A long finger poked my bottom.

“Kyu kyu.”

I turned my head sharply in the opposite direction of that finger.

‘Hmph.’

Then Hadel came around to the other side and poked my ribs.

“Kyu kyu.”

‘Hmph!’

Call me 120 times. See if I turn around even once.

‘I’m angry. How dare you push me towards raw fish.’

After I lost the staring contest with the raw fish and burst into tears like a child.

Thinking that the young weasel was unfamiliar with eating fish, Hadel pushed me forcefully towards the fish.

As a result, I ended up hugging the fish’s head with both arms!

After that, all hell broke loose. I threw the fish aside and ran away, the fish fell to the floor, and the glass plate shattered.

‘Still, it’s not my fault! I said I couldn’t eat it! But Hadel was the one who pushed me.’

Even Hadel would be horrified if he kissed an uncooked raw fish.

Recalling the memory of embracing the slippery fish, the corners of my eyes turned up sharply again. I shuddered and fumed.

‘Because of that, my soft fur is reeking of fish smell. How are you going to fix this?’

“Kyu kyu! Kyu kyu kyu kyu!”

“Hmm.”

Seeing me continuously turn my back on him when I used to cling to him mesmerized at the slightest spark, Hadel wore a troubled expression. After pondering for a moment with his chin in his hand, Hadel shrugged his shoulders.

“Let’s take a bath first.”

At those words, I made a despairing expression.

‘Ugh, bath.’

I don’t like water.

It’s not that I lived dirty in my past life. But it’s more of a physiological aversion.

‘I really, really hate getting into cold water.’

I heard that other fire attribute holders sometimes go into cold water to cool off, but not me.

“Kyu kyu.”

I don’t like baths. Suggest another method.

With that meaning, I kyu-kyued earnestly. Whether he understood me or not, Hadel picked me up. Then he opened the bathroom door.

‘Ugh, we’re even washing in the bathroom?’

The bathroom was the place I was most reluctant about. It was unfamiliar and strange, different from the bathrooms in the palace, and anyway, since my soul was female, it was awkward to use the same bathroom as Hadel.

It was a place I would only rush in when absolutely necessary, do my business quickly, and flee.

‘But how are we supposed to wash here? The servant hasn’t even brought water yet.’

I tilted my head in confusion.

Things I couldn’t reach before became visible one by one as I was held in Hadel’s arms. There was a large mirror showing half of one’s body, and a sink. All the accessories attached to the sink were things I had never seen before.

‘Wow, what’s that? Water gushes out when you turn that.’

I wondered why there was no one bringing water, but when one of those accessories was turned, water gushed out from the spout.

I opened my eyes wide at the sight I had never seen before.

‘Whoever made this is amazing! I’ve never seen anything like this even in the palace.’

But I had spent years on the battlefield! I shook my head.

‘No, while I was wandering in war, someone might have invented this.’

Do they draw water from underground? Or do they use mana to create water like I create sparks?

‘Either way, it’s fascinating.’

I was just curious about who the magitech engineer was who invented this and how they came up with such an idea.

As I was watching the gushing water with great interest, I suddenly realized something I had forgotten and my face turned serious.

‘But isn’t the water coming out now cold?’

Feeling the chill, I instinctively gripped Hadel’s fingers tightly.

‘If you tell me to get into cold water, I might die. My heart might freeze solid with a bang.’

Feeling my squirming, Hadel asked in a gentle voice.

“Do you dislike cold water?”

Nod nod.

I quickly nodded my head. Hadel tilted his head.

“I prefer cold water.”

At that answer, I narrowed my eyes and glared at him.

‘No, why are you talking about what you prefer when I’m the one taking a bath?’

It’s the water for my bath, so do as I like. I like warm water.

“Kyu!”

When I slapped Hadel’s hand with my front paws, Hadel slowly nodded. Then he dipped his right index finger into the water.

‘Steam is rising from the water?’

In an instant, steam began to rise from the water. I opened my eyes wide.

‘Since he has the fire attribute, he can boil the water right away!’

I had never thought of applying it like that!

‘Well, on the battlefield, we were lucky if we could even wash in a lake. There were countless days when we couldn’t even brush our teeth due to lack of water.’

What would have happened if I had boiled the water in a lake?

‘Wouldn’t the lake have become a giant fish stew?’

Thinking about it that way, it wasn’t the time to grumble. I suddenly felt humble.

