After Jibril fell silent, Unohana Retsu took over as the main speaker for a while, allowing the members of the Chat Group to get to know each other a bit better.
"Let's take a bath together, Little Tatsumaki."
After Tatsumaki finished her meal, Rias turned off the Chat Group and extended the invitation.
"Mmm..."
Tatsumaki glanced at her own disheveled, dirty state, and a faint blush involuntarily spread across her cheeks.
Clearly, she was feeling a bit shy.
"Let's go."
Without waiting for Tatsumaki's response, Rias grabbed her hand and then used Heavenly Transfer to arrive in the bathroom.
Hanging a sign on the door, Rias casually created a Formula barrier, then took off her clothes.
Watching Rias's straightforward actions, Tatsumaki hesitated for a moment before also removing her own garments. The two then slowly settled into the water.
"Phew, it's been a while since I had a proper soak. It's still quite comfortable."
Submerging her body up to her neck in the water, Rias couldn't help but let out a sigh.
If she didn't have someone to accompany her, Rias would be quite lazy, focusing most of her energy on research and cultivation.
"Mhm..."
Tatsumaki also narrowed her eyes, then said with a hint of unease, "But my body is so dirty... won't I make the water filthy?"
"It's fine. This water is flowing. Metabolic waste and dirt that enter the water are automatically filtered out; it doesn't require manual cleaning."
Rias said with a smile.
"I see."
Tatsumaki felt reassured.
"By the way, do you have any plans for what's next?"
Rias asked.
"Plans?"
Tatsumaki looked somewhat lost.
"Your life going forward."
Rias clarified.
"life..."
Tatsumaki fell silent.
"I remember you have a younger sister, right?"
Rias reminded her.
"Right! Fubuki! I still have Fubuki!"
Tatsumaki suddenly stood up, exclaiming aloud.
Her eyes were no longer dull; instead, they were filled with joy and a hope for life.
Seeing the genuine conviction emanating from Tatsumaki, Rias gently took her hand, had her sit down beside her, and then patted Tatsumaki's head. "The world holds many interesting things and precious treasures. I can also be your friend."
"Th... thank you."
Tatsumaki's face flushed slightly, this time from shyness.
"Alright, wash up properly, and then take good care of your sister."
Rias said with a smile, "I often conduct experiments in the Arena. Since time in the Arena flows differently from the time in one's own world, it doesn't waste any time."
"Your world is dangerous. If you possess strength yourself, you won't have to rely on others for rescue. Instead, you'll be able to make choices according to your own will."
"That's a very important thing, you know~"
As she spoke, Rias sat on the edge of the bath, gently scooped up some water, helped wet Tatsumaki's hair, and began to slowly massage it.
After washing it with the Underworld's special shampoo, Rias then scrubbed her back.
Tatsumaki's body was still very thin and frail, but her skin was smooth. Perhaps this was due to being an esper?
Or was she just naturally beautiful?
With some proper care, she should recover. As for her physique... a legal loli is quite cute too.
Anyway, it wasn't a big deal, so Rias decided not to specially adjust her body.
"Mmm..."
Rias's fingers lightly traced down Tatsumaki's spine, causing her to straighten her back involuntarily.
The warm, small hands felt like points of contact, making her feel a bit shy.
Soon, Tatsumaki was clean and fresh. With proper nutrition, she could become the alluring and tempting legal loli from the original story.
Of course, cultivating that kind of aura would probably take some time as well.
"Rias-chan, let me help you too."
Tatsumaki looked at Rias with anticipation.
"Mhm, then I'll leave it to you."
Rias leaned forward onto the edge of the bath. Her relaxed posture, however, made Tatsumaki nervous.
Taking a deep breath and imitating Rias's earlier actions, Tatsumaki applied shower gel to Rias's body and then used a bath pouf to scrub.
Once she was covered in lather, Tatsumaki used her delicate hands to wipe the foam away from Rias.
Having never done this herself before, Tatsumaki's movements were clumsy, and she believed this was the normal procedure.
After finishing the back, Rias turned over.
Propping her arms slightly on the edge to avoid slipping in, Rias closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensation. Tatsumaki now understood what to do next.
After washing the front of Rias's body, just as before, she used her hands to wipe away the foam.
Both their breathing became slightly heavier. In the steamy, mist-filled bathroom, their minds felt a bit dizzy.
"What should I do next?"
Gazing at Rias's flawless body, smooth as jade and like a work of art, Tatsumaki couldn't help but become somewhat entranced.
This wasn't because there was something wrong with Tatsumaki; it was a normal reaction.
As Rias underwent fusion of her life essence, she gradually began to exude a fatal allure towards life itself.
Normally, this attraction was hidden deep within her body, extremely restrained.
But when she relaxed, her higher life essence would emit strong fluctuations, making people feel a sense of 'yearning' in their hearts, even a physical, instinctive craving for a higher form of life.
"Next, we'll just soak a little longer, then get out."
Rias slipped back into the water and then wrapped her arms around Tatsumaki's waist.
Having used the Underworld's shower gel, even after rinsing, their bodies remained smooth and slippery. Physical contact gave a very pleasant sensation.
Soon, the two dried off and wrapped themselves in clean, white bath towels.
A flash of magic, and Rias's damp hair was dry.
Imitating Rias, Tatsumaki used her superpowers to remove the moisture from her own hair.
"So this is a superpower?"
Rias narrowed her eyes, asking curiously.
"Yes, this is a superpower."
Tatsumaki nodded.
"It seems to involve something more fundamental."
Rias narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, and then a red glow slowly began to shimmer around her body.
"This is... a superpower?"
Tatsumaki was somewhat surprised.
"It's indeed a decent power. Its upper and lower limits are very distinct—an ability heavily reliant on talent."
Rias murmured, "But it's not without potential for modification. However, that already touches upon the essence of life."
On the surface, Tatsumaki's superpower appears to be telekinesis, but its essence is'superpower'.
Including healing, precognition, telepathy, memory modification, mind reading, gravity manipulation, and so on.
All of these are superpowers. With in-depth development, and after determining one's direction and confirming one's aptitude, one can attain the abilities listed above.
In essence, this might be the power of the Sixth Sense.
If one delves deeply into telekinesis, perhaps one could use mental perception to enter the microscopic realm.
For Rias herself, this also represented a relatively clear path for advancement.
After all, a basic requirement for fusing one's life essence is to reach the microscopic realm, to be able to 'observe' one's own life essence.
To be able to observe is to be able to interfere; to be able to interfere is to be able to control. This is the 'principle'.
---------------------------------
I hope you're enjoying the fanfiction so far! If the story has you hooked and you can't wait to see what happens next, you can unlock 30 chapters in advance over on my Patreon: patreon.com/TLHimejima1
Every bit of support means the world to me so if you're loving the ride, don't forget to drop a Power Stone and let me know.