Chapter 242: So Much for Gratitude, Huh?
By the time Steven stepped out of the bar, night had fully fallen.
After witnessing his overwhelming strength firsthand, the rock band girls were even less inclined to believe his claim of being "just a human."
Not that Steven seemed too concerned. He made no effort to explain himself further.
The rest had gone smoothly enough.
After testing each other's power and confirming there was no real animosity between them, the atmosphere became surprisingly amicable.
They chatted for a bit, casually exchanged contact info, and then Steven bid them farewell.
He twirled a few rock concert tickets in his hand—the pink-haired leader had handed them to him before parting. All in all, he was in a good mood.
Sure, it hadn't turned into the thrilling brawl he'd imagined, but he had made some new friends.
And not just any friends—freakin' cool Feranmut girls.
Try saying that out loud and not sounding like the main character of some over-the-top fantasy.
As for the concert itself... he wasn't sure if he'd go.
First off, he had zero musical talent.
Second, it clashed with the date Zofia had given him for the upcoming Kazimierz Major.
And if he had to choose between music he didn't really understand and knights beating the crap out of each other, the choice was obvious.
He could tell if music sounded nice or not, but when it came to battle, he didn't just understand it. He felt it.
That said, the concert tickets weren't useless.
The two little fishies floundering back at the inn—his "houseguests"—did seem into music.
They'd probably enjoy a concert way more than a bunch of knights punching each other in the face.
Either way, he'd need to check with them first before planning anything.
Like a man coming home after a night out, Steven returned to the inn smelling faintly of booze.
His original room had already been sealed off, so the receptionist politely led him to a new one.
He strolled in casually, opened the door—and stopped.
Inside the room were two girls, facing each other, seemingly in the middle of some sort of intense gesture battle.
More specifically, they were motioning toward their own chests.
He had no idea why.
What the hell were they comparing?
There was no point—it wasn't even a contest. Neither of them could beat Gladiia in that department anyway.
"Ahem. Ladies," Steven cleared his throat, expression deadpan. "Mind moving out of the way? I need to shower and sleep."
He pointed toward the adjoining room.
He had paid for two rooms, after all.
Why did they keep squatting in his?
"Oh," Skadi replied simply, standing up and brushing down her slightly disheveled clothes.
She wasn't here to intrude.
She'd only stayed this long because of her concern for Specter.
Apparently, Specter had mentioned that wearing bras made her feel like she couldn't breathe.
Which meant someone would have to go out and buy her new ones later…
And naturally, that "someone" would be Steven—the classic sucker.
Skadi certainly had no money to spare.
But Specter, as always, had her own ideas.
She flopped down onto Steven's bed, hugging the blanket like it was the softest cloud in the world, and stared up at him with that dangerous, childlike smile.
"Why can't we just share?" she said, her tone sing-song. "Consider it your reward, Mr. Steve."
Steven stood frozen in the doorway.
Reward…?
So much for gratitude.
Specter really was enjoying this peace and quiet far too much.
So much so that she didn't dare close her eyes—afraid that if she blinked, she'd wake up to find it all just a dream... and that the pain she thought she'd escaped would once again crawl up her spine like a phantom.
"I don't mind."
Steven gave the girl—who, ever since her condition was cured, had been sprinting full speed down the road of being a freeloader—a long, resigned look.
If she wanted to sleep in his bed, whatever.
It wasn't him getting taken advantage of, after all.
He casually tossed the concert tickets to the two girls, then started gathering up his clothes and heading toward the bathroom.
"These are from some new friends I met earlier," he explained over his shoulder.
"If you two are into that kind of thing, feel free to go. Your call."
With that, he disappeared into the bathroom, turned on the water, and began rinsing off the day's weariness.
And then, he made eye contact with Skadi, who had just waltzed into the bathroom like it was her own.
Steven sighed.
"I'm not against you getting a little handsy or anything... but could you at least knock next time? Give me some kind of heads-up?"
He wasn't really upset—he knew full well Skadi was a bit of a simpleton.
Most of his body was submerged in the bathtub anyway, so it wasn't like she could see anything.
But still—what if he'd been doing something other than bathing?
Something far less presentable?
Now that would've been awkward.
"I just thought... it's better to thank you face-to-face," she said plainly.
"Not as a friend of the Second Company Captain or whatever—just me, personally. I wanted to thank you properly."
Her voice was steady, her expression clear.
Exactly what Steven expected from a lovable idiot like her—completely unaware of how weird it was barging into a guy's bath without a second thought.
She was just being sincere.
"About what you did for Specter," she added.
"I really, really appreciate it."
Steven let out a half-sigh, half-chuckle.
"Oh yeah? So how do you plan to show your gratitude? Don't tell me… you gonna scrub my back or something?"
