Chapter 502, Take a Bath Together

(What I hate most is the repeated revision process!!!)
(Ahhh, working during the National Day holiday and staying up late to code, ahhhhhhh——)
"……OK."

Ling probably thought it would be best to wash away his fatigue first, so he nodded in response to Zhuo, and Zhuo also smiled knowingly.

...As a result, when he realized that he had agreed too readily, Shiling had already stood up and sat down between his legs, which were casually sitting cross-legged.

Ling ignored Zhuo, whose whole body was stiff because the incident happened too suddenly. He nimbly stepped over the edge of the bathtub, avoided Zhuo's feet, bent his knees and sat down, making a space for himself in the bathtub.

"why?"

"Eh?"

"I think you should be more proactive. Usually, Zhuo becomes a different person at times like this, right?"

"At times like this..."

I admit that I am a bit proactive, but if both of them are passive, one of them should be more proactive. Zhuo was almost convinced by her, but the calm part of his mind couldn't help but complain. This is more problematic now. If I have to say why, it's because how can you be so calm! ?

The two were very close.

Even though the two of them were already in a relationship and had hugged each other in the past (Neon-style hugs, you know what that means, right), and had also hugged her tightly, Zero's calmness at this moment was completely different from the situation at that time.

Zhuo was now leaning back with his back against the bathtub, so only their legs were touching. To be precise, only Zhuo's legs were touching, and the part that was touching Ling was a little higher up on his legs.

Of course, this situation will occur if you take a bath together, but it will be a bit unnatural if it is too relaxed. To put it bluntly, if one party is very frank, it will be the other person who feels embarrassed.

Anyway, given their current position, they could easily pick her up by just putting their hands around Zero's front knees...

“No, you can’t blame me for this, right?”

"Zhuo, do you like Yabuki Sakura?"

"Eh?"

(Ah ...
Seeing that Ling simply ignored Zhuo's intention, Zhuo couldn't help but cover his forehead, worrying that he would have a headache. But now, instead of a headache, perhaps he should be more worried about the pain in other parts of the body.

Why does the happy time after work to wash away fatigue turn into this painful but also happy torture time?

If he had ignored Zero's problem and faced his desire honestly and taken the opportunity to pick Zero up, this would probably have been a very happy time, but Zhuo's rationality still stepped on the brakes, and the result turned into a new type of punishment where he had to wait while holding the delicious bait.

Even so, Zhuo did not insist or refuse because it was Ling who took the initiative to rely on him.

Although Zero seemed to be asking for something from her, she was probably blinded by desire. She had no other thoughts, but she trusted Zhuo, so she sat here.

In other words, because they are husband and wife, they would choose to accept it even if they are hugged.

"Are you listening?"

"I am listening, Your Highness."

Forget it, let it be, she must be worried about something. Zhuo thought that it was understandable that he had some self-destructive thoughts.

Hearing Ling's urging, Zhuo first confirmed again that his heartbeat was not too intense and there was no problem, then he gently put his hand around Ling's waist.

The skin, which was much softer and smoother than his own, was sweet and refreshing, and it gently wafted over, shaking Zhuo's rationality again. In order to continue the conversation, he barely suppressed the urge to hug her tightly, and kept a little space between them while getting closer.

It was an effort that was so touching that it made people cry, but it was wasted because Zero leaned back against him.

"I've been distracted since the beginning. What should I do?"

“…What should I do——”

"Why are you so weird today?"

Zhuo resisted the urge to complain, "Who do you think is responsible for this?" and looked down at Ling who was leaning against him.

The petite body was easily held in Zhuo's arms, as if it was natural for her to be in this position. Even if Zhuo felt that he had been discovered by her, she didn't care. It seemed that he was the only one who cared.

(…Do you think that if I’m tired, I won’t have the energy to continue?)
Zhuo thought about this question seriously, and in order to respond to Zero's expectations of relying on her, she put her random thoughts behind her and tightened her hands around her body.

"Yabuki Sakura, huh? Why did you suddenly mention her again? Is it because of my previous joke? That's not true!? Besides, she has someone she likes, so there's no need to worry."

