Bathhouse Whispers and Unexpected Encounters

The bathhouse served as an excellent venue for fostering connections. The second-year students had just been reshuffled into new classes a few days prior, forging new friendships and possessing a strong desire to chat.

As Jiang Li queued to collect her locker key, several girls beside her struck up a conversation.

“Which class did you all get into?”

“Science Class 4. Don’t even ask; there are only ten girls in the entire class.”

“Haha, who told you not to choose liberal arts?”

“So, which class are you in?”

“Liberal Arts Class 2.”

“Liberal Arts Class 2… Wait, is *that person* in your class?”

“Yes, the legendary top student, Jiang Li.”

Hearing her own name, Jiang Li unconsciously ran a hand through her light, shoulder-length hair.

‘The air in the bathhouse was quite steamy; it should be difficult for anyone to recognize me.’

“Yes, yes, that’s her! Have you seen her? What kind of person is she?”

“Have you ever spoken to her? What does her voice sound like?”

The girls were intensely curious about Jiang Li.

The girl from Class 2 spread her hands. “Don’t even mention it. She’s super cold, you know? Even though she’s pretty, hardly anyone dares to speak to her.”

“If that’s the case, isn’t she quite a recluse?”

“As expected, all geniuses have their pride.”

Jiang Li’s expression remained unchanged.

She had heard similar evaluations countless times since her first year of high school; her heart felt no ripples.

‘In fact, it was better this way, saving her from having people try to strike up a conversation.’

Just as she thought this, the girl from Class 2 continued, “That might not be the case. While she’s cold to everyone else, she’s always with a certain big-chested girl, inseparable.”

Jiang Li paused, slightly stunned.

“What? There’s such a thing?”

“Yeah, they sit together in class, leave together after class, and even stick together for meals.”

“If that’s the case, and you think about her coldness towards others, emmmm… I can’t really say.”

“Just ponder it for a bit, tsk tsk.”

A subtle shift crossed Jiang Li’s expression.

Having retrieved her key, she quickly departed, not daring to linger for another step.

****

“Whoosh~ whoosh-whoosh~”

Xi Yao started the water to preheat, simultaneously stripping off her clothes, ready for a fragrant wash.

Having been reborn for over three months, she had bathed countless times and was now intimately familiar with her own body.

‘After all, it had been ‘opened’ (TL Note: A euphemism for having had s*x or being intimately familiar with one’s body), so how could she be unfamiliar with it?’

She coiled her long, straight white hair into a bun at the back of her head, then, feeling the water gradually warm, hummed contentedly.

‘Since her rebirth, this body had developed a particular fondness for the water element, though she wasn’t sure why.’

Just then, the light-haired girl also entered, carefully closing the shower stall door.

“Jiang Li, you’re back! The water’s already warm…”

Xi Yao turned to look, noticing an inexplicable strangeness in her roommate’s expression, and asked curiously, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” Jiang Li replied, pressing down on Xi Yao’s delicate shoulder. “I told you, don’t turn around.”

“Mmm…”

‘I didn’t even turn all the way around,’ Xi Yao thought, ‘I just glanced back.’

Jiang Li tested the water with her hand, and feeling the temperature was about right, said, “You can wash now.”

‘Let’s begin. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can leave. With the shower door closed, the air feels stuffy.’

“Alright,” Xi Yao said, settling onto the small stool in the shower stall. “Come on, scrub me until I’m glowing with health.”

Jiang Li silently squeezed shower gel into her hand, listening to Xi Yao’s spirited pronouncements.

“Scrub me until I’m vigorous and spirited (TL Note: ‘huhu shengfeng,’ an idiom describing something vibrant and powerful), scrub me until I’m progressing a thousand miles a day, scrub me until I feel like I’ve been reborn into another world (TL Note: ‘huangran geshi,’ an idiom describing a feeling of profound change or detachment)… Hiss!”

The moment Jiang Li began, Xi Yao cried out, “Stop, stop, stop! Lighter, lighter! You’re too rough!”

Jiang Li paused, slightly bewildered. “Didn’t you say you wanted…”

‘Vigorous and spirited, as if reborn into another world? Was that not vigorous enough?’

