Chapter 315: Intrigue
"Can’t you stay...?" asked Masane, looking as pitiable and seductive as possible as Vahn prepared to leave her room. Vahn would be lying if he said the sight of her lying on her back with her arms raised, legs spread, and feet tucked up wasn’t enticing, but he managed to appear cool and calm as he answered, "I could, but there are others awaiting my care and attention. I’ll prepare an herbal bath for you before I go."
"I don’t wanna..." muttered Masane, compelling Vahn to peer back at her from over his right shoulder as she rolled onto her side and made a show of puffing her cheeks and pouting.
Leaving Masane to her antics, Vahn migrated to her bathroom, a relatively small facility with a single sink, a toilet, and a combined shower and tub. A white door on the opposite side led to Rihoko’s room, but Vahn didn’t have to worry about her abruptly appearing as she was having a sleepover with Lupheria, Lastia, and a few others.
Instead of filling the bath using the faucet, Vahn took a knee and placed his left hand in the tub, its porcelain base cool to the touch as the color of his hair shifted from dark brown to glossy black. His eyes likewise shifted from aquamarine to violet as he emulated the unique energy signature of the Sitri Clan, granting him the ability to produce and manipulate water at will.
Factoring that Masane’s body temperature was much higher than normal, particularly at that moment, Vahn unleashed a steady flow of water from his palm, controlling it to be around 45°C. Halfway through, he shifted to using the power of the Oil Oil Fruit, producing lavender, orange, tea tree, peppermint, and eucalyptus oils from his fingertips before pulling out an ornate, tear-shaped porcelain bottle and pouring a viscous pink liquid into the glossy, fragrant water.
’This ought to do it...’ thought Vahn, emulating the power of Whitebeard’s Tremor Tremor Fruit to make his hand and the water tremble, causing pale pink bubbles to form on its surface and nearly spill over. The liquid he had poured in was an extract made using the Bubble Bubble Fruit, so not only was it exceptionally sudsy, it could dissolve even grease.
Satisfied with his preparations, Vahn took a moment to dry his hands with a towel before returning to Masane’s room. She was initially sitting up, but when she saw him return, she hastily returned to sulking with her cheeks puffed even larger than before.
"Bath time," said Vahn, approaching the side of Masane’s bed and pulling the blankets to pull her closer. Then, before she could protest, he picked her up like a Princess and met her wide-eyed, ruddy-cheeked gaze with a relaxed smile. Several silvery blades erupted from her spine, stabbing into his right forearm, but he didn’t bat an eye as he ferried her to the bath and carefully placed her inside—one of a handful of reasons he had her don a bikini before the massage.
Contrasting Masane’s expectations, Vahn didn’t immediately leave after placing her in the bath. Instead, he stayed, carefully manipulating the cloudy and warm water to climb up and cleanse her body while using his left hand and the power of the Tremor Tremor Fruit to make the entire bath vibrate. At the same time, he engaged her in idle conversation, his voice deep and soothing as he asked about her work, how things were going with Rihoko, and any other subjects he believed might interest her until she could barely keep her eyes open due to how relaxed she felt...
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