In Terra, a Hunter, and Also a Bad Woman

Even though it was her first time visiting Hoshiguma's home, she had never felt this restrained before.

Watching Maria bustle about the room, she could not help but ask.

"What are you...?"

"Acting as a maid."

Maria's answer was straightforward.

But Ch'en froze.

"A... a maid?"

"Someone responsible for helping take care of household chores and such."

Maria said it calmly.

"No... I know what a maid is. I'm just a little confused..."

"Confused about why I would be a maid?" Maria turned her head. "I'm not shameless enough to live in someone else's home without a care... Miss Hoshiguma is a good person. Since she is willing to take me in and let me stay here temporarily, I must give her the proper return."

After hearing Maria's explanation, Ch'en wore a complicated expression.

She could already imagine the carefree Hoshiguma awkwardly smiling when Maria said she wanted to repay her by becoming a maid, not knowing how to refuse, and ultimately having no choice but to agree.

Come to think of it, it was strange.

This somewhat old-fashioned Maria might actually get along quite well with the carefree Hoshiguma.

It felt like the kind of protagonist and stiff female lead pairing that only appeared in storybooks...

After thinking for a while, Ch'en ultimately could not remain seated obediently. She turned around and began helping Maria with the housework.

But when it came to housework, there was not actually much for the two of them to do.

Both Hoshiguma and Maria were fairly clean people, and there was not much trash in the house. All Ch'en could do was make the already clean floor even cleaner.

After finishing everything, Ch'en had worked up a bit of sweat.

But seeing the spotless room also improved her mood considerably.

Just as Ch'en was admiring the immaculate room with satisfaction—

Maria slowly walked over with a set of clothes in her hands...

A Few Matters in the Bathroom

"So... what exactly is going on?"

Sitting in the bathtub, Ch'en curled up tensely in a corner, her face crimson and her widened eyes nearly spinning in circles.

She kept her head lowered, not daring to look ahead.

That pale, bare body had thrown her mind into disarray...

What exactly was going on?

It had started a few minutes earlier.

After helping Maria clean the room, Ch'en was not tired, but she had worked up some sweat.

Considering that Ch'en had come to see Hoshiguma yet ended up helping her with the housework, Maria thought for a while before inviting her to take a bath first.

Ch'en did not think much of it and happily agreed.

After all, she had occasionally stayed at Hoshiguma's place for a few nights before. Taking a bath there was perfectly natural.

What she had not expected was that Maria's invitation had truly been an invitation!

Just after she had briefly washed herself, Maria came in as well.

One glimpse of that snow-white figure left her completely at a loss.

But what she understood even less was why Maria would do this.

Maria's answer was very simple.

"Bathing together saves a lot of time."

Then, ignoring Ch'en's embarrassment, she quietly began washing herself beside her.

Fortunately, although Hoshiguma was rough in many aspects of daily life, she cared quite a bit about hygiene.

The entire bathroom was well furnished and spacious enough. To make it convenient for her large frame to soak, Hoshiguma had even specially ordered an oversized bathtub.

That made it easy for Maria and Ch'en to soak in it together.

But Maria clearly did not care, while Ch'en was tense beyond measure.

Maria's slender body occupied only half the tub. To make room for Ch'en, she had even crossed her fair legs, her graceful figure reclining casually against the other side of the bath. The hot water soaked through her fine white hair, making it cling to the sides of her face, gentle and elegant.

But Ch'en curled herself up in the opposite corner, hiding her body behind her bent knees. Her face was crimson, and she did not dare look at Maria.

It might not have been obvious through clothing, but now Ch'en could truly see Maria's nearly perfect body.

Her delicate skin did not seem to leave room for even droplets of water to remain. Against its snowy surface, there was a faint blush around her joints. Her unfocused eyes had lost their sharpness, and her exquisite features carried a touch of soft beauty from being dampened by the water.

Not to mention those curves that made one want to sigh in admiration, and those soft pink lips.

Could someone really have such a perfect body?!

Ch'en could not help looking down at herself.

To be honest, Ch'en had cared about her figure before, but only as something to compare during idle conversation.

