Now that Axel realized his "visual" age was roughly the same as Cherry's and Maria's, he finally knew why they were constantly testing his "urges." After all, a man around this age would be extremely... well... susceptible to such temptations.
"Phew... A bit lower, to the right..."
"I understand~!"
But Axel wasn't someone who had just graduated from being a teenager. Of course, he got his urges under control, as a respectable adult would be able to. Well, that doesn't change the fact that having a beautiful maid wash your back in the bath isn't an unenjoyable event.
Thus, he didn't hold back and asked Cherry to clean his entire back properly.
"Is there nothing else you would like me to clean?"
Just as she finished covering Axel's entire back, Cherry placed both hands over his shoulders, weighing down on him. Carefully, almost calculatedly, she pressed her chest against Axel's back.
"..."
He could feel her slight interest, along with her nervousness and resignation. But more than that, her firm wish to protect the one she was supposed to protect. Axel knew that she was inducing him to ask for "extra service," but he was in no mood for such things.
"No, it's fine. Thanks."
As such, he quickly shook his head before resting his back against the basin's edge.
"A-Ah, is that so..." Cherry sounded disappointed for a moment, but Axel dismissed it as her acting. "T-Then, I'll take my leave, sir. Please enjoy your bath a bit longer..."
And without even wearing her clothes, she simply carried them back as she rushed toward the campfire. As soon as she did, the girls began talking with hushed voices Axel couldn't properly hear, making him shrug his shoulders in resignation.
"Well, they would probably stop doing these kinds of tests in a few days, I guess..."
But to his indifferent calculation, Navi quickly interjected.
[You... Are you truly a married man in your previous world? I've never seen a numbskull as dumb as you are in this sort of situation...]
Axel stared at the penguin who was flying beside his head the entire time—rather, watching Cherry's figure the whole duration. "Shut up, you perverted penguin," he quickly snapped.
[WHAT?! If you ask the readers, they'd 100% hope you at least lay a hand on such a beautiful, welcoming maid, you know?! Rather, she's definitely hoping you did! She looked disappointed when you coldly chased her away, you know?!]
"What readers? My life's not a novel for others to enjoy, you idiot."
[Food is delivering itself to your lips, and you dare to spit it out?! Talk about being ungrateful!]
Axel sighed. "I'm telling you, stop linking me with those girls. I'm not interested... at least, not right now, or anytime soon..."
[You...]
Navi stopped, not pushing any further. After all, he knew what Axel went through before coming to this world—how he was tricked, used as a scapegoat for her crimes, and ditched like a dirty tissue without hesitation by the woman he called his better half.
Although it was slightly weird, as he was acting almost as if he had gynophobia or something, given how much distrust he was showing the girls right now.
Well, it was a problem that only time could heal.
After he was done mulling over his life in the bath, Axel returned.
Thanks to his inventory, his white long sleeves, his black slacks, white socks, and shiny black shoes became completely clean. Although he tried to wear his coat over them, he realized that it still had the tears that were inflicted on it the previous night and sighed.
"If only there's a repair function..."
[There is!]
Navi answered his musing unexpectedly.
"Then...!"
[But it's locked right now. It should be unlocked soon, though!]
The penguin scoffed, almost as if laughing at Axel, who jumped to his feet almost instantly.
"You dumb penguin..."
Axel cursed silently while unconsciously withdrawing a wooden stake from his inventory.
But the news of a "repair" function was good enough as is. With it, he should be able to repair not only his torn suit but also other things, like the barricade, weapons, or the girls' clothes.
"Welcome back, Sir Axel!""Sir Mage, dinner is ready. Please have some!"
Right as he approached, Arianne and Maria quickly called to him. One reached out, passing a bowl filled with one person's share of the gruel.
"You should've eaten ahead of me..." Axel shrugged, showing a wry smile. "Sorry for the delay then. Let's eat!"
And with his words as the signal, everyone sat on the logs set around the campfire, eating to their hearts' content.
Now and then, the girls engaged in small talk, as if trying to pass the time. But more than half of their topics were regarding the zombies they had just cleared out... specifically, the "holy wooden spears" that Axel prepared for them.
"Sir Mage... Are you secretly a member of the Church of Sun or some other clergy?"
And when they figured the timing was just right, Eve asked the main question they were curious about. But Axel's reply was brief and direct. "Hmm? No. I'm not in any church or religious groups."
"Huh? Then, how did you make these holy spears?" This time, it was Beatrix—Eve's aunt—who asked.
"Oh, these?" Axel withdrew one spear from his inventory and inspected it. "Well... I don't really know myself. I was just making them normally..."
He said, leaving out the "With the system's help" part unsaid.
However, his response only deepened the mystery.
Some of them figured that Axel simply didn't want to talk about it, that it was related to some painful memory he'd rather not recall. Others thought he was not allowed to reveal his church or something, while one believed his words as they were.
"Is Sir Axel... a deity, perhaps?" Maria asked, curious.
"A deity?" Axel gasped, surprised at the jump in logic.
"No, I'm definitely a flesh-and-blood human. Where did that come from, anyway? If I were a deity, then I wouldn't be killing those zombies one by one but deleting them in droves!"
He further added, laughing out loud at the end.
And just like that, their dinnertime finished without much of anything happening.
Right after, Axel asked who would be keeping the night watch first, but...
"Sir Axel, there's no need for you to partake in such activities. Please leave the night watch to us and rest."
Arianne said in a tone that didn't seem to accept no as an answer.
"You sure...?" Axel asked.
Technically, he hadn't slept a wink since last night. He had been awake for over 36 hours by now. Thus, he was actually starting to feel drowsy. The direness of their situation was the only thing that kept him awake.
"Please, sir. Don't worry, as we'll wake you up if we encounter trouble we can't handle," Cherry added, bowing her head.
Although still worried, Axel decided to accept their decision.
He went to his tent and lay down. They had no bedding, so he could only lie directly on the ground, however.
Still, with how tired he was, mentally and physically, he entered the world of dreams shortly after.
...
"Hmm?"
But then, late into the night, something happened.
He was woken up by slight vibrations and a gentle force pressing over him.
With his drowsy eyes, he peeked at what was weighing on top of him, only to see a familiar face.
"M... aria..?"
Eve's maid, Maria, was inside his tent... riding on top of his waist, with most of her clothes missing.
"Sir Axel..." she spoke with a pleading voice. "Please... embrace me..."
"... Huh?"
Axel's sleepiness flew away instantly.