Chapter 7
Weak Against Hardworking People (1)
The grand bath that Shia-Yun showed me—originally meant only for the royal family—was spacious, white, and spotless.
Because the jinjū (beastfolk) attack the castle almost every night, life inside has become completely nocturnal. I was told to rest while it was still quiet, and she suggested I take a bath.
Shia-Yun had listened to my story on the bed with such seriousness that, in the end, she even shed tears.
It already hurt enough just to be dumped by my childhood friend, but when someone else cries over your story, the sense of empathy somehow weighs heavier than the comfort of being understood.
—So that’s the kind of story that makes people cry with me, huh…
I couldn’t help but sigh.
After that, when Shia-Yun guided me down the corridor toward the royal bath, she had regained her usual dignified air. Her tall, slender figure was graceful, beautiful—the very image of an intelligent, refined lady. That must be her true self.
I took the towel she’d given me, worked up a lather with a paste-like soap, and started washing myself. The texture was unlike anything I’d ever used before—just a little strange—but the foam was perfect.
When we escaped from the second castle wall, I had carried Princess Leafa, the girl with blue hair, in my arms while running. The road hadn’t been paved, the rain had turned it into a mudslide, and we’d both ended up filthy and drenched in sweat. A proper wash felt like heaven.
Despite the desperate situation the castle was in, the air around me was oddly calm and relaxed. Sunlight streamed through the rising steam, filling the wide bath with a soft, white glow.
It was morning bath time in this world—but by my internal clock, it should have been about 1:30 p.m. in Japan. I didn’t feel sleepy at all. Funny how no one ever mentions jet lag in otherworld summoning stories. Maybe I’m the only one who thinks about stuff like that.
Even as I tried to distract myself with random thoughts, my hands would stop scrubbing on their own, and my mind would drift back to Rika.
Dumped—estimated time elapsed: two hours.
…Yeah, no helping it.
I’d hoped that talking it out with an older woman like Shia-Yun might make me feel a little better, but honestly, it hasn’t helped at all. I’m still thoroughly crushed.
Even being summoned to another world, a literal once-in-a-lifetime event, isn’t enough to overwrite how I feel. Just how much did I love Rika, anyway?
“Haa…”
I sighed—again, who knows the count by now—when I suddenly heard a soft, sliding sound behind me.
—Slither, slither, slither…?
I turned around.
The door to the bath had opened, and there stood Shia-Yun—completely naked. Her face, as expected, was bright red.
—Seriously!? Why are you forcing yourself like this? That’s not who you really are, is it!?
She quietly shut the door behind her and, looking unsure of what to do, approached me hesitantly before kneeling down. I really wished she’d at least try to cover herself—my eyes didn’t know where to go. Somehow, I managed to speak.
“Wh-what’s the matter…?”
“M-Marebito-sama… Please… would you allow me to uphold half of the tradition?”
“H-half?”
“I-I understand very well that, in your current emotional state, it would be difficult to receive your… seed…”
“Uh—right…”
“Then at least half. Let me fulfill only the part that says, ‘the pure maiden shall offer her body.’”
…What is this woman even saying?
