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**Cough…!**

Zion suddenly threw a soaked towel right at my face, and I fell backward, plunging into the water.

In an instant, my vision and breathing were obstructed, and although I tried to peel the towel off my face, it was stuck, as if it had wrapped around my head.

What a silly situation—I don’t have anyone to save me right now?!

Just as visions of drowning in the hot spring while completely naked danced before my eyes…

– *Thud*

“Huh?”

My body hit the bottom. Oh right, I’m only thigh-deep here.

I calmly adjusted my posture and stood up, managing to come out of the water.

I fumbled around to find the edge of the towel and finally pulled the wet towel away from my face.

“Whooah~!”

It was a dizzying experience that almost made me see stars.

I needed to open my eyes, so I quickly shook my hands to dry them off and rubbed my face to wipe the moisture away…

“…You can’t open your eyes!!”

What was that noise? My ears were ringing, and it was hard to catch it, so I shook my head side to side to clear the water out.

“You can’t open your eyes yet!!”

It seemed Zion realized I hadn’t heard him and shouted again.

He meant I shouldn’t open my eyes since I still wasn’t covering myself.

Caught in Zion’s urgent plea, I ended up standing awkwardly in the middle of the hot spring, with my eyes shut and clutching a towel.

“Uh, um, please turn it back to me quickly!”

“Where is it?”

“Here! This way!”

Having just fallen into the water, my sense of direction was still a mess. I reached out with the towel in the direction of Zion’s voice.

“No, not that way, a little more to the left…”

It felt like I was playing a game of blindfolded tag as I moved around, following Zion’s directions to reach the towel, and at some point, the towel slipped out of my grasp as if someone had snatched it away. It was probably Zion.

“Now open your eyes.”

“Oof, it’s so stuffy. Is it done?”

When I opened my eyes again, I saw Zion sitting on the floor, once again draped in a towel.

“Yes. Thank you, Hop Harvey. And I’m sorry for falling in because of me…”

“The water was shallow, so it wasn’t a big deal. Don’t feel too bad about it.”

“Well, that’s a relief, but…”

Anyway, now that the ruckus had died down, I got out of the water and brought over a chair for Zion to sit on while extending my hand to him.

“So when someone offers to help, why don’t you just accept it? Why cause such a fuss by trying to manage everything alone?”

“Because I feel embarrassed.”

“You’re still that embarrassed?”

“Of course I’m embarrassed! I’ll probably be embarrassed for life.”

Even while expressing his embarrassment, Zion took my extended hand and, with his other hand, pulled himself up to finally sit down.

I always thought of Zion as a good companion who could ask for help whenever he needed, but it seems there are times he’s hesitant like this.

It’s better than avoiding asking for help out of guilt or some other reason, but really, being embarrassed…

“Then let’s make it so you won’t feel embarrassed anymore by just doing everything!”

“Wha-what did you say?!”

“Just kidding~.”

“Ahh, I knew it! I was being targeted by you, teacher! What on earth made me follow you all the way to a place like this…”

As if he were trying to escape from me, Zion frantically moved his feet while sitting in the chair, heading towards a place to wash up, gathering soap and foamy towels.

“If I can’t trust Hop Harvey with my body, who am I supposed to ask to wash me?”

Zion mumbled with a sulky expression, holding soap and towels in both hands, rubbing up and down endlessly.

The foam from the soap kept spilling over, swirling down to the floor and creating a white mess.

I couldn’t tell if he was asking me for help or not—

“Who else but me?”

“Of course, it makes sense. I wonder how my life ended up like this…”

Sighing resignedly, Zion raised his hand and offered me a towel.

“Then…”

As I took the foam-covered towel, Zion spun around and exposed his back to me.

“But please be quick! I’m still embarrassed!”

Since he said that, I also wanted to finish up quickly, but…

“Cleanliness is important, so I have to make sure to do it properly.”

Zion usually comments on how I handle his body as a patient, so it was amusing to just go along with it.

If I worded it in a way that made it seem like I wanted to touch him more, Zion would completely scold me again.

“…….”

