After putting away their clothes, Mathias was waiting patiently outside the dorm. It had been an hour since they left the training field so they weren't doing too badly on time, but he was fairly certain he lost out on the chance to have his boots made on the same day.

It was a shame.

Except ten minutes later, Ayla appeared by the two girls at her side.

"Ah! You're ready?! Okay! Let's go!"

"...?"

"Y-yeah!" Lisanna offered, inciting a snicker from Ayla.

"Sorry, were you waiting with them for too long? I just met someone I didn't expect to attend this school so I caught up with her for a bit! Either way, I'll buy more cakes as a treat!"

Ayla grimaced as she looked at her dry, cracked skin - seemingly unrecovered from the bath - and added, "and a trip to the parlour too, if we have time!"

"A parlour?" Lisanna asked. "I mean, I understand, but just on the second day?"

"If it is this bad today, imagine how much worse it'll be tomorrow?"

"Point taken. Huh? Mathias, let's go!"

Lisanna dragged the boy who was leaning on the building, lost in thought.

'... Maybe a black fur this time? As long as it's soft... but-'

He was shaken again. He spent a lot of time thinking about his options when he first got the fur, but now that there were more options, he decided to carefully plan it out. And his detailed list of merits and demerits was lost into the ether as he looked around with a start.

Being shaken did not shake him for more important thoughts.

That is, until he firmly determined his plans for the money he received.

"What? Where are we?"

"We're at the cafe!" Ayla said happily, already licking frosting off her cheek. "Eat up, it's on me! They're delicious!"

He slowly looked at the extraordinarily overly-decorated dessert. There were swirls of every size, even colourful lines cut into the frosting, and even several decorative plant leaves placed on top.

Since there was a plate pushed towards him, with a thin slice of cake on it, he used the fork to take a bite.

"... So sweet..."

"Isn't it great?!"

"... It's too sweet," he complained more clearly.

"Hmm, you're so uncultured! H-hey?! Give it to me then!"

Ayla was reaching for the cake, but he was already pushing it towards Lisanna who seemed to be eyeing it.

He decided to look at the drink that was ordered for him. It was a black liquid that smelled incredibly bitter. While it was a little too hot for his tongue, he enjoyed the deep taste.

"... Ah, that's good though."

"Like it? It's better if you put milk or sugar in it though!"

"... No." If he was not a fan of eating cake, he would not be a fan of drinking it, he reasoned.

"Awe, that's no fun. Look, even Erik has lots in his."

Erik looked around just as he lifting up the cup to his throat. As he was called out unexpectantly, he looked around to see the entire table's eyes on him and he reflexly asked, "what?"

"See? Can't you just smell the sugar off of it?"

"Well, I'm sorry I can't deal with bitter things?"

"Me too! Good thing I didn't have to suffer a bitter defeat today!"

"Yeah, you did great Ayla but, Erik, you too. You did really well!" Said the first girl Ayla brought.

"Mhmm," the other murmured with stuffed cheeks.

"... Well, whatever. I'm pretty confident in my ability to move to the top, right Mathias?"

"..."

"Mathias?"

"What?" Mathias asked, blinking as he belatedly recognized his name being called. The black liquid and the black fur seemed to synergize in his mind - adding to its comparative import. It almost seemed like fate now.

"Did you hear me?"

"Not at all. This is good." He drank the coffee lovingly, occasionally looking around simply to see if there were other variations on it.

Sadly, there weren't, if one excluded the colour changes from the added milk.

Of course, he did not see the menu, but he from sight alone, he could not find what he was looking for. Lisanna did seem to blissfully eating the other cake though. Maybe she liked such things more than he thought? Or perhaps it was just having Ayla and the other girls' company.

They stayed until closing time, with a waitress offering to get him another coffee. He immediately accepted the proposal. Even if he had to pay for it himself, he would be glad when she said it just cost one silver.

It was not that much different from his monthly earnings, but then again, he did charge lower prices than his mother because he reserved the right to avoid dealing with troublesome people. And to subsequently abandon people that proved too troublesome at a moments notice, no refunds allowed.

