Nicasia gently touched Murmur’s small, warm hand.
Surprised by the pleasant scent tickling her nose, Nicasia moved in sync with Murmur.
“I thought we were going to a public bathhouse.”
Nicasia mentioned the most plausible and decent place that came to mind.
“Do you like it better there, Nicasia?”
Murmur turned her body and looked at Nicasia.
Without a second of hesitation, Nicasia shook her head.
“No. I think… I like it better here.”
The adorable princess complimented the ‘store’ she was visiting for the first time, her eyes darting around.
From the entrance, the store was filled with a variety of pleasant scents, selling ordinary soaps, bath products, sparkling bath bombs, oils in glass bottles, and perfumes.
The store was decorated in a rather flashy and cute style, with a small sink prepared for customers to wash their hands.
‘These are things I know well, but it’s my first time coming to a store to buy them.’
Nicasia smiled contentedly, not disappointed this time either.
“Do you really like it better here?”
“Yes, I do. If you had suggested going to the bathhouse, I would have told you there’s a better place.”
“Is there a better place?”
“There is… a better place.”
Nicasia thought of the Grand Hotel but decided not to mention it.
“Welcome~! Is there anything you’re looking for?”
As Murmur and Nicasia hesitated and then entered the store, a cheerful employee approached them with a bright smile.
She knew how to flash a radiant smile and was dressed in a maid uniform.
“Murmur wants to buy a bath bomb.”
“Let me introduce you to some of our popular products~ Please come this way.”
As the employee walked toward the sink, Nicasia and Murmur naturally followed her.
‘But what is a bath bomb…?’
Nicasia had never heard the term ‘bath bomb’ before.
In contrast, Murmur seemed to know exactly what it was.
“These days…”
The employee glanced at Nicasia and Murmur for a moment.
Girls wearing the uniforms of the ‘famous’ Cosmos Academy.
There was a noticeable height difference, and one of them was a demon with impressive horns.
“… Our popular product is this one!”
The employee smiled brightly and showed a small bath bomb with red dots on a white background.
“Murmur is curious about what scent it has.”
“The ‘Rose Milk’ bath bomb has a soft, sweet milk scent with a hint of rose. Would you like to try it?”
The employee sensibly handed the small bath bomb to Murmur.
“Nicasia, put your right hand in the sink.”
Nicasia carefully extended her right hand.
Murmur immediately turned on the water and wet Nicasia’s fair, delicate hand.
“Murmur will scrub Nicasia clean.”
“Pfft… Can you do it well?”
Nicasia chuckled softly.
Murmur took the small bath bomb and gently rubbed it on the back of Nicasia’s hand.
The bath bomb quickly fizzed and dissolved, creating bubbles.
Thanks to this, Nicasia’s right hand was instantly soaked in white, slightly red soapy water.
‘Ah… So a bath bomb is a type of bath product, huh?’
Nicasia marveled, enjoying the sensation of the lukewarm water turning into a slippery, smooth liquid.
Murmur diligently scrubbed Nicasia’s right hand with the slippery water.
She rubbed between Nicasia’s fingers with her small hands and pressed on her neatly trimmed nails with her palms to create more bubbles.
Finally, she scrubbed the back of Nicasia’s hand and even rubbed her wrist with her thumb and index finger.
By this point, Nicasia couldn’t help but wiggle her toes and press her thighs together.
“Hmm… You’re… pretty good at this, Murmur.”
“That’s right, customer~! You could even work part-time at our store!”
“Murmur is good at things like this.”
Murmur looked proud as she rinsed Nicasia’s hand with water and carefully dried it with the towel the employee handed her.
“How is it, Nicasia?”
“Ah… It’s incredibly soft and feels great.”
Nicasia naturally checked the scent of her right hand.
“And… the scent is quite natural? The milk and rose fragrances blend really well.”
“You can try other bath bombs like this.”
“You’re thinking of buying one, right?”
“Yeah, I’ll use it with Nicasia later.”
At Murmur’s quick response, Nicasia gulped.
Nicasia imagined the two of them in a bathtub together and quickly shook off the thought.
