Chapter 138: Aftercare (2)
After Grace quietly cleaned Jake up with the damp towel.
She wiped away the mess on his stomach and carefully cleaned her own hand, then even gently wiped his softened cock before helping him adjust his pants back into place.
With that, she lowered her head, excused herself, and carried the basin of water out to change.
After that, Barbara stepped closer, her sharp eyes carefully examining Jake’s body.
Her fingers pressed lightly against a few of the bandaged areas, checking the condition of his injuries with a serious, professional expression.
"...Your recovery is better than expected," she said after a moment. "But you’re still far from fully healed. Don’t move around carelessly."
Jake looked up at her and gave a small nod.
"...Got it."
Barbara’s serious expression suddenly shifted.
A sly grin spread across her face as she looked down at him.
"Though..." she drawled, her tone turning playful, "even if the rest of your body is still in rough shape, it seems a certain part of you is already full of energy again."
She raised an eyebrow, clearly referring to the earlier scene she had walked in on.
Jake coughed awkwardly.
"...Ahem, Barbara, you should learn how to knock."
Barbara scoffed at his words, crossing her arms as she looked down at him with an unimpressed expression.
"Oh please. I’m a doctor. I’ve already seen more dicks than I can count and far more embarrassing situations than this. You think something like that is going to fluster me?"
She tilted her head slightly, a faint smirk still on her lips.
"If anything, you should be more careful next time. The door wasn’t even locked."
Jake went quiet for a moment, actually taking her words seriously.
She had a point.
The sooner he could secure a more private space, the better.
That way, he and Grace wouldn’t have to worry about being interrupted... or ending up with blue balls every time something heated up between them.
Barbara seemed to notice the thoughtful look on his face. Her smirk softened slightly as she added,
"Besides, it’s not necessarily a bad thing for you to indulge yourself a little. With that Sex Fiend skill of yours... proper release should actually help your body recover faster."
Hearing her words, Jake shifted slightly on the bed and looked at her more seriously.
"Oh yes, Barbara. What exactly is wrong with my body?" he asked. "I can feel that something’s off. My limbs feel heavy, and there’s this lingering pressure deep inside... like something got strained."
Barbara touched her chin, her expression turning thoughtful as she studied him.
"It seems you overexerted your inner channels."
Jake blinked, looking a bit confused.
"...Inner channels?"
Barbara nodded and continued in a calm, explanatory tone.
"Aura doesn’t just float around inside the body. It flows through a network of channels... pathways that carry and circulate your energy. When you force out more power than your body can properly handle, those channels get strained. In severe cases, they can even be damaged."
She glanced at the bandages on his torso.
"From the look of it, you pushed yourself far past your current limit during that fight. Plus, if there was a ranking for this kind of injury... yours would be in the last critical state. That just shows how much strain you put your body through."
Jake frowned slightly as he processed her words.
The problem was... he couldn’t remember anything about what happened after a certain point in the battle.
"You’re lucky you didn’t permanently cripple your channels. A little more, and recovery might not have been possible at all."
Barbara paused for a moment, then continued in a more straightforward tone.
"To be honest... when I first examined you, I thought you might actually end up crippled. The damage was that severe. Your channels were on the verge of complete collapse."
She glanced at him again.
"That was until I remembered your Sex Fiend skill."
Jake looked at her, eyes narrowing slightly.
"...You mean..."
Barbara’s lips curved into a small smile as she nodded.
"Yes. That skill of yours isn’t just about pleasure. It’s actively accelerating your body’s recovery — including the repair of your aura channels. Without it, you’d probably still be bedridden for weeks... or worse."
Then, without any shame, Barbara raised one hand and made a crude, unmistakable lewd gesture with her fingers.
"So the more you do it... the faster you’ll recover." she said bluntly, a teasing smirk on her face.
Jake wryly shook his head at her shameless attitude.
"...Even so, I can’t just lay low like this," he said. "I still have a job to do on the ship."
Barbara’s smirk softened into a more genuine smile.
"No need to worry about that."
She crossed her arms and continued,
"Madam Vivian has already relieved you of your duties. You’re free to rest for now."
Then her expression turned serious as she stepped back a bit and bowed until her head lowered.
"As a hero who saved this ship... you deserve at least this much. And as one of those you have saved, I want to offer you my sincere thanks for your sacrifice."
At those sudden sincere words and bow, Jake froze for a brief moment.
After a short silence, he slowly nodded.
"...Alright."
Barbara straightened up from her bow, her usual sharp demeanor returning as she looked at him again.
"Good. Then focus on recovering properly. Don’t push yourself until those channels stabilize."
"And if you need anything, just say so. I’ll handle it."
Barbara reached for the door, then turned back toward him one last time.
"Of course, we won’t just stop at words of thanks for our hero. Madam Vivian has already prepared to reward you properly once you’ve recovered."
A small, knowing smile appeared on her face.
"For today, just rest well. I’ll let Madam Vivian know about your condition as well."
With that, she opened the door and stepped out, quietly closing it behind her.
_
_
_
"..."
Jake remained lying there in silence for a while, staring up at the ceiling as her words slowly settled in his mind.
After a moment, a faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
...It doesn’t feel half bad to be treated like this.
Being acknowledged.
Being given space to recover.
Being told that his efforts wouldn’t simply be taken for granted.
For someone who had thrown himself into danger without fully knowing where he stood, the sincerity in Barbara’s words and Vivian’s decision... left a quiet warmth in his chest.
He let out a soft breath and closed his eyes.
’...Looks like I didn’t sacrifice so much for the wrong people.’
A few minutes passed in quiet.
Then the door opened again.
Grace walked in, and this time she carefully locked the door behind her before turning and walking toward the bed.
At the same time, she seemed to be holding a bottle of something.
Jake smiled faintly and turned his head to look at her.
The moment their eyes met, he noticed the shy expression on her face.
A soft blush colored her cheeks as she stopped beside the bed, fidgeting slightly with her fingers.
"...Barbara told me what happened," she murmured, her voice quiet. "And... about how to make you recover faster, so..."
Without finishing her sentence, Grace slowly climbed onto the bed.
Her movements were soft and deliberate as she gently crawled toward him, each shift of her body carrying a quiet sensuality.
The way she leaned forward, golden hair cascading over her shoulders, and the affectionate look in her eyes made the atmosphere grow warmer with every second.
Jake watched her approach, and he couldn’t help the faint stir of expectation and lust... rising in his chest.
No matter how many times it happened... it seemed he never got tired of this with Grace.
Grace crawled closer until she settled herself between his legs. With careful hands, she gently spread them a little wider, making space for herself.
Then, without breaking eye contact, she reached up and sensually pulled her shirt over her head.
The soft fabric slid away, revealing her plump, pale breasts... full and heavy, looking almost too large for her otherwise small frame.
They swayed gently as she moved, the soft skin catching the light of the room.
And Jake’s eyes remained fixed on her, seemingly mesmerized by the sight of her exposed breasts.
Seeing the greedy look in his gaze, Grace smiled softly and puffed her chest out a little with quiet pride.
Then her hands moved with practiced ease.
She carefully pulled his pants down completely, freeing him fully before shifting her body into position.
Soon, she settled herself between his legs, pressing her soft, heavy breasts together around his cock.
Jake’s eyes widened slightly as he realized what she was about to do.
"...Ohhh, Could this be...?!"
Grace nodded shyly, her cheeks flushing a deeper shade of pink.
"Barbara told me that... men love this," she murmured softly.
At those words, Jake couldn’t help but want to give a huge thank-you to Barbara.
Then Grace reached over and picked up a small bottle of soothing oil that... Barbara had given her earlier.