"I was just joking. That would be a waste," Ron André said as he reached out and pushed Yuna's forehead to keep her from leaning in any closer.
Yuna giggled and hopped back onto her stool. Her body shrank, bones shifting as she returned to her loli form, hands gripping the edge of the stool while her little feet kicked playfully in the air.
"When I take a bath, I can share the bathwater with you too~."
"Ugh, gross." Ron made a face of exaggerated disgust.
"Hey!" Yuna shot him a glare. "Weren't you the one who first suggested drinking the bathwater? And now you're disgusted?"
"I was kidding. You took it seriously?" Ron shrugged, then changed the topic. "So, how do you feel after drinking the resin water? You're so eager to use it for bathing—it must be pretty effective?"
"Mhm. More than effective," Yuna nodded, her expression turning serious. She explained how she'd discovered the resin could repair hidden internal injuries.
"Hidden injuries? Is that useful?" Ron asked, confused. He was still just a Second-Ring Warrior, and with barely any real combat experience, he didn't know much about this sort of thing.
"It's not just useful—it's game-changing." Yuna shook her head slightly.
"For warriors, Battle Aura is much more volatile and harder to control than a mage's mana. If someone starts training young and isn't careful, it's easy to develop internal damage."
"Even outside of training, pushing too hard in battle or failing to properly recover from serious injuries can also cause subtle internal wounds that the body doesn't even recognize."
"These injuries don't show symptoms when you're low or mid-level. You might not even notice until you're a high-level warrior. And even then, you'd only sense something's wrong, not where or how to fix it."
"So the only real way to recover is through expensive medicinal baths that treat the whole body."
"That kind of luxury is unnecessary for low- or mid-tier warriors—especially those without talent."
"Hidden injuries won't kill you or shorten your life. At worst, you'll feel some chronic discomfort."
"But for high-tier warriors—especially those trying to step into the Legendary Tier—those injuries are a major roadblock."
"And there's no solution… except throwing money at it."
"So your Spice Pine resin is ridiculously valuable to high-tier warriors, especially those who are just one step away from the Legendary threshold."
"Until you have overwhelming strength, you'd better be careful not to let people know you have it."
Ron silently swirled the pale yellow resin water in his glass, took a sip, and sighed.
He'd originally thought the resin was just a seasoning. Then he found out it could heal.
Now it was apparently connected to breaking into Legendary Tier?
He had to admit: anything produced by the system never disappointed in quality.
"I get it. I'll keep the resin confidential." Ron nodded, pointing to the Spice Pine branch on the bar. "You keep this branch with you. When it's used up, just come ask me for more."
"Oh no, I couldn't possibly—" Yuna said politely, but her hands moved fast. A flash of silver shimmered across her chest as she stored the branch into her storage space without hesitation.
"It's not just for you, you know." Ron rolled his eyes. "Make sure to share with Nora and Sister Sylvie, too. Don't hoard it—bathing in it is fine."
"It's a rare item, sure, but for just the few of us here? We'd never finish it even if we used it for a lifetime."
"Ohhh~ So it's not just for me, huh?" Yuna feigned a pitiful expression. "And here I thought you brought me something special. Turns out I'm just the delivery girl. You might as well give it to Nora yourself."
"Delivery girl? That's rude. At most, you're just a tool." Ron snorted.
"Excuse me?! Ron!" Yuna slammed the counter, glaring. "Have you no respect for your sweet little aunt?"
"Oh? So now I'm disrespectful? And what happened to calling me 'Your Highness'?" Ron leaned back lazily. "Besides, are you even really my aunt? You yourself said we're not related by blood."
"Oh?" Yuna crossed her arms and gave him a faux-innocent deer-in-the-headlights look. "Why are you emphasizing the 'not related by blood' part so hard, huh? Got some thoughts about me? I'll warn you now—any man who can't beat me in a fight is not worthy of being my man. Might as well just cut it off."
"Hey! That's brutal!" Ron instinctively flinched, a chill running down his spine. "Don't joke about that stuff!"
"Hmph. I'm just a poor little tool, right? Who cares if I'm a bit mean?" Yuna turned her head away, arms crossed. "Why don't you go find your little sweetheart? What are you still hanging around me for?"
"Come on, don't take it out on them by hoarding the resin," Ron said, laughing awkwardly.
"Why don't you just give it to them directly? Why bother using me as a go-between?" Yuna complained.
"Well, Sylvie doesn't really mind either way. But Nora is the real issue." Ron sighed.
"If I just handed the stuff to her, she'd probably use less than half a glass over a year."
Ron pointed to the golden resin in the nearby glass.
"She's ridiculously stingy when it comes to herself."
"When doing laundry, she'll wash my clothes two or three times, but only rinse her own once—just to save water."
"She writes in her notebook so tightly packed, it's like ten-point font. All just to save a few pages."
"I've tried to correct her multiple times, but I still catch her doing it."
"If I gave the resin directly to her, she might use a drop or two when making drinks for everyone else, but she'd never use it freely for herself."
Yuna clicked her tongue. "What a silly baby."
"Nora grew up poor—it's not a habit that'll be easy to break," Ron said helplessly. "If you're free, try giving her a little 'brainwash.'"
Yuna glanced sideways at him. "So you've decided she's the one? If not, then maybe she shouldn't break those habits."
"What's wrong with treating my shop staff a little better? I could support her for life, no problem."
"If you have decided, that's fine. But if you haven't, then stop teasing her all the time."
"Are you sure your future wife would be okay with her around?"
"If it ever comes down to choosing between them—what would you do?"
"Or worse, if someone starts making trouble for Nora behind your back, she'd probably suffer in silence, too afraid to tell you."
"You're raising her into luxury—can you really take responsibility for that?"
"I just wanted you to share some resin with her…" Ron mumbled, feeling overwhelmed by Yuna's sudden "elderly scolding mode."
Ptui!
Yuna spat at him. "Men are all the same—hearts made of dog poop. Think it smells good just because it's theirs. It stinks!"
The next few minutes became a full-blown criticism session, ending with a thoroughly baffled Ron being kicked out of the tavern.
"Boss, what happened?" Nora looked up with concern as Ron returned to the shop with a deeply resigned expression.
Ron instinctively raised his hand, wanting to pinch her cheek, but stopped himself.
"Nothing. Lunch is on you today. I left three new seasonings in the kitchen—give them a try. I think they'll taste pretty good."
With that, he turned and went upstairs to his study.
Until I figure out whether I just want her body or really have feelings for her… I should probably be more careful.