Tender Hands for No. 13
Chap, chap… The temperature was just right. It was probably time to call her in.
“Scarlet, ah, you were already out here?”
“Yeah… I felt awkward just sitting there after leaving everything to you.”
“Haha…”
I swallowed the words that it wasn’t necessary and stepped onto the wooden deck. She sat there, gazing at me with her vivid crimson eyes, and reached for the knot of her waist tie only to hesitate right in front of the ribbon.
‘I went to all that trouble to tie it for her…’
“…I can tie it again as many times as you like, so come here now. Let’s wash up first before we get in.”
“W-what are you saying… I didn’t say anything.”
Of course she hadn’t spoken aloud, but I could hear it all. The way she grumbled an excuse and turned her head was suddenly endearing.
…Did her impression really change this much just because her expression had softened?
Swish, swish… Plop.
This time she was properly covering herself with a towel, but her figure was far too voluptuous for a single piece of cloth to hide everything. The way she tried to shield both her chest and hips with that tiny scrap of fabric made her shoulders hunch and her thighs press tightly together. The timid gesture of hugging her own arms around her breasts was somehow far more provocative than if she had simply stood there completely bare.
“…Aren’t you staring too much?”
“Well, um…”
I felt guilty for refusing her earlier plea to be held, only to look at her like this now, but I truly couldn’t help it. She didn’t seem offended, though, and simply walked closer. I pulled myself together.
“Shall we wash up a bit before we get in?”
“…Mm.”
Though it was a private bath, it was only slightly smaller than the open-air one I had just used. Right beside it was a washing area fully stocked with shampoo and body wash. The interior matched the overall atmosphere, but the modern plastic bottles of shampoo and conditioner stood out.
“How’s the water temperature? Is it okay?”
“…Yeah, it’s fine.”
For her, who had only ever known cold, rough water being hosed over her like livestock, this level of care was necessary to change that perception. I had considered giving her time to enjoy it alone, but since I had decided to do my best, I concluded that pampering her as luxuriously as possible while I attended to her was the way to go.
I guided her to the bath stool and let her sit. Warm water, adjusted to the perfect temperature, ran over her body. I let the shower stream flow over the back of my hand first so it wouldn’t hit her skin directly, then gently stroked and wetted her. Whether it was my touch or the pleasant warmth, her shoulders trembled lightly.
Reflected in the mirror ahead, her face looked content with her eyes half-closed, and the soaked towel clung to her skin, faintly revealing its color. I quickly averted my gaze.
…Good thing I was still wearing clothes.
“Your hair… is really beautiful.”
“…Thanks.”
Her red hair, now freed from the tie, reached past her shoulders with a natural, gentle wave. Brighter than wine-red yet not garishly vivid, the deep crimson strands spread across my palm as the warm water flowed over them. Back then, surrounded by flames at the scene, her hair had looked as though it were truly burning—red and breathtaking.
Feeling the ticklish sensation, I swept the water from her forehead, set the showerhead down, and began shampooing. I had plenty of experience washing Nero, the rare water-affinity cat, as well as Harpy with her large wings and the unconscious Yerin.
“Eut…?”
Unlike Nero, who was picky about the pressure of every fingertip, or Harpy, who trembled with embarrassment, or Yerin, who had required one hand to support her unconscious body…
“…This, ah…”
The girl sitting obediently before me now was no different from a mannequin used for beauty practice. Thanks to that, I could fully utilize my talent for anything involving my hands—something I was above average at.
“Eut… mm, ugh…”
While thoroughly working the shampoo in, I watched her reactions to adjust the pressure and made sure the force never concentrated on any single spot around her neck. Once I finished and rinsed the suds away with warm water—
“Haaa…”
—a deeply satisfied sigh escaped her plump lips. I clenched my fist in quiet triumph.
“Now then, I’ll clean the rest of your body as well.”
What remained was to thoroughly wash every inch of her sensuous figure. There was no need to be nervous. This was also my way of apologizing, so I wanted to treat her with the utmost gentleness.
Yet when I lathered the soft, fluffy shower puff with body wash and placed it on her shoulder, the faint moan that followed made my heart pound.
“Ahh…”
“…”
I tried to dismiss it as a reflexive reaction to an unfamiliar sensation on bare skin, but every time I worked the lather over her shoulders and back, those suggestive little sounds kept slipping out, making my face grow hotter.
“…Hah… mm…”
‘So… gentle…’
“Scarlet?”
“I-it just tickles… eut, that’s all…”
‘I can feel how carefully you’re treating me… hah, it makes me too aware of it…’
Of course my hands grew even more cautious. I couldn’t risk slipping and drawing out another sound. Still, I only had a week left. If she was already accepting my touch in a positive way…
Plop.
Since she was already covered in plenty of lather, I dropped the puff and reached out with both hands.
“Ah… there? Wait—”
I boldly placed my hands on her arms—the very arms she had been more conscious of showing me than her more intimate places.
