Turning on the showerhead and rinsing his body, Tatsuma lazily lied down in the bathtub and began to enjoy himself.
A minute later, a slightly unfamiliar aura appeared in his perception.
Tatsuma, who had long anticipated this situation, didn't pay attention. After a lazy yawn, he looked towards the entrance.
Just as his gaze fell, the sound of a door opening echoed.
A silver-haired woman with a captivating figure, completely naked, walked in. Her milky white skin glowed alluringly under the light.
Pushing open the bathroom door and walking a few steps, Grayfia didn't go to the shower area to rinse her body but walked straight towards the bathtub.
Testing the water temperature with her toes, Grayfia stepped into the bathtub and began to enjoy herself as usual.
However, just then, a questioning voice sounded. "How does it feel? Do you need me to help you heat the water a little?"
"!!!"
Grayfia's narrowed eyes instantly widened, and she looked at the corner not far away with a surprised expression.
"Tatsuma?! Why are you here?"
"This is my home bathroom. Is there anything strange about me being here?"
"Uh... I mean, why didn't you tell me you were here?"
Grayfia raised her hand awkwardly, covering her private parts.
Tatsuma replied, "I thought you would notice."
"Cough! It is true that I was a bit careless."
Grayfia coughed, the blush on her face becoming even deeper.
Although she had lived for several centuries, due to her experiences during the civil war, she had always been resistant to marriage.
Being naked in front of the opposite sex...
In her memory, this seemed to be the first time.
Grayfia asked, "Speaking of which, have you finished your seclusion?"
"Seclusion?"
Tatsuma blinked, suddenly realizing something he had overlooked before.
"How long have I been training this time?"
Grayfia calculated and replied, "It's been about ten days, I guess."
From the time she moved in until now, ten days had passed.
In the beginning, she had actually been paying attention to her privacy, avoiding any awkward situations with Tatsuma. However, on the second day of moving in, Grayfia discovered that Tatsuma had gone into seclusion for training.
Three days, four days, five days...
As time passed, Grayfia, who had adapted to living here, let down her guard.
The only male in the house had been out of sight, so the mixed bath turned into a women's bath.
Grayfia had gotten used to this, which was why she walked in so casually, without even taking a bath towel.
"Ten days? Has it been that long?" Tatsuma was a bit surprised to get the reply.
He had been too focused on his training this time, completely unaware of the passage of time in his perception.
Ten days had passed in the outside world, which was equivalent to twenty days within the time barrier. It was no wonder his strength had broken through to the next level after training for so long in one go.
"Tatsuma, thank you."
Just then, Grayfia's voice sounded.
Tatsuma stopped thinking and looked over. "Such a sudden thank you? I don't think I've helped you with anything."
"You spared Euclid's life." Grayfia explained the reason for her thanks.
On the day she moved in, Grayfia had learned more detailed information about the Evil Dragon battle from Rias.
The Evil Dragon Ladon, the Evil Dragon Grendel, plus the suddenly appearing Rizevim and Euclid.
Facing such a terrifying lineup, even Grayfia wasn't sure she could escape unscathed. Tatsuma's ability to defeat the enemy head-on speaks for itself regarding his strength.
"Although we don't have a good relationship, Euclid is still my blood relative, my younger brother."
"You showed mercy and spared his life, which should have been considering my concerns, right? Thank you."
"You're welcome, I've already received the gift in return." Tatsuma chuckled, his gaze unreservedly taking in the beautiful scene before him.
With Six Eyes, the mist in the bathroom had no effect on him.
Seeing this, Grayfia, who had been covering her last line of defense with her arms, became a little uncomfortable.
"That... could you please turn around?"
"Eh... No."
Tatsuma refused without hesitation.
"I helped you, you wouldn't be unwilling to give this little benefit, would you?"
"...I understand."
Grayfia was silent for a moment, then resolutely stood up from the bathtub.
She couldn't continue like this. If they continued to be in a deadlock, and a third person came in and saw this awkward scene, that would be terrible.
