Ms. Lyra Gave Liza A Bath

“Alright, Liza. Leo and I will go ahead to our room, okay?”

“…But, could you stay with me until we get there, papa?”

“Hmm. Very well. Since it’s your first time.”

“Wuff.”

“Hehe. I suppose she does not want to part from you two.”

I had been about to take Leo back to the room, when Liza tugged at my sleeve and I stopped.

Apparently, she was anxious about us leaving so soon.

And so we decided to accompany them to the bathing area.

Ms. Lyra watched this and chuckled.

“Papa. I took a bath!”

“Yes, welcome back. Thank you, Ms. Lyra.”

“Wuff-wuff.”

“Not at all. She was very well behaved, and so it was not difficult at all.”

After leaving Liza and Ms. Lyra at the entrance of the bathing room, Leo and I had returned to the room to rest. And then a while later, the doors burst open and Liza returned.

She ran straight to Leo, throwing her arms around her and burying herself in the fur.

I was sure to thank Ms. Lyra for bringing her back.

According to Ms. Lyra, Liza did not act rowdy and was very quiet.

Perhaps she had taken a bath as well, as her hair looked a little damp as ran her fingers through it and smiled.

The straight, long black hair was different from Ms. Claire, but reminded me of home for a brief moment.

“What is it, papa?”

“Nothing. Nothing at all.”

“Really?”

“Wuff…”

Upon seeing me pause, Liza asked me what was wrong, but I assured her that it was nothing.

I was not about to say such a thing to Ms. Lyra right now.

…Though, Leo seemed like she understood.

“Well! I suppose it’s my turn now. Liza, you stay here with Leo.”

“Uh, okay.”

“Wuff.”

And so I got off of the bed and headed to the door.

Liza and Leo nodded in reply.

I suppose it would be fine if Leo didn’t bathe today.

“Will you be needing any help, Mr. Takumi?”

“Huh!? …Uh, no. I can go alone!”

“…Indeed? Very well.”

When I was about to leave, Ms. Lyra called out to me. 

And I couldn’t help but think about it for just a second.

Of course, I could not do that… I was a man, after all.

Besides, I would feel very uncomfortable.

A bathing room was a place where you could relax. The last thing I wanted was to feel nervous there.

Ms. Lyra nodded with a slightly disappointed look.

Had she wanted to help so much? Well, I pushed it out of my mind and rushed to the bathing room.

Leo let out an audible sigh as I left, but I ignored her.

Hmph… Leo, next time I might just ask Ms. Lyra to wash you.

Yes, very thoroughly, including your face… Damn it.

“Phew… That was refreshing… Oh.”

“Wou…”

After washing up and soaking in the tub for some time, I returned to my room.

But I stopped talking as I entered the room.

Without moving, Leo turned her eyes towards me and murmured…as if to tell me to be quiet.

“Zzzz…”

“Oh, she’s sleeping?”

“Wuff.”

When returning to the room, Liza had thrown her arms around Leo and buried her face in the fur. Apparently, she had then fallen asleep like that.

Her hair and tail had looked damp earlier, but it was dry now. And since Leo was quite warm, there was likely little chance that she would catch a cold.

Leo and I whispered to each other as we watched her.

While Leo often had sharp eyes, she looked incredibly gentle when looking at Liza.

“Still, I don’t know if she should sleep like this… But then again, I feel bad about waking her up.”

“Wuff?”

While she looked comfortable there, it would be better for her to sleep on the bed.

Even if there were no health problems, if this became a habit, then she might not be able to sleep without Leo.

But Leo looked puzzled as I mused over this.

“Well, she might start seeing you as a pillow. It’s better to sleep properly on a bed.”

“Wou…”

When I explained this, Leo agreed a little begrudgingly.

It was fine once in a while… Every now and then, Leo would also sleep with half of her body on the bed, and I would use her as a pillow.

However, she was still getting used to the mansion and her surroundings, so it was different.

What to do… Well, it was fine for just this day. Maybe I will talk to her about it tomorrow.

“…Mmm…papa?”

Just as I had made the decision to leave her there, Liza opened her eyes slightly.

Apparently, she must have sensed that Leo and I were looking at her.

Perhaps beastkin were more sensitive to such things, just like Leo was.

She had also woken up this morning when Tilura and I were looking at her.

Even if she was comfortable with Leo, she was still not familiar with this place. So perhaps she was more cautious than even she realized.