A few days had passed since that strange encounter, and Saphru was genuinely troubled.

Reika had suddenly stopped talking to him altogether.
Saphru was a boy who simply couldn't quite think things through from another person's perspective.
Even when they faced each other, he would freeze up; unable to utter a single word, Reika would turn her back and run away at full speed, leaving Saphru nothing but shock.
He had no idea what caused it all.
It felt like he'd taken advantage of Reika on a whim, and now she was too embarrassed and scared to face him after he calmly pressed the issue—but Saphru couldn't imagine any such human feelings at all.
Yet there was no one he could confide in. There was absolutely no close friend he thought would be okay with hearing about his nakedness with Reika in such raw detail.
Inside Saphru himself, he still hadn't been able to make sense of what that encounter had actually meant.
He'd started thinking it might take time for things to resolve themselves.

That is, until—

"Saphru... I said," someone called out.

"Huh? Wha—?! Oh crap!"

One day, as Saphru wandered aimlessly outside town with nowhere else to go and no private joy to escape into, Reika finally cornered him again instead of letting him flee, and the person who approached him spoke up.

When Saphru turned around dazedly, he saw a massive pair of breasts and vulva right in front of his face. Saphru stood only about 130 centimeters tall, so when a tall, fully naked woman appeared close by, her body blocked his view of her head entirely; all he could see was down below.

She was completely naked.

"N-N-No... w-what the hell?!"

"What are you panicking about? Something bothering you?"

Saphru took a few steps back, got tangled in her legs, and fell backward until his head hit the ground hard—but since he's a dragon, it didn't hurt him at all. When he stood back up, he realized the naked woman was Airi, a blue dragon.

"N-No, what are you doing so naked?! This isn't a bathhouse, and it's broad daylight!"

"Hmm. So nighttime is better? ...You know, when it's dark at night, people and elves alike can barely see through it. That would actually be quite nice."

"What the hell are you talking about?!"

"I wasn't asking whether it was right or wrong for me to be naked," she replied calmly.

"That's not what I meant... well, kind of! But anyway, what the actual fuck is going on?!"

Saphru pointed wildly at Airi while utterly confused.

Airi looked down at him without changing her expression a bit, proudly exposing her soft-looking enormous tits to the summer sunlight, which were slightly drooping. Even though she wasn't wearing a single sandal, her feet showed no sign of dirt—perhaps it was one of the mysteries of dragon skin.

"As for us, our clan traditionally doesn't wear clothes inside the palace. We do put on bracelets, anklets, necklaces, or other ornaments during ceremonies, but in principle—"

"Well damn, you're definitely someone from Andy's group, right?! Didn't Andy tell everyone to wear clothes when walking outside?!"

"...Let's just say I completely forgot. It's quite a bother. See, I seem rough on the surface, so if I make any sudden movements, my outfit tears right off. If I leave it undone, people get worried; and fixing it takes manpower, which is unbearable."

"I get that," Saphru muttered honestly.

He too found his pants crotch or shirt armpits ripping whenever he moved seriously. Also, when using fire spells derived from his breath, if he didn't pay attention to the scale of the blast, his clothes would catch fire and fall apart into tatters.

With current sewing technology, clothing strong enough to withstand a dragon's full-force movements is extremely rare. It's less about foundational technical skill and more about whether you can find needles or fabrics that suit well enough. Even durable Northern Elf-made garments, which are tough yet flexible, become dangerous if worn while moving freely without restraint.

In that regard, the ace-level daughters around Andy carefully restricted their joint movements even during situations requiring sudden actions, trying not to strain their clothes unnecessarily.

It would be considered normal behavior for human women, but for dragons—whose strength and flexibility originally far exceed common sense—the need to alter their movements just to avoid damaging clothes was an incredibly frustrating burden.

Besides all that, this wasn't really about whether being naked was acceptable or not.

"Anyway, damn it, put something on! This is weird!"

"You're overreacting, boy. Just looking at a woman's body shouldn't cause such reactions. Older women like me are fine, but younger girls would be hurt if they're unfairly shouted at for exposing their skin."

"Why the hell?!"

"If you react as though what you're seeing is dirty, you'll probably think your nakedness makes the other person uncomfortable."

"...So... that's true?"

"There are certainly such people. Look at the men of this town; no one reacts with any pretense when seeing a woman's naked body. Even that old shoemaker knelt in prayer, trembling and acting as if he were grateful."

"Hmm, but isn't it odd that their self-esteem gets satisfied by that?"

Safuru thought to himself. He wasn't familiar with human emotions, but he had at least some common sense.

No... wait. Safuru pondered this. Was there perhaps something wrong with his own attitude? Had the way things changed between him and Rika started from his behavior?

"...Hey, uh, listen to me for a sec..."

Safuru spoke in a hushed tone, averting his gaze from Aerli.

"Uh... let's say, hypothetically... if you got close enough with a girl that you could have some smutty time together, and then suddenly she started avoiding you... would that be because of something like... giving her some weird stimulation?"

"It is hardly my place to offer advice on matters such as this."

Aerli said sternly, crossing her arms. The gesture lifted her breasts, emphasizing their presence.

Safuru bristled at such an attitude, "Is that what you think of me?!", but when he looked directly at them, his momentum vanished, and he turned away again. He couldn't bear to stare; while he was certainly interested...

Aerli knew the correct answer even to vague questions that lacked a clear direction.

She had heard everything. Of course, she understood how far Safuru and Rika had gone with each other.

Furthermore, though she, as a dragon, lacked some human notions of modesty regarding Rika's psychological state, her intelligence was still high enough to comprehend it within normal parameters.

However, even if she knew the correct answer, it wasn't so presumptuous to step in and resolve their confusion for them on their own.

This struggle with doubt and misunderstanding, along with the process of seeking truth out of consideration for one another, felt like torture to those involved. Yet, one could not simply throw in the solution from the outside and move the conversation forward.

If both parties neglected the effort to connect their hearts, things might seem okay in the moment, but their actual relationship would never truly mature.

...Such feelings of consideration, when applied to Safuru, often came across as sarcastic or disdainful—traits inherent to dragons.

"I suspected you were about to say something like that. ...And it didn't pay off."

"Get a grip, boy. ...If you wish to build a good relationship with the other party, you must find the solution yourself. You cannot rely on others' help. There is an answer unique to you and an answer unique to them."

"...You know what I'm talking about but are just pretending otherwise. I hate that side of dragons here."

"It is true that we have provided more than what Lady Maya requested from this town, yet that is unrelated to the matter at hand. You are a dragon as well. This isn't about the relationship between dragons and humans; it concerns the dynamic between an older woman and a young man who has just begun falling in love."

"Not just about me, you know. If I got more involved, Andy would probably be happy too."

"Probably true. But we must maintain our distance. To prevent misunderstandings... The weight of relying on dragon power, as well as how to receive it, is known only by Lady Maya. Others should not touch upon this lightly. Should the people of this town, thinking they can utilize our strength, plot against the Northern Legion or the Trot Kingdom?"

"They can just stop asking for help then."

"Even if we withdraw, the conflict they expected from us will remain. People will die either way—merely because we are here. ...Do you still think that is acceptable?"

"There's no need to choose such a stupid option..."

