I Work As A Healer In Another World’s Labyrinth City

Chapter 15 — Lie

Master?

Behind Rurukas back, Yuel has returned from the bathroom and is staring at us in shock. Her eyes are vacant and her mouth is slightly agape. Its as if she cant understand the scene in front of her eyes.

This is bad. Extraordinarily bad.

Right now, my hands are stretched out to grab hold of Rurukas plentiful peaks, and Ruruka herself is opening her shirt far enough to expose her shoulders and a great deal of skin.

The circumstantial evidence is all here.

Yuel is standing on the other side of Ruruka, so she cant exactly see if Im actually rubbing her breasts.

But with my outstretched arms, Rurukas state of undress, and the distance between us

Of course Yuel will assume were doing something indecent. After all, we are.

If I had to put it into words, I was rubbing Rurukas breasts in lieu of a treatment fee.

I cant let Yuel find out about that.

If I told the trusting-to-a-fault Yuel, my carefully constructed image as a respectable master will come crumbling down in an instant. I cant let that happen. That star-struck admiration reflected in Yuels eyes is one of my greatest pleasures. I cant make any mistakes at a time like this.

Think. Think, dammit.

This is the turning point that will decide whether or not I remain a master worthy of Yuels respect. This is my Battle of Mt. Tennou.

-Theres no choice but to deceive her.

Man, that sure was a tough wound to treat. Right, Ruruka?

I remove my hands from Rurukas chest and give her a look that says to play along. Ruruka has good judgment. Shell probably respond with something like Thats why you had to cast the healing magic carefully with direct skin contact! Thanks for going to the trouble!

I look into Rurukas eyes expectantly. In response, Ruruka stares back with an intense expression.

Our gazes remain locked for a good 2 or 3 seconds. Did she get my message? A grin floats up on Rurukas face-

-and she grabs my right arm.

With one hand, Ruruka deftly unfastens the remaining shirt button and fully reveals the delicate undergarment. Then she takes the hand she grabbed and starts to forcefully knead it into her breast over her underwear. Ahh, its soft.

Mmh so, how is it?

Does she

still want to continue our price negotiation?

This development is bad. I wont be able to convince Yuel at this rate. Does Ruruka not realize that Yuel is here?

No, that cant be. True, she cant see Yuel behind her, but she must have heard Yuels voice.

Even if she somehow failed to hear it, she should at least question my sudden change in attitude.

But now what? This is a bad situation. Its getting worse. So soft.

What do I do? Shes moving my arm back and forth. I can feel the elasticity of her breast. What should I do?

Her skin is sticking to me. Those frills on her white undergarment are cute. Ohhh its soft. My hand runs over the soft-as-silk cloth and I feel the swell of her even softer flesh.

I want to squeeze them. To topple those twin peaks. To feel them squish and spring back.

Mmh

When my hands brush over the parts of her breasts that arent covered by the undergarment, the sensation of them gently clinging to my fingers is-

Ahh mmmm

The sensation

How long have I been fondling Rurukas breasts with both hands?

Rurukas face is flushed bright red and her breath is getting ragged. Her exposed chest and stomach are tinged cherry pink. Its quite a turn-on. At this rate, she might even let me go all the wa-

Ah, Master was

-A trembling voice breaks me out of my animal fervor.

Right, its Yuels voice.

I rapidly return to my senses. Bad, bad, bad! Alarm bells are going off in my head.

I tear my eyes away from Rurukas chest and look behind her-

-Yuels anguished face is on the verge of tears.

s-stolennn uuuh, uhuuu

When our eyes meet, Yuels mouth hardens into a grimace and her clenched fists tremble as she looks on. Those eyes are full of sorrow. Enough tears are gathered in them to overflow at any second.

And then-

Uuh, uehh, ueeeeeeeeeeeh, uwaaahh

She breaks down. Shes not just sobbing, shes bawling. Trying but failing to hold back her tears.

Ah, um, Yuel, this is, well

Oh no. This has turned into a disaster. Yuel is crying. I have to do something to fix this.

I have to do something, but but the words wont come out. Even if it was just for a moment, what could I possibly say to Yuel when I forgot about her and let myself get completely swallowed up by lust.

What should I do

Ah, eh, No way!? Sorry, Im so sorry, Yuel-chan!

Ruruka spins around at the sound of Yuel crying and hastily tries to calm her down.

I-Im really sorry, ok? I didnt mean to make you sad Um, uh, I was just borrowing him for a bit, I diddidnt steal Shiki from you, ok? Uhhh hey, see, it was treatment! Yeah, it was a serious case, so I was just having Shiki check that it was really healed!

Thats all it was, Right, Shiki?

Ruruka takes on a gentle tone to comfort Yuel. And, probably unable to bear Yuels sobbing, she twists the facts. A fine performance.

Thats right! That was palpation, a traditional medical technique. It was such a tough injury, even after casting healing magic I needed to make sure there werent any abnormalities!

Its a flimsy excuse, though. No matter how trusting Yuel is, this might be hopeless.

I-Is that really true?

Yuels head snaps back up. Tears are still clinging to her bloodshot eyes.

But, she stops crying.

This might just work. I have mixed feelings about her being so easy to fool, though.

Of course its true, Yuel-chan!

I-I wouldnt lie to you!

But the only option here is to lie.

Really, do you really mean it?

Hearing our words, Yuel looks at me with pleading eyes. I can tell from her expression that she wants to know the truth.

I feel so guilty

But I dont know what it would do to Yuels mental state if I told her The truth is I gave in to my lust and fondled Rurukas breasts.

