Chapter 31
“Oh, right.”
“Hm? What's wrong, El?”
Speaking of which, since we'd bathed together anyway, I should've helped Ian absorb mana.
I'd forgotten.
“Ian. Turn around for a moment.”
“Huh?”
I placed my hand on Ian's back as he obediently turned around and focused.
“E-El?”
“Be quiet for a moment.”
As I tempered Ian's body in that state, I could feel his mana increasing in real time.
Hmm. It's going smoothly.
“Ian.”
“What's wrong, El?”
Maybe he'd noticed I was about to say something serious, because Ian calmed down and answered.
I supposed I could overlook the slight redness at the tips of his ears.
“I'm going to help you absorb mana now. It'll make the process a little more efficient.”
“So that's possible... Got it. Thank...”
“So don't reject me. Accept me.”
“…Huh?”
Ignoring Ian's dumbfounded voice, I interfered with the mana flowing through his body.
So he could absorb mana from outside more easily.
This should make the rate he absorbed it a little faster...
-Vrrrrm
‘…Huh?’
What was that...?
The mana inside Ian's body was surging.
...No. It wasn't Ian's mana surging, but the hot spring's.
Why was it doing that all of a sudden? Had I done something wrong?
“Ghk...!”
“Ian! Are you okay?”
“Haa... haa... I'm fine.”
Ian's face was twisted up as he said that.
He didn't look fine at all.
I tried tempering Ian's body again and could still feel the mana surging.
But... had the amount increased?
No, it had increased a lot. What was going on?
In an instant, it had increased by about 1%.
Even considering how well mana accumulated in the Manarian Hot Springs, this was beyond reason.
That much in less than thirty seconds? And if I paid close attention, I could feel his mana continuing to increase explosively.
Could it be... that the reason it was surging was because too much mana was flooding in all at once?
If so, I could understand why Ian was in so much pain. The mana that had poured into him haphazardly was running wild however it pleased.
“Hoo... Ian. Focus.”
“Ghk... Okay.”
I interfered with the mana inside Ian's body once more.
Just as I'd expected, the mana was running wild on its own.
Tch. This is going to hurt.
In a way, this could be called a pseudo mana-rampage state.
I'd been through it myself, so I knew how painful it was...
It was horrific. Like having your insides carved up with a knife.
Whatever the case, it hurt like hell.
“Hoo...”
Good. Let's get started.
First, I forcibly subdued the mana running wild in Ian's body with my own mana.
Normally, doing this would wreck all of his internal organs, but Ian wasn't rejecting my mana right now.
As long as I was careful, I could freely manipulate my mana inside his body.
In that state, I slowly guided the wild mana along the flow of Ian's own mana.
I would get it accustomed to the flow of Ian's mana and turn the hot spring's mana into his.
It'd hurt a little, but... hang in there.
“Ghk... Aaagh!”
...It seemed to hurt a lot.
If I rushed it, all of Ian's internal organs would be utterly destroyed.
I had to do it as slowly as possible, guiding the mana through without overtaxing his body.
Hoo... This kind of precise manipulation took a lot out of me.
Still, this was my fault. I had to do my best.
…
It wasn't until several hours later, around sunrise, that the mana running wild finally calmed down.
“Haaah...”
I'm exhausted.
Moving someone else's mana for the first time took more out of me than I'd expected.
It felt like forcing dozens of wild horses to go where I wanted—horses that were unbelievably stubborn, too.
Still, the results were worth it.
Ian's mana had increased by over 10%!
Considering that most people gained 5% at best, and even I and the Hero in the game never exceeded 7%, that was a truly remarkable figure.
Was he perhaps the first person in history to gain more than 10% here?
Of course, it might be possible with some ancient elixir... but there weren't any around now.
As I tempered Ian's body, I could feel how enormously his mana had increased.
It was still a little unstable... but staying at the hot springs for a few more days should fix that.
“Good work, Ian.”
“…”
“…Ian?”
Why wasn't he answering?
Just as I sensed something was wrong and was about to check on him.
-Thump
“Hweh?!”
Ian collapsed on the spot.
The problem was, I was right where he was about to fall...
-Squish
Ian's head landed on my chest.
...Damn, these breasts are huge.
“…Um, Ian?”
“…”
Apparently, he'd fallen asleep.
Well, he must've been in a lot of pain, and his mana had increased so much, too.
