A few days had passed since that strange affair. Saful was in a state of genuine distress. Rika had stopped speaking to him entirely.
Saful was the kind of boy who struggled to see things from another person’s perspective. When they crossed paths, Rika would only freeze up, unable to utter a single word before turning her back and running away, leaving him feeling nothing but pure shock. He had absolutely no idea what the cause could be. The truth was, Rika had impulsively attacked him in a moment of passion; now that she had calmed down, she was too embarrassed and terrified of being confronted about it to face him properly. But Saful was completely unable to imagine such feelings. To make matters worse, he had no one to turn to. He had no close confidant to whom he could candidly recount their intimate encounter. Even within himself, he hadn’t been able to make sense of what that encounter had even meant. He felt as though there was nothing to do but wait for time to heal the wound.
However.
“Saful… is that your name?” “Huh? What… Whoa!” One day, while Saful was wandering aimlessly outside the city—having nowhere else to go since Rika avoided him and he had no personal joys to occupy his time—someone called out to him. As Saful turned around blankly, a pair of massive breasts and a vulva appeared directly before his eyes. Saful stood only about 130 centimeters tall; when a tall, naked woman stands that close, those parts enter his field of vision before his face does. She was entirely naked. “Wh-Wh… What is this!?” “Why are you panicking? Do you have something to hide?” Listening to the woman’s composed voice, Saful took a few steps back, lost his footing, and fell backward, landing headfirst with a heavy thud. However, being a dragon, he took no damage. As he scrambled up, he realized the naked woman was Airi, the Blue Dragon. “Wh-Why are you naked…? This isn’t a bath, and it’s the middle of the day!” “Hmm. Would it be acceptable if it were night? …Now that you mention it, neither humans nor elves can see through the darkness of night. That would indeed be fine.” “What are you even talking about!?” “Were you not questioning the propriety of my nudity?” “That’s not it… well, it is, but! I mean, what is going on here!?” Confused, Saful pointed at Airi. Airi looked down at Saful, her expression unchanging, as she boldly exposed her soft, slightly sagging heavy breasts to the summer sunlight. She wore no sandals, yet her feet appeared unblemable—perhaps one of the mysteries of dragon skin. “Our kin have no inherent custom of wearing clothes within the Palace. We may wear bracelets, anklets, or necklaces for ceremonies, but as a general rule…” “But you’re from Andy’s place, aren’t you!? Didn’t Andy tell you to wear clothes when you go outside!?” ”…Could you please act as if I simply forgot? It is a bit of a nuisance. It seems I am somewhat of a brute; if I move too abruptly, my clothes tend to tear immediately. If I leave them as they are, people worry, and it is too much trouble to ask someone to mend them.” “I can understand that part.” When Saful moved with true strength, the crotch of his trousers or the armpits of his shirts often tore. Furthermore, when using fire magic derived from his breath, his clothes often ended up scorched and tattered if he wasn’t careful with the scale of the spell. With current sewing technology, clothes strong enough to withstand the full-force movements of a dragon were rare; it depended less on basic craftsmanship and more on finding the right tailor and fabric. Even high-quality, flexible clothing made by Northern Elves was at risk during uninhibited movement. In that regard, the Ace Knight-class girls around Andy were extremely careful, even limiting their range of motion during sudden movements to avoid putting undue strain on their clothes. For women in human society, such caution was natural, but for dragons, who possessed far beyond-normal strength and flexibility, changing one’s movements for the sake of clothing was a subtle but significant source of stress. That being said, it was no excuse for being naked. “A-Anyway, put something on! This is weird!” “One should not react that way to a woman’s body, boy. An older woman like myself might be fine, but a young girl would be hurt if her skin were exposed and she was yelled at so unreasonably.” “Why!?” “If you react as if you are looking at something filthy, she will think her nakedness is nothing but an unpleasant sight to you.” ”…R-Really…?”
“That is simply one type of person that exists. Look at the men of this town. None of them would give a refined reaction to seeing a woman naked. An elderly man from the shoe shop would simply fall to his knees in a prayerful pose, trembling with reverence.”
“No, but isn’t it also strange that it satisfies his pride?”
Safful possessed a degree of common sense, even if he couldn’t fully grasp the feelings of others.
But still, Safful thought. Could it be that the reason things have become awkward between me and Rika is due to a problem with my own attitude?
“…Hey, I wanted to ask you something.”
Safful mumbled, averting his eyes from Airi.
“…No, it’s just a hypothetical. …Like, if you became close enough with a girl to do something a little naughty, and then she suddenly started avoiding you… could that be because… I don’t know, because I provided some ‘strange stimulation’?”
“I would find it inappropriate to offer advice on such a matter,” Airi said solemnly, crossing her arms. The breasts lifted by her crossed arms emphasized their presence.
Safful bristled, thinking, Is that how you’re going to act?, but his momentum died the moment he looked directly at her breasts, and he looked away again. He simply couldn’t stare. Though, he was incredibly interested.
As for Airi, she knew the correct answer even to his vague question.