A portion of the fee was automatically cut out to pay for the business - ie, directed to his tuition - but he was content to pay that cut.

However, since Ayla was paying for it - and allowed him to order on her tab - he wasted no time in savouring the second cup.

"... It's strange that they're only open in the morning," Mathias complained.

"It's the afternoon right now," Lisanna said before sighing. "But I know. It'd be nice if they were open after school..."

"It just means we should come out here more often when we do have a chance!"

"Yeah, I wouldn't mind getting to know you all better," said one girl.

"Mhmm, definitely," added the other simply.

"Okay, okay. Let's do our errands first: me and Mathias have to get new boots. What are you three going to be doing?"

"Mhmm, I have a few pairs," said the one girl.

The other shrugged.

"I have extras, but I should get some anyways. Ones that'll better match the uniform," said Ayla.

"Mhmm! Good idea!"

"Yeah!"

"... Hmm, well, I'm gonna go to a place by my house. It's a little far from the school, but we're already half-way."

"Oh! Okay, okay!" Ayla said with a knowing smile. She looked at her skin for a moment before shouting, "lead on!"

Mathias did.

They passed through stone streets, passing through the chaotic crowds of people returning home from work, and the last few merchants hawking their wares. After several minutes, they made it to an old cobbler shop.

Once he walked inside, he saw a grizzled old man sharpening a knife, while staring at the opening door. Mathias waved slightly and the old man's eyes shifted a little.

"Isn't it too early?"

"Uh, well, yes, but still. Gill, but do you mind-"

"Your mother already sent in a new order for you. It was finished this morning, but it is useless to drop it off around that time for you two. Is your father coming back soon?"

"I heard it'd be a few more weeks? Maybe."

"Tell him to send his men over here. I saw one of those fanatics running around with those ridiculous blades while tripping over his own laces. They'd never wield those blades without shoes that fit."

"That's true, but-"

"Here." A pair of black leather boots appeared on the counter. "It's bought and paid for. Thank your mother."

"I will, but-"

"Them too?! Boy, what are you doing to your boots?!"

Mathias was instructed to sit down, take off his boots, and received a stern lecture about how to properly take care of one's own possessions. Once he finished with Mathias, he started the same lecture verbatim towards Erik; then Lisanna, Ayla, and the two girls.

However, despite the old man's temper, he managed to finish five people's boots whilst lecturing them the entire time, according to their specifications and sizes, and even Lisanna looked at the boots that were forced into her hands cheerfully.

It took only a little more than an hour, since he was grabbing pre-finished sections of shaped, treated leather, and adjusted it accordingly.

"These are better than any of my others - and you're saying they only a silver!?"

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Yeah. Now tell your family. And get out."

"O-okay, but-"

The old man strode forward and opened the door for them to leave with an outstretched palm for the money.

Even if the three girls did not need another pair, they had one anyway. Lisanna, however, seemed to be trying to saying something, but everything she'd open her mouth, he'd say, "leave."

Everyone else, including Mathias who knew him as well as one could hope, gave up. In the end, Lisanna was shoved out, with Mathias smirking a little. "He's normally a little worse. I guess he doesn't hate you?"

"That's... I just wanted to thank him properly!"

"... Which is probably why he was kicking us out," Mathias said with a shrug. "Well, I guess we still have time to-"

"Go to the parlour, right?!" Ayla began.

"Yeah!"

"Mhmm!"

"I-I guess that isn't so bad...!" Lisanna murmured.

"Mathias?" Erik asked.

"Eh? Doesn't matter. It's probably closed, but I have to go home anyway so we can check it out, just in case."

"Huh? What are you talking about-"

Mathias walked across the street, turning the corner, and walked into an open complex. In it, a few normal dilapidated houses were scattered around, a few stone apartments that were largely empty, and a single large, stone building. Mathias' parents owned a fair portion of the properties nearby to their own house and the parlour, if only for potential expansion opportunities if they decided on it on a whim. That's why many of the buildings were vacant despite being fully functional.

