Chapter 12

‘…Thinking about it that way, it’s only natural for him to adjust to my mood.’

Only after Erin reached this thought did her fluttering heart calm down a bit.

‘Maybe I should tell him he doesn’t have to go this far.’

He’d get a good recommendation anyway. Everyone knows he’s a good assistant.

Erin was lost in her own thoughts when—

“It’s done.”

Creak. With the sound of the bathtub settling into place, Ash straightened up.

“Now you won’t have to struggle so much.”

“Hm?”

“Because of cleanup.”

Realizing what he meant by ‘cleanup’, Erin’s face reddened slightly. She unconsciously twisted the ends of her hair.

“I think just a shower booth would’ve been enough.”

“If you’re going to install something, it’s better to do it right.”

“That’s true, but…”

“As I said, don’t worry about budget or anything else. It’s all stuff I picked up.”

“All of this… you picked up?”

What kind of lab is the one across the hall to have all this?

‘Is it really a lab, or just a front for embezzlement?’

Otherwise, why would they have all this? Erin was about to seriously wonder when—

“If we’re going this far, should I give you a treatment?”

“Huh?”

“You mentioned a spa. Actually, I know a bit about massage.”

Ash finished his sentence with a rich smile.

That enchanting smile always got to Erin, and she nodded without thinking.

* * *

“This area’s really tense.”

“Ugh…”

A few minutes later.

Erin lay face-down on the massage bed, receiving Ash’s massage.

‘This is way more serious than I thought.’

As soon as Erin agreed, Ash lit some scented candles and rolled up his sleeves. He looked every bit the professional masseur.

The massage bed, perhaps heated by magic stones, was warm and cozy.

“You really shouldn’t hunch over so much.”

Ash’s hands between her shoulder blades were skilled. It truly felt like a luxury spa.

‘Why do I always just go along with things?’

She’d meant to refuse at first. She’d nodded by accident, but when he actually seemed ready to do it, she shook her head.

She was even more shocked when Ash said she’d have to undress and wear only a gown for best results.

But Ash was so serious about how her posture suffered from sleeping hunched over every night.

She had to admit, he was right.

‘…I do it all the time.’

It was routine for Erin to spend nights sleeping at her desk in the lab. That wasn’t all.

As a researcher sitting at her desk all day, she sometimes worried about her health.

Seeing researchers in the building across the street walking around with their necks outstretched like turtles made her wonder if she looked the same.

So Ash’s passionate lecture about early care—more like a salesman than an assistant—made her give in.

Especially when the ‘salesman’ was so charming, there was no resisting.

“I told you not to sit crookedly so often.”

Still, most of her tension was gone. Ash was strictly focusing on the massage.

‘Right. We’ve seen everything already.’

Even lying nearly n*ked before him wasn’t embarrassing anymore.

It was both oddly comforting and slightly disappointing. As she relaxed, drowsiness washed over her.

The gentle pressure on her shoulders and limbs, the soft scent of oil, and the perfectly warm massage bed…

‘I’m sleepy.’

Erin’s eyes blinked slowly as she started to doze off.

Drip.

“Ah!”

She suddenly felt something sticky and slippery pour down her leg. Erin’s eyes snapped open and she let out a small cry.

“Wh-what is that…?”

“It’s oil, Doctor.”

Ash’s hand spread the cool, viscous liquid evenly over her legs.

The thick oil warmed up in his large hands, and the firm pressure against her skin felt…

“A-Ash. Isn’t this a bit much…?”

“It’s just oil to help relax your muscles. Nothing to worry about.”

“No, it’s not that… Ah!”

The area where the oil touched tingled strangely.

The slippery feeling as her skin slid against itself was odd.

‘I just relaxed because it didn’t feel s*xy a moment ago!’

The atmosphere shifted in an instant. The air thickened, and Erin felt goosebumps rise all over her body.

She swallowed and pressed her forehead to the bed, worried she might make a strange sound.

“Hm.”

“…You’re really tense here, too.”

Even Ash’s hand slipping under her gown grew more intimate.

Suddenly, Erin found herself flipped onto her back, gazing up at the ceiling. Through the loose folds of her gown, her pale cleavage was exposed.

Ash’s eyes darkened as her chest almost came into view, but Erin was too distracted by the massage on her legs to notice.

“Hah, mm…”

Before she knew it, Ash was openly massaging her groin, following the line of her hip and gripping her buttock.

At this point, Erin couldn’t ignore his intentions, and her face flushed deep red.

“Ash!”

“Your posture is really bad, Doctor.”

“Ah, mm…!”

“I have to pay attention to these areas, too.”

He spoke as if he was just loosening her joints, but the intent and heat in his large hands were unmistakable.

Ash’s oil spread over her entire leg, and then began to coat her pubic area. Soon it followed the open gown up her belly, her chest…

“Ah!”

Squish.

Erin, now covered in massage oil, let out a moan.

The sensation of skin sliding more thickly than usual made her flush. The sticky oil stretched between their bodies, heightening her excitement.

“Hah, mm, Ash…”

“Haa, Doctor.”

Her upper chest gleamed with oil. Ash, unable to resist, pressed his lips to her. Her stiff n*pples disappeared into his mouth.

“Mmm!”

Despite the oil, Ash suckled her n*pples as if they were sweet fruit, swirling his tongue.

He continued massaging, kneading the other br*ast with oil.

“Haa…”

Her soft flesh was molded and reshaped, glistening in the candlelight.

Her n*pples slipped from Ash’s fingers, slick with oil.

The sensation of her wet tip sliding between his fingers and the way he squeezed harder to keep hold sent waves of pleasure through her.

“Hah, hah…”

Erin shivered at the intense feeling.

‘This is…’

It was strange, but she couldn’t deny it.

She was nearly losing her mind with excitement.

Her thighs were drenched not just with oil, but with her own fluids.

Squish.

Her inner walls, slick without any extra lubricant, clenched and pulsed.

‘Are we really going to do this?’

Even as she was certain, Erin glanced at the light coming through the closed curtains.

Her body was ready, but her last bit of conscience held her back.

‘It’s still broad daylight… no, morning.’

It felt good, but she’d only just woken up and meant to start work.

She still had a lot to do today—was this really okay?

She struggled, soaking wet between her legs.

“This is work too, Doctor.”

Ash’s whisper slipped into her ear as thickly as the oil spread over her body.

As if he knew exactly what she was thinking.

“This experiment is important work, too.”

“Hm, mm…”

“In fact, it’s the most important work.”

Before she knew it, Ash held out a vial before her eyes.

A pale pink medicine, now a bit sweeter in flavor after a few days.

“Since you’re warming up, we might as well.”

“…….”

“Think of it as work.”

Ash’s fingers pressed even deeper.

Erin’s body tensed at the sensation. Embarrassment mixed with excitement, crashing over her like a wave.

“You’re beautiful, Doctor.”

Most of all, Ash’s gaze as he said that…

‘Like a ruby…’

His eyes were always beautiful, but now, in the heat of the moment, they were breathtaking.

Ash called her beautiful, but Erin wanted to return the words.

‘There’s no assistant as beautiful as Ash.’

Nor one as kind and capable.