A Certain Magical Index: The Primal Spirit Descends to My Side

The warm yellow light of the public bathhouse shone through the rising steam, casting a hazy and cozy glow on the entrance.

Index stood before the entrance to the women's bath, holding a washbasin. Her silver hair shimmered under the light, but her emerald eyes were filled with confusion. The gray-haired girl stood quietly beside her, her gray eyes calmly surveying the surroundings.

Neatly arranged lockers, walls covered with price lists, and the air filled with a faint scent of soap mixed with the steam of hot water. In the corner stood a vending machine similar to those on the street, and next to it was a black, slightly peeling automatic massage chair.

"Um..." Index muttered softly, her fingers unconsciously tracing the edge of the basin, "What should I do next?"

She grew up in an English convent and was used to private bathrooms or simple shower stalls. The Japanese culture of "bathing together" was different from what she read in books. This place didn't resemble a bathroom at all, leaving her unsure of what to do.

"Do you need any help?"

A gentle female voice came from the side. The two turned their heads and saw a woman who looked to be around thirty years old walking over. She had a neat ponytail, a well-proportioned figure, and was wearing a simple T-shirt and trousers, carrying her toiletries. What was most striking was the cheerful and reliable expression on her face, as if she were used to taking care of others.

"Is this your first time in a public bathhouse?" The woman smiled, her gaze lingering for a moment on Index's nun's robes studded with safety pins and the gray-haired girl's casual clothes. "I'm Yomi Kawa, and I come here to bathe often. If you don't mind, I can tell you the procedure."

Index blinked, then nodded vigorously: "Thank you very much! I am Index, and she is..." She looked at the gray-haired girl and suddenly realized that she did not know the other girl's name.

"I don't have a name," the gray-haired girl calmly answered for Index.

Huang Quanchuan paused for a moment, but quickly regained her smile: "It's alright, take your time. First, you need to pay the boss..." She demonstrated by walking to the counter, taking out banknotes to buy two paper tickets, glancing back at Index, who quickly handed over change as well. "After buying the tickets, you can go in. Valuables can be locked in the lockers inside; wear the key on your wrist. Then take a towel and toiletries inside, wash yourself clean outside first, and then soak in the bath."

She pointed to the curtain with the word "Women" written on it, and added with a smile, "You can use your own shampoo and shower gel, or you can use what the bathhouse provides. There are small stools and wooden tubs inside, and it's the local culture to rub each other's backs. I have something to do, so I won't go in."

Index listened attentively, memorizing each step. Seeing that the two understood, Huang Quanchuan waved, "Then enjoy yourselves. Goodbye."

"Goodbye!" Index bowed slightly in thanks. The gray-haired girl nodded gently in return.

The curtain rose and fell again, and Huang Quanchuan's figure disappeared into the twilight at the street corner. The entrance to the bathhouse fell silent again, with only the warm yellow light and the whisper of steam remaining.

Index took a deep breath and turned to look at the gray-haired girl: "Let's go in."

The two lifted the curtain and entered the changing room. Rows of wooden lockers stood quietly, the air filled with the scent of wood and a damp warmth. Index, mimicking Huang Quanchuan's earlier actions, found an empty locker and carefully removed her monastic robes, the safety pins gleaming faintly under the light. She slipped the key onto her wrist; the cool metal against her skin gave her a strangely novel sensation.

The gray-haired girl's movements seemed a bit awkward, as if she didn't know how to take off her clothes, but she eventually managed to fold her casual clothes and put them in the closet.

Index didn't notice the faint scar on her back flashing briefly in the mirror. The gray-haired girl's gaze lingered on her back for a moment, but she said nothing.

The two pushed open the bathroom door, and a wave of heat hit them, carrying a unique scent of oxygen deprivation mixed with cleaning agents. A larger space unfolded before them. Small stools were placed under rows of showerheads, where several women were washing themselves; in the distance were three bathtubs of different sizes, steaming with white heat, the water shimmering softly under the lights; a sign on the wall read, "Please enjoy quietly."

Index took a deep breath, but coughed slightly as if she were short of oxygen. Her emerald eyes lit up: "So warm!"

She led the gray-haired girl to an empty shower stall and squatted down to examine the faucet. Huang Quanchuan's words replayed in her mind. First, she adjusted the water temperature and used a small basin to rinse her body. She tried turning the switch, and warm water gushed out, splashing onto her arms.

The gray-haired girl stared at the faucet for a few seconds, then reached out and let the warm water flow over her fingertips. Her expression didn't change, but something subtle seemed to flicker in her gray eyes.

The two of them, like children taking their first bath, splashed around washing themselves clean. Index's silver hair, wet and clinging to her fair shoulders and neck, looked back at the gray-haired girl, then at the wooden basin and towel on the seat next to her, remembering Huang Quanchuan's words, "Scrubbing each other's backs is the culture here."

"Um..." She picked up a towel and turned to the gray-haired girl, "Would you like to rub each other's backs?"

The gray-haired girl nodded.

"Then you turn around first."

The gray-haired girl obediently turned around and sat down with her back to Index. Her wet, gray hair clung to her back, revealing her slender shoulder blades and the soft lines of her spine. Index soaked a towel, wrung it out, and gently wiped her back.

"Your skin is so smooth," Index couldn't help but say, her fingers able to feel the delicate texture through the towel. "Like...like the finest parchment."

The gray-haired girl did not respond, but simply tilted her head slightly, as if pondering the meaning of the metaphor.

Index continued wiping, her movements gradually becoming smoother from awkward. The heat gave both of their skin a faint pink hue, and the whispers of other guests in the bathroom, the sound of running water, and the ripples of the bathtub in the distance blended into a soothing background sound.

After a while, the gray-haired girl spoke softly, "Why are you angry?"

Index paused for a moment.

"When Touma Kamijou said 'children's ticket,'" the gray-haired girl added, her voice exceptionally clear in the steam, "you got angry and left. Why?"

Index pursed her lips. The towel stopped on the gray-haired girl's back, and water droplets slowly slid down the indentation of her spine.

"Because..." her voice was lower than usual, "I don't want to act like a child in front of him."

The gray-haired girl turned her head, her gray eyes looking at her calmly: "You're not a child?"

"I'm a nun!" Index's voice rose slightly, but quickly fell back down. "At least... I should be treated as a nun. I have my duties, my knowledge, my... mission." She lowered her eyes. "But Touma is always like that, subconsciously feeling that I need to be taken care of, protected, and indulged, like a child."

She recalled Touma's unconscious actions: saving the best food for her, worrying about her going out alone, and even that "I can't do anything with you" look when she was angry. There was nothing wrong with this kindness in itself, but sometimes, it was like a transparent wall, separating them from the position of "equal companions."

"I don't want to just be protected," Index said softly, her fingers unconsciously tightening around the towel. "I want to protect him too. When he's in danger, when he needs help... But every time I say that, he just smiles, pats my head, and says, 'No need, leave it to me.'"

She paused, a hint of grievance in her voice: "I know he meant well. But... but if this continues, I'll always be a child who needs to be taken care of, instead of a companion who can stand shoulder to shoulder with me."

The gray-haired girl listened quietly. Tiny droplets of water condensed on her eyelashes, trembling gently with each blink.

"You want to be his equal."

"Yes." Index nodded. "At least... I hope he takes my will seriously. Not treat me like a child who needs to be pampered, but someone I can discuss things with, argue with, and make decisions together..."

"friend…"