The Strange Hot Spring

There is a gentle gradient, so that the further she goes the deeper the water gets. She stops when it is up to her neck, then ducks under to ensure that her face and hair are cleansed too. The vanilla pudding quickly dissolves away.

After ten minutes or so, feeling thoroughly clean, Astra-chan decides that it is time to go. The clouds of steam are so thick that she can see no further than 10 feet (3 metres) in any direction, but she turns through 180 degrees, and heads back towards the point at which she entered the spring.

But something strange now occurs. The water gets shallower until it is waist deep, but even after several more minutes there is no further reduction in its depth. This is ridiculous, Astra-chan thinks. There is no way that the pool could be this large, even if I somehow headed in the wrong direction.

She wonders whether she should shout for help. But she would feel very foolish. Besides, in all this time she has seen nobody. This seems to be a remarkably little used bathhouse. Will she ever reach the edge, and get back to the locker room to reclaim her clothes?

1. Then a breeze starts to blow, and the steam quickly disperses. Astra-chan gasps in surprise at what is revealed.
2. The glowing numerals once more appear in the air, so bright that they are clearly visible even through the steam. Astra-chan sees that her score is going up once more, though the reason for this is as yet a mystery.
3. The glowing numerals once more appear in the air, so bright that they are clearly visible even through the steam. Astra-chan sees that her score is decreasing, though the reason for this is as yet a mystery.
4. Incongruously, a rowboat becomes visible through the steam just ahead of her. Astra-chan decides that she might as well climb in and start rowing.

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