It was already too late to regret forgetting to lock the door as the creak of it opening signaled Yuli’s entrance.
“Wait, just a moment, Yuli…!”
In the brief moment between the door opening and Yuli stepping into the bath, I quickly glanced around, grabbed the towel hanging on the wall, and immediately brought it across my stomach to cover the Master-Slave Mark.
I can confidently say that I moved faster than ever before—faster even than when I had just dueled Sword Master Craig.
“I accidentally spilled my drink and now I feel sticky… I think I should shower too, so I’ll clean up with you.”
Fortunately, it didn’t seem like Yuli had noticed anything as she walked in with her usual calm demeanor.
As I observed her expression, my gaze naturally drifted downward.
Frankly, it’s not because I’m some kind of pervert; if you’re a man, it’s instinctual—your eyes can’t help but go there.
Still, summoning the superhuman patience I was trained to have as an assassin, I managed to keep my gaze at collarbone level and preserved my last shred of decency by turning my head away.
I tried to move past Yuli in the most natural way possible, heading towards the exit.
“I’ve finished washing, so… I’ll go out first. Take your time and then come out.”
Of course, I barely got to rinse myself with cold water, but risking being caught while waiting in the bathroom with Yuli wasn’t worth it. Even at the cost of feeling a little awkward, it was better to get out.
Thud.
However, my attempt to leave was thwarted when Yuli grabbed me.
“Hey, you’ve barely gotten wet—why are you trying to leave already?”
“Heh… heh… ha…”
“Surely you’re not thinking of walking around all sweaty? Sure, it might be fine between us, but wouldn’t it be rude to others if you go around smelling like sweat?”
“Well, but…”
“Hmm… Come on then, let’s get you cleaned up.”
With that, she took hold of my other hand, the one not holding the towel, leading me back into the bath after I had almost made it to the door.
“Wait! Didn’t you say you spilled a drink? You should rinse yourself with water first!”
“Ah… that’s right… I almost forgot.”
Fortunately, at that point, Yuli let go of my hand.
“Hmph!”
Instead of letting go completely, Yuli placed both her hands on my shoulder and leaned back against me.
My towel only covered part of my lower torso, and since Yuli was completely naked, it was inevitable for our bare skin to touch.
The pressure I could feel through my back was undoubtedly…
“Hehe… If we leave you alone, you’ll dry off too quickly. Let’s just shower together!”
Fortunately, since Yuli was behind me, the risk of the Master-Slave Mark being exposed was minimal, but it was dangerous for other reasons.
“Um… Yuli… Could you step back a little?”
“Are you… saying you don’t want to be together with me, El?”
“No, that’s not it! It’s just… I thought maybe it’d be inconvenient for you to rinse while we’re so close…”
Thankfully, hearing the somewhat downcast tone in Yuli’s voice behind me, I quickly denied it.
It’s not that I don’t enjoy being with Yuli—it’s the opposite, which is the problem.
Who in the world would refuse having a beautiful woman cling to them from behind?
But Yuli treats me as a friend and hugs me without hesitation, while I’m betraying her trust by seeing her as more than just a friend.
Of course, as long as I keep my mouth shut, Yuli would never find out.
But how could I ever face her again knowing that I’d kept this secret from her?
I can’t commit such a violation of conscience. I can’t deceive Yuli like this.
“I’m not uncomfortable at all. In fact, if we’re both going to rinse off under the same showerhead, we need to get really close.”
Not only did Yuli not distance herself, but she pulled me even closer, pressing her body tightly against mine.
I could feel her presence more explicitly now.
“I’ll… go fill up the tub!”
Finally relenting, I slipped out of her embrace and fled to the bathtub.
I turned on the faucet connected to the tub, knelt at a corner, and used both the towel and my thighs to double-cover the Master-Slave Mark.
“Hehe… Looks like we’ll have to stay in here a bit longer if we’re going to take a bath.”
Seeing me seated in the tub, Yuli thankfully decided not to join me in the water. Instead, she hummed a tune and began washing herself with the showerhead I had been using.
It’s truly a difficult situation—there was no escaping her grasp, and the longer I stayed, the greater the risk of her discovering the Master-Slave Mark.
“Hey, let’s get out and start soaping up?”
Realizing she had finished rinsing, Yuli called out to me outside the tub.
Keeping my gaze deliberately blurry to avoid looking at her, I slowly stood up from the tub.
“Okay, sit down here!”
Sitting down in front of her while still holding the towel over the Master-Slave Mark with one hand, I waited apprehensively.
“Alright, I’ll wash you first!”
For a moment, I heard splashing sounds, then suddenly I felt something touch my back.
“Y-Yuli?!”