She had heard everything. And of course, she understood exactly how far Safful and Rika had gone.
And regarding the psychology behind Rika’s actions—while dragons may lack a sense of shame—she possessed enough intelligence to imagine it by human standards.
However, she was not so boorish as to provide the answer and unilaterally resolve the agony they ought to solve for themselves.
The process of navigating those worries, misunderstandings, and the search for the truth—while feeling like torture to those in the midst of it—was not the kind of thing where an outsider should simply toss in the answer to force the story forward.
If one neglects the effort to connect their hearts, even if things go well in the moment, the actual relationship will never mature.
…Such consideration, from Safful’s perspective, felt like the cryptic, sarcastic, and arrogant trait of a dragon.
“I had a feeling you’d say something like that. …What a waste of breath.”
“Do not rot, boy. …If you wish to build a good relationship with another, you must find the answer yourself. You must not seek assistance. Because there is an answer that belongs only to you, and an answer that belongs only to your partner.”
“…You definitely know the answer and you’re just playing coy. I hate that about the dragons here.”
“It is true that we do not provide more assistance than what the Master of Maia has requested of us in this town, but that is unrelated to this. You are a dragon, too. This is not a matter of the relationship between dragon and human, but rather a matter between a mature woman and a child experiencing love for the first and only time.”
“It’s not just about me. If you were a bit more supportive, I’m sure Andy would be happy too.”
“Likely so. However, we must maintain our distance. So that humans do not fall into misunderstanding. …Only the Master of Maia knows the weight of borrowing dragon power, and how to receive it. Others must not touch upon it lightly. What if the people of this town, believing they could use our power, conspired to oppose the Northern Forest or the Kingdom of Trott?”
“Then we just don’t lend them the power.”
“Even if we withdraw, the conflicts born of their expectations will remain. In either case, people die. Simply because we are here. …Do you still think that is acceptable?”
“I’m just saying you don’t have to choose the stupid option…”
“People are connected. As time passes, someone will take a side, and eventually, someone will become an enemy. If you intend to predict even that far and manipulate human relationships for the sake of power, then that is the vice of power.”
“…You’re just using difficult words to run away from the human element.”
“It may still be difficult for a child such as yourself. …But that is not the attitude of someone seeking an answer. Think for yourself, as you should.”
“Ah.”
The dragon’s ethics and the personal matter with Rika. Safful’s childish wit—trying to lump them together to extract even a small concession—did not work on Airi.
“If there is one thing I can tell you, it is this: I am not the one running away. It is you and her.”
With her large, bare hips swaying, Airi walked away briskly.
Saffating the meaning of her words… Safful waited until Airi’s figure grew smaller before snapping back and shouting a retort.
“W-what is that supposed to mean?!”
Airi raised a single hand, but offered no further answer.
Safful’s ears caught a strange duo—an ogre and a human—near the town, asking Airi, “May I take a look?” But since he had no interest in what came next, he cut off his concentration.
What did it mean?
Safful sank into a swamp of contemplation.
The next day.
Ultimately, Safuru could not understand, and as usual, he paced the outskirts of town while racking his brain.
It might seem late to ask why he was at the edge of town, but it was because if he stayed within the city, the local children—who were all the same size as him—would take it upon themselves to make him their playmate, or the cat-beaming girls would pester him to play. Even though Safuru insisted he was well over forty, they simply wouldn’t listen.
Physically, he could play with them indefinitely without any issue, but he was not in the mood for games right now. He had a difficult problem to face.
…Unbeknownst to him, this very attitude was only intensifying Rika’s sense of “I’ve really messed up.”
If Safuru had immediately begun playing with the other children as if he had forgotten everything, Rika could have played along and let it slide. But because he was so blatantly brooding over that brief moment for days on end, she found herself even more at a loss as to how to act.
“No… damn it, I just don’t get it…”
And since Safuru had absolutely no data for predicting the movements of a woman’s heart, no matter how hard he tried to imagine the possibilities, the only thing that came to mind was Rika’s face. He couldn’t even begin to fathom the reason behind why she had made such an expression.
Furthermore, he had no idea why she had suddenly initiated something so erotic.
Consequently—and quite clearly a waste of time—he was thinking about it simply because he had been told to figure it out himself. No matter how high his intelligence, he was a child at heart.
It was then that Baron Duran Goot of Polka happened to pass by, carrying a bucket, soap, and a hand towel, dressed impeccably in aristocratic clothes and a cloak despite the summer heat.
“What is the matter, boy? …No, you are a dragon, if I recall correctly.”
“And you are… a Baron, right?”
“Indeed. I am a Baron. Though, from a dragon’s perspective, I suppose it is merely one of many names, hahaha.”
”…Could you just leave me alone? I have a difficult problem I need to think about.”
“Ho, a difficult problem? If it is a problem a dragon is tackling, it must be quite significant.”
“It’s… not necessarily… but I’ve been told I have to figure it out myself.”
“I see. But there is little point in wandering around here and racking your brain. Why not think on it while soaking in a bath?”
”…Wouldn’t that be much the same?”
