“Hmmmm~”
Yuli was whistling a happy tune, her face beaming with satisfaction as if she was enjoying something immensely.
When it came time for me to help Yuli bathe, I tried my best not to let my mind wander thanks to the bond of camaraderie between us. I concentrated my awareness elsewhere and did my utmost not to pay attention.
Of course, if asked whether those efforts were effective, I’d rather not comment.
Anyway, when I finally came to my senses, Yuli and I were sitting across from one another, submerged in a bathtub filled with water.
Ideally, upon regaining consciousness, I would have preferred finding ourselves outside the bathroom, already dressed.
Fortunately, the bathtub wasn’t too large, so it was unavoidable that our legs had to stay close together. The posture of having our knees bent to cover the Master-Slave Mark wasn’t that awkward.
Still, why were we bathing when we had only entered the bathroom to shower?
“Hah! Hah!”
Yuli was playfully wiggling her toes, which unavoidably touched mine due to the small space of the tub.
“Um… Yuli? Shouldn’t we get out soon? We still have many places to explore, and we’re planning to attend Anne’s festival, so…”
I broached the subject with Yuli, who appeared completely absorbed in her play and showed no intention of leaving.
“Hmm… you’re right. Then let’s slowly get up?”
Perhaps because she had been rejected too often, Yuli’s unusually cooperative agreement felt a bit strange.
Swish!
When I stood up from the tub, the water spilled over the sides due to the momentum. But it was fine since the bath was already done anyway.
Seeing Yuli step out of the tub, I followed, still clutching the towel to cover the Master-Slave Mark.
At that moment, however, Yuli lost her balance as her foot touched the bathroom floor and began to wobble.
Seeing Yuli teetering dangerously, I was startled and rushed out of the tub to catch her before she fell.
Fortunately, I managed to catch her before anything serious happened, supporting her in my arms.
“Hehe… sorry. My toes got so tingly from wiggling, and suddenly a cramp hit…”
Yuli apologized sheepishly while nestled into my arms.
Of course, with quick use of mana for physical enhancement, such a stumble would be no issue at all. But for Yuli, who wasn’t skilled in mana usage, it could easily develop into an accident.
After leaning on me for a while, Yuli seemed to regain her balance and stepped away.
Seeing that she was unharmed, I let out a sigh of relief.
If she had hit her head on any protruding edge while falling, the consequences could have been serious.
This situation made me feel a little irritated at Yuli, despite being relieved. Just imagining something bad happening to her stirred a nauseating feeling of dread within me.
Yuli, seemingly realizing I was upset, looked dejected, lowering her head and avoiding my gaze.
Even though she was showing remorse, I believed it was still important to remind her to be more careful.
Just as I opened my mouth to say that…
“Wait…”
Yuli’s voice unexpectedly cut in before I could speak.
Caught off guard, I hesitated silently as she blinked twice then crouched.
“Huh?!”
From her crouching position, Yuli extended her finger, touching my exposed abdomen.
…
I glanced down and noticed the towel on the floor.
Why was the towel, intended to cover the Master-Slave Mark on my abdomen, there on the ground?
Probably because, in my panic at Yuli’s fall, I had unconsciously dropped it as I rushed to support her.
During my brief moment of confusion, Yuli slowly traced her finger along the shape of the Master-Slave Mark on my skin.
Despite my attempts to hide it, it seemed I had been found out after all.
How should I escape this situation? What excuse could I possibly come up with to be convincing?
“Umm… Yuli…”
As I tried to open my mouth to say something, Yuli remained silent, simply gently caressing the shape of the Master-Slave Mark.
“Is… is this… correct?”
“Eh? Wha… What?” I tried pretending as if I didn’t understand, though my voice betrayed my nervousness.
“T-this… it’s… meant for a slave, right…”
“…Yes.”
I had hoped the altered position and shape of the mark might deceive her, but Yuli recognized it instantly.