Right, this is a white lie.

A lie in order to avoid hurting Yuel. I suppress my feelings of guilt and desperately resist the urge to look away. And then, with no hint of shame and the sweetest tone possible, I speak.

Look, Yuel. Take a good look at Rurukas chest. Theres no wound anymore, right? Thats because I just healed it, see?

The injury was on Rurukas shoulder rather than her chest, though. Besides, its not like the fact that theres no injury proves anything about how tough it was to heal.

But between Yuels gullible personality, the trust Ive built up with her so far, and my co-conspirator Ruruka backing up my alibi

With any luck

! Thank goodness oh thank goodness

As I sit down, Yuel rushes over and hugs my chest.

We pulled it off. Turned it around by the skin of our teeth. We managed to trick Yuel.

Shes still sniffling, but these are surely tears of relief. Its gonna be okay.

Dont worry about the fee, Ruruka. Were going home now.

The sun is still up. Its a little early, but Im not in the mood to get drunk. Its better to send Yuel straight to bed. Im sure the usual energetic Yuel will be back after a good nights sleep.

By the time we reach the inn, Yuel has completely stopped crying. However-

Lets try to make it to the 8th floor of the labyrinth tomorrow, Yuel.

Okay

Ohh, or we could find some more party members and try going to the boss room. Its rare drop is supposedly pretty valuable. Maybe Eight and Geyser can introduce us to the other adventurers they know.

Is that so

The cheap inn is located far from the labyrinth. There arent many customers, so its dead quiet even though its still early. The light from the setting sun streams in through the wooden window and tinges Yuels face red.

Yuels expression is gloomy.

For a long time, Yuel seems to be lost in thought. Has my lie been exposed? It was a pretty flimsy excuse. Has she started to see through it now that shes calmed down?

Better test the waters.

Yuel, whats the matter?

A vague question. But it gets a response out of Yuel.

It still hurts.

Yuel mutters softly.

It hurts? Oh no! EX Heal!

The light of my healing magic envelops Yuels entire body. I go all out, putting a great deal of MP into the spell. Enough to instantly fix any incurable disease out there.

That didnt help. Ever since I saw Master and Ruruka together, its been painful. I know that it was just for the sake of treatment, but my chest has been hurting since then.

Ah, thats not something that can be cured with healing magic.

Even so, it looks like she bought the lie. Im worried for her future after all.

Wellllll, thats

Is it jealousy? Or rather, insecurity? Its obvious that Yuel has strong feelings for me. Whether thats as a parent or as a man, the sight of the person she cherishes rubbing another womans breasts must have had a serious impact.

Master, wont you do that palpation thing for me too?

Yuel blurts that out and starts to peel off her shirt.

Is it no good?

She begs me with upturned eyes. Yuel raises the shirt over her chest and exposes her light brown skin. Theres nothing left to cover that skin but her long silver hair.

Thats not

I have no idea how to respond to her request. Since Yuels problem is emotional rather than physical, touching her chest wont resolve the issue.

Yeah, that wont solve anything. However,

Yuels eyes are clearly trembling with anxiety.

Mixed in with that, is a sense that Yuel feels insecure about her appeal. If I reject her now, its going to end up being a severe blow to her ego. Thats the feeling I get from her look.

I have no choice.

Right, this is a medical procedure. Okay even if it isnt, its a therapy of sorts for Yuels troubled mind.

Theres nothing questionable about it. Nothing questionable at all.

It has to be done in order to protect Yuels peace of mind. Then, as I reach out to Yuels chest-

-a certain phrase crosses my mind.

Playing doctor.

Suddenly, something in my head clears up, and I see myself from an outside perspective.

Its back when I was in kindergarten, and Im playing doctor with a neighborhood girl named Eri-chan. It seems harmless when its two innocent kids, but if I swap my adult self into the scene, the atmosphere turns seriously immoral.

Theres Yuels petite figure standing before me. And reaching toward it are the large hands of an adult. If I keep going, it will probably placate her for the time being.

But, I cant do it after all. I cant go through with it.

I feel like it would be crossing a line as a human being.

Besides, I dont know how long my reason can hold out if she keeps coming to me for palpations from now on. The current Yuel is still developing. Im happy just to receive her bashful smile; its not like I want it to turn into that kind of relationship at this point.

I have to draw the line.

Besides, Yuel is still a child. She cant make a distinction between dependence and love at this age. If its just dependence, all I have to do is relieve her worries. If its love no, its still too early for that.

Lets think of an alternative.

I wrap the hand that was reaching towards Yuels chest around her back instead. Instead of palpation, Ill cuddle her and pet her head. The things I always do when we explore the labyrinth.

What I said before about wanting us to be together forever, is the truth. I dont want you to worry about that.

Yuel is silent. Now that Im holding her I can no longer see her expression. She isnt reacting at all.

Even so, I keep petting her. This has always worked in the past. It should work out this time too.

As I continue to pet her, Yuel abruptly speaks.

Master said he would buy me a present because I worked hard, right? If I work even harder, then will Master give me a reward?

Sure.

Im a bit concerned about what kind of reward she means, but I cant refuse at this point.

I give her a nod. Ill gladly put it off for some other time.

Accepting my words, Yuel lets go of me

Im fine now. Good night, Master.

She says with a bashful smile.

My eyes snap open.

My surroundings are still dark, illuminated only by the moonlight streaming in through the window.

Its probably closer to midnight than morning. I must have woken up at a strange time thanks to going to bed so early yesterday.

Guess Ill go to the bathroom.

I lift up my body, and then it hits me.

Yuel is gone.