Recreation – 4

Despite it still being March, the good sunshine made it not cold at all. In fact, after climbing the mountain a bit, I was starting to sweat a little. While this body of mine was sturdy enough to be fine so far, Seria was already sweating profusely, as if she normally avoided exercise. She seemed to be sweating quite a bit, as she took off her blazer and tied it around her waist.

I turned to look at Hestia and asked how she was doing. After all, Hestia doesn’t seem to exercise diligently either.

“Hestia, are you okay?”

“Yes. I can still manage.”

Hestia was also sweating quite a bit, but she seemed to be handling it better than Seria. I took out a handkerchief from my chest pocket and handed it to her.

“Here, wipe off some sweat.”

“Thank you. When did you prepare a handkerchief?”

“The weather is nice today. I thought we might sweat, so I brought it.”

Hestia took the handkerchief from me and wiped the sweat from her face and nape. She naturally tried to return the handkerchief to me, but hesitated and then discreetly tucked it into her own pocket.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’ll wash this and return it to you later.”

“That’s not necessary. Just give it to me. Isn’t it uncomfortable?”

It seems quite uncomfortable to put a sweat-soaked handkerchief inside her clothes like that. I extended my hand to indicate that she should just give it back to me. But she swatted away my hand reaching for the handkerchief.

“I said I’ll return it to you!”

“Hestia?”

“Ah, I’m sorry…”

She seemed flustered, as if she had acted without thinking. I cautiously asked, just in case.

“Are you worried about the sweat?”

She flinched at my words, which seemed to hit the mark.

“No!”

“I don’t mind at all.”

To be honest, it’s almost like a reward. No matter what, I wouldn’t leave it unwashed or smell the handkerchief or anything like that.

“Anyway, I’ll wash it well and return it to you.”

She turned her head away as if there was nothing more worth listening to and tucked the handkerchief into her pocket. Her ear, visible through her flowing hair, was red.

I gazed blankly at her profile before realizing that her hair looked quite uncomfortable. She had her usual long hair that reached down to her chest. If she continues like this, won’t her hair bother her when climbing the mountain?

“Hestia, isn’t your hair bothering you?”

“Huh? Ah, it is a bit bothersome, actually.”

“You could tie it up.”

Hestia heard my words and fidgeted with her hair for a moment, then looked at me with a peculiar gaze.

“Mikhail, you don’t have any strange intentions, do you?”

“Strange intentions?”

“Like that time with the massage…”

“Massage? Oh.”

I recalled the time I gave Hestia a massage. Her hair kept falling onto her shoulders, making it uncomfortable for me to massage her, so she tied her hair up to make it easier for me.

However, despite her deep consideration, I didn’t do the massage I was supposed to and just stared at her nape. That seems to have left quite a strong memory for her.

“I didn’t have that in mind, but now that you mention it, I definitely want to see you tie your hair.”

“Unfortunately, not today. I didn’t bring a hair tie.”

She spread her hands to gesture that she had nothing. I thought girls always kept a hair tie in their pockets, but it seems she doesn’t.

“So if you had a hair tie, you’d tie it up?”

“Well, yes. Now that I think about it, it is uncomfortable.”

She readily agreed, probably thinking I wouldn’t be able to get a hair tie. But I did have a place I could try. I immediately looked at Seria, who was panting at the very back of our group.

“Seniooor… When are we taking a break?!”

Just then, Seria, saying she couldn’t go any further, flopped down onto a wide, flat rock next to her and shouted. Antoni, who was at the front of the group, scratched his head when he saw her.

“Sorry, I haven’t been paying enough attention. Let’s take a short break then. If it’s too hard, you can just stay here and play.”

So we decided to take a short break here. I approached Seria, who was still sticking out her tongue and breathing heavily. Her chest rose and fell noticeably with each breath.

“Lady Richthofen, are you very tired?”

“Yes. You could have looked after me too.”

“What do you mean?”

Seria rolled her eyes.

