"Kaya, do you think they'll end up getting tangled together?"
Uta walked over to the red-faced Kaya and asked curiously.
"I… I don't know."
Kaya shook her head, answering somewhat awkwardly.
She was naturally very shy to begin with. Watching Nami and Carina drag her beloved Arton toward the ship's cabin had already left her deeply embarrassed. Under those circumstances, how could she possibly still have the composure to answer Uta?
If she really answered honestly, Kaya felt she would probably be so embarrassed that she would simply run away.
Yes, even though Kaya was already an extremely capable doctor, whenever it came to matters involving Arton, she could still become so shy that she fled.
There was no helping it. Arton had already become someone extremely important in Kaya's heart, especially since she had not yet truly become intimate with him.
If she had already been regularly close with Arton, perhaps familiarity would keep her from getting flustered so easily.
But just now, she had been interrupted by Nami and Carina at the crucial moment. Under those circumstances, it was perfectly natural for Kaya to still be in a state where she could easily lose her composure.
"Kaya, seriously… I think you should start getting used to this too."
"Even though you and Arton haven't really done anything yet, doesn't he often rest in your room?"
Uta leaned close to Kaya's ear and whispered.
Given Arton's personality, Uta had no doubt that he would respect Kaya. Precisely because he respected her, he would never casually make a move on her.
However, Uta did not believe for a moment that Arton would never use the opportunity to look at Kaya—or secretly observe her.
He would surely take relevant photos as well and upload them to the Sea Diary. That meant all of them, including Kaya herself, would be able to see what had happened.
Uta was certain that Kaya must have noticed photos Arton had secretly taken of her.
If that was the case, Uta felt that, to some extent, Kaya should already be gradually getting used to Arton.
"Mm… Arton does often rest in my room."
Kaya lowered her head and answered softly.
The moment she thought about the little incidents that had happened whenever Arton took medicinal baths in her treatment room, her embarrassment only deepened.
Inside that room, Kaya sometimes even felt as though she herself were secretly watching Arton.
There was no helping it. Arton was simply too attractive to her.
Under circumstances like these, Kaya could not keep treating him purely as a doctor would treat a patient.
If she could face him only in the detached role of a physician, Kaya felt she could remain much calmer. Unfortunately, whenever Arton was involved, she always found herself imagining what it would be like to become one of his women.
And not merely one of his women, but a woman who truly liked him.
How could she possibly avoid stealing glances at Arton?
Kaya even felt a little guilty about it. After all, Arton would sometimes upload related things to the Sea Diary, and Kaya knew perfectly well that he was unaware that she could see them.
From his perspective, his behavior could hardly be considered voyeurism.
Yet Kaya was watching him without his knowledge.
Didn't that mean she was the one actually peeking at Arton?
…
Chapter 911: Something Worth Recording and Remembering
Kaya was not the kind of person who enjoyed secretly watching others.
But when it came to Arton, the man she liked, she simply could not stop herself from wanting to look at him a little more.
Because of that, even though Kaya knew it was wrong to secretly watch Arton without his knowledge, she still wanted to keep looking.
Especially whenever Arton came to her treatment room for a medicinal bath.
After all, whenever Arton soaked in one of her medicinal baths, he would naturally remove all of his defenses.
Not only that, Arton would often choose to fall asleep and let Kaya remain nearby to keep watch over him.
That gave Kaya plenty of opportunities to properly admire him.
What Arton did not know was that while he slept, Kaya had already looked over every part of him thoroughly.
Sometimes, when Kaya saw that Arton was sleeping deeply enough, she would even reach out and touch him.
Of course, Kaya never dared touch Arton's weapon.
There was no helping it. His weapon was simply far too sensitive.
Even though Kaya had not interacted with it that much, she still understood that much.
As a doctor, she was very familiar with Arton's physical condition. She could say that, apart from Kaya herself, no one understood Arton's body better than she did.
Kaya could practically guarantee that if she truly touched his weapon while he was asleep in the bath, Arton would immediately wake up.
Then she would lose the chance to keep observing him so closely.
That, however, was not even the most serious problem.
For Kaya, the truly serious issue was the thought of touching Arton's weapon in secret without his permission.
If something like that happened right in front of Arton, Kaya felt she would probably be so embarrassed that she fainted.
Of course, if Arton knew what Kaya was thinking, he would probably hope she really would touch his weapon.
That way, he could naturally turn the situation around and properly "treat" Kaya as well.
Arton would certainly be willing to give his own weapon a thorough polishing too.
Kaya was extremely shy, and Arton knew that perfectly well. If he could ever see the shy Kaya take the initiative to attack him, Arton felt it would be quite a sight.
Unfortunately, he knew that witnessing such a scene would not be easy.
The fundamental reason was simple: Kaya was simply too shy.
Someone like her might actually prefer to be the one receiving the initiative.
In other words, at the beginning, Arton would probably have to be the one to make the first move.
Perhaps after enough time passed and Kaya gradually became accustomed to how the two of them interacted, she would eventually become willing to take the initiative herself.
Reaching the situation Arton imagined would probably take some time.
Even if the chances were small, however, Arton still looked forward to the possibility that Kaya might take the initiative from the very beginning.
That way, the two of them would be able to enjoy even more when they sparred.
And that was something Arton wanted no matter what.
If the two of them could use all kinds of methods the very first time they sparred, then it would surely be something worth recording—and remembering.
...
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