Evening.
After mooching a meal at the Master Diviner's office, Sylvia followed Fu Xuan back to her residence.
It was a standalone building, secluded from the crowds. Just from the exterior, it almost felt exactly like the Divination Commission.
If Fu Xuan hadn't mentioned it, Sylvia would have thought this place was just another one of her workspaces.
"You're not entirely wrong," Fu Xuan explained as she led Sylvia inside. "When I have unfinished work, I often bring it home. So, apart from the essential rooms, the rest of the house is arranged much like the Commission."
"Why not just finish the work at the office?" Sylvia asked.
"If I were to stay at the Commission indefinitely, it would affect everyone else's ability to leave on time. While I'm willing to dedicate myself to work, I cannot impose my own standards on others."
Sylvia's eyes widened slightly at that. Was Fu Xuan actually such a considerate superior?
No, her constant targeting of Qingque was definitely because Qingque was just that much of a slacker.
"Right in here."
Fu Xuan pushed open the door to a small side room. Sylvia stepped in and looked around; it was a somewhat cramped space.
A single bed and a coat stand stood alongside furnishings that were purely for official use.
The walls were bare of decoration, save for two potted plants on the windowsill that added a touch of life to the room.
Without needing to read her mind, Fu Xuan, sitting on the edge of the bed, explained, "This is where I handle documents during my time off. When I'm tired, I rest over there for a while."
As she spoke, she moved to sit on the bedside, a hint of shyness in the way she lightly kicked her heels back, seemingly still feeling a little self-conscious.
Seeing this, Sylvia didn't rush. She walked over, placed one knee on the bed while bracing the other foot on the floor, and gently rested her fingers on Fu Xuan's temples, beginning to massage them.
The visible weariness on Fu Xuan's face made it clear she had overexerted herself today.
In response to Sylvia's touch, Fu Xuan's initial tension gave way to relaxation in just a few short seconds.
"Mmm... thank you."
Fu Xuan closed her eyes, leaning back slightly until her head rested gently against Sylvia. Her soft thanks, whispered in the quiet room where only the sound of fabric rustling could be heard, didn't go unnoticed.
"Just a small thing."
As Sylvia felt Fu Xuan relaxing more and more, her hands gradually moved downward from the forehead, finding their way to the neck, shoulders, back, and other areas.
And Fu Xuan, now fully at ease, began to lose herself in the sensation.
Perhaps being in a familiar environment made it easier to let go. Fu Xuan gently lay forward on the bed, and with a slight tug of her small hand, she loosened the fastening at the back of her garment.
Her face, buried in the pillow, was already flushed a deep red.
--+--
Outside the house.
Acheron had naturally witnessed how Fu Xuan, under Sylvia's hands, had gradually let her guard down, even becoming immersed in the soothing experience.
"Hmph..."
For no reason she could readily name, Acheron felt a faint stirring of displeasure.
An impulse rose in her—to burst in and simply take Sylvia away.
But honestly, for Acheron, this kind of displeasure and possessiveness were already deeply unfamiliar emotions, so alien that she found it difficult to immediately formulate a corresponding reaction.
Even back in the distant past, when she was still in Izumo, such feelings had been largely unnecessary for Acheron.
There were always far more important matters demanding her attention.
Besides, given Acheron's nature, she wouldn't hold this against Fu Xuan.
But if it were Sylvia... Acheron's gaze drifted unconsciously into the room, settling on the ring on Sylvia's finger.
If it were Sylvia, she would surely understand these feelings, wouldn't she?
At that thought, Acheron's sudden unrest quieted as quickly as it had come.
And precisely because she couldn't immediately decide on the best course of action, restrained by rationality...
Acheron seemed to find a direction to channel her emotions. Her agitation faded, replaced by a peculiar mindset of 'let's see how far you'll go.'
Inside the room—
Sylvia remained unaware of Acheron's presence, while Fu Xuan's state of mind, much like her body, was caught in a brief but lingering wave of sensation.
The smooth skin of her back gradually reddened under Sylvia's massage, showing some noticeable marks.
From her shoulders down her back, to her waist.
Sylvia's hands eventually, inevitably, traveled down to the soft, shapely legs sheathed in white stockings, the slender ankles that were just right, and the nearly perfect feet.
As Sylvia's hands moved lower, Fu Xuan's face flushed an even deeper red. She couldn't help but recall the images she had glimpsed from Sylvia's mind earlier that day.
Trembling, trying to hold back any sounds, Fu Xuan felt incredibly tense.
What if Sylvia couldn't resist... tasting her?
Should she resist? But if she kicked out and her foot hit Sylvia's face, would Sylvia get angry?
...Or would she actually like it even more?
As a workaholic, Fu Xuan had the basic knowledge one might expect, but she rarely delved into the more... specialized niches.
Confronted with Sylvia's particular interest—which seemed a bit perverted, yet not entirely beyond the pale—Fu Xuan found herself at a loss for how to define it.
Just as Fu Xuan was lost in her nervous thoughts, she felt a hand pat her bottom, and a voice sounded from behind her:
"Fu Xuan, relax a little... Your legs are so tense, it's reducing the effectiveness of the massage."
Did she just spank me?!
Fu Xuan's mind went blank for a second, then she turned her head in disbelief to stare at Sylvia behind her. Her flushed face looked on the verge of tears, and even her voice had softened into a muffled protest: "...I-It's all because of those... those absurd thoughts you had during the day!"
"Well... you'll have to forgive me, Master Diviner. People... we all have our absurd thoughts sometimes."
Being glared at by Fu Xuan in this state was... remarkably potent.
Fu Xuan let out a soft, indignant 'hmph!' before turning back and burying her face again, saying nothing more.
But, under Sylvia's palms, the muscles of her thighs gradually began to relax, following the rhythm of her breathing.
Only then could the massage properly continue.
--+--
Roughly half a system hour later.
A fragrant, sweat-dampened Fu Xuan lay face down on the bed, trembling slightly and breathing heavily.
Her skirt was now mostly pushed down, her pristine back glistening with sweat, catching the light from the window and shimmering.
Seeing this, Sylvia took a prepared towel and draped it over Fu Xuan like a cloak.
"How do you feel?"
"It was... a very good experience. I... I'm feeling a bit sleepy."
As she spoke, Fu Xuan even let out a wide yawn right there on the bed. In the wake of her relaxation, the remaining fatigue was urging her toward sleep.
Watching as Fu Xuan rubbed her eyes and struggled to push herself up from the bed, her body loosely covered by the towel, the sight was strikingly alluring.
Especially the white stockings, damp with sweat, their semi-sheer texture hinting at the skin beneath, lending an exceptionally captivating charm.
Sylvia gave a dry cough. Seizing the chance while Fu Xuan was too drowsy to notice her gaze, she said, "I should get going then. You should get some rest, Fu Xuan?"
"Ah... yes. I don't have a spare room here, so I won't keep you for the night. Sleep well."
"Sleep well, Fu Xuan."
Seeing that Fu Xuan was still fairly coherent, Sylvia gathered her things and left the house alone.
Acheron also cast one last glance at Fu Xuan inside the room, then tightened her grip on her long blade and followed Sylvia out.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.