I Healed the Cold Dark Goddess’s Loneliness, and Now She Won’t Let Me Go! - Chapter 16

Silence followed.

I was panicking over my slip of the tongue, my thoughts blown to smithereens by the sheer destructive power of Lady Reine’s blushing face. Beside me, Lady Reine remained utterly adorable and said nothing. The only thing echoing in the room was the sound of the hot water flowing from the shower.

“To think Haruno looked at me with such eyes.”

Eventually, Lady Reine murmured softly. The weight of those words was immense; I felt like a criminal who had just been presented with undeniable evidence of my guilt.

“N-No, wait! That was a figure of speech! I know it’s blasphemous, but—!”

Wait, that didn’t sound like a denial at all! I tried to defend myself, but every word out of my mouth only seemed to dig my own grave deeper. This was bad… Looking at a God with “dirty” eyes and then getting caught. I was practically asking for divine punishment. No matter how kind Lady Reine was, I had to prepare for at least a lecture. But Lady Reine is just too beautiful, and now she’s standing here naked right in front of me, and I can legally touch her. It’s impossible not to feel something!

“…I am happy, Haruno.”

“Eh?”

I thought I had misheard her. When I lifted my head, I saw Lady Reine looking genuinely, profoundly happy.

“…Haruno, you promised to stay with me. As long as that is true, I will never let you go. However… even so…”

Lady Reine’s expression shifted to a distant look. It was as if she were reaching for something unattainable… an expression that, dare I say, didn’t seem like her usual self.

“It is truly humiliating to admit this, but I found myself envious of Sulug.”

“Envious of Lord Sulug?”

I tilted my head at the sudden mention of his name. Sure, Lord Sulug has many enviable qualities, but I doubted that was what she meant.

“Both Haruno and I are women. As such, I had a lingering fear that no matter how deep our love grew, there would be a realm we could never reach.”

“Ah…”

Because we’re both women. I’m embarrassed to admit I hadn’t realized she was worrying about that at all. …Wait. Lady Reine, are you saying you wish you were a man so we could be a “proper” couple? I mean, I’ve joked to myself that this feels like a marriage, but Lady Reine is already fully committed to the idea…!

“When Sulug and I were divided, it was as if we became man and woman to form a pair. There were moments I wondered if it should have been the other way around, but…”

She trailed off and turned her entire body toward me, spreading her arms wide.

Seeing Lady Reine’s naked body from the front held even more destructive power than seeing her from behind. Back in the dressing room, I could think purely about how beautiful she was and how much I liked her but now, it felt like a direct invitation. My gaze shifted from admiration to something far more intense.

“It seems my fears were unfounded. Haruno, you may savor my body to your heart’s content and let your passions deepen. I allow it.”

“N-N-No way!”

It wasn’t just a “feeling”—I was being invited! What is this Goddess saying?!

“I mean, the front! Cover your… well, that might be impossible, but please turn around again!”

Lady Reine was wide open, her every gesture and the very air around her indicating she was ready to accept everything about me. Her breasts were as beautiful as the golden ratio, her waist was artistic, and everything below was “open for viewing” as if to say, “all of this belongs to Haruno.” Open for viewing? What is wrong with me? I’m being a creep!

“Why? Does Haruno not desire me?”

“T-That’s… I’m not sure, or rather, I’d like to keep it ambiguous, but at the very least, not right now!”

“…But you are going to wash me, are you not?”

“Ugh…”

Given the flow of things, it had become a foregone conclusion that I would wash every inch of Lady Reine’s body. Wait, I don’t think we actually made that promise! I could still steer this back toward Lady Reine washing herself…!

“No, really, I think it would be better if you washed yourself, Lady Reine…”

“I do not want to. I want Haruno to do it.”

She’s being so selfish…! But she’s too cute…! Still, I couldn’t cave. This time, I just wanted to share the joy of the bath with her; no “naughty” business was supposed to be involved.

“O-Okay! I understand! But Lady Reine! Listen, usually, ‘washing someone’s body’ means scrubbing their back. The place they can’t reach!”

