SAINTESS [Chapter 135: Glug!] (Patreon)

Warm, gentle water flowed over Winnie, enveloping Aesphyra as well.

Though he maintained a certain distance from her, perhaps because the hot spring was simply too warm, the heat in Winnie’s face showed no sign of fading.

He… was soaking in the same pool as Aesphyra.

The water flowing around Aesphyra’s body drifted toward him, while the water surrounding him likewise flowed back toward her, brushing over and enveloping her skin.

The moment that realization crossed Winnie’s mind, the heat in his face only intensified. It showed no sign of fading, and before long, beads of sweat began to form on his skin.

Ah, what on earth was he even thinking? Seriously… What a bunch of inexplicable nonsense.

Then again, what was Aesphyra thinking right now?

He sneaked a few glances at her face. Her expression remained perfectly calm, as though she were genuinely enjoying the warm water and had already forgotten everything that had happened earlier.

She really was remarkably composed. Was he the only one making too much of the situation?

Maybe he was the only one who thought this was special…?

Just as Winnie was thinking that, he suddenly realized his Virtue had increased.

‘Virtue + 220.’

‘Current Virtue: 14379.’

Huh? It went up, and by that much??

Winnie looked at Aesphyra again. Still that calm, relaxed expression.

But if someone here could drop that much Virtue, it could only be her, right??

Tch. He’d thought she was really that unbothered.

So she was the same, completely unsure on the inside. Her heart was nowhere near as tranquil as she looked.

She was truly good at pretending. If he didn’t possess the Virtue System and couldn’t sense the subtle changes in her… he might have actually believed her act.

Neither of them said a word.

“Ahem. The moon tonight… It's pretty nice. Really beautiful.” The atmosphere between them had suddenly fallen silent, so Winnie tried to find something to talk about. He couldn’t think of anything on the spot, and when he looked up he happened to see the moon hanging high in the sky, so he said that.

“Mhm. It is very beautiful.” Aesphyra also looked up, agreeing. Then her lips curved slightly. “But it’s still not as beautiful as Winnie.”

“…??” Winnie’s expression twitched, and he couldn’t help complaining. “Who praises a guy for being beautiful?”

“Is that not allowed?” Aesphyra shot back.

“Not allowed.”

“Then what should I praise Winnie for?”

“Tch! Do you really need someone to teach you how to compliment people?” Winnie protested. “Are my good looks really so hard to notice? You’ve been staring at me for this long, and you still haven’t figured it out?”

“Indeed.” Aesphyra echoed meaningfully. “I’m surprised too. That I’ve been looking for so long… and still couldn’t tell.”

“…??” Winnie had a strong feeling that there was something behind those words.

“Winnie.”

“Hm? What is it?”

“Winnie… are you shy?” Aesphyra teased.

“W-what? Who said I’m shy?!” Winnie immediately denied it, almost as if some passive skill had activated on its own. “Stop saying things like that. How could I possibly be shy?!”

“Besides, aren’t you the shy one here?”

“Then why are you sitting so far away?” Aesphyra raised her brows. “Like you’re afraid of being next to me.”

“How is this far? We’re practically face-to-face, okay?”

“But the hot spring is only so big, and you specifically picked the farthest spot from me.” Aesphyra said with a playful smile. “It’s hard not to think that way, isn’t it?”

“Tch! Just you wait.” Being underestimated immediately struck a nerve with Winnie. He rose from the water with a huff, then moved to sit in the middle, putting a little more distance between them.

Aesphyra watched him with a faint smile. She quietly stood as well and moved closer, settling down beside him.

Waah.

The moment Aesphyra moved close, Winnie felt something was wrong. He immediately tilted his head a little to the other side, only to accidentally brush his forehead against something with an exceptionally nice texture.

It seemed like… Aesphyra’s hair.

“Winnie, is there something special over there?” Aesphyra asked with amusement. “You just have to keep staring in that direction?”

“Ahem. What? The essence of soaking in a hot spring is soaking while enjoying the scenery. What’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing wrong at all.” The moment she finished speaking, Winnie suddenly felt something soft and smooth, like polished jade, gently cradle his chin. It guided his face little by little until he had no choice but to meet those noble violet eyes head-on.

“Is the view over here… not as nice as the one you were enjoying before~?”

