Chapter 73: Bath 2.0 Part-7

Miria opens her eyes and tilts her head up, looking at me with a curious expression. My hands have frozen in place on her head, stopped mid-motion, with the foam still lingering in my fingers.

"Master, is everything alright?" Roxanne asks, her eyes filled with concern as she watches me carefully. I notice the other girls glancing at me as well, their expressions carrying varying degrees of worry.

I take a steadying breath and offer a reassuring smile. "No, it's nothing. Everything is... fine."

"Wash-desu?" Miria chimes in, tilting her head cutely. I can't help but chuckle at her innocence, and I resume lathering her hair, spreading the foam evenly across her scalp.

It's fine, I tell myself. It's not a big deal. From my first night in this world here at the village head's house, I already suspected that this might not be the exact same world as the story I knew.

Trying to distract myself, I ask the catgirl, "What do you want to do with your day off tomorrow, Miria?"

"Sea-desu!" she replies excitedly, after Roxanne translates, her face lighting up as she answers.

"Oh, you want to go to the sea? Do you want to catch some fish, or just swim in the water?" I ask her, already knowing the answer.

"Fish-desu!" Miria practically bounces in the water, with her fair wet globes splashing on the water's surface. 

"Yeah I thought so" I chuckle as I use water to wash off the foam from her hair. Miria's enthusiasm for fishing is infectious, although I suspect that the serious warning Roxanne and I gave her earlier might not have entirely sunk into her 'fish-brain'.

"Fwaaah!" Miria shakes the water from her hair and looks up at me, waiting for approval, her eyes gleaming with anticipation.

"I think if you catch a fish without proper fishing, it might cause big problems," Sherry comments from the side.

"So, Miria will just have to do proper fishing then," I say with a nod.

"Yes, Fishing is a hobby recognized by Nobles and Retirees," Sherry explains, sounding as precise as ever. "Many influential people practice it, so it's exempt from fishery rules."

Sherry's thorough explanation draws in both Lillia, who listens intently, and Miria, who follows along with Roxanne translating each word for her.

"There must be designated areas for fishing. Do you know of any, Sherry?" I ask, hoping to avoid any mishap or another divine punishment if Miria tries to fish somewhere she shouldn't.

"Yes, there are special areas for fishing," Sherry replies thoughtfully. "My grandfather loved fishing in the sea, but I don't know the exact locations. However, there's a fishing tackle shop in the Imperial Capital. They should know where it's allowed."

I nod, appreciating the advice. Her grandfather must have been quite well-off to enjoy such leisurely pursuits—likely a successful Master Smith.

For a moment, I consider suggesting that Miria could fish in the pond near besides the Mansion, but quickly dismiss the idea; she would probably empty it of fish in a day.

"I have not done fishing but I have heard that fishing is better up north, by the Northern Sea," Anastasia chimes in thoughtfully.

I am a bit surprised that Anastasia haven't tried fishing, given her background with a wealthy merchant family. Perhaps her group never focused on fishing or its related industries as a business.

"(Yes, Aunt always said lots of fish could be caught in the north! But she never knew why!)," Miria adds with excitement, her words eagerly translated by Roxanne.

"Well, I have a theory," I say with a small smile, launching into an explanation about water temperature, aquatic nutrition, and ocean currents, including how the ice layer up north helps prevent the water from getting too cold for the fish below.

I keep it as simple as possible, but with as much details as I can provide, mostly for Sherry as I didn't want her to doubt me as lier as she once doubted the original Michio.

"But this is just one theory as to why the Northern Sea has more fish than the South," I finish humbly, glancing down at the girls, who appear to be hanging on every word. The way they are watching me almost makes me feel like a teacher addressing eager students.

I wouldn't mind having 5 hot naked girls as my personal students, I will even offer them extra class so we can 'study' throughly. I can just imagine Roxanne being my star student eager to 'learn' new things from her sensei!

"(Wow, this is the first time I have heard that!)," Miria says, her amazement shining through her expression.

"As expected of Master," Roxanne says proudly after translating Miria's words.

"I didn't know ice could stop the sea from getting cold," Anastasia murmurs, her eyes wide with newfound understanding.

"Master is so knowledgeable," Lillia says, looking at me with admiration.

"The logic checks out… it kind of makes sense," Sherry agrees, her thoughtful expression suggesting that she's digesting the information carefully.

I now know how teachers felt to have the proud smart students in their class agreeing to their words, it feels as if I just won a battle. 

"So, when we visit the Imperial Library to drop off Sherry tomorrow, we will also pick up some fishing tackle and related fishing stuff for Miria and ask for the fishing location," I announce, laying out the plan for tomorrow.

I already have a place in mind where Miria can go fishing, but its not a bad idea to ask around first, now that I know this is an Alternate world, I can't just blindly follow my own 'canon' knowledge. 

Roxanne begins teaching Miria to pronounce "fishing" in the Brahim language. "Fi-SH-ING," she enunciates slowly.

"FIS-IN-desu!" Miria repeats enthusiastically, a small line of drool escaping her mouth as she likely dreams of all the fish she will catch. 