However, just as Grayfia stepped out of the bathtub, a splashing sound echoed not far away.
Tatsuma stood up and walked out swaggeringly, walking side by side with her.
"Grayfia, are you free?"
"..."
He is definitely doing it on purpose, right?
Grayfia's gaze left the Holy Sword that had entered her sight, and was a little helpless.
However, due to Tatsuma's kindness, she still hummed in response.
"I'm free, what's up?"
Tatsuma replied, "I awakened a new ability during my seclusion and need to find someone to assist with the experiment."
Grayfia asked, "Then shouldn't you go see Rias?"
Tatsuma waved his hand and replied, "Rias won't do, her strength isn't enough. I need someone with enough time and strength to cooperate with my experiment."
"In this house right now, the more I think about it, it seems only you fit the conditions better."
"...I do have time."
Grayfia was silent for a moment before responding.
After being assigned here, her tasks were mainly two.
Kill Rizevim.
Keep an eye on Tatsuma and don't let him mess around.
Rizevim is currently missing, so what she needs to do is focus on Tatsuma.
Since Tatsuma wants to experiment with a new ability, cooperating is not impossible.
However...
"Can you go out first? I need to change clothes."
Ignoring her words, Tatsuma took out clothes and pants from his storage space one by one.
"Speaking of which, Grayfia, I haven't given you a gift since you moved in."
"I have quite a few women's clothes that fit your figure here. Take a look and see if there's anything you want."
"..."
Forget it, it doesn't make much difference now.
Grayfia silently sighed. She put down her arm, took out clothes from the closet, and quickly changed.
Seeing this, Tatsuma raised his hand and snapped his fingers, and a set of casual clothes instantly appeared on him.
"What a coincidence, you've also finished changing."
"Let's go out and take a look around."
Grayfia: "..."
It seems necessary to learn transformation magic.
Leaving the bathroom, Tatsuma activated Teleportation Magic and took Grayfia to the outskirts of Kuoh Town.
At this moment, it was already ten o'clock at night. The bright moonlight fell from the sky, dispelling the darkness.
Grayfia walked out of the magic circle, looked around at the environment, and then her gaze fell upon Tatsuma.
"What do you mean by the experiment?"
"Ability Sharing."
Tatsuma snapped his fingers, summoning a ball of natural energy at his fingertip.
"After this period of secluded training, I have acquired a new ability. Under specific conditions, I can share my abilities with others."
Grayfia commented, "It sounds like a joke."
However, she didn't think that Tatsuma was lying.
What had happened in the past few months proved that Tatsuma was an unreasonable existence. Even the most unreasonable situations were possible when it came to him.
Grayfia asked, "What are the specific conditions? What do I need to do to gain your abilities?"
"The condition is bodily fluid exchange. Kiss me, and I'll handle the rest." Tatsuma started talking nonsense with a serious face.
Naturally, Grayfia saw through it immediately.
"Stop messing around and be serious."
"Alright, I won't tease you anymore."
Tatsuma extended his right hand and said, "The prerequisite for Ability Sharing is energy exchange. I need to inject my energy into your body. Can you cooperate?"
"...Alright."
Grayfia hesitated for a moment, then agreed.
Compared to the utterly nonsensical condition from before, this one was clearly much more reliable.
Reaching out, she grasped Tatsuma's hand, and a vast energy flowed into her body the next second. Grayfia carefully sensed it and felt the aura of demonic power and natural energy within this energy. The two energies fused, retaining their original characteristics while elevating in quality.
The fused energy flowed up her arm and into her body, passing through her heart and then into her limbs.
Senjutsu activated, and a gentle aura rose from within her body, making Grayfia feel incredibly comfortable.
It was warm and cozy, like soaking in a bath.
Huh? Bath?
An embarrassing memory surged into her mind, and Grayfia realized something was amiss.
"Tatsuma, you wouldn't be doing this on purpose, would you?"
"What do you mean?" A look of confusion appeared on Tatsuma's face.