Chapter 37 - Maya Rosenwald P8
Chapter 37 - Maya Rosenwald P8
~37.8~
*****
After washing off, I sank down into the warm water, my fatigue fading away.
The two catgirls settled down to either side of me. "This is nice." Helena made a purring sound as she relaxed with only her head poking out. Maya and I sat low enough to cover most of our bodies, but our cleavage stayed above water.
I couldn't resist the urge to pat the black-haired catgirl when she made that purring sound.
"Mmm…"
"Maya look. Lena is acting cute."
The pink-haired cat giggled. "She sure is."
Helena raised up a bit, pouting. "Am not."
"Pfft. You purred and sank down to your chin."
"Huh?" She gasped and rose up enough that her chest came out of the water. "I did not purr! I'm a cat woman, not a pet cat that purrs when you give them attention."
My eyes immediately wandered to the pair of bare breasts in front of me. She pouted and sank back into the water. "Look at your own. They're bigger anyway."
I shrugged. "Size isn't everything."
"Says the girl with the biggest rack in our friend group."
"Not by much. The redheads' are pretty much the same size, and Maya and Lanti are close, too."
"Yours are still the biggest."
"Well… you know what, you're right. Size is everything."
"W-what?"
"Yeah, what?" Maya chimed in. "You like 'em big, Eli?"
"Sure do. I love people with big hearts."
""Pfft.""
"Okay, you got me there," Lena said, giggling. "I feel for that hook, line, and sinker."
"I admit I did, too," Maya echoed.
I smiled. "You really did purr, by the way, and it really was adorable."
She pouted again and sank down low enough that only her eyes remained above water to try to hide the flush in her cheeks.
"You might be embarrassed about it now, but I think it's a cute quirk."
She rose back up enough to put her mouth above water and said, "Thanks." I smiled seeing her red cheeks.
What am I supposed to do? Both of them are making my heart race. Am I actually infatuated with these mortals? There's no way. But… I think I like them. And they both like girls! There's a small chance of… I shook my head. Look at me. Elysia Alexandria, the exiled King of the World, having these sorts of feelings run wild in my mind like a schoolgirl. Well, I guess I am a schoolgirl right now.
Sometime during my inner monologue, I hadn't noticed, but both Maya and Helena had put their heads next to my chest. I only noticed when their fuzzy ears brushed up against my skin. Blood rushed to my cheeks.
I couldn't believe it. I was so shocked I couldn't move, and my heart sped up dramatically."
At the same time, both looked up with the cutest faces, worrying about me. ""Are you feeling sick?""
Maya put her ear back to my chest. "Your heart is beating very fast. Maybe we should get out. You might have gotten too hot."
Lena put her head on my forehead. "Slightly warm. I don't think she has a fever. Probably just too hot from the bath."
At the same time, they got up out of the water and helped me to my feet. I still couldn't react. They lead me to the changing room, sat me down, and got me a cup of cold water. I drank it and shook my head, as if trying to shake off the heat in my mind.
What was that? Oh my god, they were so close, and they weren't bothered at all. Were they genuinely worried?
Maya handed me a towel and Lena started drying my hair with another one. Maya gave me a stern look that was full of concern. "Are you feeling better? You better tell me if you're feeling ill at all."
They hadn't even dried off yet, and they were more concerned about me. I finally managed to give them a nod. "I'm okay." I stood up and laid down the towel she had handed me. I snapped my finger and instantly all three of us were dry. "Really, I'm okay."
They both smiled at me and started getting dressed. After putting my uniform back on, I held my hands out to them. They were expecting me to teleport them right away, but instead I pulled them in close and put my arms around both. "Thank you for worrying about me."
After I let them go, they smiled at me. "Of course, Eli. You're my friend and I care very much about you."
Lena nodded. "I feel the same! I'm very grateful to have a friend like you, Eli."
I didn't know how to describe the happiness I felt. We were able to compliment each other without it getting uncomfortable, we had a lot of common interests, they are nice warm-hearted girls, and they got worried right away at the thought of me getting sick.
"Just know that the sword isn't the only thing I'm good at," Lena said. "If you get sick, you'd better tell us right away. I'll come sit at your bedside and nurse you back to health."
"Me, too!" Maya added, pumping one of her arms. "I'll protect you even from germs!"
I giggled and said, "I love you girls."
Both blushed, looked at each other, then back at me. ""HUH?""
"I don't think you're just saying these things. I believe you truly care, and I feel so happy to have friends like that."
They nodded. ""Mhm!""
*****
"You were questioning yourself about us even then?" Alethea asked.
"From my perspective, I was alone in a mortal world trying to make sense of a sudden rush of romantic feelings," I answered. I exchanged glances with Sanae. The memories I was showing were from when we were one. I wondered what she was thinking about seeing these memories play out.
"All of these beautiful girls just suddenly came into our life," she said. "First was the mysterious, mature, and kind pink-haired catgirl. Then the curious, strong, caring black-haired catgirl. And then the near identical redhead elves. We haven't seen much of them from the memories yet, but they're coming." She looked at me. "Your heart is racing as much as mine just from reliving these memories, isn't it?"
I slowly nodded.
*****
Revision: 2025-2-12