In response to Ryuya's casual question, Rias agreed without the slightest hesitation.
"I don't mind at all, you know."
Between her and Ryuya, aside from that very last step, they'd practically done everything already. Naturally, she wasn't about to kill the mood over something like this.
As she spoke, she turned with a smiling glance toward Akeno Himejima.
"What about you, Akeno?"
Akeno answered with her usual gentle smile. "I wouldn't mind helping someone scrub his back."
For Akeno, notions of embarrassment in front of Ryuya clearly weren't something she valued very highly…
Rias then looked toward the blonde little nun. "As for Asia, there shouldn't be any problem either, right?"
After all, Asia had already shared the same bed with them many nights. Every time she saw Rias being intimate with Ryuya, she'd get adorably jealous—it was honestly quite cute.
Sure enough, after being teased like that, Asia's face instantly flushed bright red.
"So then, what about Koneko?" Rias asked.
"I refuse." Koneko closed her eyes and rejected it without the slightest hesitation.
"Well, then there's nothing we can do about that," Rias said with a smile, spreading her hands.
Ryuya remained perfectly calm and nodded along. "What a shame."
He said that, but he didn't look the least bit regretful…
After all, he'd already expected this outcome. From the very beginning, Rias had clearly just been teasing him.
Akeno must have realized what Rias was doing and simply played along, because they both knew Koneko would definitely refuse. And once Koneko refused, Rias would naturally use that to shut the whole topic down.
Unfortunately for them, Ryuya had seen through it all long ago, which was why he remained so composed…
Not seeing even a hint of disappointment on Ryuya's face, Rias felt a bit regretful. This guy was always so calm and unflappable—she really couldn't recall ever seeing him panic even once…
...
The Hot Spring
The hot spring appeared to be located behind the castle, right next to the mountainside. A natural spring source there continuously supplied hot water, keeping the pool at a constant temperature.
The hot spring was divided into four sections by a cross-shaped partition. Even so, each individual area was absurdly spacious—big enough to be considered a swimming pool.
Ryuya occupied one section by himself, while the four girls were in the adjacent one, separated by the partition.
Soaking quietly in the hot spring, Ryuya felt both his body and mind gradually relax.
Because his side was particularly quiet, his exceptionally sharp hearing allowed him to clearly pick up the conversation of the beautiful girls next door.
"Hehe, hot springs really are the best…" Akeno said blissfully.
"Mhm. If everyone gets tired from training in the future, we can come here too. At the very least, it helps relieve fatigue," Rias replied with a smile.
On the other side of the partition, Rias and Akeno were already soaking in the pool, while Asia and Koneko were still rinsing themselves.
When Asia's gaze swept over the figures of the two mature women, a trace of envy appeared on her face, followed by a hint of dejection.
She was clearly very envious of Rias and Akeno's impressive curves.
"That's wishful thinking."
Koneko suddenly spoke up. She wasn't even looking in Asia's direction, yet it was as if she knew exactly what Asia was thinking.
In fact, Ryuya had always felt that Koneko might have some kind of mind-reading ability.
It was like she could sense and understand other people's thoughts…
Though, of course, Ryuya had no actual proof of that.
After soaking for a while, Ryuya felt much more comfortable, though the remaining injuries on his body were still having some effect.
He simply sat cross-legged in the pool and began trying to stimulate the healing of his wounds using his own demonic power.
After being injured so many times, it had usually been Asia using Twilight Healing to treat him, or Rias healing him by directly channeling her demonic power. The former relied on the power of a Sacred Gear, which he couldn't replicate—but the latter, he had more or less learned himself.
This was his first time attempting to heal his own injuries by stimulating them with demonic power, and Ryuya found the results surprisingly decent… though it was quite exhausting.
Which was only natural.
After all, when Rias healed him, she was the one controlling the demonic power. Ryuya didn't have to do anything—he just needed to relax and enjoy the warm, wonderful sensation of Rias's body pressed against his.
Doing it yourself and having someone else do it—how could those be the same…
Gradually, Ryuya became more and more focused, and without realizing it, the resonance of his Sacred Gear was activated as well.
He felt his demonic power begin to boil, further stimulating his injuries and accelerating their recovery. This filled Ryuya with delight.
Had he accidentally stumbled upon a pretty decent method?
While it couldn't compare to the astonishing recovery speed of Twilight Healing, in situations where Asia was unavailable, this kind of subtle, steady healing technique could be incredibly useful. He really should have started systematically learning methods like this earlier.
Ryuya immersed himself in comprehension and training, demonic power surging through his body like a raging river.
On the other side of the wall, Rias and the others soaking in the hot spring suddenly noticed something was wrong.
"Hm? Rias, don't you feel like the water's getting hotter and hotter?" Akeno asked curiously.
"It really is," Rias replied.
Everyone realized the hot spring had become unbearably hot, forcing them to step out of the pool.
"What's going on? Could it be something on Ryuya's side?" Asia asked in confusion.
Rias called out toward the neighboring section, "Ryuya? What are you doing?"
It was completely quiet on the other side—there was no response at all.
"…That's strange. I'll take a look."
Rias directly moved the partition open—Ryuya hadn't even known this thing could be moved.
The moment they looked over, everyone saw Ryuya sitting in the pool with his back to them, demonic power surging violently around him. He was clearly immersed in training, completely defenseless to what was happening behind him.
"Still training at a time like this…" Akeno chuckled softly. "Ryuya really is diligent…"
Rias suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "It feels like he's improved?"
"Huh? Really?"
Everyone was shocked. After carefully sensing it, they realized that the demonic power within Ryuya's body had indeed increased by quite a bit.
For a moment, they were all at a loss for words.
Ryuya's rate of growth was simply too fast…
Rias felt it most clearly. She practically slept with Ryuya every day, and his progress felt almost like it changed daily.
It was honestly a bit unreasonable.
This round of training truly brought Ryuya gains. The fierce battle earlier that day had given him many insights—especially regarding the Endless Twilight Citadel. His understanding of that ability had deepened significantly.
After successfully growing stronger, Ryuya finally stopped training, a trace of joy appearing in his eyes.
Not only had he improved, his injuries were completely healed as well. The healing technique he'd accidentally developed seemed to work remarkably well…
Just as he was feeling pleased, Ryuya suddenly sensed something off behind him.
He turned around—
—and immediately saw four graceful figures standing there. The partition that had separated the bathing areas had already been moved aside…
Ryuya blinked, then asked in confusion,
"…Are you all here to bathe together?"
-----
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