“Hmm, is that so…?”

“So please, I’m begging you, turn around!”

At my desperate plea, Lady Reine looked a bit dissatisfied, but she slowly turned her back to me. Whew… saved. I thought my heart was going to explode.

“Then, Haruno. Be quick about it.”

“Y-Yes…”

I’d won a concession. There was no turning back now. With trembling hands, I gripped the soapy towel and touched Lady Reine’s back. Her skin was as smooth as high-quality silk; I felt like I had been entrusted with the inspection of a world-class masterpiece.

“…Haruno.”

“Y-Yes!? I-Is something wrong? Compensation! Please, I can’t afford to pay for damages…!”

“I do not know what you are talking about, but is it necessary to use that cloth?”

“Eh…?”

Lady Reine’s gaze fell upon the towel in my hand.

“Well, I can wash you better if I use it…”

“I do not get dirty to begin with. Efficiency is meaningless. In that case, I would much rather be touched by Haruno’s hands.”

“I… see…”

True, for Lady Reine, the actual “cleaning” part was irrelevant. If that was the case, there should be no problem with me washing her with my bare hands… except there is! Of course, there is! If I admit the “washing” part is just a pretext… then this is pure skinship, and it turns into something “naughty” after all!

I had to find an excuse to protect my final line of defense—Towel-kun. Wait! Actually, on the flip side… if I desperately refuse to use my bare hands, wouldn’t that be like admitting I’m feeling “naughty” about this whole thing? Oh boy, I’ve lost track of what I’m even thinking anymore.

“…Haruno?”

“Ah—y-yes! I’ll do it with my bare hands!”

“I see. I am glad.”

…Oops, I answered on reflex. My retreat is cut off!

N-No choice but to do it. I set the towel aside, rubbed the body soap into my hands, and tried to clear my mind. I touched her back. It was cool, yet pleasant. The surface area of contact was incomparable to before; it felt like my entire nervous system was being filled with “Reine.”

S-She’s really so smooth… Goddess skin is amazing! Wait, I’m not being “clear-headed” at all! But I couldn’t stop. From her shoulders to her back, then down to her waist—carefully, gently. As if carving the lines of her body into my memory… no, no, just washing. Emptying my mind.

At one point, I heard her let out a soft breath. I couldn’t tell if it was because it felt good, or she was ticklish or if she, too, was feeling me through her back.

“…I-I’m finished.”

“I see. Thank you, Haruno.”

Lady Reine turned around and smiled at me. Her expression was serene and somehow looked fulfilled.

“Now then, Haruno. It is your turn.”

“…Eh?”

Turn? Reverse? Antibodies? Turn… a turn?! Meaning we were swapping roles… meaning Lady Reine was going to wash me? No, no, no.

“You mean you’re going to wash my body, Lady Reine…?”

“What else could it be?”

“Um, well, you don’t have to trouble your hands with someone like me…”

“…Do you… dislike it…?”

“I don’t dislike it at all!”

“Then there is no problem.”

Th-That’s cheating…! If she asks it like that, I have no choice but to say I don’t dislike it! Having given my consent, I was forced to switch positions. Feeling Lady Reine’s presence behind me brought a whole new level of tension and heart-pounding.

Her hands touched my hair. Her finger movements as she worked in the shampoo were surprisingly careful and gentle.

“Ah…”

The sensation was simply wonderful, and my strange tension melted away in an instant.

“Lady Reine, you’re really good at this…”

“Am I? I am simply mimicking what you did for me, Haruno.”

“Is that right…?”

Was there some sort of magic in her fingers? Every time she gently massaged my scalp, my head felt all fuzzy.

“…If it were just to make Haruno clean, there are many easier ways but to spend time like this, purifying you while melting you with my hands… it is quite… nice.”

“Fue…?”

In a dreamy daze, the shampoo and conditioner were finished. By the time we were done, my head was filled with happiness. And that was my mistake.

“Now then, next is your body. Are you ready?”

“Yeth…”

The next moment, my sleepy brain was jolted awake by a sweet shock.

