Mayumi Aikawa − A Conversation with a (Not Really) Princess

Mayumi had been to public bathhouses multiple times before, they were quite common in Japan and she had been to some with her friends for the purpose of relaxation. But she had never seen a bathroom as large and decorated as the one in front of her. It was almost entirely made of polished marble and stone, with multiple baths that seemed more like small pools. The metal faucets pouring water into them were also very well polished and shiny. That wasn't even mentioning the spouts along the wall that were made to look like a cherub pouring water from a pitcher, all made of marble except for the metal pitcher. The ten of them, plus Miss Fujiwara, had informed some maids that they were going to bathe and were brought into the changing room outside the actually bath room. They offered them bathrobes to wear before entering the bathroom, to which they all obliged.

Sitting down in one of the baths, Mayumi was surprised that she could sit down and almost submerge herself up to her neck if she leaned back. The thing was basically just an extra-large hot tub. She immediately felt more relaxed, which allowed her to reminisce about the events of the past couple days. For the first time in those past two days, she was able to fully recognize just how insane it was that she had been actually transported to another world with a bunch of her classmates and teacher. Not only that, but because of all the crazy things that had happened, she had been unable to have a serious conversation with Shirou; the conversation that she's been wanting have for years now. How could she possibly tell him that she was not only in love with him, but that she had so afraid to tell him for years because she was scared that he wouldn't love her back because of how much she had changed.
How could she say any of that to him while all of this was happening, let alone what he was going through with Kazuya. The more she thought about it, the more her head started to hurt thinking about how messy this whole thing between them had gotten. 

She lowered herself more until the water was just underneath her nose. It's not like Shirou was the only person on her mind. Her mom and dad were probably still looking for her. She remembered how strained their relationship had been half a decade ago. How they had constantly pushed her to pursue music like both her parents had. The way they slapped her hand with a stick every time she played a note incorrectly on the piano, until it was red, or how they would make her stop in the middle of a song when she sang off key and forced her to start over again from the beginning, forcing her to spend upwards of multiple hours to finish practicing a song. It had gotten so bad to the point that she had decided to run away on the morning of that fateful day, the same day when she met Shirou crying on the park bench. She remembered the doubt she felt as she agreed to walk home with him after he refused to run away with her. She was so moved that he was willing to go back and try to keep going, like it was a sign from the universe to her. To show her that there were kids like her and that some of them were brave enough to not run away. 
When she returned home that night, she walked in on her mother sobbing while her father tried to comfort her. She thought the second they saw her, they would berate her again for running away, just like how they had done whenever she made a mistake during practice. But to her surprise, they ran to her and hugged her tighter than she ever remembered being hugged. Her mother couldn't stop apologizing to her while she held her, tears still pouring out of her eyes. It was the first time she had seen her father cry, not from sadness that she had run away, but from happiness that she had chosen to come back to them. It turns out that they had noticed that she had disappeared almost immediately after she left in the morning, even before her school called them to report that she hadn't come in. They had spent the whole day looking for her and had basically given up and returned home just before she walked back through their door. She could never forget the events of that day, especially that small conversation with Shirou. It was almost like a miracle, that chance encounter. If she hadn't talked to him, seen his conviction to try and stick through his own struggles, she probably wouldn't have returned home.
Her relationship with her parents did improve after that day. It took a while, but they stopped pushing her so aggressively into following the path they had taken in life and recognized the damage they had unintentionally done to her and her own relationship with music. Eventually, they even moved from pushing her to pursue something new, to supporting her on her path to find something for herself. They weren't perfect parents, but they were trying to not just make up for the past, but to support her and let her know they loved and were proud of her. It was as if the cracks and holes in her heart had been cemented over to become even stronger than before.
Thankfully, it didn't take too long for her to discover her love for acting, and her parents were fully on board to support her dream. Ever since she started auditioning for drama clubs and festivals, they stood behind her and encouraged her every step, no longer pushing her for perfection, but helping her get back up to keep going in the face of failure. They showed up for every show and performance she was apart of, they even attended the improv comedy show she participated in during middle school. When she nabbed the lead role for a play during her first year at Shin Shiten, they were ecstatic at the news. It was the first time they had shown such enthusiasm for her success, even more so than when they had been trying to get her to be perfect with music. That was the role that made her famous and popular in Shin Shiten, and they showed up for every single run of that show.
She couldn't imagine how heartbroken they must have been at that moment. They had already experienced once what it would have been like to lose their daughter forever. She couldn't image how they had felt back then and now, she didn't even know how to get back to them. As she continued to think about the, her eyes started to well up as tears slowly came out of her eyes and fell into the bathwater. No matter how much she tried to wipe her eyes, with her hand, she couldn't stop them from coming.