Well, with Yuli’s knowledge, it was only expected that she would recognize it.
“Then, does that mean… the reason you couldn’t contact us all these years was because some strange man captured you… and…”
“If we’re being precise…?”
Though technically defining the Guild Master as a “strange man” might work, it wasn’t entirely inaccurate. He was both strange and middle-aged.
“Number 3, could it be… you’ve been entertaining visitors while living with others…?”
“…Yeah, something like that.”
Each word from Yuli seemed to hit the mark. Although I had never formally accepted tasks aside from the one targeting Selian, my training as an assassin was ultimately a form of work.
“Still, because I was too young during that time… I never personally…”
In an attempt to defend myself, I explained to Yuli, yet she still looked as if she might cry.
How had Yuli deduced so easily what kind of environment I had lived in, just from the discovery of the Master-Slave Mark?
At least, it seemed my identity as an assassin remained a secret.
Had she realized that, Yuli would likely look fearful rather than just sorrowful.
“No worries! Now that I’ve escaped, I won’t return to that place ever again!”
I had no intention of returning, and even if I did, the guild had already fallen apart.
Assuring Yuli of this while preemptively preparing an excuse in case my assassin identity was somehow revealed, I reassured her that there was no chance of returning to that past life.
Instead of replying, however, Yuli suddenly embraced me tightly.
“You must have endured a lot during this time. Now that you’re safe, I’ll always be by your side.”
Even though she sorrowed, worried, and consoled “Number 3” rather than the true me, “Elysia Frentz,” I still found some solace in her words.
—
“Hey… Yuli?”
“Yeah?”
After leaving the bathroom and preparing for our outing, I called out to Yuli.
Always kind-hearted, her voice itself felt considerate towards me.
“Could you… please keep what just happened and what we talked about secret from the others?”
Most importantly, from Selian.
If Selian were to learn of it, even though Yuli hadn’t realized my identity as an assassin, Selian might figure it out.
“So it’s just our secret… right?”
Thus, I asked, though ultimately it was completely up to Yuli.
If she decided to tell the others, there was no way I could stop her.
Of course, there are many ways to forcibly seal her mouth, but I would never do that to my dear friend Yuli. Just imagining such an act sickened me.
Fortunately, Yuli agreed to my request.
Ideally, I wished Yuli would simply forget it naturally, though knowing her memory, that was unlikely to happen.
“Then, shall we go now?”
We decided to bury the melancholy conversation from the bathroom as our shared secret, and Yuli smiled brightly as she linked her arm with mine.
“W-Wow!”
However, despite being the one to initiate the action, Yuli herself seemed startled by it.
She quickly released the arm link, stepping back, her face filled with embarrassment.
“Yuli?”
“What? Um… sorry… Maybe it’s a trauma for Elysia, isn’t it? I’ve been too thoughtless, haven’t I? Even knowing about your past, I’m still making such mistakes… Were you uncomfortable just now?”
It had been a simple arm link—why was Yuli so flustered?
“What do you mean by making me uncomfortable? Did you do something sneaky without telling me?”
Confused by why Yuli reacted this way, I questioned her.
“It’s about… whether I touched Elysia’s body inappropriately or not. Was it uncomfortable?”
Rather than being uncomfortable, I found it pleasing, but that was a thought I kept to myself.
“Of course not. Friends can help each other apply soap, right?”
Just in case she was testing me due to any suspicions about my identity, I responded with what seemed natural according to her statement.
“Hm?”
Apparently startled by my calm reply, Yuli tilted her head, showing confusion.
Smack!
“Then how about this? No eerie sensations? No discomfort?”
“Of course not! Friends can also joke around, so why would it be uncomfortable?”
Still skeptical, she grabbed and squeezed my chest with both hands.
“What about this?”
“Well, obviously not! It’s just a joke after all….”
Being overly cautious and reacting to being touched is indeed a trait that might betray the identity of an assassin.
