Splash Zone

“You smell.”

Those words stopped Haru dead in his tracks. He swore that he took a shower before climbing into bed, but apparently, his mind hadn’t caught up to speed.

Visible brown ‘stink lines’ came off his body, polluting the space around them. It was bad enough that Grace had plugged her nose.

With a snap of her fingers, the ground below them changed to water. Grace started to drift away on her wings, but she was met with a sudden weight on her leg, dragging her down.

In a desperate move, Haru had leapt forward and snagged Grace by the ankle, not letting her escape. A moment later, a large splash erupted from the surface, two bodies making thunks like boulders.

Haru was the first to emerge, spitting out water while treading in place. A scramble of limbs breaking the surface followed, presumably Grace.

The splashing grew turbulent and frantic. And then, the limbs sank again.

At that point, Haru thought something went wrong. He swam forward and quickly scooped up the sinking fairy, pulling her to the edge of the water.

“What the hell?! Do you magical beings not know how to swim or something?”

Grace coughed out water before answering.

“What would be the purpose of Dream Fairies being in water? There’s no need for us to swim!”

Haru was about to shrug off the explanation, but then he had a thought.

“Wait, you don’t get in the water? Then, does that mean you don’t bathe?”

As Haru stared hard at Grace, who suddenly realized how he twisted her statement, brown stink lines started appearing around her.

“D-Don’t you dare put those on me! Dream Fairies do not smell! We do not need to bathe! We are-”

Haru rolled around the ground in laughter. He couldn’t help but find such an overreaction to be cute as hell. As his cackles subsided, he felt a slight chill that made him sneeze. Fortunately, this sneeze was contained within the dream; it didn’t wake him up again.

Still, if they were both to be soaked from head to toe, he would prefer it to be something warm. Looking toward Grace, he grinned and yelled, “obligatory hot springs scene!”

As if on cue, the surroundings morphed once again. Haru and Grace fell once more, landing into water of a more comfortable temperature.

Haru emerged from the water’s surface, hearing the clack of bamboo against a rock. The trickle of running water added to the soothing feeling. He closed his eyes as he floated idly in bliss. Even with somewhat renowned parents, his home wasn’t exactly lavish. Sure, there were all the fancy appliances and whatnot, but it wasn’t like he could just request for an in-home hot springs. Of course, he had gone to plenty with his parents when he was younger.

“Hey, what’s the big deal? Getting me wet all over again….”

Haru opened his eyes at Grace's voice, but the sight of bare skin set off his alarms immediately. He tucked and rolled right back into the water, dunking his head underneath to shield himself from a dangerous situation.

I totally, totally forgot what normally comes with a hot springs scene!

Given all the cliché tropes seen in anime, there was no way that his subconscious didn’t pull that trick on him. Turning around in the water, he could clearly see Grace’s perfectly smooth legs. Toes wiggled upon the floor of the baths. Her normal boots were clearly absent, meaning that certain other things were probably missing as well.

Haru panicked as those legs approached him. He tried to make for an escape, but a hand clamped down on his shoulder, and then another one. He felt himself literally hoisted right out of the water and tossed off to the side. Enough to wonder if Grace had a violent side.

Haru cursed as the splash of spring water subsided, leaving nothing between the two. As his heart threatened to leap out of his mouth, the sight before him clamped that feeling shut.

Grace was certainly naked, but a swirl of steam had conveniently claimed the spaces that would make the encounter R18. Everything of importance had been conveniently censored, both a relief and somewhat a letdown.

Haru had to sigh that such a gimmick had been useful for once. He had flipped out pointlessly, and one look at Grace told him that she wasn’t bothered in the slightest. In fact, she was rather oblivious to the situation at hand. Haru felt dumb for overreacting inside a dream.

Relaxing back into the water, Haru leaned against a rock. The coolness helped to calm his breathing. Grace found a place right next to him, taking a moment to absorb the scenery. Haru couldn’t tell which one of the hot springs it was based on in his memory, probably a conglomeration of his favorite parts from many.

Yet, it felt different somehow. Maybe because he was with someone, rather than bathing alone. It was enjoyable, at the least.

“Bathing is nice, isn’t it?” Grace said.

“It’s strange. Even though it’s all a dream, I feel strangely refreshed by it.”

“You’re still treating me like a figment of your imagination, aren’t you?”

“I would prefer to call you an imaginary friend.”

Haru stared at Grace. At this point, he couldn’t simply dismiss her as some passing thought. Maybe he had gone crazy somehow, but having Grace visit him night after night felt oddly thrilling.

A splash of warm water crashed into his face. Haru felt like he deserved it. There was virtually no filter when it came to what he said to Grace, but that was part of the reason he felt at ease. No one to prove himself to. No one to judge him for his actions. If Grace felt disappointed or sad, it was his own fault, a sign telling him to shape up.

He was starting to understand. There was no point in moping around and squandering his youth. It had gotten so bad that even his dreams were starting to be affected. It was often said that ‘you have to be happy with yourself.’ If Grace was a reflection of his subconscious, then he had to start there.

“That does it! I hope you know that this means war!”

Haru brought his arms together to heave a giant wave at Grace, who playfully swam away. The two of them spent the next several minutes chasing after each other, firing splash after splash. The magic of the moment made it seem like they would stay dry, no matter how much they soaked each other.

But then, Haru suddenly sneezed and the world shook. This time, the waking world was calling for him.

“Well, I guess we’ll have to end our little bath episode. It’s time to get out.”

Not thinking too much of it, Haru hopped out of the water and waved goodbye to Grace.

“H-ha, wah, wa, wauuu~~~”

Haru cocked his head in confusion as to Grace’s sudden speechlessness. Then, he saw that her face had grown beet red.

“Huh, what’s wrong-”

Haru looked down to find the answer.

Oh shit! I forgot that steam doesn’t usually try to hide a guy’s junk!

With a loud screech, Grace slammed the water around her, creating a tsunami that took up Haru’s entire field of vision in an instant.

The wave crashed right into him and tossed him in its current. He could feel himself black out en route to reality.

“ACHOO!”

Haru woke up with a sneeze. He looked around the room, as if expecting for it to be flooded. It was dry land. Safe for him to get out of bed.

“Wha, WOAH!”

Only to crash to the ground from a sudden moment of weakness. A chill ran down his spine, and he sneezed again. Putting a hand to his forehead, it felt hot to the touch.

Haru had somehow come down with a fever.