Dio, who had been explaining the Alliance's situation, froze mid-sentence. He glanced at the black-haired catgirl who had just walked past, then back at Cipher, a question mark forming above his head.
Cipher's actions felt like someone with a perfect 10/10 appearance complimenting someone with a 7/10 as "very beautiful." Was this some kind of mockery?
But Cipher's expression and tone held no hint of mockery. Did she genuinely believe what she was saying? It seemed absurd. For a moment, Dio was completely stumped, unsure how to respond.
The group of five strolled through the small town. Besides the catfolk they had already seen, Cipher also spotted dogfolk. Apart from their tails—long and soft for cats, shorter and stiffer for dogs—they looked nearly identical to the catfolk.
They also saw towering bearfolk with round ears, slender and handsome half-elves, and dwarves barely reaching four feet tall, their bodies sculpted like solid stone.
Douglas whispered, "So this is a Dwarf? It's my first time seeing one. I've heard their low strikes are incredibly powerful and nearly impossible to defend against."
Dio paused, confused. "Low strikes? What are those?"
He quickly realized what Douglas meant and scoffed, "Low strikes? For a Dwarf, that's just a normal horizontal slash!"
Due to their short stature, Dwarven attacks naturally target human knees. These powerful blows to the lower body are difficult to block. Conversely, human attacks against Dwarves typically come from above, which the Dwarves can easily parry with their shields. It's a rather unfair advantage.
As they talked, the group of five soon reached the local Adventurer's Guild. Right next to it was a shop with a sign that read "Cat Massage." Cipher spotted the same adorable black-haired Catgirl she'd seen before, standing at the entrance with a professional smile, seemingly waiting for customers.
Especially after spotting Cipher, the Black-Haired Catgirl walked straight over this time and said, "You're adventurers, right? How about a massage? It's so relaxing, meow~"
Cipher's first thought was, "Do Catfolk really end their sentences with 'meow'?!"
The Black-Haired Catgirl looked puzzled. "What do you mean, meow?"
"N-nothing," Cipher stammered, waving her hands dismissively. After a brief pause, she hesitantly added, "...meow."
The instant she uttered the word, her face flushed crimson.
Everyone except Cipher reacted the same way: "How adorable!"
Dio recovered after a few seconds. "A Catfolk-run massage parlor? Those are quite famous throughout the Alliance. You should really try it—it's a local specialty."
"A massage?" Douglas stroked his chin, his gaze fixed on the Black-Haired Catgirl. After a moment of contemplation, he shook his head. "I think I'll pass. I'm exhausted from that long trek and just want to rest properly and get some sleep."
Dio looked puzzled. After their long journey, his body ached with fatigue. Wouldn't a massage be especially soothing right now? But before he could voice his question, Douglas had already turned and strode into the Adventurer's Guild.
Feidric shrugged and said, "Not interested," before leaving as well, leaving only Aria and Cipher behind. Aria hesitated. "I..."
Cipher cut her off. "It's a local specialty! Want to try it?"
Truthfully, Cipher herself was eager to experience it. Unlike that coward Douglas, how could anyone pass up the chance to be massaged by an adorable Catgirl?
Well, Cipher wasn't entirely fearless either. Back in her previous life, she would never have dared to enter a massage parlor alone. But with a friend by her side, it was a different story.
Soon, Cipher's enthusiasm propelled them into the Cat Massage parlor. Dio, meanwhile, had gone to the Harpers' Guild.
Inside, the Black-Haired Catgirl greeted them with a sweet smile. "Which of you would like to go first, meow~?"
Seeing Aria's timid demeanor, Cipher stepped forward. "Then I'll go first!"
"Please wait a moment, Miss," the black-haired catgirl said to Aria before leading Cipher to a private room. The room was simply furnished with a bed and a small table. After sizing up Cipher's attire, the catgirl instructed, "Please remove your hood and shoes, and lie face down here, meow~"
Cipher complied. As she lay down, her ample breasts were gradually flattened against the bed, making it slightly difficult to breathe. Even after settling into position, a small gap remained between her abdomen and the mattress. To close the gap, Cipher had to arch her back, which caused her buttocks to lift slightly.
The black-haired catgirl's immediate thought upon witnessing this was, So lewd! She couldn't help but exclaim, "Miss... your figure is truly enviable, meow~"
Cipher turned her head to glance at the catgirl. While the catgirl's chest wasn't completely flat like Aria's, it had very little curve. Cipher opened her mouth, intending to say, "Actually, I envy your figure more," but after a moment's hesitation, she swallowed the words.
The black-haired catgirl began her work in earnest. She picked up a bottle from the nearby table and poured a clear, icy liquid onto Cipher's legs.
The sudden chill made Cipher shiver slightly. Then, the catgirl's soft, delicate hands smoothed the liquid evenly over her skin before beginning the massage.
During the massage, the catgirl asked, "Is the pressure okay?" Cipher bit her lip and replied, "It's fine."
She bit her lip not from pain, but from the sheer pleasure. She was afraid she might accidentally moan aloud. The catgirl's hands glided smoothly across her legs, precisely targeting pressure points with each movement, sending waves of tingling sensations through her body. Cipher could feel the icy liquid slowly warming beneath her skin.
Suddenly, Cipher remembered a post she'd seen in her previous life: "When the masseuse asks if the pressure is alright, just reply, 'Master, did you skip lunch?' You're guaranteed a massage you'll never forget."
Ugh, just thinking about it is terrifying.
Lost in her thoughts, Cipher didn't notice the Black-Haired Catgirl reaching for her right ankle. She gazed at Cipher's adorable little foot, its five rounded toes painted with golden nail polish like tempting candies, begging to be licked. The arch of her foot formed a perfect crescent moon curve.