He regretted the words the moment they left his mouth.
Sure enough, her eyes lit up.
That same spark she always got when she misunderstood something—like a puppy being offered a treat.
"If that's what you want, then... I don't mind," she said seriously, already approaching him.
"But you'll need to get out of the tub first."
And without waiting, she started unbuttoning her clothes, looking like she was preparing for her new role as Back-Scrub Maiden: First Day on the Job.
Steven couldn't help but laugh—completely exasperated.
He should've known better.
Making jokes with someone like Skadi was like handing a sword to a toddler.
She would take it seriously.
"I've never done this before," she added, now fully in work mode.
"So I'm not sure how much pressure to use. But I promise to do my best—seriously. As thanks."
There it was again—her innocent earnestness.
And just like that, the mood in the room melted into something bizarrely warm, weird, and oddly comforting.
Skadi nodded seriously, her expression full of determination as she responded to Steven's earlier request.
In a flash, she stripped down to just her underwear, grabbed a towel, and stood dutifully at the side—ready and waiting.
Honestly, she looked more professional than any bathhouse attendant Steven had ever seen... if you ignored the fact she didn't actually know what she was doing.
But Steven?
He just sighed, covered his face, and turned his back to her in the tub, exposing himself while still keeping everything... decently hidden.
He was completely naked right now.
And while Skadi might've had no problem with that, he sure did.
He had standards, okay?
He was a traditional southern boy—he didn't grow up hanging out naked in bathhouses with the guys.
The idea of sharing a bath with someone else, let alone a girl, already had him at his limit.
Joking about getting scrubbed down was one thing… Actually going through with it was something else entirely.
But now that the words were out there, backing down would just make him look weak.
And Steven hated looking weak.
So he steeled himself, turned around, and gave a resigned pat to his own back.
"Alright, just go ahead. I'd rather stay in the tub anyway."
After all, he thought, it's not him who was losing out here.
Getting pampered by a cute girl wasn't exactly a bad deal.
Moments later, he felt the humid, sweet scent of a girl drawing near, and then—a pair of small hands pressed a towel against his back.
Before he could say anything, the towel started scrubbing.
Hard.
Steven had just closed his eyes, preparing to enjoy it, only to snap them open again in alarm, face twisted in pain.
Not because of any inappropriate thoughts—no, far from it.
It was just...
She was going way too hard.
This wasn't scrubbing anymore—this was exfoliating with extreme prejudice.
It felt less like getting cleaned and more like being skinned alive.
"Jesus—Skadi, if you wanted me dead, you could've just said so! Are you trying to clean me or flay me!?"
Steven turned his head, glaring at the girl behind him.
What should have been a steamy, seductive situation had been completely derailed by this adorable idiot's iron grip on a bath towel.
"Should... should I go softer?" Skadi asked, pulling back with an apologetic look.
"I thought using more strength would clean better…"
She scratched her cheek awkwardly and gave him an embarrassed smile.
Steven sighed.
"You're washing a person, not prepping dinner. I've still got skin, y'know."
Still, he couldn't really blame her.
This was all his fault for joking around in the first place.
So he endured.
After his warning, Skadi adjusted her strength, and Steven finally began to experience what he'd originally hoped for:
The blissful sensation of being pampered by a beautiful girl.
As he relaxed and closed his eyes again, he felt her hands drift from his back to his shoulders—and start massaging them.
And it was good.
Really good.
Her pressure was perfect.
So much so that he nearly fell asleep.
But just as he started sinking into the pleasure, he suddenly realized something didn't add up.
Both of his shoulders were being massaged.
—But Skadi was supposed to be scrubbing his back.
Unless Abyssal Hunters had four arms, something wasn't right here.
Steven slowly turned his head to look—and sure enough, he found himself staring at a second girl who had, at some point, snuck into the bathroom unnoticed.
Long white hair. Crimson eyes.
A teasing smile on her lips as her hands continued to knead his shoulders without missing a beat.
"Wow," she said sweetly.
"So you're just not gonna invite me to join in, huh?"
Steven stared at the new arrival, speechless.
Skadi, bless her soul, didn't even react. She was still diligently scrubbing his back.
And Steven?
He was trapped between two Abyssal Hunter girls, one of whom had just barged in for a turn without even asking.
<+>
If you want to see more chapter of this story and don't mind spending $5 monthly to see till the latest chapter, please go to my Patreon[1]
Latest Chapter in Patreon: Chapter 274: Let's Retire[2]
Link to the latest chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/130087803?collection=55713[3]
https://www.patreon.com/collection/55713?view=expanded[4]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/collection/55713?view=expanded
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/130087803?collection=55713
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/130087803?collection=55713
[4] https://www.patreon.com/collection/55713?view=expanded