Several days had passed since that strange encounter. Safu was genuinely troubled. Rica had completely stopped talking to him.
Safu was a boy who struggled to put himself in others’ shoes. Even when they faced each other, he froze and couldn’t utter a word, only watching Rica turn her back and run away in shock. He had no idea what had caused this. It seemed as though Rica had taken advantage of him impulsively, and now she was too embarrassed and frightened to face him calmly after being pursued by his sober reflection—but Safu couldn’t imagine anyone else’s feelings at all. Yet he couldn’t confide in anyone either; there was no one close enough to him that he felt comfortable sharing the raw details of what had happened between them. Even within Safu himself, he hadn’t been able to make sense of the meaning behind that encounter. It seemed like only time could resolve it.
But then—
“Safu… I said…”
“Ah? What… uh-oh!”
One day, while Safu aimlessly wandered outside the town, unable to escape Rica yet having no personal pleasures of his own, someone called out to him.
As Safu slowly turned around in a daze, he found himself staring at a pair of imposing breasts and a fully exposed lower body right before his eyes. Safu stood about 130 centimeters tall, so when a tall, naked woman approached closely, her chest blocked his view even before her face came into sight.
She was completely nude.
“N-no, wha… what is this!?”
“Why are you panicking? Is there something wrong with you?”
While listening to the calm female voice, Safu took a few steps back, got tangled in her legs, and fell backward onto the ground. Though he hit his head hard, being a dragon meant he suffered no damage. When he got up, he saw that the naked woman was Blue Dragon Airi.
“N-no, why are you completely naked… this isn’t a bathhouse, and it’s broad daylight!?”
“Hmm. Would night be better? …You know, when I think about it, the darkness of night makes it impossible for people or elves to see clearly either. That does sound good.”
“What are you talking about!?”
“Wasn’t I asking whether it was appropriate for me to be naked?”
“That’s not what I meant… well, actually it is! But anyway, what’s going on!”
Safu pointed at Airi while flustered.
Airi looked down at him without changing her expression, proudly exposing her soft, slightly drooping huge breasts to the summer sunlight. Though she wasn’t wearing even a single sandal, her feet showed no signs of dirt—perhaps one of the mysterious traits of dragon skin.
“Our clan originally has no habit of wearing clothes within the palace. We do wear armlets, anklets, necklaces, and other ornaments during ceremonies, but in principle—”
“No, you’re definitely from Andy’s group, right!? Didn’t Andy tell you to wear clothes when going outside!?”
”…Could we just assume I forgot by accident? It’s a bit bothersome. To put it plainly, I come across as rough; if I move too quickly, my garments tear immediately. Leaving them torn would worry people, and fixing them requires assistance that feels intrusive.”
“I get that,” Safu replied sincerely.
He himself often found his pants tearing between the legs or his shirts ripping at the armpits when moving seriously. Moreover, when using fire spells derived from his breath, if he didn’t pay attention to scale, his clothes would catch fire and end up in tatters.
With current tailoring technology, clothing strong enough to withstand a dragon’s full-power movements was rare; it depended less on basic technical skill and more on finding compatible needles and fabrics. Even sturdy, flexible garments made by Northern Elves became dangerous if worn without restraint during vigorous activity.
In that regard, the ace-level daughters around Andy were extremely careful, restricting their joint movements even during sudden actions to avoid straining their clothes.
For women in human society, this is natural; however, for dragons who originally possessed strength and flexibility beyond normal standards, having to alter their movements due to clothing was surprisingly stressful.
That aside, the issue wasn’t about whether being naked was acceptable.
“Anyway, put some clothes on! It’s ridiculous!”
“You shouldn’t react that way to a woman’s body, boy. While someone like me might be accustomed to it, young girls would be hurt if their skin were exposed and they were shouted at unreasonably.”
“Why?”
“If you’re treated as if you’re looking at something dirty, you’ll start thinking your own nakedness is merely unpleasant to the other person.”
”…So that’s how it is…?”
“There are people like that. Look at the men in this town. None of them act pretentiously when they see a woman’s bare body. The old shoemaker kneels in prayer, trembling with gratitude.”
“No, but isn’t it strange that their self-esteem gets satisfied by that?”
Safur thought: I don’t know what others feel, but I have some common sense.
Well… he pondered. Perhaps the change in my relationship with Rika stems from something wrong with my own attitude.
”…Hey, uh, can I ask you something?”
Safur spoke softly while breaking eye contact with Airi.
”…No, just as an example… if we became close enough to do a little something intimate with a girl, and then suddenly she started avoiding me… could that be because of something like that? Did I give her some weird stimulation or something?”
“I hesitate to offer advice on such matters from my lips.”
Airi said solemnly, crossing her arms. The gesture accentuated the presence of her breasts as they lifted with her crossed arms.
Safur bristled at her attitude, but when he glanced directly at her chest, his momentum faltered, and he turned away again. He couldn’t bear to stare; though his interest was undeniable.
