"Um... please, turn around first."
The woman spoke her final request in a voice as quiet as a mosquito's buzz.
Arata was certainly not a beast in human skin, so of course, he obeyed the reasonable suggestion.
Yakumo Kadori took a deep breath and, with trembling fingers, began to remove the shihakushō from her body.
As the black fabric slowly slid down her, her plump curves wrapped in bandages were finally fully revealed, the blood-soaked bandages started beneath her collarbone, went down to her ribs, then crisscrossed across her back in a seductive X.
Arata's Adam's apple shifted.
Even through the bandages, the round, soft flesh that threatened to slip out still gently trembled in rhythm with her breathing, faintly shimmering in the candlelight like pearls.
"Don't look…" Yakumo shyly turned to the side, causing her beautiful shoulder blades to stand out even more.
The bandage at her waist was tied in a neat bow, making her waist look so slender it could be wrapped with a single hand.
"Captain Yakumo, forgive me." Arata forced himself to stay composed and began to condense purple-black spiritual pressure at his fingertips.
As soon as his fingers touched the edge of the bandage, Yakumo straightened up suddenly.
"Sss——" she gasped softly, unintentionally, and her gaze blurred behind her glasses.
As the bandages were peeled away layer by layer, her bloody skin was gradually exposed to the air.
On her ribs, right next to her breast, five black scars in the shape of tree branches spread out, the deepest one almost touching the lower edge of the soft flesh.
"It's really eroded the very root of the spiritual body…" Arata's voice was slightly tense. Could the Quincy already do something like this at this stage?
With his left hand, he steadied her trembling shoulders, and with the index finger of his right, he slowly traced the line of the scar.
The spiritual pressure from his fingertips entered Yakumo's wound like a living being, and upon contact with the poison, it sizzled softly like flames burning something.
"Mmm—"
Yakumo suddenly threw her head back. The process of breaking down the spiritual particles brought a strange, tingling sensation, so she instinctively clenched her fists and pressed her legs together.
Sweat dripped from her chin onto her chest, leaving shiny trails on her snow-white skin.
"Captain Yakumo, does it hurt anywhere in particular?" Arata paused for a moment, waiting for her reply.
"No, please continue…" Yakumo uttered through clenched teeth, biting her lip, not realizing how seductive her red lips looked that way.
The most stubborn poison was concentrated deep in the wound, right beneath her right breast. Arata was therefore forced to press his entire palm against that part of her skin, and the plump, soft flesh immediately spilled between his fingers.
Both of them inhaled sharply at the same time—he clearly felt the rapid heartbeat beneath his palm, while she trembled all over from the heat of the man's touch.
"I–I'm sorry…" Arata's voice had become hoarse, and the spiritual pressure in his hands formed a small vortex, continuously deepening the purification of the poison.
Only after half an hour was the treatment finally fully completed.
"The poison has been removed." Arata withdrew his hand, the warm sensation of her skin still tingling at his fingertips.
"However, your reiatsu has been corroded for a long time, it will take some time to fully recover."
Yakumo Kadori exhaled in relief, and tears of gratitude sparkled in her eyes behind her glasses.
"Thank you, Arata-kun." She lowered her gaze to the spot on her ribs where the wound had healed, leaving only a few pale pink traces on her milky-white skin. "If it weren't for you, I probably would have…"
[It has been detected that the host's actions had a major impact on a key story character!]
[The fate trajectory of Yakumo Kadori has undergone a great change, gained 1888 Fate Points!]
[Host's fate value: 5629/20425]
Arata frowned. He hadn't expected to receive such a rich reward from a single treatment.
It seemed that in the original history, this injury must have had extremely serious consequences for Yakumo Kadori's future.
With that thought, he quietly opened the system panel.
[B-class item: Essence of High-Concentration Spiritual Pressure]
[Effect: Quickly restores depleted spiritual pressure. With prolonged use, it can increase the amount and quality of spiritual pressure, up to the upper limit of second-level spiritual power.]
[Note: Can be gifted, cannot be upgraded.]
[Exchange cost: 1000 Fate Points per bottle]
[Confirm exchange?]
[Confirm.]
The 1888 he just earned was already reduced by a thousand. Truly spending points like water.
"Arata-kun?" Yakumo tilted her head slightly in confusion. From that angle, the softness of her breasts could briefly be glimpsed beneath the bandages. "Is something wrong?"
"Nothing." Arata quickly composed himself, spent 1000 Fate Points to exchange one Essence of High-Concentration Spiritual Pressure from the system shop, and pretended to pull it out from his chest.
"This is medicine that can help you quickly restore your reiatsu."
Yakumo Kadori widened her eyes in surprise, even forgetting that she hadn't yet dressed again. "Huh? This kind of medicine must be really expensive. Are you sure it's okay for me to drink it?"
"Don't worry, Captain Yakumo. I still have a small stock at home." Arata casually skipped explaining the origin of the essence, secretly glad that the Technology Development Bureau in this era wasn't yet fully developed, otherwise, an item like this, which defied common sense, would be very hard to explain.
[It has been detected that the host has gifted a rare item to an important story character for the first time! Gained 777 Fate Points!]
[The fate trajectory of Yakumo Kadori has once again moderately shifted, gained 999 Fate Points!]
[Host's fate value: 6405/22201]
Arata's lips curled up ever so slightly. So sharing items from the system shop with others could trigger additional rewards. No wonder some items were marked as "can be gifted."
All in all, this was pure profit.
"Captain Yakumo, since the treatment is done, I should now–" He was just about to stand and say goodbye, when he saw Yakumo Kadori suddenly grab his wrist again.
"Arata-jun, this is for you." She pulled a wooden squad badge from under the pillow. Carved into it was the number "eight" and the flower of the Strelitzia, the symbol of Squad 8.
"From today, you're my lieutenant."
Arata was briefly stunned.
He had thought he came here just to get a position, and then look for a way to return to his original world when the opportunity came. He didn't expect to immediately become a vice-captain.
"I'm still young, and I'm afraid it'll be hard to convince others. Besides, the former lieutenant of Squad 8—"
"The only thing that decides anything is strength." Yakumo Kadori said softly but firmly, pushing the squad badge into his palm. "You forced the Sternritter to retreat and healed a wound that even Captain Shijima couldn't treat. Who would dare oppose you?"
The tips of her fingers lightly brushed against Arata's palm, causing a barely noticeable tingling sensation.
"As for your concerns, I'll be honest with you. The position of lieutenant in Squad 8 has actually been vacant for a long time…"
Yakumo Kadori told the truth about the state of the squad with slight unease, and at the same time, a shadow of sorrow flickered in her eyes.
That slightly confused Arata.
"Did the lieutenant die in the war?"
Yakumo shook her head and, after a brief hesitation, decided to tell him the truth.