The Shadow Tycoon
Copyright© 2026 by CaffeinatedTales
Chapter 18
With the address and business card he had gotten from Mr. Fox, William tracked down the “friend’s shop” Fox had mentioned, a small place called Space Light Bath.
It was not quite what he had imagined. There were not many people here, especially at the entrance. No lines, no crowd, which did not quite match the way a trend was supposed to look.
He had barely pushed the door open when the bored young woman at the front desk came forward. “Sir, how can I help you?”
She looked about twenty, maybe a little younger. A few freckles dusted the bridge of her nose, and there was a fresh, youthful ease about her that made people feel comfortable.
William’s gaze drifted from her to the corridor behind her. Doors lined both sides of it, spaced every few meters, each one leading to a light bath room.
Ever since some institution had claimed that light baths could effectively kill pubic lice and treat mild visible skin conditions, people had begun to enjoy the experience naked.
Whether it worked or not was another matter. What it clearly did was satisfy a certain urge in some people, the urge to be naked in a semi-public space. It relieved pressure, and it also made what had once been a shared activity ... awkward.
In the end, most light bath establishments shifted from semi-open halls to semi-private rooms, to protect both certain people’s privacy, and certain people’s eyes.
The girl was about to say something else when a door opened down the hallway behind her. A woman stepped out, wearing only sunglasses, completely naked.
She stretched lazily in the corridor, glancing at the two of them without the slightest attempt to hide herself.
The sunglasses she wore were similar to aviator goggles, large enough to cover most of her face, leaving only her nose and mouth exposed. Combined with the tight cap that wrapped all her hair, even someone familiar with her would struggle to recognize her through the heavy disguise.
That was why these people dared strip completely in public spaces. They were not worried about being recognized.
The receptionist shrieked, apologizing as she hurried over, ushering the unruly woman back into her room and warning her that if she wandered out again, her remaining sessions would be canceled. That finally calmed the woman down.
“I’m very sorry for the disturbance...” the girl said when she returned.
“It’s fine. She had a great figure. I’d say I got the better end of it.”
That made the girl flush slightly. At the same time, she found herself unsure what to think of William. Calling him a bad man felt wrong, he was too frank. Calling him a good man did not quite fit either, he did not bother hiding the less polished parts of himself.
For a moment she simply stood there, at a loss.
William smiled. “Help me contact your boss. Tell him Mr. Fox sent me. I’d like to meet him.”
The girl visibly relaxed. After asking him to wait, she picked up the phone. Thirty or forty seconds later, she hung up and pointed toward a side door. “The boss is waiting in the back. You can go in.”
William thanked her and stepped through the side door into a small office behind the main area. A balding man in his thirties rose to greet him with a smile.
The owner’s name was Tobyin. When he had first opened this light bath shop, he had been short on funds and had borrowed some money from Mr. Fox. Business had taken off quickly, and he had repaid the debt in no time.
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