Rrakavasha had no choice but to reluctantly agree, though he froze in place, not daring to turn around.
Behind him, rustling sounds echoed, followed by a ripple in the water.
An unbidden image flashed through his mind: his teacher, completely naked and drunk, settling into the bathtub.
But the next second, he pinched himself hard to banish any distracting thoughts. This is wrong. Don't think about it.
"Vash, come behind your Teacher."
"..."
Rrakavasha had no choice but to rely on his memory and move backward behind Ruan Mei without looking, keeping his eyes straight ahead, fixed on the wall.
From this angle, if his gaze dropped even slightly, he'd see something he absolutely shouldn't be looking at.
Too close.
He quietly took a half step back, keeping his arms straight, just enough to reach Ruan Mei's shoulders without getting closer.
From the edge of the bathtub upward, half of Ruan Mei's shoulders were completely exposed above the steamy water.
The back of her neck was delicate as a swan's, smooth as satin, without a single flaw.
Her shoulder lines were soft and graceful, her skin adorned with a few drops of water sliding down, revealing a healthy, natural blush and a warm glow.
Rrakavasha had never seen anything like this before, and his face immediately turned red with embarrassment.
This kind of thing is inappropriate between teachers and students...
The feeling of hovering on the edge of what is appropriate made him feel unsettled. He held his breath and didn't dare to move his hands for a long time.
"What are you waiting for, Vash... Hurry up, my shoulders are sore," Ruan Mei urged, her words slightly slurred.
Well...
Rrakavasha sighed resignedly, gritted his teeth, steeled his heart, and touched her shoulders.
The soft, smooth feedback from his fingertips was overwhelming.
Instantly, he felt his heart pounding in his chest like a war drum.
"Your hands are so hot. Are you sick?"
"...No, no, Teacher. Shall I start massaging your shoulders now?" His hands felt like they were burning.
"Mm."
After he'd been kneading for a few minutes, Ruan Mei suddenly spoke.
"Not enough force."
"...And now, Teacher?"
"Hmm~"
Ruan Mei let out a soft, contented sound, her facial expression completely relaxed as she enjoyed Rrakavash's shoulder massage.
"Perfect, keep it like this..."
Fifteen minutes passed.
Ruan Mei didn't call for a stop, and Rrakavasha didn't dare utter a sound, afraid of breaking the peace he'd finally managed to maintain.
Before he knew it, half an hour had passed, but she still hadn't made a sound.
After hesitating for a moment and stopping, he belatedly realized that she had already fallen asleep.
At this moment, her breathing was regular, even, and peaceful.
This left Rrakavasha looking quite troubled.
She has fallen asleep. What should I do?
He couldn't let her stay in the bathtub indefinitely; it wasn't good for her health.
After hesitating for a long time, Rrakavasha chose to step away temporarily.
He tiptoed out of the bathroom to make hangover soup. Maybe the teacher would wake up by the time he finished?
Unfortunately, he completely miscalculated.
When he knocked three times on the bathroom door and called out "Teacher" three times without getting a response, he could only gently pull open the door and peek half his head inside.
He glanced briefly, then looked away, setting the hangover soup aside. Eyes fixed on the ceiling, he navigated inside, relying entirely on his peripheral vision.
"Phew... I can't believe something like that actually happened..."
Ruan Mei took a soft breath, her expression complicated as she watched the memory unfold.
It turned out that the claim that one forgets what happened while drunk wasn't entirely unfounded.
She had absolutely no recollection of this experience; her mind was completely blank.
What's even more unacceptable was that, as a teacher, she'd used her position to impose something like this on her own student while drunk... such a terrible breach of propriety.
She could tell at a glance that she'd fallen asleep after Rrakavasha started massaging her shoulders for five minutes.
It was even more obvious that after she stopped responding, he'd stood there motionless for a long time, wrestling with indecision.
He wanted to wake her up, but also felt sorry for her; she'd been working so hard and was exhausted.
He didn't want to wake her up, but was worried that soaking in water for too long would be bad for her health.
Ruan Mei's eyes remained complex as she watched the student from her memory walk to her side, quietly waiting to see what would happen next.
"Teacher."
Rrakavasha raised his voice, trying to wake her.
No response.
"Teacher?"
The decibel level increased.
Still no response.
"...Teacher!!"
This time, Rrakavasha gritted his teeth and patted her shoulder. When there was still no reaction, he shook her gently.
The calm surface of the bathtub rippled a few times.
"Teacher, if you don't wake up in ten more minutes, I will... will have to be very rude!"
Ten minutes passed.
"Teacher, wake up...! If you don't wake up in ten more minutes, I'll... I'll have to be rude."
Another ten minutes passed.
"...Please wake up..."
On his still somewhat young face, his expression was bitter.
It was really hard to wake up a drunk person.
"Ten... just ten more minutes..."
After repeated failures and retreats, Rrakavasha finally made up his mind this time.
He rambled on about the dangers of soaking in water for too long, then blindfolded himself with a cloth and took down the large bath towel hanging nearby.
"I'm sorry, Teacher... please forgive my rudeness!!"
He gritted his teeth, reached into the bathtub, and positioned his hands where he remembered her knees should be, then put his right arm around Ruan Mei's shoulders.
With a slight effort, he lifted her from the bathtub and wrapped her body in the large towel.
After doing all this, he pulled off the cloth covering his eyes and, without looking to the side, carried her back to her room.
He wasn't yet at the point where he could walk freely around the manor blindfolded.
Rrakavasha carefully placed Ruan Mei on her soft bed, then went back to fetch the hangover soup, helped her sit up slightly, and slowly fed it to her.
The entire process was conducted with utmost discipline; anything that shouldn't be touched was avoided at all costs, and anything that shouldn't be looked at was avoided altogether.
Finally, he was in a dilemma.
She was only wrapped in a simple towel, and it seemed that this was the only way she could sleep, since no one could help her change into pajamas, certainly not him.
He'd just pulled the blanket over her, about to cover her completely, when Ruan Mei's eyelashes trembled slightly and she half-opened her eyes.
Upon seeing this, Rrakavasha froze instantly, not daring to move a muscle.
"...Teacher, you're awake..."
"My legs are a little sore. Can you give them a massage?"
"This... you haven't finished you assignent, you should get some rest." Rrakavasha still clung to a sliver of hope.
"No~"
"..." He smiled bitterly.
"Come here and massage my feet."
Rrakavasha could only turn back. After hesitating for a moment, he sat down on the edge of the bed, glanced at the teacher who was half-sitting up, and quickly looked away.
"Good boy~"
Ruan Mei lay back down and placed her feet on Rrakavasha's lap.
"You'll get a reward from your teacher later..."
This scene left Ruan Mei watching the memory completely bewildered.
I did this...?
Those ankles were smooth and delicate to the touch.
On her small, refined feet, faint blue veins could be seen, extending all the way to her slender calves.
A faint fragrance wafted up, and even with Rrakavasha's good temperament, he couldn't help but blush crimson.
He sighed deeply.
If there's no way to resist, then all you can do is... grit your teeth and get through with it.
Rrakavasha steeled himself, hardened his heart, grasped those delicate feet, and skillfully began to massage them.