Chapter 28: Professional Massager

The next morning, Nero woke up feeling completely refreshed.

Thanks to Perfect Sleep, he hadn’t felt even the slightest bit of fatigue after waking up. However, the first thing that came to his mind was Lilly.

He wondered what she was doing right now and, more importantly, how she felt about what had happened between them last night.

Before he could think any further, his stomach growled.

’Right, I haven’t eaten yet.’

Since today was Sunday, there was no university. Nero decided to head downstairs and grab something to eat.

However, the moment he entered the kitchen, he saw Lilly.

"..."

Nero immediately felt a little awkward.

’Is she still embarrassed about yesterday?’

Lilly was already looking in his direction, seemingly lost in thought.

Their eyes met.

"Did you sleep well last night?" she suddenly asked.

Nero blinked.

"Yeah, I did."

It wasn’t a lie. Thanks to Perfect Sleep, he had genuinely slept better than ever before.

Lilly nodded before turning toward the counter.

"Come sit. I’ll make you something. You didn’t eat last night, did you?"

Nero was surprised by her sudden concern.

He remained silent for a moment, causing Lilly to glance back at him.

"What? You don’t want me to cook for you?"

"No, it’s nothing like that."

Nero quickly sat down.

"I’d really appreciate it."

A small smile appeared on Lilly’s face, but she immediately coughed and turned away.

"Just wait."

She began preparing breakfast, and before long, a plate of eggs and pancakes was placed in front of Nero.

Mana Food was exceptionally filling. Even a single serving of 1-Star Mana Food could provide enough nourishment that a person might not need lunch afterward.

"This looks good."

Lilly simply hummed in response.

After a brief silence, she suddenly spoke.

"I’m going out with my friends today."

Nero looked up from his food.

"Okay."

"..."

Lilly waited for him to say something else, but nothing came.

Her eyebrows twitched slightly.

Nero, meanwhile, wondered why she had bothered telling him that in the first place.

Eventually, Lilly huffed and walked away.

Nero watched her leave, feeling awkward once again.

’Did I say something wrong?’

Meanwhile, Lilly was feeling just as embarrassed.

’Why did I even tell him that?’

It almost sounded like she was informing her husband that she was going somewhere.

The thought made her even more embarrassed.

In truth, she had wanted to talk about what happened last night and ask Nero what he thought about their kisses.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t bring herself to mention it directly.

She had barely slept last night, spending most of her time tossing and turning as she recalled what happened in the kitchen.

It had been her first experience with something like that, so naturally, she felt embarrassed and confused.

Yet despite everything, she couldn’t deny that she had been happy.

She had hoped Nero would say something about it this morning.

Anything would’ve been fine.

But he hadn’t mentioned it at all.

’What am I even expecting from him?’

Lilly shook her head.

Nero had never been particularly confident, and expecting him to suddenly take the initiative might have been asking too much.

Still, he was changing.

The Nero she knew before could barely hold a conversation without becoming nervous, but the person standing before her now was gradually becoming different.

Lilly sighed and continued with her day.

After finishing breakfast, Nero left the kitchen and walked down the corridor.

However, before he could get far, a familiar golden window appeared.

[Ding!]

[Choice Detected.]

Nero stopped walking.

Surprisingly, both options involved the same person.

[Option 1: Give Lilia Morgan a massage and ensure she is pleased.]

[Reward: Mana Sensitivity Enhancement (Rare)]

[Option 2: Give Lilia Morgan a massage and make sure she ends up angry.]

[Reward: $100,000 (Rare)]

"..."

Nero was dumbfounded.

"A massage?"

What kind of Choice was this supposed to be?

The first option wanted him to give Lilia a satisfying massage, while the second wanted him to make her angry.

’Seriously? Why would I deliberately make her angry?’

However, a hundred thousand dollars was an enormous amount of money.

Before he could decide what to do, he noticed Lilia approaching from the opposite direction.

She looked unusually stressed today.

There were faint dark circles beneath her eyes, and her shoulders seemed tense. Even her usual composed expression looked slightly strained.

Nero glanced at the System window again.

’So that’s why this Choice appeared...’

He was beginning to understand.

The System was deliberately putting him in difficult situations again.

Still, he wasn’t about to anger Lilia just for money, especially when the other reward could help him improve his Mana perception.

After considering it briefly, Nero selected the first option.

He then approached Lilia.

"Miss Lilia, you look a little stressed today. Would you like me to give you a massage?"

Lilia stopped walking.

"...A massage?"

She gave him a strange look.

"If I wanted a massage, I could simply visit the finest massage parlor in New Arcadia City."

However, she stopped before finishing her thought.

After examining Nero for another moment, she suddenly smiled.

"Fine. Let’s see what you’ve got."

"...Okay."

Nero hadn’t expected her to agree so easily.

The two entered Lilia’s bedroom, which was spacious and elegantly furnished. A large bed stood in the center, covered with expensive silk sheets, while a faint fragrance lingered in the air.

Lilia briefly disappeared into the bathroom.

When she returned, she had changed into a loose silk robe, her long blonde hair falling down her back.

She approached the bed and lay facedown on the mattress.

"Well? Get started."

Her tone was as commanding as ever.

Nero swallowed nervously before approaching the bed.

’Okay, it’s just a massage. Nothing complicated.’

He positioned himself beside her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

His Enhanced Touch Sensitivity was already active. According to the description, any area he touched would experience heightened sensation and increased pleasure.

