It had been a few days since that strange affair.
Safur was genuinely troubled.
Rika had completely stopped talking to him.
Safur was a boy who found it hard to put himself in someone else’s shoes.
Even when they met face-to-face, he would stiffen up and turn his back on her, running away without a word. All he could do was feel shocked.
No one had any idea what the cause of the problem was.
Rika had ended up attacking Safur out of impulse, and now that she was being confronted about it, she was too ashamed and scared to face him properly. But Safur had no idea how she might feel.
However, he couldn’t confide in anyone. There was no one close enough to him who would think it okay for him to speak openly about his affair with Rika.
Inside himself, Safur hadn’t been able to make sense of what that affair had meant.
He thought time might be the only thing that could solve it.
But…
“Safur. …Or was it?”
“Ah? What… Whoa!”
One day, after Saphir tried to run away from Rika but had nothing else to do, he wandered aimlessly outside the city when someone called out to him.
When Saphir turned around, he found himself face-to-face with a pair of massive breasts and a pussy. Saphir was about 130 centimeters tall, so when a tall, fully naked woman stood close by, her body filled his vision before his face even came into view.
She was a fully naked woman.
“What… what the… what is this!?”
“Why are you panicking? Do you have something to hide?”
Hearing the calm voice, Saphir took a few steps back, tripped over his own feet, and fell backward onto the ground. As a dragon, he didn’t take any damage, but when he stood up again, it was revealed that the fully naked woman was Aeris, a blue dragon.
“What are you doing being completely naked…? It’s not even the bath, and it’s broad daylight!?”
“Hmm. Would it be okay if it were night? …Now that I think about it, at night, neither humans nor elves can see in the darkness. True, that would be fine.”
“What are you talking about!?”
“Weren’t we discussing whether it’s acceptable for me to be naked?”
“No… well, yeah, but! I mean, what is even going on!?”
Safir pointed at Airi while fidgeting in confusion.
Airi, her soft-looking, slightly drooping chest bared boldly to the summer sun, looked down at Safir without changing her expression. She wasn’t wearing a single sandal, but the fact that her feet didn’t look dirty was one of the mysteries of dragon skin.
“Our clan doesn’t have the habit of wearing clothes inside the palace. We might wear things like bracelets, anklets, or necklaces for ceremonies, but in principle—”
“Wait, you’re from Andy’s group, right!? Didn’t Andy tell you to wear something when going outside!?”
“…Let’s just say I accidentally forgot. It’s a bit of a hassle. I’m a bit of a rough one, you see. When I move quickly, my clothes tear easily. Leaving them like that worries people, and mending them takes too much effort.”
“I get that, but still…”
Safir also tended to tear the crotch of his pants or the armpits of his jacket when moving vigorously. Additionally, when using fire magic from his breath, he had to be careful about the scale, as otherwise it could easily catch his clothes and leave them tattered.
Clothes that could withstand a dragon’s full strength were rare even with today’s sewing technology, and it was more about luck in finding the right tailor or fabric than basic technical skill. Even sturdy and flexible northern elf-made clothing could be dangerous if he moved recklessly.
In this regard, the ace-grade girls around Andy were very careful to limit their joint range of motion during sudden movements, making sure their clothes weren’t strained.
For human society’s women, that would be normal, but for dragons, who naturally possessed incredible strength and flexibility, changing their movements for the sake of their clothes was a surprisingly big source of stress.
That said, it wasn’t like they could just go around naked.
“S-so just wear something! It’s weird!”
“You shouldn’t react like that when you see a woman’s body, boy. Someone like me is fine, but a young girl would be hurt if you suddenly yelled at her for showing her skin.”
“Why not?”
“If she’s treated like something dirty, she might think her naked self is just unpleasant to others.”
”…Is that… true?”
“There are people like that. Look at the men in this town. None of them make a fuss when they see women naked. Even that old shoe merchant would kneel down and tremble with gratitude, making some kind of prayer pose.”
“Wait, but isn’t it weird for him to feel fulfilled by that?”
I can’t fully understand people’s feelings, but I’m a bit more sensible than most, so I thought I’d ask.
But then again… Safful thought. Could it be that my attitude is the reason things between me and Rika have changed?
”…Hey, listen to this for a sec.”
Safful turned his gaze away from Airi and muttered softly.
”…Well, let’s say… If you get close enough with a girl that you can do something a little… intimate with her, and then she suddenly starts avoiding you… could that be because you might’ve given her the wrong kind of stimulation?”
“I’d rather not give advice on that subject myself.”
Airi crossed her arms and spoke gravely. The breasts raised by her arms emphasized their presence.
Safu was annoyed and said, “That kind of attitude, huh?” but his gaze wavered as he looked directly at the breasts, and he turned away again. He couldn’t bring himself to stare. Though he was deeply interested.
And even when faced with incomprehensible questions, Airi knew the right answer.