“My mistake,” Xi Yao said, sticking out her tongue slightly. “I didn’t realize you had so much strength.”

She recalled Xi Ruo’s earth-shattering long shot on the field yesterday, a ‘white rainbow piercing the sun (TL Note: ‘baihong guanri,’ an idiom describing a powerful, unstoppable force),’ a force definitely beyond the scope of a normal person.

And Jiang Li, known as the “new generation’s Xi Ruo,” was naturally a ‘hexagonal panel’ (TL Note: A gaming term referring to a character with high stats across the board) with A-rank strength and speed; her power was not to be underestimated.

“Alright,” Jiang Li conceded helplessly. “I’ll be gentler.”

The air in the shower stall was hazy, yet one could still vaguely discern the girl’s smooth, jade-like back, soft and fragrant.

‘If it were anyone else,’ Jiang Li thought, ‘seeing my roommate like this, sitting right in front of them, they definitely wouldn’t be able to control themselves.’

‘Fortunately, I’m not a lesbian.’

‘In any case, I’ll start gently…’

“Too hard, too hard,” Xi Yao nearly tumbled forward. “A little lighter.”

“…How about now?”

“Better, but if you were a little more gentle, it would probably be even better.”

“…And now?”

“Emmmm, Jiang Li, I believe you can be a gentler girl.”

“…”

With one last, even lighter touch, Xi Yao finally sighed contentedly. “Ah, that’s comfortable, that’s it, this exact pressure.”

“…” Jiang Li remained expressionless.

‘Could this really be called scrubbing? It was practically just stroking.’

‘But then again, the sensation was truly wonderful… Still, the same thought remained: fortunately, I’m not a lesbian; anyone else would be utterly overwhelmed.’

Watching Xi Yao hum comfortably, Jiang Li suddenly remembered the words she had overheard earlier and felt a touch of unease.

“Xi Yao, have you heard?”

“Hmm?” Xi Yao blinked blankly. “Heard what?”

“Well, there are rumors about you and me outside,” Jiang Li stammered, “not very good rumors.”

Xi Yao looked even more bewildered. “Why would there be rumors about you and me?”

Jiang Li’s cheeks flushed slightly. “Because they think I don’t get along with anyone else, except for you.”

“Oh, that’s simple then,” Xi Yao said casually. “Just become good friends with someone else, and the rumors will dispel themselves.”

“…Let’s just forget about that.”

‘If she had that intention, she wouldn’t have been talked about like that in the first place.’

“Then let’s do the opposite,” Xi Yao suggested logically. “I’ll go find someone else and become good friends with them, and that way the rumors will also be broken.”

“You…”

Jiang Li suddenly felt a pang of unhappiness, though she couldn’t quite pinpoint why, and her hands unconsciously applied a little more force.

“Ow!”

Xi Yao cried out in pain, then turned to look at her, puzzled. “Jiang Li, what’s wrong?”

“I didn’t… Hiss.”

Just as Jiang Li was about to speak, the mist before her eyes suddenly cleared, revealing a vast expanse of dazzling white, and her mind instantly went blank.

‘The impact was too strong.’

“Don’t you dare turn around!”

The girl forcefully turned Xi Yao back around, then snatched the showerhead, letting the water cascade over her.

The steaming mist concealed Xi Yao’s captivating figure, and also hid Jiang Li’s flushed face.

‘It was still the same thought: fortunately, I… anyone else would definitely…’

In that moment, Jiang Li seemed to finally understand her older sister a little. The allure of a big-chested beauty was indeed hard to resist.

‘Next time they met, she could ask her sister if she had also succumbed under such circumstances.’

Regardless, the back-scrubbing mission was complete. The two girls rinsed themselves off one after another, emerging fresh and fragrant.

“Jiang Li,” Xi Yao said, feeling a little unsatisfied. “Let’s go soak in the bath pool for a bit!”

‘Ever since her rebirth, she had always soaked in a bathtub until she was thoroughly relaxed at home. Just a quick shower rinse now simply wasn’t enough to satisfy her.’