That evening, with only two days left of summer vacation, Asuna sighed wearily after dinner.
"Oh, Lady Asuna. Are you tired?" Cocoro asked as she cleared the dishes, apparently having noticed the same thing as me.
"Did you do anything tiring today?" I wondered. With all the commotion settled, I thought we'd spent the whole day just relaxing at home.
"It's more like I'm still feeling the fatigue from yesterday and the days before. I've never moved my body that much before."
"Ah..." Her words made sense.
In the game, Asuna is a swordsman who performs superhuman movements and sword techniques, but in the real world, she is a truly ordinary girl. Although you might get tired in a game, the fatigue from physically moving your body in real-life combat would be far greater. And considering she'd been working hard all summer, I guess it makes sense that she'd want a break.
"So, what should we do...?" I couldn't think of any way to recover from fatigue besides sleeping.
"It's okay. Shō-kun, you've been working harder than me and you're fine. I'll be back to normal after a good rest tomorrow," Asuna said with a laugh, but... hmm.
"That won't do. Lady Asuna, would you like me to give you a massage?" Cocoro offered.
"Oh, can you do massages, Cocoro-chan? Then maybe I'll take you up on that."
"Yes. Please leave it to me. I also give massages to my Master... though it might be difficult to give you the exact same massage as him."
"A massage for Shō-kun? Hmm? Oh, so you did that kind of thing too, Shō-kun?"
Thanks to the information provided by Mea, all my secrets are out. I feel like I should say something about the privacy issues, but since I've been doing even more despicable things, I can't really complain.
Well then, I think I'll make my escape before my sentence is finalized.
---------
"So, that's what happened."
"Ah, I see."
Back in my room, I was on the phone with Riko. The topic, of course, was Asuna. Not knowing anything about how to help a woman recover from fatigue, I decided to rely on Riko, who seemed to have a lot of knowledge about that sort of thing.
"By the way, when are you coming back, Riko? Summer vacation ends tomorrow."
"My plan is to come back tomorrow night. I'll go back to my place that night to drop off my things, though."
Her "place" was the room she shared with the former Y-U members, Jeanne and Oleander.
"That's cutting it close. Well, I guess Sakura has a similar plan..."
"She's meeting her sister over there, right? I guess she wants to spend as much time with her as possible."
"Her sister, huh..." I had an idea who she was referring to. But there was no point in thinking about someone who wasn't here.
"Anyway, about Asuna."
"Okay, okay, I'll think of something. We definitely want to help someone who's helped us out so much feel refreshed, right?"
"Right. I'm sorry to ask, but could you do that for me?"
"Leave it to me... After all, you'll be the one to 'finish it off' in the end, won't you?"
And so, I left the refresh plan up to Riko.
---------
The next day, three women walked side by side. The members were Asuna, Aria, and Jeanne. All three had been called out by Riko's email.
Shō had only expected Asuna, but it turned out to be a group event.
"This is kind of strange. It's rare for the three of us to get together."
"True. Though I've met with Jeanne a few times." Aria said, glancing sideways at Jeanne.
Jeanne, who was being looked at, closed her eyes and snorted.
"Hmph, that was to meet your lawyer."
"Ah, for the plea bargain..." Asuna nodded in understanding.
The reason criminals like Jeanne, Oleander, and Riko were able to live freely was because of a plea bargain. They agreed to testify about the false charges against Aria's mother. Because of this, they often had meetings.
What Jeanne meant was that they had no intention of becoming friendly with Aria, and only met her because of the circumstances.
"But you two are cooperating well."
"If we didn't, we'd be in prison immediately. I wasn't that loyal to the organization anyway. I'll talk as much as I need to in order to protect myself."
"And it's only natural for the losers to listen to the victors. Especially for a descendant of Joan of Arc."
At those words, Jeanne's eyebrow twitched.
"Let me be clear, we were defeated by Yozuki Shō, not by you. Don't act like it was your achievement."
"My partner defeated you, so it's fine!"
"For a partner, he seems to have quite a wandering eye. You'd better be careful that someone else doesn't steal him."
"What did you say?!"
"Now, now, you two!" Asuna said, trying to calm them down.
They were originally enemies. Just because the battle was over didn't mean they could become friends easily. Riko, who was living with them as if nothing had happened, was the real one to watch out for. Although, Riko was living in Shō's house for other reasons.
So why were they going out together this time?
"Oh, look, we're almost there!"
"Looks like it."
"Hmm."
It was because they had received tickets to a certain facility from Riko.
"Welcome."
When they entered the facility, a receptionist with a bright, friendly demeanor bowed. The place the three of them had come to was a massage parlor.
"I feel kind of nervous," Asuna whispered to Aria, who also looked a little uneasy.
Jeanne, on the other hand, was calm and confident.
"We have a reservation under the name Mine Riko."
"Just a moment, please."
The receptionist operated a terminal.
"I have confirmed it. Please come this way."
The three of them followed the receptionist to the back of the store.
"Now that I think about it, we don't know what kind of course we're getting today, do we?" Asuna said, as if just remembering.
"That's true. The email from Riko only gave the place and time."
"Well, it's a massage, right? We'll just lie down and it'll be over."
While chatting casually, the three followed the employee.
"Please change into a treatment gown here."
With that, the employee closed the door.
"Well, that makes sense," Asuna said. There was no way they would get a massage in their regular clothes. The treatment gowns were in a basket, and hangers were ready for their clothes.
Aria looked into the basket and...
"...Huh?" She froze.
"Is something wrong?"
"This..." Aria picked up a treatment gown.
The garment was so small that it could be picked up with two fingers. The bottom part had about the same surface area as a pair of underwear. The top was a piece of cloth that covered the chest and the area just above the navel. Both were white.
