The elder of the village had graciously allowed us to use their communal bathhouse.
When I asked if I could take a simple shower at his home, he chuckled and informed me that their village had a proper bathhouse—an open-air one, no less—and that I was welcome to use it freely. I didn't hesitate to accept the offer.
Honestly, nothing sounded more satisfying at the moment than the chance to soak in hot water.
It had been days since I last had a proper bath, and my body carried the wear and grime of surviving in the wilderness.
This… this was exactly what I needed.
After everything I'd been through, it finally felt like I could indulge in something normal as well as something soothing.
"Fufufu…" the old man let out a low, amused chuckle as I was just about to walk off toward the bathhouse. "Go ahead and enjoy yourself, young man. No one comes around this time of day, so take your time. Let the water soak through your bones. You deserve it."
He turned on his heel and walked off in the opposite direction, his hands behind his back.
I wasn't sure what he meant by that—his words hung in the air with a strangely knowing tone.
I had thought he was simply being kind, wishing me well as I enjoyed the bathhouse. But in hindsight… it was possible there had been a deeper, more mischievous meaning behind it.
***
Sirius stepped into the bathhouse without hesitation, letting the wooden door creak shut behind him. The moment he crossed the threshold, a thick veil of steam hit him like a warm wave, curling around his skin and filling his nostrils with the faint scent of minerals and aged stone.
The bathhouse was nearly blinding—steam hung heavy in the air like fog on a rainy morning.
His surroundings were almost completely obscured, the silhouettes of cobbled walls and torches barely visible through the mist.
He was already undressed, his entire body bare except for a white towel clinging loosely around his waist.
Droplets of condensation were already forming on his skin from the heat.
The bathhouse itself was impressive—constructed from well-fitted cobblestone, the floor cool beneath his feet in contrast to the warm humidity all around. The main bath sat like a small lake in the middle, its surface rippling gently, as if beckoning him in.
'I should wash up first,' he thought, making his way to the corner where wooden buckets and warm water awaited.
Sirius dipped the bucket into the water, lifting it high and pouring it down over himself.
A satisfying shiver rippled through his body as the warmth cascaded over his back and shoulders, washing away the lingering dirt and sweat from the road.
Once he was clean, he removed his towel, walked toward the bath and slowly sank into the water.
The sensation was immediate and divine.
The heat seeped into every inch of his body—his muscles unwinding, tension melting away with each passing second.
"Ahhhh…~ This feels amazing~..." he breathed out, his voice echoing softly in the steamy room. "After days of traveling without a proper wash… this is exactly what I needed."
He leaned back, extending his legs under the water and stretching his arms out, attempting to fold them behind his head.
But just before he could fully relax—his hand brushed against something.
"Ah...!"
His fingers pressed into something unmistakably soft. He froze.
"Huh…?"
His brow furrowed in confusion.
Instinctively, he gave a light squeeze, trying to discern what it was. The shape, the warmth, the resistance... It was soft—softer than anything else he'd felt in this place.
No, it wasn't unfamiliar.
He had touched something like this before. But when? And how?
"W-What exactly do you think you're doing?"
A voice cut through the haze, laced with shock and a trembling undertone.
His eyes widened at the sound—it was a voice he knew all too well.
He turned his head, and through the thick veil of steam, he saw her—Aisha—the goddess who had accompanied him all this time, standing just a few feet away.
Her face was flushed, cheeks glowing a deep crimson that clearly wasn't just from the bath's heat.
"Ah…!"
Sirius immediately yanked his hand back as if burned.
"S-Sorry! I didn't know you were here," he stammered, his voice filled with genuine panic.
He hadn't even considered the possibility. But now, it hit him—maybe the old man had set this up. Or maybe he hadn't. Maybe he just assumed there was something going on between them and didn't think it was worth mentioning.
After all, in this world, it wasn't considered strange for lovers to bathe together.
"R-Really? You're not just saying that because you wanted a free touch, are you?" Aisha asked, still covering herself, suspicion in her tone despite the embarrassment on her face.
"N-No! Seriously, no! I told you—it was an accident. B-Besides… why didn't you lock the door?"
"I-It was Cecilia," she murmured, biting her lip. "She said she'd be coming back, so I didn't think I needed to…"
Her blush deepened.
Sirius couldn't stop his gaze from trailing over her.
