episode_0324

Eve was kidnapped.

She was surrounded by five thugs and was being subjected to all sorts of things.

“Undress her.”

“Yes!”

Five hands ruthlessly stripped Eve’s clothes. Eve tried to resist, but her body wouldn’t cooperate. It hadn’t been long since she’d woken up from her illness.

Besides, could this even be considered waking up? She had just come back from death, having lost and then barely regained her memories.

If it had been anyone but Eve, they would have died again. The kidnappers’ touch was that rough.

“Wash her.”

“Ye-yes!”

Someone grabbed Eve’s hair and began twisting it. A towel wrapped around her head secured the pale sky-blue clump of hair tightly.

Warm water poured over Eve’s entire body. It enveloped her body and face completely, making resistance impossible once again.

The water pressure wasn’t strong. It wasn’t too cold or too hot either. The pleasantly warm water gently washed away the lingering little pains in her body, and it was so comfortable.

Next, they reached the worst stage.

Before her eyes, crimson water boiled. Red fragments floated here and there, and a scent she had never smelled before filled the air.

Eve shook her head.

“Submerge her.”

“Understood.”

“W-wait a moment…”

Again, she couldn’t resist. One person held Eve’s body, and the other four held her limbs tight. Completely restrained, Eve couldn’t move an inch. She could barely clench her legs.

Eve’s body flew into the air. Before her eyes was something that looked like boiling lava. In a moment, she would be plunged inside. Eve squeezed her eyes shut.

Splash—

A moment later, Eve’s body floated. She wasn’t dead… Human bodies naturally float in water.

Eve leaned against the edge of the bathtub, her face flushed. The warm, fragrant water felt so good; her body and mind were melting away.

Then, the other five gathered around.

Yuri pointed at Eve with the edge of her hand.

“Massage her.”

“Y-yes, yes ma’am…!”

Four pairs of hands, large and small, massaged Eve’s arms and legs. Eve’s face remained flushed, still embarrassed.

However, she left her body to them. There was no point in doing anything dangerous now, and she realized that they were all trying to make her comfortable.

They kneaded and massaged. None of them were professionals, but it was enough to loosen Eve’s tense muscles. The warm bathwater also helped.

“Doesn’t it smell nice?”

“…Mm-hmm.”

“It’s bath salts I made. I got the idea while brewing tea… Go have another cup of the same thing.”

Yuri placed a neatly folded towel on her head and sat quietly in seiza. Kneeling demurely, her hands rested neatly on her lap.

Were all maids like this? Even in the bath, her posture was elegant and upright. Eve considered joining her in seiza, but then saw that everyone else was in different postures and gave up.

Glug-glug—

Suddenly, bubbles rose from beneath the surface. Eve pondered this for a moment. But soon, she saw Aspi, her eyes closed, cautiously approaching from the left.

She quickly plunged a hand into the bathwater and pulled it back out again. In her hand, she held Nyx.

“Nyx, I’ve told you repeatedly not to submerge yourself while I’m bathing.”

“No! I’m playing submarine!”

“If you continue to be so stubborn, I’ll have no choice but to throw you out…”

Aspi dragged the struggling Nyx to the side. Nyx naturally resisted, flailing her limbs.

Water splashed everywhere, but none landed on Eve. Aspi had created a wind barrier, completely preventing any disturbance to those around them.

After the commotion subsided, Eve’s gaze shifted to the right. A large one and a small one stood side by side.

“Oh, ah. Tier, I envy you. You’re ten years younger than me and yet so… big. What did you eat when you were little?”

“I… I don’t really know. They just kept growing until they got this big…”

“Maybe our next research topic should be a magic spell for breast enhancement.”

“A truly mercantile thought, befitting the Master of the Tower. I’m sure it’ll sell well.”

A conversation between someone too small and someone too big. Certainly, one had a complex about being small, and the other about being large, but neither seemed to lack self-esteem.

Everyone knew whose doing that was. Nari loved both the large and the small. Eve felt it, too.

She lowered her head slightly. She had breasts larger than Lulu’s, but smaller than Tier’s. And she was proud of their color and shape. She hadn’t neglected her body management while waiting for her reunion with Adam.

She raised her head again.

On the left were green and black. Aspi, trying her best to maintain an upright posture; Nyx, trying her best to get away.

On the right were red and purple. Lulu, perched on Tier’s thighs, giving her a massage; Tier, massaging Lulu’s shoulders.

In front, on the opposite side of the large bathtub, was brown. Yuri meditated, her posture unwavering. She was leisurely enjoying the bath itself.

Without exception, every single one was a beauty. And within their beautiful appearances lay superhuman strength and fervent love.

Five such perfect beings. Nari already had five women. Eve suddenly, and quite unexpectedly, had this thought:

‘Maybe… I was no longer needed.’

Or rather, she was an obstacle to peace. She was the one who started the war and pushed everyone to their limits until just before it ended.