And Airi knew the correct answer even to questions that lacked clarity. She had heard everything. Naturally, she understood how far Safur and Rika had gone. Moreover, regarding Rika’s psychological state, despite lacking a dragon’s sense of shame, her intelligence was high enough to comprehend what an ordinary person could imagine.
Yet, she wouldn’t teach them the right answer or prematurely resolve their own torment for them. That struggle, those misunderstandings, and the process of seeking answers while caring for one another felt like torture to those caught in the whirlwind—but it was precisely something that shouldn’t be solved by imposing external solutions from afar. If they neglected to make efforts to connect emotionally, things might go smoothly in the moment, but their relationship would never truly mature.
…Such consideration, however, came across as sarcastic and arrogant—a trait inherent to dragons—to Safur’s ears.
“I thought you were about to say something like that… Guess I lost by speaking up.”
“Don’t rot away, boy. If you wish to build a good relationship with someone else, the answer must be sought solely by yourself. You cannot rely on others’ help. There is an answer unique to you and one unique to them.”
”…You know the answer but are just pretending not to. I hate that about dragons here.”
“It’s true that we won’t provide excessive assistance beyond what Lady Mia requests of us in this town, but that’s unrelated. You’re a dragon too. This isn’t about the relationship between a dragon and a human; it’s about an older woman and a young man just beginning to fall in love.”
“Not just me… if you became more empathetic, Andy would surely be happy too.”
“Probably so. But we must maintain our distance so people don’t misunderstand… The weight of borrowing the power of dragons, and how it is received, is known only by Lady Mia. No one else should casually interfere. If those in this town, thinking they can use our power, plotted to become enemies of the Northern Forest or the Trot Kingdom, what would you do?”
“Just don’t lend them your power.”
“Even if we withdraw, conflicts born from expectations of us will remain. People will die regardless—simply because we are here… Do you truly think that’s acceptable?”
”…It’s just that choosing not to be such a fool…”
“People are connected. As time passes, some will support others, and eventually become their enemies. If one tries to predict the future and manipulate human relationships for the sake of power, that is the vice of power itself.”
”…You’re just using complicated words to escape from human feelings.”
“It might still be difficult for you, a child… But I’m not asking you to seek answers from others. You must think for yourself.”
“Ahh…”
The ethics of dragons and the personal relationship with Rika—mixing these two topics together in a childish attempt to coax even a slight concession from Airy was something she simply didn’t understand. “If I were to teach you just one thing, it’s this: the one running away isn’t me. It’s you and her.” Swinging her large, naked buttocks as she moved with graceful confidence, Airy walked away. Safur watched her departure, chewing over the meaning… and only after Airy’s figure had grown small in his vision did he snap back with a startled retort. “W-what do you mean by that!” Airy raised only one hand; she offered no answer.
Near the town, an ogre and a human formed a strange duo, calling out to Airy, “May we see through you?” or similar phrases, but Safur heard them from afar. Since he had no interest in what came next, he cut off his senses. What did she mean? Safur sank into the swamp of contemplation.
The next day. In the end, Safur still couldn’t understand it. While twisting his head in confusion, he continued to wander aimlessly on the outskirts of town. It was only now that he realized why he’d gone there: if he stayed within the city, children of similar age and stature would uninvitedly try to play with him, or cat-beastfolk girls would drag him into their games. Even though Safur claimed to be over forty, no one seemed to believe him. Physically, he had plenty of energy to keep up with them even if they played all day, but right now he wasn’t in the mood for play. He faced a difficult problem that demanded his full attention. …Unaware that such an attitude only deepened Rika’s sense of having “done something wrong.” If Safur had immediately forgotten and begun playing with other children, Rika might have pretended to forget too and let things slide. But since she was so blatantly dragging on the memory of that moment for days, she’d lost all idea of how to move past it. “No… damn it, I don’t get it…”
And then, despite trying to imagine various possibilities, Safur found himself with absolutely no material to speculate about women’s hearts; no matter how hard he thought, only Rika’s face came to mind. He couldn’t fathom why she’d made that expression. To begin with, he still didn’t understand why she’d suddenly done something so intimate. So it was clearly a waste of time, yet since he’d been told to think for himself, Safur did think. Even though his intelligence was high, at heart he remained a child.
And then, passing by, came Baron Duran Gout, carrying a bucket, soap, and a towel, dressed neatly in noble attire and a cloak despite the summer heat.
“What’s wrong, boy? …No, you were a dragon, weren’t you?”
“Are you… the Baron?”
“Yes. I am the Baron. Though to a dragon like you, it’s probably just one of many names, hehe.”
”…Leave me alone. I need to think about a difficult problem.”
“Hmm, a difficult problem? If a dragon is taking on a challenge, it must be quite something!”
“Not really… maybe not… but I was told I have to figure it out myself.”
“Hmm. But wandering around here like this, twisting your head in confusion, won’t accomplish anything. Why not think while soaking in a bath?”
”…That probably won’t help much either, will it?”
“No, it will.”
The Baron stated it firmly.