“You two were being so lovey-dovey, weren’t you? Even giving her a handkerchief and all.”

It seems she was watching everything I was doing with Hestia from the back.

“It’s natural for me to take care of my fiancée. Why should I take care of you too?”

“I know, right? But seeing you two be all sweet right in front of me makes my stomach hurt. It’s really pitiful.”

She moaned. It’s ridiculous to hear this from someone who could get a boyfriend anytime she wanted.

“Then why don’t you get a lover or something?”

“I will, even without you telling me.”

Seria replied tersely.

“Besides, why did you come to me instead of staying with Hestia?”

“I have something to ask you.”

I got to the point.

“Do you happen to have an extra hair tie?”

“A hair tie?”

She rummaged through her pocket, took one out, and handed it to me.

“Here you go. But why suddenly a hair tie?”

“Hestia said she doesn’t have one, so I came to borrow one.”

“Hmm. Do you like tied-up hair?”

She smiled provocatively and made a gesture of tying her hair.

“How’s this?”

She raised her arms to mimic tying her hair. As a result, her armpits were naturally exposed. I turned my eyes away from the embarrassing sight.

“You really like this kind of thing, huh? You’re not wavering because of me, are you?”

“Lady Richthofen.”

“What?”

“Your, um, armpits…”

I said this while still looking away. I thought about not mentioning it and letting it go, but I felt it would be more distressing for her not to know. Seria’s shirt was wet with sweat around the armpits, making it see-through.

“My armp—”

She looked down at her armpits. Her face froze when she checked the water park. It didn’t take long for her slightly provocative smile to change into a completely expressionless face, and then into an expression full of shame.

I tried my best to thaw this frozen atmosphere.

“The weather is really nice today.”

“Shut up.”

“I don’t really mind.”

“I said shut up. Quickly take that hair tie and get out of here.”

Unable to overcome her embarrassment, Seria finally issued me an expulsion order. With a reddened face, she hastily untied the blazer from her waist and put it back on over her shirt. It still looked hot to anyone, so I felt somewhat sorry for making her overexert herself. I wonder if there’s something like deodorant in this world. If I ever need to give her a gift, I should look for that.

“Hestia, I got a hair tie.”

Hestia looked at me, who had gone to Seria to borrow a hair tie, with an incredulous gaze.

“I didn’t expect you to borrow from someone else.”

“I thought Lady Richthofen would have one.”

“Are you that eager to see my hair tied up?”

“Well, I do want to see it, but it also looks hot for you, and it’s uncomfortable, right?”

“Sigh, if only you couldn’t speak…”

Hestia sighed deeply and then tied her hair with the borrowed hair tie. Just like Seria earlier, her armpits were naturally exposed. Fortunately, her armpits were still dry.

She gathered her flowing silver hair in her hands. Her snow-white nape and shoulder line, which had been hidden by her hair, were revealed.

“Stop staring.”

Uncomfortable with my gaze, Hestia turned her head. But this time, her luscious nape was visible. Realizing that she couldn’t escape my lewd gaze unless she completely disappeared from my sight, she seemed to give up and moved her hands.

“It’s done.”

It didn’t take her long to tie her hair.

“Do you like it that much?”

“Yes. But seeing it like this, I’d like to see other hairstyles too. I think any style would suit you.”

I imagined Hestia with her hair elegantly braided up, Hestia with her hair cutely tied in two pigtails, and Hestia with her hair neatly tied in an updo. In my imagination, she suited any hairstyle.

“Unfortunately, that seems difficult. This is the only hairstyle I know how to do.”

“You could ask the other maids.”

“I don’t like that. They’re all busy with their work, and I don’t want to make them spend time tying my hair.”

She rejected my suggestion because she didn’t want to disturb the maids. When we get married later, I should hire a dedicated maid just for tying her hair. I indulged in happy fantasies.

I thought about who else could tie her hair besides maids.

“What about Lady Deneb…no, never mind.”

“Cordelia only knows how to do this hairstyle, just like me.”