“…I’m not worried.”

"Don't be so stubborn. Look, the person's weak spot is right here. You can vent your anger at any time."

“It’s just an example.”

"I don't understand. Does that mean the person you saw was her? No wonder."

"There are others... Neon is a country with a high population of mixed-bloods."

"It's because of Tokyo. Specifically, it's the Snake Eight Clan, and the Oni Clan. Anyway, as I told you, these White King descendants have been controlling the underground forces in Japan. If we want to run our store well, we can't avoid them, but if we get too involved with them, it will become very troublesome. Interpersonal relationships are the most difficult to handle... ah, speaking of this, I have a question."

"?"

After chatting, Zhuo no longer cared about the skin contact between the two, but was more concerned about the girl he met when he met Zhuo before. He felt a little more relaxed and actually told the scene of that day.

"Does Zhuo know her?"

"I can't say I know him. The correct way to say it is that I know this person."

"Hmm. A word spirit that can bring rain? There are many that can do this, but the one that fits your description is probably the "Word Spirit: Black Crow."

"Hmm, I can guess it's the word spirit of 'Sky and Wind King', but not 'Ocean and Water King'? Could it be related to water?"

"People who haven't studied the Periodic Table of Words would think so. In fact, the Words related to 'air currents' usually belong to the lineage of the 'king of the sky and wind', while the 'king of the sea and water' is mostly related to ice. ... As for what you said about 'being summoned by the gods and ascending to the sky', it can actually be interpreted literally. Because of overuse of Words and his own impure bloodline, he became a deadpool and walked towards the dragon side, and then he felt the call of the 'monarch' and went to the throne."

“Huh? It was originally a touching love story! At the end, the hero rescued Amano Haruna from the sky. If that’s the case, then becoming a Deadpool might also awaken his human side, right?”

"impossible."

"Uh... in the movie—"

"Zhuo, have you ever thought about why dragons, who already have a more advanced language, still learn human language? And dragons have powerful bodies, but they want to create a human body."

"The topic suddenly became so heavy. Why? Because of Nidhogg? Constantine in 'Lord of Bronze and Fire' couldn't have a giant dragon body, so his brother 'Norton' created the first human shell belonging to the dragon to accommodate him. After that, his tribe followed suit, and the news gradually spread... something like this."

"That's impossible. As far as I know, there are conflicts and wars among the Four Monarchs. The evidence is that in order to kill the other six monarchs, Norton specially forged a set of weapons specifically for the same kind - the Seven Deadly Sins."

"That's right... It doesn't make sense what you said. It can't be a matter of aesthetics. I heard that the body of a dragon meets the aesthetic standards of all creatures and is the most beautiful creature. But I haven't seen it in person, so I can't give a definite answer."

"That's their weapon."

"Weapons? What do you mean?"

"The language that can communicate with humans and the body that can make people let down their guard are the weapons they use to deal with humans. Zhuo, the dragons are different from us. In their world, there may be family, love and friendship, but these emotions that seem to be the most important to us are actually what they need the least. The dragon world believes in power and strength, and only these two things can move them. In order to gain power and strength, they can sacrifice their brothers who depend on each other, abandon all emotions, and even put down their proud dignity to understand humans."

"It's to... blend in with us."

Ling raised his head in silence after hearing this, looking up at Zhuo from his chin, and parted the hot water that had turned milky white due to the addition of bath balls, and placed his hands on Zhuo's cheeks, stroking them gently.

"Yes, regardless of everything. Some things that we cannot understand are worthwhile in their eyes. For example... deliberately reshaping a human body to get close to a certain human, just for the purpose of giving birth to his offspring."

Because the distance was close and the bathroom could keep the volume down well, Zero spoke in a low voice.

"zero?"

"It's okay." At this time, Ling withdrew his hand that was caressing Zhuo's cheek and wanted to lower his head. However, Zhuo took the next step and kissed him, and Ling was forced to make a "... wuwu..." sound.

It was obvious that she was going to talk a lot, but she didn't say anything strange, so Zhuo just took it as it was.

However, it is also the husband's responsibility to comfort his wife, so Zhuo kissed her.

