Ch.174Chapter 174 – For Fatigue Recovery… (2)

“Expect it?”

Eve’s words began to circle in my head.

“What exactly am I supposed to expect?”

I quietly reconsidered our earlier conversation.

The person receiving the massage is Eve.

The person giving the massage is me.

“But she told me to expect something?”

If I were the one receiving the massage, Eve’s words would make perfect sense.

But the one receiving the massage is Eve.

So there can only be one conclusion.

“What exactly is she plotting?”

I tried to quickly sort through the possible actions Eve might take.

And at that moment, someone’s hand grabbed my arm.

“…Sir?”

Christina was looking up at me with a somewhat gloomy expression.

“What’s wrong, Christina?”

“Well, your soup is getting cold…”

Following Christina’s words, I looked down and realized I was already in the inn’s dining hall eating breakfast.

Eve wasn’t present, and since the rest of our companions were skipping breakfast to rest, I found myself alone with Christina.

“When did I get like this?”

I must have been too focused on my thoughts.

Then Christina spoke with concern.

“You’ve seemed distracted for a while now…”

“It’s nothing.”

Looking at Christina’s plate, I saw she had already finished her meal, so I quickly gulped down my soup to finish my breakfast.

Watching me, Christina smiled and said:

“Please eat slowly. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Alright.”

I smiled back at her bright smile.

As I stood up from my seat, Christina pressed herself against me.

I could feel something firm touching my arm.

“What are you planning to do today?”

“Um…”

I’d been so preoccupied with thoughts of Eve that I hadn’t properly considered what to do today.

“But it’s not like I have anything specific to do…”

Finally, I quietly said:

“I was thinking of checking if everyone’s okay, and then going back to rest.”

“That’s a good idea. It’s important for you to get enough rest.”

Christina said with a smile.

Then, somewhat shyly, she added:

“Still, um. Would you like to take a short walk with me?”

“Sure.”

Although I hadn’t eaten much for breakfast, a light walk seemed good for digestion.

So I headed outside the inn with Christina and quietly walked along the nearby paths.

“Aren’t you a bit too close?”

“Am I?”

When I said this to Christina, who kept clinging to my arm, she smiled and denied it.

A moment later, Christina whispered softly:

“Stay in sight, stick close. Good…”

“What is she saying?”

I looked curiously at Christina, who seemed to be speaking in some kind of code.

Feeling my gaze, she cleared her throat and turned her head away.

After a while, Christina quietly spoke up:

“Did something happen between you and the guild master?”

I looked at Christina, still attached to my arm.

Seeing her smiling face as she asked the question, I quietly answered:

“Nothing happened.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Really.”

Of course, if something did happen, it was just the massage promise and a few conversations related to Eve’s work.

“I’d like to tell her everything, but…”

Unfortunately, Eve had asked me to keep it secret, so I couldn’t say anything.

A secret is called a secret because it shouldn’t be casually revealed.

“…Really?”

“Really. I promise.”

I reassured Christina once more.

“I feel like a boyfriend caught cheating.”

Though I’ve never actually cheated on anyone, nor have I ever been anyone’s boyfriend.

Christina nodded and replied:

“…It seems like something did happen…”

Her quiet muttering made me feel a bit guilty, but I quickly dismissed it.

Just because it’s Christina doesn’t mean she has any evidence.

Soon, Christina moved a bit away from me.

“…I should be more bold too…”

I pretended not to hear Christina’s words and matched my pace to hers.

The inn was coming back into view.

+

A few hours after learning that the others were either exhausted and sleeping or suffering from hangovers, I spent some time resting in my room.

A few minutes after finishing dinner and quietly returning to my room in comfortable clothes.

As I was looking outside at the approaching night, someone knocked on the door.

-Knock knock knock

“Finally, the moment has arrived.”

Since I had already anticipated who would come, I opened the door.

“Good evening, Kay.”

“Good evening.”

It was Eve, who had told me to expect something this morning.

After breakfast, she had been working with Pine, and now she had finally arrived.

She quickly entered through the door I had opened and immediately locked it behind her.

“Um, Eve?”

“Ah, don’t be alarmed.”

Eve said with a smile.

“I just feel like someone’s following me.”

“Really?”

I immediately got up and approached the door.

Eve smiled and pushed me back.

“It’s fine. There’s no one now.”

“But—”

“No buts. I know who’s following me, and whether they have ill intentions or not.”

Eve said with a smile.

“So don’t worry and just keep your promise for today.”

Eve said this while calmly heading toward my bed.

She looked at the blanket on my bed and smiled, saying:

“Have you been lying down all day?”

“No, I wasn’t just doing that.”

To be precise, I had also been reading a book I had bought with Christina before.

Eve looked at the book I had read and smiled, saying:

“Reading books is a good habit.”

“Indeed.”

Then Eve smiled and said:

“Well then. Shall we see Kay’s skills now?”

“Skills?”

I clearly said I was an amateur.

“…Just to be clear, what I do probably won’t have much effect?”

“I guarantee it will have a tremendous effect on me.”

Eve said with a smile.

“Then Kay, could you bring me a towel?”

“A towel?”

“When you get a massage, you sweat, right?”

Eve said with a smile.

“Is that so?”

“That’s how it is. Without a towel, the bed might get all wet.”

I wasn’t sure if that was true or not.

