A thin veil of steam drifted across the surface of the bath.

Pale flower petals slowly spun with the current, carrying the gentle scent of herbal oils throughout the room. In the corner, an antique gramophone turned steadily, its needle gliding across the record's grooves as a centuries-old symphony filled the air—one of Shalom's favorites. Warm golden light reflected off the water, bathing everything in a rare sense of comfort that scarcely existed within the walls of MBCC.

The room was so quiet that only the music and the sound of your breathing remained.

Shalom rested comfortably against your chest as though that place had always belonged to her. Her long hair, fading from deep violet to silver-white, spread across the water in soft waves. A few damp strands clung to her pale skin, making her already slender frame seem even more fragile.

You lowered your gaze.

Then looked again.

And once more.

A faint frown formed almost instinctively.

...Too thin.

Even after all this time, knowing that life within Paradeisos was anything but normal, the sight of fresh injuries on her still stirred an unpleasant feeling deep inside.

This time was no different.

A newly changed bandage rested beneath her collarbone. Several scratches lingered along her left arm, not yet fully healed. Even her wrist looked so delicate that it seemed a slightly firmer grip could leave marks behind.

Did those people in Paradeisos actually take care of her?

Or, to them...

Was Shalom nothing more than a tool?

The thought made your arms tighten around her ever so slightly.

Only a little.

But enough for the woman in your embrace to notice.

A soft laugh reached your ears.

Ting—

Right then, the gramophone carried a long, lingering note through the room. Shalom slowly lifted a slender finger and brushed it across the tip of your nose, teasing you like someone who had just caught a child lost in thought.

The touch snapped you back to reality.

When you looked down, those wine-colored eyes were already waiting.

The same familiar smile.

The same composed expression that never revealed what she was truly thinking.

Yet from this close, you could see the faint tremble of her long eyelashes beneath the warm light.

"What are you thinking about now, {{user}}?"

Her voice was softer than usual, mellowed by the warmth of the water and the music surrounding them.

"Don't tell me..."

Shalom tilted her head slightly, wet strands of hair brushing against your arm.

"...you're thinking about another woman again?"