"Eriana...?"
Am I seeing things? Is my vision blurred due to fatigue?
The scene unfolding before me was truly abnormal.
Is the steam from the bath creating an illusion? Or is my mind playing tricks on me due to dizziness?
I tried to make sense of the bizarre event in front of me with various thoughts.
After all, this is the men's bath... So why is it Eriana entering and not Elbert?
She clearly called out my name when entering, so she couldn't have mistaken it for the women's bath.
I want to believe that the Eriana I see isn't real and there's another reason for this vision...
"Uh... Harold... it's a bit embarrassing when you stare like that..."
With a shy voice and flushed cheeks, she modestly covers her essential parts.
"?!?!!"
After witnessing such an act, I face reality. My mind starts spinning from the shock and the heat from the bath, making it feel like it's about to explode from fever.
"Ah ahhh-?!!"
As I finally grasp the situation, an emergency alert from my consciousness makes my body reflexively recoil.
The noise I made was so strange that I can't even remember what I shouted, and my vision starts spinning.
When I come to my senses, I'm staring at a white wall, and the vivid image of Eriana's skin makes my face burn hotter.
With the sudden influx of so many events, the heat from the bath, and the rising steam, I find it hard to breathe. Adding to that my embarrassment, I felt like I would faint from a headache.
Did I see it wrong?! Did I just hallucinate because I soaked too long in hot water?!!
Hoping to deny the reality, wishing what I saw was a mere illusion, but...
"Harold, shall we bathe together?"
With that, she shatters my hopes and declares the truth. Her delicate voice makes me sit up straight.
"Uh... E... Eriana?! Why are you here?!!"
I blurted out without thinking, my anxiety increasing with every step she took.
"I simply wanted to bathe with you, Harold. I wanted to feel the water on my sweaty body, and wouldn't it be better with the person you love by your side?"
Why would you commit such a grave offense?!!
"Why did you come in?! Isn't it weird?!"
I desperately tried to reason with her, hoping that even a small chance might lead her out of this situation.
"What's so weird about it?"
Despite appealing to basic common sense, she looked puzzled.
"Well, this is the men's bath! You, a woman, shouldn't be here!!"
I kindly pointed out the obvious and tried to ask her to leave, but she responded confidently.
"Is it wrong for me to use the bathroom in my own house?"
"What...?"
Her words stopped my thoughts in their tracks, leaving me dumbfounded. I couldn't figure out what to say or how to persuade her.
"From the beginning, our mansion's bathroom was designed to accommodate multiple people. So, two people can share this vast space, right?"
Her arguments were full of flaws, and there were so many points I wanted to contest. But every time I tried to counter, my mind went blank.
It was frustrating to see my brain cells not functioning properly. I felt like tearing my hair out in madness.
"So, it's not wrong for me to be here. I want to join you in the bath."
The sound of her footsteps grew louder, and any calmness I had left was slipping away.
"Even so... isn't it strange for people of the opposite gender to bathe together? This is a crime..."
I quickly rebooted my thoughts and objected to her advancing, but,
"Ugh... But I've already come in, and you've seen me, right? So, you should take responsibility for that."
From the start, Eriana had no intention of compromising. No matter what I said, she was unyielding. "Whoosh"
Splash...!
A cute sound of lips and the ripple of water reaches my ears.
Splash, splash.
The sound, getting closer, feels like an incoming wave, making my heart race intensely.
"Harold?"
I can feel the warmth of someone right behind me, tension rising to its peak. Knowing that Eriana, in her bare state, is right behind me makes my sanity waver.
"Uh..."
"Eriana?!"
Suddenly, she wraps her arms around me from behind, resting her head on my back, seemingly taking her time to feel my presence.
"Harold's back is smaller than I thought, but it feels so reassuring."
Her intimate touch evokes primal instincts within me, and I wonder if she's doing this intentionally.
"E..Eriana... If Elbert comes in and sees this, it's going to be a disaster..."
I try to appeal to her, mentioning the male protagonist, but Eriana has already made her plans.
"I already told him not to come in. I wanted some alone time with you, so I asked him to use the next bath just this once."
With her meticulously crafted plan, I was left without any arguments. My mind clouded with overwhelming sensations.
"You've seen every inch of me, so you should take responsibility, right?"
I was cornered, not knowing how to respond, as if ensnared by a cunning scam.
"Eriana, this isn't a good situation-"
"Shush..."
Without letting me retort, she cuts me off, and then...
"Nibble"
"Uhhhhh-!!!"
I'm hit with a warm and ticklish sensation in my ear, making me lose all rationality.
She had just nibbled on my ear, and the unfamiliar sensation made me reach the limits of my sanity.
"Judging by how you flinched, you're sensitive there, huh? It's such a cute weakness. I find it adorable."
She pulls me closer, our bodies fully pressed against each other.
"?!"
Then, I feel another shocking sensation... a certain part of her back makes a distinct contact in two spots.
This feeling... could it be...
Just as I was about to understand the nature of the sensation, the last remnants of my rationality divert my thoughts.
I couldn't even imagine what would have happened if I continued down that train of thought...
However, the human tendency to want what's forbidden made the sensation engrave deeper in my mind.
"Eriana?! You're touching?!!"
She seems to be using her female assets as a weapon against me, but she doesn't react, instead pulling me even closer.