"Humans are connected to one another. As time passes, some will become allies of others, and eventually enemies. If one attempts to manipulate these human bonds for the sake of power by predicting what comes next, that is the corruption of strength."

"...You're just using complicated talk to escape from matters of the heart."

"It may seem too difficult for you, a child... But I am not in the attitude of listening for answers from people. You must think it through yourself."

"Aww..."

Aerli did not understand Safuru's childish trickery: muddling together the ethics of dragons and his personal relationship with Rika, hoping to somehow draw out some concession.

"If there is one thing I can teach you, it is that it is not me who is running away. It is you and her."

Shaking her massive bare buttocks, Aerli swept away.

Safuru watched her leave, chewing over the meaning... only to suddenly react once her skin tone faded from his vision.

"W-well, what does THAT mean!"

Aerli raised a hand but offered no further reply.

Near the town, an odd duo of ogres and humans shouted something like "May we have your attention?" to Aerli, which Safuru heard. But he had lost interest in anything beyond that and cut off his senses' focus.

What did she mean?

Safuru sank into a swamp of contemplation.

The next day.

In the end, Saphur couldn't quite make head or tail of it; twisting his neck in frustration, he continued to wander the outskirts of town as usual.
It was rather belated to ask why he stuck to the edges, but simply being inside the town meant getting dragged into games by street kids with bodies just like his, or having himself play with young girl-kin from the cat-beast clans. Even though Saphur kept insisting he was past forty, no one would have any of it.
Physically, he'd have more than enough stamina to keep up with them regardless, but he wasn't in any mood for play right now. There was a serious problem demanding his attention.
...Without even noticing, Saphur's attitude was only making Rika feel ever more keenly about what she'd done.
If Saphur had just moved on immediately to playing with other kids and forgotten it all, perhaps Rika could have pretended to forget too and let the matter slide. But dragging that single moment around for so many days made it impossible for her to know how to play off such things naturally anymore.

"No... Damn it, I don't get it at all..."
And then, even as Saphur tried desperately to imagine what might be going on, he had absolutely no material to deduce a woman's heart from, so no matter how much he thought, all that came to mind was just Rika's face. He couldn't figure out a single reason why she'd made that expression.
To start with, there was no clue whatsoever as to why she suddenly decided to do something so erotic with him.
It was plainly a waste of time, but since he'd been told to think about it himself, Saphur did just that. Even though he was highly intelligent, his roots were still childish.

Just then, passing by, was Baron Duran Goot of the Porka clan, clutching a tub, soap, and a washcloth in hand, smartly dressed in noble attire and a mantle despite the summer heat.

"What's up with you, lad... no wait, you're a dragon, right?"

"Are you... the Baron?"

"That I am. Though for a dragon, it's probably just one of your names. Hahahaha."

"...Just leave me alone. I've got a difficult problem to think about."

"Oh? A difficult one. If a dragon is taking on a challenge, it must be something truly daunting."

"Well... maybe not that severe... but someone told me I had to figure it out on my own."

"Hmph. But what's the point of wandering around here twisting your neck? Maybe you should think while soaking in a bath."

"...Won't help much, will it?"

"Not at all. It will."

The Baron stated it firmly.

"Most problems get stuck because our values harden into place. Once we receive some new stimulation and reconsider from scratch, we often find ourselves thinking, 'So that was the whole issue.' And above all..."

"Above all what?"

"Have courage, lad. You're still a child. Children are permitted to take on any challenge."

The Baron reached out his hand powerfully toward the young dragon.

And then.

"...Wait a damn minute!?"

"Then do me the pleasure, ladies."

The Baron, holding the bath set, gave an elegant bow to the Porka matrons and led Saphur into the women's bath.

"What in the world are you doing!?"

"...Bringing courage and luck."

The Baron muttered with a radiant smile and headed off toward the men's bath. That muttered remark was meant only for the dragon, Saphur.

"The Baron himself coming down uninvited to the ladies' bath is quite troublesome, really. But I do think it's improper to ask His Excellency to wash a mere child."

"I'll make sure to give you a proper cleaning today, you old ladies."

"E-eh? Yes...?"

Still dragging Saphur with him, the Baron marched straight up to the entrance of the women's bath and turned to the city matrons he'd just encountered, saying with that same brilliant smile, "Seems he hails from a culture with little experience in bathing, so he doesn't quite know how to wash his body properly. Could you all kindly give him a thorough lesson in proper bathing?"

Indeed, Saphur's human town of birth and the dragon palace where he'd lived were both part of water-splash cultures; it was common for one to shed some dirt but climb back out before their bodies cooled down.

As for the matrons who had cornered Saphur and brought him into the undressing room of the women's bath—though they called themselves "old ladies," in Porka terms, they were actually around thirty, relatively young members of the clan with children Saphur's age. While certainly not at an age to make flowers shy with their beauty, thanks to the rejuvenating effects of the sacred spring water, they looked no older than twenty to the casual eye.
So, though they had fully developed limbs sufficient to harden even a lad like Saphur's slender bit of junk, they proceeded to strip off their clothes right before him in short order.
This was quite embarrassing. As usual, Saphur tried to look away, but no matter where his gaze shifted, he'd end up seeing perfectly smooth, unblemished ass cheeks, which only made it worse. There were three of the matrons.
"Hey, kid. Since I'm going to wash you, why don't you take your clothes off?"

"Eh, I-I don't know... maybe it's not such a good idea after all."

"If you've come to Polka and still don't even know how to bathe in the hot springs, you're in the wrong place. There isn't any other place worth visiting anyway."

"I-I can join if I want to, but... um, I'd rather take the men's bath..."

"There's no need for boys to be so bashful. Don't worry, we're all mothers with sons, so we're already quite used to seeing penises."

The ladies each had their own pair of ample mounds, yet in the end, they all displayed their pretty breasts casually as if it were common sense, collectively stripping Saphil down until he was completely naked.
Then, after looking at his erected penis, they exchanged glances awkwardly before whispering among themselves.

"Cute, isn't she?"

"Are aunty's still up to something like this?"

"You know that's not you, right? You've got the least amount of breast tissue by far."

"Don't say that! You should praise my figure. And as for that ass, I won't lose to anyone."

Despite laughing lightly, Saphil instinctively tried to hide his body from their gaze. Or rather, they didn't even bother hiding themselves; instead, one struck a playful pose and asked with a grin, "How's this?"
Saphil felt his face burning as he thought: I thought Trot people were more reserved about such things... but maybe that's not true? Still, these weren't some perverted creeps actively trying to harass him. There was no way they'd be scolding him every time a child's little erection got hard out of nowhere.

In the end, Saphil was undressed by them and dragged into the bathing area. First up: a lesson on how to wash properly.

"Before getting into the water, rinse your body off first. Try to remove all dirt beforehand. Since this is an open-flow system, even if the water gets a bit dirty, it'll be washed away quickly anyway... but still, as proper manners go—"

"Yes! Make sure to scrub thoroughly where grime tends to accumulate. The back of your ears tend to hold quite a lot."

"Shall I wash your head for you? Is using soap bubbles a first time experience for you? ...Oh my, you really like looking at those breasts, huh? You're full of energy!"

