That night, led by Xavier Young, the group—excluding Zane, who was still atoning for his sins—headed out together.
Xavier Young, Lumina, Derek Su, Stella, and Lingwind arrived as a group at the Natural Hot Springs in Tianyuan City.
The moment Derek Su saw the antique, luxurious décor, excitement immediately bubbled up inside him.
A hot spring like this—how could it not have private baths?
"This place is extremely well-known around here," Xavier Young said with a grand wave of his hand. "Everyone's been training hard lately. Go in and enjoy yourselves—everything tonight is on me!"
He was clearly a regular. As soon as they entered, two attendants in traditional ruqun dresses came forward to greet them.
"Oh, Mr. Young, here to soak again~"
The proprietress at the counter beamed. "And you brought friends this time?"
"Mhm." Xavier Young stepped closer to her with a calm expression, deliberately leaving Derek Su and the others aside.
"Special circumstances today—let's skip the private bath," he said, lowering his voice as his face flushed slightly. "It wouldn't be great if my friends found out. I need to maintain my image."
The proprietress immediately gave him a knowing look.
"Don't worry, I'll just say the private baths are all unavailable today. I guarantee you won't be embarrassed!"
Xavier Young looked at her gratefully. "Next time I bring Lumina, I'll definitely come support your business again!"
"Hehe, easy enough~"
After settling things with the proprietress, Xavier Young walked back with a solemn, upright expression.
Lumina tugged at his hand and asked instinctively, "Master, today is also private—"
"Ahem! Private—yes, the owner said they're all booked," Xavier Young hurriedly cut her off.
"Dear guests," the attendant announced, "we currently don't have any private baths available. We can only arrange two medium-sized springs—men on one side, women on the other."
The smile on Derek Su's face slowly vanished.
Didn't that mean he'd be soaking together with Xavier Young, while Stella, Lumina, and Lingwind—the three Mecha Girls—soaked together?
The world before his eyes gradually lost all color, fading into gray.
Derek Su let out a bitter laugh.
Heh… maybe his heart was just destined to shatter from the very beginning.
...
Fifteen minutes later, inside the hot spring.
Derek Su and Xavier Young sat facing each other. A tray floated between them, holding snacks and drinks, but neither of them had any appetite.
"Mr. Derek Su," Xavier Young glanced at him, "you seem a bit down today."
"Huh? Do I?" Derek Su replied absentmindedly. "Probably just exhausted."
His thoughts drifted elsewhere.
What was Stella doing right now? Probably wearing a bathrobe, her fragrant shoulders half-bared, cheeks flushed as she leaned hazily against a rock in the water. Or maybe she was splashing around with Lingwind and Lumina?
What a scene that would be—snowy legs, delicate collarbones, tender bodies appearing and disappearing in the steam…
Damn it! Such a huge hot spring, and the private baths were that limited?!
What kind of joke was this? He'd been looking forward to it all day!
"Could it be," Xavier Young's probing voice drifted over, "that you're disappointed there's no private bath today?"
"Yeah—ah, no!" Derek Su hurriedly denied it. "Mr. Young, do I look like the type who wants to soak in a private bath with Mecha Girls? They're our partners!"
"Is that so?" Xavier Young dragged out the words, suspicion written all over his face.
"Yes!" Derek Su said righteously.
Xavier Young sighed inwardly. He'd thought Derek Su was a kindred spirit—turns out the guy was just that upright.
Well, nothing could be done. He'd originally planned to exchange some… experiences.
Now he could only straighten his face, take a sip of his drink, and follow Derek Su's lead.
"You're right. As drivers, the most important thing is integrity. The Mecha Girls are indeed beautiful—when they're in human form, aside from not being able to bear children, they're practically no different from human women. But! We can't take advantage of them just because they're innocent and cute! They're our partners! Wouldn't anyone who lays a hand on their partner feel their conscience ache?!"
Derek Su nodded fervently in agreement.
Inside, he was screaming.
So this was Mr. Young?
Such lofty moral standards?!
