Rio stayed in Galwark Kingdom’s Royal Capital for a week after his lunch with Liselotte. And once he bid farewell with Satsuki, he went back to Rodania alongside Christina, Flora and Celia. Meanwhile, Liselotte was not with them since she returned to Almond earlier than them due to the piled up work she had in Rikka’s Firm.
When they got back to Rodania, Rio finally started to build a bath in the mansion Celia was staying in. He bought all the necessary materials and then started doing his job immediately.
However, rumors started to spread as soon as people saw the materials piled in the garden. As such, for that reason, he asked Christina, Flora and Celia to straighten it out. That’s why he asked Christina, Flora and Celia to explain the situation. Celia took the opportunity to do so during her lecture in the Capital Mansion.
Therefore, whenever Celia held her lecture in the Capital Mansion, she would clarify the truth to the nobles when they asked. She would tell the nobles, who asked about those materials and what they were used for; that it was 「Just to remodel the bathtub」. Thus, in no time, the nobles quickly lost their interest in this matter.
Though the reason he knew this was because Celia had told him. After all, Rio had almost never come out of the mansion these days because he’s earnestly giving his all to finish the bathtub.
Thereupon, the bathtub’s construction progressed smoothly and was completed in a mere two weeks. On that day…
「The bathtub is finished. You may use it at once after you operate the magic tool there that’ll produce the hot water.」
Rio told Celia, who was in the library after her lecture, about the completion of the bathtub remodeling project.
「R-Really! Thank you! 」
Hearing that, she stood up from her seat and smiled brightly, completely delighted.
「How about trying it now, Celia-sensei? It has been a while since you enjoyed dipping in a hot bath after all. Furthermore, you should be quite worn out from today’s lectures and research…」
Rio suggested to Celia, considerate as usual.
「That’s wonderful! However, though it’s an extremely charming invitation, I think I will enter the bathtub after you. I mean, you must be quite exhausted yourself after working tirelessly every day to finish it.」
Celia declined his suggestion, troubled. Even though she was happy that he had prioritized her, she wished that he would put more effort into taking care of himself. She also wished he wouldn’t be so humble and accepted some form of rewards for his efforts. Even if he was okay with helping her out this often for free, it actually gave her a hard time every time she faced him.
「It is alright. Besides, coming back to this mansion and staying here is just a pretense. I’m going to slip out later this night and enjoy the bathtub in my Rock House. So, don’t worry, it’s not an urgent matter for me.」
Rio tried to assure her everything was fine and she could just enjoy herself, but…
「In that case, take me along… Besides, since the bathtub in this house was crafted by you, naturally you should get the privilege of enjoying the first bath.」[ED: … I… can’t… is her brain missing somewhere? Or is the author being intentional?]
Celia still insisted the first one to bathe in the newly crafted bathtub should be Rio. However…
「I made this one for you to enjoy, sensei. Please, don’t worry about me and feel free to enjoy the bath…」
「I-If you say so…」 Although she really wanted to persevere in letting him be the first to ‘enjoy’ the bath, she couldn’t beat Rio’s reasoning and coaxing. As such, despite wanting to cajole him to use the bath first without showing her embarrassment, she failed to hide her abashment. Moreover, she also understood that Rio didn’t lie when he told her the reason he made the bathtub.
She knew that Rio had to leave Rodania, yet he spared some of his time to construct this bath for her; all in order to make her life a bit more comfortable in his mansion.
In short, the reason Rio even stayed this long in Rodania was just to make this bathtub for Celia. He even told her that he’d leave as soon as the bathtub was completed.
Sometimes, I wonder why this child is willing to do so much for me… Perhaps, it is because he is honoring me as his teacher… But, I actually do not wish to be treated this kindly because I’m his teacher…
Celia knew since the bathtub had been completed as he said, Rio would begin his journey again. That’s why, since she knew that, she wanted to at the very least try to repay a little bit of Rio’s kindness before his departure. Of course, before this, she also wanted to repay Rio’s kindness. But that feeling became more and more apparent as of late. And that might be why she…
「T-Then… how about we bathe together? I-I’ll wash your back.」
Celia said with a shrill voice and a bright red face.
「… EH?!」
Rio exclaimed, looking extremely shocked with eyes wide opened.
「I-I won’t use the bathtub unless you come too! W-With Aisia too! B-But, let’s enter after both Angela-san and Sofia-san have gone to sleep, alright? It’ll be bad if they’re still awake during that time! 」
Celia started babbling on and on, unable to stop herself from talking due to her embarrassment. Then again, the bathtub Rio made was big enough for 5 people to enter together. As such, it would still be enough for more people even if she bathed together with Angela and Sofie in the future. Therefore, her words of entering with Aisia and Rio were feasible too. It was just…
「E-…. Eeeehhhh…」
Rio was speechless when he heard Celia’s proposal. He was completely unprepared for her unexpected words.