After all, she had never regarded her body as any sort of ability.

But compared to Maria, a peerless beauty on par with a model... no, far surpassing ordinary models, she felt as though she had suffered a devastating defeat.

Ch'en secretly raised her head and looked at the pale legs extending almost to her side.

Those slightly crossed legs traced a unique curve, and paired with Maria's relaxed posture, made her seem especially alluring.

The more carefully Ch'en looked, the more she could feel her face burning.

So white... They look so smooth...

I want to touch them...

Ch'en followed the line of Maria's toes, slowly looking upward.

But when she finally reached the end, her expression stiffened.

Across from her, Maria had somehow already come back to herself. Leaning against the edge of the tub, she was silently watching Ch'en.

"Interested?"

She spoke with a faint smile, lightly swinging her slender outstretched leg as the top of her foot brushed against Ch'en's waist.

"Ah..."

Having been discovered, Ch'en felt the same embarrassment as if she had been caught peeping. Maria's question made her want to crawl into a crack in the floor.

What was this?!

She had been staring at someone else's body and got caught...

Was this some kind of humiliating game?!

"Hm~"

Maria did not say anything else, merely slowly curling her lips.

She slowly raised her slender arm from the water and turned her body to one side. Her expression was gentle as she looked at the embarrassed, tense Ch'en before her.

"Shy?"

"..."

"Like a little girl who has never seen another girl's body before, Detective Girl."

Maria spoke softly, her gentle words carrying a trace of teasing.

That tone, like that of a mature older sister facing a bashful child, made Ch'en's throat itch. She tried her best not to be affected by Maria, but the deeper she breathed, the more she could feel that enchanting fragrance clouding her mind.

In the dim room, there were only the two of them.

Touching, melding, coming together, and finally blooming beneath restraint...

In the darkness, those gray, captivating eyes filled with tenderness, pale skin pressed tightly against her own...

"Urgh—!"

When Ch'en came back to her senses, her face had turned an even more alarming shade of red.

Something was wrong. There had to be something wrong with her.

How could she think about something like that?!

Why would she think something like that about Maria?!

What was wrong with her?!

Ch'en kept swallowing.

In her mind, she tried to recall her Chixiao Swordsmanship to calm herself down.

But unfortunately, as Maria drew closer, those thoughts were completely shattered.

Right in front of Ch'en, Maria silently moved closer. While Ch'en was dazed, her pale hands seized Ch'en's wrists and pinned them against the side of the bathtub. She looked down at the little dragon girl before her, their softness pressing together under gravity.

She simply looked down at Ch'en, her expression calm.

And under that forceful movement, Ch'en's voice gradually turned bashful.

"Wait... wait... wait a moment... No..."

She murmured, but rather than resistance, her voice sounded more like shy acceptance.

Even Ch'en was surprised that she could make such... such strange sounds.

Her muddled mind had gone completely blank.

But Maria did not make any further move. She merely stared silently at her.

After Ch'en bashfully turned her head aside, Maria reached out, sliding her hand up from Ch'en's neck and forcefully hooking a finger beneath her chin, making her meet her gaze.

"Look at me."

Her voice was calm, yet it made Ch'en's heart race so fast she could barely breathe.

After hesitating for a long time, Ch'en finally gritted her teeth and turned back in humiliation, looking at Maria.

"Is that enough...?"

Even her lips trembled as she spoke, and her reddened eyes shimmered with tears.

She was really about to cry.

But Maria remained unmoved. She merely slid the hand holding Ch'en's chin to the side of her face and gently cupped it.

Their faces drew closer and closer...

Just as things were about to develop in an increasingly dangerous direction—

The bathroom door suddenly opened.

"Yo, what are you two... doing?"

Hoshiguma stared at the scene in the bathroom with a stunned expression, momentarily at a complete loss...

Maybe...

"Just checking her body."

"Checking her body?"

Hoshiguma listened to Maria's explanation, then turned to look at the two of them in that ambiguous... no, this could not even be called ambiguous anymore.

They were practically there already, weren't they?

They were about to start, right?

Had she come back at the wrong time?