Chapter 146
Suzy could no longer suppress the smile tugging at her lips. She hurried over to him, eyes fixed on him with undisguised anticipation.
He lowered his gaze, avoiding eye contact, yet still rose to his feet of his own accord.
"Then... I won’t hold back," she said.
He gave a vague, muffled response.
Taking that as permission, Suzy reached out, her fingers trembling slightly as they came to rest against his body—warm, almost scorching beneath her touch.
The firmness under her fingertips made her nearly gasp.
It wasn’t as though she had never touched abs before. What thrilled her was his reaction—someone like him had actually agreed to let her do this. What did that mean? It meant her efforts were working.
The spirit spring water hadn’t been wasted.
She couldn’t help wondering how much his favorability toward her had increased.
A flicker of regret crossed her mind for turning off the notification system.
But it didn’t matter.
If anything, she was even more curious about what it would be like when it was finally revealed.
Maybe she’d even earn a new reward.
Realizing her thoughts had drifted, she quickly refocused on the matter at hand.
A little physical contact could help increase favorability too.
She slowly pressed her palm more fully against him, immediately sensing how stiff he had become—rigid as stone.
Clearly, he wasn’t used to her touch.
Her hand slid downward, quickly brushing over the sharply defined ridges of his abs.
"If you... don’t like this, we can stop," she murmured softly.
Even as she said it, her hand showed no intention of moving away.
"I don’t mind," he replied, his voice dry.
Suzy lifted her head and flashed him a bright smile. "That’s great, then."
He pressed his lips together, his gaze flicking upward until it fixed on the plain white ceiling.
Since he had said he didn’t mind, she didn’t hold back.
Her fingers drifted upward from his abdomen, lightly poking at his chest.
So solid... so well-built, she thought to herself.
Impressive, and generously so.
Yet at that light touch, he suddenly took a step back.
Startled, Suzy looked at him. "What’s wrong?"
With a bit of distance between them, she finally noticed the tension in his arms—muscles taut, veins standing out.
...So he was uncomfortable.
"Nothing," Thomas said, clearing his throat. Then he stepped forward again, returning to where he had been.
They were standing very close.
Close enough that the faint fragrance on her seemed to drift straight into his senses.
It was a clean, delicate scent—something like flowers, though he couldn’t quite place it.
All he knew was that it smelled... good. Comforting, yet strangely unsettling at the same time.
The scent lingered around him, mingling with her sudden touches, stirring a sensation he had never experienced before.
It was unfamiliar. Strange.
Instinctively, it made him want to retreat.
That step back earlier had been nothing more than reflex.
"You... can continue," he said, somewhat awkwardly.
Suzy pressed down the smile threatening to surface, glanced at him once, then stepped back, putting a little distance between them.
"I’m done."
He looked at her, startled. "...You sure?"
Just like that?
She had barely touched him—no, that wasn’t what he meant. He definitely hadn’t been expecting anything.
"Mm. Done." Suzy withdrew her hand and returned to their usual distance. "Thank you."
"No need."
A faint heaviness settled in his chest. Even after being thanked, he didn’t feel particularly pleased.
And yet... there was a faint trace of something else.
Regret?
He couldn’t be bothered to dissect the feeling. It sat uneasily in his chest, tinged with a hint of disappointment.
She had used something so precious to treat his wounds... only to ask for such a trivial favor in return?
She had barely touched him at all.
If anything, it had felt perfunctory—almost like she was going through the motions.
Was she trying to spare him discomfort?
He stared at Suzy, the tangled emotions inside him cresting to their peak.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, unable to hold back.
She had assumed that once she stopped, he would feel relieved.
After all, when she touched him earlier, he had looked tense—like he was forcing himself to endure it.
"...It’s nothing," Thomas replied.
A hint of unease crept into her voice. "It seems like you don’t really like being touched..."
So stopping now was probably the right call.
She had even worried she might have come on too strong and scared him off.
Wasn’t this considerate enough?
Then why did it feel like he wasn’t all that happy?
...What exactly was going on in his head?
"I don’t dislike it," he said quickly. "I’m just... not used to it. If you want to continue, you can—anytime."
The further he went, the redder his ears became.
Suzy’s gaze drifted to his arms. The veins stood out more prominently now, his muscles still tightly drawn. Even his hands, hanging at his sides, were clenched into fists.
Looking at him like this, she couldn’t quite read his true feelings.
He was... enduring it, wasn’t he?
Because of the spirit spring water?
As expected, it was better to stop while she could.
"No need." She straightened her expression. "This is enough."
Before he could react, she picked up the nearby trash bag and headed for the door.
"You should rest here for a while. I’ll go find you some clothes."
With that, she stepped out and closed the door behind her.
Click.
The office fell silent, leaving him alone.
He stood there, momentarily stunned.
The faint trace of her fragrance lingered in the air—then gradually faded.
She had left.
So... that was it?
An absurd thought surfaced in his mind: had he done something wrong? Was his body not good enough? Otherwise, why would she react like that?
She had only touched him three times.
He couldn’t help but spiral into restless thoughts.
***
At the same time, Suzy had already made her way into a menswear store.
A thin layer of dust covered the clothes, but that didn’t matter.
The shop specialized in athletic wear. She picked out several pieces for him, all in the largest size available.
She grabbed a few for herself as well.
On her way back, she ran into Gloria.
"Big sister!"
Gloria was carrying a bundle of items too, packed into a black bag. When she spotted Suzy, she hurried over.
Her eyes fell on the clothes in Suzy’s arms. "You went to get clothes?"
Suzy nodded. "Yeah. My friend’s clothes got soaked, so I picked out some clean ones for him. That’s okay, right?"
Gloria smiled. "Of course. You can take whatever you want from the mall."
Food was the only exception.
But all the food had already been gathered beforehand—so even if Suzy had wanted any, there wouldn’t have been any left to take.
"What brings you here? Were you looking for me?" Suzy asked.
Gloria shifted the black plastic bag in her arms.
"I came to bring you dinner."