She had heard everything. Of course, she understood exactly how far Safu and Rika had gone.
She also understood the psychology behind Rika’s actions, though it was hard to imagine a dragon lacking even basic shame. But despite that, she was intelligent enough to grasp it at a level that could be imagined from a human perspective.
However, she wasn’t crude enough to just give him the answer and solve his dilemma for him.
The process of exploring the problem, misunderstanding, and ultimately finding the solution while caring for the other person was like torture for those in the middle of it. But it was also a kind of thing that couldn’t be resolved by simply throwing the answer in from the outside.
If they didn’t put in the effort to connect with each other, even if things seemed to work out temporarily, their relationship would never truly mature.
…Even this kind of consideration, from Safu’s perspective, was just insincere, sarcastic, and arrogant—a trait typical of dragons.
“I figured you’d say something like that. …Guess I wasted my breath.”
“Don’t rot, boy. …If you want to build a good relationship with someone, you have to find the answer on your own. You can’t rely on help from others. There’s an answer for you alone, and one for them alone.”
”…You’re just pretending to know something. I hate that part of dragons.”
“Though it is true that we do not provide excessive assistance beyond what is requested by our master Mia, this has nothing to do with that. You are a dragon too. This is not about the relationship between dragons and humans, but rather about a young woman and a child who have just begun to understand love.”
“Not just me. If you were more concerned, I’m sure Andy would be happy too.”
“Probably so. But we must maintain our distance. To prevent people from misunderstanding. The weight of borrowing dragon power and how it is received—only our master Mia knows that. Others should not casually touch upon it. What if the people of this town, thinking they could use our power, became overconfident and planned to oppose the northern forest or Trot Kingdom?”
“Just don’t lend your power.”
“Even if we leave, the conflict they expected would remain. People will die either way—just because we are here. …And you still think that’s fine?”
“It’s just a matter of not choosing such foolishness…”
“People are connected to one another. Over time, someone will side with someone else, and eventually become their enemy. If you try to predict everything and manipulate the relationships between people for the sake of power, that is the corruption of power.”
“You’re saying difficult things just to avoid facing your own emotions, aren’t you?”
“It might be too difficult for a child like you. …You don’t have the attitude to ask for an answer. Think for yourself.”
“Ah!”
The ethics of dragons and the personal relationship between Rika and me. You mixed both together, trying to gain some concessions with your child’s shallow wisdom, but Airi saw through it.
“If there is one thing I can tell you, it is that I am not the one running away. It’s you and her.”
As she swayed her ample hips, Aeris left with a cool air of confidence.
Safur watched her leave, mulling over the meaning… and then, when Aeris’s figure had grown distant, he suddenly spoke up.
“Wh-what do you mean by that?!”
Aeris only raised one hand in response, not giving him a proper answer.
Safur heard something from the outskirts of town—a strange duo of an ogre and a human asking Aeris something like, “Can we have a look?” But he didn’t care enough to focus his senses further.
What did she mean?
Safur sank deeper into a sea of thought.
The next day…
In the end, Safur couldn’t figure it out. He still wandered aimlessly outside the town, scratching his head in frustration.
As for why he was out here, it was because if he stayed in town, the kids would just assume he was their playmate and the cat beastmen’s daughters would latch onto him. Safur had already told them he was over 40, but they didn’t seem to care.
Physically, he could handle playing with them all day, but he wasn’t in the mood for it now. He had a difficult matter to deal with.
…Without realizing it, his attitude only deepened Rika’s sense of having “made a mistake.”
If Safful had started playing with the other children right after forgetting about it, Rika could have pretended to forget too and let things go. But since she kept dragging that moment from a few days ago, it made it even harder for her to let it go.
“No… damn it, I don’t get it…”
And since Safful couldn’t imagine anything about the way a girl’s heart works because there was no data to go on, no matter how much he thought, all he could think of was Rika’s face. He couldn’t think of any reason why she’d make that kind of face.
Besides, he still didn’t understand why she suddenly did something so intimate.
So it was definitely a waste of time, but since he’d been told to figure it out himself, Safful kept thinking. Even though he was intelligent, at heart, he was still just a kid.
Then, as he walked by, it was Baron Duran Goot of Polka, dressed in his noble attire and cloak despite the summer heat, carrying a bucket, soap, and a towel.
“What’s wrong, boy… Oh, wait, you’re that dragon, right?”
“You’re… the baron, right?”
“Yes. I am the baron. Though to a dragon like you, it’s just one of many titles, haha.”
”…Leave me alone. I have to think about something difficult.”
“Ah, something difficult? If it’s a problem for a dragon, it must be quite a challenge.”
“It’s not… exactly… maybe not. But I was told I have to figure it out myself.”
[HOH. But loitering around here and scratching your head won’t get you anywhere. How about thinking while soaking in the bath?]
[…It doesn’t seem much different, does it?]