Also, a reason why the area seemed more neglected than it could have been had others been living there.

Erik, all the while, was trying to step forward to properly ask, but there were too many people still walking the streets at night.

"Hey, Mathias, wha-"

Ayla snickered and stepped forward to stand by the door as Mathias knocked.

"Coming, coming... ugh... it's too... early... we don't open... till tomorrow..." A woman complained behind the door.

Once she opened it up, she blinked, rubbed her weary eyes, and smiled gently. "Oh, hi. I wasn't expecting you to be here so soon. What is the reason for the visit in the middle of the week?"

"... Well, there were issues with training so I had pick up new boots," there seemed to a slow recollection in his mother's eyes, so he added, "I got the ones you ordered. Thanks."

"Except, I know this tough to ask on your day off, but will you please, please look after us?!" Ayla said, hanging off of Mathias' shoulder as she stared at Irina.

Irina stared at the girl's skin, rubbing her eyes once more to see if she was seeing things. Once she looked at her son, she noticed that his, too, lost its lustre that nearly omnipresent since he started helping at the parlour. While cuts and bruises were to be expected, she did not expect there to be such a drain on his body to necessitate that.

"... Mathias... what happened?"

"... Uh, flying rocks, sandstorms, jets of fire, and hail?" He thought to himself. "Yeah, that's about it."

"... I was told that's normally after the first month. Huh, you have a tough instructor. I'll make an exception, but if this is the case from now on, you'd best just ask him. I don't usually open until almost after your curfew."

Irina yawned again. It was much more difficult to keep to a normal sleeping schedule if she was not trying to train him into one. When it did not matter to her, she awoke in the late afternoon, early evening, and then started her day then more often than not.

Erik was looking away politely the entire time, but Irina did not care. She was wearing a thin-night gown, and due to her trade, she looked hardly older than they were, despite being well, well over thirty with a mature figure.

"Eh... what are you waiting for? Mathias, open up the shop. I don't want to right now... wait until I had my tea."

"Yeah, okay."

He went and did it. He was typically the one to close it, but opening it was not much different. Since he felt for her, he was not in too much of a rush. They even had a few hours left before sun-down.

"... No wonder why you don't like mornings," Lisanna said before whispering, "is she always dressed like that?"

"Normally? Yeah. If it's too cold, maybe she'll throw on a sweater?"

"... Hah..."

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing." Lisanna motioned him to drop it so he did. "Anyways, I know you were talking about it, but isn't this too big of a difference? Like your house and this place?"

As she said, while they were invited into the house, Mathias was quickly sent out so they followed. However, since it was clearly dilapidated, covered in furs, rusted iron, scattered cloth, and had books chaotically left in seemingly random places, it differed greatly from the parlour itself.

They differed from the stone and wooden buildings in that the parlour had a soft stucco interior, painted with calming shades of blues, paired with twinkling glass orbs reflecting the scarce light on the ceiling, and a wide-open, stained-glass cathedral window high in the air to let in the moonlight. Spaced a meter apart, submerged stone slates followed the natural curves of the human body, as the water was connected via channels to a central basin that was currently empty.

"... Again?"

Mathias sighed as he recollected the water into the basin, purified it, and set to work ensure the beds were clean. They were, but it was far too easy to build up filth if they left the water sit. It did not take long. However, neither did brewing Irina's morning tea as she slowly re-entered the room unbeknownst to those that were looking around.

"Uhm, it looks like you know what you're doing," Erik asked. "And why does your family own a parlour?"

"... My mom got bored?"

"... Right. Now that my husband decided to play teacher, I don't have anything to do except listen to old women vent. I much prefer to hear about your stories. Ah, if you're inclined, boy, you can stay, but I'll spend maybe a tenth of the effort on you compared to most of my clients. Mathias here, wouldn't even bother with you so it is a better deal than most'll get."

"S-sure?" Erik looked away again.

"Anyways, if they genuinely care about being seen, then you'll have to grab the divider from the other room. Otherwise, undress right now."

