The moment those thoughts surfaced, a tempting flush crept across Fang Qiu's pretty face.
Her cheeks burned scarlet.
"What's wrong? Fang Qiu, why aren't you changing?"
Just then, Hu Tao's puzzled voice broke the silence.
"Ah… n-nothing. It's nothing."
At the sound of Hu Tao's voice, Fang Qiu snapped back from her wandering thoughts. She hurriedly began to undress — and in the process, she instinctively glanced to the side.
Hu Tao was already more than halfway done. Her fair, youthful figure — like a bud that had yet to fully bloom — was laid bare before Fang Qiu's eyes.
Unlike her own body, everything about Hu Tao was so slender. The delicate beauty of a young girl's form was on full display.
Now that she thought about it… where had Hu Tao even found the strength to grab her by the waist and haul her out of the water earlier?
They were built practically the same — slender arms, a narrow waist, slim legs, and a flat abdomen without a trace of muscle on either of them.
That really didn't make any scientific sense.
If their physiques were roughly equivalent and Hu Tao's arms and waist were no thicker than hers, then where had that force come from? Could the gap in their strength really come down to… the chest?
She supposed you really couldn't make blanket comparisons between people's constitutions.
Fang Qiu had only just finished removing her top when Hu Tao finished completely. She wrapped herself in a bath towel and stood waiting to the side.
As she watched Fang Qiu peel off layer after layer, her gaze inevitably landed on the faint reddish handprint still visible on Fang Qiu's chest. Hu Tao's complexion instantly flushed a deep, vivid crimson.
Feeling that gaze on her, Fang Qiu's own face turned just as red.
Hu Tao was staring at her chest…
She instinctively wanted to cover herself, but she wasn't fully undressed yet, and reaching for the bath towel at this point would only be more awkward.
Come to think of it, the last time they'd come to the bathhouse together, Hu Tao had been staring at her chest then too.
It seemed Hu Tao was genuinely bothered by her own… flatness.
Well, whatever. She wasn't going to bring it up.
Let her look.
With that settled in her mind, Fang Qiu quickly finished undressing, wrapped herself in her bath towel, and began tying her hair up.
Leaving it loose in the bath would only cause it to spread out in the water — a nightmare to deal with afterward.
With practiced ease, she used a silk ribbon to twist her hair into a neat bun, then helped Hu Tao tie hers up the same way.
Once their hair was sorted, the two of them walked into the bathing area together.
Steam rose in languid wisps, filling the space with warm, misty air.
Gazing at the pool of water radiating gentle heat, Fang Qiu smiled faintly, a few amusing memories coming to mind.
When she'd first arrived, she had actually assumed this bathhouse was fed by some kind of natural volcanic hot spring. She'd even convinced herself that Liyue Harbor had been built on top of an active volcano, and the thought had worried her for quite a while.
She'd had genuine nightmares about it — falling asleep peacefully one night, only to be blasted sky-high along with her rented room by a sudden eruption, and then ceasing to think somewhere in the upper atmosphere.
For a period, she'd been consumed by one burning question: when Rex Lapis founded Liyue Harbor all those ages ago, had he actually bothered to check whether there was an active volcano sitting beneath it?
Or maybe the hot water simply rose through fault lines in the bedrock.
It wasn't until she'd visited the bathhouse enough times that she finally learned the truth: there was a ventilated cellar beneath the building, housing a large furnace that burned a particularly durable wood found only in Teyvat. Staff members added fuel at regular intervals to keep the temperature consistent.
Besides the soaking pool, there was also a sauna room. She'd been mildly surprised to find one in Liyue — and even more surprised that the name was identical. Apparently it had been introduced from abroad, praised for drawing out excess moisture from the body and promoting health, so it had spread to bathhouses all across the region. It was supposedly extremely popular in Inazuma as well.
Fang Qiu had never tried it herself, not even once.
She always came late at night when there were fewer people, and her constitution was delicate enough that if she fainted from the heat with no one around to notice, that would be the end of her. Hypoxia leading to organ failure, or something along those lines.
And she was very fond of her current life.
A stable, comfortable existence. Strength beyond that of an ordinary person. And most importantly, friends like Hu Tao and Xiangling by her side.
She hadn't even bought her ship yet. Or her house — something on the level of the Jade Chamber, naturally.
So: avoid unnecessary risks. Starting with the sauna.
After a quick rinse, the two of them settled into the pool.
"Mmn…"
The warm water rose past her chest. As the cold and the fatigue began to dissolve away, Fang Qiu let out a soft, contented sound.
So comfortable.
Her whole body felt like it was melting into something softer.
Hu Tao wore the same expression of pure bliss.
Bathing really was one of life's great pleasures.
Fang Qiu smiled gently and began chatting with Hu Tao about the little amusements she and Tingyu had encountered while strolling around the streets earlier that day.
Listening to Fang Qiu recount things in that easy, relaxed tone, Hu Tao loosened up as well, opening up and sharing her thoughts on the next round of promotional policies for Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
When Fang Qiu heard that Hu Tao intended to use her books as promotional gifts, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
But the reasoning Hu Tao laid out was, in its own way, surprisingly sound — even if something about it still felt vaguely off.
For instance: gifting a recently widowed woman Your Lie in April, with the message that her husband's passing would bring her a kind of rebirth — just as Miyazono Kaori's death had illuminated Arima Kousei's world.
Or presenting her with The Eternal, much like Jack's words to Rose — urging her to live on, to grow old, and not to take her own life in grief.
The concept was strange, yes. But setting that aside — hearing Hu Tao recite the plot points of Your Lie in April and The Eternal from memory, one after another, and attach her own personal reflections and opinions to each of them… a warmth bloomed in Fang Qiu's chest.
Because Hu Tao had genuinely, carefully read her books. Not long ago, she had even gone out of her way to ask one of Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's most learned guest consultants for his thoughts and feedback on them.
She was truly looking out for her.
It felt like a warm current flowing quietly through her heart.
"Thank you, Hu Tao," Fang Qiu said softly, looking at the fair, delicate line of Hu Tao's profile.
"Thank me for what?"
Hu Tao had been mentally running through which category of clients Sword and Fairy might be appropriate for, when Fang Qiu's sudden gratitude caught her completely off guard. She blinked, instinctively asking.
"I just wanted to thank you. That's all."
Fang Qiu smiled — a soft, blooming smile — and let herself sink a little lower, submerging her shoulders into the warm water.
"Alright then. I should thank you too."
Hu Tao smiled back, her eyes warm.
"For what?" Fang Qiu tilted her head slightly, genuinely puzzled.
"Because spending time with you lately has made me really happy."
Hu Tao turned to look at her, plum-blossom eyes curved in a smile.
"Me too."
Fang Qiu turned to meet her gaze, smiling gently, and gave a quiet nod.
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