Three Days at Celian's Mansion
Already three days had passed since I arrived at Celian's mansion. Time really flew.
"So you threw away the torn uniform, then?"
"Why would I keep something that was already ripped?"
It wasn't even me who'd torn it in the first place. At some point the uniform had simply been swapped out, so I couldn't say for sure—but of course it had been discarded. What use was someone else's ruined school uniform?
"No, if it were me..."
"Ah, knowing your personality, Seli, you might actually mend it and keep using it."
Celian was the precious daughter of a marquis house, so money was never an issue for her. Still, the thrifty little habits she showed from time to time made the idea entirely plausible.
"Th-that's right! Of course I would!"
"I should've asked Yuri about it at least once. If it was only a little torn, she could've just mended it instead of throwing it away."
Why hadn't I thought of that back then? I wasn't the type to fuss over clothes anyway, and a small tear wouldn't have stopped me from wearing it even without repairs.
From Yuri's perspective, though, she had probably felt guilty and given me something nearly brand-new instead of mending the old one. With her rather timid nature, that assumption felt more than reasonable.
What could I do about it now? My original uniform was already buried in some trash bin somewhere.
Even if I ran into her later, there was no need to bring up the uniform. Acting petty over something from the past after becoming a man would just look ridiculous, and mentioning it would only make Yuri feel bad all over again.
"By the way, Seli?"
"Yes, what is it?"
Celian answered from inside my room, right beside me, in that pure, innocent voice of hers.
"Um... are you planning to stay there forever?"
"Pardon?"
I was dancing around it, but I was essentially kicking her out. Even if I was the one currently using the room, Celian was still the rightful owner of the house. Depending on who heard it, the words could easily come off as rude.
Still, I had no choice but to say it.
"I worked up a sweat during training earlier, so I was going to take a shower. You sweated too, didn't you?"
After morning training ended, we had walked back while chatting, and before I knew it Celian had naturally followed me into my room.
I only noticed once I had already grabbed a change of underwear for the shower.
"Ah... you're right."
Celian seemed to realize it the moment she glanced at the underwear in my hand. Even so, she didn't move. She just stood there, staring at my undergarments as if lost in thought.
"A shower..."
"Seli?"
"Ah, yes. Then I'll see you a little later. I'll shower and change as well before coming back."
Only after I called her name a second time did Celian hurry out of the room with quick steps.
Once I confirmed she was gone, I stepped into the dressing room, stripped off my clothes, and dropped them into the laundry basket.
At the dormitory I had to wash everything myself, which was a hassle. Here in a noble mansion, the maids collected the laundry, cleaned it thoroughly, and returned it, which was convenient in every way.
I set my change of clothes to one side and stepped into the shower room.
For a shower room it was surprisingly spacious; a private bathtub even sat off to one side. Of course I had no intention of taking a full bath—I just wanted to rinse off the sweat.
I luxuriated for a moment in the warm water I could never have dreamed of during my assassin days, then reached for the body wash and pumped it a few times to start washing properly.
That was when I noticed something familiar about the bottle.
It was the exact same product I had used in the dormitory. The bottle next to it looked familiar too; a closer look confirmed it was the same shampoo I always used.
Wow. Matching my tastes this perfectly went beyond mere luck—it was almost uncanny.
Come to think of it, I distinctly remembered the shopkeeper claiming this shampoo was a Felches-region limited item when I bought it. Probably just a merchant's lie to sell one more bottle.
Well, calling something "limited edition" always made even people who weren't planning to buy reach for their wallets.
I myself had been about to grab whatever was cheapest until that "limited" label reeled me in.
Not that I had any real complaints about the product. The scent was nice enough that I had kept using it, so I saw no reason to track the guy down and argue. He was just trying to make a living; better to let it slide.
While I was idly inspecting the bottles, the water on my skin began to dry little by little.
Enough wasted time. I washed my now-familiar body clean.
I stepped out into the dressing room, toweling the water from my skin. Anyone watching would have scolded me for dripping everywhere instead of drying off properly, but there was no one here whose opinion I needed to care about.
Still, there was no need to leave the floor soaked, so I tossed the used towel down and roughly wiped the tiles with my foot.
Once the towel had done its job, I tossed it into the laundry basket where I had left my underwear and clothes earlier.
