Liu Bai raised an eyebrow.
"Drenched, aren't you?"
"No, I'm not!"
"...Right, right. Nothing of the sort."
Liu Bai could not be bothered to dwell on the subject with the embarrassed girl.
"Anyway, by my judgment, you can go out now."
"Eh."
"But like this..."
Guinaifen was somewhat concerned about how she looked right now.
Yet this appearance was exactly what made it good.
Guinaifen had not noticed at all just how disheveled she looked.
"It's fine. You're in my room anyway."
"That's exactly why it's concerning! Your room is practically a public place, isn't it?!"
"..."
Guinaifen was unexpectedly perceptive about that.
"But... since you've said so, I suppose it's not impossible..."
Guinaifen suddenly changed her mind again.
"If I go out now, then once I'm mostly recovered, I'll be able to move around freely, right?"
Guinaifen did some mental calculations. Never mind her physical condition—living in a birdcage outside was humiliating play anyway, so stacking the time for both humiliating experiences together was obviously better than separating them.
...Unless she was a masochist.
"More or less. Though you might have to be a slave for longer."
"That doesn't matter."
After weighing it repeatedly, Guinaifen decided she could accept it. "Take me out, Lord Liu Bai."
--
"The boss is back."
"Looks like your arrangement didn't work."
Jade and Fu Xuan watched the surveillance feed together. Liu Bai and Guinaifen emerged without anything unusual about them; it seemed the drugs in the room had failed.
It was understandable that there was no surprise on Fu Xuan's face, but Jade did not seem particularly surprised either.
"It doesn't matter."
Jade smiled faintly and rose from her chair.
Yet the moment she stood, someone knocked at the door.
"Excuse me."
"...Ms. Jingliu? Is there something you need here?"
"It's regarding the