Sera was quiet for a long moment, then nodded once. "Fine. But we still need to be smart about this. No more charging blindly into danger."
"I don't charge blindly," Kael protested.
"You jumped in front of a Crawler to protect Clara," Sera pointed out.
"That's different. That was—"
"Before you finish that thought," Asha cut in, "I'm gonna have to point out that you haven't bathed in five days. You're basically approaching 'biological hazard' territory here."
A sudden wave of self-awareness hit him like a splash of cold water. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, sniffed the collar of his uniform, and recoiled slightly. "Oh," he muttered, horror dawning on his face. "Oh no."
He sniffed again, just to be sure.
Yep. He reeked. A potent mix of dried sweat, pipe grease, faint antiseptic, and desperation. No wonder Asha sounded smug.
Rosa was the first to notice his reaction, raising a single, perfectly shaped brow. "Wait—don't tell me that face means what I think it means."
She leaned in slightly... then leaned way back with an exaggerated grimace.
Rosa's nose scrunched up as she leaned away. "Ohh~"
"I-I didn't wanna say anything," Clara stammered, fidgeting with her glasses.
"You do smell kinda... um... Like a sweaty gym sock that's been forgotten in a locker for a month," Sera said, not sugarcoating it.
"Thanks for the honesty," Kael muttered, completely mortified.
"I tried bringing it up earlier, but you were too busy having your emotional breakthroughs," Asha said dryly.
Rosa jumped off her crate with fresh energy. "Well, that settles it! Bath time for our fearless hero!"
"I can wait—" Kael started.
"No," all three girls said at once. "The hygiene facilities are working fine," Sera said, checking her tablet.
"Clara got power back to that area yesterday. You're going. Now."
"B-but what about planning?" Kael protested weakly.
"We'll plan after you're clean," Sera said firmly.
"We'll handle the initial stuff while you... handle yourself."
Clara pulled up the Vault schematics on her glasses. "The b-bath module's actually pretty advanced. The water recycling uses molecular filtration, and the temperature controls are accurate to like 0.1 degrees."
"Sounds fancy," Rosa grinned. "Maybe we should all—"
"Rosa," Sera cut her off sharply.
"What? I was gonna say... tour the facilities later," Rosa said innocently, though her smirk said otherwise.
"I'm picking up elevated stress hormones from everyone," Asha observed. "Recommendation: get to the bath module before this gets more awkward."
"Right," Kael said, grateful for the out. "I'll... go clean up. Thanks for, uh, letting me know."
"We'll be in the Command Lounge when you're done," Sera said, her cheeks still kinda pink. "Take your time."
As Kael grabbed some fresh clothes and headed for the door, Rosa called out, "Don't forget to wash behind your ears!"
"Rosa!" Clara squeaked.
"What? It's basic hygiene!"
The bath module was like nothing Kael had ever seen. The hallway leading there had soft blue lights that brightened as he walked by. The entrance had both Japanese and English writing: "Purification Chamber - 清浄室"
"The Vault's designers definitely had some cultural appreciation," Asha noted as Kael approached. "This place combines traditional Japanese bathing ideas with high-tech purification stuff."
The door slid open silently, and what he saw made him stop in his tracks. The main room was huge and peaceful, with dark stone walls that seemed to glow warmly from within.
A big rectangular pool sat in the center, its surface perfectly still and steaming gently.
One wall had a row of shower stations, each with multiple shower heads and control panels that looked more like spaceship controls than bathroom fixtures.
The air felt different here, clean and humid, with a subtle mineral smell that reminded him of natural hot springs.
"Water's at 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Mineral content is optimized for muscle recovery and skin health. The filtration's running, this water's cleaner than most pre-collapse drinking water."
"It's incredible," Kael murmured, setting his clean clothes on a bench. The uniform he'd been wearing already felt too formal for this peaceful place.
He walked up to one of the shower stations, amazed by all the controls. There were settings for water pressure, temperature, mineral content, even something called "Therapeutic Massage Mode."
"I'd start with the standard cleansing cycle," Asha suggested. "You can play with the fancy features once you're not actively offending people's noses."
The water was perfect, hot enough to ease his sore muscles, but not uncomfortable. As he stood under the spray, letting five days of dirt and stress wash away, Kael felt something he hadn't felt since waking up in the Vault, actual relaxation.
Steam rose around him, and with it came fragments of memory.
A woman's voice, gentle but firm: "Kael, remember the sword isn't just a weapon. It's an extension of your spirit, your discipline, your heritage."
The clack of wooden practice swords in a sunny dojo. The smell of incense and polished wood.
"Your grandmother would be proud of how far you've come. The Tsurugi legacy lives on in you."
"But I don't wanna be a corporate heir, Mother. I just want to help people."
"Sometimes, helping people requires power. And power... power requires sacrifice."
The memory faded as fast as it came, leaving Kael with more questions than answers. But one thing was getting clearer, his past was way more complicated than he'd thought.
[MEMORY FRAGMENT RECOVERED]
Source: Neural Echo – Subject Reika Tsurugi
Context Tag: [Pre-Collapse Indoctrination]
> "Sometimes, helping people requires power. And power... power requires sacrifice."
Integration Status: Successfully Synced with Core Memory Layer
Update:
Confirmed Link: [Tsurugi Zaibatsu – Direct Bloodline: Reika Tsurugi]
Implied Objective: Pre-conditioning for an unknown future role
"Memory fragment successfully integrated," Asha reported. "New info suggests your mother was definitely preparing you for something big. The Tsurugi Zaibatsu connection is confirmed, but there are still gaps."
"What kind of responsibility?" Kael asked quietly, rinsing shampoo from his hair.
"Don't know. But considering your family's influence and the fact you're here, in this specific Vault, with these specific people... I doubt it's a coincidence."
After what felt like his first real shower in months, Kael made his way to the soaking pool. The water was deeper than expected, and as he lowered himself in, his muscles finally, completely relaxed.
The pool had subtle ledges so he could sit comfortably with his head above water. Built-in jets gave a gentle massage, and the mineral-rich water seemed to actually speed up his healing.
"Bio monitor's show less inflammation, better circulation, and optimized neural activity," Asha reported.