CH 217

Words : 1196 Updated : Sep 25th, 2025

I Asked Leo Why She Hated Baths “Why do you hate baths? You like to swim in rivers, don’t you? Is it the hot water? Or are you scared of getting soap in your eyes?” “Wuff…wuff-wuff. Wuff. Wuff-wou.” When I asked Leo what the reason was, she began to bark repeatedly, as if becoming very talkative. And like this, she explained it to me. Uhh… You don’t like the hot water, which is unnatural. And you don’t like other people putting hot water on you, as it gets in your face. And you don’t like how it erases your smell… I see… “While it can’t be helped that it gets in your eyes, it’s still my fault. Sorry. But is hot water really that bad?” “Wuff! Wuff!” It’s not natural water? Well, it is heated, so I suppose it’s different from the water that flows in nature…but what about hot springs? That water is heated without human interference… Well, at least this way, there was something that I could do. “All right… I’ll only use cool water then. As for preventing it from getting in your eyes… I’ll have a large bucket prepared… And then you can wash your face by yourself?” “Wuff… Wuff-wuff.” She said that she might be able to bear it this way… It would be unrealistic to think everything would be solved immediately, but at least I didn’t have to force her to do something she hated. “Wuff…wuff…wuff…” “Your smell will change? …That’s one thing you’ll just have to get used to.” “Wuff…” I had to use soap and wash her thoroughly, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to remove all the dirt… I didn’t know if the soap in this world was good for Leo’s fur, but it was surely better than leaving any grime that water couldn’t wash away. …Dogs generally do not like the smell of soap… And since Leo had a sharp sense of smell, she would feel the difference much more strongly than me. But this was one thing that could not be helped. Leo accepted this, but she still sighed as we left the room and headed to the bathing area. “All right, Leo. I’m going to wash you with water!” “Wuff.” As per her request, I washed her with cool water instead of hot water. The water flowed down Leo’s fur, washing away the light dirt on the surface. “…Yes, you really are quite filthy…” It was more obvious when looking at the water that flowed down. There was dust and sand in it, and it became quite dark. …Some of it might have even been blood from monsters that she killed. “I’ll finish this quickly…” Normally, it would be fine, as we used hot water. But since it was cold, I couldn’t stay like this long, since I was naked. While the bathing area was kept warmer than other rooms, the water I was pouring on Leo would splash onto me as well. At least, the mansion wasn’t in a place with a colder climate. Had it been cold enough for it to be snowing, then I wouldn’t have been able to wash Leo with water. “Now that I think about it, I wonder if they have seasons in this world?” Some time has now passed since I came to this world. And it had yet to become cold or very hot. It was a comfortable climate. But if there were seasons, I suppose the next was either summer or winter… It is currently a lot like spring in Japan. So maybe it will be summer? But this was another world. Maybe winter could be after spring. “Well, I don’t have to worry about that right now. I’ll ask Ms. Claire or Sebastian about it later. All right, Leo. You can wash your face now!” “…” While I was thinking, I managed to cover Leo’s entire body with soap. As Leo’s face was now covered in bubbles, she kept her mouth and eyes closed and would not make a sound… I understood that she didn’t want to get it in her mouth or eyes…but was she even breathing? She then lifted her head and dunk it in the large bucket that Ms. Lyra had prepared. Apparently, it was usually used to wash small children who couldn’t use the bathtub yet. But right now, it would be very useful for washing Leo’s face. …Besides, there were no children who were that young in this mansion right now. “And then change the water… There. Once more, Leo.” “Wuff.” After most of the soap was washed away, I changed the water and had Leo rinse her face once again. As Leo was able to wash up at her own pace and avoid getting water in her eyes, she was a lot more cheerful than she usually was when bathing. Well, most times, she looked like she was walking through the lands of the dead… So in comparison, she was doing very well. …It was a good thing that I had asked for Leo’s opinion. I would not have been able to do such things back in Japan. “Now, I just have to rinse off your body…and we’re done.” “Wuff!” After washing Leo’s body carefully, I used a brush to make sure all of the dirt came out, and it was finished. Leo, who was in a good mood, suddenly began to shake all of the water from her fur. “Hey, Leo… I told you to not do that when I’m close by… And it’s cold water… Achoo!” “Wuff…” As Leo was so big, I would have to be pretty far away in order to avoid having the water rain over me. Well, it usually happens anyway. But this time it was like having a lot of water poured over your head. I was so cold that I sneezed, and then Leo rubbed against me apologetically. …Perhaps she was trying to help warm me up, but she was still wet and cold to touch… “I better warm up then… Leo, you’re done, so you can get out now.” “Wuff… Wuff.” If I didn’t warm myself up with hot water soon, I might catch a cold. I was the one who went around and healed people with my herbs, and so I would be embarrassing to get sick. Mr. Ekenhart would be arriving tomorrow, so I wanted to be in the best condition health-wise. And so I picked up a bucket for the hot water and went over to the bathtub. Leo walked obediently out of the bathing room. She was able to dexterously use her paw to push open the door when leaving. “Wuff!” “Oh, it’s just you, good Leo? Mr. Takumi is still inside?” “Wuff-wuff.” I could hear Ms. Lyra and Leo in the changing room. Ms. Lyra would wait outside with a towel in order to dry Leo after her bath. As I heard Leo bark in reply, I poured the hot water over my body and cleaned myself before soaking in the tub.

CH 217

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