novelnext Chapter 188 Join Them
Chapter 188 Join Them
Chapter 188 Join Them
Just as Bai Yu was enjoying the service, he heard the sound of water splashing on the pool.
Bai Yu turned his head slightly and saw Nico Robin walking towards them from the other side of the pool.
Her demeanor was composed and elegant. Even in the hot spring, even when she was completely naked, her temperament remained as mysterious and captivating as a blooming white rose.
Her wet black hair cascaded over her shoulders, with a few strands clinging to her cheeks and neck. Water droplets dripped from the ends of her hair, gathering into tiny streams at her collarbone before slowly sliding down her skin.
Robin wore a faint smile, but it wasn't as straightforward as Matsumoto Rangiku's, nor as composed as Violet's. Instead, it carried a knowing understanding that she had seen through everyone's thoughts in the hot spring.
"It seems quite lively here—"
"Would you mind if I joined too?"
Before Shiraha could answer, Matsumoto Rangiku spoke up with a smile.
"Of course I don't mind. It's more lively with more people, and Bai Yu-jun definitely prefers more people."
Robin chuckled softly, walked behind Shiraha, and asked Shiraha to sit a little forward. Then he stopped between Matsumoto Rangiku and Violet.
She didn't sit down immediately, but stood behind Bai Yu, looking down at his shoulders and neck, which were slightly red from the steam.
"White Feather-kun"
Her voice came from above, carrying a faint hint of laughter.
"You've had a tough time these past few days."
Bai Yu raised his head slightly and met her gaze.
"It's alright, there's nothing particularly difficult about it."
"Working hard every night isn't easy."
As Robin spoke, he slowly sat down behind Bai Yu, his position directly behind him.
In this way, Bai Yu was surrounded by three people from three directions.
Matsumoto Rangiku is on the right, Violet is on the left, and Robin is directly behind.
The warmth of the three people's bodies was transmitted through the pool water, enveloping him from different directions, making him feel warm and at ease. At the same time, the softness of the three people pressed against him, yet it also carried a subtle sense of oppression.
"Robin—"
Matsumoto Rangiku turned her head to look at her, a hint of curiosity in her eyes.
Do you also do massage?
"I know a little bit about it."
Robin's answer was humble, but her eyes betrayed her.
As she spoke, she raised her hands, her ten fingers long and slender.
Her hands hovered over Bai Yu's back, not falling immediately, but lingering for a moment, allowing the warmth of her fingertips to reach a delicate balance with the warmth of Bai Yu's shoulders.
Then, her fingers gently fell.
Her methods were completely different from those of Rangiku and Violet.
Rangiku is kneading, Violet is pushing, and Robin is touching.
Her fingertips brushed lightly across Bai Yu's neck and back, like dragonflies skimming the water, each touch as light as a feather.
Her fingertips carried a strange rhythm, like musical notes, sometimes light, sometimes heavy, sometimes fast, sometimes slow.
Bai Yu felt comfortable.
Three hands roamed over his back, shoulders, and neck. The sensations of the three different hands intertwined, and he could no longer tell which hand belonged to whom. He only knew that his body was becoming more and more relaxed and more and more immersed in this multi-sensory experience.
"Baiyu-kun——
'
Matsumoto Rangiku's voice came from the right, tinged with a mischievous smile.
"How are you feeling now?"
"Very good, not bad————"
"very good----"
"Then—"
Matsumoto Rangiku smiled with satisfaction, but her hands didn't stop moving, continuing to move up and down in her favorite spots.
Violet and Robin exchanged a glance, both with a hint of a smile in their eyes, but beneath that smile lay different emotions.
Just then, Artoria finally couldn't hold back any longer.
Her gaze kept drifting in that direction, each time she would quickly pull it back as if she had been burned, but then she couldn't help but let it drift over again.
She saw Matsumoto Rangiku's hand underwater, Violet's hand pushing against his neck, and Robin's fingers gently brushing against his back.
She saw Bai Yu's expression, an expression she had never seen before: languid, relaxed, and content, like a cat whose fur had been stroked, completely immersed in the comfort brought by the three women.