As I was nodding in understanding, I soon frowned at Hadel’s words.

“This much warm water in the sink should be enough, right? They say weasels are good swimmers.”

‘Ugh, I still don’t want to bathe!’

Do I really have to get in?

My heart was malfunctioning, making me dislike water even more. This must be why water attributes win when they clash with fire attributes.

But I really couldn’t avoid washing because of the fishy smell emanating from my body after the rendezvous with the fish earlier.

I put on an expression as resolute as when I stood before the fish.

‘Alright. I’m still human, so I need to wash.’

Perhaps sensing my determination, Hadel slowly lowered me into the sink.

But doesn’t the water look a bit deep…

Splash!

Glug glug glug.

“……”

That was all. Half a beat late, Hadel let out an uncharacteristic scream.

“Gasp!”

Ah, I almost died.

What swimming? I just sank to the bottom like I was sinking to the bottom of a river, without any resistance. Hadel, who belatedly fished me out, turned pale and wiped me with his shirt.

“How could you sink into the water without any resistance? I thought you were diving.”

“Kyu?!!?”

This, making a person feel miserable again!

‘How was I supposed to know! That I would sink smoothly without even floating once!’

It’s not like I decided the water level.

I even expressed that I didn’t want to bathe in the first place.

You didn’t even ask me once if I could swim.

‘Isn’t this too much?’

“Kyu-u, kyu-u……”

Feeling miserable, I cried again. Then Hadel’s eyes drooped as well. He bowed his head deeply and apologized to me.

“I’m sorry. I was too shocked and got upset.”

“Kyu!”

Yes, that’s fine! It’s your fault! It’s your fault!

I was so angry that my kyu sound stretched out and came out like a squeak. After listening silently to my unintelligible protests for a while, Hadel slowly put me down on the sink, where the soap is placed.

“There’s no helping it.”

Huh? What can’t be helped?

‘W-wait a minute. What are you doing now?’

I opened my eyes wide looking at Hadel. After putting me down, with his hands free, Hadel started unbuttoning his shirt.

Click. Click.

The sound of buttons unfastening echoed like thunder. As the shirt opened, firm bare skin was revealed. It was the very chest that had flustered me earlier.

‘Why are you taking off your clothes?!’

What does being sorry to me have to do with taking off your clothes?

I was so surprised that I couldn’t even react, just flaring my nostrils, when the shirt fell to the floor with a thud.

Revealing his upper body completely, Hadel said in his characteristic blunt tone.

“I’ll have to bathe with you.”

“Kyu?!”

Now it’s mixed bathing? You’re going to hold me directly while bathing in case I drown?

‘Oh, God.’

It was beyond the range of stimulation my nerves could handle. I fell over backwards.

After filling the bathtub, Hadel warmed the water.

He, who always suffered from heat, usually preferred to bathe in cold water. Even if there were thin ice floating, it would instantly become lukewarm when he got in.

But today, the feeling of sitting in warm water wasn’t too bad. It wasn’t as stimulating as he thought.

Hadel looked down at the round back of the head of the white weasel clinging to his fingers like a lifeline.

‘Really a strange creature.’

It was scared but still held onto his hand tightly. Hadel smiled slightly at the cute reddish ears.

The more he looked, the more intelligent his weasel seemed. It even sat quietly on the cushion when told to work.

‘Are all weasels this smart? I’ve only seen weasel fur, so I’m not sure.’

Moreover, because animals disliked Hadel, he never had the chance to get close even if he wanted to.

As Hadel was examining various aspects of the weasel, he picked up the soap to accomplish his original purpose and rubbed the weasel’s chest. Removing the fishy smell from the chest was the top priority.

But when the soap touched its chest, the weasel, which had been flinching, soon lowered its head as if depressed.

“Kyu-u……”

‘Is it crying?’

Trying to check if it was hurt somewhere, Hadel turned the weasel towards him, and saw its small head trembling.

‘Is it scared?’

It seemed to dislike Hadel washing it directly. Instead of rinsing the weasel’s body himself, Hadel submerged the weasel in the warm water with only its head above water.

“Kyu-u.”

Whether its liking for warmth applied to hot water as well, the weasel’s face soon relaxed.

‘It seems to be enjoying it at least, so let’s leave it be.’

How can it be so cute?

The corners of Hadel’s mouth curved up slightly. It was a rare bright smile, but unfortunately, there was no one to see it.