Seeing Merlin’s silence, Machina tried to get her to lower her guard.
“Anyway, you should wash up first. We have to go deal with that big guy after a short rest.”
Machina tossed the ice bucket outside, letting it be swept away by the mudslide. Then, she generated a brand-new ice bucket in front of Merlin.
Turning her back, Machina looked out at the murky, chaotic mudslide and silently dried her hair with a magical tool.
One minute passed. Two minutes passed.
“What is it?”
Sensing the water behind her only rippling slightly in the bucket without the sound of anyone entering, Machina turned her head slightly, her gaze sweeping back.
“It’s nothing. I just feel like there’s no point. Aren’t we going to fight soon? Since I’m just going to get dirty again, why bother cleaning up now?”
Hearing this, Machina stopped drying her hair and let out a deep sigh.
“That mindset of yours is incredibly boyish. It seems your old way of thinking won’t change overnight.”
“Is it not true, though?”
“You used to think like that. Are you not going to live just because people eventually die? Are you not going to eat today just because you’ll be hungry again tomorrow? Are you not going to bathe just because you’ll get dirty sooner or later?”
Machina’s rapid-fire questions left Merlin momentarily speechless, leaving her to retort stubbornly.
“I wash every day!”
“Bathing is for personal hygiene. You’re covered in filth right now. Isn’t it good to wash and relax your mind and body? At least do it for me, the one who has to smell you. Honestly… you don’t have a lick of girliness in you.”
Merlin remained stubbornly in place, though her voice was much quieter now, lacking her previous confidence.
“It’s not necessary.”
Machina keenly caught that hint of embarrassment.
“You… don’t have any clothes left, do you?”
“It’s not that I don’t have any; they’re just not dry yet.”
Merlin had planned to keep drying her clothes overnight and change tomorrow. She hadn’t expected this.
Machina sighed again. Even with their backs to each other, Merlin could imagine her rubbing her temples in exasperation.
“I can only imagine how much of a headache you are for Lady Ophelia. Not a single word or action of yours is feminine, and you only brought one set of clothes. You probably insisted on packing your own bags, and the professor probably couldn’t do anything about you.”
That was true, but Merlin couldn’t admit it. It would be too embarrassing for a teenager to have their mother pack their bags.
“What’s the point of having so many clothes?”
“Isn’t it common sense to have a few spare sets when you’re traveling? I’m not asking you to bring those fancy evening gowns, just basic changes of clothes. You really need to change that careless way of thinking from when you were a boy.”
At least on this point, Merlin couldn’t deny it.
“I’ll try my best.”
“Hmm… let’s start by not being so stubborn.”
Machina took a spare academy uniform out of her storage space. It was her own spare set, folded neatly and carrying a faint scent of oranges. She gently tossed the clothes onto a dry spot near Merlin, carefully casting a thin layer of ice where they landed to prevent any dust from staining the fabric.
“Sigh, just for the sake of my nose, wear mine for now.”
“Fine.”
This time, Merlin didn’t continue to be stubborn. She took off her dirty clothes and soaked herself in the bucket, casually scrubbing her mud-stained skin with her hands.
“Honestly, you’re hopeless.”
Merlin heard the sound of loafers clicking against the ground.
One step, two steps.
Merlin instinctively wanted to curl up, but she felt a pair of cool yet soft hands gently lifting her wet, long hair. Machina ignored her panic, gathering a bundle of blue-gradient hair and letting her fingertips glide through the strands, gently rubbing them in the water.
“What are you doing?”
“Your hair is filthy. I doubt you could even wash it properly yourself. You’re a constant source of worry.”
“Didn’t you just wash yours by yourself?”
“Is that the same? You’re completely unreliable; you barely have any common sense as a girl.”
Machina complained while washing Merlin’s hair and her mud-streaked skin.
“Looking at you through a girl’s eyes after you’ve become one, you’re a total failure. Don’t worry, I’m not looking at you. I just want to help you get clean faster.”
“Hmph, I’ve seen yours too, anyway.”
Merlin muttered under her breath, but it was a weak retort.
Machina only gave a faint response. “Hmm…”
The sound of the mudslide was gradually fading, but the roars of the magical beasts were growing louder. Even so, Machina continued to help Merlin wash in an orderly fashion, the sound of splashing water filling the air.
‘It feels like things are reversed.’
In the past, it was Merlin who took care of Machina. Now, it was Machina taking care of Merlin in a methodical way.
“So? Where have you been all these years?”
Machina’s fingers didn’t leave Merlin’s hair, her fingertips gently massaging the scalp. The comfortable sensation made Merlin feel drowsy. Machina took advantage of Merlin’s relaxed state to ask her question.
“After being adopted by Ophelia, I’ve been living on the outskirts of the royal capital. I didn’t go anywhere.”
“Then, before you were adopted by Professor Ophelia, had you ever been to the capital?”
“You’re joking. I didn’t have that much money back then. When my mother adopted me, it was my first time leaving the slums of Talan.”
“I see…”
Machina gave a simple answer. Whether she believed it or not, she tossed a dry towel onto Merlin’s face.
“Dry yourself off and change your clothes. Rest for a bit and get ready for battle. The mudslide is almost over.”
Merlin dried her body and looked at the full set of clothes, which even included new shoes. They were Machina’s high-heeled loafers, not her own original Mary Janes.
And…
“Why are these pantyhose?”
Machina stood with her back turned, drying her own wet hair.
“You’re actually complaining about having something to wear? Honestly.”
Merlin quickly dressed and looked down at herself. Now, Merlin’s legs were tightly wrapped in black silk tights, which accentuated her long, well-proportioned lines. They were the exact same kind Machina wore.
The constant, tight sensation made it impossible for her to calm down. She shifted her legs uncomfortably, trying to alleviate the feeling of being constricted by the fabric.
“They’re not brand new, so just put up with it. Who would have thought I’d have to take care of someone with no girliness during an exam?”
‘Ah!!!!’
Merlin stared down at the tight, alluringly glossy black pantyhose on her legs, her cheeks instantly burning bright red.
‘She wore these… even if they were washed.’
The lingering body heat seemed to be passing through the fabric, and an unspeakable sense of shame, mixed with a vague, indescribable feeling of transgression, surged within her.
‘These are pantyhose…’
‘This is intimate apparel!’
‘The part of the pantyhose that touched Machina is now pressed tightly against my lower body.’
‘She usually wears these… her feet trapped in high-heeled shoes all day…’
‘Her legs must sweat when she walks, and the thought of the sweat absorbed by the pantyhose after a day of activity is just…’
‘Every bit of these pantyhose is now tightly wrapping my lower body.’
‘Even if she washed them!’
‘Is there really nothing left…?’
‘Wearing her pantyhose like this… it’s almost like we’ve merged into one…’
‘Ugh…’
“Alright, stop being so fidgety.”
Machina’s voice regained its cool composure.
“Close your eyes for a bit. It’s almost over. You’ll need to sharpen your senses soon.”
However, this calm before the storm didn’t last long
“ROOOAR!!!”
It seemed the enemy had taken the initiative to come to them.