“No, it changes things,” the Baron asserted.
“Most problems become deadlocked because one’s values have become too rigid. If you receive a new stimulus and then reconsider, you will often find yourself thinking, ‘Oh, it was nothing like that.’ Above all…”
“Above all?”
“Have courage, boy. You are a child. A child is permitted to take on any challenge.”
The Baron reached out his hand to the boy with strength.
And then.
”…Wait, hold on a second!?”
“Well then, I leave you in their care, ladies.”
Carrying his bath set, the Baron gave an elegant bow to the ladies of Polka. And with that, he had ushered Safuru into the women’s bath.
“What the hell was that!?”
”…May you have courage and good luck,” the Baron muttered with a pleasant smile before walking toward the men’s bath. That murmur was likely heard only by Safuru, the dragon.
“It’s such a bother, the Baron drops by the women’s bath so casually. But it is certainly true that it’s a bit much to trouble him with washing a child.”
“We’re going to make sure you get squeaky clean today, sweetie!”
“E-Eeeeh…?”
The Baron, still leading Safulu, marched straight to the entrance of the women’s bath. He addressed the townswomen who happened to be passing by with a bright smile: “It seems he comes from a culture where bathing is quite scarce, and he doesn’t seem to know how to wash himself properly. Would you be so kind as to instruct him on the proper way to take a bath?”
It was true that the human town where Safuru was born, as well as the Dragon Palace where he resided, were cultures centered around water-spraying, where one typically finished bathing as soon as the body was somewhat cleansed and before it could grow cold.
The women who had seized Safuru and led him into the changing room of the women’s bath referred to themselves as “aunties,” but in Polka, they were relatively young, in their early thirties. They were of an age that had children around Safuru’s age, and while they were not at an age to be easily bashful, the beautifying effects of the spiritual spring meant they looked no different from women in their early twenties.
In other words, they possessed bodies more than capable of making Safuru’s small member harden, yet they proceeded to undress quite readily in front of him.
It was a real problem. As usual, Safuru tried to avert his eyes, but even where he looked, he caught glimpses of spotless, beautiful backsides, which only made things worse. There were three of them.
“Come on, boy. We’re going to wash you, so take those clothes off.”
“E-E-Eh, no, actually, it’s fine…” “You can’t come all the way to Polka without knowing how to use an onsen. It’s not like there’s anything else good about this place anyway.” “I-I mean, I can get in, but still, in the men’s bath…” “There’s no need for a boy to be so shy. It’s fine; we’re all mothers, so we’re well-accustomed to seeing dicks.” The ladies all had varying sizes, but in the end, they all casually flaunted their beautiful breasts as they swarmed together to strip Saful. And upon seeing his erect penis, they glanced at one another. “How cute.” “I wonder if I’ve still got it, too.” “Don’t look at me, you’re the one with the smallest chest here!” “Just say I have a great figure. And when it comes to hips, I won’t be outdone.” Though they laughed lightheartedly, they didn’t exactly hide their bodies from Saful’s gaze. On the contrary, they would strike poses and ask, “How do I look?” Saful thought, blushing furiously, that he had assumed the Trot-people would be much more conservative regarding sex, but perhaps he was wrong. While a precocious brat might aggressively try to sexually harass him, no one was going to nag him over the erection of a timid child. Thus, Saful was stripped bare and escorted into the bath by the ladies. First came the lecture on how to wash. “Before you get in the water, rinse your body first. And try to scrub off as much dead skin as possible beforehand. Since it’s a free-flowing bath, any dirt gets washed away quickly, but it’s still common courtesy.” “That’s right, scrub those impurities. Dirt tends to build up behind the ears, too.” “Shall I wash your hair for you? Is this your first time using foamy soap? …Oh my, do you like breasts that much? How energetic.” “Wait, d-don’t look!” “It’s a draw, then!” One lady reached out directly toward Saful to wash his hair. It was nothing short of cruel to expect him not to stare at her bouncing breasts. In the midst of all this, another group entered the women’s bath. “Ah, there’s a boy!” “Oh, look, it’s the Neko-girls. The Baron told us to teach him how to wash himself.” “Can I wash him too?” “Why not? Might as well give him a thorough scrubbing, from between his toes to his backside!” “Wait, y-you’re gonna wash my butt!?” “Just kidding! ♪ Now, close your eyes.” The Neko-girls had joined the “Saful Washing Squad.” “H-Hey, I’m a boy…! Why is everyone approaching me so casually while naked!?” “Look at you, acting all tough. You can’t intimidate us with a little thing like a pinky finger.” “I-It’s at least the size of a ring finger! Seriously!” “Let me wash him too! Our colony doesn’t have any boys, so I’m curious!” “Me too, me too! Oh, it’s much smaller than Master’s!” One after another, the Neko-girls crowded in, treating Saful less like someone to be washed and more like a toy.
And then, right then… “It’s quite lively in here… wait.” “Ah.” As the soap was rinsed away and Saful looked up, he saw Rika standing there, naked. …Silence fell.
(To be continued)