Dungeon Refrigerator 93.1

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The Night Stillness

"[Pikiiiiin...!]"

Without attachment, without thought, in a state of nothingness. Through meditation, I send my consciousness deep into the depths of my heart or far beyond into the vast emptiness. Inside the salt sauna.

But it's a good time, so there are quite a few people inside the salt sauna.

However, I mustn't let the bustling presence of people disturb my concentration, nor should I let the rising heat of the sauna break my focus. When the mind is extinguished, even fire becomes cool, they say. Though the monk who said that supposedly died while meditating in a sauna.

No one likes to start a conversation with someone sitting in the salt sauna with a mountain of salt on their head while meditating. They probably think I'm quite eccentric. But these are mere worldly matters.

As I concentrate, the channel to the spirits of salt once again opens.

"[Pikiiiiin...!]"

(((......)))

I still can't make out what they're saying. But I can feel something like consciousness or emotion directed towards me. That's fine; I just need to face them and let our hearts meld together.

(Zazan... Zazan...)

"...Huh!? (Bam!)"

Wait...? Oh, I see. I'm inside the sauna. It feels like I've been drifting across a vast ocean for a long time.

Oh, it's been an hour and a half already. It seems that when I meditate in the salt sauna, it naturally becomes a 90-minute session. I wonder if there's any significance to that. No, no, I came with Seki-san to the super sento. I did mention taking a long bath, but I've kept her waiting for quite a while. I need to get out soon.

"......"

As I step outside and search for Serai-san, I see her sitting on a sofa, sipping a drink and swaying her limbs listlessly. It seems I made her wait a bit. Amidst the people walking around in their yukata, Serai-san in her white clothes looks a bit out of place.

"Sorry, I'm late."

"Nah... Want to grab something to eat?"

Huh? What's wrong with her? She seems unusually low-energy. Normally, Seki-san would scold me, saying something like, "You're so late!".

"......"

We walk side by side, and I sneak a peek at her profile, but she remains expressionless. She's not angry, but she doesn't seem amused either. That's the kind of face she's making. I recall her making that face when she was studying, hunched over her notes.

"...Serai-san, what do you want to eat?"

But I'm not very attuned to the subtleties of a woman's heart, so the best I can come up with to improve her mood is to offer her food. Damn... How does someone like Kagura manage to keep girls happy with him?

"Um, how about tempura and soba...?"

"Oh, sounds good! I've sweated a lot, so I'd like a salty soba soup. And I'd like some crispy tempura to go with it. Hmm, my mouth's watering..."

"Ahaha, well, I do have my salt in the sauna, you know!"

"Well, that's true, but salt is only meaningful when it complements a dish, right?"

"I see, salt that complements a dish... (muttering)"

"Hmm... What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Oh, there's a vacant seat over there, Master!"

"(Zzz! Zabazo-zo-zo!... Mugu-mugu... Crunch!... Mogu-mogu...)"

"(Zzz! Zururu... Mogu-mogu...)"

Sitting across from each other at the table, we enjoy a serving of zaru soba (cold soba noodles) and assorted tempura.

When Serai-san eats with me, her manners seem slightly less refined. But when it comes to noodles, it's probably proper to slurp them with enthusiasm. And rather than eating delicately, it's more enjoyable to see someone, even a girl like Serai-san, who eats heartily.

"Seki-san, is something wrong? You seem a bit down today."

It might be considered a form of kindness not to ask, but I was genuinely concerned. So I decided to inquire. In situations like this, I have no idea which approach is the right one.

"Well, um... it's just that... various things, you know... (Crunch, munch...)"

Serai-san mumbles as she takes a bite of shrimp tempura and chews.

Hmm, I wonder which one it is. Is this a sign that means "Don't ask any further"? Yeah, it probably is. There have been various issues, like the stalker problem and whatnot. If she was also attacked by the stalker's mother. She must have been through a lot. She probably doesn't want to think about that.

Afterward, Serai-san talked about how delicious the turtle hot pot was and didn't discuss her worries or anything further.

.....