However, this would be his first time properly testing it on someone.

The moment his fingers made contact, Lilia suddenly jolted.

"Ah!"

Nero immediately stopped.

"Is something wrong?"

Lilia seemed just as surprised by her own reaction.

"...What was that?"

"Huh?"

"Nothing. Continue."

Nero nodded and pressed his thumbs into her shoulders.

Almost immediately, Lilia felt an unusually pleasant sensation spreading through her muscles. Even the slightest pressure seemed much more effective than it should have been.

’Ngh... What is this?’

She had received countless massages from some of the finest professionals in the Federation, yet none of them had ever felt quite like this.

The difference was obvious.

Normally, a massage would gradually ease the stiffness in her muscles, but Nero’s touch seemed to provide relief almost immediately.

As he worked his fingers along her shoulders, another involuntary sound escaped her lips.

"Mm..."

Nero paused.

’Wait, is that my Enhanced Touch Sensitivity?’

He suddenly remembered the reward’s description.

It didn’t simply make his fingertips more sensitive. It also heightened the sensations experienced by whoever he touched.

’So it really works?’

That was rather interesting.

Lilia, meanwhile, was beginning to wonder where Nero had learned such an effective technique.

Every time he pressed against a particularly tense muscle, she experienced an unusual amount of relief.

It was almost too effective.

"How does that feel?" Nero asked.

"...Good. Continue."

Her voice was quieter than usual.

Nero moved his hands toward her upper back, carefully kneading the muscles around her shoulder blades.

Lilia’s fingers gradually relaxed against the bedsheets as the stiffness accumulated from several exhausting days began disappearing.

"Hah..."

Another satisfied sigh escaped her lips.

She had spent the past few days dealing with various matters involving the Golden Chamber, and the stress had taken quite a toll on her.

Yet somehow, Nero was managing to relieve it with a simple massage.

’Where did this boy learn something like this?’

Nero continued working, adjusting the pressure whenever he encountered a particularly stiff area.

His Enhanced Touch Sensitivity allowed him to recognize subtle differences in muscle tension, while also making every movement feel unusually pleasant for Lilia.

He was beginning to understand why the System had described the ability as a Quality of Life reward.

’This thing is actually pretty amazing.’

Lilia had almost completely relaxed by now.

However, when Nero pressed his thumbs against another tense spot near the base of her neck, she suddenly flinched again.

"Ahh!"

"...!"

Nero immediately withdrew his hands.

"Did I hurt you?"

"N-No."

Lilia quickly cleared her throat.

"That was... surprisingly effective."

For some reason, she sounded a little embarrassed.

Nero was confused.

’Isn’t this supposed to be a good thing?’

He couldn’t quite understand why Lilia was reacting so strangely, but since she hadn’t asked him to stop, he continued.

His fingers moved along the muscles of her neck and shoulders, applying gentle pressure to the areas that still felt tense.

Lilia closed her eyes.

The sensation was so pleasant that she could barely remember why she had been stressed in the first place.

’This is ridiculous...’

How could such a simple massage feel this good?

Even with her considerable experience with massages with professionels before, she had never encountered anything quite like it.

Meanwhile, Nero was beginning to feel a little awkward himself.

Every time he adjusted his technique, Lilia would react with another surprised gasp or satisfied sigh.

’Please don’t make any more strange noises...’

He had only wanted to complete a Choice and earn a reward.

Why was the situation becoming so embarrassing?

Fortunately, after several more minutes, most of the tension in Lilia’s muscles had disappeared.

Eventually, she raised a hand.

"That’s... enough."

Nero immediately stepped away.

"Did it help with the stress?"

Lilia remained lying down for a moment before slowly sitting up.

Her shoulders felt lighter, and the exhaustion that had troubled her earlier was practically gone.

The massage had been far more effective than she wanted to admit.

However, she quickly regained her usual composed expression.

"It was... adequate."

"..."

Nero almost wanted to complain.

’Adequate? After all those reactions?’

Still, he decided to keep his thoughts to himself.

But what he didn’t know was she wanted to feel his massage once more. It was felt so good, she had never experienced anything like this before. But how could she say that to him? There was no way. She was a proud woman, she would never do such things.

Lilia adjusted her robe before turning toward him.

"Where did you learn to do that?"

Nero hesitated briefly.

"I received some training from someone."

It wasn’t entirely a lie.

After all, the System had technically helped him develop his abilities.

Lilia examined him for a moment.

"I see."

She didn’t question him further and instead got up from the bed.

"You may leave now."

Her voice had returned to its usual composed tone.

"Alright, Miss Lilia."

Nero nodded before leaving the room.

Once the door closed behind him, he let out a long breath.

’That was more stressful than I expected.’

He had only given his guardian a massage, yet the Enhanced Touch Sensitivity had made the whole experience far more awkward than necessary.

At this rate, what ridiculous situation would the System force him into next?

’This System is definitely trying to get me killed someday.’

Just then, a notification appeared.

[Choice Completed.]

[Reward Distributed: Mana Sensitivity Enhancement (Rare)]

[Mana Sensitivity Enhancement: The user’s ability to sense and perceive Mana in the surrounding environment is significantly improved.]

Nero read through the description before dismissing the window.

’At least the reward is useful.’

However, just as he was about to continue walking, another notification suddenly appeared.

[By Observing an Incomplete High Human you’ve gained enlightenment into High Humans and obtained the final piece.]