This was originally just a casual complaint.
However, after thinking for two seconds, Herta nodded calmly.
"I can."
"Huh?"
Qi Zhimu's eyes widened, doubting he had heard correctly.
"Are you serious, kid? Although I look like a gentleman—and I actually am the real deal—at the very least..."
"What does it matter?"
Herta interrupted him, walked into the bathroom, squatted down, and tested the water temperature in the bathtub.
The corner of Qi Zhimu's eye twitched; his heart was filled with ten thousand reasons not to do this.
Let a little slip of a girl help him bathe?
But he was the one who said it; wouldn't taking it back now make him look like a coward?
Qi Zhimu froze in place, unable to move forward or back.
Herta looked back, and seeing his conflicted expression, a very faint trace of playfulness suddenly flashed in her emotionless eyes.
"What? You're afraid?"
She tilted her head. Although her tone was flat, it seemed to carry a sentiment that made the former quite irritated.
"Can a person as big as you still be shy? Or... are you actually a minor who looks mature on the surface but is actually quite young?"
"Who's shy?! What kind of scene has this Great Me not witnessed before?"
Qi Zhimu glared and let out a cold snort, then strode inside.
"If we're washing, then we're washing! Just don't complain about being tired later!"
...
Mist swirled around.
Qi Zhimu leaned against the edge of the bathtub, his arms resting unnaturally on both sides, trying his best not to touch the water.
Herta knelt by the bathtub, clutching a wet towel, and vigorously wiped the bloodstains from his back.
The atmosphere was quiet and somewhat strange.
"Nice physique."
Herta suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.
"Your muscle lines are very firm with no excess fat. It seems your previous claim of knowing a bit of martial arts was true. Have you trained?"
Qi Zhimu was nearly choked up by these words.
Brat, does your tone of praise always sound so sarcastic?
He snorted irritably:
"Nonsense, do you think I'm just messing with you? Does a mage have to be weak and frail? That's just a cliché setting from ancient works that's old enough to lose its teeth."
"True."
Herta agreed. Her fingers slid across his shoulder through the towel and gave it a hard pinch.
"In my impression, magicians in many works are mostly physically weak people who are used to chanting spells in the back row."
"Of course, it could also be that the types of works I've seen are limited, while your setting seems to be a mix of many things."
She thought for a moment and then asked:
"Could it be that in the world where you were born, you are the protagonist?"
Hearing this, the awkwardness and unease in Qi Zhimu's heart vanished instantly, replaced by a surge of pleasure.
"Of course!"
He lifted his chin proudly as water droplets slid down his Adam's apple.
"For an existence as powerful, handsome, and all-around capable as me, isn't it only natural to be the protagonist? How could a supporting character ever get this kind of treatment?"
"But you are a magician who likes to eat people."
Herta pointed out a key part of the setting.
"In the human worldview, this kind of behavior and setting usually belongs to a Villain BOSS, while the weaker ones are just small fry."
"Pedantic."
Qi Zhimu let out a disdainful sneer.
"Who says a villain can't be the protagonist? A Villain BOSS can have plenty of charisma, okay? A bad guy with principles is usually much more pleasant to look at than a hypocritical member of the righteous path."
"I'm not the one who said that; it also comes from stories created by humans on the Azure Star."
Hearing this, Herta tilted her head thoughtfully and gazed at Qi Zhimu's profile.
Neither purely good nor purely evil, following his own whims...
Perhaps it was precisely because of this unfettered nature that he could live so comfortably in the endless Labyrinth Zone of the memory substance world.
Herta said nothing more and concentrated on washing his body, carefully avoiding the stitched areas on his arms.
Soon, his upper body was finished.
Her gaze moved down past his abdominal muscles. Herta blinked and pointed calmly at a certain area below the water's surface.
"Does that part need washing?"
Pfft— Qi Zhimu nearly spat out a mouthful of blood, almost launching himself out of the bathtub.
He instinctively pressed his legs together, the muscles on his face twitching wildly.
He really wanted to pry open this kid's skull right now to see if there was a component called'shame' inside!
"No need!"
Those two words were practically squeezed out from between his teeth.
Qi Zhimu said through gritted teeth, "That's a forbidden zone! Do you understand what a forbidden zone is?!"
"Oh."
Herta seemed a bit disappointed, but she didn't have any particular reaction.
Just when Qi Zhimu thought the awkward topic was finally over, she suddenly said softly:
"It's okay."
"What's okay?" Qi Zhimu was taken aback.
Herta looked up, her purple eyes staring directly into his, filled with earnestness.
"Whether you are the protagonist or the villain, and regardless of that so-called shame."
"Right now, you are my only hope for bringing important data back to the Azure Star, and you are also my entire reliance."
"In the Life-taking Mirror Shadow, you saved me several times."
"But before returning to the Azure Star, there isn't much I can do for you. So now, I want to do what I can."
"..."
Qi Zhimu froze.
His heart, wrapped in cynicism and casualness, felt as if it had suddenly been lightly brushed by willow catkins.
It felt a bit strange, a bit inexplicably soft.
He looked back at the small figure kneeling by the bathtub, wanting to say something but stopping himself, then starting again.
After a moment, he curled his lips into a light laugh.
"I really can't do anything with you. If you want to feast your eyes, you can just say so. Why beat around the bush?"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Creditor, but I don't have those kinds of intentions."
"Guess whether I believe you or not?"
"I'm not going to guess whether you believe me or not."
"Just you wait, sooner or later I'll eat you alive!"
...
Some time later.
Qi Zhimu changed into clean gray casual clothes and sat in the living room of the suite, using magic to nourish the stitched surfaces of his arms. He nodded slightly upon finding he could perform simple movements.
He grabbed a towel to dry his damp hair, his gaze landing on the beef slices in the self-heating hot pot.
The water in the bathtub had been changed and reheated for Herta's use, and he had left a ball of self-sustaining flame to keep the water temperature steady.
He had also thoughtfully left some instant food so she could eat while bathing, lest she faint from hunger inside.
"Hey, kid, wash up a bit faster." He called out toward the bathroom.
"Mm..." A soft response came from the bathroom, along with the faint sound of flowing water.
Half an hour passed.
Qi Zhimu called out again, but it was met with silence.
He frowned, and his heart suddenly skipped a beat.
She wouldn't have really fainted, would she?
Or maybe a zombie mutant crawled in from the sewers? That shouldn't be possible; there was clearly a Barrier.
"Little Herta?"
Qi Zhimu dropped his chopsticks and rushed to the bathroom door in a few steps, turning the handle and finding it unlocked.
"What are you do—"
His voice stopped abruptly.
In the dense steam, the girl whose words occasionally made him lose his temper was currently leaning against the edge of the bathtub, her entire body submerged in the water.
Her eyes were tightly closed, her breathing long and even, and empty food packaging lay beside her.
She had fallen asleep.
Letting down all her guards beside her only sense of security, she revealed the appearance a child of her age truly ought to have.
[Image]
Little Herta