"Master, just where exactly is the Ice Spirit hiding inside this thing they call a refrigerator? How can it keep releasing cold air like that?"
Jhin had absolutely no way to explain how a modern refrigerator actually worked, so all he could offer Kokkoro was this: "These are products of technology from my home world. There's no spirit inside — it runs purely on electricity and machinery."
"I-Is that so... What a wondrous device." Kokkoro didn't understand words like "technology" or "machinery," but once she'd confirmed there was no Ice Spirit lurking within, she let the matter drop.
Though nearly everything in the capsule house was completely foreign to them, with Jhin's guidance, Pecorine and Kokkoro managed to find rough equivalents for most of the items from their own world — things that served similar purposes — and gradually worked out how to use them.
For the parts he couldn't explain himself, he either waved it away vaguely or chalked it up to "technology."
He had no idea where the bathroom water actually came from, or how the stovetop produced its gas flame. All he could say was: Synapps Technology — truly awe-inspiring.
"There are plenty of rooms in here — pick whichever one you like. In the bathroom, turning the tap left is hot water, right is cold. The blue bottle is shampoo, the red is body wash — don't mix them up. Oh, and here are some fresh towels. Just use these to dry off after your bath."
Jhin handed the towels over to Pecorine and Kokkoro, looked them over for a moment, then hesitated before producing two sets of pajamas. "These are brand-new, never worn. After your bath, just change into these. Put your clothes in the washing machine, follow the steps I showed you, then move them over to the dryer — they'll be ready to wear again by tomorrow."
It wasn't as though he lacked pajamas made for women — quite a few sets had been left behind by Suou Amane and Irisu Makina. But a man casually producing women's sleepwear from thin air was the kind of thing that invited all the wrong conclusions, so he opted to hand over his own unused sets instead.
Pecorine watched Jhin scurry off to boil water and brew tea, and found she couldn't hold back the thought any longer. "Kokkoro... doesn't it feel like Jhin is actually better at taking care of people than you are?"
"Master takes care of others, so I'll take care of Master — there's no conflict!" Kokkoro declared with great conviction, even as something inside her quietly wavered.
I can't match Master in cooking... and now I can't match him in taking care of people, either.
O great goddess Eris, please... show me the way.
Jhin sat in the living room sipping his tea. Pecorine, who had gone to bathe first, emerged into the living room toweling her long, damp hair — her expression caught somewhere between embarrassment and uncertainty.
She had never had the experience of appearing before a man while dressed in pajamas.
"Hmm? Miss Pecorine, aren't you going to use the hair dryer? Drying it with just a towel is going to take forever."
"Ah ha ha..." Pecorine laughed awkwardly. "That thing called a hair dryer — the sound it makes is a bit much. I'm not really used to handling it on my own."
Jhin volunteered himself without a second thought. "Then how about I dry your hair for you?"
"Huh?" Pecorine froze, her hand pausing where it had been working the towel through her hair.
It really would take ages to dry her hair like this. Out in the wilderness on her own, she wouldn't have bothered — but in front of a man, she should at least try to look presentable.
She settled onto the sofa and loosened the towel wrapped around her long hair. "W-Well then... I'll leave it to you."
Jhin fetched the hair dryer and plugged it in. Pecorine sat rigid as a board — legs pressed tightly together, the towel crumpled into a ball on her knees. He spoke softly to ease her nerves. "Relax. No need to be so tense — just imagine the sound is the wind blowing outside."
"Mm... mm."
The soft lamplight fell across Pecorine's hair, drawing a warm, vivid sheen from the orange strands. Jhin worked the dryer carefully, gently parting each damp lock with his fingers. The silky smoothness — like running your hand over fine silk — gave no indication whatsoever that its owner was an adventurer who traveled rough roads.
He adjusted the temperature and airflow to something gentle, and began.
The warm air moved through her hair, carrying away the last of the water droplets and leaving light, airy strands floating in its wake.
He swept the dryer back and forth in slow, even arcs, careful not to hold the heat in one spot — Pecorine wasn't accustomed to hair dryers, and the last thing he wanted was to overwhelm her.
He's so practiced at this. Has he done this for other people before?
The warm air and the gentle brush of his fingertips weaving through her hair left Pecorine with a ticklish feeling — but nothing like the maddening itch of a mosquito bite. This was different: the kind of comfortable, melting sensation that made your eyes drift shut of their own accord, that crept up on you until you were half-asleep before you even noticed.
Just as I said — Jhin really is good at taking care of people.
Or... very good at taking care of girls, specifically?
"All done!" Jhin switched off the dryer. Pecorine's orange hair, now fully dry, gleamed with a brilliant luster and fell in natural, gentle waves. From a distance, it would be easy to mistake it for golden blonde.
"Thank you, Jhin."
"Don't mention it." Jhin found himself genuinely fond of the smile Pecorine wore in moments like this. This girl seemed like she would never let sadness hold her in place — always able to smile from the heart, and always drawing others into that smile along with her.
"Master, it's your turn to bathe now."
Kokkoro stepped out of the bathroom wearing her oversized pajamas. Jhin noticed she was also toweling her hair dry, and beckoned her over with a wave. "Kokkoro, come here — I'll dry your hair."
"O-Okay. Sorry for the trouble."
Kokkoro was clearly even less accustomed to the hair dryer than Pecorine had been. Perhaps it was due to those long, sensitive elf ears of hers — each time the warm air grazed the tips, a small, involuntary shiver passed through her.
Short hair dried faster than long hair, and before long Jhin switched off the dryer and held out a comb. "All done. Here's your comb."
While Kokkoro combed her hair, Jhin slipped away to take his own bath. When he emerged from the bathroom, Kokkoro was already standing by the sofa, comb in one hand and hair dryer in the other, waiting.
"Master, let me dry your hair."
"Sure."
Having someone else dry his hair was a first for Jhin. He walked over and settled onto the sofa, letting Kokkoro's small hands move freely through his hair.
It was her first time using a hair dryer, and at first she wasn't quite sure of the technique — but once she got the hang of it, she settled into a comfortable rhythm, humming a cheerful little tune as she worked.
"Master has a really... reassuring scent."
"What on earth is a 'reassuring scent' supposed to smell like?"
It was a comment Jhin had been puzzling over for a while now. Hitori Gotoh, Kita Ikuyo, Irisu Makina — any number of girls had mentioned at one point or another that they liked his reassuring scent.
But it wasn't as though he was some beautiful girl with a naturally distinct personal fragrance. Beyond the smell of laundry detergent on his clothes, what on earth could they possibly be detecting?
Kokkoro couldn't describe it in precise terms — she could only offer her most honest, intuitive impression. "It makes you feel calm without even thinking about it. Like the smell of afternoon sunlight."
"That just makes it even harder to picture..."
Jhin remained thoroughly at a loss as to what this scent of his was supposed to be.
____
👻🔥Seek: Walnut-chan🔥👻
🔥 New history: All My Employees Are Naughty Girls
Let's hit these goals:
🎯 100 Powerstones = 1 extra chapter for the public!