“Swish…” Hot water incessantly sprinkled onto Ji Bai’s head.
Dirty water was being drained on one end, while clean water was pouring in from another.
When it came to bathing, he had always preferred to use the fastest way to keep himself clean. On one hand, he felt that such an activity was no necessity, but merely just a waste of time. While on the other hand, the easy and relaxing feeling that it caused in him would just cause him to become complacent.
This was not mentioning the fact there had practically been no chance for him to leisurely pass his time in hot water.
It shouldn’t be much of a problem for him to kick it back a little this time. Since he had just returned from the sewers, it was unacceptable for him to not take care of his hygiene at least a little. After all, Ji Bai didn’t wish to be afflicted with some sort of weird disease.
This piece of leisure time was extremely precious. If all went according to Ji Bai’s expectations, personnel in charge of reporting casualties would pay him a home visit soon to inquire about the details of the mission. It was no trivial matter for a student to be killed in action on an ordinary exploration mission.
Even though the intelligence committee would be taking the blame for that, his interrogation wasn’t something they could abstain from. After all, a detailed combat report was one of the steps required for scouting. This formality was probably no different from the Chivalric Order he had been a part of previously.
Ji Bai heaved a light sigh as he thought of that.
After spending a long time on battlefields, the scenes of fellow soldiers and close friends sacrificing themselves were something he had seen a lot. Every time he brought a group of hot-blooded young knights onto the battlefield, only a tiny number of them had survived long enough to return home. Even the possibility of being completely wiped out isn’t off the table as well.
He wasn’t sure whether the heavens were looking out for him. After so many years of putting his life on the line, the battle companions who had joined the same time as him had all practically died on the battlefield. He had been the only one to survive and even became a knight king. This, perhaps, was the ‘choice made by destiny’ that the old codger had been constantly harping about.
Stopping this train of thought, Ji Bai moved from the spot he was in, causing a few water droplets to splash outwards.
‘This bathtub is quite spacious. At least, it wouldn’t be a problem for two adults to bathe in here together…’
‘Mhm…’
Ji Bai stared at the soap that had been placed beside the bathtub and momentarily turned silent.
‘Have I been in the bath a bit too long? Why do I feel somewhat dizzy…’
‘Speaking of which, it’s been a long time since I’ve “eaten”; Ever since that day, with the meal that barely filled my stomach… I should eat soon…’
‘…That’s not right, why did I have such a thought??’
Ji Bai shook his head and pinched his forehead in a fit of dizziness.
The side effects of using his vampire power had arrived – A thirst for fresh blood had arisen from him using [Magic]. Compelled by the desire for fresh blood, his mind was beginning to urge him to hunt for food.
The feeling, guided by instinct, was a form of traceless, imperceptible influence over him.
Like stepping on a quagmire, he would only sink deeper and deeper once he entered. Everything he had done merely served to delay the time he would be drowned by it.
Did it happen a bit faster this time??
“Clack~” Before Ji Bai could even overthink, the sound of the door handle swiveling resounded.
‘?! I am currently bathing, alright?? Who would come in at such a moment? Did a visitor come to our house and Ke’er didn’t tell him that??’
“M-Mr Ji Bai~ Nyaa~ Ahh~ Hic…”
Amidst the coiling mist, he could only spot Ke’er, with her small sandals on, entering the room with a weird red blush across her face.
“Ke’er? Why did you come in here?? I’m still bathing… You should leave.” Ji Bai’s brows were tightly knitted as he tried to persuade Ke’er, who seemed somewhat out of place, to leave the room.
‘This girl… If she were to fall into the bathtub, the long skirt she’s wearing would be thoroughly drenched.’
“B-Bathing? Hic~ …Ke-Ke’er knows, she knows you are~” With red cheeks and dilated eyes, Ke’er tilted her small head.
As she said these words, Ke’er waddled into the room, nearly slipping and falling in the process.
“Be careful!” Ji Bai nearly got up to help Ke’er but halted his actions.
