Chapter 503 - Reach (1/2)

”I like this smell, what is this flower called?” Aina asked.

Aina closed her eyes, a calm smile on her face as Leonel shampooed her hair. The gentle smell of apple and lavender made her feel at peace.

”It's called an Infant Sun Lily.”

”Infant?”

”Mm.” Leonel nodded. ”If I hadn't harvested it so soon, it would have produced a fruit at maturity that had the effect of clearing the mind and amplifying fire affinity. Though, the rise in affinity is only large for the first few minutes, after that it begins to dwindle. If you wanted lasting effects, you have to consume the fruits over a long period of time.”

Leonel scratched the back of his head a bit awkwardly. He didn't know much about herbs, so he hadn't known at the time that he interrupted the Sun Lily's growth process. In fact, much of the reason its yellow color was so pale was precisely because it was still an infant.

”Oh, I see. I like the smell…” She said softly.

”In that case, I can start planting them in the garden so we can have more.”

The Abode Setting was just like any other luxurious home. It had several rooms, a large bathhouse, and also had a garden.

That said, Leonel didn't visit the garden very often at all. He thought of using it as a training space as there was ample room. But, his training was much more efficient if it took place in his Dream World. So, there truly wasn't much of a point.

”Okay.”

Leonel's heart warmed when he heard the slight tinge of happiness in Aina's voice. Even though he couldn't see her smile, he knew it was there and that was all that mattered.

Leonel covered the length of Aina's hair in the fragrant liquid. Then began to slowly wash it out, a tinge of seriousness on his face. If others saw him now, they would definitely feel that he was taking this task much too seriously.

”Your hair's gotten longer.” Leonel commented off handedly.

Aina's hair was much longer than what he remembered. Considering the growth rate of hair, it shouldn't have been possible for such an exaggerated change to occur in just a few months. Somehow, Aina's hair had gone from barely reaching the small of her back to reach past her ankles. If she walked around like this, her hair would definitely drag across the ground.

What Leonel didn't know, of course, was that this had been caused by Aina's transformation. Though the rest of her body had gone back to how it once had been, her hair didn't shorten, unfortunately.

Now that Leonel thought about it, long hair was quite uncharacteristic for a woman like Aina. With her level of practicality, even down to her military uniform and boxer briefs, Leonel wouldn't have been surprised if she appeared before him completely bald one day. But, interestingly enough, she never did.

In fact, back when Leonel first met Aina, her hair had been exceptionally short, no longer than Jessica's. But, after their freshman year, during their sophomore year if he recalled correctly, she began to let it grow out.

Not that he minded. He quite preferred long hair. He thought it made her look particularly fairy-like.

Aina blinked at Leonel's words. ”You don't like it?”

Leonel was stunned before hurriedly shaking his head.

”No, no. I like your long hair. It just might be slightly inconvenient for you.”