Splash, splash…
Around four in the afternoon, in the hot spring pool, the beast-ear girls, the elf, and Nicole were all soaking, getting ready to put on their new clothes.
"New Year? Why would the Master decide on such a holiday?" Annie said, lowering her head as she groomed her fox tail.
The fox-ear girl didn't understand, and neither did the others. After all, this world didn't really have any holidays. The only festival was the anniversary of the kingdom's founding, a day of national celebration, but after so many years, the festival of the Siacan Kingdom had been all but forgotten.
Not to mention the beast-ear girls weren't people of the Siacan Kingdom, so their concept of holidays was even vaguer, especially since the Valtoria Beastkin Kingdom was gone.
"Didn't the Master say? The New Year is a holiday from his hometown. Maybe it's to commemorate something," Nicole said softly as she washed Ayesha's hair.
"Hey, what do you guys think? Where is the Master's hometown?" Helen asked curiously.
"Well, I heard the Master say he's from the East," Mina said lazily, her whole body submerged in the water, with only half her face above the surface.
"The East? That's way too broad," Annie said, rolling her eyes.
"The East? Isn't that by the sea?" Freya asked doubtfully. She had heard about the customs of the eastern regions during her time in the wilds.
"By the sea? I've never heard the Master mention the ocean," Nicole said, grabbing the cow-horn girl's head and even lathering her horns with shampoo foam.
"Hey, hey, what do you think the ocean is like?" Ayesha asked curiously, having never seen it. "I don't know either," Mina said, shaking her head. She had never been to the sea.
"I heard it has a lot of water, hundreds of times bigger than some great lakes, and the water is salty," Elisa chimed in faintly, as she was busy playing with Hazel.
"Don't worry, we'll have a chance to find out in the future," Annie said with a grin, speaking lazily. "Isn't the Master building a big ship? We can just take the ship to see the ocean then."
"Huh? That's a great idea!" Ayesha sat up abruptly, flinging her long purple hair and sending foam flying everywhere.
"Ayesha, don't move around so much, I'm not done washing you yet," Nicole chided, lightly patting the cow-horn girl's smooth back.
"Sorry." Ayesha obediently lowered her head again.
"Camilla, don't be shy," Helen said, turning to look at the silent Camilla, who was hugging her chest and soaking blankly in the hot spring.
"Huh?" Camilla was startled, staring blankly at the rabbit-ear girl. It was her first time in a hot spring, and the feeling was so relaxing. Compared to her life in Riverden City, her current life felt like that of a noble.
"No, it's nothing." Helen smiled and shook her head. She thought Camilla was being shy, but it turned out she was just spacing out.
"Alright, you go have a soak," Nicole said, rinsing the foam off Ayesha and herself, washing away the suds that had splashed onto her own body as well.
"Yay!" Ayesha stood up, a pair of huge breasts jiggling on her chest, and jumped into the hot spring.
Splash!
Water shot high into the air, splashing onto everyone's faces, and the water churned violently.
The next second, everyone started a water fight, splashing each other back and forth.
On the other side of the hot spring, Lucas was lazily soaking, listening to the playful sounds coming from the other side. He was the person in the castle who used the hot spring the least.
Splash, splash…
Water suddenly splashed onto his face. Lucas raised a hand to wipe it away and turned to see Amelia, in a swim ring, practicing her swimming, her feet kicking vigorously at the water's surface.
Lucas shook his head. The girl's swimming skills hadn't improved at all. He had taught her to swim before but it didn't work, so he got a swimming ring for her.
Twenty minutes later, Lucas's whole body felt limp from soaking, and he yawned from time to time. He turned to look at a lazy Amelia, floating along with the ripples in her swim ring.
"Amelia, stop soaking." Lucas stood up. Before the girl could react, he grabbed a large towel from the side, wrapped it around his lower body, and stepped onto the bank. He was afraid if she soaked any longer, she'd pass out.
Splash, splash…
Amelia kicked her feet and paddled her hands to the edge. She carefully placed the swim ring in a locker and began to dress.
"..." The corner of Lucas's mouth twitched. She really didn't see him as an outsider, did she? Helpless, he had no choice but to turn his back to the girl and get dressed. He heard the beast-ear girls on the other side getting out of the hot spring as well.
Creeak…
Pat, pat, pat…
The door was suddenly pushed open, followed by the sound of slippers. Lucas didn't even have to guess to know the beast-ear girls had arrived.
"Huh? Master, you're done soaking?" Annie asked in surprise, looking at the fully dressed Lucas and Amelia.
"I told you, the Master is always faster than us," Mina said, drying her wet hair with a towel.
"Hee hee… Annie is disappointed again," Nicole chuckled. With a towel wrapped around her head, she saw Lucas drying his hair and quickly went over to take over.
"If I soaked any longer, I'd have fallen asleep," Lucas said, rolling his eyes. The fox-ear girl was always trying to launch a sneak attack on him. Didn't she see the wolf-ear girl staring intently? "Master, what's next?" Helen asked curiously. She was very interested in the festival. Not having to teach these past few days had been very relaxing for her.
"Next is the New Year's Eve dinner, then we'll watch performances and stay up for the vigil," Lucas said softly, waving a hand at Nicole.
He walked over to a locker and, using it for cover, took out a stack of gifts from his inner space. They were the kind you could buy on Earth, with exquisite designs on them.
How could you have New Year's without gifts? Even if there is no Christmas, he prepared gifts for everybody. He had prepared them long ago.
"Master, what is this?" Annie asked curiously, looking at the things in Lucas's hand.
"This is a red envelope, your gift." Lucas said with a slight smile, pulling one out and handing it to the fox-ear girl. "Giving out red envelopes for the New Year, also called lucky money, is a custom from my hometown."
"Red envelope? A custom?" Annie took the red envelope blankly, instantly captivated by the beautiful design on it. "This design is so beautiful," She exclaimed.
"Wow! There's actually a silver coin inside!" Ayesha exclaimed.
Elisa pinched the silver coin and hesitated, "Master, isn't this too much?"
"It's only once a year, it's not much," Lucas said with a wave of his hand. Watching the deer-ear girl happily showing her silver coin to Helen, he was very curious whether the little beast-ear girl would hand over her lucky money or save it for herself.
"Helen, I have a silver coin too!" Hazel shouted happily, carefully clutching the coin with both hands.
"Then you'd better keep it safe," Helen said gently.
"The silver coin is for Helen, to buy tasty things for Angela and the others," Hazel shouted with adorable excitement.
Angela, she mentioned, was one of the beastkin children who came from the tribe—the orphans in the orphanage.
"Alright, I'll take you to see everyone tomorrow," Helen said gently, not wanting to refuse Hazel's act of kindness.
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