From Trash to Lord of Thunder: The Rise of the Cursed Extra-Chapter 74: The Lake (+18)

Charles was doing something he never imagined he’d do in his life: bathing in a waterfall’s pool as night fell, with rain pouring down.

The sound of water crashing against rocks echoed around him—splash-splash—blending with the steady drumming of raindrops from the sky—patter-patter.

As he set Kaira down at the pool’s edge, Charles eyed the waterfall.

Water plummeted from an impressive height, forming a shimmering white curtain under the dim twilight glow.

’What kind of lake has a waterfall like this...?’ he thought, bewildered.

The rain kept falling, soaking them further, and Charles realized they’d left the ice cream containers back in the forest.

’Great,’ he thought sarcastically. ’Not only am I drenched, but we also ditched ten pounds of ice cream. Perfect.’

He settled Kaira carefully on the ground, ensuring she could stand.

"Hey," he said, trying to keep his voice steady. "You’ve bathed here before, right?"

To his surprise, Kaira didn’t answer right away. Instead, she crouched swiftly, slipping off her black shoes and socks with a nimble move, her bare feet hitting the ground—thud.

Then, without hesitation, she started untying her red tunic.

’Uh...?’

Charles froze, his jaw dropping slightly, as the fabric fell to the ground—flop—revealing Kaira’s pale, slender skin.

The black band covering her chest and matching black underwear stood out starkly against her skin, and her wet hair clung to her body in a way that, to Charles, made her look breathtakingly attractive.

"Of course I have," Kaira replied casually. "This place isn’t crowded, but it’s awesome for a dip."

Charles blinked, struggling to process what he was seeing.

"Wait. What’d you say we’re doing?" he asked, his voice quivering slightly.

Kaira glanced at him, raising an eyebrow.

"I said we’re bathing," she answered bluntly. "Gotta wash off that sticky ice cream."

Charles opened his mouth to ask if she wasn’t embarrassed stripping in front of a guy, but before he could, Kaira began untying the black band over her chest. The fabric slipped off slowly—swish—revealing her pink-tipped breasts.

’They’re huge!’ Charles thought instantly.

Kaira set the band carefully on her tunic, and Charles couldn’t keep up with what was happening.

A girl was stripping right in front of him.

He’d assumed they’d jump in fully clothed, but this...

This blew every expectation out of the water!

Charles wanted to stop her, but a tiny, traitorous part of him just wanted to see how far she’d go.

To his shock—and growing nerves—Kaira didn’t stop.

With a quick motion, she slid off her black underwear, letting it drop beside her clothes—plop.

Pink.

That part of her was pink too!

Now fully naked, her skin gleamed under the rain and twilight, her body completely exposed before Charles.

Charles felt his breath catch in his throat.

’This... can’t be happening,’ he thought, unable to tear his eyes away. ’This can’t be real.’

Kaira frowned, noticing he was still frozen, his black tunic untouched.

"Why haven’t you stripped?" she asked, crossing her arms, which only made Charles more nervous.

"Uh... it’s cold," he blurted, scrambling for an excuse as his face burned—whoosh.

Kaira let out a short laugh, clearly amused.

"Cold?" she echoed, pointing at the water. "You’ll warm up once you’re in. Come on, lose the clothes."

Charles swallowed hard, still staring at Kaira’s naked body. He couldn’t help noticing how good she looked, and his body reacted in a way that made him even more embarrassed.

’No! Not again...’ he thought, scolding himself. ’This is the last thing I need right now.’

Kaira, seeing he wasn’t moving, stepped toward him.

"What’s wrong?" she teased. "You one of those rain-bath purists?"

Charles shook his head, trying to regain his composure.

"No, it’s not that," he said, raising a hand. "Just... you go in first, okay?"

Kaira crossed her arms, a defiant grin spreading.

"Nope," she said. "I want us to jump in together."

Charles blinked, incredulous.

"Together?" he repeated, his voice a mix of shock and nerves. "Can you... I dunno, turn around for a sec?"

Kaira tilted her head, confused.

"Turn around?" she asked. "Why?"

Charles let out a nervous laugh, scratching the back of his neck.

Suddenly, a memory hit him.

When Dren and his crew were harassing the maid in the fighters’ bath, there were girls in Dren’s group.

He hadn’t thought much of it then, but now...

’Is it normal in this clan for guys and girls to bathe together?’ he thought, his head ready to explode. ’What kind of place is this?’

Before he could process further, Kaira stepped closer and started untying the cord holding his tunic closed. Charles stumbled back, startled.

"Hey, hey!" he yelped, raising his hands. "What’re you doing?"

Kaira grinned, undeterred.

"You’re getting cold, right?" she said playfully. "Just helping you strip faster."

Charles gently pushed her hand away, his face about to catch fire.

"Wait, wait!" he said, untying the cord himself. "I got it, okay? Just... give me a second."

Kaira stepped back, crossing her arms again, and Charles couldn’t help noticing how her breasts moved with each gesture.

It was mesmerizing, and he had to force himself to look away.

’Focus,’ he thought, taking a deep breath. ’Just strip and get in the water. Don’t make this weirder than it already is.’

With quick movements, Charles kicked off his black boots and socks—thud-thud—feeling Kaira’s eyes on him.

As he let his tunic drop to the ground—flump—leaving him in just black underwear, he noticed Kaira watching with a smile.

His athletic build, honed by training and fights, seemed to have caught her attention.

"What?" Charles said, a bit uneasy. "Why’re you staring like that?"

Kaira shrugged, still smiling.

"Nothing," she said. "Just thinking you’re not half bad."

Charles rolled his eyes, trying to brush off the compliment. Without overthinking it, he grabbed her by the waist and, with a swift move, launched them both into the water.

"Let’s go!" he shouted just before they plunged in—splash.

The water enveloped them, cold but refreshing, washing away the sticky ice cream residue.

But then, a detail hit Charles like a brick.

’Oh, crap,’ he thought, panic surging.

The water was way deeper than he’d expected, and his feet couldn’t touch the bottom.