I arrive back at the central commerce district of Rotini a short while later and look around the city`s hotels. We did plan to meet up at a hotel`, but being an utter nincompoop sometimes, I didn`t realize that Rotini was large enough to have not two, but three hotels. I shake my head - this is going to be awkward.

　　With a sigh, I enter the first hotel, the Six Seasons. I hope Sammy didn`t check in here. Not that I wouldn`t want to stay here, but because, just like its probable namesake back home, this place looks expensive as shit. A sprawling indoor fountain stands in the lobby alongside some sort of kaleidoscopic light show in the background. Very reminiscent of similar shows back on Earth, though made with magic instead of technology. The front desk is plated with gold trim and adorned with the hotel`s insigne across its front, and even the door greeters wear elaborate silken suits with immaculate finery.

　　I blush with embarrassment as I scurry out of the lobby and make for the other two options. I quickly rule out the Sleep n` Scram. Just the name gives me pause, and seeing the lobby through cracked windows tells me everything I need to know. Though, the fact this hotel doesn`t exist in the game should`ve been a giveaway.

　　This leaves only the Tidewall Inn, a homely little establishment on the eastern edge of town. Rustic, yet well maintained, with the scent of pine to greet me as I walk through the door. As expected, Sammy is here, sitting on a chair off to the side of the lobby. She walks up to me, and I realize right away that I`ve got a lot of explaining to do.

　　But the castigation I expect never comes. Sammy looks me over, scanning my sides, walking around and looking at me from behind. As much as I wish she were checking me out, I suspect she has other, more sinister motivations. Deciding that cooperation is the quickest and easiest path, I relent and acquiesce to her continued scouring of my body until she looks me over one last time, her eyes tracing up and down my body.

　　"Well, you kept your end of the deal," Sammy says.

　　"I told you, I just wanted to take a stroll around town." Still, it was a bit scarier than just waltz into the mansion, grab the treasure chests` like it is in-game. And, even though there`s no repercussions in game for appropriating treasure chests out of nobles` houses, I`ve already experienced enough subtle changes to the story that I find little comfort in my past knowledge.

　　"I know you`re lying to me, Ash. And I know I don`t want to know, so let`s just leave it at that."

　　"Agreed. I have a feeling that things are going to be rough tomorrow, so I wouldn`t mind turning in on the earlier side this evening. Though, we still have a couple hours left until dusk if there`s anything else you wanted to do today."

　　"I hear there`s a natural hot spring here, and after all the sweat we had with our fights earlier today, my skin needs one. Come on, Ash! It`ll be fun!"

　　My eyes widen at the thought. "You don`t need to convince me, Sammy. Though, we should probably get checked in first. And not really sure what to do about swimsuits."

　　"Oh, don`t worry about that. I already asked and they have rentals here! Hurry up, Ash!"

　　I struggle to keep my composure as we check in - the stay is pricey, but not extortionate, though at this point, I`m not sure if I give two damns about the money route anymore. This is worth being a bit off. We head to our room, on the third floor, and no elevators in this world, so the staircase it is.

　　I can hardly control my anticipation by the time we reach our room. Back on Earth we`d need to take a long time to set our bags down and orient ourselves, but here it`s just a matter of stowing everything in our inventory and equipping our swimsuits. Though, Sammy chooses to go do so in the bathroom for privacy`s sake.

　　And my jaw drops when she steps out. This girl`s skin is absolutely flawless! Like, does she even have pores? I mean, I`ve seen plenty of fan art - even attempted a few sketches myself based on the in-game portraits. But her beauty, seeing her in person, doesn`t do any of the illustrations justice.

　　"Oh, come on, Ash! There`s no need to be jealous or anything; you`re pretty cute too!" She smiles and pokes my shoulder before prodding me on toward the bath.

　　I shake my head with incredulity. Sammy, I wasn`t staring at you because I`m envious. I`m staring at you because I am gripped with gay panic over every fiber of my being! Thankfully, I manage to avoid saying that much out loud as we quickly make our way down to the hot spring.

　　The spring itself is a bit quaint, certainly stereotypical in appearance. Some light shrubbery around a steamy pool perhaps the size of a large bedroom. Glyphs on the wall modulate the flow of fire magic into the spring, and a calming scent of lavender and some other herbs I don`t recognize fills the air. There`s a few other people in the spring on other sides, but the steam makes it too difficult to notice any of their features, not that I`d remember them afterwards.Stolen novel; please report.

　　Sammy gets in the spring first, and I follow a moment later. Ow! It`s a bit hotter than I first expected, but my body quickly acclimates and wave after wave of soothing relief comes over me as I lean my neck back and close my eyes against the side of the tub. I don`t look forward to tomorrow at all - one of my least-favorite parts of the game is approaching - but for now, we can relax and enjoy the late-afternoon sun dipping lower toward the western horizon.

　　A gentle pressure rubs against my arm and I look over to see Sammy resting her head against me. It takes every bit of willpower to suppress my internal squealing, though my face grows red as she turns to meet my eyes.