“Most problems get stuck because values harden. Once you receive new stimulation and reconsider, you often realize, ‘Oh, that was such a simple thing.’ Above all…”
“Above all what?”
“Hold your courage, boy. You are a child. Children are allowed to face any challenge.”
The Baron extended his hand powerfully toward the boy.
And then…
”……Eh, wait a minute!?”
“Then, please take care of yourselves, ladies.”
The Baron held the bath set and bowed elegantly to Polka’s matrons, inadvertently leading Safuru into the women’s bathhouse.
“What on earth is going on!?”
”…Courage and luck,” the Baron murmured with a charming smile before heading toward the men’s bath. That whisper was heard only by the dragon, Safuru.
“It’s truly troubling that Your Lordship would casually visit the women’s bath. Still, I do think it’s improper to trouble Your Lordship with washing your child.”
“Today, I’ll make sure you’re thoroughly cleaned, ladies,” said one of them.
“Eh, y-yes…”
The Baron, still holding Safuru, walked straight to the entrance of the women’s bath and addressed the local matrons who happened to pass by: “It seems he hails from a culture where bathing is less common, as he doesn’t quite know how to wash properly. Could you kindly guide him through the proper way to bathe?” He said this with his usual radiant smile.
Indeed, Safuru’s human hometown and the Dragon Palace he once lived in were part of a water-bathing culture, where people would often exit the bath before their bodies grew too cold after rinsing off some dirt.
The matrons who caught Safuru and led him to the changing room of the women’s bath referred to themselves as “aunties,” though in Polka, they were relatively young—around thirty years old. They were at an age where mothers like Safuru would have children, not quite the blooming youth one might expect, yet thanks to the beauty-enhancing effects of the sacred spring water, they looked no older than twenty.
In other words, despite having fully developed bodies capable of hardening Safuru’s small penis, they quickly undressed in front of him. This was extremely awkward. As usual, Safuru tried to avert his gaze, but even when he did, he couldn’t help seeing their flawless, beautiful buttocks, which only made things worse. There were three of them.
“Come on, boy! Since I’m going to wash you, take off your clothes!”
“Eh, n-no, maybe it’s better not…”
“If you’re in Polka, you should know how to use hot springs properly. Besides, there’s nothing else good here anyway.”
“I-I can bathe, but… maybe the men’s bath would be better…”
“Boys shouldn’t be so shy. Don’t worry; we all have sons and are used to seeing penises.”
Though their breasts varied in size, they proceeded to undress Safuru together while casually displaying their beautiful chests as if it were nothing special.
After noticing his erect penis, they glanced at each other briefly.
“Cute, isn’t she?”
“Even an auntie like me could still pull off something nice, couldn’t we?”
“This isn’t you, is it? You’re the least endowed of all.”
“Let’s call it good style. And as for those buttocks, I won’t lose to anyone.”
Despite laughing lightly, they didn’t hide their bodies from Safuru’s gaze. On the contrary, some even struck playful poses and asked, “How’s that?”
Safuru thought to himself, I assumed Trotters were more conservative about such matters, but perhaps that wasn’t the case. Blushing deeply, he realized that while these weren’t overt sexual harassers, they certainly wouldn’t scold a child for getting aroused so casually.
Stripped bare, Safuru was led into the bath by the matrons. First came a lesson on how to bathe properly:
“Before entering the water, rinse your body first. Try to remove as much dirt as possible beforehand. Since this is running water, any slight discoloration will wash away quickly, but it’s still proper etiquette.”
“Yes, make sure to scrub well. Dirt tends to accumulate behind the ears quite a bit.”
“Shall I wash your hair for you? Is using soap with lather new to you?… Oh my, are you really so fond of breasts? You’re full of energy!”
“W-wait, p-please don’t look!”
“Fair’s fair, fair’s fair.”
One of the matrons reached out and began washing Safuru’s head straight on. It was truly unbearable to watch her bouncing breasts sway as she worked.
Just then, another group entered the women’s bath.
“Ah, there’s a boy here!”
“Oh, you kitty cats. Baron-sama asked me to teach him how to wash his body.”
“Can I wash too?”
“Why not? Might as well give him a thorough scrub from the crotch all the way to the butt hole.”
“Ee… y-you’re going to wash the butt hole too!?”
“Just kidding~♪ Close your eyes.”
The Saffur washing squad was now joined by the cats.
“Hey, hey, I’m a guy… why are you all so casually approaching me naked like this!”
“You’ve been spoiled. Besides, that little finger-sized thing of yours wouldn’t dare bite anyone.”
“T-there’s at least a ring finger! Come on!”
“Let me wash too! My colony doesn’t have any boys, so I’m curious!”
“Me too, me too~ Oh, yours is much smaller than the master’s.”
One after another, the cat girls approached, no longer washing Saffur but treating him like a toy.
And then, amidst all that commotion…
“It’s quite lively here…”
“Ah!”
As Saffur had his soap suds washed away and looked up, he found Rika standing there, naked.
…Silence fell over the scene.
(TBC)