"Huh?"
The underwear and clothes I had put in the basket were gone. One of the maids in charge of laundry must have collected them while I was showering. The strange part was...
"When did she come and go?"
She had probably noticed I was showering and moved carefully out of consideration.
Even so, sensing presence was one of the few things I was fairly confident in, yet I hadn't noticed anyone enter or leave the entire time I was under the water. I hadn't even heard the dressing-room door open.
At this rate the maid could have switched careers and become an assassin without any trouble.
If a marquis house's maids were this skilled, I had to wonder whether the maids of a ducal house or the imperial palace were casually flinging Aura from their swords or something.
"Achoo!"
Standing around naked right after a shower while thinking useless thoughts had let a chill creep in.
Normally a body tempered with Aura wouldn't catch a cold so easily, but this newly feminine body was more sensitive; I couldn't be sure.
I rubbed my arms once with both hands, then pulled on the fresh underwear and clothes I had brought and stepped out.
Dong... dong...
The grandfather clock standing in one corner of the living room announced that it was noon.
"Hm?"
I had kicked Celian out of the room so I could wash, so of course she would be later than me.
She had said she would shower and then come to my room, after all.
While waiting I had pulled a novel from the bookshelf and started reading.
I had been so absorbed that I only noticed the time when the clock struck twelve. More than two hours had already passed since I finished showering and opened the book.
Unlike me when I was a man, I already knew women needed quite a bit of time to wash and get ready.
Even so, two hours felt a little excessive.
I had a book, so boredom wasn't a concern. Still, I closed it and stood up.
I knew where Celian's room was. Rather than wait forever, maybe it wouldn't hurt to go check on her myself.
I climbed the stairs and stopped in front of her door. I knocked lightly, but no answer came from inside.
Just in case, I turned the handle. Since it was her own house she hadn't locked it; the door opened easily.
I stepped in and looked around, but Celian was nowhere in sight. Instead a faint sound of running water told me she was still in the shower.
I was just about to head back to my room and wait until she finished when a sudden thought struck me.
What if something had happened while she was showering?
No matter how sturdy Celian was, accidents still happened. She could have gotten a sudden bout of anemia and collapsed, or slipped and hit her head before she could react.
If that were the case, I couldn't just stand here.
I walked toward the sound of water, opened the door, and entered the dressing room.
Inside, the water sounded even clearer.
"..."
And faintly, I could hear Celian's voice, as if she were humming. Thankfully it didn't seem she had collapsed mid-shower. Still, better safe than sorry—since I was already here, I carefully knocked on the shower-room door to check.
Knock knock.
"Seli?"
"Haaang... Kyaa!?"
I had knocked as gently as possible, but of course she hadn't expected anyone to show up while she was showering. A startled scream rang out.
Apparently on guard now, she shut off the shower; only the soft drip of leftover water remained.
"Ah! Sorry. It's me—Elicia."
"El...?"
"I waited and waited and you never came, so I got worried and came to check. I thought maybe you'd collapsed in the shower or something."
Celian seemed to be trying to calm her startled self; for a moment there was no reply.
After a brief silence, her voice finally returned, a little steadier.
"...Yes. N-no... problem... at all!"
"I was worried something might have happened, but I'm glad you're fine."
"Yes, y-yes! Haa... I just... worked up a sweat and then showered, so... heuk! I-it feels... really good..."
Her voice was trembling, which worried me enough to keep talking, but thankfully nothing seemed wrong.
"Is that so? Still, it's already been two hours. Wrap it up soon and let's go eat."
"I-I'll finish... right away... Heuk!"
"Hm? You sure you're okay?"
"Yes! It's just... I dropped the... shower ball..."
Sure enough, from the quiet shower room came the intermittent wet sound of scrubbing, as if she were soaping herself.
Knowing a naked Celian stood just beyond the door made her voice sound strangely lewd.
"Then I'll head back to my room and wait. Come get me when you're done washing."
"Ye-hes..."
I already knew nothing was wrong with her, and there was no reason to stay any longer. Before any unnecessary thoughts could take root, I quickly left the dressing room.
I returned straight to my room and tried to finish the novel I had been reading, but I couldn't concentrate at all.
...I should probably visit the bathroom for a moment.
Celian finally returned about twenty minutes after I came back from the bathroom.