The story of how I, who became the beloved child of Winter Fenrir, was healed from despair

19: Loving the Warmth of the Hot Spring

The sensation of being enveloped in the warm, soothing embrace of the hot spring was incredibly delightful. The icy decorations began to melt away, and I was completely immersed in the comfort of the heat.

El!

Revi, stop!

My blissful sigh was interrupted by Fenrir and Greya’s urgent voices, but even their concern seemed to melt into the overwhelming warmth. I felt as if I was about to be rendered completely senseless by the heat.

Wait… are you really okay with my embrace?

“Ah!”

I clung to Revi even more, reluctant to let go of the comforting heat. Although she had pulled away slightly, I moved forward and hugged her again. The heat from the spring felt almost magical, and I was lost in its intoxicating warmth. My ability to describe it had completely melted away.

I’m so glad.

Revi embraced me tightly in return, her warmth only adding to the wonderful sensation.

Ah, this warmth is perfect!

“Blissful!”

Is that so, El…?

I turned toward Fenrir’s concerned voice, sensing his worry.

“Yeah. I really love hot springs.”

I gave a thumbs-up, trying to reassure them. Oh, and Greya was rolling her eyes.

Well! I’ve come to love you as well.

Revi clung to me even more, her warmth intensifying. The area where she rested her face, particularly on my shoulder, felt overwhelmingly hot. It was a bit much, and I noticed that Revi’s form seemed to be trembling.

Fenrir let out a breath, and the cool wind helped soothe my overheated head. Thanks for that.

El. As you can see, the hot spring spirit Revi is especially lonely. However, her heat is too intense for the winter animals, causing them to avoid her. She’s too hot for both winter and summer.

“Is that so?”

Normally, winter magic would dissolve in Revi’s hot spring water.

What!? I looked at myself, and—oh no! Some parts of my skirt and cape, and even some decorations, had melted away. My exposure was unexpectedly increased. I began fidgeting and trying to cover myself up.

“I’m acting like a young maiden even though I’m of age, but this is really embarrassing!”

“Without fur, you look rather poor. How unfortunate.”

I can hear Gréa’s quiet voice! Is it that, for beasts, “melting fur = exposing bare skin (like skinned raw meat)”? That’s an unexpected perspective, and it made my embarrassment vanish! I’m no longer shy at all. Standing confidently in front of the spectators, who are beasts, I just owned it.

“Oh, I melted too much… I always do this. But… I can’t seem to part from you.”

Rubbing against me warmly, the hot sensation from the spirit is comforting. I also find it hard to part. Let’s try something!

“Costume change! Swimsuit style!”

I imagined a durable competitive swimsuit. How’s that! This is the common sense of another world! This is the Japanese style!

“…It doesn’t melt!?”

“Yay!”

The hot spring spirit, Lévy, is astonished. My creative solution has won big time.

“Now we can stay close without worry. So, let’s enjoy the hot spring!”

“Is that so!? Alright then!”

Lévy’s face brightened with a radiant smile, and she grabbed my hand, shaking it enthusiastically.

“Nice to meet you, nice to meet you!”

Her response is so adorable. The initial aloofness seems long gone.

“Please come in, Winter Princess.”

Led by Lévy, I stepped into the orange hot spring and sank up to my shoulders. Ahh, this is perfect!

“…Oh no, wasn’t there some issue we needed to address here!? Fenrir!”

“Oh, there was an issue. But most of it has been resolved thanks to you,” Fenrir replied.

Wait, was I just praised by Fenrir? For what?

Fenrir stomped his foot down. Snow piled up high in the areas that had previously shown the brown ground.