892 Forced Relaxation
The next morning, Mira was meditating in her room with her tails curled around her.
For the first time in… who knows how long… her mind was at ease. Despite a possible enemy out there, she didn't feel nearly as on edge as usual—just tranquility.
'This place, the name Celestial Springs, is really quite accurate.' Mira thought as she spread out her Soul Sense across the entire resort. The place was much bigger than she initially thought, taking up not just one but several entire volcanoes across the mountain range.
'No wonder we rarely meet any other guests. There are thousands, if not tens of thousands, of other private areas, not including the public amenities.' The entire resort could probably hold up to a million people across all the volcanoes if they really pushed it to its limits.
Aside from that, she understood that this place was not what it seemed on the surface. Although most of the staff weren't that strong, with the managers of each sector being in the Soul Transformation Realm and everyone else being weaker, there were quite a few oldies hidden deep within the mountains that were in the Mortal Shedding realm.
They just didn't make an appearance.
Mira found that quite strange but didn't think too much about it. This could just be an area where the stronger people who had exhausted their potential come to retire. Instead of being tied down by some organization and being used until they died, they could come here and spend their days peacefully.
'...I'd probably do the same if I were them.' She thought as these springs were simply too good at calming the mind.
Suddenly, as Mira was enjoying her time to herself, Dominique burst through the doors and pounced on the bed next to her.
"Mother! Come take a bath with me!"
"No." With her eyes remaining closed, Mira rejected
"But, Mother! It's the last day, and all you've done is sit in your room! Didn't you pay a lot of money? Come enjoy the resort with us! I'll even show you around!"
Mira paused, momentarily thinking about it, before she shook her head, "...No."
"Pleaaase~ Can't you spend just one day with your daughter~?" Dominique pleaded. She crawled around Mira and started messing with her tails, even wrapping her own around them. "We don't get time to ourselves like this very often. I just want to hang out with you, Mother…"
Mira's eyelids twitched. Her heartbeat sped up ever so slightly, and a lump of saliva got stuck in her throat. She wanted to reject again, but something about Dominique's tone made it oddly hard to refuse.
'Haaa….' She sighed, opening her eyes and staring at the little minx beside her. 'I really am getting soft.'
Gently pushing Dominique away from her, Mira stood up under the girl's wide, expectant eyes. With another sigh, she signaled toward the door. "...Lead the way."
"YES!"
Dominique grabbed Mira's hand tightly and dragged her out of the room. A large, sweet smile was plastered on the child's face, pushing down the unease Mira felt about being 'controlled' like this.
***
"How humiliating," Mira muttered, not five minutes later.
They were currently in one of the several private bathing areas they had booked. Dominique had basically stripped the two of them bare as soon as they arrived and jumped in the pool, forcing Mira to join her.
She figured that'd be the end of it, but… who knew the little blood fox was so scheming? The damn child actually brought shampoo, some sort of floral body wash, and a brush large enough for her tails.
"Don't say that, Mother~" Dominique giggled while rubbing Mira's scalp with shampoo. A cluster of bubbles formed on her head, which the girl used to make weird shapes around her face. "I know you like it!"
"...I don't."
"You'll like it soon!"
"...I won't."
"Then, please do your best to enjoy your time, Mother~!"
"..."
Mira gave up trying to argue with her. So, instead of bothering with useless things like that, she sank further into the pool and closed her eyes, allowing Dominique to do whatever she wanted.
"See~? Now that wasn't so hard~!" Dominique exclaimed, causing a vein to throb in Mira's head, but she calmed down. However, when the girl lathered herself in body wash and started rubbing her chest… Mira almost couldn't take it.
'...Just let her have this.' She thought, taking a deep breath. 'She's worked hard these last few years–been through a lot. I just have to endure this for a day.'
But, when Dominique started brushing her tails, even using some special technique to massage them, Mira really felt like she was at the end of her rope.
Her face was cramping up, eyes twitching, and her lips curved down, but she remained quiet.
However, after a while, Mira found herself slowly relaxing under her… daughter's… attentive care. The warm water, combined with Dominique's gentle touch, began to melt away her resistance.
After a while, Dominique moved on from Mira's tails to her back, applying a rich, herbal body wash. "You're always so tense, Mother. You need to relax more," she said softly, massaging Mira's shoulders.
Mira remained silent, her eyes closed, but a small smile crept onto her lips. She had to admit, the sensation was rather pleasant.
"You know, Mother, you're always looking after us, but who looks after you?" Dominique continued, her voice filled with concern.
Mira opened her eyes, turning slightly to look at her daughter. "I can take care of myself. You don't need to worry about me."
Dominique pouted, "But I want to. You're always so strong. It's only fair we get to be there for you too."
Mira was touched by her words. She reached out, placing a hand on Dominique's cheek. "Then get stronger."
"Then, train me more!" Dominique exclaimed before lightly yanking one of Mira's tails with a cheeky smile on her face.
Mira glared at her, wanting to refute, but paused.
'Thinking about it now, I'm not with her all that often.' Part of her figured that's how things should be. Dominique should have to struggle and find her way to the top without having to rely on her. The girl would never grow up or surpass her own limits if she was always around.
However, on second thought, there really wasn't anyone better to teach her, especially now that they both had similar but unique bodies. It wasn't just their bloodline, but their existence was changed at a fundamental level. They were neither human nor beast but a perfect combination of the two.
The only two in the world, at that. Or so she thought.
'...Surpassing her limits is fine, but she doesn't even know what those limits are, how to surpass them, or how to grow properly. I've had ten lifetimes, close to a thousand years, and an overpowered cursed treasure to assist me, but she doesn't have any of that.' The more Mira thought about it, the worse she felt.
During the years before the Primal Ascendance Convergence, she was good about training Dominique, but it was still mostly just fundamentals.
'After this, I'll start imparting everything I've learned and then help her advance to the Core Formation Realm.After that, she should have no problem training by herself.'
With her decision made, Mira looked at Dominique seriously and declared, "Then, starting tomorrow, we won't stop training until you make a major breakthrough."
Dominique froze. Her eyes widened at Mira's declaration. The playful smirk she wore a moment ago vanished, replaced by a mix of excitement and apprehension. "A major breakthrough? Really, Mother?"
Mira nodded firmly. "Yes, really. It's time you pushed your limits further."
Dominique swallowed hard, but her face lit up with determination. "Alright, I'll do my best!"
Mira smiled, pleased with her response. She stood up from the pool, water cascading down her body. "Good. Now, let's finish up here. We have a big day tomorrow."
"Hmm~" Dominique hummed before she flashed in front of Mira. "Where do you think you're going, Mother?'
"To plan for your training," Mira replied without hesitation, but her tone was slightly off.
"That's no good." The blood fox shook her head. "The day just started. A bath is merely the first thing I have planned for today!"
"But, your training-"
"You can do that later! Now, let's get you washed up and ready for the massage I have booked!"
'Fuck!' Mira grumbled as Dominique forced her back into the water and resumed the bathing. However, this time, the smile on the girl's face was much bigger, and she was even humming to herself.
Off to the side, Mira noticed stares and Soul Senses locked onto her position, clearly from the other girls, causing her to scowl. 'I swear, if they say anything about this, I'll kill them.'
As if sensing her killing intent, they backed off and ran away to another part of the resort, but she still remained a bit uneasy.
'I really am getting too nice for my own good.'