Aesphyra gently pinched Winnie’s chin and stepped directly into his startled line of sight. A radiant smile bloomed across her face, while her mesmerizing violet eyes seemed almost capable of ensnaring his soul. Soft moonlight draped over her fair, jade-like skin, casting her in a breathtaking, almost dreamlike beauty.

“O-of course not,” Winnie stammered, instinctively trying to avert his gaze, but Aesphyra refused to let him.

“Then what is it?” Aesphyra asked gently, murmuring softly to Winnie. Her breath was like a small breeze, lightly scraping against his cheek, tickling him beyond endurance.

And when he thought about how they were soaking in the same hot spring, so close, and both of them were only wrapped in a towel,

Winnie felt as though the hot spring had suddenly grown hotter and hotter. The heat in his face was becoming unbearable, and he was sure he was about to turn as red as a boiled egg.

Waah! No, no… this is bad!

“Then… I’ll look at you, okay?” Winnie swallowed, gazing at the silver-haired girl beneath the moonlight, so beautiful that she hardly seemed real. His mind grew hazy. Perhaps the hot water had softened his mouth as well, washing away even the insincerity in his words.

Whether it was the hot spring or the atmosphere, Winnie had been completely swept up in the moment, acting purely on impulse.

As Winnie’s gaze grew increasingly unfocused, Aesphyra’s soul-stealing eyes had long since become filled with emotion as well.

Influenced by the atmosphere, neither of them could hold themselves back.

‘Virtue + 260.’

‘Current Virtue: 14639.’

Aesphyra placed one hand lightly on Winnie’s flat chest. Their faces drew closer and closer through the hot spring’s mist.

“Winnie… are you going to ‘pay for the ticket’ now~?” Aesphyra joked. Her scorching breath fell on Winnie’s face again and again, making him feel like the air around them was burning. (1)

Just as their faces neared,

Winnie lowered his head first.

Seeing that, Aesphyra thought Winnie was about to take the initiative to “pay for the ticket,” so she prepared to cooperate, closing her eyes.

But who knew…

Winnie did lower his head. He just wasn’t going to “pay for the ticket.”

Instead…

Aesphyra waited for a long while with her eyes closed, but nothing happened. When she finally opened them, she found Winnie sinking into the hot spring, only half of his face visible above the water, with spirals spinning in his pupils.

‘Virtue + 200.’

‘Current Virtue: 14839.’

“Winnie? Winnie?!”

Winnie could only hear Aesphyra calling his name repeatedly beside him. Her voice seemed to grow more distant with each call, until eventually, he could no longer hear anything at all.

So hot… so dizzy… he just want to sleep… glug, glug, glug.

His vision went black. He couldn’t hear anything, couldn’t see anything.

When Winnie woke again, the first thing he saw was another unfamiliar ceiling.

“Kid, when you soak in a hot spring, you’ve got to know your limits.” As his consciousness gradually cleared, a middle-aged man’s voice drifted over lazily.

“Uh…?” Winnie’s head was still spinning. He asked subconsciously, “Where… am I?”

“Where are you?” The man chuckled as he walked over. “Of course you’re in the infirmary.”

“Mm.” Winnie held his head and sat up, looking around. He found himself in a small room with shelves filled with all kinds of medicine bottles, and he was lying on a bed.

“And you are…?”

“I’m the academy’s medical staff. I was specially sent here to treat students like you who accidentally soak too long and pass out.” The middle-aged uncle smiled.

“I already did a preliminary check. Nothing serious, just a simple faint from the heat. With your extraordinary physique, you’ll recover soon. If you’re still worried, you can wait for the priest to come and check you again. I’m not clergy, after all, so I’m not particularly specialized.” The uncle said.

“No need. Thank you.” When Winnie heard the word “priest,” his expression shifted. It stirred some unpleasant memories, so he declined.

He was probably being overly sensitive, surely not every priest was acting on some Church order, but he still refused the priest’s examination.

Right. He’d been soaking in the hot spring, and then his consciousness had blurred…

“Oh? How do you feel now?”

“Much better.” Aside from his body feeling a bit weak, Winnie didn’t think there was anything wrong.

“Alright. Be more careful next time. But in your state, you probably can’t keep soaking anyway, go rest in the lounge.”

“This time, you’ve got your little girlfriend to thank for getting you out of the hot spring in time. If you’d been on your own, things could’ve turned out badly.” The uncle teased with a grin.

“Huh? My… little girlfriend?” Winnie froze.