The surface area wasn't extremely small, but it was like being suddenly asked to change into a swimsuit someone had prepared for you.
"W-we're changing into this?!"
"It appears so," Jeanne replied calmly.
She took a gown from the basket next to her and started to change without hesitation.
"R-really?!"
"What are you so embarrassed about?"
"Have you done this before, Jeanne-san?" Asuna asked, equally hesitant.
"Yes. This type of treatment gown isn't just for rubbing the body. They probably use beauty serum or oil for skin care."
As she spoke, Jeanne continued to change. Her toned, model-like body was exposed. The simple, swimsuit-like garment only accentuated her long limbs. Just by standing with her hands on her hips, she looked like she could be on the cover of a magazine.
"What are you hesitating for? This is no different from having a stethoscope put on you at the hospital. If you take too long, you'll inconvenience the staff."
"You're right."
"Ugh... I-I guess there's no choice...!" With red faces, the two of them began to change.
After changing, the three were led by the employee to a room with three beds. The air was filled with a sweet scent from some kind of incense. The beds were separated by partitions.
"Please, lie down there."
The three were instructed to lie face up on their respective beds, and the masseuses prepared to begin.
"Now, if you'll excuse me."
"Ah, please do."
Jeanne lay down and closed her eyes, relaxed.
"Oh? Did I make a mistake, little girl? This course isn't for elementary school students..."
"...I'm in my second year of high school. Don't make that mistake again."
"...Huh?" The masseuse tilted her head at the veins popping out on Aria's forehead.
"Hehe, please don't be so nervous, miss."
"Y-yes! Gyaah!" A strange sound escaped from Aria's lips as she was touched by a hand covered in a slick liquid.
"(This is so embarrassing...! It's okay, it's okay. It's just a massage!)"
The masseuse skillfully rubbed in the aroma oil. The thick liquid, warmed to body temperature in her palm, was spread thinly over Aria's skin.
"This is pretty risque."
"It's okay, just relax~"
Aria moved her head to watch the hand crawling over her body. Her hands twitched slightly. She did her best to hold still and not move her body.
The massage started on her upper body, focusing on her exposed abdomen. The masseuse's hands moved smoothly, up and down, up and down, from the edge of her upper garment to the edge of her lower garment. Since Aria's body lacked curves, she was worried that an innocent touch might stray into a dangerous area.
The parts where the oil was applied felt tingly. The smell of the incense filled her chest, and her head began to feel heavy.
"...Ngh."
"Does it hurt?"
"No, please continue." Jeanne tried to play it cool.
The sensation of the masseuse's fingers pressing into her abdomen below her navel, and the persistent stimulation on her internal organs, made a gentle heat spread from deep inside her body. Her entire metabolism seemed to be rising, and even though the room temperature was just right, she started to sweat.
"I'm going to add some more oil~"
"Ah, y-yes!" Asuna replied in a fluster, having been lost in a daze. Her consciousness was starting to feel a little hazy.
"(This feels so good... Is this what they call a detox...?)"
The heat that had spread from the center of her abdomen now encompassed her entire body. Her fingers and toes were massaged, and her stiff joints were made supple.
"Ahhh... I feel so alive. I've been so busy lately..."
"Oh really~ You must have had a tough time~"
"...I feel like you're subtly making fun of me... Oh well, ahhh..."
Even Aria, who was a stickler for her pride, forgave the masseuse for treating her like a child. The massage was simply that heavenly.
"You have a really great figure. Do you do anything special on a daily basis?"
"D-do you think so? I always thought it would be better if I were a little smaller..."
"Oh, don't say that. Your hips are so toned. I'd love to know your secret."
"It's not so bad to be told that... Hehe." Jeanne couldn't help but grin.
And so, the heavenly massage continued.
---------
After the treatment, the three took a shower to clean themselves.
"That was amazing!" Asuna said, excited as she looked at her skin, which seemed to be repelling water.
"Yes. This is the first time I've had a massage with such a visible effect. I feel like my body temperature has risen, too."
"And to think this was paid for by Riko. It's hard to believe. Isn't there something more to this?"
"Hmm..." Aria frowned, suspicious. Asuna wanted to say that there wasn't, but seeing Riko's usual behavior, she couldn't be sure.
"But maybe she's just thanking us for everything? Maybe she was just too shy to say it."
"I wonder..."
"Riko is a very dutiful person. If she's grateful, she'll try to pay it back somehow."
"She should be paying it back to Shō, though... Oh well. There's no point in asking her anyway."
Aria gave up thinking about it and resumed washing her body.
---------
"Alright, I think they're done by now."
Riko was on a plane, on her way back to Academy Island.
"I'm glad I was able to get a reservation on such short notice. Maybe it's because it's the last day of summer vacation?"
The refresh massage she had prepared for Asuna and the others at Shō's request was, of course, no ordinary massage. It was a massage that used the research findings of Academy Island. By scientifically stimulating the body's pressure points, it was able to remove fatigue and bring about various other effects.
The oil that was applied to the three women also contained ingredients that were easily absorbed into the skin.
"Asuna's a member of the Public Morals Committee, so she wouldn't do something like this on her own unless she had a reason, right?"
Refreshing yourself is important for both the body and the mind, and she had contrived a reason for it.
"And Aria... I guess this way she won't be a pushover in the battle."
Riko's tone became a little sharper when she mentioned Aria. She didn't specify what kind of "battle" it was. There was too much history between the two of them. Only Riko herself knew which one she was referring to.
But the reason she had involved Jeanne, who had nothing to do with it, was...
"Well, it seemed fun."
That was the only reason.
"The massage should start to take effect gradually. The real fun will be tonight. Hehe... yawn~" Riko, who was sleep-deprived from the past few days of partying, fell asleep on the plane.
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