If I felt a little bit happy because of Zero's jealousy last time, this time I have to really face this matter.

"You'll just have to get used to this kind of thing. It's impossible for it to happen. If you don't believe it, you can..."

"I don't believe it."

"Yeah? That's good."

Her sudden interruption startled Zhuo, but compared to the confused Zhuo, she lowered her head for some reason, seeming to be at a loss.

“…I am ashamed of my meanness.”

"I'm just worried that my husband might be cheated away by someone else. It's normal."

"That's not the reason, but let's just assume it is that."

"Eh……?"

Zhuo still couldn't figure out the situation, but Ling didn't seem to want to answer his question, she just lowered her head and hugged her knees. Zhuo's hands were still around her.

"wash……"

"Ok?"

After a moment, she asked quietly.

"Don't you hate... me being like this?"

"Oh. Actually, you know better than anyone how much I like you. But you can't help but worry about it. In the final analysis, it's because you love me too much. I understand this..."

"How conceited... That's not what I meant."

"That is?"

What answered Zhuo was not words, but Ling twisted his body as if to emphasize Zhuo's rationality.

"Uh... I don't dislike it. It's just that I'm a little uncomfortable... I wonder if you'll get angry if I force you to do it."

"It was obviously me who took the initiative, why would I be angry?"

"... Then... I will -"

As a result, Zero didn't have time to wait for anyone and stood up from the bathtub.

"I see... In that case we have to control ourselves. You are not even twenty yet and you are still growing. It is definitely right to stop at the right time."

"Oh no, can we control it later? From another perspective, we are also in the honeymoon period..."

Ling thought for a moment, turned around, and ignored Zhuo's anxious look. He asked calmly:

“How long is the honeymoon period?”

"It could be long. It depends on the rest of your life."

Ling kept moving his legs, and when he walked out of the bathtub, he just glanced at Zhuo.

"So you have to control yourself and be moderate. You are still young and have a lot to learn. I also have the energy to learn with you. You can't waste time."

Zero nodded as she spoke. Perhaps because she had completely untied the knot in her heart, she seemed to agree with what she said.

However, the serious look on Zhuo's face when she said she wanted to control herself made Zhuo want to take her back.

"I calculated that there are a total of -"

"Wait! Wait! One year? Zero, you're going to use years as the unit? You must be kidding."

"I haven't said it many times."

"No matter how many times."

"Then every—"

"Neither Yue - Zero, I agree with your opinion, but could you please be more serious and consider your situation and mine."

Ling held the clothes he had just folded and looked at Zhuo, shaking his head helplessly: "Then twice a week."

"Fourteen times!"

"?"

Even though the answer that followed was powerful, Ling didn't even feel the need to bargain with this nonsensical answer, and he glanced at Zhuo again.

Zhuo: “Six times!”

Zero: "Three times!"

Zhuo: “Five times…”

Zero: “Three times.”

Zhuo: “…Four times?”

Zero: "Twice."

"Three times! Three times..."

Unlike Zhuo who looked dejected after admitting defeat, Ling touched Zhuo's head as if relieved.

“Actually, it’s quite a few.”

Zhuo could only nod helplessly with a bitter face. Ling seemed to feel that he couldn't bear to stare at him. After hesitating for a long time, he said, "Okay, one of the days is up to you."

Perhaps it was spring after the snow, even Zhuo himself felt it was inappropriate and quickly raised his head.

Because he understood that Ling was thinking about himself, Zhuo didn't feel really lost. However, this behavior of being controlled by his wife was too bizarre, and completely contrary to what Zhuo had heard from others, which made him a little depressed.

"Then may I ask Your Highness, will this new rule be implemented from tomorrow?"

"Well, we can't delay——"

Zero put her clothes into the closet while answering smoothly. As smart as she was, she realized something the moment she said it...

"From today, from now on——"

At this time, she had been lifted up from behind by Zhuo, her feet off the ground, and she fell into the bathtub again with Zhuo as a cushion. The pajamas she had just changed into were also soaked.

"Your Highness, your words must be kept!"

"Zhuo, you..."

(End of this chapter)