Holy Water and Crimson

Hot water sprayed from the showerhead, filling the bathroom with steam.

After wetting Sakio’s hair, Florina squeezed out shampoo and lathered it on her head.

“Pain!”

Earlier, Sakio had felt shy, but when the pain side effect kicked in, all such thoughts vanished.

Every press of Florina’s hands only amplified her pain!

“Pain is right. You didn’t want to enter the bath earlier, like a child refusing medicine.”

With a tone of reproach, Florina picked up a basin of water and poured it over Sakio’s head.

As the water flowed over her body, it transformed into a glowing black substance.

Sakio vaguely sensed that some of the accumulated pain inside her body seemed to be carried away.

“Ahhh!” Sakio couldn’t help but emit a pleasurable groan.

Outside the bathroom, the eyeball watched as Paranoid Doll waved.

“Are you an adult’s newly tamed monster?”

The doll said, “I’m not a monster.

I just came along to make sure Florina treated my subordinate properly.”

“Wow!”

The eyeball felt a little inferior.

Humans had been tamed as subordinates, but it could only serve as Florina’s “encyclopedia.”

They overheard Sakio’s sounds.

The doll panicked, lifting a leg to run toward the bathroom.

“Florina must be bullying my subordinate.”

Seeing this, the eyeball quickly extended its tentacles and restrained the doll.

It couldn’t let her ruin the adult’s good deed.

“Don’t go!”

“Why are you stopping me!”

The doll struggled, punching and kicking the tentacles, but its soft limbs couldn’t cause any harm.

The eyeball felt as if the doll was giving it a massage instead.

“They’re just doing something pleasurable.”

The doll didn’t believe it.

“Girls can have pleasurable things between them?”

“Clearly, you don’t understand at all!”

“Understand what?”

“I have some goodies here if you want.”

The eyeball released the doll, signaling her to come closer.

Meanwhile, Hoshino Sakio could feel Florina’s skin warmth with every movement.

So intimate, keeping her eyes closed to avoid looking at Florina was the greatest effort she could make.

To distract herself, Sakio asked,

“If holy light can’t heal me, why does bathing with Florina work?”

“Water is the most suitable medium for replacement.

I guide the divine energy through the water, washing away the pain side effect in your body.”

With that, another basin of water poured over Sakio’s head.

“The church often calls water infused with divine energy holy water and sells it.”

Church and holy water?

Paired with the doll’s earlier words that Florina was a saint.

Sakio had never heard a magical girl call herself a saint.

It seemed more common in Western fantasy novels.

“Florina, aren’t you from this world?”

Asking this made Sakio regret her rashness.

What if she guessed wrong, or Florina wanted to hide her identity?

It would be a huge misunderstanding.

Unexpectedly, Florina was straightforward.

“You seem more perceptive than Kishiro in this matter.”

“So Florina really is a saint from another world?”

Florina set down the basin.

After the fifth rinse, the pain side effect on Sakio’s body was finally purified.

“Of course. There’s no reason to deny it.”

She was here to retire, so she wouldn’t volunteer her identity.

But if someone discovered and asked, she would answer honestly.

Continuing to hide it would become deception.

“Then how come Kishiro hasn’t figured out your identity despite being around you so long?”

Realizing she might be the first to know, Sakio opened her eyes excitedly.

But soon she froze.

“For various reasons.” Florina answered without noticing Sakio’s reaction.

First, she and Kishiro had intentionally hidden their identities, avoiding the topic, so Kishiro assumed she was just a person with special abilities.

Second, Florina considered Kishiro slow in these matters.

For example, last time when Florina possessed Kishiro, nearly revealing a problem, Kishiro got distracted by the “delicious” trait and misinterpreted everything.

“Girls can do things like this!”

Flipping through the eyeball book, the doll was engrossed, when a sound came from outside the door.

The text on the page disappeared, forming three characters.

“Play dead.”

“Why?”

“Kishiro is back.

She’s the magical girl Silver Moon and will destroy you as a monster!”

“She’s the magical girl Silver Moon!”

Kishiro could easily resist the mantis monster.

The doll began playing dead without hesitation.

“Finally back.”

Kishiro noticed a pair of canvas shoes by the shoe cabinet.

Had someone entered?

She rushed to the living room and saw a doll buried in Florina’s book, motionless.

She remembered this was Sakio’s doll!

“Ah, I can’t handle this.”

“Sakio, you’ve bled way too much.”

Hearing Sakio’s panting, Kishiro’s pupils dilated, like ripples across a calm pond.

Florina and Sakio were in the bathroom!

Sakio had been attacked by monsters, yet still came to Florina.

Originally, she wanted to bathe with Florina first, yet Sakio had beaten her to it.

Hearing this, Kishiro’s breathing grew heavy.

She staggered to the bathroom door, hand raised to open it.

But just before touching the door, she froze.

She feared her suspicion was correct.

The intimate scene inside might shatter her last shred of hope.

Malice began spreading through her body.

The thread in her hair stirred, half merging into her body.

“Kill! Kill! Kill! Slay them all!” the malice screamed in her ear.

“Shut up! I trust Florina wouldn’t do such a thing.”

Finally, Kishiro mustered courage and opened the door.

The scene made her expression go blank.

“This nosebleed won’t stop!”

Florina held Sakio’s face, surprised, unaware of how damaging this was.

“Too close.”

So white…

More crimson poured from Sakio’s nose.

“Seeing this sight, I have no regrets in life.”

Sakio closed her eyes, her expression serene.

“Sakio, wake up!” Florina panicked, looking toward Kishiro.

“Do we have something to stop the bleeding?”

Seeing red splattered everywhere, Kishiro awkwardly covered her face.

This didn’t look like an intimate scene, it looked like a murder scene.

It was a misunderstanding.

“Let me handle it.

Florina, you might have been too rough on Sakio.”

Kishiro helped Sakio out of the bathroom, with Florina following in a towel.

After finally stopping the nosebleed, Kishiro relaxed and stretched.

This unintentional motion let Florina catch sight of the still-healing wound on Kishiro’s waist.

“Kishiro, you’re hurt?”

Kishiro immediately covered her waist, nervously explaining.

“I… I said I had something to do.

I was scratched by a branch while going out.”

Hearing this, Sakio thought, “A branch scratch? That’s a weak excuse.”

The wound looked more like a knife cut than a scratch.

But she didn’t believe Kishiro had fought someone.

She recalled the mantis monster’s scythe-like limb.

And remembered Florina mentioned Kishiro had a secret identity.

Though it wasn’t revealed, she could already guess.

Kishiro was the magical girl Silver Moon!

Florina and Kishiro’s conversation continued.

“By the way, Florina, can you explain why Sakio is… in my house?”

She wanted to say bathroom, but considering Sakio’s modesty, Kishiro used different words.

“This is troublesome.” Sakio felt a sinking in her heart.

How could Florina explain this?

Yet Florina calmly replied,

“Sakio encountered a monster on the way.

Though rescued by Silver Moon, fearing further danger, I invited her to our home to take refuge temporarily.”

“Bathing was to prevent Sakio from catching a cold.

Bathing together was to comfort the frightened Sakio.”

Florina’s quick, reasonable explanation surprised Sakio.

All statements were true, just slightly simplified.

Of course, saints often hear and solve followers’ troubles.

The process is not only troublesome but also excellent training for eloquence.

Kishiro looked at Sakio.

“Is that right?”

“Yes, yes.” Sakio nodded eagerly.

“I was wrong to blame Florina.”

Guilt surged in Kishiro’s heart.