Chapter 23: The Communal Bathroom Dilemma

The two of us sat in silence for a long time, until I finally couldn’t hold back any longer and bluntly pointed out the crux of the problem. “Judging by Tiffany’s tone, it’s definitely a communal bathroom. We’ll have to enter the women’s bath, and there’s bound to be a moment when we see each other naked……”

“What’s the big deal?” To my surprise, Angelina paused, seeming not to expect that I would be so fixated on this. She seemed rather dismissive. “Everyone here is a woman; no one will say anything if you go in.”

“But I’m scared,” I replied, my face a picture of despair. After all, I had never seen another woman naked before, and not just one, but several.

But why was Angelina so nonchalant? She used to be a man too.

“Aren’t you afraid? Ah……!”

I was just asking when suddenly it dawned on me.

“Ha ha, I’ve seen plenty,” she boasted with a self-satisfied smile. It was then that I remembered who she used to be: Ren Yunkong, the playboy, who had been with so many women that they could have circled the high school track.

“So, what are you actually worried about?” But if that’s the case, I couldn’t figure it out for a moment. “If so, then you just go and take a bath. Why are you still sitting here with me looking so worried?”

“Because I’m afraid of myself,” she replied, her face a mask of misery. “Even though I’ve been with countless women, they were always someone else. Now, having to face my own female body, washing and touching it, is totally different. I’m afraid I can’t handle it, that I won’t be able to bring myself to do it. Don’t you think it’s strange?”

“Oh? Right!” It was a bolt from the blue. I had completely forgotten about this point. Previously, I had only focused on others and never considered the issue with my own body. Although I had once walked half a day naked in Aemlar Forest, that was only because feathers covered my entire body, and the sensation was no different from being clothed. So, it wasn’t as if I was used to it.

This was going to be a problem. Should I take a bath or not? I had even started considering the option of skipping the bath entirely. But I felt it wouldn’t work out, as I couldn’t stand the thought of not bathing, and if Tiffany and the others found out, it would be hard to explain.

Besides, even if I manage to avoid it today, this is something that will inevitably happen sooner or later, whether I bathe early or late.

“How about…… you go first?” I tentatively suggested to Angelina. “Since you have fewer mental barriers, you can come back and give me some advice based on your experience.”

“Hey! That’s not fair,” she looked at me with displeasure, as if I was betraying her. “Are you using me as a scapegoat?”

“But I can’t possibly go first, can I?” I replied with a matter-of-fact expression, trying to ease her psychological burden by using logic to help her understand the situation. “You’ve already become immune to the feelings of others, and this barrier is something you’ll have to face eventually. You can’t avoid bathing forever, can you?”

Of course, this argument had its merits, and she couldn’t find a good counterpoint. At least for now, it seemed too inhumane to make me go first as a test run. After a fierce internal struggle, Angelina grabbed the towel and bath supplies provided by the inn and rushed out of the room.

“Good luck!” I stood by the door, watching her slowly make her way to the women’s bath. Just as she did, I saw Amos and Brook coming out of their rooms with towels, the three of them exchanging greetings.

“What a coincidence!” Angelina’s voice still had a slight tremor to it.

I couldn’t help but smirk, as this was the first time I had seen her so flustered, and it was quite amusing.

During the time Angelina was bathing, I grew bored in the room and went out for a walk. When I returned, I was surprised to find that she had already finished and was sitting on the bed, drying her hair.

“So soon?” As soon as I entered, I eagerly asked, realizing that it would soon be my turn. “How was it?”

“Not bad!” Angelina seemed quite relaxed, but she seemed to be struggling with her long, grayish-white hair, unable to dry it properly.

“Really? Just that?” I frowned, feeling her answer was too superficial. “Was there a lot of people? Any advice you can give me? What’s your experience with this?”

“Not many, just a few,” she replied without hesitation. “And don’t worry, you probably won’t be too shocked. As for bathing yourself, it’s really not a big deal. It’s your own body, and you’ll get used to it after a few looks. Are you planning to masturbate in public or something?”

Angelina didn’t hesitate, answering my questions directly. Then she focused on her long hair again.