“Winnie, are you feeling better?” At that moment, Aesphyra’s voice came from outside the door. Winnie looked over and saw Aesphyra standing at the entrance, hair tied up, wearing a roomy bathrobe.

Only then did Winnie notice he was wearing a bathrobe too.

“Kid, it’s thanks to your little girlfriend here that you were brought in on time.” The uncle chuckled. “But I still have to advise you, young people should practice restraint. Don’t play too wildly.”

“Uncle, we’re not like that!” Winnie’s temperature, which had finally gone down, rose again.

“Not?” The uncle waved a hand. “Alright, alright. I’m pretty open-minded. I’m a man who’s been through it, too. I’m not going to criticize. To be honest, I met my wife at school.”

“You two are a boy and a girl, and you each have your own room, yet you still insist on sharing a hot spring. Then you sit there with your eyes wide open, lying through your teeth that you’re not dating. Who do you think would believe that? You? Do you even believe it yourself?” the uncle laughed.

“But it’s true…”

“Fine. If you say you’re not, then you’re not.” The uncle patted Winnie’s shoulder, wearing an “I get it” expression.

“But still.” The uncle leaned close to Winnie’s ear and whispered, “A guy soaking with his girlfriend, and you’re the one who couldn’t take it and fainted first. That’s embarrassing, kid.”

Winnie could only feel helpless.

Whatever. Explaining wouldn’t help. He might as well stop.

This time, it really was his own carelessness. The hot spring had been too hot to begin with, and for certain external reasons, the “temperature” he felt had risen even further. With his emotions fluctuating and his excitement running high, he eventually couldn’t take it anymore and passed out.

Thinking back, it really did feel… kind of humiliating.

Supported by the uncle, Winnie got out of bed and walked to Aesphyra, leaving the infirmary with her.

Before leaving, Aesphyra glanced toward the infirmary door.

Even though that uncle wasn’t clergy, her vigilance was still at maximum.

While the uncle diagnosed Winnie, Aesphyra had watched the whole time from the side. Even after she stepped out, she stayed not far from the door, paying attention to everything inside, until Winnie woke.

“Winnie, are you okay?”

“Mhm. I’m fine now. Thanks.” Winnie’s body still felt weak. Seeing that, Aesphyra took the initiative to support him.

“Do you need to thank me too?” Aesphyra said softly. “If you still feel uncomfortable, lean on me. This isn’t the time to be shy.”

“I told you, I’m not shy.” Walking close beside Aesphyra and catching the faint fragrance of her hair, Winnie turned his gaze aside and pursed his lips.

Remembering how they had been nearly pressed together in the hot spring before he fainted, along with those intimate moments, Winnie’s face grew hot once again.

“Winnie?” Aesphyra tilted her head. “Are you not fully recovered yet? Why is your face red again?”

“Ahem. Maybe.”

“Then let’s go rest in the lounge?” Aesphyra suggested.

Although Winnie had fainted and they couldn’t go back to their room to keep soaking, Aesphyra didn’t mind.

On the second floor, there was a large public lounge and also private lounge rooms. Anyone could use them, no key required.

Aesphyra had already surveyed it: there were plenty of rooms, and finding an empty one would be easy.

And then it would still be a space for just the two of them.

The atmosphere she’d built earlier had been perfect. They could’ve smoothly pushed forward, who would’ve thought an accident would happen and Winnie would faint.

But it didn’t matter. Atmosphere? If it was gone, she’d just make more.

When two people are in love, they always end up unable to help themselves.

They made their way to the second floor. After checking several occupied rooms, the two exchanged a silent understanding and settled on an empty lounge.

“Let’s use this one. What do you think, Winnie?” Aesphyra asked with a faint smile. “No one will bother us here. It’s quiet and peaceful, isn’t it?”

“Yeah… yes. Pretty good. Not bad.” Winnie nodded reflexively, agreeing.

“Mhm. Winnie thinks so too, right?” The two of them pushed the door open and entered.

However, after they went in, neither of them noticed a small head slowly peeking out from around the corner.

“Mm… mwe?!”

Wearing a bathrobe, Milian peeked around the corner, staring at the lounge Winnie and Aesphyra had entered in disbelief. A strange sound escaped her lips.

######

Pay for the ticket = 先上车，后补票 (xiān shàng chē, hòu bǔ piào)

It means = get on the vehicle first, then pay for the ticket afterward

But sometimes it is used for a couple becoming intimate.