“Ugh, I said wait…”
Starting with her left arm, I massaged from shoulder to wrist, working the foam in. At first she tried to twist her arm free in a half-hearted resistance, but it never actually came loose. Given how slippery the foam made everything and how much stronger I was, if she had truly wanted to pull away, she could have. The fact that she didn’t meant…
“…”
This was as good as permission.
The sensation beneath my palm was different from the smooth, elastic skin of her shoulders. Even through the foam, I could feel the texture of the burn scars she was so self-conscious about. I had worried that touching them might backfire, but thankfully it didn’t.
“…You really have to touch a place like that. If you wanted to touch my chest or somewhere else, you could just say so.”
She grumbled as I reached her wrist and carefully tended to the backs of her hands and fingers. I already knew the sharp words were her way of fishing for reassurance, so I wasn’t flustered.
Still, giving her the easy answer she wanted wouldn’t do.
“You might be right about that.”
“Eut, you…”
“Because Scarlet’s body always makes my heart race.”
Even though her figure was toned and free of excess fat, it still retained the softness that only a woman could possess—an ideal form. It wasn’t merely sexual attraction; it was the same instinctive pull one feels toward something genuinely beautiful and impressive.
“…Then touch me however you want.”
The words came out petulant, her voice already drained of strength, laced with disappointment and hurt. A good sign. At least it wasn’t fear, and disappointment only existed where expectation had been.
Still… if I kept walking this tightrope, it would snap and I’d fall straight into a sea of fire.
“But that doesn’t mean I’ve never wanted to touch you here either.”
“What… are you saying?”
“The scars bother you, right? I don’t know if I’m strange for it, but they don’t bother me at all.”
I gently wrapped her wrist and interlaced our fingers with my other hand so she couldn’t pull away. The moment our palms met, the resistance in her arm vanished completely. It was oddly amusing.
“The reason I’m deliberately paying attention to them right now is simply because I want you to feel at ease.”
“…”
“Was it unnecessary meddling?”
“…No.”
The President’s body had been far worse. Most of her scars came from tears, stitches, and cuts rather than burns. Even so, my only thought had been that they looked cool. Partly because her body was magnificent to begin with, and partly because I held no prejudice.
And I had a way to prove it.
“Shall I connect with you for a moment? I think I can prove my sincerity right away.”
“Ah, no… that’s… don’t. Right now…”
“Right now…?”
“No, it’s nothing…! Really…”
It was rude to say, but Scarlet was just as easy to read as Nero. When she only showed hostility, anger, and irritation, I hadn’t noticed, but that was because those were the only emotions she expressed back then. Now her voice was painfully honest with whatever she was feeling in the moment.
“Then… shall we do the front now?”
“…Ah, no.”
‘If he touches me with those gentle hands again… I’ll definitely… become strange…’
“I-I’ll do it myself…”
Becoming strange sounded personally very interesting, but since I had just taken a big step forward, it was time to wait a little. The girl who moments ago had said “touch me if you want” was gone. She quickly snatched up the shower puff and finished lathering her front in the blink of an eye.
A single tear of regret threatened to fall for the opportunity I had just let slip, but this was undeniably a positive reaction. The more her feelings leaned toward longing rather than mere thirst, the more visibly her embarrassment showed. I had learned that much.
“Shall we rinse off and get in now?”
“…”
She only nodded without answering. I rinsed the white foam from her body, handed her a towel, and we headed to the bath together.
Then I noticed—because the wet towel hung lower than before—her deep cleavage and the number “018” tattooed above it. Seeing the prisoner number inked on her chest, I thought:
Just like when I melted the bars and chains to pull her out of prison… if I used Mini Undine’s ability, maybe that tattoo, and perhaps even the scars on her arms, could be cleanly erased.
“…What’s wrong? Why did you suddenly stop?”
“Ah…”
When I halted before the bath, she turned around two steps ahead. She checked where my gaze was directed first…
“I thought you were trying to look at my butt… Guess not.”
“W-what are you suddenly saying? No, I was just thinking about something important.”
I quickly moved ahead of her. Since I was still dressed, I only dipped my legs in while sitting on the edge. Even though the bath wasn’t that small, she chose to sink right beside me.
The visual feast was gone… or not.
“You’re not getting in with me?”
“Mixed bathing feels a bit premature, don’t you think? It’s not that I absolutely hate the idea, but… I do have a normal amount of shame too.”
Even though each room’s bath was relatively spacious, two adults fully submerged would leave little room. More importantly, if we were both naked in here, we might break the promise we made and something could happen. Even now, with only my legs in the water, her smooth shoulders, the elegant line of her collarbones, and the upper curves of her breasts peeking above the surface kept drawing my eyes.
The hazy steam lit by the lamps acted as a natural filter, and a few strands of her wet hair clung to her pale cheeks and the nape of her neck. Looking at that sight, I felt an involuntary… throb.
Ah, this was bad. I wouldn’t be able to stand up for a while.