to heat things up

Now!

You're doing Aufguss on your own now?

Well, I'm afraid you were a little too early. Please don't interfere with my work.

That clinches it.

I just used wind magecraft to send the water you were about to splash on the stones right back at you...

...and not a single drop of it stuck.

You've got some kind of barrier up around your body, don't you? Something that keeps you insulated from the heat.

Oh my, you figured it out, did you?

That's just playing dirty.

We can't possibly beat you when you're not even feeling the heat!

Hm? Who said anything about winning or losing?

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Oh, that? That was just a way of encouraging you not to embarrass yourselves. It has nothing to do with your score.

I'm not scoring you on how you compare to me. I'm only scoring you based on how well you endure.

R-really?

Then...why are you here? Why are you in the sauna with us in the first place?

I'm here because...

...I want to see my fathers' suffering up close and personal, of course. Teehee.

I'm not smooshing you with my fingertip the way I usually would in my insect space...

...so what's wrong with enjoying another perk of the job?

N-no way...

Khh. So this test was never even about competing with her...

If it's not a competition...then, there's no end to it...

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Sixty-seven points.

Khh...

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After all that!?

I mean, I know I gave up partway, but those two hung in there for a damn long time!

I know. I couldn't believe their sheer fortitude. The heat in there was entirely different from what you'd face even in a desert.

You'd have to be out of your mind to choose to stay in a blazing hot room like that.

Sorry, I'm not accepting feedback on my scoring criteria.

All right, everyone, good luck at the final checkpoint!

Gnnn. Even with all our hard work, it feels like storm clouds have started gathering over our path.

Now, now. It's not like we had a clear, sunny view of the way out of here before, right?

So I think it's still too soon to say whether this has been a good or bad result.

You might be right.

At any rate, we can't stop here. According to the map, the bedroom area is coming up next.

I don't know what's in store for us there, but we'll just have to make our way there as carefully as we can.