However, such overly sensitive reactions are usually associated with second-rate assassins. A top-tier assassin should have enough common sense learned from daily interactions to maintain calm.
Reflecting on that, I carefully responded to avoid arousing Yuli’s suspicion.
Still, Yuli continued to knead my chest as if still suspicious.
“T-Though it’s not uncomfortable, it’s a bit embarrassing, so can we stop now….”
But she didn’t follow further, just tilted her head once again, then smiled brightly as she linked her arm with mine again.
“Alright, let’s go now?”
Fortunately, it seemed Yuli believed in my impeccable acting skill and no longer doubted me.
Truly surprising that I possessed such skill without any prior training.
But indeed, my talent was a bit terrifying.
*
“Hey… Yuli?”
“Hmm?”
When leaving the bathroom and making our preparations to go out again, I called out to Yuli.
Her kind voice was full of consideration.
Could you… please keep the things that happened before and our conversation a secret from the others?”
Specifically, from Selian.
If it reached Selian’s ears, even though Yuli had not realized my identity as an assassin, it was possible Selian could.
“So, it can be our little shared secret… right?”
Thus, I requested, though it was ultimately completely up to Yuli.
If she decided to tell the others, there was no way I could stop her.
Of course, there are many ways to forcibly seal her lips, but I would never do such a thing to my dear friend Yuli. Just imagining doing such an act made my hands tremble and bile rise in my throat.
Yuli is exceedingly precious to me.
Fortunately, Yuli agreed to my request.
Ideally, I wished Yuli would simply forget it naturally, though with her memory, that was unlikely to happen.
“Then, let’s go out now?”
Deciding to bury the melancholy conversation in the bathroom as our shared secret, Yuli, smiling brightly, linked her arm with mine again.
“Ack!”
However, the one who linked arms now suddenly felt surprised.
She released the arm she linked and stepped back, looking flustered.
“Yuli?”
“Um… sorry… Perhaps it’s a trauma for El? Haven’t I been too inconsiderate? Even knowing about your past, I’m still making this kind of mistake… Were you uncomfortable back in the bathroom too?”
It was just a normal arm link—why was Yuli so startled?
“What do you mean uncomfortable? Did I do something sneaky without knowing?”
Confused about why Yuli was reacting this way, I questioned her.
“Uh… it’s about when I touched El’s body. Was it uncomfortable for you?”
Far from making me uncomfortable, it was pleasing, but I kept that thought to myself.
“Pfft, why would it be uncomfortable? Friends can help each other scrub with soap, right?”
For fear that Yuli was testing me out of any suspicion about my true identity, I responded as if it were entirely natural, according to her statement.
“Hm?”
Startled by my calm reply, Yuli tilted her head, showing confusion.
Smack!
“How about this? Nothing eerie? No discomfort?”
“Why would there be any discomfort when friends can also joke around?”
While I didn’t verbally react, internally I found it pleasant.
Of course, as an assassin trained to be cautious about even the slightest touch, one might expect me to be sensitive to being touched.
However, too sensitive a reaction could also raise suspicion about my assassin identity. Merely reacting based on limited cues identified only second-rate assassins. A top assassin must possess the common sense learned from daily interactions to respond calmly.
Thinking about that, I drew on the common sense I had gained so far from living among friends to respond carefully and maintain my composure, avoiding Yuli’s suspicion.
Still, Yuli continued to knead my chest, apparently still suspicious.
“Even this?”
“Of course! After all, just a joke….”
When my answer didn’t make her stop, Yuli, upon seeing me step back, did not chase after me. Instead, she tilted her head once before smiling brightly and reaching her arm to embrace me again.
“Alright, let’s go now?”
Fortunately, it seemed that Yuli believed in my flawless acting skills and no longer suspected me.
Indeed, I have talent that even surprises me.
But truly, my abilities were somewhat terrifying.
