I Was Reincarnated as a Duke as a Matter of Course, So I Bought a Slave on a Whim and Now There’s No Turning Back - 5

Chapter 5: A Naked Relationship

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T/N: A naked relationship refers to a relationship without pretense, like being open and honest, sometimes implying bonding in places like hot springs where people are literally naked.

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By the time we returned to the mansion, the sun had completely set. Even after getting off the carriage, the girl did not say a single word. She walked when instructed, stopped when told, and lowered her head on command.

…She’s far too obedient.

I was starting to get worried. I gave her a room and had a change of clothes prepared for her. After taking a brief breath… I suddenly realized something. Today.. .No. Actually, this girl probably hadn’t bathed in quite some time. The clock read eight at night. By my standards, that was absolutely bath time.

Baths were sacred. They reset the fatigue of the day. Bathtime was a supreme being in its own right. And then I thought about it..

This thing called responsibility for raising someone….

“…Alright.”

Having steeled my resolve, I brought her to Mom.

“I’ll bathe her today.”

“…Huh?”

Mother and Moore, who was attending her, froze at the same time.

“Are you certain that is appropriate?”

“That’s right, Luka-chan. We’ll go with you.”

Their worried gazes pierced me.

It’s fine. I look like a kid and I’m basically still a kid inside, so it’s fine (where’s the basis for that?).

“It’s fine. I’m already seven.”

I mean, it’s more embarrassing that we were still bathing together until recently, right?

They probably didn’t think anything of it, but that in itself made my son want to cry.

“…Besides, you can’t talk about life without baths.”

“…?”

“I’m the one who took her in, right? At least at the beginning, I’ll do it.”

Moore faltered slightly.

“But, Luka-sama is—”

“It’s fine.”

Everyone was so overprotective. 

You’ve all personally experienced my elite back-scrubbing skills, haven’t you? No matter who it is, I’ll take them to heaven.

“This girl is my slave.”

With those words, the air fell silent. Mother stared at me for a moment, then let out a small sigh.

“…Very well. But if anything happens, call us immediately.”

“Understood.”

I turned back toward the girl.

“Shall we?”

“…Yes.”

Her reply was short and without hesitation. That pricked at my chest just a little. Her face was beautiful, but I’d make sure she could smile again. I thought about recalling the comedy routines of my favorite duo from my previous life, but I didn’t have a partner for the joke to get through.

It couldn’t be helped. I will need to do it solo(with a resolute expression).

We walked down the corridor toward the bath. Even though I thought I was matching her stride, she remained half a step behind me.

“…Can you walk a little closer?”

This kind of thing starts with physical distance, after all.

“…Understood.”

She immediately stepped half a step forward. But the distance didn’t change. She didn’t come to my “side.”

…Welp. I’m done. Someone else please take over—

Wait, no, don’t spiral, me!

The shock nearly made me black out. To her, I still wasn’t someone she could trust. It seemed she saw this purely as a master-servant relationship.

Let me just say now, I have never used the imperative form with anyone.

I couldn’t even use it properly on grammar tests in language class, so I never scored well.

Therefore, the imperative form is evil.

I stopped in front of the door and took a deep breath.

…Am I about to bathe with a girl? (post-realization) Crap, I might have said that on autopilot. No, no—get it together. This is an act of kindness. Right now, think only about cleaning her up!

When I opened the door, steam gently drifted out.

A spacious bath. Stone flooring, with still water filling the tub. The lighting was soft, giving the calm atmosphere of nighttime. It felt like a hot spring and my spirits rose every time I went here.

“First, put your clothes here.”

I pointed to a basket for undressing. I immediately looked away.

Well, of course. That’s a line you don’t cross.

“I’ll count the stains on the ceiling.”

“…Yes.”

Yep. Not a single stain. Should I start counting sheep next?

The sound of fabric rustling. It was so quiet it made it worse. I stared at the patterns on the wall.

…This was absolutely me trying to dodge the awkwardness.

“…I’m finished.”

That was quicker than I expected.

“Then before getting in, let’s rinse off lightly.”