"Mom, I'm going to check the storeroom to see if we have any extras, is that okay? I need one for my room."

"... Why? Oh, whatever. Just take one if you want. I usually send out most guys so if girls complain about seeing themselves naked, I would ignore it."

Mathias left unceremoniously to the back room, but Lisanna appeared right on his heels. "W-what d-did she s-say before?!"

"... It's normal? If you wear clothes, it can get in the way of the technique. Well, she uses a spell, moreso, but there are parts that can't be done with it."

"M-meaning?!"

"... Is this your first time coming to one of these?"

"Uhm, my father said it was a frivolous use of money so yes... but more importantly-"

"Erik! If you look, I'll gouge out your eyes!" Ayla chirped with a snicker, hearing their conversation completely.

The room almost seemed designed to be impossible to keep a secret.

"Yeah!"

"Mhmm!"

"There you have it. Stay on the other side," Irina said. "Mathias' friend, are you meeting up for a secret rendezvous or are you coming out?"

"I'm coming! And what's that supposed to mean?!" Lisanna looked at Mathias before running back to the main room.

"Ah, I will tell you, have no doubts. In return, I expect to hear some interesting things."

"Got it! If she doesn't say anything, then I will!" Ayla offered.

Irina smiled and waved Mathias forward. Ayla seemed to stop at her shirt, and the other twos did the same, but he was unfazed and set down the foldable divider between the three people. It was light-weight, made of balmer wood with thin, painted wooden panels. However, even though it might display a shadow, there was no clear view of the other behind. And when one was already submerged below the floor, it was not an issue.

"A-another one!"

"... Huh, really?"

Lisanna nodded.

"Tsk, tsk. No meet-up tonight," Irina commented lightly before looking at the basin. She whispered an incantation to fill the channels leading to the unused beds with ice, motioned towards the basin and said, "Purify- Mathias, did you already do that already?"

"Yeah?" He said dragging the other divider into the room. He spaced it out so that the edges flare around the three baths by a small margin. However, since it was in a corner of the room with no vantage point from any door or hallway, he thought it was an unnecessary addition. Even so, he asked, "good?"

"Uh, one-"

"Too bad," he said easily.

"Wha-?! Hey! I thought you were supposed to be a professional!"

"... Professionals choose their own hours and their own clients," Mathias said wistfully as he looked at his mother.

"Right. No need to deal with anything unnecessary if you don't want to. You send the leppers away and it is on them for getting it and being annoying about it," Irina said.

"... I-I don't know if it should be like that."

"But it is, that is the way of the world."

"I- wha-!?"

You're taking too long." Irina said pointedly. "I don't care if you're squeamish, just get undressed so I can get started."

"..." Erik kept his ears perked the entire time. However, when Mathias finally returned, undressed, and laid in the submerged bath allotted to him, he asked, "are these places always like this?"

"Hmm? Like the decor?"

"No, having people tell girls to strip down."

"... Ah, that's normal."

"... Again, I hate you. I'm jealous and I hate you. But-" Erik stopped talking and whispered, "didn't you just hear your mom ask if they're virgins?"

"It's a normal question, isn't it? I mean, since the water is connected, it's much easier to ask than have to deal with a potential illness than can be transmitted. Right, we can tell if they're lying - well, kind of - but it is more of a habit."

"... And who they're dating?"

"Her curiosity, I guess?"

"..."

Mathias calmed in the water, as per usual. However, only after five minutes, he saw his mother appear and say, "Mathias, please top changing the water's composition."

"I'll cut myself off..."

Ice appeared on his channel, too.

"That works too. It's better for some things, but you know that there are differences in how the body reacts, especially regarding how much potential scar tissue can be mitigated."

"Just erase it after then."

"It's more troublesome."

"Hah... true."

Irina whispered an incantation and Erik's body shook at the sudden sensation; however, she did nothing else. She walked back to interrogate the girls and he began to doubt whether or not Erik was keeping track of things that he could overhear.