However, contrary to my expectation that he would immediately counter and get mad, Zion stayed silent for a moment with his hands together and slowly said,

“Do whatever you want.”

Then, he gathered his long hair, which was damp and sticking to his shoulders, and raised it to get it out of the way, pulling the towel covering his body to reveal his bare skin on his back.

Huh? This isn’t the reaction I expected!

Even as I stood there, dumbfounded by the unexpected situation, Zion remained silent.

It felt like he should’ve scolded me with “What are you doing? Hurry up!” but I didn’t even hear that, and after a short while, I finally regained my senses and fetched another chair to sit behind him.

The sight before me was ordinary yet breathtaking.

With a submissive posture, hiding only the front while presenting his back to me, Zion’s body was flushed red from the heat of the hot spring.

“I’ll start now.”

“…….”

I signaled Zion to avoid being startled and carefully brought the foamy towel to his back, letting the white bubbles shimmer and cascade down.

My heart, inside my left chest, was pounding relentlessly, almost as if it wanted to convey something important to me.

And this heartbeat… no, what my brain controlling this heart was trying to communicate was clear.

Could it be that I’m… excited right now?

My head felt hot, and a chill ran down my spine. My breathing was getting heavier, and every nerve in my body was on edge.

Various signals from my body reported back to me about my current condition with all their might.

It wasn’t just because I was a doctor; any person in the world couldn’t miss these bodily reactions.

Sure, I was staring at the naked body of an exquisitely beautiful woman, but I was still a doctor after all.

Zion often complained that I had ulterior motives regarding his body as a patient, but I had never felt this way during treatment before.

Realizing that the body of Zion, the hero of this world, was so fragile, delicate, and beautiful—it was all too overwhelming.

“What? If you’re uncomfortable, just say so at any time.”

“……Yes, teacher.”

Worrying that Zion’s delicate skin might react sensitively, praying I wouldn’t rub too hard to cause any pain, and hoping I wouldn’t touch inappropriately—each small movement required my utmost concentration.

The heightened sensitivity and unnecessary focus only aggravated my own excitement.

The feeling of Zion’s bare skin was clearer through the towel, and the small veins that reddened his pure white skin caught my attention, making me feel as if time was slowing down.

I even began to worry that my breath might feel cold or ticklish against Zion’s back.

This is clearly not normal. Why on earth am I…

“I’m done.”

Zion’s back was completely covered in foam, and only then did I snap back to reality, finally able to breathe out.

As running water splashed onto Zion’s back, his clean skin became visible again.

Since I had taken great care in washing him, it sparkled and looked soft and smooth…

“Hyah!”

Zion suddenly perked up straight, startled.

I reflexively pulled my hand away from his back.

So, that’s it. I accidentally brushed my fingers against his back.

Zion, a little flustered, curled back up slightly and sneaked a glance at me.

“Wha-What was that for?! You suddenly tickled me…!”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

An awkward atmosphere filled the air.

What is this? What is this feeling? Why do I feel like this…

“Anyway, now it’s your turn, Hop Harvey! Give me that…”

“W-wait a minute!! Don’t turn around!!”

“Yes?”

I hastily stopped Zion from spinning in his seat.

No, no, no, no—that’s absolutely out of the question… I couldn’t let Zion show me everything in front of me.

If he saw me like this, everything between us would be over.

Holding Zion still, I turned around first and presented my back to him before calling him to face me.

“You can turn around now.”

After confirming that Zion had turned, I leaned forward and offered my back to him.

A moment later, I began to feel Zion’s touches from behind.

Just as I felt when I had touched Zion’s body, it seemed that he was also cautiously managing to touch mine.

Whether Zion’s hands were gentle, or it was the foam making everything soft…

It could also be that Zion wasn’t able to apply the necessary strength.

It felt oddly ticklish.

Should I be surprised and look back at Zion to say I was ticklish too?

No, right now I needed to focus on calming down the various reactions happening in my body.

I shouldn’t look at Zion’s face, and I shouldn’t concentrate too much on his touches.

I just needed to remain still, letting Zion’s hands touch my back, taking deep breaths while waiting for my body’s excitement to subside.

 

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