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In Koai's hands were a bucket of hot water and an empty basin.

"The 'fun part'... what do you mean by a hip bath?"
She had obediently taken them, but she couldn't fathom the reason she'd been handed them... especially the basin.
As if to reflect her thoughts, Koai's gaze fell upon the basin in her hands.

"Eh? Well, you fill it with hot water... Ah, are you a traveler, new to these parts?"
The maid seemed to have intended to answer only part of Koai's question.
Koai couldn't understand the reason for that, either.
She didn't understand, but she decided to continue the conversation first.

"Even if I fill it with water, it's not deep enough to soak up to my waist."
"Right, that's why you only put your hips in the basin. Like you're sitting in it."

From the maid's explanation, Koai could somewhat understand the action itself... but her understanding of the reason for doing so didn't deepen.

Koai considered asking for Snow's opinion for a moment and turned to look toward the back of the room.
However, Snow had at some point flopped onto the bed and showed no signs of movement... Had she already fallen asleep?

Koai had no choice but to continue questioning the maid.

"And what is the point of doing so?"
"It's best if you brew some medicinal herbs and mix them into the water, but even just hot water will get you clean."
However, it seemed her conversation with the maid wasn't quite connecting.

"If you're going to do something so roundabout, wouldn't it be better to just take a bath?"
At that, Koai clearly voiced the question that had been on her mind.

"Ah, so you really don't know. Clean water is precious around here. If you tried to collect enough water for a full bath, the sun would set before you were done."
Though the maid's tone was like a complaint, her expression seemed somewhat bright.