Most were not interesting, but it seemed Ayla disliked Jasmine. Of course, the two would probably continue a superficial relationship for the sake of harmony, but it was not the unified classroom that Ayla envisioned - or so she complained. However, given that it could be seen as choosing one or the other, given their relationship, it likely more akin to siding with Lisanna.

People tended to be pretty loose-lipped in these environments; however, much of it was petty nonsense.

'Mom's being lazy again, isn't she?'

She was interested in the gossip so she did not put much effort into her job. While Irina certainly had the better reputation, Mathias was at least methodical in his work. With clients, he liked, at least. He suspected that there would even be grim their pores after this.

To be fair, it was her day off. And while he intended to pay, she would probably reject it anyways. Thinking that was the case, he got, wrapped a towel around his waist, and snuck back to his house. He dropped five silver into his mother's renovation fund - that applied strictly to the parlour. It was because she already commited to it and was more interested in the possibilities of that building. He did take his spare bag and take a few of his books with him as a plausible excuse, though.

Once he returned, judging there to still be another hour of light, he redressed, got ready, and attracted Irina's attention. "What's the matter?"

"It's getting close to curfew. I did decide to take a few books with me, though."

"Okay, I don't read much of the ones you're interested in anyways." She clapped twice. "Okay! It seems like our time is over. Mathias, did you guys have time for lunch?"

"No, we'll get something small when we get back though."

'Lunch?' They collectively thought, having their attention commanded by the two soft claps.

"I'm draining the water now."

In about a minute, he drained the water into the central basin, purified it, and cleaned his own and Erik's stone bed when he noticed the boy stepped out.

"... No wonder why people like these places... I feel so soft."

Erik was touching his face, feeling his palms, and even running his hands through his hair. While it might be true that he recieved a tenth of attention compared to a normal client, it was a fraction of a fraction of her ability.

He even shouted, "woah!" as he saw the four girls.

Lisanna's abruptly flame-tanned skinned seemed to lighten slightly, but it grew more vibrant, even in the dying light. Ayla's own was neither pale nor tan; however, it glistened, and her dimpled cheeks glowed with a sense of contentment. The other girls were also very relaxed, but Mathias belatedly realized he had not even paid attention to their names.

It probably wouldn't matter much.

Since they were done and redressed, he put away one divider, cleaned the last four baths, and then folded the last one while hefting it over his shoulder.

"Okay, Mom, we should be going now. Thanks for opening it up for us."

"Yeah, no problem. I heard a lot of interesting things," Irina laughed. "Be careful with any future sandstorms you come across."

"Oh, I will! If I do get caught up in one, may I come back here?" Ayla said with a hopeful smile as she held cupped hands to her chest.

"Ah, I suppose. I open earlier on Wednesdays through to Fridays, but aside from that, it depends on my mood."

"Got it! ... Earlier meaning...?"

"About when you came?"

"Okay!" Ayla nodded rapidly.

She, Lisanna, and the two other girls vowed to come again. Mathias, however, did not voice the complaint in his head about his mother being so reputed despite being more inclined to extract gossip than do what she was paid for.

After saying their goodbyes, Ayla murmured, "no wonder she's the best in the city..."

"Yeah..."

"Mhmm..."

"Hey, Ayla, let's go back on the weekend, okay?"

"I'd love to!"

"Ah, she might be closed. And she probably wouldn't want to work on the weekend. My father tends to come back around those times - at least, whenever he does - so she leaves them open. But, like she said, it depends."

"That's disappointing," Lisanna sighed. "Either way, we'll go again."

"Yeah! But why are you carrying a divider anyways?" Ayla asked.

"Lisanna would run out of the room even if my shirt was off. And she refuses to change while I'm in the room. It's a pain."

"Hey! I think that's normal!"

"Is it?"

"Yeah, you have a totally different sense of modesty than most people," the girl whose name he could not remember said something significant.

"Mhmm."

The other agreed, too. It might not be a bad idea, he thought, to at least learn their names.

That way he could refute them properly.