I picked up a bucket and scooped water. She watched the entire sequence of movements intently. I caught sight of her back and it was honestly beautiful. Smooth, like fresh mochi. Would I get smacked if I said that?

I won’t say it.

“…Is it cold?”

“It’s fine.”

An immediate answer. No room for emotion in it. I frowned slightly at that.

“If you don’t like it, you can say so, okay?”

“…Is that an order?”

For a moment, I didn’t understand what she meant.

“Huh?”

“That I was ordered… to bathe.”

Ah. I see.

“No, no.”

I let out a small, wry smile.

“It’s not an order. At the very least, I think of us as equals.”

“…Equals.”

“Yeah. Like starting as friends, maybe?”

She lowered her eyes slightly, pausing as if thinking.

“…Then may I refuse?”

“You can.”

I answered immediately.

Ah—just don’t refuse being friends, okay? I’d cry.

“I’ll never do anything you dislike. I promise.”

“…Is that so?”

There was the faintest tremor in her voice. I pretended not to notice and continued.

“Shall we get in?”

“…Yes.”

This time, there was a slight pause before her reply. That was fine. She still had a heart. When she stepped into the bath, her shoulders trembled slightly.

“…It’s warm.”

“Right?”

That single line sounded more childlike than anything she’d said all day. Internally, I made a small fist pump. No—at that point, I nearly slid like a soccer player scoring the championship-winning goal. It was the first step. There was no need to do anything special.

Get in the bath. Wash up. End the day. That’s all.

It was something I’d learned from an old man I once met at a public bathhouse.

Thank you, old man. You weren’t wrong. A naked relationship really is the strongest. I completely understand now.

For a while, a quiet time flowed in the water. Steam rose gently, and the lights flickered faintly. She sat at the edge of the tub, her back still straight as ever.

…She really never relaxed.

Isn’t her posture a bit too perfect?

“…Ah.”

Suddenly, I realized something.

“By the way.”

“…?”

She looked at me.

“You really don’t have a name?”

She didn’t answer right away. For a brief moment, time seemed to stop as her eyes wavered slightly.

“…I do not.”

Her voice was calm. I sensed there was more to it, but I didn’t press.

“You’ve never been called anything?”

“…No.”

Hmm…

I rested my elbow on the edge of the bath and looked up at the ceiling.

“Then—”

“…?”

“Can I give you a name?”

“…A name?”

“Yeah. You need one, right?”

She looked slightly troubled.

“I… do not require one.”

“I want you to have one.”

She blinked in surprise.

“For when I call you, you know?”

“…”

“You don’t like being called ‘you,’ right?”

“…”

“And besides—”

I lowered my voice slightly.

“I think you need a name to live.”

At those words, her fingertips moved slightly beneath the water.

“…Will Master decide?”

“I do have a candidate.”

That casual “Master” nearly made me fluster—

Oi! Take responsibility for that!

Pulling myself together, I looked at her.

“If you don’t like it, we can change it.”

“…I may change it?”

“Of course.”

You probably don’t want some flashy, ridiculous name, right? Simple is best.

“—How about Yuka?”

She slowly rolled the sound around in her mouth.

“…Yuka.”

“There’s a tree called eucalyptus (yukari).”

Not that I was trying to show off my knowledge. This was about the extent of my past-life trivia.

“Its flower language means happiness.”

“…Happiness.”

I heard that on a koala documentary once.

“So I thought that might suit you.”

Silence followed. But it was different from before. This was thinking silence.

“…That name….”

“Yeah?”

“From now on, I will cherish it.”

Small, but clear.

“Then it’s decided.”

I grinned.

“Nice to meet you, Yuka.”

“…Yes.”

Her reply was just a little softer. Even though I had only called her name, it felt like the temperature of the bath had risen slightly.

—Happiness, huh.

I knew it wouldn’t be easy. But well, we could start with a name. Apparently the theory that naked bonding was the strongest tool to deepen one’s relationship worked here too.  And thank you, koalas. Today’s naked bonding operation seemed to have been a great success.

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