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Showing one’s naked body to someone is incredibly embarrassing. Especially in front of a romantic interest. Of course, for Selian, she’s just a same-sex friend, so she probably feels nothing at all, but the look in her eyes as she stares at me makes me feel an overwhelming sense of primal shame.

If it were like back when I went to the bathhouse, where we both had to undress to bathe together, it would be different. But now, having to undress alone is simply unbearable. I may have asked her to wash me, but I found myself hesitating for a while. My hands only rested on the pajamas, and I couldn’t muster the courage to take them off.

“Elysia?”

Hearing Selian call my name, wondering what’s wrong because I’m standing so still, I realize that if I hesitate any longer, she might notice something odd about me. Forget about being embarrassed; I can’t let her discover that I’m a guy.

With a whoosh,

I turn my back to Selian and swiftly peel off the fuzzy top of my pajamas as if shedding a shell. The cold air of the room hits my bare skin, and I shiver a little from the slight chill due to the sweat from sleeping.

When I got injured during training and had to get treated, I would often show my back to other guild members, but this shame is on a whole different level. Even though I’m only showing my back, it feels like I’m completely naked in front of her.

I try to cover myself with the pajamas I tossed aside, but since I have my back turned to her, it’s utterly pointless.

“Well, then… I’ll leave it to you,” I stutter out.

“Okay. Just leave it to me and relax,” she responds cheerfully.

I speak without turning my head, afraid to make eye contact for fear of being caught in my embarrassment. Luckily, she doesn’t seem to notice anything strange about me and replies with a bright voice.

Sllurp, I hear a sound of water being squeezed out of a towel. Relying only on my hearing, the water sounds seem louder than usual.

“Ha!”

I was mentally prepared, but when the cold touch hits my spine, I couldn’t help but let out a scream, unexpected as it was.

“I said I’d prepare lukewarm water! Is it too cold for you? Should I get warm water instead?”

“N-no, it’s just right! I think it feels nice and refreshing! I’d feel bad for making you go through the trouble.”

More than anything, I wanted to finish quickly and put my clothes back on. Waiting for her to bring back warm water would be unbearable.

“Well then, I’ll continue.”

She places her hand back on my back, which she had dropped after my scream. The cold sensation returns, and I instinctively tense up, but thankfully I didn’t scream again.

Maybe she’s giving me time to adjust to the towel’s temperature because Selian pauses for a moment with the towel resting on my back.

One, two, three. As I mentally count, her hands begin to move. It seems she plans to wash me from top to bottom; her hand moves up my back from the center to my nape. Selian gently squeezes and releases my neck as if giving a massage, melting away the stiffness from lying down all day.

As her hands transition from massaging my nape to scrubbing my back, I can feel her grip gradually strengthen.

“Eep!”

As her hand trails down my back, an unexpected sensation spikes up my spine, causing me to shudder involuntarily and let out a moan. My body was relaxed from her earlier massage, making the shock even more overwhelming.

Perhaps having screamed the second time made her indifferent to me now, as she resumed wiping my back slowly after lifting the towel to my shoulder.

However, my tensed body became hypersensitive to her touch as her hands glided down my back. The towel, dampened with cold water, further heightened my sensitivity. I noticed goosebumps forming on my forearms. It wasn’t exactly an unpleasant feeling; if anything, it felt too good.

Caught off guard by the unexpected sensation, I tried desperately to suppress the moans that threatened to escape my lips. Had I known this would happen, I’d have accepted her offer to bring warm water, but it’s too late to regret it now. The only thing I could do was bite down on my pajamas and hold back my sounds without her noticing.

Every time she swept my back with her hands, muffled moans escaped through the fabric of my pajamas, but thankfully she seemed absorbed in her task and didn’t seem to hear me.

How many times did this happen? After successfully cleaning my back, she shifted her focus from my nape to my left shoulder, moving up again.

“Eep!?”

Selian’s hand trailed down to my waist, brushing against my side. Startled, I nearly screamed, and in my panic, I lost grip on my pajamas, hastily leaning down to retrieve it.

“It might tickle a bit, but it has to be cleaned since you’re all covered in sweat,” she added.

“Y-yeah….”

I twisted my body instinctively to dodge her touch, but she spoke gently, coaxing me as she placed her hands under my armpit and onto my side. Each fingertip tingled, brushing against my skin through the thin towel.

Though she’s a woman, since it’s just a body, Selian likely doesn’t think much of it, but as a guy, her touch feels overly sensual to me. I should logically know I can’t react like this, but I find it hard to suppress the warmth rising within me and the quickening of my breath.

But just as all things have a beginning, they also have an end. Enduring as best as I could, the moment her hands paused—had she cleaned my entire back?

“Thanks. I can handle the rest, so you can take a break for now.”

While desperately trying to hide my heavy breathing, I extended one hand to pass the towel to her while covering myself with my pajamas in the other.

“Hmm?”

However, just as I reached out, she deftly dodged the towel. Confused, I tried to grab the towel again, yet Selian avoided my hand once more.