Compared to the upright and righteous Mr. Young, his own filthy thoughts made him feel like a cockroach crawling in the cracks of society!
Damn it!
Derek Su lowered his head and began silently repenting.
Xavier Young gazed up at the night sky. His weathered face flushed slightly as a lecherous grin crept onto his lips—no one knew what he was thinking.
...
Just two walls away, the atmosphere was completely different.
Stella, Lumina, and Lingwind were sprawled together atop a giant yellow rubber duck. Three pairs of little feet lazily splashed the water, pushing the duck as it drifted around the hot spring.
"Lumina, your leg's much better now~" Lingwind noticed that Lumina could move freely again.
"Yes~" Lumina smiled gently with narrowed eyes. "Thanks to Stella and Stella's master. I should be able to compete in the Greenfield Advancement Race in a week."
"Hehe, Master and I didn't really do much. You worked hard yourself, Lumina.
"I wonder what Master and the others are doing," Lumina glanced at the opposite wall, frowning slightly. "Whenever we used to come soak here, Master would always book a private bath—just the two of us."
Stella and Lingwind immediately flushed.
"That… that intense?! Wouldn't that mean everything was on full display?!" Lingwind covered her burning cheeks with both hands in disbelief.
Stella lowered her head, her damp eyes fixed on Lumina, lost in thought.
"I'm Master's Mecha Girl to begin with," Lumina said calmly. "He didn't abandon me even when I was at my lowest, so I don't think it's a big deal. Besides, he didn't do anything—he just helped me with massages."
"A massage?" Stella and Lingwind exchanged looks.
"Yes." Lumina sat upright on the rubber duck, lifted her slender, fair leg, and gently pinched the soft flesh of her thigh as she smiled. "Master massaged my legs and said it would promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis, so I'd be able to stand again sooner."
"D-does that really work?" Stella asked curiously.
"Doesn't seem to do much, but he gets really happy every time—like he's full of energy!"
Lingwind's face was red all the way to her ears. She wanted to remind Lumina that Xavier Young was clearly lusting after her body.
But then she felt it was pointless. Even if Xavier Young did want something, Lumina would probably agree anyway.
"I really want Master to massage me too," Stella muttered, cupping her cheeks.
"Then just tell him directly," Lumina said with a smile, patting Stella's head.
"Say your legs are sore and tired. You're the lead Mecha Girl—Mr. Derek will definitely agree."
"But… what if he refuses?"
"Then just act cute and cling to him!"
"Ugh~" Stella pouted in distress. Wasn't a Mecha Girl clinging to her Master a bit too willful?
...
Two hours later, the hot spring session ended. It was nearly midnight when they came out.
Stella, Lingwind, and Lumina looked refreshed and radiant. Only Derek Su and Xavier Young wore strained expressions, forcing smiles while stubbornly maintaining the façade of proper gentlemen.
"Today's team-building activity ends here," Xavier Young announced. "Training resumes tomorrow—for the Greenfield Advancement Race!"
"Ooh!!"
"Fighting! Fighting!!"
After settling the bill, the group prepared to leave. At that moment, a man and a woman walked up outside the entrance.
They looked like a driver and his Mecha Girl.
Normally, their paths wouldn't have crossed—but as they passed Derek Su and Stella, the pair suddenly stopped.
"Hey! Derek Su—is that you?"
Under their puzzled gazes, the young man compared Derek Su to a photo on his phone as he approached.
He extended his hand in a friendly manner, his expression perfectly blank.
"Hello, Derek Su. My name is Leon Li. This is my Mecha Girl—Snowpeak."
The Mecha Girl named Snowpeak, equally expressionless, reached out her hand toward Stella.
Still completely confused, Stella shook hands with Snowpeak, who was actually a bit shorter than her.
Derek Su couldn't quite figure out what the man wanted, but he still returned the handshake politely.
"Hello. Is there something you need?"
He assumed the man just wanted to get acquainted.
After all, the title King of Knox carried some weight.
But the next sentence left him completely speechless.
"My boss sent me to target you. Since I happened to run into you, I figured I'd give you a heads-up."
…
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / GhostParser