“Hyaaah!?”

What hit me was a soft, squishy sensation enveloping my back. Th-This… b-bo-bo-bo-bo…!

“W-W-W-What are you doing!?”

“I thought this would be more efficient.”

To my shock, Lady Reine was using her own body to wash my back. Her already smooth skin, now slippery with soap suds, enveloped me in what felt like a dream—no, wait! “Efficiency” has to be a lie, Lady Reine!

“Now… let us proceed from your arms.”

“Eh? …Mnh.”

Pressing against me, Lady Reine reached her arms around from behind and captured my right hand. She traced from the back of my hand up to my bicep, then began to purify my hand thoroughly, as if polishing or massaging it.

“U-Uuugh…”

I remember suggesting a massage to her once, but what she was doing now was exactly that. It was definitely more than just “washing a body.”

“L-Lady Reine…! Wh-Where did you learn this…?”

“I have some knowledge of the human body. How do you feel?”

“Th-That’s… it feels good, but…!”

“I am glad.”

While we were talking, she finished washing my left arm, and her “devil’s hands” finally reached my collarbone.

“Um, hey! Hey, hey, hey! I’ve had quite enough, everything below that is a bit… Hyaaah!?”

Lady Reine was relentless, yet thorough as she moved further. I felt like my defensive lines were being won over one by one until they were suddenly gone.

“Your breasts are quite large, Haruno…”

“Wait! Lady Reinee…!”

It was as if I were being completely suppressed.

“Ya… haha… wait, Lady Reine! Not there… mnh.”

“It seems Haruno’s stomach is also a weak point…”

It felt as though she were correcting my arrogance for thinking I could have my way with her body, carving our respective positions into me.

“…Eh? L-Lady Reine!? Below that… you’re going that far?! T-Time out…! I’m not mentally prepared… aaah!”

With those hands of hers, she dyed every corner of my body. Down to the soles of my feet in her own color.

“Muuu…”

“Haruno, do not pout so. I apologize; I lost my self-control in the face of your loveliness.”

“That’s an excuse I can’t even stay mad at…!”

After we finished the “washing session” (or whatever that naughty thing was) and rinsed off in the shower, we finally stepped into the bathtub. However, my mind wasn’t filled with the joy of a long-awaited bath, but with thoughts of the previous “incident.”

I mean, sure, it felt good… but it was so sudden, and above all, incredibly embarrassing and since I’m Lady Reine’s Shrine Maiden, I’m not really in a position to complain about her actions. I could only express these feelings with a pouting face while Lady Reine tried to soothe me.

“By the way, Lady Reine? Aren’t you a bit close? I’m not mad, so please give me some space.”

It’s a bit late for this, but Lady Reine was still pressed right up against me. No matter how much she did it, I couldn’t get used to it; if anything, I was becoming more and more aware of her. Besides, this big tub was going to waste if she didn’t move away.

“I refuse.”

“Thought so…”

I knew it. It’s likely my fault for blurting out that “dirty eyes” thing earlier. Lady Reine was clearly acting this way on purpose to make me self-conscious. Look, even now, our shoulders are touching, and our thighs are overlapping under the water. When will I ever find peace of mind?! Bathing wasn’t supposed to be this nerve-wracking!

“Since I am in here with Haruno, I do not wish to be apart from you even by a fraction.”

“I-Is that so…”

Lady Reine’s body temperature was still a little cool. Even in the hot bath, that difference remained, and it felt pleasant. It’s a bit of a strange example, but it’s like when I was a kid and I brought snow into the bathroom to watch it melt in my hand in the tub. Maybe that’s a bit extreme.

Clinging to that memory, I naturally hugged Lady Reine back.

“! Haruno…”

“It’s a counterattack, I guess… I’ve just been on the receiving end all day today.”

As my strange excitement settled down, I delivered my best counterattack to Lady Reine.

“By the way, um… I’d like to go in alone tomorrow, if possible…”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t think my heart can take it every day!”

I really needed a break from this kind of heart-pounding intensity.