Bathing? Peeking!

The Trailblazer showed no displeasure at Professor Ratio's mockery.

Instead, she wore the delighted expression of someone whose particular fetish had been satisfied.

Aha: What's with turning into an M in front of Dr. Ratio? Why are you so excited about getting roasted?

Stelle: You don't understand! Professor Ratio is practically half my godfather. Whatever he says is right, and everything he says makes sense!

Aha: In some ways, Trailblazer, you're more suited to being the Aeon of Elation than I am...

The floral fragrance in the air grew richer and richer.

The Trailblazer rose eagerly to her feet.

"Professor, aside from the Express Crew, you're the first person to enter my room. Let me show you around."

It was just a room. What was there to see?

To some extent, a private residence represented one's privacy.

Professor Ratio had no desire to pry into the Trailblazer's living quarters.

But the Trailblazer had already gotten to her feet, looking ready to show off the sheer size of her room to Dr. Ratio.

Well, fine.

Professor Ratio stood and followed the Trailblazer as she led him around the enormous room.

Not bad, not bad. The computer screen was huge.

If not for the fact that the computer was filled entirely with downloaded games, it would have been an excellent choice for reading academic papers.

Although there were two small animals in the room—a Pom-Pom and a Trotter—it was spotlessly clean. There was no loose fur on the floor and no strange odor in the air. Clearly, the room's owner liked cleaning.

The bathroom...

The Trailblazer had actually installed such a huge bathtub?!

Dr. Ratio stopped dead beside the bathtub.

And the Trailblazer was exactly the sort who tailored her approach to the person before her.

Whether she had been introducing the two little pets, the computer screen, or her collection, she had babbled on and on for ages.

It had all merely been buildup for this huge bathtub.

When Stelle saw Professor Ratio's eyes light up at the sight of the tub, she knew it suited his tastes.

As a student who received free guidance from the Intelligentsia Guild's chief professor, Stelle naturally kept every one of her mentor's preferences firmly in mind.

Soaking in a bathtub was Professor Ratio's second-favorite hobby.

His favorite hobby was reading while soaking.

"Professor, my bathtub is huge, right? Could I trouble you to offer some constructive feedback after you've used it?"

The Trailblazer crouched down, opened a cabinet drawer, and pulled out three kinds of bath additives.

One was filled with the fragrance of roses.

Its scent overflowed from the package, as though it could soak whoever used it into skin as delicate as rose petals.

There was also a spicy red oil bath additive.

Though the name sounded terrifying, soaking in it caused no discomfort at all. It merely looked as though one had climbed into a hot pot base.

And there was a little yellow duck bath additive.

This was the Dr. Ratio carefully selected edition. When the Trailblazer had been obsessed with baths some time ago, this was her favorite.

Holding the little yellow duck bath additive, the Trailblazer fell into thought and muttered to herself.

"Professor has probably gotten tired of using little yellow ducks. Maybe he should try this spicy red oil one..."

Stelle nodded, thinking she had chosen the right path. Just as she was about to put the little yellow duck bath additive back into the drawer—

A hand suddenly reached out beside her and stopped her.

"No. This one."

"Oh, okay."

Stelle put the rose and red oil bath additives back where they belonged.

Imagining that she was about to personally witness Dr. Ratio bathing, why did she feel a little excited?

The Trailblazer wore an eager expression.

To this, Professor Ratio responded: What exactly were you thinking?

He gave Stelle a speechless look, his gaze moving back and forth between the door and her face.

Fine.

Since the professor's face practically spelled out that he wanted her gone—

The Trailblazer left reluctantly, looking back with every step.

Stelle sat on the sofa and resumed playing with her phone out of boredom.

The sound of water running came from the bathroom, along with the rustle of fabric as clothes were removed.

The Trailblazer had always been a Stellaron Spirit with an exceptionally vivid imagination.

The phone in her hand instantly lost all appeal.

She unconsciously lifted her head, her gaze falling on the half-frosted glass door. Through it, she could vaguely make out the mist swirling within.

It draped everything in the bathroom in a hazy veil.

As the Trailblazer stared absentmindedly at the glass door, she suddenly yawned despite herself.

Wait.

At such a thrilling, imagination-stirring moment—

She actually... how could she possibly... be sleepy?!

Why had she suddenly become so restrained?

Her gaze swept across the room before finally landing on the culprit: the Jade Lotus flowers in the vase.

Their fragrance filled the air and flooded her senses.

The Trailblazer remembered.

While she and Dr. Ratio had been sitting on the sofa earlier, they had already inhaled a great deal of the floral scent.

Even she, someone who had only just awakened from an afternoon nap, was feeling overwhelmingly drowsy.

Then Professor Ratio, who was currently in the bathroom, wrapped in warm water and entwined by curling steam, had even less chance of staying awake, right?

Better yet, perhaps he had already fallen asleep.

A smile curled across the Trailblazer's lips.

Hehe, this really wasn't her fault.

Who told the professor to arrive at such a perfect time?

He could have come earlier or later, but he had come precisely when she had taken out the hypnotic Jade Lotus.

Stelle slowly rose to her feet.

As she quietly opened the Elation Switch, she softened her footsteps and headed toward the bathroom.

Mm, just in case. Better leave myself a backup plan.

If Professor Ratio had fallen asleep, that would be easy enough. But what if he had not?

The professor would definitely be furious if his bath was interrupted, and that anger was not something Trailblazer Stelle could bear.

So she called upon the Elation Stelle.

"Please, my other self—the great undertaking of taking down the professor is in your hands!"

Trailblazer Stelle devoutly pressed her palms together and bowed, then silently switched states.

The girl slowly lowered her head. In a single instant, her eyes turned sharp.

She saw that she was standing before the bathroom door, and someone was clearly bathing inside.

Elation Stelle clicked her tongue in disappointment.

This Trailblazer was really bored out of her mind. Why had she called her out for something as sneaky and shameless as peeking at someone bathing?

Though Stelle silently grumbled about herself, she still hypocritically reached out and gently pulled the glass door open a crack.

Within the swirling steam, Professor Ratio held a book in his left hand, with the entire left side of his arm draped over the edge of the bathtub.

Water droplets clung to the man's deep night-purple hair. The mist in the bathroom was too thick, and together with the reflection on the water's surface, Stelle could not clearly see what lay beneath it.

Stelle slowly approached Professor Ratio and crouched beside him, studying his expressionless face and closed eyes.

She could be certain that Professor Ratio had fallen asleep.

Having reached that conclusion—

The girl's gaze brazenly traveled down from the man's collarbone.