「D-Don’t have any strange misunderstandings, okay?! You’re going to leave tomorrow morning since you’ve completed the bathtub, right? That’s why, though I’ll be a little bit l-lonely after you leave, this way I would have at least repaid my debt of gratitude to you. Even if it’s just a little. That’s why by scrubbing your back, I hope that, that…」
She rapidly tried to explain and justify her words. But, at the end, her sentence sounded fainter as she went on. As if she couldn’t find appropriate words.
「… I appreciate your feeling, but sensei is a proper grown-up adult woman. You shouldn’t carelessly show your naked skin to a man, sensei.」
After a while, Rio finally managed to work out the best answer he could give to her.
「I-I’ll wear a towel, of course! M-My back will be exposed once I’m entering the bathtub, though…」
「…………」 A short and awkward silence descended on the room at the end. In the midst of this painful silence, Rio tried to think up a solution to this matter, but…
「Let me in too. Let’s enter the bath with the three of us.」
Aisia suddenly materialized and approved Celia’s proposition.
「Aisia….」
Rio trailed off, startled by Aisia’s sudden interference.
「Celia wants to repay her debt of gratitude to you, Haruto. But, she can’t seem to find something to give you. That’s why, at least, you have to accept her feelings.」
In a way, those words were right on the money… However…
「Uhm, yeah… but, you see…」
Celia’s face turned redder than ever as she got embarrassed by Aisia’s words. But, she didn’t refute it. In spite of Aisia’s seemingly absentminded appearance, Celia witnessed once again her keen insight. She even asked Rio to reconsider the matter about bathing together. As a result――、
「… I understand. If Sensei really don’t mind, so be it.」
He finally gave in, albeit with a troubled expression on his face.
「… I-I-I don’t mind of course. 」
Therefore, in the end, both girls would enter the bath with Rio. Though Celia now felt extremely ashamed when she recalled her bold request, it was too late for her to back down. Thus, she agreed.
◇ ◇ ◇
Late at night.
「… This should be enough.」
Rio was standing alone in the mansion’s bathroom with a towel coiled around his waist. Yet, soon Celia and Aisia would enter after him――、
「Hey, Aisia! Coil that towel properly around your body! 」
From the faint chatters, Rio was able to guess that Aisia almost went into the bathroom in her birthday suit; hence why the dressing room ended up livelier than usual. Fortunately the mother and daughter pair, Angela and Sofie, were living in the cabin that was located beside the mansion. And since the guardsmen of this place were quite strict, it was unlikely someone would be able to freely enter and leave this place unnoticed.
And a short moment later――、
Rio stayed in Galwark Kingdom’s Royal Capital for a week after his lunch with Liselotte. And once he bid farewell with Satsuki, he went back to Rodania alongside Christina, Flora and Celia. Meanwhile, Liselotte was not with them since she returned to Almond earlier than them due to the piled up work she had in Rikka’s Firm.
When they got back to Rodania, Rio finally started to build a bath in the mansion Celia was staying in. He bought all the necessary materials and then started doing his job immediately.
However, rumors started to spread as soon as people saw the materials piled in the garden. As such, for that reason, he asked Christina, Flora and Celia to straighten it out. That’s why he asked Christina, Flora and Celia to explain the situation. Celia took the opportunity to do so during her lecture in the Capital Mansion.
Therefore, whenever Celia held her lecture in the Capital Mansion, she would clarify the truth to the nobles when they asked. She would tell the nobles, who asked about those materials and what they were used for; that it was 「Just to remodel the bathtub」. Thus, in no time, the nobles quickly lost their interest in this matter.
Though the reason he knew this was because Celia had told him. After all, Rio had almost never come out of the mansion these days because he’s earnestly giving his all to finish the bathtub.
Thereupon, the bathtub’s construction progressed smoothly and was completed in a mere two weeks. On that day…
「The bathtub is finished. You may use it at once after you operate the magic tool there that’ll produce the hot water.」
Rio told Celia, who was in the library after her lecture, about the completion of the bathtub remodeling project.
「R-Really! Thank you! 」
Hearing that, she stood up from her seat and smiled brightly, completely delighted.
「How about trying it now, Celia-sensei? It has been a while since you enjoyed dipping in a hot bath after all. Furthermore, you should be quite worn out from today’s lectures and research…」
Rio suggested to Celia, considerate as usual.
「That’s wonderful! However, though it’s an extremely charming invitation, I think I will enter the bathtub after you. I mean, you must be quite exhausted yourself after working tirelessly every day to finish it.」
Celia declined his suggestion, troubled. Even though she was happy that he had prioritized her, she wished that he would put more effort into taking care of himself. She also wished he wouldn’t be so humble and accepted some form of rewards for his efforts. Even if he was okay with helping her out this often for free, it actually gave her a hard time every time she faced him.
「It is alright. Besides, coming back to this mansion and staying here is just a pretense. I’m going to slip out later this night and enjoy the bathtub in my Rock House. So, don’t worry, it’s not an urgent matter for me.」
Rio tried to assure her everything was fine and she could just enjoy herself, but…
「In that case, take me along… Besides, since the bathtub in this house was crafted by you, naturally you should get the privilege of enjoying the first bath.」[ED: … I… can’t… is her brain missing somewhere? Or is the author being intentional?]