[Nah, it’s different.]
The Baron declared.
[Values harden, and most problems stall when they do. Once you receive new stimulation and think about it again, you’ll often realize, “Oh, that was nothing.” More than anything…]
[More than anything?]
[Have courage, boy. You’re still a child. Children are allowed to face every challenge.]
The Baron extended his hand to the boy with vigor.
And then.
[Wait, hold on!]
[Well then, ladies, take care.]
The Baron elegantly bowed to the Polka’s wives while holding a bath set in his hand. He’d ended up taking Saphir into the women’s bath.
“What the hell is going on!?”
”…Courage and luck.”
The Baron muttered with a warm smile and headed toward the men’s bath. His words likely only reached Saphir, the dragon.
“It’s quite something for the Baron to casually show up at the women’s bath. But it’s also a bit odd to involve the Baron in washing a child.”
“Today, we’ll make sure you’re clean, won’t we, ladies?”
“Eh, what…?”
The Baron took Saphir with him and headed straight for the women’s bath entrance. Just as some of the town’s ladies were passing by, he said with a smile, “It seems he grew up in a culture lacking in bathing traditions, so he doesn’t know how to wash properly. Could you kindly teach him the proper way to bathe?”
Indeed, Saphir’s birthplace and the dragon palace where he lived were both cultures that focused on splashing water to rinse off and would quickly get out before their bodies got too cold.
And the ladies who caught Saphir and led him into the changing room for the women’s bath were calling themselves “aunties,” but in Polka, they were quite young, around their early thirties. The age range where children like Saphir would be expected, not exactly the age to be shy about things. However, thanks to the beauty-enhancing effects of the holy spring, they looked no older than twenty, with not a single wrinkle in sight.
In other words, they had more than enough figure to harden Saphir’s little thing, yet they quickly started taking off their clothes right in front of him.
This was incredibly embarrassing. Saphir tried to look away, but even when he did, he could still see the perfectly smooth, blemish-free backsides of the ladies. It was too much for him to handle. There were three of them.
“Boy, come on, we’re going to wash you, so take off your clothes.”
“Uh, no, never mind, it’s fine.”
“It’s no good if you come to Polka and don’t know how to use the hot springs. There’s nothing else good here anyway.”
“I-I guess I could, but still… in the men’s bath…”
“Boys shouldn’t be so shy about it. It’s fine, we’re all mothers with sons and are used to seeing penises.”
The ladies, though of varying sizes, ended up stripping off their sarafus while casually showing off their beautiful breasts.
Then, when they saw the erect penises, they exchanged glances.
“How cute!”
“Can I still keep up with you, dearie?”
“That’s not yours, is it? You’re the one with the smallest chest.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment. And when it comes to hips, I’m not losing to anyone.”
They laughed lightly but didn’t hide their bodies from Saphel’s gaze. In fact, they even struck poses and asked, “How about this?”
Saphel had thought Trotto people were more reserved about sex, but maybe that wasn’t the case. Still, he blushed as he thought, If it were a brash kid trying to harass me, I’d be upset, but a shy kid’s erection isn’t something to get worked up over.
And so, Safur was stripped and led into the bath by the ladies. First came a lesson on how to wash.
“Before getting into the hot water, start by rinsing your body. Try to wash away as much dirt as you can. The water is flowing, so even if it gets a bit dirty, it’ll just flow away, but still, it’s good manners.”
“Yes, scrub well. There’s a lot of dirt that builds up behind the ears, for example.”
“Shall I wash your head? Is this your first time using soap? …Oh my, do you like breasts that much? How lively of you.”
“Hey, don’t look!”
“Here you go, here you go.”
The lady standing right in front of Safur reached out to wash her head. It was cruel not to let him look at her trembling breasts.
Meanwhile, another group entered the women’s bath.
“Ahh, there’s a boy here!”
“Oh my, it’s the cat boys. The baron said to teach them how to wash their bodies.”
“Can I wash you too?”
“Sure, why not? Let’s make sure every nook and cranny is thoroughly cleaned, from the space between your fingers to your rear end.”
“Wha—? You’re going to wash my butt hole!?”
“Just kidding~♪ Now, close your eyes.”
The cat girls had joined the Saffu washing team.
“Hey, hey, I’m a guy… Why are you all so casual about coming over naked?”
“You’re such a kid. You think just because you’ve got a little thing like this, it’s impressive or something.”
“It’s bigger than a pinky! Seriously!”
“I want to wash you too~. Our colony doesn’t have any boys, so I’m curious!”
“Me too, me too~. Ah, yours is way smaller than Master’s.”
The cat girls kept coming one after another, and it was no longer about washing Saffu—they were playing with him like a toy.
And then, just when things got lively…
“Things are getting noisy, huh… Wait.”
“Ahh!”
When Safur was washed away by the foam and raised his head, Rika was standing there naked.
…Silence flowed.
(To be continued)