Baring It All

Azu found herself alone in the bathroom with Yupe-sama.

From outside came the sounds of Elza-san preparing the firewood.

She could even hear humming. Was Elza-san in a good mood?

Perhaps because Yupe-sama had once been an enemy whose head she'd taken, Azu couldn't help but feel complicated about her.

Yupe-sama removed her inner garment and her glasses, stripping down to bare skin from the waist up.

A familiar sight by now. Aside from the half-naked part.

"Phew. The breeze from the window feels wonderful. Just taking clothes off makes such a difference."

"It's going to be a little while still, you know, even in that state."

"It's fine, isn't it? No one here but us girls now."

"I thought you were going to take everything off just like that."

There wasn't a trace of shame about her. She probably genuinely didn't think she'd done anything wrong.

Azu wished she'd stop casually seducing Master like that, but she'd probably just end up getting teased.

"If Yohane wanted to, I wouldn't mind. But since he's got women of his own, I suppose I can show you all a little consideration. Having been killed once already, I'd rather not earn any grudges."

"K-kept women…"

Hearing it put that way by Yupe-sama made it sound strangely indecent.

Azu's own body started to feel warm.

Just focus on getting the bath ready.

The tub was well-maintained, so there was no need to scrub it.

She held both hands toward the tub and reached out to the Water Elemental.

Magical power gathered at her fingertips, and water materialized.

First a quick rinse of the inside, then she stoppered the drain and began filling it.

"Elza-san! You can start the fire now!"

"Got it!"

She called out loud enough to be heard outside, and a reply came right back.

The sound of water filling the tub echoed through the bathroom.

… It was a large tub. Two people could fit in together easily.

That meant more water to fill it with.

At home, they had a water magic stone that filled and heated the bath automatically, so she didn't have to babysit it like this. This was more work by comparison.

"You can really use magic properly at your age. Impressive for a top adventurer."

"I'm not top anything, really… And I have magical power but can't actually use magic. All I can do is reinforce myself. This is just borrowing the Water Elemental's power."

"That sounds even more impressive to me. Forming a pact with an elemental isn't easy. Can you see elementals?"

"Yes, I can."

She kept working with her left hand while turning her right palm upward.

The Water Elemental appeared.

A sphere, bobbing and swaying gently in the air.

It looked cute, but anger it and it could drown an entire city. It possessed overwhelming power.

At first, she'd struggled to connect with it and drawing on its power had been difficult. But by now, she felt they had a real bond.

"So that's a Water Elemental… I've never seen one before."

"I hear they're rare. We have one for each of the four elements, though."

"What…? Normally, forming even one pact is a once-in-a-lifetime thing."

"Hmm. I think it's because of Master's character."

It was the truth.

If they'd abandoned Orleans when she ran from the estate, they never would have gained the Fire Elemental.

The Earth Elemental Stone fragment only came their way because of the trade deal with Duke Baroba. And the Wind Elemental Stone was a result of aiding Emperor Kelves.

It all came back to Master being remarkable.

When the Water Elemental returned to Azu, the water that had been floating as its vessel dropped into the tub.

"I see. They say luck is its own kind of skill, and it sounds like he's got plenty of it. Well, I got a share of that luck too, here I am, alive and free. So I'll praise the man, not complain."

"I think you're a little too free, Yupe-sama. I expected royalty to be more… noble, I suppose."

"Ha ha. Royalty is technically the highest rank of nobility, I guess. Anatia is the picture-perfect example. For the record, I was much more modest before the incident. But dying once changed everything. You never know when you might die, you know?"

"That's…"

Azu didn't know what to say. She was the one who'd done it, after all.

While they talked, the tub filled up.

She dipped a hand in. Slightly warm.

Elza-san must have been doing her part outside.

"Ready to get in, don't you think? Azu, let's get in together and bond over baring it all. I wish that priestess could join us too, but she's managing the fire."

"Don't worry about me!"

"See?"

"Together? I feel odd about getting in before Master…"

"Oh, he won't care. And if you want, we could even make it three…"

"Fine! I'll get in! Just please stop saying things like that!"