"W-wait, d-don't look like that!"

"Tie it down, tie it down."

One of the ladies stretched out her hands directly toward Saphil's face to wash his hair. There was no way anything else could be more cruel than having to avoid watching her breasts swaying back and forth as she moved her upper body forward.

Just then, another group entered the women's bath area.

"Oh—there's a boy here!"

"Oh, look at those little kittens. Count Noblesse asked me to teach them how to wash their bodies."

"Can I get washed too?"

"You're allowed, aren't you? Since we're here anyway, let's give them a thorough cleaning from between their fingers all the way down to their butt holes!"

"E-what?! Even... even the butt holes?!"

"Just kidding! Open your eyes wide now—"

Soon, not only was Saphil being washed, but even the cat girls were helping out.

"Wait wait, hold on! I'm male here... why do everyone approach me so casually while naked like this?"

"I know, relax a bit already. With a tiny little penis like your index finger, who'd dare mock you?"

"B-but my pinky's about that size at least! That's beyond reasonable!"

"Let me get washed too! My colony doesn't have any boys here, so I'm curious!"

"I want to join too! Oh, yours are way smaller than the master's ones."

One by one, the cat girls approached Saphil, though it wasn't exactly them washing him anymore—they were treating him more like a toy.

And then, just there—

"Hmm, it seems quite lively around here..." came a voice.

"Ahh!"

As Saphil stood with his soap suds dripping down and lifted his head, he found Lica standing completely naked before him.

……Silence filled the air.

(TBC)

A few days had passed since the strange incident.
Safur was in deep thought, genuinely troubled.
Rika had completely stopped speaking to him.

Safur was a boy who struggled to put himself in others' shoes.
Faced with Rika’s freezing up and fleeing without a word, he could do nothing but shock after shock.
He had absolutely no clue what the cause might be.
Rika felt that she had assaulted him on a whim, and now that she was facing the reality of it soberly, she was too ashamed and terrified to look at him directly, but Safur simply couldn't imagine how someone else would feel.
However, he couldn't confide in anyone either. There was no close friend or relative who wouldn't be shocked if he openly detailed what happened with Rika.
Within his own mind, he hadn't even sorted out what that incident meant to him.
It seemed time would be the only solution.

But then.

"Safur... or should I say..."

"Huh? What— oh!"

One day, unable to get Rika to stay and having no other entertainments for himself, Safur was aimlessly wandering outside the city limits when someone called out to him.

As he turned around dazedly, a pair of massive breasts and a crotch appeared right in front of him. Being roughly 130 centimeters tall, if a tall, naked woman stood close by, her chest entered his field of vision before his face did.

It was a completely naked woman.

"W-wait... what the hell?!"

"Why are you panicking? Do you have something to hide?"

Hearing the calm female voice, Safur took a few steps back, stumbled over his legs, and fell backward onto the ground with a thud. Being a dragon, he took no damage from the fall. When he got up, he saw that the naked woman was Airri of the Brood Dragons.

"W-why are you in the buff... This isn't a bathhouse, and it's broad daylight?!"

"Hmm. Is it okay at night? ...Now that you mention it, neither humans nor elves can see clearly in the darkness of night. That is indeed better."

"What do you mean by 'that'!?"

"Weren't you questioning whether I should be naked or not?"

"That's not it... No, it is, but! Seriously, what is going on?!"

Confused, Safur pointed at Airri.

Airri displayed her large, soft, slightly drooping breasts boldly to the summer sunlight, looking down at Safur with little change in expression. She wasn't wearing sandals, yet there was no dirt on her feet; perhaps that was one of the mysteries of dragon skin.

"Our clan originally has no custom of wearing clothes inside the palace. We sometimes wear armbands, anklets, or necklaces when participating in rituals, but as a general rule..."

"No, I thought you were with Andy's group! ? Doesn't Andy tell you to put on clothes when walking outside too?!"

"...Please consider it an oversight. It is somewhat troublesome. I seem to be quite clumsy; if I make even a slightly rushed movement, my clothing tears immediately. Leaving it as such worries people, and repairing it requires effort that makes me wince."

"I can understand that part."

Safur's pants crotch or shirt armpits often tore when he moved seriously too. Also, when using fire magic from his breath, if he wasn't careful with the scale, the flames would ignite his clothes and leave them 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 needles or fabrics that were compatible. Even sturdy and flexible clothes made by Northern Elves could be dangerous if worn with unrestrained movement.

In this regard, the Ace-knight-class girls around Andy were very careful not to put stress on their clothing, limiting the range of motion of their joints even when sudden movements were required.

For human women, that would be natural, but for dragons who originally possessed strength and flexibility beyond common sense, altering their movements for the sake of clothes was a subtle but significant source of stress.

Still, that didn't mean going around naked was acceptable.

"W-well, just put something on! It's weird!"

"It is not proper for a boy to react like that upon seeing a woman's body. It might be fine with someone my age, but young girls will be hurt if they are shouted at unreasonably just for showing skin."

"Why do you say that?!"

"If I receive such a reaction as if looking at something filthy, I would come to think that my nudity is merely unpleasant to the other person."

"...Is... is that really true...?"

「That's just how it is. Look at the men in this town. None of them react with pretentiousness when they see a woman naked. The old cobbler was on his knees, trembling in a prayer-like pose, grateful as hell for the sight.”

“That’s not exactly boosting your self-esteem, though?”

Safuru couldn't fully understand human feelings, but he did possess a basic sense of common decency.

No, but. Safuru thought to himself. Could it be that things with Rica got messed up because of my own attitude?

“…Hey, can I ask you something real quick?”

Safuru dropped his gaze from Aeril and muttered under his breath.

“I mean, hypothetically speaking… If you get close enough to a girl to do some naughty things, and then she suddenly starts avoiding you… could that be the result of some kind of… what’s it called? Weird stimulation or something?”

“It would not be proper for me to offer advice on such a matter from my lips.”

Aeril said solemnly with her arms crossed. The motion lifted her breasts, emphasizing their presence.

Safuru wanted to snap back that she was being pretentious, but the sight of her tits stole his momentum, forcing him to look away again. He couldn't stare directly at them. He was very interested, though.

As for Aeril, she had no trouble knowing the correct answer to such an unrefined question.

She had heard everything. Naturally, she also understood how far Safuru and Rica had gone.

Furthermore, regarding Rica's mental state, despite a dragon's lack of shame, her intelligence was high enough to imagine the situation within the bounds of normal human standards.

But she would not give them that correct answer, nor would she be so foolish as to resolve their own agitations on their behalf.

The process of searching for that misunderstanding and the right answer while caring for the other person might feel like torture for those involved, but it is not something where an external party should just toss in a solution and move things along.

If they slack off on trying to connect their feelings, things may work out temporarily, but the actual relationship will never mature.

…Such consideration would likely come across as patronizing and snobbish if Safuru were to do it—the nature of an arrogant dragon.

“I knew you’d say something like that. …I regret even asking.”

“Don’t sulk, boy. If you wish to build a good relationship with the other person, you must find that correct answer on your own. You cannot let others help you. There are answers only you can find and answers only she can find.”

“You clearly know the answer and you’re dodging it. I hate that about dragons here.”

