"Ah, and take this too. Use it freely." Saying as such, Axel passed a bar of soap over.
Of course, it wasn't the one he practiced with, but rather one that was bought normally from the shop. Much more stable, and smelled better. He wanted to give shampoo for their hair too, but decided against it after seeing its exorbitant price compared to soap.
Although still confused about what happened, Arianne went back to the bathtub right after. After all, she felt that she couldn't ask Axel too many questions. The fact that he's "hiding" the truth from them made her think he had his reasons for doing so.
With the sound of water splashing gently and the casual chatter of the girls, Axel continued doing his tasks.
Specifically, making dinner.
Earlier that noon, they ate something that barely counted as "food," a gruel made from bread, water, and salt. It wasn't that bad, but it wasn't good either. However, it was cost-effective and efficient.
Thus, Axel decided to use their leftovers from lunch and make a new recipe.
"Thankfully, nobody threw up. That means their stomachs should be able to take solid food now." Axel nodded to himself. "Let's turn this gruel into something more filling!"
Returning the pot to the fire, he started to adjust the flames to get a bit weaker.
And then, Axel visited his inventory. From it, he grabbed a few items he bought earlier that day, under the label of "survival rations." It was a package of items containing salty dried jerky made from mysterious meat, hard-to-spoil black bread, dried fruits, and a bottle of water.
Without a hint of hesitation, Axel dropped all those into the pot.
Of course, he didn't forget to pinch them to pieces, multiplying their quantities further.
Shortly after, the scent of meat and fruits began to waft out of the pot. The water was able to soften the hard, black bread, too, creating a thicker base compared to back at noon. This should be more filling compared to back then.
"Smells delicious!"
"...!"
Axel was a little surprised when a voice echoed right beside his ears from behind.
After all, he had his back facing the tub, ensuring that he wouldn't be able to peek at them by accident or anything—as if to announce that "he had no such intentions" toward the girls.
Turning his head, Axel saw Eve with a bright smile. Water was dripping down her still-wet hair, tracing the curves down her jaw, to her neck, and further into her dress.
The shadow of fatigue over her expression had thinned, for sure. But more than that, the scent of soap that lingered around her body was filling Axel's olfactory senses.
"Oh, you're done bathing already?" Axel initiated small talk before returning his focus to stirring the pot's contents. "This should be ready to eat after letting it simmer for a bit longer. So be patient, little princess."
"Then please leave the task of watching over it to us, Sir Mage." And as if in turn, Maria, the brown-haired maid, interjected gently. "In the meantime, you should enjoy the bath, sir."
"...Well, you got a point."
Axel let go of the ladle and stood up, stretching a bit.
He couldn't adapt to the stench as fast as the other girls did, so to him, his own smell was killing him. The earlier he could get rid of this foul smell, the better.
"It's mostly done, so you should just watch the pot and keep its consistency. Don't let it dry up too much," he instructed further before walking toward the bath.
"Hmmm...?"
But along the way, he noticed something. Only Eve, Maria, Beatrix, and Arianne were present near the bonfire. "Where's Cherry?" he wondered.
His question was answered as soon as he went beyond the curtain, however.
"You're here, Sir Axel."
Cherry was there, beside the tub, wearing nothing but her underwear. Her pale-green hair was tied up into a bun, kept in place using a single stick. Her green eyes looked gentle but firm, staring right at Axel's.
"Please allow me to wash your back. It's the least we could do to repay all the kindness you've shown us."
Axel merely glanced her way briefly before shrugging. "Well, I guess refusing here would be rude. Alright, do as you please."
Cherry smiled thinly, bowing lightly. "Thank you for allowing it, sir."
Axel didn't waste more time either. He checked the tub and saw that it was as dirty as he had guessed. The zombies' body liquids were green, after all, so the water had completely turned a murky green, with soap bubbles barely retained on its surface.
"Let's see..."
Axel wasn't sure if it would work, but he still tried.
He placed the entire tub, water and all, into his inventory. Then, after waiting for one second, he took it back out.
"Oh, it worked..."
And to his joy, the water returned to its pristine state right after.
Unable to wait any longer, he stashed his shoes, socks, pants, long-sleeved shirt, and boxer shorts into his inventory. Completely naked, he carefully entered the tub and gradually sat down, letting the water cover him to about half his chest while sitting down.
"Then, excuse me..."
And as if waiting for that moment, Cherry quickly moved. She used the soap, lathered her hand with bubbles, before starting to rub Axel's back with her bubbly palms.
A gentle warmth with a touch of coldness caressed Axel's back.
A sensation that made his body relax... although he felt that her finger movements were a bit... sensual.
'Another test, I guess...' Axel sighed mentally. 'I guess they're just that desperate to protect Eve from me, huh?'
Although the youngest in the group, Eve should be around 15 to 16 years of age. That was, no matter what, not within Axel's strike range.
Cherry moved her hands around, her warm breath and gentle grunts and moans tickling Axel's ears. With a tone hinting at lip service, she muttered, "As expected of a young mage... You, sir, have quite a good body."
"Young, huh..." Axel sighed. "If being 30 is still considered young, then yeah..."
"Ah, so Sir Axel is thirty already? I didn't... Wait... thirty...?!"
"Huh?"
Cherry's hands came to a stop, so Axel opened one eye and glanced at her.
She was, however, staring at Axel from head to toe, quizzical. "A-Are you really 30 years old, sir? You look no older than me!"
"What...?"
Axel felt something was amiss.
He could recall children of his officemates calling him uncle without hesitation, thanks to his old looks, with stubble and mustache added in. However, Cherry, who should be in her early twenties, claimed that he looked no older than her.
This incongruity made Axel look down at the water's surface.
Over the rippling surface, he could barely catch his own visage... but not one that he expected. "I'm... younger?"
[Oh, did I not tell you?]
As if just recalling it, Navi spoke right beside Axel.
[When you were transported here, your body was rejuvenated by 10 years. So technically, you're 20 right now~!]
Axel sighed, placing a palm over his face.
"You should've told me that fucking detail earlier!"
But with this, he could finally figure out why the girls were so guarded against him!