Alicia’s legs wrapped tighter and tighter, even beginning to slowly rub along the inside of his thighs.
Lilith smiled as she tossed a few more “Calming Flowers” into the water.
Ignis treated him like a teething toy, hugging his arm and gnawing on it while letting out happy giggles.
Lynn’s vision began to blur.
He saw Vivian’s Blackening Value, steady at 93%.
He saw Alicia’s Blackening Value, steady at 94%.
He saw Lilith’s Blackening Value, steady at 97%.
The three red numbers flickered through the thick mist like hellish ghost fires.
He felt his consciousness being stripped from his body.
‘No… I can’t fall here.’
‘If I fall, I’ll really become meat on their chopping block.’
Lynn used the last of his strength to give a sudden lunge.
He wasn’t trying to fight anyone; he just wanted to stand up and leave this lethal hot spring.
However, this one movement completely shattered the fragile balance.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Vivian’s voice turned cold.
The hand holding the scrubbing towel twisted, tightening directly around his neck.
“Don’t move.”
Alicia’s voice also carried a chill.
Her legs beneath the water suddenly surged with strength, locking him firmly in place.
“Brother, the medicine hasn’t fully kicked in yet. Don’t be in such a rush,” Lilith said, her voice tinged with a hint of regret.
She slid a small dagger out from the sleeve of her bathrobe, gesturing with it beneath the water.
Even Ignis sensed the change in atmosphere.
She stopped her gnawing and looked up, a flash of wild red light appearing in her molten-gold pupils.
“Master… is mine.”
The pressure from all four sides tightened instantly.
Lynn felt as if he was about to be torn apart.
A sense of suffocation washed over him, and his vision went black in waves.
The potency of the medicine in the water, mixed with the sulfurous heat, completely demolished his final line of rational defense.
His last shred of consciousness was the sight of those three pairs of eyes.
Vivian’s possessiveness.
Alicia’s control.
Lilith’s obsession.
And Ignis’s molten-gold pupils, which were starting to turn dangerous.
This bath was not going to end well.
***
Lynn’s consciousness drifted in the water.
The heat steamed him, his body felt soft, and his mind was like a pile of mush.
Noisy voices buzzed in his ears, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying.
He only wanted to leave this death trap, but his limbs wouldn’t obey.
Once his last bit of strength was exhausted, his vision went black, and he sank completely into the darkness.
He didn’t know how much time had passed.
Lynn felt a warm, soft sensation. It wasn’t water, nor was it the hard ground.
The sensation had a bit of elasticity and a slight, rhythmic rise and fall.
He tried to move but found himself top-heavy.
His eyelids felt as if they were stuck together with glue.
A deep sense of weakness radiated from within his body.
He forced his eyes open, though his vision was a total blur.
The first things to enter his view were several strands of hair.
They were right in front of him, each a different color.
Gold, silver, and a single strand of black were all tangled together.
Lynn’s brain began to function, attempting to analyze this information.
He seemed to be lying down, his head pillowed on something.
He tried to focus his gaze once more.
Four faces were crowded together, looking down at him from a close distance.
Vivian’s face carried a probing look.
Her eyebrows were slightly knitted, and her lips were pressed into a straight line.
Alicia’s face was expressionless, her gaze focused.
Lilith’s face wore her usual sweet smile, her eyes curving, but Lynn couldn’t feel any warmth from her.
Ignis’s face was one of pure curiosity, her large eyes blinking.
Their faces were so close to him that Lynn could even feel the heat of their breath against his skin.
“Awake?” Vivian’s voice was the first to break the silence.
Her voice was low, suppressed by something indistinguishable.
Lynn’s throat moved.
He wanted to speak, but only a raspy sound came out.
He swallowed hard and realized his mouth was incredibly dry.
“Are you thirsty?” Lilith’s voice followed immediately.
She picked up a cup from the side and held it to Lynn’s lips.
Lynn couldn’t refuse.
He opened his mouth and took a few sips of warm water.
The temperature was just right, easing the discomfort in his throat.
“He fainted from the soak,” Alicia said.
Her voice was cool, as if she were merely stating a fact.
Lynn’s mind cleared a bit more.
He wanted to sit up, but his limbs still lacked strength.
He finally noticed that he had been changed into clean clothes; the wet bathrobe was gone.
He was lying on a soft tatami mat, covered by a thin quilt.
However, the sensation beneath his head remained.
It was warm and soft, carrying a faint scent.
It was a lap pillow.
He looked up and realized he was resting on Vivian’s lap.
“No, that wasn’t right.’
He turned his head slightly and saw that Alicia’s legs were also right beside his head.
Leaning a bit more, he saw Lilith’s legs.
There were even Ignis’s short legs.
The four of them were sitting together in a bizarre configuration, and his head was resting exactly in the center of their overlapping laps.
This was a death trap.
Lynn had designed scenes like this in games.
If a player chose wrong, it would immediately trigger a Shura Field and lead directly to a Bad Ending.
Now, he had become that player.
“Whose lap is the most comfortable?” Lilith asked softly.
Her smile hadn’t changed at all.
This question wasn’t just asked by Lilith.
Vivian and Alicia were also watching him, waiting for his answer.
Ignis was simply curious, tilting her head.
Lynn felt his heart pounding violently in his chest.
This was a moment far more dangerous than suffocating in the hot spring.
He quickly weighed his options in his mind.
‘Choose Vivian? Alicia and Lilith will explode.’
‘Choose Alicia? Vivian and Lilith will explode.’
‘Choose Lilith? Vivian and Alicia will explode.’
‘Choose Ignis? That’s even more impossible. Ignis doesn’t even have a concept of what a lap pillow is; it would only make the other three angry.’
He couldn’t choose anyone.
He had to leap out of this trap.
Lynn tried to push himself up against the tatami with his hands, wanting to sit.
He tried several times, only to give up. His body was too weak.
“Lynn, tell me,” Vivian’s voice rang out again, this time carrying a hint of pressure.
She lightly patted Lynn’s cheek with her hand.
Lynn felt that force.
He knew he couldn’t stall for much longer.
He opened his mouth and said slowly, “This… this place…”
He paused for a moment, observing their expressions.
He couldn’t read the emotions on the three faces.
Only Ignis was still playing with his hair.
“This place is a bit hard,” Lynn said.
Vivian’s eyebrows twitched.
The look in Alicia’s eyes shifted.
Lilith’s smile faded slightly.
Lynn knew he was asking for trouble, but he was already committed.
“I… I’m not used to pillowing on people’s legs,” Lynn continued, lowering his voice.
“I’m still… more used to the floor.”
He tried his best to keep his tone calm, as if he were stating a simple fact.
As soon as the words landed, the temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees.
Vivian’s gaze became sharp.
She retracted the hand that had been patting his cheek, clenching it instead.
Alicia’s body went stiff.
A faint light flickered from the Holy Light Runes on her skin.
Lilith’s smile vanished completely.
She didn’t speak, merely watching Lynn in silence.