He'd seen her figure before, during their journey, but now… under the warm orange flicker of torches lining the bathhouse, her body looked even more defined and more radiant.
She sat half-submerged in the bath, water clinging to her smooth skin. She was bare from the waist up, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, shielding her breasts from view.
"I'm going, then," Sirius said, tearing his eyes away before they could linger longer than they should. He started to rise from the bath, water cascading off his torso.
But Aisha's voice stopped him.
"I-It's fine. Really. It's not like it bothers me or anything… Besides, with how thick the steam is, it's not like you could see anything clearly anyway. I mean… I didn't even notice you were here until y-you touched me."
"Is that so?"
And now that she mentioned it—yeah, it was the same for him.
The steam had been so dense, so all-consuming… he hadn't noticed her presence at all.
Sirius gazed at her for a moment.
There was something in her eyes—calm and inviting—that told him she truly wouldn't mind if they stayed like this, together, in this shared space of warmth and silence.
But was it really okay?
For a brief second, doubt flickered inside him.
But then, with a deep, quiet breath, Sirius pushed away the hesitation gnawing at his chest.
He submerged himself once more into the bath's embrace, letting the hot water envelop his body again.
He tried—he genuinely tried—not to look at her.
But resisting was proving impossible.
She was a woman blessed with curves that demanded attention—her large, supple breasts and elegant silhouette were enough to leave any man trembling at the knees.
Her body had a sculpted firmness, the kind of alluring shape that seemed like it belonged in a dream rather than reality.
Even for someone who trained himself in restraint, even for a man who had endured long days in the wilderness without indulging in temptation… she was impossible to ignore.
That's just how stunning she was.
And right now, Sirius found himself utterly captivated.
"W-Why are you staring at me like that?" Aisha's voice cut into the silence.
She must've felt the weight of his gaze.
"N-Nothing," Sirius replied quickly, his eyes darting away, his heart racing. "I was just… admiring your beauty. That's all."
Aisha's breath caught.
He had called her beautiful.
Coming from him—a man whose usual tone was dry and laced with sarcasm—it hit differently.
This time, his words held sincerity. Warmth.
Her cheeks turned a deep shade of crimson, and she instinctively averted her gaze.
Yet, her eyes betrayed her—
They kept flicking toward him, stealing glances, unable to resist the pull between them.
The truth was—Aisha found him handsome too.
His features were well-shaped, his expression steady, and there was something about his aura that made her chest flutter.
By the standards of this world, he could easily be considered attractive.
Even from the divine perspective of a goddess… Sirius was someone she couldn't ignore.
Cecilia had said the same once—that Sirius was undeniably attractive.
Aisha wasn't sure why, but she couldn't stop herself from glancing at him.
Somehow, both of them were now red in the face.
Flushed and nervous.
And it wasn't just the heat of the bathwater working its way into their skin.
Then…
Ripple... ripple...
The surface of the bath shifted gently, almost as if moved by something unseen.
Slowly, subtly, the space between them began to vanish.
Before they even realized it—their shoulders brushed.
Skin met skin.
Both of them instinctively turned their heads, their eyes locking the moment they felt their bodies make contact.
"I-It's just… it felt inconvenient to keep talking without being able to see your face," Aisha said, her voice quieter now. "So… I moved closer. That's okay, right?"
Sirius remained silent for a moment, thinking.
This closeness shattered the boundary they'd both tried to maintain.
Earlier, the heavy steam had shielded their nudity, hiding what their eyes didn't need to see.
But now, at this distance, their forms were more visible—more exposed.
Still, Sirius chose not to comment.
"…That's fine, I guess," he said at last, his tone gentle.
The bath grew quiet again. A moment of calm passed between them.
Then Aisha broke the silence.
"Sirius…" she murmured. "D-Do you… do you like me?"
His heart skipped a beat.
"Wha…?" The question caught him completely off guard. His eyes widened slightly, mouth slightly parted in disbelief.
But he couldn't run from the truth.
Not now.
"…Is it wrong to feel that way… about a goddess like you?" he asked in return, not denying it. His voice was steady and sincere.
He had feelings for her.
Aisha's lips trembled. Her blush deepened.
"I-It's not wrong. A goddess should be loved… and worshipped," she said softly, looking down. "But what's forbidden… is when that love turns into something impure. When you start to have those thoughts… the sexual kind."
