CHAPTER 35: CH:35 BATH PANIC: LEVEL 99

Inside the steamy changing area of the Exonory Temple bath, the air was already thick with heat, scented steam curling around the marble floor like sneaky little ghosts.

"Alright, Dila!" Stella chirped cheerfully, already halfway out of her robes.

"Time to strip~ We’re gonna soak like queens tonight!"

Dila’s eyes shot wide like saucers.

"N-No—Nope! Wait, wait, wait—!!"

She whirled around, slapped both hands over her face, and flailed like she was fending off invisible bees.

"W-What are you doing?! Put those robes back on!"

Fwoosh— Stella’s robes dropped completely.

"Hyaaaaa!!" Dila practically screamed, turning around so fast she almost slipped on the smooth floor.

Her whole face lit up as red as a magma core, and steam shot off her ears like kettle whistles.

She slapped her palms over her eyes like her soul would escape through them.

Stella tilted her head and laughed softly,

"Oh come on~ Dila, don’t be such a baby. We’re both girls, nothing to hide here, right?"

Dila’s hands shook. Her entire existence trembled like a paper cup in a hurricane.

"I—I just—can’t!!" she squeaked, still shielding her vision like Stella was a holy relic that would blind her.

Stella laughed harder.

"You’re acting like I’m asking you to jump off a cliff. Relax~ It’s just skin and soap!"

Meanwhile, Dila’s mind was screaming louder than any Concert:

"YOU FOOL, I CAN’T BE CALM!! I’M A GUY IN THIS GIRL’S BODY—REMEMBER?!?"

Internally, she curled up into a little imaginary ball, holding her imaginary knees, rocking back and forth in her imaginary panic corner.

"Why am I here? Why is this happening? I should’ve been sent to a library, not a bathhouse!!"

☆ "Whew," Nari said casually inside her head. ☆

☆ "That’s a lot of panicking. Want me to fake an earthquake?" ☆

"YES, PLEASE—TRIGGER A TSUNAMI!!" Dila mentally shouted.

☆ "No can do i Don’t have any ability to do that sorry.. hahaha. You’re on your own again, Master, bye." ☆

☆ ■•••• ← Nari disconnected like a prankster employee clocking out again.

Back in reality, Stella stood wrapped in a towel like a smug champion, hands on her hips as steam rose around her.

"Alright, alright. I’ll turn around, okay? Just get something off before the bathwater goes cold."

She spun around dramatically, humming a tune, while Dila trembled behind her like an overclocked alchemy kettle.

Dila mumbled,

"Okay... okay... I can do this. Just pretend I’m invisible... pretend she’s a towel rack... a rock... a cabbage with a face..."

But just as she reached for her gown, Stella peeked back again with a devious grin.

"Still not moving?" she said, stepping closer.

"Y-Yeah—I mean no! I mean I’m trying!!" Dila squeaked, arms stiff as logs.

Stella cracked her knuckles with a grin.

"Then I guess I’ll do it for you~!"

"NO NO NOOO!!" Dila flailed in place like a ragdoll on a washing line.

"Too late!" Stella said cheerfully, and before Dila could fully panic, she slipped her fingers beneath the neckline of Dila’s ceremonial gown.

Fwip—fwssh! The fabric slid off with one elegant motion, and the entire robe pooled dramatically around Dila’s feet.

"Ta-daa~!" Stella announced, turning the moment into a grand reveal.

Dila gasped, body frozen, eyes still clamped shut while steam billowed around her bare figure. Her arms wrapped around herself, every nerve firing in panic mode.

"Wh-Wh-Why would you DO THAT!?" she cried out in a squeaky shriek.

Stella stepped back, arms crossed, eyes sparkling.

"Woooow~ Smooth figure! Are you seriously that shy about seeing your own body?"

Dila kept her eyes glued shut, trembling like a pudding.

"Y-Yes..." she whimpered in a barely audible tone.

Stella cackled.

"You’re like a nervous squirrel who wandered into a hot spring for the first time!"

"D-Don’t describe it!!" Dila pleaded, trying to melt into the wall.

And deep in her mind, Nari chimed in.

☆ Oh dear... full exposure, huh? This is getting fun to watch~ ☆

"Shut up, Nari!" Dila muttered internally.

☆ Hahahaha clasic Master~☆

Meanwhile, Stella casually tossed a towel into Dila’s face.

"Alright, Dumpling. Wrap up and let’s soak before the water cools. You’ll survive. Probably."

Thus began the next phase of the Bath Saga:

"Level Two: Full Panic Mode."

Steam hissed around them like a dragon taking a nap, the warm scent of herbs from the temple’s sacred soaps drifting through the wooden stalls.

Dila, towel-wrapped and trembling like a haunted mushroom, had her eyes squeezed shut with absolute determination.

