The bathroom was shrouded in thick steam that barely let the floor tiles show through. Yue stepped in barefoot, lifting only the tips of her toes.
She plunged one foot into the water, tested the temperature, then dipped in the other with a nod before sitting down. After soaking her petite body in the water, she stood up again.
All the while, Yuu watched her tenderly, leaning against the rim of the tub with his brows slightly raised in curiosity.
With a fleeting glance at him, Yue let the towel covering her body slip. It slid off her slender shoulders, then past her knees, unveiling her pale, wet skin—slightly flushed in the spots where the hot water had its greatest effect: shoulders, knees, thighs… and on her cheeks, which glowed with a healthy blush.
Although the blush on her cheeks wasn't precisely from the hot water.
"…You're looking pretty comfortable" Yuu stared at her in silence.
'This shameless vampire... is she trying to seduce me?'
The steam embraced her figure, yet it wasn't dense enough to completely obscure her body. Instead, it made her look ethereally beautiful.
Her long, golden hair fell in disordered strands over her shoulders, droplets slipping down her collarbone. And while her body was small, she had curves that made Yuu's eyes linger on them for a while.
'Has she always been this pretty?'
He looked away, propping himself against the tub's edge and closing his eyes, trying to focus on the warmth of the water.
'…First time I've ever bathed with a woman.'
It was strange to think that.
After everything he'd experienced—over millions of years, visiting countless worlds, fighting innumerable battles, meeting infinite beings—never once had a woman shared a scene like this with him.
He'd never really cared about love.
In all those years, there was no time for such things as romance.
He smiled to himself and shook his head.
'When did I start using time as an excuse?'
He'd had to learn to survive, to fight, to flee, to win, to rise above others.
That was all that mattered, right?
No. Not even that.
'Who am I kidding…'
He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. The steam danced across the white surface.
They were empty excuses.
There had been time for romance. Plenty of time.
And he had wanted to love those who loved him. Many times.
Yet he'd always stopped himself with the same thought: "What if I lose her?"
The idea of loving someone, of seeing her die before him, of being left alone with only memories—it terrified him. He had already lost friends, brothers-in-arms, people who'd sworn to stand by him to the end.
And each time, the pain had been worse.
If he ever truly loved and then time took her away, he couldn't bear it. He would break and go mad.
So he cowardly locked himself in a shell, refusing those who loved him and sealing off his feelings to avoid suffering.
He became an empty, unbreakable rock amid the waves of time.
Looking back, if he still had human emotions, he might even regret it. Because only now, after losing all those feelings, did he understand how precious they were.
To love and be loved.
Yuu rubbed his face with his hand.
He didn't know what to think.
But for the first time in a long while, his chest ached a little. He could tell it wasn't from sorrow, yet he wasn't sure why.
"Yuu… is something wrong?"
A soft voice immediately snapped him out of the loop his mind had been trapped in.
The water rippled. And through the lingering steam, Yue's face appeared.
Her golden hair was wet, some strands clinging to her cheeks, others falling over her sholders. That normally impassive face now held a gentle concern.
Before he could answer, Yue reached out, took his face, and turned it toward her. Her warm fingers soon brushed his cheek.
"Mm… You were remembering."
'Heh… Now she can read me like that?'
"What were you thinking about…? You seemed so distant…"
Yes. Yue had felt it. Putting aside the expression he wore, she sensed through their bond that something had stirred inside him for a moment. She didn't fully understand it yet, but she had noticed.
Yuu blinked in surprise and scratched his cheek with a wet finger, feigning an embarrassed smile.
"Hm? Ah… I was just remembering that I've never bathed with a woman before."
Saying it like that sounded ridiculous.
Yue watched him in silence for a few more seconds. She had expected a different answer. But in the end, after noticing the barrier around Yuu, she only let out a soft, "I see," and lowered her hand a little.
The water calmed again. Though only for a few seconds.
Yue slid her fingers down his neck, grazing his collarbone. Then she lightly pinched his chest, testing its texture.
—Gulp!
Yuu, who was reclining, opened an eye at the sound of her sharp swallow.
Huh?
She said nothing, but she clearly stared. Her crimson eyes had now settled on his abdomen.
"…Are you interested in my abs?"
Yue swallowed again and reached out. Her palm slid down Yuu's chest until it rested on his abs.
"Hey…"
Yuu thought about saying something, but his body didn't move. Truth be told, it was the first time anyone had touched him like that. He didn't know how to react. Was he supposed to push her away? Or just let her continue?
Besides…
Though expressionless, Yue's pretty face flushed visibly, as if blood had rushed to her cheeks all at once.
"Mm…"
Yue made a small throat sound as her hand continued tracing patterns across his skin.
She could clearly feel the firmness of those muscles beneath her fingertips. It felt strange. She, who had never really paid attention to a man's body before or felt any interest, now found herself tempted to caress and admire Yuu's attractive body forever.
Then…
"You're drooling, did you know that?"
At Yuu's teasing words, Yue blinked with a neutral expression, though her eyes widened in surprise. She stirred and hurriedly wiped at the corner of her mouth.