Sirius didn't respond immediately.
He was reflecting.
"…During the Resonant Link earlier," Aisha continued, her tone becoming more vulnerable, "I felt it. That moment when you fought the bandit… your overwhelming will, your desire to protect… and your love—for me… I mean, for both me and Cecilia. It was pouring through me."
She placed a hand on her chest, as if remembering the warmth.
"I felt it in my veins… your emotions, your heart. Because of the status linking, I think your feelings… connected with mine. Like they weren't just yours anymore."
"W-Wait, hold on," Sirius said, brow furrowing. "What do you mean, 'my love for you and Cecilia'?"
He hadn't considered it before… but now, with those words echoing, maybe there was some truth in it.
If his father's stories were to be believed—of sleeping with many women before settling down—then maybe Sirius had inherited something from him.
Maybe that kind of blood ran through his veins too. Being a womanizer.
Aisha smiled at him knowingly. "That's right. You're greedy."
"Quit reading my mind," he muttered, a hint of a scowl forming.
"I can't help it," she replied, giggling. "No—actually, it's not even my fault. To be honest, I can't read your mind at all."
"…What? But you told me you could."
"That was a lie," she said, smiling. Then she chuckled softly. "Fufufu… your expressions always give everything away. It's honestly hilarious."
Wait—was that really true?
He hadn't even noticed. Maybe he did need to work on controlling his expressions better.
"…But," she continued, her voice dropping to a tender murmur, "when we connected like that, I really felt it. Your love… it was so deep and so strong… I thought I might drown in it."
She stared into his eyes, unblinking.
"But somehow… I didn't mind at all. Being soaked in your love… dragged down by it and pulled under… for some reason, I felt okay with it. Maybe even… happy."
She looked… undeniably radiant.
Bathed in the soft golden glow of the torchlight and half-veiled by the rising steam, Aisha's flushed cheeks and glistening skin made her appear almost ethereal—like a vision too delicate for the mortal world.
Her damp hair clung to her shoulders, framing her face in such a way that Sirius felt his breath catch in his throat.
He couldn't hold it back anymore.
The heat in his chest had been building—rising, swirling, pushing past his restraint like a tide against a breaking dam.
And so… he leaned in.
Without hesitation, Sirius pressed his lips softly—yet firmly—against hers.
It was a bold action, driven purely by instinct.
But Aisha… didn't pull away.
She didn't flinch.
Instead, her eyes slowly fluttered shut, her breath catching just slightly before surrendering to the kiss.
She accepted it—welcomed it, even—with a quiet grace that sent chills through his spine, despite the heat surrounding them.
Their lips moved against each other's with tentative pressure, not hurried, but filled with the weight of emotions they had long buried.
The wet warmth of her mouth against his, the scent of steam and skin clinging to the air—it was almost overwhelming.
And then, after what felt like a suspended eternity, they slowly broke apart.
Their lips parted, and a fragile silence settled between them.
The goddess—Aisha—was blushing deeply now, her chest rising and falling with short, quick breaths.
Her gaze wavered slightly, flickering between his eyes and the surface of the bathwater, as though uncertain where to look.
Sirius felt the same—his face flushed with heat, but not from the bath.
His heart thudded against his ribs like a war drum.
Both of them were teetering at the edge of something intense—standing at the peak of a raw, emotional height.
The sexual tension between them had become impossible to ignore.
It thickened the steam, clouded their thoughts, and clung to every inch of their bare skin.
Every heartbeat as well as every breath seemed louder, deeper, and heavier.
It was so hard to resist when everything—the atmosphere, the nakedness, the quiet intimacy—was pushing them closer.
The heat of the bath was nothing compared to the warmth pressing between them now, burrowing into their minds and melting away reason.
"You said it's wrong to feel sexual feelings toward a goddess?" Sirius asked, his voice low, almost breathless.
He looked straight at her, the words falling from his lips with restrained fire.
"But I'm sorry, goddess… I think I might commit something wrong."
Aisha turned her head away slightly, her lips parted, and her expression conflicted. But only for a moment.
Then, slowly… she turned back.
Her eyes met his again—
It was soft and vulnerable, but full of consent.
"D-Doing something wrong… is okay once in a while, right?"
Her voice trembled with a mix of nervousness and desire.
She wasn't denying it anymore.
She wasn't holding back.
With that…
Their lips met again.