“It is true that we do not provide excessive aid beyond what Lady Maya requires us to in this town, but this is unrelated to that matter. You are a dragon, after all. This is not a story about the dynamic between dragons and humans, but between an old woman and a child who has just started to understand love.”

“It’s not just about me. If I get involved more deeply, Andy will surely be happier, too.”

“Probably so. But we must maintain our distance. So that people do not misunderstand. Only Lady Maya knows the weight of using a dragon's power and how it is received. No one else should casually touch upon it. What if the townspeople, thinking they can use our power, relied on it to scheme against the Northern Forest or the Kingdom of Trot?”

“Just don't lend them the power then.”

Even if we pull out, the conflicts that expected us will remain. Either way, people die. Just because we are here… Do you think that is acceptable?”

“It’s just saying ‘don't make such a stupid choice’…”

“Humans are connected to one another. As time passes, someone becomes someone's ally, and eventually someone's enemy. If one tries to manipulate not just power, but the bonds between people for the sake of that power, it is the vice of strength.”

“…You're talking in complicated terms just to escape dealing with human feelings, aren't you?”

“It may still be too difficult for you as a child. But do not have the attitude of seeking answers from others. Think for yourself.”

“Ahh.”

The dragon's ethics and his personal relationship with Rica. Safuru had tried to mix both topics together, hoping for a concession through childish cleverness, but it did not work on Aeril.

“If there is one thing I can tell you, it is that the one running away is not me. It is you and her.”

Swinging her large scaly tail, Aeril departed with an air of gracefulness.

Watching her go, Safuru chewed over the meaning of her words… and only after Aeril's skin had shrunk into the distance did he suddenly snap back.

“W-What do you mean?!”

Aeril simply raised one hand, offering no answer in return.

Safuru heard a strange combination of an ogre and a human nearby saying something like “Do you see what I mean?” to Aeril, but he cut off his sensory concentration as he had no interest in what came next.

What did she mean?

Safuru sank into the marsh of contemplation.

The next day.

In the end, Sahru couldn't figure it out, so he kept scratching his head while continuing to wander around the outskirts of town.

It was only now that it became apparent why he stuck to the edges: staying in the city center meant the local kids, who were exactly his height and build, would uninvitedly drag him into games, or the cat-beastkin daughters would start treating him like a plaything. Sahru had told them he was over forty years old, but nobody seemed to believe him.

Physically, he could have played with them for as long as they wanted without breaking a sweat, so it shouldn't have been an issue, but he simply wasn't in the mood for games. He had a difficult problem to confront.

Unaware that his aloofness was only deepening Rika's realization of what she had done.

If Sahru had simply moved on and started playing with the other children as if nothing happened, Rika might have played along and let it go. But because he blatantly dwelled on that brief moment for days on end, she found herself increasingly unable to find a way to wash the incident away.

"No... Damn it, I don't get it..."

And so, Sahru tried to imagine various scenarios, but having absolutely no reference material for how women's hearts worked, he could only picture Rika's face no matter how hard he thought. He couldn't come up with a single reason why she had made that expression.

Moreover, he had no idea whatsoever why she had suddenly done something so intimate.

It was a waste of time, plainly put, but since he had been told to think for himself, Sahru thought. Despite his high intelligence, he remained a child at heart.

Just then, Baron Polka Duran Goud passed by, carrying a bucket, soap, and a hand towel, impeccably dressed in noble attire and a mantle despite it being summer.

"What's wrong, boy? ...No, you were a Dragon, weren't you?"

"Are you the... Baron?"

"Yes, I am the Baron. Though for a Dragon, that title is merely one of many names, I suppose," he laughed.

"...Could you just leave me alone? I need to think about a serious problem."

"Oh? A difficult problem. If it's one a Dragon takes on, it must be quite something."

"It's not... exactly... well, maybe it is. But I've been told I have to solve it myself."

"Indeed. But wandering around here and scratching your head will do you no good. Why don't you think about it while soaking in the bath?"

"...Doesn't that just change one thing for another?"

"No, it changes everything," the Baron asserted.

"When your values become rigid, most problems hit a dead end. After receiving new stimuli, when you reconsider things, you often realize, 'Is that all there is to it?' Above all..."

"Above all?"

"Have courage, boy. You are a child. Children are permitted to challenge anything."

The Baron strongly extended his hand to the boy.

And then.

"...Wait, hang on a second!?"

"Then have a pleasant stay, ladies,"

The Baron bowed elegantly to Polka's wives, still holding the bath set. He had dragged Sahru into the women's bath.

"What is going on with you!?"

"...Courage and good luck."

The Baron muttered in a cheerful smile before heading off toward the men's bath. Only Sahru, the Dragon, would have heard that murmur.

"Having the Baron casually come into the women's bath is quite troublesome, but I do agree that it's questionable to make him wash the child," one said.

"We'll make sure to scrub him nice and clean today, so don't worry."

"Eh? Ehhhh..."

The Baron had walked straight to the entrance of the women's bath with Sahru in tow, just as some of the town's wives happened to pass by. With a bright smile, he had announced, "He seems to have come from a cultural sphere where baths are scarce and doesn't quite know how to wash his body. Could you please give him a proper lesson on how to bathe?"

It was true that in the human town where Sahru was born, or the Dragon Palace where he lived, they belonged to a culture of quick washes; it was customary to hop out before their bodies grew cold after removing some grime.

The wives who grabbed Sahru and pulled him into the women's changing room called themselves "aunties," but in Polka, they were relatively young, in their mid-thirties. They were the age group with children around Sahru's size. While not yet at an age to blush before a flower, thanks to the beautifying effects of the spirit spring, they looked like ordinary twenty-year-olds.

In other words, they possessed physiques fully capable of hardening Sahru's small member, yet they stripped off their clothes in front of him without hesitation.

It was a huge problem. As usual, Sahru tried to look away, but even in that direction, he could see perfect, blemish-free buttocks, which made things even worse. The wives were a trio.

"Come now, little one. Look, I'm going to wash you, so take off your clothes."

"Ah, um, n-no, never mind, I'd rather not."
"If you've come to Polka and don't even know how to use the hot springs, that won't do. There aren't any other good spots around here anyway."
"W-well, if I have to go in, then in the men's bath…"
"Boys shouldn't be so shy about it. Don't worry, we all have sons, so we're used to seeing penises."

The ladies were of varying sizes, but ultimately, they exposed their beautiful breasts as a matter of course and surrounded Sahuru, stripping him down collectively.

Looking at his erect penis, they exchanged glances with one another.

"How cute."
"I wonder if I can still handle myself at my age?"
"This isn't your business now, is it? Isn't she the one with the smallest breasts?"
"Just say we have good figure. Besides, when it comes to our butts, we won't lose."

Although they laughed casually, none of them hid their bodies from Sahuru's gaze. On the contrary, some struck a light pose and asked, "Well? How do I look?"

Sahuru had thought the Trot people were stricter about sex, but perhaps not so much, he blushed as he thought. If Masagaki was actively trying to sexually harass him, that was one thing, but there was no way they would gawk over the erection of a nervous child.