With Miria's plans settled, I turn to Lillia."So, that just leaves you, Lillia. What would you like to do tomorrow?" I ask with a smile, turning my attention to the busty sheepgirl. I had kind of forgotten to ask her during the round of plans, momentarily distracted by the her soft curved horns and her big wet breasts visible above the water.

It's a good thing that I remembered promptly; even though Lillia wouldn't have complained, but I as a person owning a Slave Harem should be responsible for their needs and happiness. I should strive to not make such rookie mistakes!

"M-Me?" Lillia stammers, glancing down shyly. "I am… not sure, Master. Maybe I could tend to the garden with Roxanne-san?" She looks to Roxanne for approval.

"Yes, Lillia, we can do it together!," Roxanne agrees happily.

"I don't mind if you tend to the garden," I say, gently reminding them, "but it's a day off, so don't work too hard. Relax, go shopping, and enjoy yourselves." I reiterate the concept of day off so they don't spend the day just fixing the garden. 

"Understood, Master," Roxanne nods, taking my words to heart.

"Yes, Master," Lillia adds with a grateful smile.

Feeling the chill from being out of the bath for too long, I slide back into the warm water, leaning against the edge of the wall. Roxanne then slips in to my right and hugs me with her head on my shoulder. I close my eyes in contentment as I wrap my arms around her, with her wet big soft boobs squishing against my body. 

A small sigh escapes me, and I can't help but feel relieved that I brought Roxanne into my life earlier than in the original story. If this world truly differs from the one I remember, there's a chance someone else could have purchased her first. I hold her tighter, refusing to let that thought linger.

Then, to my surprise, Sherry nestles herself against my other side, her petite frame pressing gently against me, her purple hair tickling my skin. Her small boobs and pointed nipples felt nice touching my body. She would get very angry with me if I tell her, but I kinda wanted Lillia's hot soft body with her big boobs to hug me from the left. 

However I know that it is impossible for the new girls to willingly come near me. I can see that Anastasia and Lillia are atleast enjoying themselves in the bath, with Lillia resting besides Roxanne and Anastasia besides Sherry. Miria on the other hand has happily resumed her backstrokes in the water.

I close my eyes again, but the earlier worry keeps gnawing at me. I had started that impromptu lecture in an effort to distract myself from the growing thoughts, but now they have crept back, stubborn as ever.

There's nothing major to be concerned about yet; until now, I have only noticed minor differences from the original story. Things like Miria's family don't directly affect me, so it's still manageable.

Also ever since my first night in this world, I have made a habit of thoroughly checking the System menus I have access to, and so far, there aren't many differences from the original Michio's system. Like I would have been devastated if the Character Reset Bonus Skill hadn't been there originally!

I do have the two extra systems which were not in the original story, but they are definitely a huge help, so those changes work in my favour.

And my name is still Michio, which confirms that the original person meant to be here was also Michio—or at least an alternate version of him. From what I can tell, this world is predominantly the same as Slave Harem in a Labyrinth, though I can't shake off a lingering worry that other fictional worlds could somehow be part of this. The main culprits for this doubt are Anastasia and Lillia's presence, which has casted a shadow over my mind.

But my biggest concern… the main question swirling in my mind is whether this alternate Michio made the same choices as the original Michio during the Isekai world setting in that webpage!

The world setting, Dungeon, Field, Races, and Language—all of those are accounted for and identical to the original. So the most worrying aspect left is the War choice. In the original story, Michio wanted a peaceful life, so he chose the 'No War' option… I can only hope this Michio made the same choice!

On the bright side, there were no major 'Plot Points' or 'Storylines' in the original narrative. Now that I have obtained three out of the five original slaves, I am in a relatively safer position. Although I could still be affected by the 'butterfly effect,' since my actions have differed from the original quite a bit, still I can't let that worry paralyze me. I have to keep moving forward, especially when I know that this is an alternate world!

"Master, tomorrow are we visiting the labyrinth in the early morning?" Roxanne asks softly, her voice breaking me from my thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, yes. A quick stop at the Vale Labyrinth, then breakfast, and your day off begins," I reply, still partially lost in thought.

"Understood, Master," Roxanne nods, and Sherry, Miria, and Lillia echo her agreement.

As Roxanne snuggles closer, her tail flows through the water, brushing against me, tickling on my erect dick, making me feel weirdly pleasant.

"Master… you seem worried," Roxanne murmurs, rubbing her cheek against my shoulder. Sherry, still nestled on my other side, looks up at me in concern.

"There's something on my mind," I admit, managing a small smile, "but it's nothing major."

"Let me help you relax, Master," Roxanne says, pulling back slightly, her gaze steady and sincere.

"You want to help me?" I ask, my curiosity piqued as Sherry also looks over, intrigued.

"Yes, Master. I can help you relax," Roxanne replies with confidence, "Can you sit here please" she gestures me to sit up on the edge of the bath where I had been sitting earlier.

A surge of understanding hits me, and I swallow, feeling my cock getting harder as I realize exactly what she means by 'relaxation'

Obediently, I take a seat on the ledge, with my wet hard dick already showing off and ready for Roxanne's full care!

***

Gorama27 has used his points to claim an extra chapter for the previous week!

I sincerely thank you for your support!