Eventually, she felt someone hug her as she continued to cry. She looked up to see Hoshi had moved next to her in the bath. As she saw her, Mayumi couldn't help but cry more and more, until she was fully sobbing. 
"It's okay," Hoshi said as she continued to hug Mayumi, "Everything will be okay." Eventually, Satomi and Ana sat down next to them to comfort her as well. It took a while, but she eventually stopped crying, wiping away the last of her tears form her now red eyes. Lia moved up to her in the water and stood in front of her as she gently picked up her hands.
"We'll find a way back," Lia promised, "For all of us." Mayumi smiled and thanked Lia and the rest of them. She wanted to believe Lia so badly, and as much as she believed the conviction in her words, she couldn't help but doubt them. Princess Katarina couldn't even give an answer on how they could go back home when asked by Miss Fujiwara. Mayumi even wondered if there was a way home for them.

After staying a little bit longer in the bath, Mayumi got out and walked over to one of the spouts. She went to the one next to the one Ana was using and turned one of the metal, knob-style handle. She didn't expect the water to be so cold as it hit her skin, instinctively moving away as she carefully avoided the water to turn the other handle, hoping it would make the water a bit hotter. Ana chuckled at her friend's reaction before she went back to applying soap to her hair. After she was done, she passed the bottle to Mayumi, who had found an acceptable temperature to start washing as well. They had been given a couple bottles of soap by the maids before they had entered the bathroom. The bottles themselves were glass with intricate detailing and required them to unscrew its metal top, but acted just like the shampoo or soap bottles they were all used to. As she applied the soap to her own hair, Mayumi noticed how nicely the soap smelled; it was close to Lavender, but not quite. As she finished using the soap, she handed it to Ichika. Mayumi had never really talked to Ichika before, but apparently she and Ana had been relatively close due to their shared interest and commitment to martial arts. It was nice to see that they weren't just three separate group of friends and instead knew each other already. As she started running water through her soapy hair, she heard someone sit down at the spout next to her.
"You're Mayumi, right?" she heard from a voice she believed to be Naoko, Kazuya's girlfriend. 
"Yes," Mayumi responded, still unable to open her eyes because of the soap, "and you're Naoko yes?"
"That's right," Naoko responded as she too turned the handle to run water from her spout. 
"I heard you had started dating Kazuya last year," added Mayumi, trying to hold a conversation, "that must be nice."
"Yeah, I guess so," Naoko responded. Mayumi couldn't tell but she had gotten a bit red in the face while answering her.
"What about you," Naoko asked, "are you secretly dating Shirou or something?"
Mayumi paused at the question before she finished washing the soap out of her hair and turned to Naoko,
"No, I'm not. We're just good friends." Mayumi turned away to turn off the water before she heard Naoko give a little laugh.
"Yeah, right," Naoko said as she slowed down laughing, "I saw how you've been looking at him the past two days, especially while we were on that boat." Despite the fact that her face was getting redder and redder, Mayumi turned to her trying to maintain a calm expression.
"So what if I was?" she asked, "Why do you care?"
Naoko shrugged before she started applying soap to her body.
"Maybe I don't" she replied halfheartedly, "or maybe I know what it's like to love someone and not have the guts to say it before them. Maybe I'm thinking that if you do love him, you should tell him because none of us know what's going to happen tomorrow in this crazy world."
Mayumi stopped for a second as she considered Naoko's words. She was right. Previously, Mayumi had felt a sense of urgency to tell Shirou how she felt because she didn't want her feelings to remain unspoken any longer. But now, she was in a situation where she couldn't be sure that she would even see him again tomorrow morning. Who knows what could happen in this fantasy world? If she didn't muster the courage to tell him soon, she may never got the chance to ever tell him.
"Or maybe I'm giving you a warning to grab him before someone else does," Naoko jokingly replied, "You've seen the princess and that captain girl. They look like they'd fit right into one of those American model commercials or a Hollywood movie.
Mayumi laughed for a bit at her comment. It was as if she had noticed how Mayumi was thinking and tried to add levity to ease her anxiety.

As they continued to talk, they heard the door to bathroom open. Everyone turned to the door immediately, hoping that it wasn't one of the boys who didn't know they were in there. Luckily, it was just Captain Valeria, who walked in and turned around to thank the maids before going into one of the baths.
"Speak of the devil," Naoko whispered as she turned back to Mayumi. Mayumi laughed for a second before a thought entered her mind. Princess Katarina hadn't known the answer to Miss Fujiwara's questions, but perhaps Valeria did. After all, she was supposedly both Katarina's sister as well as a high-ranking soldier. That could make her more knowledgeable than her sister, who was only just a royal.

Mayumi stood up and walked over to Valeria and joined her in the bath she was relaxing in. As she sat down in the water, she saw Valeria's body more clearly. It was quite muscular, as she had assumed given her job as a knight, but it was also very scarred in many places. As she entered the water, Valeria noticed and turned towards her as she sat up.
"Hello," Valeria said in a calm voice, "Is there something the matter?"
"Uh, yes actually," Mayumi answered, "I was wondering if you knew why we were summoned here and if there's a way for us to return home."
Valeria paused for a moment before she replied to Mayumi's question.
"Why do you think I would know that information?"
Caught off guard by the answer, Mayumi scrambled to explain herself. After explaining to her the ideas that had gone through her head, Valeria sighed as she leaned more back into the water.
"I see," she said while giving Mayumi an empathetic look, "I would probably assume the same if I was in your position. Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to hold the knowledge you are looking for. I'm simple too low in the chain of command."
"Oh," Mayumi responded, "I'm sorry. I thought that because Katarina called you her sister that you would have the knowledge of a military leader as well as a royal."
"Yes, I understand your logic," Valeria repeated, trying to convey that she had taken no offense from Mayumi.
"The reason why I am not in the position you assumed I was in," Valeria continued, "is because although I may be Katarina's sister, I am no royal."
Mayumi's eyes widened in confusion and surprise. Seeing that she was still confused, Valeria stood up and squinted at the door to the bathroom. Mayumi turned around as well and saw nothing behind the opaque glass doors, which appeared to be what Valeria wanted as she sat back down in the water.