　　"I just wanted to thank you, Ash. Of all the people that I could have left with, I couldn`t imagine a better travel partner." She rubs her cheek against my arm a bit more and I`m left confused - is this going to be some sort of confession? Oh goodness I don`t think I`m ready for this!

　　"I was& worried that I was going to have to venture out on my own. Or leave with the first man that my father gave the okay to."

　　"Is he trying to marry you off or something?"

　　"No, just the opposite! I`m sure you could tell, but my father is pretty stubborn. And living with him was even worse. All my life, he was constantly sheltering me, telling me that the world is dangerous. That men are dangerous. And, after years of hearing him constantly telling me this, I& I guess I started to believe him."

　　So the androphobia hypothesis was right. Although now I wonder: in the game, Sammy ends up joining up with the protagonist - a male protagonist, specifically - right as he`s about to leave for Rigatoni. And seeing him get hurt after a battle with the trolls in Rigatoni is what starts to break her out of her shell. A fear grips me - my being a woman means she hasn`t started going through this character arc, and judging by the encounter with Mayor Rozziari yesterday, she`s still very sheepish. As much as the idea disgusts me, I probably should get her interacting with some guys, at least a little bit. In a strictly platonic way, of course!

　　"Are you okay?" Sammy asks. "You spaced out there."

　　"Yeah, I`m fine. Just thinking about my own parents."

　　"What were they like?"

　　"They were good. Not perfect, of course, but we got along well enough. Though we were in a bit of a rocky stretch the last time I saw them."

　　"Did something happen?"

　　"Mostly they didn`t approve of my lifestyle. They wanted me to go into a business career like both of them." Turns out they weren`t thrilled with my being a ViewTuber. Never did formally come out as lesbian to either of them, though I can`t imagine either taking it too well.

　　"I thought adventuring was considered a pretty respectable path. Defenders of civilization and however else they were describing themselves back at the guild hall?"

　　"Yeah, they thought I was throwing my life away` and that I should have picked a job that put that good head of mine to use`. Their words, not mine. But I wanted to choose a career path that interacted with other people, not just sit around at a desk all day and help make some rich clowns even richer."

　　"Are you happy, living as an adventurer?"

　　"I mean, I still miss being back home. And, if I ever get the chance, I`d like to go back and see them again. But right now, my focus is on trying to figure out more information about the Calamity, getting strong enough to fight it, and of course, spending more time adventuring alongside you."

　　"I know you said that`s what you wanted to do before. I just- I still find it so hard to believe that we can do it. Though, I guess after everything we`ve been through, I shouldn`t be surprised that you`ve got some devious plan for doing so."

　　"I do. But I`ll need your help. Can I count on you?"

　　"Well, someone needs to keep you out of trouble. Because I know I can`t trust you to do the job!"

　　"What`s that supposed to mean?"

　　"It means, Ash, that you`re going to go charging in with one of those devious plans of yours and get yourself hurt, or, goddess forbid, even worse! Do you think this is some kind of game where you can just start over and try again if you get killed?"

　　The words hit me like a truck. That`s exactly how I`ve operated up until now. And while my strategies are designed to be effective and safe, they aren`t completely without risk of failure. And she`s right, of course. Losing a run is unpleasant, but ultimately it just amounts to a few hours of timeloss and I can always reset or try again tomorrow. But losing my life is a different matter - I`ve done that once too many times already, and I don`t think I`m in one of those worlds where I just keep respawning every time I die.

　　And come to think of it, I don`t think I`ve seen a single save point. It should have hit me at the end of the Mt. Minestrone mines but I`m so used to not saving there that I didn`t really pay any attention to it. And there wasn`t a save point in the hotel lobby like there should have been either. All of a sudden, this situation is getting a lot less fun and a lot more concerning than I`d planned. But I will not be deterred. Just means I need to employ a few more safety strats and revise my estimates accordingly. Nothing too difficult - I`ve done runs of this for more than a few marathons over the years.

　　I turn to Sammy and nod. "You`re right. I`m confident in my abilities. And I`m confident that my actions are sufficient to get me through these fights and other challenges. And as a result, I haven`t been treating the dangers as seriously as I should. Even when you`ve told me time and time again. Even after you`ve worried about me more than I deserve."

　　I pause for a moment. "The road ahead won`t be without peril. And I can`t promise that I can avoid all danger. Sometimes, it`ll be necessary to accept some danger now to prevent even greater risks later on. If you can continue to trust that I have a plan, I`ll do what I can to avoid any unnecessary peril."

　　Sammy nods. "I don`t like it, but I can tell that`s the best I`ll get."

　　I close my eyes and enjoy Sammy`s presence for a while longer. Tomorrow is going to be rough, but that just makes it all the more important to relax and prepare myself for the challenges to come. Game developers have yet to come up with an enjoyable sewer dungeon after all these years, and this game`s inclusion is no exception.