"Your flustered look is so cute...♡ You're so irresistibly adorable that I can't hold back anymore ♡"
Despite her open confession, I felt like a bird trapped in a cage, unable to fly away.
"So, would you like it if I left here~?"
She whispers mischievously in my ear, teasing me.
"If you win our bet, I'll let you go!"
"What is it? Tell me now!"
Desperate, my voice grows intense, but Eriana nibbles on my ear again, forcing me to calm down.
"Calm down. We still have plenty of time."
I wasn't sure whose standard she was referring to, but for me, time was of the essence.
If I didn't calm down soon, I felt like I'd lose my ability to make rational decisions.
"Let's make a bet, okay? You'll continue to tempt me to overpower you. If you keep your sanity and resist, you win. If you overpower me, I win."
With a sultry and enticing voice, she forces a disadvantageous game upon me.
"Let's begin!"
Eriana's excited voice is followed by an intense sensation. "Uhh... uh... *kiss*... haah..."
She licks and nibbles my ear, continuously melting away my sanity.
"How does it feel? If you're honest, I can make it feel even better."
She exhales her rough breath, continuously heating and cooling my ear, pushing the remnants of my sanity to its limit.
My head feels like it's about to explode from the heat. The intense sensation makes my mind go blank, focusing only on a single desire.
I feel so dizzy... I want to get out... I want to breathe in some fresh air, even if just a little...
Dizziness peaks, my vision spins, blurs, and I start feeling out of it. I truly realized the limits of my consciousness.
"St... stop..."
It's hard to distinguish if it's a cry from my heart or words uttered from my mouth as my consciousness fades.
"Hmm? What did you say?"
Eriana, pausing her seduction, looks at me expectantly.
"I can't... take it anymore... It's too much..."
Hearing this, a delighted Eriana hugs me tightly and whispers mischievously.
"Really~? So, what do you want to do with me now~?"
I didn't even want to know what she was imagining with that tone.
Ugh... I don't want to think... My head is spinning...
Really... I can't... It's too much...
Suddenly, there's a sound of something collapsing. My vision goes black. "Huh...?"
Seeing Harold faint, Eriana shows signs of panic for the first time.
"Harold...? Harold??"
She gently shakes his limp body and calls out to him.
But, all she gets in return is silence.
Only then does Eriana realize something went wrong. She tries to wake him up desperately.
"Harold!! Wake up! Harold?!"
But Harold's consciousness, pushed to its limits by dizziness, doesn't return easily.
"What... What should I do?!"
Eriana cries out, realizing she went too far.
"Pull yourself together!!"
The last thing heard is Eriana's desperate voice, and the intense bubbling of the hot bath. Still feeling dizzy from the heat, I open my eyes with discomfort.
"Ugh... my head..."
Perhaps it's because of the lingering heat from the bath, but a mild headache persists.
As I sit up, I notice the window and the sky beyond, tinged with hues of orange and black, indicating that some time has passed.
"But why am I here?"
It feels like I'm hungover.
"I remember being coerced by Eriana into bathing together... I tried resisting during that unreasonable bet, but in the end..."
Mumbling to myself, I recall the events up to a certain point, but everything after that is a blur.
"You fainted due to dizziness."
Turning towards the weary and sad voice, I see Eriana lying down with a blank expression. I realize that both of us are dressed quite loosely. Eriana's attire is particularly revealing.
"What?"
I try to piece together my scattered memories.
Seeing my confusion, Eriana sits up with a heavy heart and starts explaining.
"I teased you too much, and combined with the long time in the hot bath, you couldn't bear the dizziness and fainted."
She then explains how she managed to drag me out of the bath, dress me, and bring me here. At least, that's what I gather.
"I think I know why I woke up here."
Eriana darkens even more at that remark, looking down as if avoiding my gaze.
Seeing her this remorseful makes it hard for me to be stern. I ponder what to say.
"It's okay."
Choosing short but sincere words to convey my feelings to Eriana, her complexion slowly brightens. "Really?"
"This time was tough in many ways, but as always, I don't hold any ill feelings towards you. So, don't make that upset face."
At that, Eriana, fully rejuvenated, returns to her usual lively and cheerful mood.
"Harold..."
She leans gently against me. I pat her head slowly and then ask,
"But how did you get me out of the bath and dress me? If you did it, you would have had to see me naked, right?"
I throw out the question that's been nagging at me.
"Ah... well..."
Eriana's face shows a hint of unease, making my heart skip a beat.
"Hehe, secret?"
She cheekily avoids answering, flashing a mischievous grin.
"What? How did you get me dressed?!"
My anxiety grows, and I press Eriana for a clearer answer.
"I just dressed you normally...! Nothing weird happened, so don't worry!"
But with that expression, there's no credibility in her words... Did really nothing happen?
However, despite my frustration, she continues to dodge my questions, giving vague answers, so I never got a clear response.
"Just... your body... it was nice, okay?"
What did Eriana do to me while I was unconscious...?
Her unsettling, eerie grin and her teasing remarks were just unsettling.
"Hmm~ After overcoming the trials and taking a bath, today was special in many ways."
I kept bombarding Eriana, now blushing openly, with urgent questions, but she ignored me and spoke her own words, so I never found out the answers.
I don't know what Eriana did to me while I was passed out, but
I hope it's nothing irreversible...
Whether I like it or not, just as I always have, I had no choice but to trust and rely on Eriana.