"Ummhhh... c-come on, walk already!" Stella grunted, dragging the stiff bundle of Dila by the arm toward the twin wooden shower stalls. "It’s just a bath, not a battlefield!"

"My soul is not ready for this..." Dila whispered dramatically.

SPLASH!

Cold water hit her like a spell gone wrong.

"AHHHHHH–I-it’s c-cold–!!" Dila squeaked, jumping like a fish out of a bucket.

Stella burst into laughter.

"I don’t know! Maybe it likes you better that way!"

Without giving Dila time to panic again, Stella grabbed a bowl of warm water and began lathering her hands with soap. She hummed a silly tune and stepped behind the stall-sitting Dila.

"Time to wash the royal fluff~"

"H-hey wait I can—!"

Too late. Stella’s fingers were already scrubbing into Dila’s soft white hair, working up a rich lather that foamed like a volcano made of whipped cream.

Soon, Dila had a full-on soap beard forming down her chin, and soap bubbles covered her ears like puffy snowballs.

Stella stepped back with a hand on her hip.

"You look like a jolly elf-Santa from a very shy winter village!"

"I-I do not!!" Dila huffed, lips pouting under the beard. "I’m fierce and dignified!"

"Sure you are," Stella chuckled, rinsing off the soap with one final bowl of warm water.

With the showers done, Stella clapped her hands.

"Alright! Main course time—Hot Spring Mode: Full Steam!"

"W-wait I’m not reaaa–AH!"

Dila barely had time to grab her towel tighter before Stella, towel now discarded with reckless confidence, took her by the wrist and dragged her across the wooden floor into the steaming bath.

The hot spring itself was like a dream—mist curling in elegant spirals, warm mineral water reflecting soft lantern light, fog rolling over the surface like mysterious clouds.

And in the middle of it all...

Dila sat hunched down, neck-deep in the water, only her eyes peeking out—still firmly shut.

Stella floated nearby, her arms stretched across the edge of the bath like she was sunbathing in heaven.

"You can open your eyes now, you know. The fog’s basically a divine privacy shield."

Dila muttered, cheeks glowing.

"N-not until the moon explodes..."

Stella snorted.

"At this rate, you’ll wrinkle before you relax!"

Meanwhile, in Dila’s mind—

☆ Steamy scene unlocked. Achievement: "Extreme Shyness Lv. 99" ☆

☆ Want me to cast Illusion Fog for extra cover, Master? ☆

"Y-you should’ve done that from the start!!" Dila screamed internally.

☆ Too late~ Already downloading the memory into long-term embarrassment ☆

And thus, the legend of the bath...

The soap beard...

And the elf who refused to peek...

Continued...

Meanwhile.

Steam curled between them like lazy clouds as the two girls sat side by side in the hot spring. The foggy water danced around their shoulders, glowing slightly from the nearby lanterns.

Stella leaned back with a blissful sigh, then glanced sideways at Dila—who still had her eyes shut like a monk meditating during an earthquake.

She narrowed her gaze and pouted.

"You know what? You’re making me jealous."

Dila twitched, cracking one eye open like a suspicious squirrel.

"What now?"

Stella leaned in, resting her hands on her thighs and tilting her head with a mock-innocent smile.

"Your skin! It’s too white and delicate. It’s unfair. I swear you look like a porcelain teacup enchanted by moonlight. Honestly, you’re like... prime royalty material."

Dila blinked.

Then slowly turned away, muttering—

"Yeah, right. That’s because I customized my avatar stats to max out the skin clarity slider..."

Stella paused.

"...Huh?"

Dila tensed.

Her eyes snapped open just enough to realize—Oops. Not Earth.

She coughed.

"Ah—Avatar! Yes! That’s just... a rare food! Yep, it’s... it’s called Avatar. Very secret recipe. Makes your skin smooth and shiny. Maybe even glows in the dark. Ancient elf secret."

Stella’s eyes sparkled.

"Whoaaa! That sounds AMAZING. Can I have some? Maybe when we visit your elf hometown or something? I want to glow like you!!"

Dila chuckled awkwardly, dunking herself further into the hot spring like a turtle trying to vanish.

"If I have any left, sure... hehehe..."

Stella stared at her with a skeptical squint.

"...You’re weird, Dila."

Dila nodded, eyes barely peeking above the water.

"I know."

Stella gave her a soft pout but scooted a little closer, resting her head back against the stone rim.

"Well... if you ever do find this ’Avatar’ thing, promise you’ll share it with your best priestess, okay?"

Dila looked at her for a moment.

Then, with a small smile...

"Yeah. Deal."

The moment settled in gentle steam and warmth, the two girls sharing quiet laughter beneath the stars—one hiding her world, and the other just happy to be beside her.