“Y-You don’t need to worry~ Ke’er can get up on her own~ Hehehe…” Ke’er, who had nearly slipped and fallen, leaned onto the wall and stood up as she closed the door to the bathroom behind her.
“Locked, OK~ Hic~…”
“You should probably leave.”
‘Ke’er has probably drunk some alcohol recently, causing her to fall in a delirious state. I have to keep her steady.’
“Boohoohoo~ Mr. Ji Bai. Do you hate Ke’er?~” Ke’er pitifully blinked her large eyes like a small cat that had been abandoned by its owner.
“Ke’er, Ke’er only wants to have a heart-to-heart chat with Mr. Ji Bai. She won’t do anything else~”
While it was unknown whether intoxication was what caused her actions, the voice she used when mentioning Ji Bai’s name was velvety, as if filled with cotton candy.
“It has nothing to do with disliking you… You should probably leave. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Uu… Alright, I understand~ Ke’er is a shameless, naughty child. I should leave this house…” Ke’er’s cat ears drooped as she dejectedly turned her body around.
“? Why do you say that? I’ve never once disliked you…”
“Then… Then can I continue to stay here and attend to Mr. Ji Bai?”
“…” With the sentence being a double entendre, Ji Bai was at a loss on what to say.
“In this case, I’ll just sit here then.” After saying that, Ke’er’s body wobbled as she went to the living room to fetch herself a stool.
“Wait, you…” Ji Bai wanted to say something but stopped.
‘Forget it, I should just relax with my eyes closed and ignore her.’
‘…Ugh! Why would it… at such a time?’
Ji Bai’s eyelids, which he had shut tight earlier, instantly shot open.
Like a person seeing a water source in the desert within reach of themselves while on the verge of dying of thirst, the desire to survive overwhelmed him.
Ji Bai’s pupils suddenly constricted as he was forced to bend his body and incessantly gasped for air. At this moment, the warm bath water felt somewhat chilly to him.
‘Ahhh~ How hungry… Vampires in other homes get to eat 3 meals per day, while I only get to eat one meal every 3 days. Uhu~… To only be able to maintain the minimum supply of nutrition… I have enough of this sort of life already! If possible, I’d like to improve my meals, and introduce more substantial ones to my diet or something…’
‘Eh? Doesn’t this place already have a readily available source of food? The blood of a cute, beast-eared girl must be very delicious~~’
‘No, that’s not right! W-Why did s-such a dangerous idea appear in my head…??’
‘She’s Ke’er, and no one is allowed to harm her… Even more so when it comes to myself.’
‘What’s more… Wouldn’t it expose my identity if I were to suck her blood? How could I face Ke’er who lives under the same roof as me afterward??’
“Have a chat with me, Mr. Ji Bai~” Ke’er, who reeked of alcohol, grinned as she dragged a stool behind her and sat down at a spot behind Ji Bai. Resting her chin on her hands, her small flushing face had become somewhat more enchanting.
‘Why are you looking at me like this? Don’t tell me you’re going to admire the scene of me leaving the bathtub?’
Ji Bai slightly knitted his eyebrows.
“You should leave, I’ll talk to you once I’m done with bathing.”
“Noooo~ I want to talk to you right now~” Ke’er grinned. She had seemingly lost all her self-judgment after being inebriated and had completely turned into someone else – someone entirely unaware of her current actions…
Ji Bai’s forehead was covered by cold sweat.
“Ehehe? …Why is your skin this stiff, Mr. Ji Bai? And it’s very cold too, just like a corpse, hmm?”
“…” Ji Bai was silent.
From Ji Bai’s observations, Ke’er was truly drunk out of her mind; She was treating the wall on the side of the bathroom as it was Ji Bai himself.
‘How much alcohol did this cat drink for her to exhibit such silly behaviors?’
Ji Bai felt extremely dumbfounded.
“Did you drink some alcohol?”
“Hmmm… I guess so, hmmm? Ke’er doesn’t remember…”