Jun Hao knew exactly what he was saying. And because of that, he needed to clear things up.
It was all for the sake of having a perfect date with Lion.
Through the rising steam, he looked straight into her brownish-yellow eyes, now slightly hazy.
"I know, Lion. You said earlier you didn't want to hear me talk about other women. But I'm serious about this."
As soon as he finished speaking, he cut off any chance for her to retreat.
Taking a step forward, he closed the gap between them without hesitation.
"Splash!"
The sound of the water was much louder than when Jun Hao had first entered the bath. He braced his arms on either side of her, completely trapping Lion between himself and the bath wall.
Unless she forced her way out, there was no escape. Beneath the surface, their knees brushed lightly against each other.
The heat of the water mixed with their body warmth, blending together until it was hard to tell them apart.
'Too close... this is way too close!'
At this distance, Lion could clearly feel the warmth of his breath against her skin.
"You... you know I don't like it, so why do you keep asking..." Jun Hao looked down at her, his gaze steady and unyielding.
"I've already said it. This is something only you can answer, and I need that answer now. I'm planning to ask her out tomorrow."
Faced with his persistence, Lion's mind went blank.
At some point, her tied flaxen hair had come undone, now drifting softly across the surface of the water.
The usually composed and confident Lion now looked flustered, her rare vulnerability showing through.
Then, without thinking, she spoke.
"You... are you... that eager to... with me..."
Halfway through, she froze. Realizing what she had just said, she hurriedly cleared her throat.
"Ahem... I mean... are you that eager to go on a date with that powerful person?"
Jun Hao reached out and took her hand, which rested against the edge of the bath. Her shoulders tensed, and she instinctively tried to pull away, but his grip tightened, firm and unwavering.
It was a silent declaration of his resolve.
"Yes. I really do want to go on a date with her," he said, meeting her eyes without hesitation, his voice filled with sincerity. "If nothing had gotten in the way today, I would've already asked her."
Faced with this almost direct confession, Lion completely gave up resisting.
Her titles, her strength, even the name "Governor of the Nile" meant nothing in front of this man.
She had only one identity left: Jun Hao's wife.
And strangely, Lion did not find this crushing defeat unpleasant. Instead, she found herself immersed in it. Even she found it hard to believe, as she had never imagined she would end up like this one day.
Since things had come to this, she decided to let things take their natural course.
"Is... is that so?" Her voice softened, filled with quiet tenderness, as she avoided his gaze.
She was afraid that if she looked at him again, she might lose control completely.
"Then... then you... you should just act like you normally do..."
Her voice grew softer with each word.
"I... no... she... she really likes you the way you are now. Trust me... you can't go wrong."
"..."
Jun Hao was left momentarily speechless by Lion's response.
If it were really that simple, would he have spent the entire afternoon overthinking it?
"Are you sure?" he asked, trying to confirm her answer.
"Probably... yes."
Lion's voice was barely above a whisper.
Once she finished speaking, she turned her head even farther away, not daring to look at Jun Hao, not even from the corner of her eye.
Seeing he wouldn't get anything more out of her, Jun Hao lifted a brow and let out a soft sigh as he straightened up.
"Sigh... that makes things troublesome. If the date follows my pace, then a certain lady's wishes might end up unfulfilled."
"No! Not at all! Please, keep it like that. I... ah... she'll definitely love it. You could even add more 'Lion-like' elements, and she'd like it even more."
'Lion-like elements?' Jun Hao paused, intrigued.
Just as he was about to question her further, faint voices drifted in from outside the bathhouse.
"...Indomitable, it's such a shame you weren't there earlier. The Commander was seriously so cool!"
"Right? When I saw him talking with Her Majesty the Queen, my heart almost melted..."
"I wonder what the Commander is doing right now. Maybe he's already waiting for us in the room... heehee."
"Alright, enough nonsense. We still have to maintain our ladylike image."
"Eh? Sister Illustrious, you're the least convincing one here. You're clearly already planning a night raid."
The moment those voices reached them, both Jun Hao and Lion recognized them as the Four Illustrious Sisters.
Lion instantly snapped out of her flustered state, her sharp and composed gaze returning.
'This is bad. If those four find him, will the Commander even be able to stand tomorrow for our date?'
Thinking of that, Lion quickly leaned in and whispered urgently into his ear.
"Commander! Hurry, hide!"
"Hide?"
Jun Hao blinked, looking at her in confusion.
"Why would I hide? Illustrious and the others aren't monsters."
Hearing his calm and matter-of-fact tone, Lion froze for a moment.
'Right... why hide?'
From the very beginning, the Commander belonged to all of them. Even bathing together wouldn't be strange, let alone anything else.
So what if they saw?
But then, memories of Illustrious' strange "training" surfaced in her mind, along with that odd milk powder that could somehow make things grow with just a single drop.
'Tsk... no, that won't do. Absolutely not!' she thought, biting her lip.
If force didn't work, then she would have to change tactics.
At that critical moment, Lion suddenly came up with an idea. A faint smile tugged at her lips as she felt her chance to turn things around.
"That's true, Commander."
Lion spread her hands casually and leaned back, her posture relaxed yet elegant.
"Just like you and me, there's nothing wrong with a husband and wife being open with each other," she said with a soft chuckle, her tone lightly teasing. "It's just..."
"Just what?" Jun Hao followed along.
Lion brushed aside a strand of her damp hair and continued.
"It's just... after they come in, what happens next... even I can't say for sure."
She gave him a playful wink, a hint of mischief in her smile.
"With so many people around, I might not be able to protect my dear Commander. Or perhaps..."
Her lips curved slightly as she leaned in just a little.
"...it would be better to just go along with them instead."
As she spoke, Lion lightly licked her lips and rubbed her hands together, her expression filled with quiet anticipation.
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Novels Available:
-> Zenless Zone Zero: The Almighty Incubus of Sixth Street. (Translation)
-> Azur Lane: Don't Fight! You're All My Wives! (Translation)
-> Zenless Zone Zero: Death in White. (Original - P@treon Only Until It Reaches 30 Chapters)
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