“Is it really okay?” I looked at her doubtfully, wondering how she could be so calm. I stood there, unsure of what to do. After some internal struggle, I finally grabbed my own towel and bath supplies, leaving the room with a mixture of anxiety and determination.

Standing in front of the women’s bath, I listened for a while, but heard nothing, suggesting that there weren’t many people inside. I entered, first passing through the changing room with many small lockers. I found an empty one, took off my clothes, and wrapped myself in a towel before heading to the inner bath.

It seemed Angelina was right, as I had seen my own naked body many times, even if not often. I had no issues undressing.

But as soon as I entered the inner bath, I was speechless.

The open-air bath hall had at least ten people, some soaking in the central pool, others sitting on the edge, cleaning themselves.

This wasn’t what she called “not many people”? I realized I had been tricked and instinctively wanted to leave and come back later, but turning around, I bumped into two familiar faces.

“Hey, Flora, aren’t you going in?” It was Tiffany and Sally.

“You two, what a coincidence……” I instinctively tightened my towel, a bit stunned as they started undressing in front of me, so I turned my head away.

“Weren’t you the one who invited us to come and bathe together? Angelina told us just now.” Sally’s voice came from behind me, sounding puzzled.

When did I ever invite them! This was all Angelina’s doing, which explained her previous calmness. It was a planned setup, and I finally realized I had been tricked.

But on second thought, they were undressing right behind me, and this was a rare opportunity. Why not take a peek? Wasn’t that the perfect chance?

After all, who wouldn’t be curious? I felt a growing urge, so I turned my head back.

But after glancing, I immediately felt something was off. Wasn’t I staring too obviously? Would they suspect something? I quickly turned my head away again.

I struggled with this internal conflict for a long time, until finally…

“Why aren’t you going in yet?”

The two girls had already undressed and, seeing me still blocking the door, they forcefully pushed me into the hall. It seemed I couldn’t avoid what was coming.

Wow, it was quite a sight!

Although I had glimpsed it earlier, coming in again was still overwhelming. The women’s bath wasn’t as dramatic as I had imagined. Most of them weren’t extremely thin or fat, and there were even some older ladies, which was quite disconcerting. I finally understood what Angelina meant about not being shocked, but this was another kind of shocking.

I quickly grabbed the showerhead and rinsed off a few times before jumping into the pool, swimming to a corner and facing the wall. Compared to Tiffany and Sally, their bodies were like two lily flowers in a mudslide, suddenly stirring my heart again.

“Flora, why were you blushing just now?” Tiffany’s voice came from behind me, and she had also entered the water, noticing me facing the wall with nearly my whole body submerged, and looking confused. “Are you shy? Haven’t you been to a bathhouse before?”

“Ah, I guess not.”

I quickly thought of my angel identity and the supposed memory loss, and she seemed to understand.

I couldn’t say I had been to a bathhouse, just a men’s bath.

“Angelina was here alone beforehand and didn’t tell me!”

Sally also complained as she entered the water, sounding quite disappointed.

Seeing them both in the water, I finally dared to turn around. At least, once in the water, with the pool hiding most of the view, it was safe as long as only my head was above water.

I suddenly realized it wasn’t so scary after all. From my perspective, as long as I was careful and looked away in time, I wouldn’t see anything I shouldn’t. Even if I did, it would just be a fleeting glance, and sometimes you wouldn’t even realize it. No wonder Angelina was so calm; it wasn’t just because she wanted to trick me.

As I relaxed, I realized how long it had been since I last bathed, and being able to enjoy a bath in this other world was truly a pleasure. I was so immersed in the warm water that I felt like I was melting, my mind floating, and my consciousness hazy.

“Flora, what do you think of Brook?” Tiffany suddenly asked, breaking the silence. “Ah? What do you mean ‘how’?” I snapped out of my daze, not understanding.

“Just about him as a person, what do you think?” It was a strange question. Why did she ask about Brook?

“He seems reliable,” I thought for a moment before replying. Brook left the deepest impression on me with her unique skills, which were highly effective during the battle with Minos, despite the overall strength disparity. At least, they allowed her to remain undefeated in a weaker position.

“Really? That’s what I think too.” Whether it was the hot air or something else, Tiffany’s cheeks suddenly turned red, and I couldn’t help but feel something was off.

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