“Or perhaps you’d like to sleep on a bed that smells like me? Though I did put on perfume just in case, so it should be fine.”

“That joke is—”

I chuckled at Eve’s words as I replied.

At the very least, I don’t have a hobby of enjoying other people’s scents.

“Where did I put the towels?”

I got up, needing to look for them.

“I don’t see any nearby.”

Rather than making a fuss searching, I decided to head to the bathroom.

Since this was a luxury inn, each room had its own bathroom, and there were always plenty of towels stocked on the shelves.

Just as I turned around and grabbed a towel, I heard a sound.

-Rustle.

“Huh?”

The sound came from Eve’s direction.

Curious about what it was, I focused for a moment, and heard the sound again.

-Rustle.

Another sound.

It sounded like fabric being slightly dried.

“What is…”

I continued looking for towels while thinking this.

-Rustle. Rustle.

“I can’t stand it.”

My curiosity was too strong to ignore any longer.

I turned my head to look at Eve.

And.

I found myself breathless.

“E…ve?”

The first thing that caught my eye was a snow-white hand.

Since Eve often wore gloves, it was rare to see her bare hands.

Next was a slender yet sturdy-looking arm.

Similarly, since Eve usually wore formal attire, it was difficult to see her bare arms.

And then I saw her snow-white shoulders.

Her snow-white nape.

And her upper body, with skin the same color as all the parts I just mentioned.

“Eve?!”

“What’s wrong?”

Eve looked at me with a smile.

She was covering her chest with one arm.

“Eve, your clothes…”

Eve silently pointed to a chair with her free hand.

Looking there, I saw her usual top neatly folded and placed on it.

“Why is that there?”

Feeling slightly dizzy and hoping it was just my imagination, I stared at the neatly folded clothes.

But it was definitely the formal top Eve usually wore.

“And that…”

Something snow-white was visible on top of the neatly folded clothes.

I quickly turned my gaze back to Eve.

“Why are your clothes…”

“Kay.”

Eve said with a smile.

“Surely you weren’t thinking I should receive a massage while fully clothed?”

“Isn’t that normal?”

Of course, there are cases where people receive massages with exposed skin, but still, between a man and a woman.

There’s no need to undress…

“How about putting your clothes back on for now?”

“Kay.”

“No. I’m uncomfortable.”

I told Eve honestly.

“Even a thin layer would be fine, just put something on…”

“Kay.”

Eve said with a smile.

“Do you remember the condition that you would do this no matter what today?”

I certainly made that promise.

“Still, with that attire, we should really stop…”

“We agreed you wouldn’t suddenly quit today, right?”

Eve said with a smile.

“I’m worried you might not remember, so let me be clear. Today, no matter what, you must give me a massage. And of course, you can’t suddenly stop, so you absolutely must do it.”

“No, but still…”

“There was no agreement about my attire.”

This is unreasonable.

This is honestly unreasonable.

But the problem was that Eve had no intention of backing down.

“Oh, by the way, I’ve only removed my top, not my bottom. Perhaps…”

Eve said with a smile.

“If you’re planning to massage my entire body, I should gladly cooperate.”

I saw Eve moving her free hand toward her waist.

“Alright, I get it!”

I quickly threw her the towel and shouted.

Eve pouted slightly and said:

“I don’t think you need to be so sensitive about it.”

Soon Eve began covering her upper body with the towel.

More precisely, she spread the towel wide to cover her front.

“With this, we don’t have to worry about sweat getting on the bed.”

After saying that, Eve quickly lay down on my bed.

She lay on the towel positioned below her neck.

And accordingly, her breasts were slightly compressed, changing their shape a bit.

And quietly, I recited words that came to mind:

“East Sea and Mount Baekdu…”

Quickly singing the song playing in my head, I slowly approached Eve.

At this point, the farther away I was, the more exposed her upper body appeared, so it was better to get closer.

“Well then Kay, I’m counting on you?”

Eve turned her head back and said with a smile.

Seeing her seemingly excited expression, I quietly nodded.

“I have no choice.”

I’ll finish the massage quickly and send Eve back promptly.

Otherwise, I felt I would be in trouble in many ways.

As I quickly looked at Eve’s back and was about to place my hands on it, I realized:

“Wait a minute.”

If I continue like this.

I’ll have to touch Eve’s body with my hands.

This isn’t just an ordinary body.

I’ll have to place my hands on her bare skin, with no top covering it.

“Kay, aren’t you going to start yet?”

Eve smiled and wiggled her legs slightly.

“I’ll stay like this until you do it?”

Just as Eve said this and was about to turn her body, I quickly reached out and pressed on her back.

“Oh my.”

If she had turned around, I would have truly seen her upper body with nothing on it.

“I have no choice.”

My hand was already on Eve’s back.

There was no need to hesitate about touching a woman’s body now.

“Let’s do this.”

I could feel Eve’s body temperature and the soft touch of her body through my fingers.

“Well then, Kay.”

Eve was looking at me with a smile.

“I’m counting on you?”

“…Alright.”

The thought that there was no turning back now.

And while suppressing the instinct that might make my body move without my knowledge, I quietly looked at my fingers.

“Here I go.”

With that, I applied pressure to a spot on Eve’s back.

“Aah…”

A slightly ecstatic moan began to escape from Eve’s lips.