“Uh… Selian? I need the towel to clean myself….”

That probably won’t happen. Even though I could force it away, my current posture isn’t great for that. With my back turned to her, I couldn’t properly reach out without exposing myself. Of course, my physical abilities exceed those of an average person since I’m a Sword Master, but Selian is also a Sword Master, so it makes little difference.

“Just stay put, patient. I’ll… I’ll take care of everything.”

“Uh…? But….”

I tried to argue back, but she held my shoulders firmly, forcing me to face her. Even if I wanted to resist, it was impossible since I was already feeling under the weather.

“Now, let’s wash your arms.”

Seated on the edge of the bed, Selian shifted to my side and lifted my arm, beginning to wash it slowly as she did with my back.

Not wanting to look directly at her, I glanced sideways out of the corner of my eye. Watching Selian focus intently on cleaning each of my fingers made me feel silly for the inappropriate thoughts I had earlier.

While she carefully washes my body, she’s also caring for me as a dear companion, yet here I am feeling pervy instead of grateful. Whether it was after sharing mana with Frecia or misusing my friendships, I had to admit that I’m quite the pervert.

“Um, Selian…?”

“If you move, it’ll be hard to wash you. Stay still. You can lean on me if it becomes too tiring.”

Once she wiped my arms, the only area left on my upper body was my belly. Naturally, her hands reached down again. As she moved to clean my back, she slipped her arm under my armpit and rested her hand on my stomach.

“Seeing you eat, you consume a lot, yet you have no belly fat. I’m more jealous every time I see it.”

Unaware of my inner turmoil, she pinched my stomach lightly between her fingers and nagged. However, if I showed my surprise now, she might truly catch on. Here, I had to be calm and collected.

“Haha… Selian, you’re slim too… what’s there to envy?”

“Well, I’m always mindful of what I eat. I work out just like you, sometimes even harder, and it feels unfair.”

Though my trembling voice slightly rattled, I managed to speak without issue. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to detect anything odd, continuing her little complaint.

“Well, enough joking around; let’s continue washing you.”

“W-wait a second… ha!”

Before I could mentally prepare myself, Selian’s hand, which was resting on my stomach, suddenly moved up to my chest. Startled, I attempted to stop her, but she was quicker with her hands than I was with my voice.

As she began to wash every inch of my body in detail, all my previous self-deprecating thoughts faded away. No matter how hard I tried, the moans slipped past my lips. Biting down on my pajamas only soaked them further with saliva, proving utterly useless.

At least one fortunate thing was that Selian was completely concentrating on cleaning me, blissfully unaware of my state. The delightful sensations coursing through my body were leagues apart from those when she merely touched my back.

Overwhelmed by the sensations, as she said, I could sit no longer and leaned into her. Normally, I would have turned red at the plush feeling against my back, but my entire face was already flushed. I could tell even without a mirror.

As my resistance waned, Selian must have thought it was easier to wash me, as her movements became more vigorous. A vicious cycle, indeed.

“Huh…!”

And inevitably, I found myself using Selian to fulfill my desires. The sensations were a realm above the experience of doing it alone, rendering me utterly lost. Had I not been leaning on her, I surely would have crumpled onto the bed.

“Well, that’s it for the front!”

Fortunately, after my silent screams, Selian finally finished washing my front. With her bright voice, it seemed she hadn’t caught on, which was a relief. Yet, her cheerful tone only amplified my guilt and self-disgust, making me feel pathetic.

“Shall we… wash the bottom half now?”

Right. Now that the upper body was done, the lower half is left. The thought of her hands brushing against my legs reignited my anticipation. Just as I was about to nod in response, feeling a sense of longing,

“N-no! I’m fine down there! Really, I’m okay!”

Suddenly realizing the precariousness of my state, I shouted urgently. To wash my legs, I wouldn’t have to remove my pajama bottoms, but Selian would definitely figure out my situation if I did. No amount of claiming it was just sweat would be convincing in that situation.

“I’m starting to feel tired and would really like to sleep again… but could you please help me change my shirt?”

Instead of requesting her to help wash me, I asked for something else. While I wanted to change my bottoms as well, I couldn’t ask her to do that. Though it was uncomfortable being wet with sweat, I’d have to endure it to avoid being discovered.

“Well… if you’re tired, I guess there’s no helping it,” she replied.

She searched for another set of pajamas, returning to exchange my soaked clothes. After putting on the top, I felt a little more composed. It was clear that I had been completely out of my mind just a moment ago.

“I’ll take care of this shirt, so you can have a good nap.”

Even though it was damp and surely stinky, she accepted the clothing without even a wrinkle in her expression. I wanted to joke about how she was going to wash it since that’s what a maid should do, but I didn’t have the energy to chat back.

“Thanks for that.”

It wasn’t entirely a lie, as I was genuinely fatigued due to my cold and other factors draining my energy. With a sigh of relief at making it through the situation, I laid back on the bed and pulled up the blankets, already fading into sleep with thoughts of needing to be careful in the future.

 

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