Chapter 161.1: In the Bath... (Part 1)

Mariana was always prepared, and she had everything laid out in the kitchen already. The main star of the meal was a large piece of fresh beef, with plenty of white marbling, accompanied by colorful vegetables and white rice. Just one look was enough to know they would be a magnificent dinner.

「I'm really looking forward to it.」

「Kyui!」

Mira peeked into the kitchen and muttered that, while Luna reacted to the vegetables cut into batons to the side.

「Wait, the bath comes first.」

Even though it was just a game, Mira's contest with Luna had placed heavy strain on her, leaving her body drenched in sweat. So she wanted to take a bath and freshen up first. But then something fell to the floor with a dry sound.

「Ah... right, I forgot...」

Mira instinctively looked into the kitchen again, seeing an empty bowl rolling on the floor, and Mariana frozen in terror looking at Mira.

That reminded Mira of something. Every time she took a bath, Mariana would insist on going with her. She also joined her in the changing room, almost forcefully.

But now Mariana was busy trying to satisfy Mira's hungry stomach. If she prioritized cooking, she would not make it to the bath, if she prioritized the bath, Mira would be hungry for longer. That was her current dilemma.

「Don't worry about the bath-」

Mira was fine with her focusing on just one thing. The words had barely left her mouth when Mariana's countenance darkened and she looked terribly depressed, making Mira hurry to amend her words, while internally grimacing at the ridiculous situation.

「Ahh, actually, I'm sure you worked hard too, so let's take a bath first.」

「But...but then... your stomach...」

Mariana's attitude had not changed in all that time. At first she smiled happily hearing that, but then she remembered dinner, which she also considered very important for Mira, making her look depressed again.

「That's perfectly alright. Hunger is the best condiment, right? And I don't think a bath will take so long it'll really matter.」

Mira spoke with a bright voice, trying to make Mariana worry less.

「Understood. I'll get ready right away.」

That managed to convince Mariana, who bowed and swiftly cleaned the kitchen and went to the changing room.

「This... was the right choice, right..?」

Mira was shocked at herself for actually inviting Mariana to take a bath together, the boldness of it slowly downing on her.

Just like before, Mariana dutifully served Mira in the bath. She washed her hair and scrubbed every inch of her body, which ended with a delightful massage. After that, Mira laid back in the enormous bathtub and relaxed as she watched Mariana wash Luna now.

She did not offer to wash Mariana's hair this time, instead choosing to sink in the bathtub as soon as possible. Also, there seemed to be a special way to wash Luna's soft fur properly, so she was trying to learn how to do that now as well.

「Never go against the fur, instead... like this.」

「Kyuii~」

「Hmm, I see, interesting...」

Mariana explained as best as she could. Meanwhile Luna squeaked happily while being wrapped in bubbles. But Mira still felt restless, looking at Luna meant having to look at Mariana too.

Mira had already spent time in the women's bathroom of inns many times during her travels, but being in the same bath as someone holding such feelings towards her was different. On top of that, Mariana made no attempts to hide her feelings for Mira, which made Mira feel slightly guilty. She could hardly hold her gaze in her direction without feeling more guilt piling up.

Eventually Luna was all clean and pretty thanks to Mariana. Now she was in a small bucket specifically for her, floating around the bathtub freely like on a boat.

「Well Lady Mira, I hope you have a relaxing time now.」

Mariana had fulfilled her duties in the bathroom, so she quickly rinsed herself and prepared to return to the kitchen. Mira watched her back, trying to pool in as much courage as she could.

「Umm, hey...so... Mariana, why don't you join me here? It's good to take it easy sometimes.」

Saying that, Mira began slapping the water surface a little, as if inviting her to get there.

「But...」

Even if Mira said it was okay, Mariana still felt like Mira's dinner was important and could not be delayed. At the same time, spending time together was a really alluring idea, so she felt torn on what to do.

