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I saw a celestial maiden bathing.
No one would believe me if I said that. Frankly, I barely believe it myself.
I am a humble devotee of hidden hot springs. Day after day I search for undiscovered secret baths, and at times I have crossed range after range of steep mountains for the sake of the water.
That day, I had set out for a hidden spring deep in the mountains. According to rumor, it was such a magnificent hot spring that celestial maidens frequently bathed there.
Of course, I didn't take such stories at face value. Anyone who has devoted themselves to hidden springs has heard this kind of rumor before. Tales of mountain hags taking up residence, of demons coming to heal their wounds, of passages connecting to hell. Remote springs invariably come attached with some legend or another. Usually it's a story the locals passed down half in jest, or something a traveler embellished over drinks.
So this time, too, I interpreted it simply as: "The spring must be so secluded it would be fit for celestial maidens."
The journey to reach the spring proved this was indeed no exaggeration. Almost two hours since the last human dwelling. I pushed along a barely-there mountain trail, crossed streams again and again, climbed over fallen trees. On the map it was only a few kilometers, but the rough terrain made it feel endless.
And yet, strangely, it didn't bother me. Devotees of hidden springs are the kind of people who can transform even the hardships of getting there into a form of pleasure.
At last, as I walked, the wind shifted.
A damp fragrance drifted past my nose. Neither sulfur nor iron — something softer and purer, the scent of clear mineral water.
My face broke into a smile before I could stop it. It took only a few seconds to realize the spring was close, and I quickened my pace through the gaps between the trees.
There, I came to an involuntary stop.
It was like another world. A small basin enclosed by sheer rock walls. In the center, a natural bath sending up ribbons of steam. Sunlight fell through the canopy in broken rays, dyeing the white mist gold.
A breath of wonder escaped me. No wonder celestial maidens would come here — the scenery alone convinced me before I'd even touched the water.
But it wasn't the spring itself that captured my gaze. There was a human shape in the water. The steam made her indistinct, but from her silhouette she appeared to be a small woman — bathing alone, deep in these remote mountains.
At first, I was so startled I nearly collapsed. Was this truly a celestial maiden, or some mountain spirit? But even that shock was somehow swallowed up by how utterly transfixed I was.
A refined face. Skin like translucent white. The shoulders visible above the water's surface were paler than snow, and the drops falling from her wet hair caught the sunlight like gemstones. Each time the steam shifted, her figure appeared and vanished, vanished and appeared again.
It felt completely unreal. Like something that had stepped out of a painted scroll — or as if a shrine's divine spirit had taken human form. That was the kind of illusion that gripped me.
I scrambled to hide myself. I had absolutely no intention of peeping. I swear on my entire career as a hot spring devotee. But I had appeared suddenly, and I needed a moment to compose myself.
As I deliberated over what to do, the woman suddenly looked up. My heart lurched — caught — but no. Her gaze traveled right past the rocks where I was hiding and fixed on the distant mountain ridge beyond. It seemed she hadn't noticed me. I let out a relieved breath.
No — this was no time for relief. I am not some kind of voyeur. Even if it was an accidental encounter, continuing to hide was far more suspicious. The right thing was to show myself, apologize, and leave. That was my first thought.
But simultaneously, another thought — one more honestly called ulterior motive — began to rise.
What were the odds of meeting a person in a place this remote? And moreover, there was that rumor about celestial maidens appearing at this spring. And right now, right before me, was an impossibly beautiful woman. Too perfect to be coincidence.
Perhaps — was this fate? I had been touring hidden springs for over ten years. Of course I had never found a girlfriend willing to accompany me in such an eccentric hobby, and I carried a quiet ache watching bachelor after bachelor laugh and say "I guess this is about the time to give up" and drift away.
So maybe I shouldn't let this chance slip by. If I started with something like "So sorry, I'm afraid I got a bit lost…" — surely I could be forgiven for that much. That was my mistake in thinking.
I braced myself to stand up.
"— Don't move."
Something cold pressed against my back. Thin, but hard. Not a branch — something inorganic. It pressed precisely along my spine through my clothing.
My entire body froze.
"Don't make a sound. …Good. You're quick on the uptake — that makes this easy. Now, stay just like that and quietly lie face down."
A low voice. Hard to tell if it was male or female. But it carried an authority that brooked no argument. The words whispered close to my ear, and I obeyed by reflex. As I cautiously lowered myself to the ground, dead leaves brushed my cheek.
My heart was hammering. What is this? What is happening? A robbery? A poacher? Or some dangerous person who wants to monopolize the hot spring?
Countless possibilities raced through my mind. But the person behind me seemed entirely unconcerned with my panic. They were silent for a moment — then gave a small snort of laughter through the nose.
"Smart. You understand your situation very well."
The voice was, again, young. High and clear, like a boy before his voice changes. The thin thing pressed against my back pushed a little harder. Cold sweat ran down my back.
"Quite a beauty, isn't she? Hard not to be captivated — and I can't blame you for that."
I couldn't answer. Didn't feel I needed to. The voice's owner continued regardless, in a tone of strange confidence. As if they knew with certainty that everyone in the world would react the same way.
"But I'm afraid I can't let you keep looking. I'd like you to forget everything you saw here, and go back down the mountain."
"…Um, but I just—"
"You didn't hear me?"
Something thin traced along my back.
"I said go down the mountain. I'm not saying this for your sake."
"I'm saying get out of here before I do something to you."
(Hey, Stego — were you talking to someone?)
(Hmm? Looks like a monkey wandered in by mistake. Rare one, too — actually listened to reason.)
(Oh! How adorable. But if they came to use the hot spring, I feel a bit bad. We could have let them join.)
(No, no, absolutely not. Types like that are always the dangerous ones.)
(Besides, I consider myself a pacifist. Don't make me do anything unnecessary.)