"Well, since there are probably no servant's listening in, I supposed I could tell you," followed up Valeria, "You may wonder where all of my scars came from, do you not?"
Mayumi stared at her for a second before replying, "I thought it was just the outcome of being a soldier?"
Valeria let out a hearty laugh before she continued, "No normal soldier gains scars like these in the amount of time that I've been one for the kingdom. No, these scars are a result of, special battles and training." Mayumi stayed silent as she listened to what Valeria had to say.
"You see," she resumed, "the reason why Katarina refers to me as her sister while I am not a royal is simple. I am a bastard, the illegitimate daughter of my father, the king.
I grew up on the streets of the lower districts. I never knew who my mother was because she abandoned me. Later, as a teenager I learned that I had a gift for magics, specifically magics that were useful in fighting. I would often get into fights for money or food and the magic certainly helped.
But that all changed when father found me. I don't know how he had learned of my existence or location, but he took me to the high district and introduced me to Katarina. He then told me that if I wanted to live with him and my sister, that I would have to do everything he said. Of course I agreed immediately. I thought to myself, surely a life with the king and princess would be much better than life fighting on the streets. And while it was definitely an improvement, it was not without it's hardship.
My aptitude for magic meant that I could become a useful soldier to the kingdom. So most of my days were spent in grueling training conditions. Every time I failed to successfully cast my spells or swing my sword properly, my instructors would punish me. Of course, not all the punishments were terrible. My sword master simply made me do more exercise drills before my lesson was complete for the day and gave extra work to do before next class. But some of them, like my magics instructor, would lash out at me if I failed to live up to his expectations. Most of those lessons were also based in combat, and he held nothing back against me." She paused for a second to point out some of the larger scars on her body,
"Most of these came from him, and those magic lesson duels. 
Eventually, despite all the pain the training had put my body through, I officially joined the armed forces of Deusaerium. But I quickly realized what kind of career I was in for as a solider. Unlike the divine gifts of the gods, most people in Luceidus look down on the other magics. I learned of this when they sent me out alone to hunt monsters that had gotten to close to the outskirts of the city walls. Of course, I returned to them having completed the hunt every time, but those battles were not without struggle. I came close to death several times before I finally managed to impress my officer enough to gain the rank of captain. Even then though, they still mostly send me out on missions and requests that both require a powerful warrior but have no guarantee that I'll return in one piece, if at all. It's the reason why I was the one to be sent to retrieve you. From what I know, they were unsure if they had summoned a group of humans, or if they had accidentally opened a hole into the underworld." 
Mayumi leaned back against the edge of the bath and let out a sigh. It was a lot of information to take in.
"So to simply answer your question," summarized Valeria, "the reason why I can't answer your question is because I am neither royalty nor a soldier with any real influence or position. I was not even made clear of who I was supposed to retrieve before I landed on the island to bring you and your friends back here."
Mayumi thought to herself for a second, still absorbing the information. She couldn't think of what would be best to say to all that.
"I'm sorry," Mayumi said, "if I had known that I wouldn't have−"
Valeria waved her hand at Mayumi's apology,
"You have nothing to apologize for," she said to Mayumi, "just as I have nothing to say about my place. This is the hand that I am dealt as a bastard, and it is one I must accept."

She turned her head up to the clock above the door before she stood up and walked out of the bath.
"I should be on my way now," she explained, "It was nice to speak to you, umm..."
"Mayumi," she answered, "My name is Mayumi."
Valeria smiled, "It was nice to speak to you, Mayumi." With that, she turned around and walked through the door. 
Mayumi stayed in the bath as some of the other girls also started to leave. She thought about that line Valeria said, "This is the hand that I am dealt... it is one I must accept." It reminded her of the hand that she had been dealt, and how much she had rejected it so aggressively when she was younger. Valeria didn't have that choice. Mayumi fighting back against her mom and dad was one thing. Valeria fighting back against her father, the king, as well as the system of Luceidus that treated her harshly seemed like an impossible task. No wonder she accepted it and felt she had no choice.
Mayumi grew disheartened the more she thought about it. She seemed so kind and caring, just like Katarina, but her kingdom would never accept her as she was, or recognize her as such. She gave so much for her kingdom and people, like those princesses in the fairy tales that Mayumi adored as a child, yet would never be accepted as one because of factors outside of her control. A princess who served and loved like one, but could never be one in the eyes of those she served or loved.