The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet
Somehow, we managed to make peace with the Phoenix Tribe.
But that wasn’t the ultimate goal.
If anything, it was just the prelude.
The real issue came after that.
And then... we finally got to the main point—asking for their help to save Iris.
Since I hadn’t fully explained why I needed healing power, I went into detail about it now.
A young Celestial Race(Heavenly Tribe) girl named Iris was in critical condition.
I was determined to save her, no matter what.
So I desperately bowed my head and pleaded for their help.
In the end... Elfin and the others readily agreed.
If it was to save one of their own, they wouldn’t hesitate to offer their power.
And if it was for my sake, they would do the same.
Their words were incredibly reassuring.
However, setting out immediately was difficult.
They understood the urgency, but they asked for a day to prepare.
I wanted to return to Iris as soon as possible, but I couldn’t be unreasonable.
So we accepted their request and decided to stay in the Phoenix Tribe’s village for a day until everything was ready.
“But… how did things end up like this?”
I was soaking in a hot spring.
Submerged in the steaming, comforting water, I gazed at the rippling surface.
They had recommended I take a bath to recover from the exhaustion of battle while waiting for preparations to be completed.
Apparently, this dungeon had a natural hot spring vein running through it.
They had taken advantage of it and built a hot spring.
“I don’t really have time to relax… but there’s no point in pushing myself too hard and collapsing.”
The fight with Lin had drained both my stamina and magic power significantly.
More than that, the damage from being burned once by Elfin was severe.
Finia had healed my wounds, but she couldn’t restore my lost stamina or blood.
Apparently, I had lost quite a bit of both…
So they strongly encouraged me to recover in the hot spring.
“My mind is racing, but I can’t afford to be impatient. If we can get to the gate that connects to the Spirit Tribe’s village, Al should come pick us up… but it’ll take a few days to get there. If I collapse on the way, things will only get worse. I need to make sure I recover properly.”
Scooping up some water in my hands, I splashed it onto my face.
“Phew…”
The fatigue gradually faded away.
It felt as if my lost strength was returning, and the sensation was incredibly pleasant.
Once Iris is saved, maybe we should all come back here to the hot spring.
We’ve been so busy, constantly on the move, without a proper chance to rest.
All of us together…
Iris too…
Yeah, that sounds nice.
As I was lost in thought—
“S-s-s-sorry for intruding!!!”
“!?”
A familiar voice.
Startled, I turned around—only to catch sight of Finia, wrapped in nothing but a towel.
I hastily averted my gaze.
“Finia!? W-what are you—”
“I-I came to wash your back!!!”
“No, no, no! That’s not necessary!”
“I-It can’t be helped!”
“That voice… Elfin!?”
I thought I was hearing things, but the sound of footsteps was all too real.
“W-why are both of you here!?”
“We did something truly unforgivable to you, Rain… No, more than that—we did something terrible. As an apology, we wish for you to relax and enjoy yourself.”
“N-no, really, it’s fine! I’m not upset at all!”
“We can’t just leave it at that. Now, please step out of the bath and come this way.”
“P-p-please, go ahead!”
Elfin remained perfectly calm.
Meanwhile, Finia was in complete panic.
“Finia, if you’re that flustered, you won’t be able to properly serve him.”
“I-I’m sorry! But, but it’s just so embarrassing…!”
“You must not let such things bother you. If anything, you should feel joy in being seen.”
“Th-there’s no way I can do thattttt!!!”
Sigh
Elfin let out an exasperated sigh.
But honestly… Finia’s reaction was completely normal, wasn’t it?
And wait—what does she mean by ‘serve’…?
Is this about Iris’s treatment?
But Elfin was supposed to come along as well… so I wasn’t sure.
“Now, Rain. Please, leave yourself in our hands.”
“P-please!”
“Uh, um…”
Mother and daughter slowly closed in on me.
Trying to escape seemed pointless—the exit was behind them.
Could I get around them?
No… but even if I could, I wasn’t wearing anything except a towel.
Running away in this state would be humiliating on multiple levels.
W-what do I do…!?
――――――――――
"Do you have any itchy spots?"
"…No, I don’t."
"H-How is it!? D-Does it feel good?"
"…It’s fine."
In the end…
I couldn’t refuse their insistent offer, and I let them wash my back.
Though, I made sure to keep a towel wrapped around my waist, and it was strictly just my back.
I also made them promise to leave me alone as soon as they were done.
"……"
Suddenly, Finia went quiet.
She had been talking a lot, trying to cover up her nervousness, but now she had gone completely still.
What’s wrong?
"…Rain-san, your back is really broad."
She murmured those words softly.
"You think so? I don’t think it’s that big."
"N-No, I definitely think it is. It’s really broad and, um… it feels like… a man’s back!"
She scrubbed my back vigorously.
Was she embarrassed?
"Also… you have a few scars."
"Ah… yeah. Sorry. They must look unpleasant."
"N-No, not at all. It’s just… if I had been there when you got hurt, I could have healed you right away, and you wouldn’t have any scars left."
"…Thank you."
"Huh?"
"Finia, you really are kind. Hearing you say that makes me really happy."
"N-No no no! I-I’m not that kind or anything…!"
"You are. I might not know everything about you, but I do know that you’re a kind and pure-hearted girl. That much is certain."
"A-Ah… ahhh… h-haah…"
Crap. Did I say too much?
Finia gets flustered easily, so she’s probably bright red right now.
But… that really was how I felt.
That’s why the words slipped out so naturally.
"Thank you… If Rain-san says that, it makes me really happy."
"Yeah."
"I’ll wash your back now."
"Please do."
"…Hehe."
Watching our conversation unfold, Elfin smiled warmly at us.
Comments
Post a Comment