A feeling that was hard to describe welled up in Artoria's heart.
That wasn't jealousy; she resolutely refused to admit it was jealousy.
Is that a kind of anxiety?
wrong.
That was a kind of—resentment?
Not right either.
It was a feeling she didn't know how to describe, but she just felt that the scene was too much, too much!
She abruptly turned her head away, no longer looking in that direction, her hands clenched tightly together underwater.
She seemed to want to join them, but couldn't quite bring herself to say it.
Just then, footsteps came from the end of the corridor.
Artoria, as if grasping at a straw, abruptly turned her head to look in the direction from which the sound came.
Retsu Unohana is back.
She changed into a clean bathrobe, her hair was combed again and neatly draped over her shoulders, and she exuded a fresh scent as if she had just taken a bath.
She walked to the edge of the pool, her gaze sweeping across the hot spring water. When she saw Bai Yu surrounded by three people, a knowing smile flashed in her eyes.
Then, her gaze fell on Artoria.
Artoria was looking at her with an almost pleading look in her eyes.
Retsu Unohana smiled slightly, slowly walked into the pool, and sat down next to Artoria.
"What's wrong?"
Her voice was very soft; only two people could hear it.
"He doesn't seem to be in a good mood."
Artoria's lips moved, her expression shifting between embarrassment and anticipation.
"Sister Hua—"
Her voice was very low, as if she was afraid of being overheard by others.
"Look over there—"
She gestured with her lips towards Bai Yu.
"They—the three of them—surrounded Shiraha, especially Rangiku—she—she—"
Unohana Retsu followed her gaze, then looked away and turned to Artoria.
"Yes, I see. Bai Yujun is truly extraordinary. But this is a good thing for Bai Yujun. You don't know about Bai Yujun's family—"
"Don't you think—don't you think this is going too far?"
Artoria's voice trembled slightly.
"Three people—the three of them together—and their hands—"
She couldn't continue; her cheeks flushed red, as if they had been burned.
"What happened to their hands?"
Retsu Unohana spoke calmly, as if she were asking about something perfectly normal.
"Their hands—on Bai Yu's body—never stopped—"
Artoria's voice grew softer and softer, and the last few words were almost squeezed out between her teeth.
They are giving Bai Yu a massage—
'
Unohana Retsu corrected, "How can this be called groping?"
"A massage doesn't need to be done—doesn't it need to be done with three people?"
Artoria argued her case forcefully.
"And they're standing so close—Shiraha-kun must be under a lot of pressure—"
Retsu Unohana looked at her, her smile deepening.
"Artoria—"
'
Her voice remained soft, but carried a hint of profound meaning.
Are you standing up for Bai Yu, or for yourself?
Artoria was taken aback.
"I—of course I'm standing up for Bai Yu! He was surrounded by three people, how—how embarrassing!"
"Awkward?"
Ueno Hana tilted her head slightly.
"Does he look embarrassed?"
Artoria's gaze involuntarily drifted over there again.
Bai Yu's expression——
Lazy, relaxed, and content, with a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth, carrying a barely perceptible smile.
That was clearly an expression of enjoyment.
Artoria felt that indescribable feeling welling up again, this time even stronger, as if something was churning in her chest, a sour, astringent feeling, and an inexplicable anxiety.
"He—he's been bewitched!"
Artoria forced herself to speak.
"Yes! He must have been misled! He's not usually like this!"
Retsu Unohana chuckled softly, a sound so gentle it made Artoria's ears burn.
"Artoria"
Unohana Retsu's voice was as gentle as if she were coaxing a child.
Have you ever thought about going there and joining them?
Artoria's eyes widened suddenly.
"Me?! What would I be doing there?!"
"We used to go to the hot springs together, and just like them, I did the same thing to Shiraha-kun."
Unohana Retsu's tone was very natural.
"I—I don't want to!"
Artoria's voice suddenly rose a little, then she quickly lowered it, as if afraid of being overheard by others.
"Why would I—why would I do something like Rangiku?"
Retsu Unohana looked at her without saying a word, but the smile in her eyes deepened.
