A moment later, the large bathtub was filled with hot water, sending up swirling clouds of steam.
Holding onto the wall, Leia reached out a tender, fair foot and tested the water temperature with her toes. Finding it just right, she lowered herself into the tub bit by bit.
She used a floating piece of wood as a small table, placing her beer on it. Curling her body up and hugging her knees, she sank her head halfway beneath the water, blowing a stream of bubbly bubbles.
Having cleared the ninth floor of the Secret Realm, she felt completely detached from the achievement, and she hadn't wanted to go to the celebration banquet either.
Leia couldn't figure out what was wrong with herself; she just felt restless and annoyed.
"Time for a bath~!"
A moment later, Clrona's noisy voice drifted in from the living room.
The bathroom door opened, and the little naked girl hopped excitedly into the tub, splashing water everywhere and nearly knocking over the beer on the floating table.
"Look at you—can't you act a little more dignified? You're not a little kid anymore!" Leia steadied her beer. Already in a bad mood, she was ready to snap.
"There aren't any men in the villa, so I'm just happy." Clrona was a bit afraid of Leia's fiery captain's temper, and with Linda no longer around to protect her, she shrank her neck and muttered softly.
Leia frowned, putting one hand on her hip as she prepared to lecture Clrona.
At that moment, another person pushed the door open.
It was Aiko, the mage of the adventurer party.
Aiko sat in a wheelchair, wearing a loose, butter-yellow dress. Her smile was gentle, and her mature aura gave her the air of a devoted wife.
The only pity was that the mage's plump, long legs rested limply and lifelessly on the wheelchair footrests.
It made one sigh with regret, wondering why the gods could be so cruel to this woman, bestowing upon her such a breathtakingly ample chest while taking away her ability to walk freely.
Unlike her able-bodied form inside the Secret Realm, in reality Aiko suffered from a strange ailment in her legs and lacked all sensation in them. Only inside the Secret Realm, by utilizing the realm's exclusive skill [Sound Body], could she stand on her own.The mage, a lady with an impressive bust, rested her chin on her right hand, smiling as she spoke in a tone one might use to soothe a child: "Leia, it’s better not to stay angry. Otherwise, even the pandas will shrink."
"Huh? Shrinking would be better! Things that are just a burden only slow down my sword swings!"
"But then who was the one secretly holding things up against the mirror? You clearly care quite a bit, don't you?"
"I most certainly do not!"
Leia’s face turned crimson, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"Take that!" The mage suddenly reached out with her roving hands.
"Waaah! You aren't allowed to pinch me! Aiko, you've really ticked me off!"
"I'm joining in, too!"
Clrona grabbed Aiko from behind.
"Ehh-ehh-ehh-ehh?!"
After a bout of splashing and play in the bath, the tension between the girls seemed to have eased considerably.
Aiko leaned against the edge of the bathtub, cradling the petite Clrona in her arms. She lathered the girl's soft pink hair with bubbles, gently scrubbing it with a brush.
Clrona wore a large pile of suds on her head, her face an expression of pure bliss.
"Um—"Sensing the atmosphere was quite good right now, perhaps it was time to bring up a certain matter. Aiko glanced at Leia and said hesitantly, "Is it really alright not to call Linda back?"
The air suddenly fell silent.
The harmony that had been barely patched together with tape was torn apart.
Aiko held a different view regarding forcing Linda to leave.
"Why should I call him back? I didn't do anything wrong."
Leia's voice suddenly pitched up an octave. She shot a frigid gaze at Aiko and said, "Linda left on his own accord, didn't he? What does that have to do with me?"
What does it have to do with you? Are you out of your mind?
Wasn't it you who forced him out?
Aiko silently questioned in her heart.
When she returned, she had heard rumors that the silver-haired bitch Isha had invited Linda to join them.
By Linda's side, there was also a blonde bitch whose pandas were no smaller than her own.If it weren’t for that idiot Leia, Linda would be rubbing her feet right now and preparing her post-battle dessert!
Aiko felt her teeth itch with irritation. She tilted her head, deliberately putting on a look of confusion.
"But don’t you like him?"
No matter how Leia answered next, Aiko would win.
If Leia denied it, Aiko would waste no time. *You didn’t want him yourself, so surely there’s no issue with me taking Linda, right?*
As for admitting it—that would just make her a total clown.
At these words, Clrona, cradled in Aiko’s arms, shrank away like a startled pill bug.
The bathroom seemed thick with the scent of gunpowder.
"Ha?"
"Ha?"
"Ha?!"
Three sharp exclamations followed—furious, mortified, and incredulous, all in an extremely high pitch.
Leia’s face went beet red.
"Aiko, what are you talking about? I like that incredibly mediocre idiot? Don't joke around!"
"It’s him who likes me! I have never, not once, liked him!"
Leia bolted up from the bathtub.
Violent fire-elemental Battle Qi made her long hair shimmer, dancing subtly in the air. At this moment, Leia looked exactly like an enraged cat with its fur standing on end.
She’s flustered. She’s really flustered!
Aiko was doubled over with laughter inside. Since Leia had said as much, she wouldn't hold back in the future. Once Linda became her pet dog, Leia had better not regret it.
As if to prove her point, Leia stiffened her face and began to list examples:
"In the beginning, Linda gave all his rewards to me. Even biological brothers wouldn't do that, would they? Every month, when he gets his salary, he spends it on new clothes and snacks for me first. He never talks back when I scold him. Doesn't that prove he likes me?"
Aiko raised an eyebrow.
"Is it possible that Linda is like that with every girl?"
"It’s just a promise he made to 'that girl,' isn't it? A promise not to let any other girls in the party feel sad. He’s only being nice to everyone to uphold his promise to 'that girl.'"
Aiko had cut straight through Leia’s delusion. *Only nice to you? You're just being purely delusional!*
Leia was likely still in the dark about the fact that Linda massaged her feet every night. Everyone was treated the same; at most, Leia just received a little more attention.
These few sentences hit Leia like a bucket of cold water. She gritted her teeth, opening her mouth several times but failing to find the words.
Leia looked down on Linda, but she held the utmost respect for that girl. She forcefully suppressed her anger and sat back down in the bathtub.
She picked up her beer and gulped down half of it, appearing to talk to herself, but in reality, she was warning Aiko:
"I don't want to hear anything about Linda from now on. Otherwise, don't blame me for being unkind!"
Aiko, knowing when to quit, stopped provoking Leia. Glancing at her livid expression, she guessed she had touched a nerve; Leia was just sitting there, drinking heavily in silence.
Aiko felt satisfied. *Too stubborn to admit you're wrong, are you? You deserve it!*
She then distractedly brushed Clrona’s hair, her thoughts drifting. To be honest, Leia was becoming increasingly annoying. No matter how good her own temper was, she was reaching her limit. A thought of leaving began to grow in her mind.
Unlike Linda and the others, Aiko hadn't joined the Snow Goose Adventurer Party for some vague, ethereal dream of clearing the World Tree. The pay Leia offered was high enough, and the group was full of girls, free of the men she loathed most. That was the only reason she had joined.
She wondered where Linda had gone or what he was doing after being kicked out by Leia. *Has he been bewitched by that bitch Isha?*
Aiko narrowed her eyes.
"Linda, oh Linda, that 'grudge' from three years ago hasn't been settled yet. How could I ever let you leave so easily?"