Celia still insisted the first one to bathe in the newly crafted bathtub should be Rio. However…
「I made this one for you to enjoy, sensei. Please, don’t worry about me and feel free to enjoy the bath…」
「I-If you say so…」 Although she really wanted to persevere in letting him be the first to ‘enjoy’ the bath, she couldn’t beat Rio’s reasoning and coaxing. As such, despite wanting to cajole him to use the bath first without showing her embarrassment, she failed to hide her abashment. Moreover, she also understood that Rio didn’t lie when he told her the reason he made the bathtub.
She knew that Rio had to leave Rodania, yet he spared some of his time to construct this bath for her; all in order to make her life a bit more comfortable in his mansion.
In short, the reason Rio even stayed this long in Rodania was just to make this bathtub for Celia. He even told her that he’d leave as soon as the bathtub was completed.
Sometimes, I wonder why this child is willing to do so much for me… Perhaps, it is because he is honoring me as his teacher… But, I actually do not wish to be treated this kindly because I’m his teacher…
Celia knew since the bathtub had been completed as he said, Rio would begin his journey again. That’s why, since she knew that, she wanted to at the very least try to repay a little bit of Rio’s kindness before his departure. Of course, before this, she also wanted to repay Rio’s kindness. But that feeling became more and more apparent as of late. And that might be why she…
「T-Then… how about we bathe together? I-I’ll wash your back.」
Celia said with a shrill voice and a bright red face.
「… EH?!」
Rio exclaimed, looking extremely shocked with eyes wide opened.
「I-I won’t use the bathtub unless you come too! W-With Aisia too! B-But, let’s enter after both Angela-san and Sofia-san have gone to sleep, alright? It’ll be bad if they’re still awake during that time! 」
Celia started babbling on and on, unable to stop herself from talking due to her embarrassment. Then again, the bathtub Rio made was big enough for 5 people to enter together. As such, it would still be enough for more people even if she bathed together with Angela and Sofie in the future. Therefore, her words of entering with Aisia and Rio were feasible too. It was just…
「E-…. Eeeehhhh…」
Rio was speechless when he heard Celia’s proposal. He was completely unprepared for her unexpected words.
「D-Don’t have any strange misunderstandings, okay?! You’re going to leave tomorrow morning since you’ve completed the bathtub, right? That’s why, though I’ll be a little bit l-lonely after you leave, this way I would have at least repaid my debt of gratitude to you. Even if it’s just a little. That’s why by scrubbing your back, I hope that, that…」
She rapidly tried to explain and justify her words. But, at the end, her sentence sounded fainter as she went on. As if she couldn’t find appropriate words.
「… I appreciate your feeling, but sensei is a proper grown-up adult woman. You shouldn’t carelessly show your naked skin to a man, sensei.」
After a while, Rio finally managed to work out the best answer he could give to her.
「I-I’ll wear a towel, of course! M-My back will be exposed once I’m entering the bathtub, though…」
「…………」 A short and awkward silence descended on the room at the end. In the midst of this painful silence, Rio tried to think up a solution to this matter, but…
「Let me in too. Let’s enter the bath with the three of us.」
Aisia suddenly materialized and approved Celia’s proposition.
「Aisia….」
Rio trailed off, startled by Aisia’s sudden interference.
「Celia wants to repay her debt of gratitude to you, Haruto. But, she can’t seem to find something to give you. That’s why, at least, you have to accept her feelings.」
In a way, those words were right on the money… However…
「Uhm, yeah… but, you see…」
Celia’s face turned redder than ever as she got embarrassed by Aisia’s words. But, she didn’t refute it. In spite of Aisia’s seemingly absentminded appearance, Celia witnessed once again her keen insight. She even asked Rio to reconsider the matter about bathing together. As a result――、
「… I understand. If Sensei really don’t mind, so be it.」
He finally gave in, albeit with a troubled expression on his face.
「… I-I-I don’t mind of course. 」
Therefore, in the end, both girls would enter the bath with Rio. Though Celia now felt extremely ashamed when she recalled her bold request, it was too late for her to back down. Thus, she agreed.
◇ ◇ ◇
Late at night.
「… This should be enough.」
Rio was standing alone in the mansion’s bathroom with a towel coiled around his waist. Yet, soon Celia and Aisia would enter after him――、
「Hey, Aisia! Coil that towel properly around your body! 」
From the faint chatters, Rio was able to guess that Aisia almost went into the bathroom in her birthday suit; hence why the dressing room ended up livelier than usual. Fortunately the mother and daughter pair, Angela and Sofie, were living in the cabin that was located beside the mansion. And since the guardsmen of this place were quite strict, it was unlikely someone would be able to freely enter and leave this place unnoticed.
And a short moment later――、