If she was going to share a bath with anyone, she'd rather it be Master, just the two of them.

Yupe-sama undid the button on her trousers and stepped out of them.

Her matching red undergarments suited her well.

Her skin had a beautiful luster. Part of it was probably the oil she'd applied earlier, but even so, there was a beauty here that would captivate anyone, regardless of gender.

Azu caught herself staring.

Not wanting to be noticed, she quickly undressed as well.

Undoing her hair tie, silver locks cascaded down her back.

Peeling off the sweat-dampened clothes and undergarments did feel wonderful.

The water was heated to just the right temperature.

They both rinsed off, sluicing the sweat from their bodies.

"Hey, let's wash each other's backs. I never got to do this with Tianis, and I've always wanted to try."

"I don't mind washing yours, but…"

"Come on, I'll do you first."

Before Azu could protest, she was seated on a stool with her back turned.

Yupe-sama worked soap into a washcloth, building up a lather.

"Nice suds. Luido-made soap really is quality."

"Wah, that tickles!"

The washcloth moved across her back.

But the touch was far gentler than she'd expected.

Come to think of it, for all her seeming carelessness, Yupe-sama was sharp where it counted.

"Eek!"

Yupe-sama traced a finger along her back.

The surprise drew an involuntary yelp.

"You take good care of your skin. You must get injuries too, but there's not a scar on you. Impressive. Some adventurers think that as long as they're strong, looks don't matter. Those used to working in a party tend to be different, though."

"Alexia-san and Elza-san always tell me I should take proper care… And Master makes sure we have everything we need."

"I can just picture him happily shopping for skincare products. The image is crystal clear."

"He does get particular about things."

Next, Yupe-sama washed her hair.

Alexia-san and Elza-san had washed it for her before, but this felt different from either of them.

Unsettling in a way, but not unpleasant.

"All done. I'm going to rinse you off now."

"Okay. Thank you."

Yupe-sama scooped hot water from a bucket and poured it over Azu, rinsing away the soap and shampoo.

Azu swept her wet hair behind her back.

She felt refreshed.

"My turn, then. Have at it."

"Leave it to me."

She ought to at least return the favor.

Preparing the washcloth, she looked down at Yupe-sama's turned back.

Porcelain skin.

Elza-san and Alexia-san had beautiful skin too, but… perhaps it was noble blood, because this seemed to surpass even theirs.

Azu began scrubbing with the care of someone handling an antique.

"You can go harder."

"R-right."

Why was she blushing over this? They were both women. Shaking off the embarrassment, she put more force into it.

The soap frothed up.

When she moved to wash Yupe-sama's hair and turned her attention to the nape of her neck, she spotted the scar.

A clear, distinct line, as if she'd been cut by a guillotine.

The neck itself had been reattached, but the wound must not have healed before her power was taken.

"Does this hurt?"

"Nah. Twinges now and then. I did think 'there goes my perfect body,' but honestly? I'm glad it's there now."

"Why? Wouldn't you rather not have a scar?"

"Perfection can't grow any further. My beauty was perfect, and then it wasn't. So now I can become even more beautiful. That's how I decided to look at it."

… More amusing than anything.

What staggering optimism.

The saying "she won't die even if you kill her" was made for someone like Yupe-sama.

A quiet laugh escaped before Azu could stop it.

"Did I say something funny?"

"No, nothing. I'm going to rinse the shampoo, so close your eyes."

"Go ahead."

She scooped a generous bucket of hot water and poured it over Yupe-sama.

That flawless skin seemed to gleam even brighter.

"Into the tub, then. Plenty of room for two."

"This is still a little embarrassing."

"You're overthinking it."

Stepping into the tub, displaced water spilled over the edge and flowed toward the drain.

The hot water eased the fatigue from her muscles.

Ahh. This felt wonderful.

Yupe-sama's expression had softened too. She was clearly feeling the same way.

"How's the temperature, you two?"

"Perfect!"

"Could stand to be a bit hotter."

"You'll get lightheaded. Honestly."