Chapter 294

Soaking Under the Waterfall

“This… this is the life…”

I sighed in relaxation and joy as I leaned back into the rocky outer edge of the hot spring that Nell had happened to score . It was comfortable, and incredibly so . It felt so much better than your average garden variety hot spring that I couldn’t help but suspect its comfort came as a side effect of its incredible effects . After all, one of its greatest features was how invigorating it felt . Soaking in it almost made me feel as if I was slowly being filled with renewed energy . Oh man… this is great . I could sit in this thing for hours .

I would have been satisfied with an infinite supply of hot water alone . Having such a thing in one’s own home was nothing short of a luxury . As far as I was concerned, the permanent stat boosts were just nice extras to have on top . This is the best . Literally nothing beats it .

…You know, thinking about it, Nell’s gacha luck really is pretty insane, huh?

“Look Yuki, it’s an octopus!”

Illuna grabbed a nearby towel and folded it such that it had a big round head and a sprawling underside .

“Wow, that really does look like an octopus,” I said . “Almost makes me wish Lefi was here to see it . ”

“Why doesn’t Lefi like octopuses? They’re really tasty…”

“I think she mentioned not liking tentacles last time they came up in a conversation,” I said .

As someone from Japan, I personally loved eating octopus, and so did just about everyone else around me . But I did understand that not everyone thought as we did . The fact that westerners had the tendency to dislike them was often a point of discussion . Moreover, it wasn’t like I couldn’t see their point . I too felt a natural repulsion to non-molluscs with too many legs . Something about them irked me and threw me for a loop .

Lefi and I seemed to be the only two that felt that way, however, as Nell, Lyuu, and Leila didn’t have any particularly strong feelings about creepy crawlies . The kids were even further on the other side of the spectrum . They seemed to love insects, and would often catch centipedes and the like for fun . I’mma just blame it on them being this world’s residents . Man, non-earth people are OP as shit .

“Octopuses are all wriggly, right?” Illuna attempted to imitate a set of tentacles by moving her fingers in a wave-like fashion .

“Yup,” I said, while following suit and doing the same .

Shii, who had been half dozing off in the water, shapeshifted as she jumped into the conversation and formed a series of long, thin tendrils .

“Wow! That’s so cool!” said Illuna . “They’re all springy!”

“Wriggle wriggle wriggle~” said Shii .

Illuna began poking the tips of Shii’s tentacles, which made her giggle as one would upon being tickled whilst also wriggling them around even more . Have you ever seen a more cute and wholesome scene that involves little girls and tentacles like literally anywhere ever? And before you say anything, I’mma go ahead and say that the correct answer is silence . That was supposed to be a rhetorical question, so don’t go corrupting it or taking it out of context .

“Wait a second…” I looked away from the two girls next to me and towards the third, who was sitting right underneath the water source . “You okay, Enne? Isn’t it kinda hot over there?”

“The water’s really hot over there,” said Illuna .

“I’d be boiling!” added Shii .

“I’m okay,” said Enne . “I’m meditating . Like a warrior . ”

“Uhh… If you say so…” I said with a wry smile .

The waterfall was where all the heat in the room came from, so the spot right underneath it was much hotter than it was anywhere else . But apparently, Enne was perfectly fine and didn’t mind the change in temperature at all . Wait, where’d she learn about the whole warriors meditating under waterfalls trope anyway? I’m pretty sure I never actually brought it up… Man… you know, I always used to think that Shii was the most mysterious of the girls, seeing as how slimes aren’t supposed to be able to talk—or take on human-like forms, for that matter—but Enne’s starting to give her a real run for her money . At this point, she might even take the crown and become the dungeon’s most mysterious little girl .

After confirming that Enne was fine, I kicked back and spent a few more minutes relaxing . It wasn’t silent, as Illuna and Shii were still playing, but it was quiet enough for me to hear a set of footsteps wander into the dressing room . It was followed by the rustling of clothes, and the creaking of the door as it opened to reveal Lefi, whose current equipment could best be described as nothing but a bunch of empty slots .

“Oh, hey Lefi,” I said . “Wait, why are you here? Weren’t you supposed to be he