Chapter 190: Shinobu Wakes Up
"Yes, exactly. It happened during that rescue operation. We haven't seen Mr. Ren use his skills in a long time."
"I really miss it! I remember one female patient even asked whether Mr. Ren's massage service could be paid for by the month!"
Kiyo, Sumi, and Naho chattered excitedly.
They clearly remembered Ren's massage skills from before.
All three wore looks of envy.
Ever since Ren had demonstrated his massage techniques last time, the girls had been eager to experience them as well.
Who didn't know that Ren's massage skills were the best in the Butterfly Mansion?
Last time, they had personally witnessed how Shinobu had practically melted under Ren's massage.
Now Shinobu was going to enjoy it again, and the three little girls were terribly jealous.
Ren couldn't help shaking his head.
"All three of you are perfectly healthy. If you want a massage, you can just do it yourselves."
Kiyo blinked.
"I... don't know how."
"That's right!" Sumi immediately chimed in. "Mr. Ren, you have to teach us!"
Before Naho could say anything, Ren immediately smiled.
"If you don't tell the truth, you won't get any massages in the future."
Hearing that, Naho immediately shut her mouth.
Ren naturally hadn't forgotten that when he had first arrived at the Butterfly Mansion, these three little girls had been the ones who massaged him.
They didn't know how to massage?
Wasn't that obviously a lie?
Kiyo and the other two tried to persuade Ren, but after failing, they could only give up and stay nearby to watch how Ren performed the massage.
They planned to study carefully.
Ren's massage technique was excellent. If they were lucky enough to learn even a little of it, that would be wonderful.
After all, they weren't particularly skilled at fighting head-on. If they learned this technique, then the next time Miss Shinobu was injured, they would be able to help her themselves.
"He's starting! Mr. Ren is starting!"
The moment those words were spoken, Kanzaki Aoi, Kiyo, Sumi, and Naho all widened their eyes.
They stared intently in Ren's direction.
Ren sat upright before slowly removing Shinobu's shoes with both hands.
Then came her socks.
Soon, her small feet were exposed.
Shinobu's toes were small, just like her petite stature, but they were flexible and healthy-looking.
Ren took a deep breath.
He silently began circulating the energy within his body according to the principles of his Massage Magic Hands.
The moment he placed his hands on her—
Ren's large, warm hands rested against Shinobu's cold, pale ankles.
"Hiss..."
Ren couldn't help exclaiming.
"You're freezing."
Indeed, Shinobu's feet were extremely cold.
From a medical perspective, this could generally be attributed to three causes.
Constitutional factors, lifestyle factors, or illness.
Constitutional factors were usually associated with a deficiency of kidney yang. Kidney-yang deficiency was considered a fundamental form of yang deficiency, which could result in a cold constitution.
When the body's ability to maintain warmth weakened, coldness in the feet could occur, often accompanied by a persistent sensation of cold in the extremities.
The second possibility was lifestyle.
If someone wore too little clothing, exposed their ankles, and was then exposed to cold conditions, it could interfere with circulation in the lower limbs and cause sensitivity to cold.
However, Shinobu normally dressed warmly. Unless she dressed as lightly as Hinatsuru did, this explanation was unlikely.
The third possibility was illness.
Conditions such as hypothyroidism or adrenal insufficiency could cause not only generalized fatigue but also coldness in the limbs.
However, Ren suspected that none of these explanations was the real cause.
It was highly likely that Shinobu's cold extremities were related to the Wisteria poison within her body.
Although he had no direct evidence to prove this, Ren's instincts had always been remarkably accurate.
He would need more time to confirm his conclusion.
Ren planned to visit Shinobu's laboratory if he had the opportunity.
His pharmacological research needed to be accelerated as soon as possible.
Ren began working.
His large hands moved back and forth across the soles of Shinobu's feet.
Suddenly, the young man's brows furrowed.
He had felt two blisters on Shinobu's feet.
Ren couldn't help smiling bitterly.
"This silly girl... What has she been putting herself through every day?"
He closed his eyes.
You have entered the Transparent World!
A transparent world unfolds before your eyes!
You begin using Massage Magic Hands!
[...]
Shinobu felt as though she were having a very long dream.
In the dream, she was climbing a wall while Ren waited for her on the other side.
The moment she climbed over, she would fall straight into a trap.
The scene changed.
Now she was lying on the bed in her room.
Ren was giving her a massage.
So warm...
Shinobu's delicate body trembled slightly.
Then a warm current, like a tide, flowed from the top of her head to the tips of her toes, filling her entire body with warmth and comfort.
Ren...
The girl murmured in her sleep.
A blissful smile spread across her face.
In the midst of her happiness, a trace of clear liquid slowly escaped from the corner of her mouth.
The next moment, Shinobu woke from her dream.
Yet the room was still completely empty.
What was that?
Shinobu slowly sat up on the edge of the bed.
Only then did she realize that she was in her own room.
Was that a dream?
Shinobu held her head, feeling as though she had somehow missed something.
She instinctively glanced outside the window.
The sky had already grown dark.
She had no idea how long she had been asleep.
But strangely, her body didn't feel tired at all.
On the contrary, her entire body felt warm and comfortable.
"How is this possible?"
Shinobu murmured to herself, deeply confused by the changes in her body.
She knew her own body better than anyone.
Shinobu knew that whenever she woke up or night fell, her body would become extremely cold.
What she was experiencing today had never happened before.
"Miss Shinobu, you're awake?"
Suddenly, Kiyo's voice came from the doorway.
Shinobu looked toward her.
"Kiyo? What happened to me?"
Kiyo answered, "Miss Shinobu, you collapsed outside the Butterfly Mansion. Mr. Ren saved you!"
"I collapsed?"
Shinobu blinked.
Her memories immediately came rushing back like a tide.
She remembered that she had tried to sneak in through the back, but because she had exhausted herself, she had already been completely drained of strength by the time she reached halfway up the wall.
Then someone suddenly caught her.
That person had been Ren!
It's over. It's over.
Shinobu's expression instantly became wonderfully complicated.
Her willow-like eyebrows drew tightly together.
As the mistress of the Butterfly Mansion and the Insect Hashira, hadn't she completely lost all her dignity?
Shinobu's expression was somewhat strange.
She subconsciously glanced at Kiyo before cautiously asking,
"Did Ren say anything else?"
Kiyo shook her head.
"No."
Then Kiyo added,
"But Miss Shinobu, after Mr. Ren came back, you looked like you weren't very happy?"