Right in the middle of the dorms was an open area where the 'amenities' were located. On one end were the hot springs, which were occupied by a couple of personnel that manage the entire building. Fresh steam enticingly rose up the hot springs, attracting Satoshi and the others when they entered the place.
The swimming pool was situated on the other end of the hot springs. It was an Olympic-sized swimming pool for training.
Surprisingly, there was a game room right beside the hot springs— a ping-pong table, air hockey, and basketball arcade was located right there. This was probably to train the Disciples in their precision and reflexes.
The sauna was conveniently located near the swimming pool, completing the cycle.
"Now that I see it... aren't we at a resort or something? This resembles a resort more than anything." Yun Zhe commented, admiring the view. He was tempted to go straight into the hot springs but right now, they have a challenge waiting for them.
"Yeah, it just looks like that right now. But most of the time, we couldn't even access these things. Either we're training outside, or hunting beasts." Himuro stated. "Fortunately, we have ample time to relax tonight, unlike yesterday when we barely had enough sleep."
Jonathan, Satoshi, and Yun Zhe didn't bother pressing any questions onto Himuro. They were probably given some training until late at night, or so that's what they assumed happened.
"In any case, are you guys ready to lose?" Himuro asked, putting his thumbs down in a gesture that meant he'd defeat the three of them. "I got the best dare for the loser and the best reward for the winner, hehhe."
By the looks of it, Himuro appeared to be an expert when it comes to staying in saunas. Then again, most of it was probably just false bravado and he was just messing with them.
This didn't discourage them from accepting his challenge though. However, before they went with the challenge, they had to know what the reward and the punishment were.
"So, what would be the punishment for the loser?" Jonathan asked, genuinely curious since Himuro was wearing a wide smirk on his face.
Himuro cleared his throat as a glint was briefly seen in his eyes. "The loser will..."
There was a little bit of suspense before Himuro announced the punishment. "The loser will scream at the rooftop of the dorms."
Confused, the trio looked at each other since it seemed to be a somewhat normal punishment. However, Himuro wasn't done speaking. He only brought up half of the punishment. When he paused, he stared at the trio while waiting for them to point out the obvious.
"So... what are we going to scream?" Satoshi asked.
"That you... you like Hermione Ranger-san." Himuro continued.
All of their jaws dropped to the ground in an instant. This was probably one of the most dangerous dares Himuro could ever think of. After all, it involves the presence of a Manager which was way stronger than any of them.
As far as they know, Hermione might execute them for saying something like that. She's a Manager, after all, and there was no way they could ever fight back against one.
"Don't worry, our Manager is pretty lenient so she won't get offended by a prank like that." Himur confidently said before putting his thumb on his chin. "Or so... that's what I'd like to think." He continued.
His last sentence gave the trio shivers up and down their spine, but they still agreed to the challenge. "As for the winner... he gets to be carried by the three losers everywhere, like a king! HAHHA!"
When Himuro started laughing, he sounded like a psychopath, but that's beside the point.
WIthout further ado, Himuro extended his hand for a handshake. All of them had to formally agree to the conditions of the challenge before they went through it, just so no one would back down midway.
"I'm down." Satoshi was the first one to speak up, shaking Himuro's hand. Jonathan and Yun Zhe followed suit with firm determination, intending to win the contest so they get to be carried around.
Obviously, it would be embarrassing, but it would be even more shameful for the three who'd be carrying the winner around like a trophy.
"All right, let's do this." Jonathan clenched his fist before pumping it in the air.
"Osu~!" Yun Zhe hyped himself up as he also clenched his fists.
"LET'S GO!" Himuro screamed at the top of his lungs as the four of them resolutely strode towards the sauna.
To begin with, they were going to start at the boiling point of water. Then it would only increase from there. Quite frankly, the four of them had no idea what their record would be, but all of them were determined enough to see the challenge through.
...
Meanwhile, in the snack bar,
"Achoo~!" Nanako sneezed out of nowhere, causing Mitsuka to instinctively flinch as she put her hands up in a fighting stance.
"You surprised me, Nanako," Mitsuka heaved a sigh of relief when she realized that it was just Nanako's sneeze. "You all right? Did you catch a cold?" She concernedly asked.
"No... it's Himuro. He's probably up to no good again." Nanako joked as she started chuckling. "I wonder what those four are doing right now."
"Should we go check them out? We can follow them as soon as we gather the drinks and the snacks for tonight." Mitsuka suggested. She was curious as to what the boys were up to.
"Great idea!" Nanako chirped, hurrying towards the drinks section so she could gather drinks for everyone.
As for Mitsuka, she urgently plated a lot of snacks, stacking them one after the other so she could efficiently carry them to their room. They moved faster than usual, excited to regroup with the boys as soon as they were done with their specific task.
...
The four boys stood in front of the sauna as if they were in an audience with the king. Nervously, they gulped before they looked at each other. Once they open the door to the sauna and close it, the challenge would start.
Only one of them would walk out victorious, while the rest would suffer a grievous defeat that would embarrass them the next day. It was a do-or-die moment for them, which gave them more resolve to win no matter what.
"Here we go!" Himuro firmly nodded in front of Satoshi and the others.
The three of them nodded in response. It was time for the contest to start.
Creak~!
Without further ado, Himuro opened the door to the sauna. With a countdown to three, all four of them entered the sauna at the same time.
It didn't come as a surprise for them when they saw how spacious the sauna was. The moment they entered, a blast of hot steam greeted them right on their face, causing them to impulsively shut their eyes for a couple of seconds.
Satoshi didn't waste any time walking towards the steady-flowing water by the edge of the sauna, scooping up water from it and putting it on the sauna stones.
A blast of steam erupted from the sauna stones, increasing the temperature and humidity of the place. It didn't take long before the temperature rose to ninety degrees Celsius... all the way up to a hundred.
"Whews! What on— this is hotter than I thought." Jonathan exclaimed as he started jumping up and down.
"You can go out if you want, we'll stay right here." Himuro provoked, causing Jonathan to stiffen up before he sat down on one of the wooden slats in the sauna.
While they were talking to each other, Satoshi and Yun Zhe already sat down, regulating their breathing while they saved up as much energy and willpower as they could. The steam stung their skin, but the pain was bearable.
Their complexion reddened in an instant, due to the sudden spike in temperature. This didn't push them into going out of the sauna, however.
"Haah~ this is comfortable," Himuro let out a sigh as he relaxedly lay down on one of the slats. It's as if he was telling the other three that they didn't stand a chance against him... when in fact, he was feeling the same thing as them.
After all, they weren't allowed to use any of their superpowers or skills. In the face of the temperature, they were just regular humans.
"Just a random question," Jonathan called out of nowhere, raising his hand. "We only have thirty minutes in here, right?"
"Ah, right." Himuro let out. The sudden realization made him question the contest. Then again, there was no way he'd get out of the sauna when the contest had already started.
"Well then, allow me," Before Satoshi told them what he was about to do, he went towards the water once again and scooped up a couple of cups of water.
Without thinking twice, he poured them all on the sauna stones, increasing the temperature in an instant. Within seconds, the temperature rose all the way to one hundred eighty degrees Celsius.
"Are you kidding me, Satoshi?" Himuro gritted his teeth, as the steam painfully stung his skin.
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