She didn’t want to make excuses by saying she was controlled. The self of the Termina Emperor, consumed by Tenebris, was a warped part of Eve’s original self.

She had simply forcibly amplified her desire to end everything, to the point where she could actually end everything.

Even if the self that stabbed Nari wasn’t her true intention, it was difficult to say it wasn’t Eve’s at all.

Eve bowed her head deeply.

“Am I… can I even be here?”

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at Eve. Their gazes felt like thorns to her. There were no excuses, she thought.

Pooh-

A light laugh erupted from somewhere. She couldn’t tell who it was. Eve looked up at everyone.

Contrary to what she expected, all five had the same expression. Slightly furrowed brows and a gentle smile at the corners of their mouths.

“Were we too engrossed in ourselves, making you feel uncomfortable…?”

“I, I’m actually a little embarrassed…”

“Eve! Let’s play submarine, submarine!”

“…Nyx, be quiet.”

Their faces were a variety of expressions, but their meaning was the same. Their apologies for making her worry unnecessarily.

They hadn’t really had a chance to get together, but they never expected Eve was still holding onto it.

One mistake was enough. Everyone began to huddle close to Eve.

If Eve couldn’t fit into everyone’s space… then everyone could fit into Eve’s space.

Splash-

Yuri crossed the bathtub and embraced Eve.

At first, she felt quite embarrassed. They were both naked, and their chests and nipples touching felt strange.

But Eve’s shame gradually turned to surprise and apology. Yuri, who was feeling the same sensation, didn’t show it.

They simply shared their warmth.

It was too late to return to the days before any incidents. But that didn’t mean they had to let go of everything.

Honestly, everyone here was only gathered because they loved Nari. Without Nari’s existence, they would probably have been close coworkers or friends who occasionally saw each other.

Just be honest.

“I… I did something I deserved to die for.”

“No one thinks it’s your fault.”

“There’s definitely someone out there…”

“Do those people matter? More than me and us?”

Eve’s lips trembled like a caterpillar. She desperately wanted to confess something, but she didn’t know what to say. Yuri refuted everything she said.

“I… I stabbed Nari.”

“You were stabbed, too, Eve. It’s the same thing.”

“That’s… a fallacy.”

“Right, a fallacy. What you’re saying is a fallacy, too.”

She no longer had the energy to say anything. There was clearly something, but the naive Eve didn’t know what it was. That’s why she kept saying meaningless things.

However, before Eve were five senior figures who had gone through the same struggles. Friends, colleagues, teachers, and rivals.

Yuri thrust her face beneath Eve’s bowed head. The gaze Eve had tried to avoid met hers.

“You’re anxious, aren’t you? Because we haven’t… accurately answered each other’s love.”

Eve’s eyes widened. Her heart began to pound.

“Do we… really need to say it now? We’ve shown each other through our actions…”

“Yes. Words matter. You haven’t realized it yet, but you want to hear a clear answer.”

“I… is that so…?”

She couldn’t grasp it. Was her anxiety really due to something like that? Eve honestly didn’t know.

It didn’t matter. There were already five precedents here.

“Then… let’s try saying the same thing.”

At Yuri’s short signal, Nyx stepped forward boldly, as if she’d been waiting. A black mist enveloped her, and a moment later, she revealed a new form. She looked exactly like Nari, enough to make everyone’s eyes widen.

Naturally, she was naked. Eve’s face instantly flushed red. But she was the only one who looked embarrassed.

“The feel of the breasts is… uh… frustratingly the same.”

“Of course! I practiced by touching Nari while she was sleeping.”

“Wow… The… the vulva’s the same, too. No, I think the ligaments on this one are a little thinner?”

“Houp- Tzoo- Yup- Yes, that’s right. My mouth is small, so this one always catches my lip.”

“Putting it in would give you an accurate measurement…”

Each of them examined Nyx’s likeness in their own way. Eve felt her head swimming. If Yuri hadn’t quickly straightened things out, she might have fainted.

“Alright, alright. Enough. Eve, say it exactly as you did then.”

“Uh… um… so…”

Ahem-

Eve took a deep breath and looked at the likeness of Nari. Speaking was easy enough. She thought it wasn’t something she couldn’t do.

“Only you…”

And their eyes met. It was Nyx inside. Just a mischievous spirit. The more she reminded herself of that, the more she became aware of Nari in front of her.

Nari’s face was the second part Nyx worked on the most diligently, making it even more impactful. Her eye, nose, and mouth; each one precisely matched the original… Eve’s mind grew hazy.

Having her mind fully present, saying those same words was difficult. She was completely captivated by the gaze of the Nari-likeness in front of her.

In the end, Eve hid her body under the bathwater. The others wore serious expressions as if facing a huge challenge.

“This… won’t be easy.”

“To think a ten thousand-year-old virgin would actually exist…”

The being who had plunged the entire continent into terror a few weeks ago… was ultimately reduced to a helpless girl before Nari.

But their goal of giving a present of the ultimate experience wouldn’t change. Everyone had to mentally prepare themselves.