At the first moment Rebecca opened the door, Mercer's instinctive reaction was to turn his head away.
But he only turned away for a second before realizing—wait a minute, isn't this my bathroom?
So, Mercer decisively turned his head back, and then, speechlessly, he smirked, only to see Rebecca grinning at the door, striking a seductive pose, but... still wearing clothes.
To be precise, it was black tight-fitting underwear.
How to say it, she usually dresses like this in her own room, and everyone occasionally sees her at night and has gotten a bit used to it. It's like wearing a swimsuit, after seeing it often enough, Mercer kind of got used to it.
"A little disappointed?" She walked in with a cheeky smile.
Mercer clicked his tongue: "Are you dead set on taking advantage of me today?"
"Oh no~ it's not about that..." She walked to the edge of the bathtub, her green hair cascading down her shoulders, seated herself on the edge, and splashed some water on his face with a smile: "How about I join you?"
"Like a dad taking a bath with his daughter?" Mercer quipped, but he hadn't expected she would actually make a move to undress.
Mercer quickly said: "What are you really here for, pulling a stunt like this out of the blue."
His hands in the water were trying to cover himself, which made Rebecca unable to hold back her laughter anymore, first snickering then breaking into full-blown laughter.
"You say you're being disdainful, but you totally look like you're looking forward to it~" She reached out a finger, poking Mercer's cheek, and under his somewhat annoyed gaze, her expression suddenly turned serious.
Rebecca looked seriously into Mercer's eyes: "I mean... Mercer, you accepted the Father's task for my sake, right?"
"Not entirely, making connections with regional leaders like Father has plenty of benefits for what we plan to do next."
After Mercer finished, Rebecca just looked at him. After a moment, she suddenly leaned down, wrapping her arms around his neck from the side.
This position, to be honest, was not very convenient for hugging. She sat on the edge of the bathtub, holding his head sideways in her embrace, a faint fragrance snaked its way directly into Mercer's nose.
"Thank you... Mercer... thank you so much."
She said softly, pressing her head against his, hugging him tightly: "You've given me a home and money I could never have earned in several lifetimes past, and even now you're willing to help me get revenge at a time like this...
I really don't know how to thank you enough."
"You're welcome, I feel like thanks have already been given." Mercer's head was buried in her embrace, his words coming out muffled.
Rebecca chuckled softly: "Then can I stay here tonight? I don't mind sleeping with you in the same bed."
"Hmm..." Mercer did have a moment of temptation, but then Lucy's disappointed face flashed through his mind, along with an inexplicably disapproving gaze from V, quickly cooling his thoughts.
He broke free from Rebecca's embrace, her lingering fragrance still wafting in front of him, speaking earnestly: "Though I'm tempted, better not, not that..."
Mercer chose his words carefully, saying: "Not that I'm not interested, just feel it's not quite appropriate right now, it feels like I'm taking advantage of doing a favor."
"It's not like that, I really do like you a lot, haven't you always known? Don't pretend you don't. If you don't believe it, I can tell you every single day."
When meeting alone, Rebecca was always straightforward and bold, she looked tenderly into Mercer's eyes, reached out, and gently caressed his face: "But I can sense what you're hesitating about..."
"What?" Mercer looked at her.
"Hmm hmm..." Rebecca chuckled proudly, didn't clarify, then sighed: "But you are right; if it messes up the current team dynamics, that's no good either."
Mercer looked at her, feeling she pretty much guessed right—he indeed had some concerns about others' feelings, like Pira, Lucy, V.
Or maybe, he himself hadn't made up his mind or come to a decision yet.
Even though in the Cyberpunk world, everyone plays it pretty loose, but the girls around Mercer happened to be kind-hearted, and he wasn't the kind of jerk like Johnny Silverhand who doesn't acknowledge people after pulling up his pants.
This was giving him quite a headache.
Especially since he was still the nominal leader of the team, and if personal relationship issues were to cause chaos in the team, that would suck. He didn't want that, leaving him with no choice but to wait and think it over, letting things take their natural course.
Rebecca watched Mercer, who was lost in thought, and quickly adjusted her own mindset, bursting into an energizing smile: "But this is okay too, after all..."
She leaned in closer to Mercer's ear, her voice soft: "When I can't hold it any longer, I'll just slip under your covers, hehe."
Mercer merely felt a bit ticklish in his ear, tilted his head slightly: "Alright, stop teasing me. If you came just to say thanks, I've heard it."
"Need a helping hand from sis?" She laughed softly, reaching out pretending to dip into the water.
Mercer stared at her for a while, then let out a laugh: "Do you know how red your face is right now?"
"It's too hot in the bathroom, have you turned on the fan?" Rebecca withdrew her hand, her gaze drifting away.
Mercer reached out, patted her on the back: "Alright now, go to sleep. Tomorrow morning, you still have to go for a stroll with me in the River Valley District."