It’s more surprising that Cordelia knows how to do a ponytail by herself. I had assumed that the hairstyle I saw during our early morning exercise last time was done by someone else.

“Ah, then how about Lady Richthofen over there?”

I pointed at Seria, who was still lying on the rock cooling off her sweat. Given her fascination with Hestia’s appearance, wouldn’t she eagerly jump at the chance to tie her hair?

“When did you two become so close?”

“Who’s close with whom?”

“Clearly, you were showing so much dislike during the games this morning.”

Hestia looked at me with a suspicious gaze. It’s understandable for her to feel a sense of dissonance, since I had been expressing hostility, telling her not to get close, and now I was going to borrow a hair tie and suggesting she ask her to tie her hair.

I made up an appropriate response.

“After talking with her earlier, she doesn’t seem like a bad person. We’re going to see each other for a semester anyway, so isn’t it better to be friendly than awkward?”

“That’s true, but…”

I pushed Hestia’s back before she could say anything unnecessary. If she asked what we talked about, I couldn’t honestly say, “I made a deal because I want to progress physically with you faster.”

“Come on, come on. Let’s go ask quickly.”

“W-wait! Stop pushing!”

Seria had probably heard our commotion, as she had already stood up from her spot and was looking at us.

“What are you two doing?”

“Lady Richthofen, do you know how to tie hair?”

“Hair?”

I roughly explained the conversation between Hestia and me to her. After hearing the story, she asked Hestia with a somewhat shocked expression.

“Hestia. You really don’t know how to do other hairstyles?”

“Yes… At home, I receive help from the other maids…”

“No, there’s no need to look so dejected!”

Seria hurriedly consoled Hestia, who had instantly become depressed.

“Well then, please sit here for a moment.”

Seria stood up, looked around, and pointed to a rock of suitable size. Hestia scurried over.

“There were no maids in my family. So I learned directly from my mother how to braid or tie hair like this.”

Seria said as she combed through Hestia’s hair with her hands. Hestia looked pleased, as if she found her touch comfortable. I slowly approached from the side to observe Seria’s hand movements.

“Why are you staring so intently?”

Seria paused her hands, seemingly uncomfortable with my gaze.

“Please don’t mind me and continue. If I watch and learn like this, won’t I be able to do it myself later?”

Both Seria and Hestia turned to look at me with simultaneously dubious expressions.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I can see that Hestia is tremendously loved.”

“I’ll just learn it myself.”

Why are both their reactions like this? Aren’t boyfriends who tie their girlfriends’ hair quite common? Isn’t it rather something a bit thrilling?

Seria, seemingly having read my expression completely, spoke in a tone of disdain.

“If the Duke’s Heir were tying Hestia’s hair with pure intentions, I wouldn’t mind, but with such a lewd look in your eyes…”

Hestia nodded as if in agreement. I felt wronged. Lewd!

“I spoke with genuinely pure intentions.”

“Ah, yes.”

No one was listening to my explanation. Seria treated me as if I didn’t exist and diligently braided Hestia’s hair. She swept Hestia’s braided bangs to the side and fixed them. Then, from somewhere in her pocket, she took out a hand mirror and placed it in her hand.

“Wow, I’m surprised at myself. It suits Hestia perfectly.”

“Does it?”

Hestia used the hand mirror Seria gave her to view her hair from different angles. She seemed inwardly satisfied, wearing a subtle smile on her lips.

“Yes, it’s incredibly pretty. I really want to learn this.”

The slightly exposed forehead makes her look extremely innocent.

“Then let’s try another hairstyle. What would be good this time?”

“How about half-tied?”

“That’s a good idea!”

At my suggestion, Seria excitedly undid Hestia’s hair. She seems completely captivated by Hestia’s hair, which looks like it could pull off any style.

Hestia, seemingly flustered by the look in our eyes, shouted:

“My hair is not a toy!”

However, Hestia’s single exclamation did not reach us two.

Afterward, we tied her hair in countless styles.