I expected it to be the shower sponge or a towel, but through the slippery soap, I could feel her hand.
“Is there a problem?”
On the contrary, her voice was perfectly calm and collected.
“But… why with bare hands?”
“Women’s skin is delicate. A shower towel might not be good for it. I’d recommend you wash with your hands from now on, El!”
It has only been a few months since I became a woman, and as someone who knows nothing about beauty or skincare, there’s also no pressing need to care thanks to the nature of TS magic.
So far, I had been using the shower towel to quickly scrub myself, but for an ordinary girl like Yuli, using bare hands to lather soap is normal and common sense.
“…”
With every stroke of her soapy, slippery hand over my back, my shoulder blades, and around my sides and armpits, I instinctively bit back moans of involuntary surprise.
After enduring what felt like endless goosebumps, her hands finally stopped moving.
Now it was my turn to return the favor and wash Yuli’s back.
But for some reason, Yuli remained silent, her hands on my back.
“Yuli…?”
“Hmm… It’s kind of the same situation as when we went to the bathhouse, isn’t it? Barely safe?”
When I called her name, wondering what was going on, she muttered something incomprehensible.
“The bathhouse from before… Hieek!?”
While I was asking her to elaborate, her hand suddenly ventured deeper, past my side.
“Wait! I can wash the front myself!”
“Come on, why? We already touched each other at the bathhouse before, and isn’t this a great way to bond?”
It’s not good.
Of course, it feels good, but this isn’t about that.
Sure, I might have an excuse for needing help washing my back, but there’s no reason I shouldn’t be able to wash the front by myself.
This filled me with even more shame than having her wash my back.
And besides, washing the front implies…
“Haaaaang!”
Without realizing, I let out a loud sound and quickly clamped a hand over my mouth.
As Yuli’s hand slowly moved up and down from my lower chest, her fingers lightly grazed my nipple, eliciting an unexpected tingling sensation that forced a sound out of me.
There was an awkward silence.
Yuli’s hand that had been cupping my chest was now motionless.
“It… It was like a sneeze was coming on… it tickled, but then it didn’t come out. Haha…”
All I could think of was this pathetic excuse, even as I mentally berated myself for how weak it sounded, my heart racing as I waited for Yuli’s response.
“Ah, that is annoying. It feels like it’s coming, your nose itches, but then it doesn’t come out. It’s so frustrating.”
Goddess Serena, thank you.
Thanks to Yuli’s lack of suspicion, I managed to navigate a potentially awkward moment unscathed.
“Um… Yuli? Maybe… I should wash the rest myself?”
Continuing to let Yuli wash me might put me back in a precarious situation, and even if this was between women, having someone else wash your chest seemed a little unconventional.
“Huh? Why?”
Unlike my stammering, Yuli’s tone remained calm and collected.
“It’s just… Even if we’re women, isn’t washing someone else’s chest a bit…?”
“Come on, we’re friends, what’s the problem? We already touched each other’s chests while playing at the bathhouse during our first semester, don’t you remember?”
Of course I remember.
Back then, both Anne and Yuli played around by touching my chest.
I’ve also seen other girls sometimes compare each other’s chests while joking around at bathhouses, so I thought that kind of behavior is somewhat expected.
Still, having someone wash your chest while claiming to help clean you is different from playing around, isn’t it?
“Anyway, we’re women, so what’s the big deal with just soaping each other up a bit? If you ask Selian, she’d probably say it’s normal.”
“Uh… Yeah, I know it’s not strange, but… I just felt a bit shy, that’s all. Don’t worry about it.”
I almost let Yuli misunderstand me.
Given how confidently Yuli suggested I could check with Selian, it seems that this kind of act between women isn’t abnormal, but my understanding of women’s customs is still lacking, and I almost made a mistake.
“Alright, I’ll continue washing then. Stay still?”
“…”
Her hand resumed moving over my chest, and I grimaced at my overly sensitive body’s reaction, muffling my mouth with the towel that was already covering the Master-Slave Mark.
“Ugh… Mm… Hnn…”
For how long did time pass?
The already soaked towel wasn’t able to absorb the saliva streaming from my mouth despite my attempts to suppress my sounds.
“Hnn…”
The sticky saliva trickled down my jawline, past the towel, over my collarbone, but controlling my involuntary moans already pushed me to my limits, and I didn’t dare try to wipe it away.
“It’s done!”
“Haa…”
Finally, her hand stopped.
I sighed in relief, quickly removing the towel from my mouth.
Phew… Now, let’s just rinse off the soap and make a quick exit.
But the sense of relief that came with the end of the ordeal was short-lived as Yuli’s voice came from behind me.
“Alright, now it’s your turn to wash me?”
…
…