That smile made Artoria feel like she had been seen through, as if all her secrets had been exposed to the light of day, leaving her nowhere to hide.
"You—you shouldn't look at me like that—"
'
Artoria's voice began to weaken.
"I'm telling the truth—"
I know you're telling the truth.
Unohana Retsu nodded gently.
"But there are other truths besides the truth itself."
"What do you mean?"
Artoria frowned.
What I mean is—
'
Retsu Unohana paused, her gaze falling on Artoria's face as she looked intently into her eyes.
"You don't like Bai Yu? You don't seem very honest, Knight King—"
Artoria's body suddenly stiffened.
Her lips opened and closed, then opened and closed again, but no sound came out.
Her cheeks went from pink to crimson, from crimson to deep red, and finally to a red that was almost dripping with blood.
"I—I—"
Her voice was intermittent, like a broken tape recorder.
Artoria took a deep breath, as if to bolster her courage.
"I like white feathers—"
"Yes-"
Unohana Retsu laughed.
"Since you like him, why don't you do what Rangiku and the others did, instead of deceiving your own heart?"
Artoria was speechless.
Logically, there was nothing wrong with it, but emotionally—emotionally, she just felt something was wrong.
"I—I don't know how to give massages—"
She made up an excuse.
"I think Rangiku and the others have really good techniques, but I don't know anything at all—"
"If you don't know how, you can learn."
"Unohana Retsu said slowly and deliberately."
No one is born knowing this skill.
Artoria remained silent.
Her gaze drifted towards Bai Yu's direction again, but this time she didn't immediately look away.
She saw the water rippling.
She saw Violet's hand drawing circles on his chest, each circle larger and covering a wider area than the last.
She saw Robin pressed against Shiraha.
Her heart began to race.
It wasn't the nervous heartbeat I felt before, but a heartbeat of longing.
Something inside her was stirring, like a blade of grass trapped under a stone, desperately trying to break free and greet the sunlight.
"You want to go there, right?"
Retsu Unohana's voice rang out again, this time with a resolute gentleness.
"I—I didn't—"
Artoria's denials became increasingly weak.
"Artoria—"
'
Retsu Unohana sighed softly and put her arm around Unohana's shoulder.
"You're not being honest enough."
Artoria's body stiffened slightly.
"You clearly wanted to join them, you clearly wanted to sit next to Bai Yu, you clearly wanted to put your hand on his shoulder, feel his body temperature, feel his breath."
Unohana Retsu's voice was very soft, but each word was like a pebble thrown into Artoria's heart lake, stirring up ripples.
"But you care too much about what others think, and you're too afraid of being rejected, so you can only sit here, watching from afar, and secretly envy them in your heart."
I am not envious.
"You have--
—
Retsu Unohana's voice remained gentle, yet it brooked no argument.
"And there's nothing shameful about it."
Artoria remained silent.
She lowered her head and looked at the petals on the water's surface. The petals floated gently in the water, sometimes gathering together and sometimes scattering, just like her current mood, chaotic and helpless.
"Sister Hua—"
Her voice was soft, with a hint of vulnerability.
Am I... strange?
Why do you say that?
"Perhaps I've had it too easy in the past —"
Artoria's voice grew softer and softer.
"I feel uncomfortable seeing him surrounded by other girls, but I don't dare to go over—am I being useless?"
Retsu Unohana didn't say anything, but simply patted her shoulder gently.
After a while, she finally spoke.
"Do you know, Artoria?"
"Everyone gets nervous when facing someone they truly care about. This just shows that you really care about him. If you care about him so much, why bother about the other girls around him?"
Artoria looked up at her.
She felt that something was off about what Sister Hua had said.
"Go ahead, I'll go with you. There's nothing to be nervous about. Go and join them, don't hide yourself anymore."
Unohana Retsu stood up, and warm water poured down her body.
"Courage comes from taking action."
She reached out her hand to Artoria.
"Come on." She suddenly stood up, splashing water everywhere.
"Sister Hua, let's go!"
Unohana Retsu couldn't help but laugh at her sudden outburst.
"Okay, let's go."
The two of them walked together toward Bai Yu.