My System: An Evolved Computer I Made With My Unique Ability—

The two of them had their gazes interlocked for a couple of seconds. With no one budging an inch, the two of them didn't dare look anywhere else. Even though they could see some parts of each other's body in their peripheral vision, they still didn't risk averting their gaze. Besides, ninety percent of their bodies were covered by water, so they couldn't see each other's physiques.

It was an extreme case of Schrodinger's Cat. Was that his chest? His stomach? His legs? Both of their body parts seemed to be seeable and unseeable at the same time. Even Satoshi was having a hard time imagining clear images in his head.

Adding to that, the water in the tub was at the right temperature, making Satoshi revert to his sleepiness. The longer he stayed, the more his mental fortitude weakened. He wanted to get out of the bathtub and douse himself in cold water... but right now, he couldn't... or rather, he shouldn't get up.

"Uhm..." Satoshi trailed off. He wanted to ask why Shiroi jumped in the bathtub when someone was clearly in there.

Unbeknownst to him, Shiroi was used to being alone at home. And even after two weeks of staying at someone else's house, she still wasn't used to having company at home. For the past few days, she had been intricately careful, so she won't make a blunder... but now that this was the last day they'll be staying here, she let her guard down, resulting in this awkward scenario as a result.

Mustering all her strength, Shiroi was the first one to turn away, covering every delicate part of her body as if Satoshi could see everything. She let out a squeal under her throat since she could tell what Satoshi would say next. In return, Satoshi turned away as well, and he didn't say another word.

Satoshi and Shiroi stayed there for the next half hour, not daring to speak to each other. They had all the time to ask the other to close their eyes so the other one could get out of the bathtub... but the two of them were too disoriented to think of such a simple solution. Their sleepiness also affected their mental state as well. In other words, they couldn't think straight, making the situation even worse than it already was.

The black-haired girl who was patiently waiting for Satoshi to get out of the bathtub couldn't take it anymore. Her patience was already running thin as it was, and now it had totally run out. She did take her time wrapping the towel around her bust and thighs before she confronted the two lovebirds.

"Master, how long are you going to stay there for?" She called out.

As it turned out, the girl was no other than Ryu Ryoko, Satoshi's Black-Winged Dragon Familiar. She had been waiting for Satoshi to get out of the bath so she could wash his back. In fact, she had been planning to do something like this for the past week; she just couldn't gather enough courage to do so.

And now that it was the final day, she decided to just go through with it no matter how embarrassing it would be.

Then out of nowhere, a girl intruded into the bathroom. Of course, since Satoshi's mind was interlinked with his familiars, some information about him would get leaked out. In turn, Satoshi would easily glean information from his tamed beasts, but at what cost? Because of this special skill, Ryoko knew that Shiroi was actually Satoshi's childhood friend. And based on her movement, she could also tell that Shiroi fancies Satoshi.

"Master, aren't you going to the Official Beast Tournament? You'll be late at this rate!" Ryoko called out. She wasn't usually this aggressive, but Satoshi's passiveness made her snap. Without any warning, she grabbed Satoshi by the hand and pulled him up.

"NO, WAIT!" Satoshi screamed since his third leg was about to resurface out of the water. If Shiroi sees it, he couldn't tell how he'd be able to recover from the shock.

The impulsive scream reached all the way to the nooks and crannies of the house. Currently, Grado is relaxing in his seat, drinking a nice cup of hot chocolate while reading the morning newspaper. The front page announced the first day of the Official Beast Tournament, and once again, he felt joy swelling up within him. He couldn't contain the pride and glee he felt towards his grandson.

When he heard the scream, he immediately bolted upright, knocking the cup of hot chocolate he had just set down on the small table. In a split second, he was already in front of the bathroom, forcing open the door before Satoshi could warn him of the misunderstanding that he'd assumed as soon as he saw the scene.

At the same time, Shiroi panicked when she saw that Ryoko was trying to pull Satoshi up. Out of impulse, she reached out her hand and grabbed Satoshi by the shoulder. The sudden jerk she felt in her body made her fall forward.

Fortunately, she was able to keep a good portion of Satoshi's body under the water. But unfortunately for her, the momentum caused her to fall on Satoshi. Chest-to-chest, the two of them fell back into the water.

Satoshi caught a glimpse of something, but there was no way he would comment about it. As for Ryoko, she, too, was dragged down, and her upper body almost dipped into the bathtub when Satoshi went down once again.

"GRANDSON! Are you all right?!" Grado called out, his heart beating rapidly. He didn't even bother turning the knob or sliding the door. He just pushed it open as if the door wasn't even there. Splinters of wood shot everywhere as soon as Grado forcefully opened the door.

That's when he saw the scene. A plethora of thoughts occurred in his mind, and in that split second, his mind reached a certain level of enlightenment... or so, that's what Grado told himself. It's as if he'd seen the very view that no man shouldn't see, and he felt rather guilty about it.

For the first time in the span of two weeks, Satoshi watched in horror as his grandfather wore a hundred different expressions at once. It shifted from surprise to calmness, to acceptance, to a smirk, and then to a hint of redness. He then innocently scratched his head and turned away, letting out light chuckles here and there as if he didn't just see Satoshi and two other girls in the bathtub.

"Of course, my grandson's all grown up after all... and he needed to let out some stress before the actual competition... Of course, of course, of course. As his grandfather, I shouldn't conclude that this is unacceptable. Times are changing, and with the times, everyone's behavior is changing as well... of course, this is normal... no... I should just stop thinking." Grado muttered to himself before he turned around to prop the broken door up.

"I didn't see anything! You can go ahead and continue." Grado voiced out. "Oh, and also, don't forget to use protectio—"

"GRANDPA!" Satoshi screamed at the top of his lungs. He couldn't believe that his grandfather just had to enter at the most misunderstood moment.

"Everyone! Satoshi is fine; he's just taking a normal shower, that's all. You don't have to worry about him. Now, where am I... oops! I guess I spilled my hot chocolate, hahha!" Grado was noisier than usual, but he didn't say anything regarding Satoshi's unexplainable situation. Grado clearly saw his grandson with two other girls in the bathroom, and even when he was reading the newspaper, he couldn't help but think of the scene he witnessed.

...

"I'm sorry!" Satoshi was the first one to voice out his apology. Even though he clearly knew that it was Shiroi's fault for stumbling inside the bathroom without prior notice, he felt as if it was his sworn duty to apologize first. Besides, he was the guy here and should at least bear the responsibility for the misunderstanding that his grandfather witnessed.

"No, I should be the one saying sorry..." Shiroi let out. She missed the chance to ask who the girl was (she could've sworn that she had met the girl before, though, she just couldn't remember her name).

"Let's just get this over with." Ryoko heaved a sigh.  "You can go ahead and continue what you're doing, Shiroi. And don't misunderstand, my master likes you a lot. I'm just here to repay my debt. There's nothing wrong with washing his back. Don't misunderstand." Ryoko pointed out.

Of course, there were many things wrong with washing someone's back, but Shiroi could more or less feel Ryoko's sincerity, so she just nodded. When Satoshi got out of the bathtub, he quickly wrapped a towel around his waist.

.....

"Everyone ready?" Tatsuki asked as he started the van he rented. It was now time to go to the American Dome.

Satoshi and Shiroi nodded along with the others, but the redness on their face made them stand out compared to the rest. Meanwhile, Grado was trying to suppress a smile from appearing on his face.