His body needed time to adjust.
But...
“What is this, a chest pillow instead of a lap pillow...”
Why did he have to fall right onto my chest?! Why was he using someone else's chest as a pillow?!
Just as I was about to move him away, I wondered whether it was really okay to move him like this.
No, it absolutely wasn't because I had ulterior motives. Ian couldn't leave the hot spring right now while his mana was stabilizing.
Leaving the hot spring in the middle of the stabilization process would surely have negative effects.
So he had to stay in the hot spring, but Ian was unconscious right now.
If something went wrong, he could end up drowning.
So... this was absolutely not because I had ulterior motives. I had no choice, right?
-Snuggle
I pulled Ian close and let him lean against my chest.
My chest was huge and soft, so it must've been really comfortable, right?
...Ian. You're warm.
Maybe it was because we'd been in the hot spring for so long, or maybe his body was just warm.
Holding Ian, I felt like his warmth was much more comforting than the heat of the hot spring.
A cozy, pleasant feeling.
“Haaawn...”
As I enjoyed that sensation, I started to feel sleepy.
I'd been helping Ian control his mana all night, so I was tired too.
There happened to be a good place to lean, so I rested against it, closed my eyes, and kept Ian in my arms.
As soon as I closed my eyes, sleepiness swept over me.
Feeling the hot spring's languor and Ian's warmth, I quickly fell asleep.
Just before I drifted off, I think I briefly wondered whether I should've let Ian lean against me like this.
…
Yuna, the elf attendant Flia called Miss Elf, was in a very good mood.
‘A handsome young couple, for the first time in ages!’
It was because Flia and Ian—a breathtakingly beautiful girl and a handsome boy—had come to the hot springs together.
Given the nature of the Manarian Hot Springs, where fewer than ten people came in a year, most guests came alone, though every once in a while, two people who looked like lovers would visit.
Those two didn't seem to be lovers, or even aware of their feelings for each other, but it was obvious they had feelings for one another.
If so...
‘I'll make it impossible for them to ignore each other!’
She'd deliberately added another massage table so they'd have no choice but to be conscious of each other.
With the help of her younger sisters, Ana and Ina, she'd dressed them in outfits much more revealing than usual and made it seem perfectly normal, then used a mix of praise and threats to get them to change.
Yuna hadn't missed the way Flia's lips had twitched when she'd said her boyfriend would like it.
It must've been an unconscious reaction.
After that, Flia's voice had turned out to be much more sensual than expected, and Ian's... had turned out to be much bigger than expected, creating an awkward situation... but that was a minor issue.
After all her efforts, including deliberately not telling them the baths were mixed-gender, she was finally rewarded.
“…Oh my.”
It wasn't unusual for people to stay in the hot spring until morning, so when she opened the door carrying breakfast, she found them like this.
Flia was leaning against the wall, fast asleep while holding Ian tight, and Ian was asleep in her arms with what looked like a blissful expression.
“…Beautiful.”
As she burned the scene, like something out of a painting, into her memory, Yuna fervently praised her past self for getting a job here.
…
Feeling the warm sunlight and a soft cushion, I woke up.
Mmm... So... I'd gone into the hot spring with El yesterday, right?
I thought it didn't seem right for me to enjoy a hot spring like this alone, so I invited El too... but now that I thought about it, what the hell had I been thinking?
And then I chatted with El for a while... and El told me not to reject her.
After that, an immense amount of mana flowed into my body along with excruciating pain, and with El's help, I struggled to control it...
Then at some point, I think I passed out.
El. She must've been really surprised.
She might not look it, but she had a surprisingly fragile side, so she must've been shocked when she saw me pass out.
...Wait. Does that mean I'm still in the hot spring?
I could tell from the heat of the hot spring enveloping my body.
Then what was this soft feeling against my head...?
“No way...”
I slowly turned my head to look behind me.
And what I saw was El's face, fast asleep, and...
“…!”
Her towel had come undone, revealing the tips in all their glory... What am I saying!
I hurriedly got up and turned my head away.
No, I tried to.
-Squeeze
“E-El?”
“Mmm...”
That was before El wrapped me in a tight embrace while talking in her sleep.
The problem was, I was facing El...
-Squish.
My face came to rest on her bare chest.
Right against it. Her bare chest.
...Once again, I gave up on thinking.
Might as well enjoy it.