Riches and Bitches: I have a gate to an isekai and leveling-up system!

With the main faucet of my small shower broken, there was no way for Fay to properly wash her hair. And even if she could somehow conquer the quirks of modern technology and overcome the trouble she herself created…

I could still claim, and with a certain dose of confidence at that, she would want me to wash her hair anyway.

With how few words Fay would speak, even with her dictionary rapidly and steadily increasing, I learned to attach a lot more value to what words she was using. And just like I could tell the difference between her calling me "Human Peter," and just "Peter,", it was plain for me to see that her "grooming" didn't exactly mean just "washing someone's hair."

'As far as I can recall, grooming is what animals do to build bonds, especially amidst the closest members of their pack,' I thought, only for a sour smile to appear on my lips a moment later. 'Or is it just my lust-founded wishful thinking?'

This moment of distraction caused the water in the bucket I was filling to overflow, sending the warm chill up my suddenly wet socks.

"Shit," I cursed a little, taking a step back and pulling the bucket of water away… And making the mistake of assuming, just like I would yesterday, that the water would now flow down the shower's drain.

But the very middle of the battery was now broken off. And while I could still manipulate the flow of both cold and hot water to adjust the temperature of a small fountain that burst forth the broken part… It was no longer aimed anywhere near the shower.

"Shit…" I cursed again as I watched water spill all over the floor before rapidly reaching for what was left of the battery and cutting the inflow of water. As a result, by the time the situation calmed down, my new set of clothes was as wet as the clothes that I just changed from.

I had no time to dawdle around, though. With the shower's battery broken, I had no means of keeping the water running and thus at a constant temperature. It was already a blessing that I found a small basin stashed away in the dark corner of the small storage shed outside. And now, for every second that I wasted, the water in the basin would turn slightly colder.

And for Fay's first, proper hair wash, subjecting her to the discomfort of cold water…

'Stop it!' I disciplined my thoughts, refusing to even imagine such a discourtesy, raising the heavy basin and carrying it over to the main room of my spartan apartment.

"Here!" I uttered a small scream of relief when I dropped the basin down by my bed, just by its edge. "Lay down face up, with your head on the edge of the bed," I instructed the girl while turning to my bags and fishing out several bottles of expensive cosmetics.

'First, use softener,' I recalled the words of the shopkeeper at both the relatively high-end cosmetic shop and then the advice of the vet from the clinic I visited while on the way back.

For Fay… I couldn't really tell whether I should follow up the routine of the vet or the cosmetologist. Was her hair… actually hair? Or was it an illusion attached to fur?

With no other choice, I simply followed my own gut and reason, splashing quite a bit of the thin liquid from the first bottle before raising my eyes up…

And freezing.

First, there was a storm of white hair that I just couldn't wait to get my hands on.

Then, there was Fay's head which I wanted to massage every inch off… while in search of whether she had fox ears hidden in her hair or not. Sadly, as Fay allowed her hair to fall off the edge of the bed, I had no hopes of finding out whether or not she sported a fox tail.

Yet, as I moved my eyes just a little bit further up…

Two pairs of two, round things came into my view.

The curious and expecting eyes on Fay's upturned face… and a huge chunk of her chest freely visible under her shirt at my current angle.

Gulp.

My saliva moved down my throat before I could even think about swallowing it. And just like that, in a single instant, my brain froze, my hands moved up, smearing the lotion all over Fay's slightly stiff hair.

At first, it felt as if my hands pressed into a mat made from a myriad of short yet durable straws, prickling and poking at the palms of my skin as I started to spread the thin creme all over the fury of Fay's hair.

Yet, as the cosmetic sank into the fabric of Fay's hair, it quickly softened the experience, reclaiming the same sensation for my hands that I got to experience back when I cuddled Fay up in her fox form.

'For the next step, gently rinse the hair to moisturize its exterior,' I followed the guidance of the helpful clerks, changing to the next bottle in the line.

A few brushes of my hands later, Fay's hair turned properly wet, now weighing down even more than before. And with Fay closing her eyes to avoid water getting into them, or maybe just relaxing that much…

I could now gaze right into her deep cleavage without any moral repercussions!

While wary of the risk of Fay suddenly opening her eyes, I continued to sneak glances at the soft, jiggly meat of her chest that moved along as Fay slightly adjusted the position of her body.

Soon, an expression of bliss spread all over her expression, decreasing the risk of my lecherous gaze being discovered.

'Now, conditioner,' I thought, forcibly tearing my eyes away from Fay's charms to focus back on my task.

A mere moment of massaging the soft creme into Fay's hair later, it suddenly started to gain substance, as if each individual strand of her hair grew in size at the cost of its toughness. And in the grand scheme of things, it already made her hair far fluffier than the fur she sported as a fox!

'Lastly, the shampoo…' I thought, gulping my saliva down as my hands started to sink in the extremely comfortable feeling of Fay's hair.

After applying the final cosmetic and then carefully rinsing Fay's hair,  I finally moved on to the last few steps.

First, I smeared yet another creme into her hair, the name of which I didn't even know. Then came a strange, white powder that seemed to be so light it could flow in the air. And lastly…

"Can you stand up and sit on the edge of the bed now?" I asked, already rushing back to the bathroom to find the hand-held hair dryer that I low-key stole from my aunt's house.

It was a cheap replacement for what my mom used to have, and something I couldn't afford to miss if I didn't want to get sick every time after washing my own hair and having no other choice but to wait for them to dry themselves.

By the time I returned to the room with the electric device in my hand, Fay already finished my instructions, moving up and sitting down at the edge of the bed. And as if to add the adorableness to the picture, she happily inserted her feet into the wastewater from washing her hair, gently sloshing the water within the basin.

Fay spoke nothing as she saw me approach, connect the dryer and the seat myself behind her back.

"I'm going to blow hot air to dry your hair. There will be a strange noise, so I hope it won't startle you too much," I warned as a small, mischievous smile crept up my lips.

I was just a single move of a finger away from turning the hair dryer on only to then savor Fay's reaction to the unknown magic.

"Did something happen?" the girl asked right as I was about to pull the trigger. "Because you know…"

I already knew Fay was learning my language at a speed that would put even the greatest polyglots of the world to shame. But still, hearing how quickly she advanced, even though I already knew about it… I still couldn't help but get shocked.

"When Fay finished her bath, Fay could tell Peter's aura…"

Looking from behind her shoulder, I couldn't catch all the details of Fay's expression. But even with this poor angle, I could see the hints of the uneasy look on the girl's face.

"Peter's aura… heavier."

This supposedly joyous, amusing moment suddenly turned just like how Fay felt about my aura.

Heavier.

So, I had no other choice but to blow all our worries away with a dose of cuteness.

I pulled the trigger, turning the hair dryer on and sending a stream of hot, directed air at Fay's wet hair.

The dryer alone couldn't blow the dense air out of the room. But when Fay jumped a little while squeaking "Kyaaa!", the thick atmosphere didn't have a chance!