‘Using bath products together…’
Rolling her red eyes again, Nicasia felt a little flustered.
The perceptive employee didn’t miss Nicasia’s excitement.
“In that case, customer… How about trying out some of our popular bath bombs?”
“Ah… Thank you. Trying them out sounds good. Is that okay with you, Murmur?”
As soon as Murmur nodded, the employee quickly brought over a box filled with small bath bombs.
“I want to try this one. It has pink flower-like things inside, and it looks especially pretty. What’s its name?”
“Ah~ This bath bomb is called Sex… …”
The employee showed superhuman patience and swallowed the word.
“… It’s called Sea Flower!”
“Sexy Flower…”
Nicasia felt a bit embarrassed but held Murmur’s small hand.
“This time, I’ll wash you, Murmur.”
“Okay, Murmur will look forward to it.”
Nicasia smiled faintly and turned on the sink’s water.
‘It feels different from when Murmur washed me. I guess it’s because Murmur is small.’
Murmur was much smaller than Nicasia in height, body, and hands.
If Nicasia moved her hands around, she could wash both hands at the same time due to the significant size difference.
But Nicasia put her heart into washing Murmur’s hands diligently.
“Finally, let’s use this bath bomb…”
The ‘Sexy Flower’ bath bomb immediately fizzed and created pink bubbles, producing a petal with a jelly-like texture.
“There’s a Softy hidden inside.”
“That’s right. It’s not a soft, fluttering petal but a squishy one like pudding.”
Nicasia held Murmur’s hand with the soft soap bubbles and rubbed it gently.
She interlaced her fingers with Murmur’s small, delicate hand and rubbed them together, or pressed the back of Murmur’s hand with her palm to create more bubbles.
At the same time, she playfully squeezed the squishy petal between their hands, rubbing it back and forth or up and down.
“Ugh…! Murmur feels ticklish, Nicasia.”
“Stay still~ You’re the one who said we should scrub clean.”
Wiggle-wiggle!
Nicasia held Murmur’s hand tightly, scrubbing diligently to create more bubbles.
‘Murmur’s hands are so small, soft, delicate, and pretty…’
Nicasia made a ring with her index finger and thumb and rubbed Murmur’s wrist vigorously.
Then she rinsed Murmur’s hand, now covered in pink bubbles, and dried it carefully with a towel.
“Where… Hmm-hmm.”
Nicasia grabbed Murmur’s now soft and fluffy hand and sniffed it.
“It smells like soft jasmine flowers? How interesting… It’s a light floral scent.”
Nicasia playfully rubbed the back of Murmur’s hand with her nose and couldn’t help but smile contentedly.
“Can you choose, Nicasia?”
“Hmm… I want to try a bit more.”
Nicasia extended her left hand as she spoke.
“I want to try this one.”
“You mean the ‘Dragon Egg’ bath bomb.”
Murmur took the bath bomb the employee handed her and washed Nicasia’s left hand in the same way.
“Sniff-sniff… It smells really fresh. Like lemon!”
“Let me see… Ah, it really does smell incredibly fresh?”
Nicasia nodded after checking the scent rising from her left hand.
“I like the Milky Way bath bomb.”
“Murmur thinks that one’s good too.”
At their cute decision, the employee smiled brightly.
“Okay~ Then I’ll prepare and pack the Milky Way bath bomb for you right away!”
“Ah, and…”
Nicasia quickly poked the employee’s side and whispered in her ear.
“I… sweat a lot, so I’d like to get a perfume recommendation.”
“Oh my, what kind of scent do you usually use? I think you might like fruity scents.”
“I use peach scent.”
The employee smiled and reached for a shelf, pulling out a small perfume bottle to show her.
“This is called ‘Bambella.’ It’s a sweet peach base with rose and vanilla, so it can appeal to both a girl’s charm and a woman’s allure.”
“… Huh?”
Nicasia was pleased to quickly get a perfume recommendation but was also startled that her thoughts seemed to be read.
“You wouldn’t want to ruin a fun date, right? Customer? You’re free to test the scent as much as you like!”
