Chapter 4 : Is it okay not to wash your hair?

“I felt unwell midway through my watch, so I asked Miss Yeyuan to cover the rest?”

“Mm.”

“T-That’s what happened. You really scared me.”

Hearing Yeyuan’s curt, word-by-word explanation,

the boulder hanging over Qianyu’s heart finally settled.

An unexpected issue forcing her to trouble a teammate wasn’t abandonment of duty or carelessness.

This gave an account to herself, the team,

and especially Lilix, who had personally given the order—acquittal declared.

“Phew—”

Truth revealed, disaster averted.

With nerves finally untensing, Qianyu felt utter physical and mental exhaustion, drained and limp.

She had clearly slept over ten hours yesterday afternoon.

It must be another symptom of feeling unwell.

No wonder she had zero memory or impression of last night.

She didn’t even recall seeking Yeyuan, thinking she’d simply overslept.

The old Qianyu had only experienced something similar after drinking too much with friends,

waking the next day with a hangover.

“Ah, there’s something else I’ve been curious about.”

She’d noticed it right after waking.

But the watch issue was more urgent, so she hadn’t addressed it immediately—

her clothes, including underwear, were completely soaked,

sticky and uncomfortable.

Like swimming fully clothed then stepping onto shore.

Qianyu reached behind her back.

The shirt and skin were glued together by sweat; she needed force to separate them.

But most importantly,

even without reaching in, Qianyu could clearly feel it.

“This is a bit excessive…”

Only “flooding” could describe it,

even now still dripping down her pant legs to her ankles.

“What’s wrong, Qianyu?”

Watching Qianyu groping herself, Yeyuan asked with foggy concern.

Her gaze occasionally lingered on the faintly visible undergarments when Qianyu pulled her clothes open.

“Mm~ I’m wondering, maybe last night’s discomfort was a fever.”

“Possibly. I asked you, but you didn’t know.”

“Must be. Look, I sweated buckets.”

Qianyu removed her outermost sweater,

revealing the soaked, translucent black base layer beneath.

Fair skin with a rosy tint and a pure white bandeau faintly showed through.

As she stripped, her body released a thick wave

of feminine pheromones—fermented, mixed with shampoo—spreading through the air.

“Ugh, this sweat smell.”

Influenced by her past male mindset,

Qianyu sniffed and took it as—

the stink of intense exercise sweat dried by wind.

But Yeyuan, standing nearby, thought differently.

The sudden citrus-like sweet-sour scent constantly assaulted her senses and boundaries.

To distract herself,

she quickly turned her entranced face aside, averting her gaze:

“Y-Yes. Better bathe. Avoid catching cold.”

“I’d love to, but around here—”

Qianyu scanned the surroundings.

Steep peaks and emerald forest—mountains and trees only.

The team’s luggage didn’t include enough water for bathing, not even wiping down.

“Follow me.”

“Eh?”

She must have an idea.

Yeyuan wordlessly grabbed Qianyu’s collar,

mimicking yesterday’s travel method, hoisting her onto her back.

“Don’t we need to tell the others?”

“You’re right.”

Reminded sharply by Qianyu,

Yeyuan carried her to a pale cyan tent.

“Del, Qianyu and I are stepping out—back soon.”

“…Eh, ah, mm, fine.”

After a few seconds, a sleepy少女 murmur came from inside.

(Wait, did she actually hear that?)

Ignoring Qianyu’s worry,

Yeyuan nodded, then moved through the forest even faster than yesterday.

“We passed it yesterday.”

“This—”

Not far from their camp,

down a bit—roughly the distance from one street corner to another.

Surrounded by bushes and towering trees,

a small fountain bubbled from underground.

The flowing water was crystal clear, transparent, colorless, tasteless.

Drinking it would feel luxurious; now it was for bathing.

“What’s wrong?”

But Qianyu wasn’t concerned about that.

She stood hesitantly in place.

Watching Yeyuan dig a small pit near the spring as a reservoir, sparing the need for showering.

“I appreciate your kindness, but out here in the wild… it’s embarrassing.”

An experience nearly equivalent to being exposed, in front of someone she knew.

“E-Embarrassed? Ah, don’t worry.”

Saying so,

Yeyuan pulled several gray solidified powder balls from her thigh pouch.

She gently tossed them into the air; they fell slowly, hitting the ground.

“Bang—”

Like a plane piercing clouds.

Instantly, thick smoke filled the area, visibility dropping sharply.

Even standing together, Qianyu couldn’t see Yeyuan beside her.

“Mm, mm, alright then.”

Qianyu nodded in compromise.

She’d gone this far; further refusal would seem spoiled.

They were all adventurers out here;

she couldn’t let momentary shame disrupt the team’s rhythm.

“I’ll keep watch. Call if anything.”

“O-Okay, and Yeyuan.”

“Here.”

“Thank you, truly. For this morning and now—huge help.”

“No need. It’s only right.”

Including covering the watch—

with gratitude and a future promise to repay her properly,

Qianyu began undressing, testing the water with the back of her hand.

Finding the underground spring carried a warm current, she simply submerged fully.

Enjoying rare comfort.

After soaking about two minutes,

Yeyuan’s smoke bomb effect gradually weakened in the morning breeze.

Along with it, Qianyu’s bodily fatigue eased.

From sleep-lingering drowsiness to full alertness, she felt refreshed.

“Mmm~ Feels great~”

(Never got to try a hot spring on Earth—didn’t expect the wish to come true in another world.)

In the still-warm spring, Qianyu stretched luxuriously.

Her gaze inadvertently swept the rippling surface—

through the mirror-like reflection, she properly admired her new female body:

Jet-black, smooth shoulder-length hair; a light touch felt like stroking feathers.

Crystal-clear amber eyes, long lashes, rounded flat nose, pale peach thin lips habitually pressed.

Not baby-faced cute.

Nor mature beauty stunning.

This face fell in the middling range.

No standout features—ordinary, forgettable in a crowd.

Her figure followed suit.

Limbs neither Leila-slender-pale nor Yeyuan-healthy-muscled.

Height around one meter fifty-five—medium in the team.

“E-Even here.”

Qianyu placed hands on the two mounds fully coverable by palms.

She kneaded lightly—seemed slightly larger than Leila’s she’d touched early yesterday.

But definitely couldn’t compare to Del’s elven near-bursting…

Self-evaluating might be odd,

but this body plus her timid personality indeed gave a “easy to bully” first impression.

No strength, no background, no talent—Qianyu couldn’t toughen up in this world.

“Ah, right—need to wash down there too.”

Remembering the sticky sweat; not cleaning properly would feel gross in clothes later.

Qianyu squinted, shyly cleaning slowly.

(It’s my body. But still… feels awkward.)

Used to a protruding structure, hard to adjust—

to this indented one now.

No soap or shampoo; plain water would do.

“Ah—ow.”

Nail accidentally poked flesh.

Qianyu quickly rubbed to soothe the wince-worthy sting.

“Must be tough following an owner like me.”

(If only I could adapt faster.)

A strange guilt welled up; she sincerely apologized to her new body.