A Tiger Rolled Into My Life, Bringing Chaos With It - Chapter 3

“I’ll wash your body.”

She put down the shower head and extended both hands toward the tiger. Though she was much more comfortable than before, her touch remained careful. After all, directly rubbing its body required another level of courage. The tiger showed no particular reaction even when her hands touched its back.

Phew. Tinya let out a small sigh of relief as she gently rubbed the tiger’s back. Her hands gradually moved downward as she scooped water from the basin and poured it over its back while softly washing it. When her hands approached the belly area, the tiger twisted its body and, mimicking a full stretch, lay on its side with all four legs extended.

“Are you helping me wash you more easily?”

Of course, she couldn’t hear an answer, but the gaze fixed on her seemed to say yes. The more she observed it, the more intelligent it appeared. Who had trained it to be like this? A small curiosity arose.

“What a good baby.”

Her voice had unconsciously risen to the tone one uses with babies. At that sound, the tiger seemed excited and stretched out even more enthusiastically. When its legs stuck out of the basin, Tinya giggled and tucked them back in.

“No wounds?”

Thanks to the tiger actively changing its position, she could examine its entire body, but there were no visible external injuries. She even checked the paw pads just in case, but the dirt had washed away revealing only adorable jelly-like paw pads.

That meant it was someone else’s blood….

“Surely it’s not blood that splattered while harming an herbivore?”

As the hypothesis she had tried to push away resurfaced, anxiety quietly settled in her heart. Given that it was found in the herbivore district, she couldn’t rule it out completely. If it had really hurt an herbivore animal here, or worse, attacked an herbivore shifter and fled…

Just as her anxiety was taking shape, the tiger slightly waved its tail marked with black stripes. The small, cute tail wrapped around her arm like a snake and rubbed against it with an affectionate movement. Tinya’s face immediately softened at this docile behavior.

“That can’t be possible. You’re too gentle.”

She murmured quietly while gently stroking the tiger’s chin. Responding to her touch, the tail wrapped more tightly around her arm.

“Aww. I’m sorry for doubting you.”

As she continued to soothe it with gentle gestures, her remaining doubts gradually disappeared. While Tinya was washing the tiger’s body, the bathtub was filling up. After checking that it was half full, she turned off the faucet.

“It’s been a while since I’ve had a bath.”

When she stood up after crouching for so long, she couldn’t help but groan, “Ohhh.” The tiger, lying on its side, turned its head to stare at her. Tinya met its gaze as she began to undress. When she lifted her top to reveal her chest, the tiger’s pupils grew round and large. Though they quickly returned to normal, its gaze remained fixed intently on her chest.

After removing all her clothes, she tied her hair up high and dipped her feet into the bathtub. The warmth that started at her toes gradually spread up to her waist.

“Ahh… this feels so good…”

Tinya’s words stretched out. Her body relaxed along with them. It felt like the accumulated fatigue and muscle tension were melting away into the water. As she submerged herself up to her shoulders, gentle ripples spread across the water’s surface.

Tinya’s species doesn’t naturally prefer immersive bathing. She was the same at first. But after moving to live alone and doing physical work all day, her thinking changed. Not just changed—she had become completely addicted to this feeling of melting away.

Unfortunately, a change in preference didn’t mean she could indulge often. There were many things in the world that remained out of reach despite longing for them.

Tinya used hot water only one day a week. The reason was simple: cost. The water bill was three times higher than when using cold water. At first, she didn’t know this and used it lavishly, nearly fainting when she saw the bill.

She had boldly tried cold baths, thinking “Cold water should be fine,” but gave up after catching a cold the very next day.

“Forget it, I’m too dirty to not bathe!” The next stage was complete abandonment, but whenever her body felt even slightly tired, the memory of hot water’s comfort drove her crazy. Eventually, Tinya chose a compromise of bathing once a week, accepting a certain cost, and it had been maintained reasonably well until now.

Of course, “until now” was only valid until recently. Lately, her income had decreased, and she hadn’t enjoyed a bath for almost three weeks. Perhaps that’s why she couldn’t resist this temptation.

‘If I had known I’d only have to pay half, I would have taken one at least once.’

Who could have known it would rain for two weeks? As she let out a long sigh, the tiger made a small sound beside her. Tinya slightly raised her submerged body and turned her head. Resting her arm on the edge of the tub, she found the yellow eyes staring at her intently. They seemed to ask why she was sighing, and Tinya found herself speaking without thinking.

“Well, I actually couldn’t even dream of a hot bath recently. My income decreased because of the rainy season. Sigh, I don’t know why it has to rain. No, that’s not right. Would drought be a bigger problem if it didn’t rain? Still, two weeks was too much.”

Though the tiger probably couldn’t understand such talk, the words kept flowing. The warm steam made her lips lighter than roadside pebbles, and having a listener after so long made her heart flutter.

Moreover, the tiger’s unwavering gaze somehow made her feel understood. So Tinya began to share more stories.

“I really love hot baths. When I come home from work and soak in warm water, that feeling of my whole body melting away is just amazing. If it cost a little less, I would do it every day.”

Her toes danced under the water. As Tinya’s words took on a rhythm like a song, the tiger’s tail swayed gently. To Tinya, it looked exactly like it was agreeing with her, making her chuckle, “Hehehe.”

While spending time feeling like they were having a conversation, the tiger climbed out of the basin. Tinya’s chattering stopped.

The tiger, with its fur heavy with water, shook itself lightly. Water droplets flew everywhere, reaching even Tinya. She reached out her hand through the flying droplets. It was a natural movement, the initial wariness having disappeared somewhere.

The tiger hesitated when its body was caught.

“You got out because the water cooled down. But you can’t leave now. My water is still warm.”

Uncomfortable with letting it go to the living room alone, Tinya lifted the tiger. The small, warm body was pulled up and transferred to the bathtub. Splash. The water rippled as the small but substantial weight was added.

“Your body is warm again, right?”

In response to her tone, as if explaining something fascinating, the tiger made a small sound, “…grrrng.” When Tinya bent her knees and placed the tiger on her thighs, its front paws naturally rested on her chest. The tiger’s tongue briefly flicked out. Soon after, it began pressing her chest with its soft, jelly-like paw pads.

“Ah, I know this. It’s kneading!”

She vaguely remembered hearing that felines do this when they’re content. Indeed, a hot bath was amazing enough to elevate even a tiger cub’s mood. Having discovered this common ground, Tinya felt pleased and didn’t find it strange when the front paws gradually moved toward the center of her chest. Even when they pressed near her n*****s, she just laughed, finding it ticklish.

At that moment, something that seemed to be protruding caught Tinya’s eye.

“What’s this?”

She put her hand between the tiger’s front paws to expose its belly. Two pouches were visible near where the tail began, and above them, something pillar-shaped was protruding. Was it there when she bathed it earlier? Tinya tilted her head and reached out.

The sensation that met her fingertips was both soft and firm. The more she touched it, the more rigid it became.

Is this a tiger characteristic? Or is there some problem?

While she was examining it intently, trying to make a judgment, the pillar swelled even more. At the same time, the tiger’s entire body began to expand subtly.

…Wait a minute. This is…

The situation unfolded faster than her mind could process the familiar phenomenon. The small body transformed into the shape of an adult male, causing the water to ripple violently. By the time Tinya’s pupils had dilated so much they nearly swallowed her irises, a naked male shifter was already sitting before her.