The entire foot was a delicate work of art. The Black-Haired Catgirl licked her lips, then gently pinched the sole of Cipher's foot. There were no calluses or rough patches, only skin as soft and smooth as a newborn's, with an incredibly smooth texture.
"Your skin is amazing! How do you manage it, meow?" the Black-Haired Catgirl exclaimed in genuine surprise. Adventurers typically developed thick calluses from wandering far and wide, but Cipher's feet were as soft as those of a reclusive noblewoman who never left her mansion, rather than a seasoned traveler.
As she spoke, the Black-Haired Catgirl lightly pressed a finger against Cipher's sole. Cipher stiffened slightly, a strange ticklish sensation spreading through her foot like a feather tickling her heart. She desperately suppressed the urge to twitch or recoil.
To distract herself, Cipher blurted out, "I... I don't know! Oh, right, I haven't even asked what kind of massage services you offer, and you just started?"
The Black-Haired Catgirl tilted her head in confusion. "Massage services?"
Cipher explained, "You know, foot massages, back massages... specific areas."
"We don't differentiate like that, meow~" the Catgirl replied. "I customize the massage based on the customer's race. For humans, I work from top to bottom—head, shoulders, back, then feet. For Catfolk, I focus on relaxing the legs and feet first, then the base of the tail, lower back, and ears."
"Of course, if you desire other services, that's also possible, meow~"
"Other services?" Cipher paused, then noticed the Catgirl's tail slithering toward her own, attempting to intertwine them while continuing the massage.
Realizing what was happening, Cipher swiftly pulled her tail away and wrapped it around a nearby table leg. "No, no need! Just the standard massage is fine!"
"Alright~"
Cipher couldn't shake the feeling that there was a hint of disappointment in the Catgirl's tone. Whether it was her imagination or not, she sensed a faint hint of disappointment.
Seriously, girl, we're both girls! What were you trying to pull just now?!
For some reason, Cipher suddenly remembered when she first joined the Hero Party. She had been so awkward about sharing a hotel room with Aria that Douglas had teased her, saying, "I thought Catfolk were supposed to be more open-minded."
Now it seemed he might have been right after all.
However, after Cipher made her discomfort clear, the Black-Haired Catgirl didn't push any further. Instead, she resumed the massage professionally, moving from Cipher's feet to her lower back.
Normally, clients would remove their tops for this part of the massage, but Cipher's backless top allowed her to skip that step entirely.
For Catfolk, their slender waists were second only to their feet in terms of agility and frequency of movement. The Black-Haired Catgirl's technique was remarkably skilled, and Cipher found herself gradually relaxing, her eyes half-closed in contentment.
Cipher lost track of time until the Black-Haired Catgirl hopped off the bed. Thinking the massage was over, she started to sit up, but the Catgirl stopped her. "Wait, it's not finished yet~ There's one more incredibly comfortable spot, meow~!"
Cipher blinked in surprise. "What?"
The Catgirl produced something resembling a cotton swab, lightly dampened the tip with water, and whispered, "The ears, of course~ Don't worry, every one of my fellow Catgirls raves about it afterward. It's a sensation other races can't even imagine, meow~!"
Cipher swallowed nervously. Her ears? They were so sensitive, even her own touch made them tingle. Could this really be okay?
But the thought of "a sensation other races can't even imagine" stopped her from refusing. And it turned out to be true. The Black-Haired Catgirl's movements were impossibly gentle, reminding Cipher of ear cleaning from her past life, but a thousand times more blissful.
"Mmm~"
As the cotton swab swirled softly in her ear, Cipher finally let out a soft moan. Her calves tensed slightly, lifting her feet as her toes splayed wide. Her tail, which had been draped over a table leg, began to sway rhythmically from side to side.
About ten minutes later, the ear cleaning session ended. Cipher lay limp on the bed, her cheeks flushed and her breathing labored. The Black-Haired Catgirl tidied up her tools and asked again, "So... you're really not interested in any extra services? They're complimentary, meow~"
"No, thank you!" Cipher replied instantly.
"Alright," the Catgirl said, her ears drooping slightly. "I'll go give another customer a massage then. The washroom is right next door. I don't recommend bathing immediately after a massage, but you can wipe yourself down with a damp towel to remove the massage oil and sweat."
With those final instructions, the Catgirl left. Cipher took a deep breath, then sat up abruptly on the bed. Shoeless, she padded barefoot into the washroom.
The washroom was significantly larger than the ones at the Adventurer's Guild. Besides the wooden bathtub, there were a stool and towels. But Cipher didn't immediately reach for a towel. Instead, she pursed her lips and slowly began to peel off her shorts.
She squeezed her thighs together, rubbing them against each other. The ear-cleaning session earlier had been so incredibly pleasurable that it had left her feeling... intensely aroused.
Listening carefully, she could hear the Black-Haired Catgirl and Aria talking nearby. Once she was certain no one was approaching, Cipher, as if guided by an unseen force, slowly lowered her hand.
"Mmm~"
Her lips pursed tightly, her cheeks flushed crimson, and the cat ears atop her head twitched incessantly.
It took about five or six minutes for her to slowly regain her composure, though... it seemed she had waited far too long.
"I'm done for..." Cipher stared blankly at the ceiling, her eyes glazed over. "I couldn't resist after all..."
The worst part was, she knew all too well that once this happened, it would happen again and again. What, you think she could restrain herself, break the habit?
Are you kidding? If she couldn't resist the first time, how could she possibly resist in the future?
It was all that Black-Haired Catgirl's fault for tempting her. If not for her, Cipher would never have broken her vow!