Chapter 144
"Mm..."
After sleeping for a while, Kiriya shifted to find a more comfortable position.
Ais stiffened.
His warm breath brushed against her stomach, sending a strange tingling sensation through her.
Her whole body shivered before she could stop it.
’What is this feeling?’
Her amber eyes lost focus for a moment, a faint mist gathering in them.
As the seconds passed, the warmth became harder to ignore. Her toes curled inside her boots, and the hand resting on Kiriya’s hair grew unsteady.
Without realizing it, she began pressing down a little harder.
"Hm?"
Kiriya slowly opened his eyes.
His view was almost entirely blocked by silver fabric.
For some reason, an old joke immediately came to mind.
’What has stolen the light from my eyes?’
"You’re... awake."
Ais’s voice came from above him, and he could feel the tension in the body beneath his head.
"Sorry. Was I making you uncomfortable?"
Kiriya quickly sat up and looked at her with concern.
"No. I’m fine."
Ais quietly adjusted her breathing, doing her best to keep her expression calm.
"We’ve practiced enough for today. I’m going back. What about you?"
"You go ahead."
Kiriya glanced toward the clear lake, suddenly tempted.
"I think I’ll take a quick bath before I leave."
"A bath?" Ais paused.
Her gaze moved from the back of his neck to his broad shoulders and straight posture before she hurriedly looked away.
Then she remembered Tiona’s earlier advice.
’If you want to thank him, just wash his back.’
The words repeated themselves inside her head.
"Wash his back..."
She had spoken so quietly that it was almost inaudible.
Almost.
"Hm? Did you say something?" Kiriya’s ears twitched. He was fairly certain he had just heard something important!
"Do you want me to wash your back?" Ais asked directly. "Tiona said it was a good way to thank someone."
Kiriya stared at her.
"You don’t want me to?" Ais tilted her head.
Kiriya immediately shook his head.
Of course he wanted that!
Only a fool would turn down an offer like this!
And Tiona... What a wonderful person you are my girl!
"Wait."
Kiriya blinked, making sure he had understood her correctly.
"You’re serious?"
"Mm."
Ais nodded.
"You’re always helping me. I wanted to do something for you too."
Kiriya was still trying to process this when Ais reached forward and began helping him remove his shirt.
"Huh?"
He looked down at her pale hands moving over the fabric, his thoughts briefly refusing to cooperate.
She really did not hesitate once she made up her mind.
A moment later, the shirt slipped free, revealing his bare upper body.
Ais paused.
The defined lines of his shoulders and back were more striking than she had expected, and a faint blush crept across her cheeks.
Kiriya noticed immediately.
"Oh?"
He watched her with open amusement.
"Ais, you’re blushing."
"I’m not."
She denied it without hesitation.
"I can see it."
"I said I’m not!"
Ais raised her head and glared at him.
"Do you want to bathe or not?"
"Yes. Absolutely."
Kiriya nodded quickly.
There was no point provoking her until she changed her mind.
Before entering the water, he set up a barrier around the area. If anyone came within five hundred meters, he would sense them long before they reached the lake.
It was a detection barrier meant for battle.
Using it to protect a quiet bath was probably not what its creator had intended.
Still, Kiriya considered it excellent practical use.
Under the morning sun, the lake remained clear and peaceful.
Kiriya sat in the shallow water near the shore, wearing only a pair of shorts, while Ais knelt behind him in her regular clothes with a towel she had somehow prepared in advance.
"You even brought a towel?"
Kiriya sounded genuinely impressed.
He was tempted to point out that she was very overdressed for someone helping with a bath, but wisely kept that thought to himself.
This was already far more than he had expected.
There was no need to get greedy.
...
Scrub. Scrub.
Ais worked with a deeply serious expression, as though she were fighting Udaeus on the 37th Floor.
Unfortunately, the harder she concentrated, the more force she used.
Kiriya soon felt as if she were trying to remove his skin along with the dirt.
"A-Ais... maybe ease up a little."
He sucked in a breath and tried to warn her gently.
"I understand."
Ais felt slightly embarrassed.
She had been careless. Of course she needed to put more effort into it!
Kiriya’s body was so tough that the amount of strength she had been using was clearly not enough!
Her grip tightened.
"AIS—!"
Kiriya’s scream echoed across the field and sent a flock of birds scattering from the trees.
...
At the entrance to the Dungeon beneath Babel, Tiona finally spotted Ais approaching.
"You’re late," she complained.
"Sorry. It took a little longer than I expected."
Ais looked unusually relaxed, as though she had finally settled something that had been bothering her.
Tiona’s eyes lit up.
"You seem happy. Did something good happen?"
"Mm."
Ais nodded.
"I finally got the chance to thank him."
"Him? Oh, you mean handsome."
Tiona nodded at first.
Then the meaning caught up with her, and her face immediately filled with excitement.
She leaned closer, covering her mouth with one hand as she whispered,
"You gave him... that?"
"Mm."
Ais nodded proudly.
"It went very well."
"Whoa. Ais is finally growing up!"
Tiona nearly jumped in excitement.
She wanted every detail immediately, but there were too many people nearby.
Instead, she grabbed Ais and hurried deeper into the Dungeon, waiting until no other adventurers were around before beginning her interrogation.
Then she heard the full story.
"Hahahahaha!"
Tiona doubled over laughing, clutching her stomach as tears gathered in her eyes.
She laughed so hard that she nearly missed a monster emerging from the wall!
Ais had to cut it down for her.
Ais tilted her head, unable to understand what was so funny.
"Ais... you’re incredible."
Tiona wiped the tears from her eyes.
Only Ais could take something that simple and somehow turn it into a near-death experience!
"Did I do something wrong?"
Ais’s lips formed a slight pout.
She felt as though Tiona was making fun of her, and she did not like it.
"It’s hard to explain in a few words."
Tiona patted her chest confidently.
Clearly, Ais still needed guidance, which meant the responsibility fell to the expert.
"Next time I get the chance, I’ll show you how it’s actually supposed to be done."
"Oh."
Ais still did not understand how there could be different ways to wash someone’s back, but she agreed anyway.
It was fortunate Riveria was not there.
If she had heard Tiona offering to teach Ais anything of the sort, she might have skipped the lecture and gone straight for her strongest magic!
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