Chapter 41
Warm water dripped down from the crown of my head, flowing down my cheeks and onto the floor.
The sensation of water spritzing everywhere was something that could not be replicated by telekinesis alone.
The warm droplets tickling my body felt like a soft embrace all around me.
How long has it been since I experienced a hot shower like this? Am I in heaven?
The sense of liberation I felt after removing my mask brought a smile to my lips.
“Nyaa… I could live like this forever…”
Long live civilization! Praise the inventor of the showerhead!
I silently cheered inside as I enjoyed the water like playing in the shower. When I felt sufficiently satisfied, I turned off the water and rubbed my face with both hands.
Staying like this forever would be nice, but, after all, this is Alice’s house.
Overindulging wouldn’t be wise.
If I suddenly fainted and collapsed on the floor like before…
I wouldn’t be able to face Alice, who had asked if I wanted to wash again.
“By the way, there’s a mirror here.”
As I brushed my hair away from my face, approaching the shampoo, I suddenly noticed the mirror attached to the wall.
The mirror was foggy, obscured by steam, making it impossible to see through it.
After a moment of thought, I reached out and wiped the fog from the mirror.
Then, a familiar smiling girl with pure white skin appeared.
“Hmm… I’ve seen a mirror and been nude before, but it’s my first time looking at myself in the mirror while being naked.”
Truly, no matter how many times I looked, it was an uncomfortably beautiful face.
I even felt sorry that someone as insignificant as I was inside this body.
But, perhaps because I was too short and my face looked too young,
even though I was completely naked, it didn’t feel particularly erotic.
Well, thinking that way would make me the odd one, right?
Those who bear such thoughts are just perverts and need a good smack in the head.
As I entertained those thoughts, I stepped back to see my full body in the mirror.
And I managed to notice a subtle unease I had felt for some time.
“My body… can it be this clean? Like a newborn baby.”
I moved around a bit, inspecting various parts of my body in front of the mirror.
But to my utter amazement, there wasn’t a single scar or wound to be found; not even a black spot was visible.
What is this? Am I made of porcelain or something? How is this even possible?
I raised one arm up high to confirm that even my armpit was pristine and tilted my head in confusion.
Then my gaze drifted to a silvery object swaying on my chest.
A small cube-sized decorative item that easily fit in my palm.
That was the tesseract, which hadn’t left my body since that day.
“Oh, could it be that when it healed the wounds, my body changed as if it were brand new? Hmm… there is some likelihood to that.”
The power of the tesseract was incredibly potent; that old Drakel had regained his prime form in an instant.
So it wasn’t out of the question that any blemishes or troubles on my body vanished during the healing process.
I wondered if, even if a finger had been cut off in a bizarre accident, it could somehow be restored.
Realizing that, I began to grasp just how magnificent the help I received from the tesseract truly was.
“But when will it wake up…?”
How long are you going to make me wait?
I want to say thank you, so you should wake up soon.
I held the tesseract level with my eyes, poking it with my finger to check its reaction.
But it still lay there unresponsive, as if deep in slumber.
…Well, I guess it can’t be helped. I’ll have to keep it nestled until it wakes up.
After casually putting the tesseract back around my neck, I squeezed some shampoo into my hand and began lathering my hair.
“Telekinesis really is convenient at times like this. No need to fuss around moving my arms everywhere.”
Bubbling bubbles.
Thanks to my telekinesis, I quickly became covered in foam.
Then, leisurely splashing myself with water to rinse off the bubbles, I repeated the same with body wash using a shower ball.
Finally, after my reincarnation in this world, I was in the most refreshing state imaginable, thoroughly drying my soft skin with a gentle towel.
Just by that sensation, Alice’s voice could be heard coming from beyond the door.
“Yuria! I left your clothes at the door, so you can put those on!”
Clothes at the door? I cautiously peeked beyond the door at her words.
There, neatly placed, was a stack of folded clothes.
What could this be?
I brought the pile of clothes inside and swiftly unfolded it.
As I did so, I was left completely speechless by the absurd item before me.
“Cat pajamas?”
Yes, indeed. The identity of the pristine white stack was none other than a cute white cat onesie.
It had fluffy fur to keep warm even in the cold winter and even had large cat paws attached where the hands were supposed to go, and it was so adorable I could die!
“Don’t worry about changing clothes, but did she perhaps go out and buy this while I was showering?”
The outcome exceeded my imagination, leaving me speechless as something hidden between the pajamas fell to the floor with a thump.
What is this now?
I bent down to pick up the piece of cloth.
And after the cat pajamas, I froze in place for the second time.
It was something soft that reminded one of a microfiber handkerchief, something I had recently become accustomed to.
Surely not, but indeed, it was a pair of panties.
“Ugh, no, while I needed them… why is there a bear drawn in the middle?!”
I usually preferred stiff and bland designs for my underwear.
After all, who am I wearing it for? What’s the point of wearing something cute and pretty?
But this design was the exact opposite of my usual principles.
It was soft as if made of silk, and there was a huge, cute bear drawn in the middle.
No, is this really how it should be for Yuria?
I could feel my face burning up and instinctively shut my eyes tightly.