She narrowed her eyes at his face.
And smiled. A flirtatious smile.
Then she licked her lips.
"…"
Hey. What was that?
"I've noticed it before, even at the castle, but you look at me like I'm a perfectly cooked steak."
"Fufu~"
Yue laughed naturally and began crawling toward him. Calmly.
Yuu raised an eyebrow. At the right moment, he stretched out a hand and gripped her arm. A moment later, with a gentle push, he sent her to the other side of the tub. He didn't do it hard; it wasn't done with the intention of hurting her. Yet, Yue let out a small cry of surprise.
Water splashed as Yue's butt hit the tub's edge.
Though she didn't lose her calm expression, her red eyes, always appearing indifferent, narrowed. She looked amused.
"Fufu~"
Yue lifted a finger and, with her index, drew a line from Yuu's cheeks down to his jaw. Her touch was so light he barely felt it, but enough for his skin to react.
Yuu was amused by her touch. But his eyes weren't on her face. They were on a drop of water.
There was a drop slowly sliding down Yue's boobs. It moved slowly, tracing a path along the curve of her white skin. And when it reached her small pink nipple, it fell into the water with a small—plop.
"Mm… why are you licking your lips?"
Yue noticed Yuu's golden eyes fixed on her breasts and knew it was her turn to ask the question.
"Why do you think?"
Of course Yue knew. But she tilted her head slightly as her lips curved into a coquettish smile.
Yuu leaned toward her until their faces were dangerously close.
With a mocking grin, he murmured:
"…You didn't answer my question earlier. Do you enjoy my body or something?"
Yue blinked dramatically a couple of times and parted her rosy lips:
"Mm… I love it."
"You're so direct…"
Murmuring that, Yuu lowered his voice. Very slowly, he brought his lips to her ear.
Then he blew.
A waft of air drifted out, and feeling the warm breath caress her, Yue's small body shivered in a slight tremor and let out a surprised sound.
"Yue, it's not fair that only you get to enjoy this. Don't you think it should be mutual?"
Yue looked at Yuu's handsome face with a gaze that didn't hide the tenderness inside. She didn't waste a second before answering. And when she did, her voice was soft.
"Mm… I belong to you, Yuu… only you."
She moved a little closer, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"So… you can do whatever you want to me, Yuu…"
Yuu froze. A naked girl hugging him, submerged in the tub, looking at him with a completely serious expression… saying that to him.
The impact was truly powerful. So much so that his mind jolted.
'When was the last time?'
Oh, right. It was a long time ago, when he was young and foolish. He accidentally walked into the wrong bathhouse. There were lots of towels, lots of steam and lots of voluptuous naked women.
He ended up with a nosebleed like a certain perverted old bald man.
It was the day he learned how easily the brain could be stimulated.
But now…
'Hm…?'
He looked at Yue more closely.
A delicate, pretty girl with pale skin and crimson eyes shining with resolve. She said she belonged to him. She meant it.
'She really is beautiful… and her words are dangerous. It's exactly what I've always wanted to hear. It's also the kind of determination I expect from the travel companion I've chosen.'
To accompany someone like him—someone who walked outside of time—required conviction. The kind of resolve that could stand even against time itself. That kind of strength lived in her.
Yue, who had barely lived for a few centuries. Who had been betrayed, abandoned, sealed—and yet carried on without losing herself.
She met every requirement he sought.
And yet…
'…I feel nothing.'
It was a somewhat lamentable statement. His heart didn't flutter, his pulse didn't quicken. His breathing didn't tremble.
Yuu sighed inwardly.
'I hope someday to recover all my emotions. It will be truly difficult, but I hold on to that hope.'
Yuu relaxed his shoulders at that thought. In that moment, he felt something warm at his neck.
Yue's lips.
She was silently kissing his skin.
Yuu opened his eyes slowly but did not pull away. He only lifted his hands and gently positioned her waist, settling her atop him as he sat in the tub.
The water rippled, and the steam rose.
"Mm… I'm hungry, Yuu."
"Then eat."
Yue lifted her head slightly. Her fangs gleamed faintly in the bathroom's dim light before she leaned back down and bit him softly.
"…Nn."
A sigh—or perhaps a small moan—escaped her lips as her arms wrapped around Yuu's head, pressing closer as she drank his blood slowly.
Her body trembled lightly with each swallow of the rich, delicious white liquid.
Yuu, for his part, offered a wry smile.
"Hah… you really are a gluttonous vampire."
He let her feed to her heart's content.
After all, with the physique of an Aeon symbolizing the infinite and unending, Yuu's blood regenerated the instant it was drawn.
To her, that meant she could drink as much as she wanted without fear of harming him.
While Yue continued to feed, Yuu cupped his hands, filled them with warm water, and calmly began washing her back.
When he finished her back, he moved on to caressing her butt with soapy hands. Though small, they were round and especially soft and pleasant to the touch.
"…Nn… Yuu…"
She moaned and let out sounds of pleasure at his touch.
In that comfortable atmosphere, she smiled happily as she continued to feed until, shortly thereafter, she was sated and fell asleep.
×××
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