And so, stripped bare, Sahuru was dragged by the ladies into the bathing area. First came the tutorial on how to wash.
"Before you get in the water, first rinse your body. Try to remove as much dirt and grime as possible beforehand. Since it's a flowing spring, even if the water gets a bit dirty, it'll flow away right away, but still, as for manners…"
"Yes, rub off that grime properly. It accumulates quite a bit behind the ears, you know."
"Shall I wash your head for you? Is this your first time washing with foaming soap? …Oh my, oh my, do you really like breasts so much? How energetic."
"S-stop, p-please don't look at me!"
"Even trade, even trade."

A lady reaching out from head-on to wash Sahuru's hair. Telling him not to look at the trembling breasts would be cruel beyond measure.

As they went along like that, another group entered the women's bath.

"Oh my, looks like there's a boy here~"
"Oh, the kittens. The Baron said he wanted to show you how to wash your bodies."
"Can I wash him too~?"
"Why not? Since we're at it, let's thoroughly wash from between his fingers all the way to his anus."
"Eh, s-seriously, all the way to my ass!?"
"Just kidding~♪ Now, close your eyes."

The kittens had joined the Sahuru Washing Squad.

"W-Whoa, I'm a man here… why is everyone so casually naked and swarming me…"
"Masagaki's got it all going for him. We're not scared of being threatened by that pinky-sized thing."
"H-It's at least the size of my ring finger!? Obviously!"
"Let me wash him too~. Our colony doesn't have any boys, so I'm curious!"
"I want in too~. Oh, it's much smaller than Master's."

The cat girls kept piling on one after another; they were no longer washing Sahuru so much as treating him like a toy.

And then, right at that moment.

"It's noisy over here… oh"
"Huh?"

When the foam was rinsed off and Sahuru lifted his face, Rika was standing there naked.

……Silence descended.

(To be continued)

A few days after the strange encounter, Safuru was genuinely troubled.
Rika had stopped talking to him altogether.

Safuru wasn’t very good at seeing things from another person’s perspective.
Whenever they met, she would stiffen and run away without saying a word. All he could do was feel shocked by this behavior.
He couldn’t figure out what the cause of it was.
Rika had attacked him on impulse, and now that she’d cooled down, she was too embarrassed and scared to face him properly. But Safuru couldn’t imagine how she felt at all.
And there was no one he could talk to about it. He didn’t have any close friends who would listen without judgment to the details of their encounter.
He hadn’t even figured out for himself what that encounter had meant.
It seemed like only time could solve this problem.

“But.”

“Saffur. …I think I said that.”

“What? What… oh my!”

One day, Saffur was aimlessly wandering around the outskirts of town after being unable to escape when he ran into Rika and not having any fun on his own either, when someone approached him.

Looking back absentmindedly, Saffur found himself face-to-face with a huge pair of breasts and pussy. Being only about 130 centimeters tall, the sight of a naked woman towering over him filled his vision.

She was completely naked.

“What… what is this!?”

“Why are you so flustered? Do I have something to be ashamed of?”

While hearing the calm voice of the woman and stepping back a few steps, Saffur tripped and fell backward onto the ground. As a dragon, he didn’t get hurt from the fall, but when he got up, the naked woman turned out to be Blue Dragon Aeri.

“What are you doing naked… this isn’t even bath time or anything! It’s broad daylight!”

"Hmm. So it's okay at night? ...Now that you mention it, the darkness of night makes it hard to see people or elves. Indeed, that might work."

"What are you talking about!?"

"Weren't we discussing whether or not I should be naked?"

"No... well, yes! But what the hell!"

Safur pointed at Aeri in confusion.

Aeri was proudly displaying her large, sagging breasts under the summer sunlight with no change to her expression. She wasn’t wearing sandals and there were no signs of dirt on her feet, perhaps due to the mystical nature of dragon skin.

"Our clan doesn't have a habit of wearing clothes inside the palace. We do wear bracelets, anklets, or necklaces during rituals, but generally speaking..."

"Wait, aren't you from Andy's place!? Doesn’t Andy tell you to put on clothes when going out!?"

"...Can we just pretend I forgot? It’s quite bothersome. Apparently, I’m a bit of a rough person and my kimono tears easily if I move too quickly. If I leave it as is, people get worried about me, and fixing it takes up other people's time."

"I understand that."

Saffir's clothes often tear at the crotch or armpit when she moves seriously. Also, if she uses fire magic derived from her breath without considering its scale, her clothes will often catch fire and become tattered.

At present, it is rare to find a garment strong enough to withstand a dragon’s full strength movements due to the lack of advanced sewing techniques. It was more about whether one could encounter skilled tailors or suitable fabric rather than basic technical ability. Even tough and flexible clothing made by northern elves would be at risk if they moved without restraint.

In this regard, the ace knight level girls around Andy were very careful not to put unnecessary strain on their clothes even when sudden movements were required, such as limiting joint movement ranges.

It was natural for human women to do so, but for dragons who originally had extraordinary strength and flexibility, it was a subtle source of stress to change their movements just because of the clothing.

That said, she couldn’t go around naked.

“Come on, put something on! That’s weird!”

“You shouldn’t react like that when seeing a woman’s body, boy. I can take it as an old lady, but young girls would be hurt if they were yelled at just for showing their skin.”

“What the hell?”

“If you give them a reaction like looking at dirty things, they’ll think your nakedness is unpleasant to them.”

“...I see…”

"That's how some people are. Look at the men in this town; none of them react to a woman’s naked body. Even the old cobbler kneels and trembles with gratitude in prayer position."

"But it's weird that they get their self-esteem from that, right?"

I don't understand human emotions but I do have some common sense. But wait... maybe Rika suddenly avoiding me has something to do with my attitude?

"Hey, can I ask you something for a second?"

Safur turned away from Aeri and muttered.

"Well, like, if you become close enough to a girl that she lets you do some naughty stuff together, but then all of a sudden she starts avoiding you... is it because you did something weird or shocking?"

"I don’t feel comfortable giving advice on this topic."

Aeri crossed her arms and said solemnly. Her lifted breasts emphasized their presence.

Safur was about to say "That's your attitude?" but lost his nerve when he looked directly at them, turning away again. He couldn't bear to look at them for too long, even though he found them very interesting.

And as Aeri knew the correct answers to even the most pointless questions.

She had heard everything. Of course, she understood how far Saffur and Rika had gone. And despite her dragon's lack of shame, she was intelligent enough to understand Rika’s psychology on a human level.

But she wasn’t foolish enough to tell them the answer and solve their own problems for them. Telling them the answers and solving their misunderstandings would be like throwing cold water on the process of understanding each other, which is torture for those involved.

If they didn’t make an effort to connect with one another emotionally, even if it worked in the moment, their relationship wouldn't mature.

...That kind of consideration was a show-offy, annoying trait of arrogant dragons like Saffur.

"I kinda thought you'd say something like that. ...Guess I should've kept my mouth shut."

"Don’t get all sour, boy. If you want to have a good relationship with someone, you need to find the answers yourself. You can't let anyone else help you. There's your answer and there's their answer."

"...You know everything but try to hide it. I hate this about dragons."

"We haven't offered more help than what Myia's Master requested, which is true. But that's not the point here. You're a dragon too. This isn't about dragons and humans; it's about an experienced woman and a young boy who just started falling in love."