But I had no choice in the matter.
If I had to choose whether to wear it or not… then, of course, I had to wear it.
The maid outfit I would wear while working had a skirt; I couldn’t be wandering around without any underwear.
“I will never forget this humiliation…”
I gripped the bear panties tightly in one hand.
Making someone feel this embarrassed, I will definitely get my revenge someday.
And a tiny heart of vengeance began to grow.
*
“Oh my, how cute! It suits Yuria so well! I’m so glad I went with the cat theme!”
“…”
Dressed in my cat pajamas with a fox mask on, I stepped outside the shower room, and Alice came out of her room, her eyes sparkling as if she had been waiting.
Hmph, what’s so cute about my face not being visible?
I remained cross-armed, giving a pouty reaction to all her fuss.
She’s the one who turned me into a fool in cat pajamas and bear panties.
Even if I received compliments now, I felt no joy. I would make her regret insulting me!
“In that case, I’ll be back shortly. Feel free to eat the snacks here!”
“…”
Hmm, should I be a little lenient this time?
I dashed toward the snack box Alice pointed to, trying not to betray her goodwill, and grabbed whatever caught my hand.
The first thing that popped out was a butter-flavored snack.
A classic, reliable snack that never disappoints, taking its sturdy big brother position.
I was sure that since transforming into this body, I could eat it all day without getting tired.
And that was just the beginning.
Underneath the butter-flavored snack, there were all kinds of snacks that matched my taste.
You’re blatantly trying to charm me like this!
No matter how I looked at it, the selection screamed my preferences, and a feeling of rebellion poked its head out.
But how could I resist this temptation?
Especially since I was still feeling a bit lethargic after my shower, I hugged the snack box to my chest and munched on treats freely.
“I’m back, Yuria.”
“…”
How much time had passed? When I gathered my senses, I noticed Alice, who had also finished showering and changed into her pajamas, was nearby.
As soon as I saw her, I swiftly turned my head, desperately suppressing my laughter.
The reason? She was wearing the cutest pink pig pajamas that matched perfectly with my cat onesie!
With an adorably fluffy pig tail sticking out at the back!
Every time that tail wiggled, the frustration that had built up was melting away.
“Okay, that’s enough snacks for now. It’s getting late. Shall we brush our teeth and go to bed?”
“…”
“No toothbrush? Don’t worry! I bought one while I was out shopping for clothes!”
Such preparedness, truly impressive.
I readily accepted the toothbrush she handed me and obediently brushed my teeth.
After thoroughly cleaning my teeth, I noticed that it was already past midnight.
I guess it was only natural for the time to fly by.
I arrived at the mess I had made about a little after eight in the evening.
After meeting Alice, we walked around for a while, then leisurely showered and ate snacks.
It would indeed be no surprise for the night to pass like this.
“You sleep in my bed. I’ll take the sofa.”
“…”
“You want to sleep on the sofa? No way! You sleep in the bed. How can I leave a guest to sleep on the sofa?”
“…”
Yet, even at such a late hour, we quickly plunged into a heated debate.
We were arguing about who would get to sleep in the one bed.
For me, the answer was obvious.
No way, the homeowner should sleep in the bed. What kind of nonsense is that?
But for Alice, it seemed wholly unacceptable for her to sleep in the bed and have me on the sofa.
For a long while, she wrestled with me over who would sleep in the bed…
“Okay, I understand. I’ll sleep in the bed then. Is this okay?”
“…!”
In the end, she declared that she would sleep in the bed and could not budge on her insistence.
Hoo, I won!
That’s right. Since this is her place, it makes sense for Alice to sleep in the bed.
How could a guest be sleeping… Huh?
Amidst savoring my victory, I could only stare in astonishment at Alice, who suddenly hugged me tightly.
“…?!”
“Ehehehe. Instead, you’ll be sleeping in the bed with me. That way, you won’t mind, right?”
“…”
Wait, so that’s how it’s going to be?
Caught in such an unexpectedly perplexing turn of events, my eyes flitted about as I eventually relaxed and followed Alice’s lead.
I felt a bit sorry for taking up the bed while she ended up on the sofa.
But I couldn’t quite figure out who would benefit from both of us sleeping in the bed. Well… is it safe to say we both get to?
Oh, right. If we’re sleeping, then I should start doing that.
As I wriggled closer to Alice, an idea suddenly struck me, and I gently tapped her shoulder.
Maybe she didn’t want to sleep together? Alice looked at me with eyes that seemed to question that pitiful thought.
But I shook my head lightly, indicating that it wasn’t the case, then requested to be let down to the ground for just a moment.
“…”
Once safely on the floor, I removed the mask with great care.
Sleeping while wearing a mask would surely be uncomfortable, and truly, there was no reason to hide my face from Alice anymore.
Huh? Then why had I been hiding all this time?
Well, there was no strong reason to reveal my face, was there?
“…Eh.”
Alice stood stiffly in place, her eyes blinking, finally facing my face for the first time.
Her reaction was as though she were seeing something she never could have imagined.
Tick-tock.
In the quiet, the sound of the clock ticking seemed to echo loudly.