Chapter 16: Sierra gets her hair washed.
“Here, fold your clothes properly and put them in this basket.”
“Got it.”
In the changing room, Sierra had been about to stride straight into the bath after flinging her uniform off like usual, so Arna hurriedly stopped her and started teaching her how to fold clothes from scratch.
Normally, when Sierra bathed in rivers, she just tossed everything aside, but if someone taught her, she’d do it (after letting out a small “Ehhh—” of protest).
As expected of a grand bath, it was spacious enough for dozens of dorm residents at once.
Since it was already late, no one else was around.
While Arna modestly covered her front with a towel, Sierra stood there boldly with nothing hidden.
“…Even if we’re both girls, you should cover up a little…”
“Why?”
“…Never mind. Come on, sit down. I’ll wash you.”
Sierra obediently sat on the stool.
Magic was incorporated into the bath facilities too: magic stones that spouted water, 《magic squares》 that pumped and heated it, even a system to keep the temperature from dropping. Typical of a magus academy.
(There’s magic everywhere.)
Sierra was looking around with interest when Arna suddenly poured warm water over her head.
“The doctor said it’s okay to bathe, but does it sting?”
“It’s normal.”
“That’s a really unhelpful answer…”
Actually, it didn’t hurt much, and even if it did, she didn’t mind.
“Tell me if it hurts, okay?”
“I’m fine.”
When Sierra nodded, Arna gently began washing her long silver hair.
Once wet, the hair gleamed even more beautifully, like moonlight. Arna couldn’t help but catch her breath.
“I’ve thought this since the first time we met, but your hair is really beautiful, Sierra-san.”
“Really?”
“Yes. You should take better care of it.”
“Dad told me to hide it because it stands out too much.”
“Well, it is an extremely rare color. You almost never see it.”
What Ainz meant by “hide it” was that her silver hair drew more attention than even their crimson swords.
Ainz himself was famous by face, but Sierra had mostly stayed behind the scenes helping with jobs, so almost no one knew what she looked like.
(Though the rumor “If you see two crimson swords on the battlefield, stay far away” had spread quite well.)
Sierra stayed quiet while Arna washed her hair, but she gradually started fidgeting like a restless child.
“Something wrong?”
“I get nervous when someone’s behind me.”
Having someone behind her for even a short time felt strange to Sierra, who had almost no experience with anyone touching her hair.
“Then how about I wash it from the front?”
Arna moved around and sat facing her.
“Better?”
“Yeah, this feels much calmer.”
Facing each other head-on was actually more embarrassing for Arna, but Sierra didn’t care at all.
She stopped fidgeting completely, and Arna gently finished washing her hair.
“Okay, now let’s get in the bath—”
“You still haven’t washed your body!”
“Right?”
“What kind of spacing out is that!? Honestly…”
Sighing, Arna started washing her own hair next.
Sierra sat beside her, staring the whole time.
“…It’s kind of hard to relax when you’re staring like that.”
“I thought you were going to wash my body too.”
“Y-you can wash your own body, can’t you!?”
“But you washed my hair?”
“That’s because you’re injured on the head! You can’t just rely on people for everything…”
Arna started to scold her, then suddenly stopped.
After a brief pause, she continued more softly.
“…Don’t rely on others for everything. You have to do what you can yourself.”
“…If that’s how it is, then okay.”
Being told something so obvious, Sierra reluctantly nodded.
And so, side by side with Arna, she began washing her own body.
(A perfectly wholesome bath scene, no creepy old man vibes here.)