"It's not just me. If you got closer to Andy, he'd be happy too."

"Perhaps so. But we should keep our distance. To avoid misunderstandings... The weight of using dragon power and the way it's received is something only Myia's Master understands. Others shouldn't touch it lightly. What if the townspeople, thinking they can use our strength, plotted against North Forest or Trot Kingdom?"

"Just don't lend them your power."

"Even without us, the conflict would continue. People will die either way because we're here. Is that okay with you?"

"It's just a matter of not making that choice..."

"People are connected to each other. Time passes and someone becomes another's ally, then an enemy. If one tries to manipulate people's relationships for power, it's the evil side of strength."

"...You're just dodging reality by talking in circles."

"You may find this hard as a kid. But you're not even trying to hear others' opinions. Think for yourself."

Airi’s talk about dragon ethics and her personal relationship with Rika didn’t get through to Saffur, who mixed the two up in a vain attempt to gain some concessions.

“If I could give you just one piece of advice, it would be that it isn’t me running away. It’s you and her.”

With her large naked ass swinging back and forth, Airi left with a brisk pace. Saffur watched her go while trying to make sense of what she said. And once Airi's skin tone had faded from view, he suddenly snapped out of his thoughts.

“W-What the hell does that mean?!”

Airi merely raised one hand in response and didn’t give an answer. Saffur heard Ogre and a human making some weird comment about “seeing through it” to Airi near town, but since he wasn't interested in what came next, he cut off his sensory concentration.

What did she mean?

Saffur fell into deep thought.

The following day.

Saffal still couldn't understand and was wandering around the outskirts of town, twisting his head in confusion. Even now, he wondered why he was at the outskirts—when he was in town, kids with similar builds would randomly try to play with him, or cat-people girls would pester him to play with them. He had already said that he was over forty years old and they still didn't get it.

Physically, he could have played with them all day long, but right now wasn’t in the mood for playing. He needed to deal with a difficult problem. …And his attitude only made Rika feel worse about what happened.

If Saffal had immediately forgotten about it and started playing with other kids, she might have been able to pretend that nothing happened. But since he was still dragging up that moment days later, she didn’t know how to act around him anymore.

“Ugh… damn it, I don't get it…”
Saffal tried imagining what could be going on in Rika’s head, but had no idea about the workings of a woman's mind. All he could think about was her face and why she made that expression. He also couldn’t figure out why she suddenly did something so intimate.

So even though thinking about it was a waste of time, Saffal thought about it because Rika told him to. Despite his high intelligence, he still had the mind of a child.
And then Baron Duran Gout passed by with buckets, soap, and towels in hand, dressed in noble attire complete with a cloak even though it was summer.

“What’s wrong, boy? …No, wait. You were a dragon, right?”

“You’re… Baron, aren’t you?”

“That’s correct. I am the Baron. But to a dragon, my title is just one of many names, isn’t it, hahaha.”

“…Can you leave me alone? I have a difficult problem to think about.”

“A difficult problem, eh? If a dragon is tackling such a challenge, then it must be quite something indeed.”

“Well… not really… maybe. But someone told me that I need to figure this out on my own.”

“I see. However, standing around here and scratching your head won’t get you anywhere. Why don’t you think about it while soaking in the bath?”

“…Isn’t there no difference?”

“Yes, there is.”

The baron stated firmly.

"Most problems are solved when you're willing to reconsider your values. After receiving new stimuli, I often think that it wasn't such a big deal after all. Above all..."

"Above all?"

"Be brave, boy. You’re still young. A child is allowed to take on any challenge."

The baron extended his hand strongly towards the boy.

And then.

"...Wait just a second!?"

"And now, ladies," he said as he took a bath set and elegantly bowed to Polka’s wives. He had led Safur into the women's bath.

"What's going on here!?"

"Bravery and luck..."

Baron smiled and walked off to the men's bath. Only Saffur had heard his words.

"His Lordship would be a bother if he came into the women’s bath, but it is also true that troubling him by having him wash the children wouldn’t do either."

"I’ll make sure to clean you up properly today, my lady friends will."

"Eh...?"

Baron led Saffur straight to the entrance of the women's bath and said with a smile to the ladies he happened upon: "He seems to come from an area where bathing is not common. He doesn’t know how to wash his body well. Would you mind teaching him how to bathe properly?"

Indeed, both Saffur’s birthplace in human society and the dragon palace where he lived were places with a water bath culture, but they would usually take a quick dip and get out before their bodies cooled down.

The three ladies who caught hold of Saffur and brought him into the women's changing room were actually only in their thirties. They had children around Saffur’s age and weren’t old enough to be blushing at flowers, but because of the beauty effects of the sacred spring water, they looked like they could pass for twenty.

They had ample bodies that would easily make Saffur's little penis harden, yet they quickly undressed in front of him.

Saffur tried to look away as usual, but even then he saw a flawless, beautiful butt and was very troubled. The ladies were three in number.

"Boy, you have to take off your clothes if I’m going to wash you."

“Eh, n-no, it’s okay.”

“You came all the way to Poruka and you don’t even know how to take a bath? There’s nothing else good here anyway.”

“I-I guess I can go in but… in the men’s side…”

“There’s no need for boys to be so shy. It’ll be fine, we’re all mothers and used to seeing penises.”

The wives each showed off their various sized breasts as they stripped down while gathering around Safuru, who was still wearing his clothes.

And when they saw the erect penis, they looked at one another.

“He’s cute.”

“Maybe I can still do it too?”

“This isn’t yours, is it? You have the smallest boobs.”

“You should compliment her figure. And her butt isn’t bad either.”

She casually smiles and doesn’t hide her body from Safur’s gaze. In fact, she poses a bit and asks, “How is it?”

Safur blushes as he thinks that Trottes are supposed to be more conservative when it comes to sex, but maybe not. He wouldn’t scold an anxious kid for getting hard anyway, even if the brat was trying to sexually harass him.

Then Safur gets stripped and dragged off by the wives to the bathhouse. First they give a lecture on how to bathe properly.

“Before you get into the hot water, rinse your body first. Try to wash away as much dirt as possible beforehand. It’s running water so even if it gets dirty, it’ll flow out quickly, but still, it’s good manners.”

“Yes, scrub well. Dirt tends to accumulate behind your ears.”

“Shall I wash your hair for you? Is this the first time using soap bubbles? …Oh my! You like breasts that much? How lively of you!”

“Hey, don’t look at me!”

“Tit-for-tat, tit-for-tat.”

A wife reaches out to Safur and washes his head right in front of him. Not looking at her shaking boobs would be cruel.

While this is going on, another group enters the women’s bath.

“Ah, there’s a boy over here.”

“Oh, hello kitty cats. The baron asked me to teach him how to wash his body.”

“Can I wash him too?”

“I don’t see why not? We’ll make sure to clean everything from the space between his fingers all the way down to his butt hole.”

“What?! You’re going to wash my butt hole?!”

“It’s a joke~♪ Close your eyes now.”

The cat brigade joined in with the washing.

“Hey, wait a minute! I’m a guy here… why are you all coming over so casually and stripping naked?”

“You’ve got such a small dick for someone who acts tough like that.”