「I also haven't told you about my latest adventures, have I? Why don't we talk for a bit?」

Mira already knew her next destination, and she was planning on departing the next morning. So while she was embarrassed about it, she also wanted to spend as much time together with Mariana as possible, which made her act more assertively than she had ever been before.

「If you really want me as your conversation partner, I'll gladly accept.」

Mariana seemed to notice Mira's feelings as well, so she answered softly and gently entered the bathtub next to Mira.

「Okay, where shall I start from... I guess I can tell you how I first ran into this group called Chimera Clauzen during my mission...」

Mira was a bit nervous, having never been so close to someone else before. But once she started talking, maybe due to her personality, she could not stop talking and hyping everything up like an old man telling stories, while her lust and other emotions vanished far in the distance. Mira simply related everything she could from her memories.

Mariana listened silently, but very happily to Mira's talk. Meanwhile Luna kept drifting away on her bucket, and at a certain distance she began to paddle to skillfully control her traveling direction. But Mira was so engrossed in her story that she did not notice Luna.

「But as it turns out I have to head out again tomorrow. You'll have to take care of things again while I'm gone...」

After telling all her adventures with Chimera Clauzen, Mira explained what her next mission would be, her voice sounding apologetic as she frowned slightly.

She had just come back, but she would leave again soon. Mira was starting to feel like a husband that left his wife to take care of all house chores. But Mariana smiled at Mira.

「Your mission is very important to decide the future of this country. So don't look so downcast, be proud of your work.」

Mariana would still feel lonely with Mira gone, but allowing Mira to work in good spirits was more important for her. Her words reached deep inside Mira's heart, resonating loudly.

「I see... Mm, okay, I'll leave this place in your care then, Mariana.」

「Yes, you can count on me.」

They always had similar exchanges, but somehow Mira felt like their bond had grown tighter now.

「A-alright, I think we should go eat now.」

There was a wholehearted trust between the two. In a way, that also resembled a married couple. Thinking of that reminded Mira of just how close Mariana was to her, so she hurried to get out of the bath.

But Mariana obviously followed close behind her, so the distance between their bodies remained unchanged. In the end, Mariana took care of everything Mira needed before getting changed.

Then Mariana went to the new shelf and took a new set of underwear for Mira, which she then helped Mira change into.

(Actually, she's more like a nurse than a wife, now that I think about it...)

They were similar behaviors, but also completely different, making Mira question just when her thoughts deviated.

Once they were done changing, Mira went through the heart-racing experience of toweling each other's hair, and they left the changing room. Then they heard a knock on the door, which seemed specifically timed.

「I had a hunch the unknown wagon parked outside was Mira's.」

Mariana opened the door and saw Creos, the vice-elder of the Tower of Summoning, standing there. He had noticed the wagon, and could guess Mira had returned, so he went to her room to submit his report.

「My Cait Sith has really good ears, so I knew you were both in the bath. I decided to wait until you were done.」

Creos noticed there was no one in the rooms, so he investigated a little. Cait Sith heard their voices, confirming Mira had returned, and the water sounds led Creos to conclude they were in the bath. He had been waiting at the door for nearly half an hour before knocking on the door.

「If I knew you were waiting I would've hurried. Or you could've used a Sound Spirit to let us know you were here.」

As vice-elder, Creos was a rather capable summoner himself. He had plenty of ways to announce his presence, so he had no reason to wait half an hour.

「I couldn't possibly do that... You've been away for so long, so I wouldn't want to interrupt you...」

Creos could not allow himself to interrupt Mira's relaxing bath. That was his excuse, but his eyes were focused on Mariana. The actual reason why he waited for so long was because he feared the consequences of cutting Mariana's happiest time short.

「Hmm... Oh well, no matter. You have something to report then? I actually want to ask how the Academy is faring and such as well.」

「Yes, just a moment please.」

Creos bowed deeply to Mira, and especially to Mariana, before happily entering the room.

「And so thanks to your efforts, many summoner students have become strong enough to stand at the same level as other spellcasters.」