The employee deliberately spoke loudly and naturally sprayed the perfume on Nicasia’s neck.
“Can you smell the peach scent?”
“Ah, yes. I can definitely smell it…?!”
The employee sensibly lifted Nicasia’s arm slightly and sprayed the perfume on her side chest and underarm area.
This action itself was just a normal way of applying perfume, so there was nothing strange about it.
“Do you like it?~?”
“… Yes, I really like it. Thank you.”
Nicasia smiled contentedly and took the bath bomb the employee quickly packed for her.
“Keep the change. Thank you, miss.”
“Oh my…?”
The employee’s eyes widened as she received the ‘gold coin’ Nicasia handed her with a bright smile.
Nicasia gave the employee a mature smile, winked once, and quietly pressed her index finger to her lips, signaling her to stay silent.
The employee didn’t know Nicasia’s identity. That’s why she couldn’t help but be startled by the emblem engraved on the ‘gold coin’ she received.
“Murmur~ Did you find anything else you want to buy?”
Murmur shook her head and approached, holding Nicasia’s soft and fluffy hand.
“Did you like it here too, Nicasia?”
“Yes, I really liked it. Is this also an adult date?”
At Nicasia’s teasing, Murmur nodded seriously.
“Murmur thinks so. An adult date doesn’t have to be at a super flashy or ridiculously famous place.”
Murmur smiled.
“Did you enjoy washing Murmur’s hands, Nicasia?”
“Yes, I really enjoyed it. Murmur’s hands are so small and soft… I just, um, how should I say it? I really enjoyed touching and washing them.”
“Murmur felt the same. It was nice to touch and caress Nicasia’s pretty, white hands.”
Nicasia gulped slightly.
“If we can care for each other, understand each other, and share joy… then it’s an adult date.”
“… … It’s a bit different from eating spicy food earlier, huh?”
The date they enjoyed at the street stall was a thrilling escape for Nicasia.
It was something adults could do, even if it was something they shouldn’t.
In contrast, the date they enjoyed at this store was, in a way, the kind of date Nicasia had been longing for.
They touched each other’s skin in a very mature way, and they could wiggle their feet and hands happily, filled with a subtle sense of joy.
“Yeah, it’s different. Well… being an adult isn’t something that can be defined by a single word or sentence from the start.”
“Ah… …”
“Murmur thinks the same about adult dates.”
Nicasia’s face turned bright red.
‘Murmur is right… I had such a foolish thought today about what an adult date should be.’
There’s no need to dine at a famous restaurant with a history and tradition.
Sharing oily, spicy, salty, and oddly named food can be just as fulfilling.
You don’t have to listen to a popular opera known throughout the empire and the Holy Nation.
Just laughing and chatting in a small store, holding each other’s hands and washing them, can make the whole day special.
“Sometimes freely… sometimes maturely…”
Nicasia muttered to herself, feeling a bit more at ease.
‘With Murmur, maybe… just maybe, becoming an adult isn’t so bad.’
Playing with the paper bag, Nicasia could smile happily.
“… Ah, but Murmur. Where are we going next?”
Just out of the store, Nicasia looked up at the sky.
The sparkling moonlight was shining down from above.
“Murmur wants…”
For a brief moment, Murmur pondered.
“Murmur wants to do one more thing with Nicasia.”
“Okay. Let’s do one more thing before we go to sleep.”
“But is it okay…”
As Murmur worried a little, Nicasia smiled and rubbed the back of Murmur’s hand with her thumb.
“With Murmur, who’s going to be a hero, how could it not be okay?”
“Okay. Then Murmur wants to do something adults should do with Nicasia.”
At the oddly suggestive words, Nicasia glanced at the paper bag.
“… … I don’t know where we’re going, but I’ll just expect it to be something really fun, okay?”
Nicasia’s heart raced just like when she first planned the adult date.
With the sweet ‘Bambella’ perfume subtly lingering, she knew that anywhere she went or anything she did with Murmur would become a special memory.
Now, she no longer felt burdened by the term ‘adult date.’
Knowing that even if things went a little wrong, she would still end up happy, her heart simply pounded with excitement.