“My dick is at least as big as my ring finger! Come on!”

“Let me wash you too! There are no boys in my colony, so I’m really curious!”

“I wanna wash him too! Oh, he’s a lot smaller than Master.”

The catgirls kept coming one after another. They were treating Saffur more like a toy to play with rather than someone to clean.

And then,

“Looks like it’s pretty lively here… huh?”

“Ahh…”

When Saffur raised his head from the soapy water, Rika was standing there naked.

……Silence fell.

（To be continued）

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)

A few days had passed since that strange affair.

Safur was seriously troubled.

Rica had completely stopped talking to him.

Safur wasn’t good at putting himself in other people’s shoes. He just froze whenever they met, and Rica would turn around and run off without a word, leaving him utterly shocked. He had no idea what the cause was. Rica had attacked him on a whim, and now she was too ashamed and afraid of being confronted about it to face him properly—but Safur couldn’t even begin to imagine how she felt.

But he couldn’t talk to anyone about it either. There wasn’t a single close friend he could confide in about his intimate encounter with Rica. Even within himself, he hadn’t sorted out what that whole thing meant. It seemed like only time would solve the problem.

But then—

"Safur… or was it?"

"Huh? What…? Whoa!"

One day, as Safur aimlessly wandered outside the city after Rica had run away from him again, and with no other pleasures to occupy his time, someone called out to him.

Safur turned around blankly to see a massive pair of breasts and a pussy right in front of him. Being only around 130 centimeters tall, when a tall, naked woman stood close by, those parts entered his vision before her face did.

A naked woman.

"W-what… what the hell!?"

"Why are you so flustered? Do you have something to hide?"

As he heard the calm female voice, Safur took a few steps back, tripped over his own feet, and fell backward with a thud—but since he was a dragon, he took no damage. When he got up, the naked woman turned out to be Airi, a Blue Dragon.

"W-why are you naked…? This isn’t a bathhouse, and it’s broad daylight!"

"Hmm. Would it be better at night? …Now that you mention it, the darkness of night would make it hard for both humans and elves to see. That’s certainly true."

"What are you even talking about!?"

"Was I not questioning the propriety of my nudity?"

"No, that’s not it… well, it is, but! What’s going on anyway!"

Safur pointed at Airi in confusion.

Airi stood there, her slightly drooping, soft-looking breasts basking in the summer sun, her expression barely changing as she looked down at Safur. She wasn’t wearing sandals, but her feet didn’t look dirty—perhaps that was one of the mysteries of dragon skin.

"In our clan, it is not customary to wear clothes within the Palace. We may wear arm rings, leg bands, or necklaces during ceremonies, but generally…"

"Wait, aren’t you that guy from Andy’s group!? Doesn’t Andy tell you to wear clothes when you go outside!?"

"…Could you perhaps just pretend you forgot? It’s rather troublesome. I seem to be a bit rough around the edges, and if I move too quickly, my robes tear right away. If I leave them like that, people worry, but mending them requires so much help—it’s not something I can do alone."

"I get that part."

Safur himself often tore his pants at the groin or his jacket under the arms when he moved seriously. And when using fire-based magic from his breath, if he wasn’t careful with the scale, his clothes would catch fire and end up in tatters.

With current sewing technology, clothes strong enough to withstand a dragon’s full-force movements were rare. It depended less on basic skill and more on whether you could find a seamstress or fabric that was a good match. Even clothing made by the sturdy, flexible Northern Elves could be dangerous if they moved without restraint.

In that regard, the Ace Knight-level girls around Andy were very careful not to strain their clothes, often restricting the range of motion in their joints when quick movements were required.

It was natural for human women, but for dragons who inherently possessed superhuman strength and flexibility, changing their movements for the sake of their clothes was a surprisingly stressful ordeal.

But that wasn’t the point. Being naked wasn’t really an option either.

"Seriously, just get dressed already! It's weird, man!"

"A young man shouldn't react like that upon seeing a woman's body. An older woman like myself is one thing, but a young girl will be hurt if she shows her skin and is then screamed at unfairly."

"Why's that?"

"If you're treated as though you've shown something filthy, you'll start to think your own nakedness is nothing but unpleasant to others."

"...S-so, is that how it is...?"

"Some people are like that. Look at the men in this town. None of them make a show of themselves when they see a woman's nudity. The old cobbler even kneels in prayer, trembling with gratitude."

"Yeah, but it's weird if that's what satisfies their ego, isn't it?"

Safur understands people to some extent and has a bit of common sense.

But still... Safur thinks. Could the problem with my relationship with Rika be because of my attitude?

"...Hey, listen for a sec..."

Safur speaks in a low voice, avoiding Aeri's gaze.

"...I mean, just as an example. ...What if I got close enough to a girl to do something a little... you know... and then she suddenly started avoiding me... would that be because I gave her some weird kind of stimulation or something?"

"I hesitate to offer advice on such matters from my lips."

Aeri says solemnly, arms crossed. Her breasts are emphasized by the way they're lifted against her crossed arms.

Safur bristles at her attitude but loses his nerve when he meets her breasts directly and turns away again. He can't bring himself to stare. Though he's very interested.

And Aeri knows the correct answer to his vague question.

She heard everything, of course. And understands exactly how far Safur and Rika went.

And regarding Rika's psychological state, while she may lack a dragon's sense of shame, her intelligence is high enough to imagine it on a human level.

But she's not so crude as to give them the answer and solve their torment for them.

The process of searching for the truth behind their worries and misunderstandings, and showing consideration for the other person, is like torture for those involved. But it's not something you can just jump in and provide the answer to.

If they neglect the effort to connect with each other emotionally, even if things go well in the moment, the actual relationship will never mature.

...But that kind of consideration, from Safur's perspective, is just a manipulative, condescending, and arrogant dragon trait.

"I had a feeling you'd say something like that. ...Guess I wasted my breath."

"Don't rot, boy. ...If you wish to build a good relationship with someone, you must find the answer yourself. You can't ask for help. There's an answer only you can have, and an answer only they can have."

"...You know what the answer is and you're just beating around the bush. I hate that about you dragons here."

"It is true that we do not offer more assistance than Mya-sama has requested of us in this town, but this is unrelated. You are a dragon too, after all. This isn't about the relationship between dragons and humans, but rather between an older woman and a child just beginning to understand love."

"Not just me. If you were more involved, I'm sure even Andy would be happy."

"Probably so. But we must maintain our distance. So that people don't misunderstand. ...The weight of borrowing dragon power, and how to accept it, is something only Mya-sama knows. No one else should casually meddle with it. What if the people of this town, thinking they can use our power, decide to oppose the Northern Forest or the Kingdom of Trott?"

"Just don't lend them the power."

"Even if we leave, the conflicts that were relying on us will remain. People will die either way. Just because we're here. ...Is that what you think is acceptable?"

"It's just saying you shouldn't choose such an idiotic path..."

"People are connected to each other. As time passes, someone will become someone else's ally, and someday they'll become their enemy. If you try to predict that far ahead and manipulate people's relationships for the sake of power, then that is the vice of power."

"...You're just saying difficult things to avoid human feelings, aren't you?"

"It might be difficult for a child like you to understand. ...That's not an attitude of seeking answers from others. You must think for yourself."

"Ah."

The ethics of dragons, and his personal relationship with Rika. Mixing them up in a single conversation, hoping to squeeze out some concession with the shallow cunning of a child, didn’t work on Airi.

"If there’s only one thing I’ll tell you," she said, swaying her ample, bare ass as she strode away, "it’s that I’m not the one running from anything. It’s you and her."

Safur watched her go, chewing over the meaning… then, when Airi had shrunk to a speck, he snapped back.

"W-what does that even mean!"

Airi raised a hand in response but said no more.

Near the town, Safur caught the sound of an ogre-human duo saying something like, "Care for a reading?" to Airi, but he had no interest in what came next and shut down his senses.

What did it mean?

Safur sank into a swamp of thought.

The next day.
Safur still couldn’t figure it out, twisting his head as he wandered the outskirts of town as usual.
Why the outskirts now? Because inside the town, kids of similar height would force themselves on him for playmates, and the catfolk girls would toy with him. He was over forty, he kept saying, but no one listened.

Physically, he could keep up with them all day without breaking a sweat, so it wasn’t the effort. But he wasn’t in the mood to play. He had a difficult problem to face.
…Unaware that his attitude only made Rika’s "I messed up" feeling even worse.
If Safur had immediately forgotten and started playing with the other kids like nothing happened, Rika would have pretended to forget too and moved on. But dragging it out for days made her even more lost on how to let it go.

"Ugh… damn it, I don’t get it…"
And so, Safur tried to imagine, but he had absolutely no basis for guessing the workings of a woman’s heart, so no matter how much he thought, only Rika’s face came to mind. He couldn’t think of any reason why she made that face.
In the first place, he still didn’t understand why she suddenly got all frisky with him.

So it was a waste of time, but since he’d been told to figure it out himself, Safur thought. Even with his high intelligence, he was still at heart a child.

And then, passing by, was Pulk von Duran Goot, Baron Pulk, carrying a bucket, soap, and a towel, dressed in full noble attire and cloak despite the summer heat.

"What’s wrong, boy? …No, you’re a dragon, aren’t you?"

"You’re… the Baron, right?"

"That’s me. Though for a dragon, I’m probably just another name, heh heh."

"…Can you just leave me alone? I need to think about a difficult problem."

"Oh? A difficult problem? If it’s a problem a dragon is tackling, then it must be something grand indeed."

"Well… maybe not… but still. I was told I have to figure it out myself."

"Hmm. But pacing around here and twisting your head won’t do you any good. Why not think while soaking in a bath?"

"…Doesn’t really change anything, does it?"

"No, it does."

The Baron stated flatly.

"Most problems get stuck because your values are too rigid. After receiving new stimulation, if you reconsider, you’ll often find, ‘Oh, that was nothing.’ More than anything…"

"More than anything?"

"Have courage, boy. You’re a child. Children are allowed every challenge."

The Baron extended a firm hand to the boy.

And then…

"…Huh? Wait a minute!?"

"Please treat me well, ladies."

The Baron gracefully bowed with the bath set in hand to the wives of the Porks. He had already allowed Saffur to be dragged into the women's bath.

"What's going on?!"

"…Courage and luck," he murmured with a pleasant smile before heading towards the men's bath. Only the dragon, Saffur, could have heard that mutter.

"It's a real pain when the Baron just waltzes into the women's bath like that. But making him wash our kids? That's a bit much too, don't you think?"

"I'll make sure he gets a proper bath today, ladies."

"Eh… eeh…"

The Baron, still holding Saffur, strode straight to the entrance of the women's bath and said with a beaming smile to the wives passing by, "It seems he comes from a culture where bathing isn't common, and he doesn't know how to wash himself properly. How about you ladies give him a proper lesson in bathing?"

Indeed, Saffur's hometown and the dragon palace where he lived were water-washing cultures, where they would usually just rinse off a bit of grime before getting out before their bodies got too cold.

And the wives who caught Saffur and dragged him into the women's changing room called themselves "aunties," but in Porks, they were relatively young, around their early thirties. They were the age where children like Saffur would be around, not exactly old enough to blush, but thanks to the rejuvenating effects of the hot springs, they looked no different than twenty-year-olds.

In other words, they had bodies more than capable of hardening Saffur's slender dick, yet they stripped off their clothes right in front of him.

This was very troubling. Saffur tried to avert his eyes as usual, but even where he looked, he saw perfectly smooth, beautiful butts, which was also very troubling. There were three wives.

"Sweetie, come on, take your clothes off so we can wash you."

"Eh, n-no, I don't think so…"

"If you've come all the way to Porks and don't know how to bathe in a hot spring, that's just unacceptable. You have nothing else going for you."

"I-I-it's okay if I get in, but… in the men's bath…"

"There's no need to be so shy, dear. It's alright, we're all mothers, we're used to seeing penises."

The wives, each with varying sizes, ultimately showed off their beautiful breasts as a matter of course while stripping Saffur down together.

And after seeing his erect dick, they exchanged glances.

"How cute."

"Can I still hold my own against these young things?"

"That's not yours, is it? You're the least flat-chested one here."

"You have a great figure. And your butt is unbeatable."

They laughed casually, but still didn't hide their bodies from Saffur's gaze. On the contrary, they struck poses and asked, "How's that?"

Saffur had thought Trotians were more conservative about sex, but perhaps not? He blushed as he thought this, but these weren't some bratty kids trying to sexually harass him; they wouldn't be fussing over a timid child's erection.

And Saffur was stripped and dragged into the bath by the wives. And first came the lecture on how to wash.

"First, rinse your body before getting in the water. Get rid of as much grime as possible beforehand. It's an open-flow system, so even if the water gets dirty, it'll flush right out, but still, it's good manners."

"Yes, scrub off all the grime. There's a lot that builds up behind your ears."

"Should I wash your hair, dear? Is this your first time being washed with foamy soap? …Oh my, you like boobs that much? You're such an energetic one."

"S-stop, don't look!"

"Fair's fair, fair's fair."

A wife reached out to Saffur and offered to wash his hair right in front of him. It was cruel to tell him not to watch her jiggling breasts.

Before long, another group came into the women's bath.

"Ugh, there’s a guy here."

"Oh, hey, kitty cats. The Baron asked me to teach him how to wash properly, so—"

"Can I wash him too?"

"Why not? Might as well scrub him from finger clefts to his butt crack."

"Eh, you’re gonna wash his butt hole?!?"

"Just kidding~♪ Eyes closed, here we go."

The Safflower Cleaning Crew now had cats tagging along.

"Hey, hey, I’m a guy… why are all these girls just casually stripping up and getting close to me?!"

"You’re such a show-off. Scaring us with that pinky-sized dick?"

"I-it’s at least a ring finger! C’mon!"

"Let me wash him too~! My colony doesn’t have any boys, so I’m curious!"

"Me too, me too~ Oh, yours is way bigger than Master’s."

The feline girls swarmed in one after another, turning Safflower less into a person to wash and more into a toy.

And then, out of nowhere…

"This is kinda lively… wait—"

"Ah!"

Safflower looked up as the soap suds washed away, revealing Rika standing naked before him.

…Silence fell.

(To be continued)

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)

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)